The campfire in the center of the camp roared to life as the dusk completely settled. Sparks rose into the night wind and they looked like countless tiny meteors. The attendants had returned from town with wine and food and they sat around the massive bonfire while their songs and laughter swayed along with the flickering light.
Luo Lan and his group sat by a much smaller campfire a short distance away.
Arya finished plating the last of the grilled shrimp and she finally picked up the tray with a look of satisfaction. She had mixed the fruit wine herself by adding honey and bay leaves so the alcohol content was quite low. She had also grilled the shrimp over the fire until the shells were crispy and the meat was tender and then she drizzled them with her special sauce.
Arya's cooking was as good as ever while the fruit wine was sweet and the shrimp were delicious. Everyone praised the meal but Luo Lan ate with a distracted expression.
His mind was focused entirely on that [Little Iron Book].
'Why did that [Golden Line] suddenly get longer?'
"Luo Lan."
A voice sounded in his ear and Luo Lan snapped out of his thoughts. He realized that Clovis had moved next to him at some point and she was so close that their shoulders were almost touching.
"Your Highness?"
He instinctively tried to create some distance but Clovis quietly grabbed his sleeve.
"You... seem to care a lot about Ophelia?"
The girl asked the question while trying to act nonchalant.
"Why do you think that?"
"Because ever since she appeared, you have been looking at her constantly."
Luo Lan remained silent for a moment and then he drained his cup of fruit wine.
'On one hand, I am curious about what kind of person your childhood friend is. On the other hand... she is also heading to the Royal Capital for the [Holy Rite]. In other words, Lady Ophelia is a competitor for this year's [Heavenly Crown Class] at the academy.'
Clovis gave a thoughtful hum and she lowered her head. Her silver hair slid off her shoulder and it covered half of her face.
"Ophelia... has been a genius and a role model in the eyes of others since we were kids. If I have to compete against someone like her, I..."
Luo Lan pursed his lips and then he suddenly reached out. He took advantage of the moment when Arya was looking down to organize the utensils and he quickly pinched Clovis's cheek.
Clovis let out a startled cry and she looked up sharply. She met the boy's eyes but he was already pretending that nothing had happened.
"No matter what you do, you need to have confidence first. How will you know if you can succeed if you don't even try?"
Suddenly, a commotion broke out near the large campfire and the crisp sound of wooden swords clashing cut through the night. It was joined by the shouting and laughter of the knights.
Everyone looked toward the sound and they saw that the knights of the Blanche family and the attendants of the Rufinius family had formed a circle. They were holding wooden swords that were coated in white ash and they had begun to exercise their muscles after the meal.
Luo Lan went to check on the situation out of curiosity and he approached the crowd. He noticed that most of the Rufinius knights were hanging their heads.
"What happened?"
The issue was not complicated as the knights of the two houses simply wanted to test their [Skills] against each other after drinking.
The rules were simple. Each house would provide ten men for a gauntlet match. The loser would leave the field while the winner stayed and the match would continue until one side had no one left to send out.
At the moment, the Rufinius family only had one man left. He stood a short distance away while gripping his wooden sword and his palms were covered in sweat. In contrast, the Blanche family still had five men left and they stood in a row like a solid wall.
Luo Lan scratched his head after he understood the situation and then he walked over to the last knight and reached out his hand.
"How about you let me try?"
The last knight was stunned for a second before he reacted and handed over the wooden sword.
Luo Lan weighed the wooden sword to get a feel for its center of gravity and then he walked into the center of the clearing.
The Blanche knights exchanged looks and then they sent out their first man. He was a young knight with a steady gait and he performed a flashy sword flower with his wooden sword as he entered.
It had to be said that the Blanche knights were indeed stronger but their movements were too slow for Luo Lan. He had been through years of [Spartan Training] under Slud.
That knight only lasted for three breaths of time.
During the first breath, Luo Lan stepped to the side to dodge. During the second breath, he raised his sword. During the third breath... the knight's wooden sword flew out of his hand and it drew an arc through the air before stabbing into the snow.
The cheers that the crowd had been preparing got stuck in their throats.
Then came the second knight, the third knight, and the fourth knight... gradually, the Blanche knights stopped smiling.
The final man left to guard the line was the lead Blanche knight from earlier and he looked older than the others.
At first, his gaze toward Luo Lan contained a habitual hint of contempt. In his eyes, a boy like Luo Lan had likely only learned some flowery swordsmanship to show off or to please women.
However, his playful gaze changed after four of his companions were defeated in an instant.
The knight crouched low and held his wooden sword level as he performed a standard duel salute.
Luo Lan returned the salute and his sword tip touched the ground.
Two figures collided in the firelight and the dull thuds of wooden swords clashing echoed through the camp. This time, Luo Lan finally felt a bit of pressure.
The opponent's sword was heavy and solid while his angles of attack were tricky and experienced. He truly had the qualifications to be a captain.
The sound of clashing wood drowned out the wind and the crowd erupted into waves of cheers. The noise eventually disturbed the two figures standing in the distance.
Clovis and Ophelia walked over one after the other and they both looked at the boy whose figure was outlined clearly by the firelight.
The knight did not even realize what had happened at the moment his wooden sword was disarmed. He stared blankly at his empty palm and his expression suggested that he could not believe it.
The Rufinius knights froze for a moment and then they exploded into cheers.
"Good game."
Luo Lan reached out to pull the knight up from the ground but his peripheral vision caught the three figures standing nearby. The knights naturally saw their own house head so they knelt on one knee after standing up to ask Ophelia for forgiveness.
"It is fine," Ophelia said calmly. "It was just a spar, so there is no need for apologies."
She gave a slight smile and that smile looked exceptionally soft in the firelight.
"Besides, you did very well."
The knight was slightly taken aback and then he lowered his head even further.
The crowd dispersed as the alcohol and the excitement cooled down. The wooden swords were put away and it was as if nothing had happened.
Ophelia remained where she was and she walked up to Luo Lan while tilting her head to study him closely.
"Mr. Luo Lan... you really are a special person."
The camp gradually returned to tranquility. Clovis stepped forward as if she wanted to say something to Luo Lan but Ophelia half-pulled and half-dragged her into her own tent.
The silver-haired girl looked back at Luo Lan with some reluctance but the boy had already gone to clean up the mess with Arya.
...
At midnight, Luo Lan lay in his tent but he could not sleep at all. His mind was filled with the final images of his previous [Game Cycle]. He remembered the rain of fire covering the sky, the collapsing cathedral, and the [Holy Sword] that had pierced through his chest.
The boy sat up and poured himself a cup of wine and then he left the tent to sit by the campfire.
The fire was not as vigorous as before but it still flickered stubbornly.
He had only taken a couple of sips of wine when he heard the sound of snow being crunched nearby. A figure sat down beside him and brought a familiar scent. Luo Lan looked up and saw Arya. She had let her hair down so it fell like a waterfall and she was holding a wine cup in her hand as well.
"You have been restless ever since Lady Ophelia appeared."
She spoke softly and the usual coldness in her tone had faded significantly.
"Is something wrong?"
Luo Lan wondered if it was just his imagination because Arya's gentle face looked even softer under the glow of the fire.