Later, at the palace around 8 p.m., Igor stands in front of the princess's room door, knocking.
"Get in." Said a manly voice from the princess room. Igor opened the door and went in. He saw all different type of swords scattered all over the floor.
"Princess Jewel. Did you already find the sword you're looking for?" Igor asked worriedly.
"The princess found nothing. All the swords you brought here are nothing but trash," said the skinny elf in black armor, his tone laced with irritation. His name was Roja, and he was the princess's protégé.
"But some of these swords are owned by high-ranking military officials. How can they be trash?" Igor asked.
"Regardless, their owners are not on my level. Hahaha!" Roja replied conceitedly.
"I didn't allow you to speak, Roja," the princess said, sitting in her chair, her gaze sorrowfully fixed on the swords scattered across the floor.
"My apologies, Princess," Roja replied humbly.
"And you, Igor, are you sure you brought me all the swords from around the city?" Princess Jewel asked.
"Well… You told me you were looking for special-looking swords, so I only brought ones I thought were unique. Actually, I do remember seeing an odd-looking sword, but I didn't ask its owner to participate in your contest because the sword's owner wasn't a swordsman—just an ordinary weapon dealer, also I don't think it's as powerful as the swords I brought you." Igor explained.
The princess's pupils dilated with curiosity. "What did the sword look like?" she asked.
"The blade was curved, and the way it shone—it looked like it was made to cleave heads clean off. I don't think I've ever seen a blade like that before. Honestly, I doubt it was crafted by anyone from our world," Igor described, awe evident in his voice.
The princess recalled the events that had unfolded in the Forest of Geneva. She remembered the sight of the bandits' heads rolling on the ground.
The princess rose from her chair. "I want you to bring me that sword immediately!" she demanded of Igor.
"Yes princess!" Igor replied then hastily left the room.
Igor, along with the knights, rode back to the bakery shop where he met the weapon dealer. However, the weapon dealer was nowhere to be seen. Igor thought that the weapon dealer might just be a traveler visiting Lenor City. Using simple magic, a screen appeared in Igor's palm, allowing him to contact the guards stationed at the city gate.
"This is Igor, Princess Jewel's assistant. By order of Princess Jewel, close the gate temporarily and do not allow travelers to leave the city. We will arrive shortly to conduct an important inspection."
Igor's message was sent to one of the guards at the city gate. Upon receiving the voice message on the screen, the guard immediately relayed the instructions to his fellow guards, and together they stopped several travelers from leaving the city. Ryo, the weapon dealer who owned the katana, was about to leave Lenor City when he noticed some kind of commotion near the main gate. Ryo walked towards the gate to find out what was going on.
People riding horses and caravans of merchants were talking to the guards.
"Again, we will not allow you to leave until the knights of Princess Jewel arrive," said the guard firmly.
"What's the reason for all this? We didn't do anything wrong," said one of the travelers holding a horse's lead rope.
"Shut up and just follow our orders!" one of the guards replied angrily.
When Ryo got near the gate, he asked one of the travelers standing nearby,
"What's going on here? Why are the guards blocking the gate?"
"I don't know. One of the guards said there will be an inspection or something," replied the traveler.
"Inspection?" Ryo thought, wondering.
Ryo and the other travelers had no choice but to follow the guards' orders. They waited for several minutes until Igor and the knights arrived, riding horses.
Igor dismounted from his horse and caught the attention of all the travelers.
"Good evening, folks. Is anyone here selling weapons?" Igor asked.
Ryo recognized Igor as the dwarf elf who had asked him about his katana earlier.
Since none of the travelers replied, Ryo decided to speak up.
"I sell some daggers and swords. Are you interested in buying now?" Ryo said.
Immediately, Igor recognized Ryo.
"Oh, you're the guy with that strange curved sword! I've been looking for you. I want you to come with me to the palace right now," Igor said delightedly.
Ryo didn't feel threatened by Igor's invitation, though he remained a little cautious. So he asked Igor,
"Did I do anything wrong? Why are you asking me to come with you?"
"No, no, no. Don't worry, I mean no harm," Igor replied. "It's just that the Princess of Geneva is looking for a strange sword, and I remember that the one you have is quite unusual. Don't be afraid—if the princess takes a liking to your sword, you could be rewarded with a prize of a lifetime. Now come with me quickly; the princess is waiting."
Convinced that Igor's invitation wasn't a threat, Ryo decided to ride with him back to the palace.
Together with their swords, the warriors at the palace were sent home. Roja did not tell the warriors if there was a winner; he simply asked them to leave. While these warriors wondered if there was a winner at all, they were unable to complain because they were afraid of Roja's might.
Princess Jewel was very curious about what kind of sword Igor was going to bring her. She left her room in excitement and went to the palace's lobby to wait for Igor. There, she saw Roja. "Princess Jewel, you can go back to your room and rest. Once Igor is back I'll bring the sword in your room." Roja said.
No, I'll wait for Igor so I can meet the owner of the sword," Princess Jewel insisted.
"Why would you want to meet the owner of that sword? Didn't you hear what Igor said earlier? The owner of the sword isn't a warrior; he's just a weapon dealer," Roja said, irritated.
"I don't care! And don't you dare give me orders! I know what I'm doing!" Princess Jewel replied angrily.
Roja, intimidated by the princess, didn't try to argue. Instead, he replied humbly,
"I apologize, Princess. I'm not trying to give you orders; I'm just concerned about you."
The door to the lobby opened, and Princess Jewel's eyes widened when she saw Igor and Ryo step inside. Her gaze was fixed on Ryo, who was wearing a hood and holding the katana. In that moment, Princess Jewel seemed stunned.
As they got closer to her, Igor asked Ryo to stay behind him, explaining that he was not allowed to approach the princess any further. Igor took the katana from Ryo and stepped forward.
"Princess Jewel, here is the sword I was telling you about," Igor said, presenting the katana.
The princess took the sword and slowly unsheathed it. The blade shone magnificently, like the light of the moon. Roja's eyes widened in shock as he took in the sight of the intimidating weapon.
"That blade…the way it looks-it could really be something otherworldly," Roja thought.
Princess Jewel immediately sheathed the katana.
"You! Are you the swordsman who saved me and killed the bandits in the Forest of Geneva? Answer me!" The princess demanded.
"No, Princess. I am not that swordsman," Ryo replied calmly.
Roja quickly moved next to the princess without her noticing and took the katana. The princess was unable to react. Roja then threw the katana to Ryo. The blade spun rapidly as it flew toward him, but Ryo caught it with ease.
The princess and Igor were stunned by the display.
"He is indeed a swordsman," Roja said.
The princess was on the verge of tears, feeling as though she was finally close to what she had been searching for.
"Why don't you remove your hood? I need to see your face!" the princess demanded.
"I can't—" Ryo replied, pausing mid-sentence.
Roja moved so quickly it was as if he had teleported. He stood beside Ryo, a faint, flame-like aura glowing around his body. The heat from Roja's aura caused Ryo's hood and parts of his clothing to burn away, revealing his face and swordsman attire.
"How did he? What was that skill?" Ryo thought.
Princess Jewel stared at Ryo, her mind racing as memories of the Forest of Geneva resurfaced. The image of the swordsman in her memory matched the face now before her. Her lips parted, but no words came out. Slowly, she walked toward Ryo.
When she was finally close to him, tears began streaming down her face as she gazed at him.
"It was you," she whispered, before bursting into tears.
The glow surrounding Roja faded.
"Princess, I think it's time for you to rest now," Roja said softly.
"Yes, I will. And you," she said, turning to Ryo, "I will talk to you tomorrow. Don't you dare leave the city.".
Princess Jewel walked away while wiping her tears.
Roja looked at Igor and said, "Accompany her back to her room."
Igor panicked for a moment. "Y-Yes, sir!" he stammered before hurrying after Princess Jewel.
"Princess Jewel, wait!" he called out.
"Am I in trouble now? I think I remember that woman, but-" Ryo began to analyze his situation but he froze as Roja started speaking.
"So, you are not really a weapon dealer. Rather a swordsman. A rouge swordsman, level 35, not bad." Roja said glancing at the screen above Ryo's head.
"He didn't just reveal my identity; he also unveil my real status. What kind of skill is that?!" Ryo thought, still trying to figure out his next move now that someone had discovered he was a rogue.
"You look worried now. But don't worry—you won't die today," Roja said with a mocking grin.
"I'll speak with the princess first about what I've uncovered, and then I'll decide whether to execute you or send you to prison. For now, don't try anything stupid if you value your life. Wait for Igor; he'll escort you to the guest room.
"Even if you're just a lowly, savage criminal, you're still the princess's guest. So, I'll treat you nicely—for a little while," he added with a scoff before bursting into laughter. "Ha-ha-ha-ha!" Roja turned and walked away, leaving Ryo behind.
Ryo quickly checked Roja's status on the screen displayed on his palm.
********************************
Name: Roja
Class: Swordsman/ Top flame master
Level: 75
Occupation: Army General
*********************************
Ryo choked and cold sweat forming on his forehead.
"He's right. If I try attacking him right now, I might end up dead. But somehow I am not panicking, there still might be a chance for me to survive. I just need to stay calm." Ryo said while staring at Roja walking away.