Peace Hunter

In the first-year infirmary.

Our conversation with Commander Asier and Master Irwin had ended, and they both left the infirmary.

"Slaying the Dragon, huh?" I said.

"You shouldn't think too much about what my brother Rid said earlier. Even though my brother wants to invite you to hunt that Dragon after you graduate and become a Duke knights, you don't have to accept his invitation. This matter has nothing to do with you."

"My brother may be right about me being unable to defeat that Dragon, but that's for now. I will continue to grow stronger during my time at this academy and prove to him that I am capable of defeating it. If my brother continues to feel incapable of defeating it, then let me go find and defeat it after graduation," Irene said.

"No, this matter also has something to do with me," I said.

"What do you mean?" Irene asked.

"You promised me that I could become a Duke knights upon graduation without any prior selection, right?" I asked.

"Yes, I did promise that," Irene said.

"If I become a knight ​of the Duke of San Lucia, I'll certainly be invited to join the expedition to those mountains, since those mountains are in San Lucia territory," I said.

"That's true, but you can still refuse if invited to join the expedition. There's no pressure to go," Irene said.

"Well, with your brother always insisting on inviting me, it seems like it would be difficult to refuse. Besides, this is a great opportunity for me. If I participate in the expedition and find and defeat the Ice Dragon, my reputation and performance as a knight will improve. Wouldn't that mean I could get a promotion? Who knows, by doing that, I could immediately become a commander like your brother," I said.

"You're right. That way, one of your goals will be achieved," Irene said.

"But it seems like if I join the expedition, you'll be bothered because you might feel like I'm stealing your prey," I said.

"In fact, I would really appreciate it if you joined the expedition, Rid. Your powers could help me defeat the Dragon," Irene said.

"Didn't you say you would defeat it yourself?" I asked.

"Indeed. I said earlier that your powers could help me defeat the Dragon, but I'll still be the one to finish it off," Irene said.

"You're very confident, aren't you? Even with my help, I doubt we can defeat it. This is a Dragon, after all, its skin is stronger than steel," I said.

"We don't need to worry about that yet, the important thing is to focus on getting stronger," Irene said.

"Well, you're right. It's still a long time before we can join the expedition. We have to graduate from this academy first," I said.

While we were chatting, the door to the infirmary suddenly opened.

"So you're still here, miss. I thought you had gone to lunch," Leandra said.

It was Leandra and Lily who opened the door.

"I'm going to lunch soon too," Irene said.

"Oh yeah, I saw Mr. Asier and Mr. Irwin earlier. Did they just meet you?" Lily asked.

"Yes, they also wanted to meet Rid," Irene said.

"What did Mr. Asier and Mr. Irwin come to see you for, Rid?" Leandra asked.

"Just to get to know each other. As you know, I'm currently Irene's boyfriend. Well, even if it's just pretend," I said.

"That's right," Leandra said.

"Have you two had lunch yet? If not, come join us for lunch," Irene said.

"No, miss. We were looking for you to invite you to lunch. What a coincidence," Leandra said.

"Okay, then let's go to lunch," Irene said.

"Am I invited too?" I asked.

"Of course, you haven't had lunch yet, have you?" Irene asked.

"Yeah," I said.

"Okay, let's go for lunch. Let's go to the shopping area since I'm sure the cafeteria is busy right now," Irene said.

"Anywhere is fine with me," I said.

Then we headed to the shopping area. Along the way, many people were staring at me.

"Looks like there's a new idol at the academy," Lily said.

"You seem to be the center of attention because you won this tournament, Rid," Leandra said.

"I guess so," I said.

But I didn't pay much attention and headed to the shopping area and had lunch there.

-

In the academy cafeteria, located on the first floor of the central building.

Noa, Julie, Kotaro, and Lillian were enjoying their lunch. However, Noa seemed lost in thought.

"What's wrong, Noa?" Kotaro asked.

"I just remembered something I forgot earlier," said Noa.

"What is that?" Kotaro asked.

"Shouldn't we visit Rid and Princess Irene first and invite them to lunch? Why are we having lunch first?" Noa asked.

-

In the private room where Her Majesty the Queen and King Albert were.

King Albert, Queen Kayana, Charles, and Chloe were eating together in the room. Around them were Commander Oliver and several knights who were eating at another table.

"I didn't expect Father to accompany Mother to watch this match," Charles said.

"Actually, my purpose here wasn't to watch the match, but to meet you two. It's been a long time since we last saw each other," said King Albert.

"Yes, it's been a long time. Is Father well?" Charles asked.

"Good. How about you?" asked King Albert.

"We're both good too," said Charles.

"Yes, Father," said Chloe.

"That's good then. It seems you've gotten used to the academy environment," said King Albert.

"Yes, that's how it is," said Charles.

"I heard that you two only made it to the top 8 in this tournament," said King Albert.

"Yes, Father. We apologize for disappointing you," said Charles.

"It's okay, there's no need to apologize. The top 8 is already a great achievement for first-year students like you two. Use your defeat in the top 8 as a boost to yourselves so you can win this tournament next year," said King Albert.

"Yes, Father. Besides, seeing Rid win this tournament even though he's only a first-year also motivates me to defeat him," said Charles.

"You're friends with him, huh? He's truly an extraordinary child. Even though he's only a first-year, he managed to win the academy tournament," said King Albert.

"Yes, he always brings unexpected surprises," said Charles.

"Speaking of Rid Archie, do you agree to invite him to work as a royal knights?" asked Queen Kayana.

"Inviting him to join the royal knights? But isn't Rid still in his first year?" Charles asked.

"Well, I'll invite him later when he graduates in his fourth year, but I'd like to ask your opinion first," said Queen Kayana.

"I have no problem with that. Besides, as you saw in the match earlier, he's incredibly powerful. He can even use our family's techniques and those of the San Lucia family. I wonder what other techniques he has. Someone as powerful as him should definitely be recruited," said King Albert.

"I agree," said Chloe.

"I agree too, but I think even though Mother invited Rid to join the royal army, he seems to prefer joining Duke San Lucia, either as a knight or as an employee. As Mother knows, Rid and Irene are currently dating. If their relationship lasts until they graduate, Irene will surely invite Rid to work in her father's domain, the Duke. Rid, Irene's boyfriend, certainly wouldn't refuse that," said Charles.

"Hmm, you have a point. But if he serves in the San Lucia region as a Duke's knights, then there's still a chance to make him a knights of our kingdom. Commander Asier before he served as one of our soldier commanders, he was formerly a knights of the Duke of San Lucia. We can do the same for Rid if he becomes a knight of the Duke of San Lucia," said Queen Kayana.

"Does Mother mean by making him one of the commanders as well?" asked Charles.

"Yes. Rid Archie has already demonstrated his strength and prowess even though he's only a first-year. Who knows how strong he'll be once he graduates from this academy. If he demonstrates even more strength and prowess than this, then appointing him as a commander is not impossible," said Queen Kayana.

-

In the special room where the Dukes and Duchesses were.

The three Dukes were dining together at one table, while the three Duchesses were dining together at another.

"So how should we handle this situation? Do you have any suggestions, Lord Remy?" asked Duke James.

"Yes, but we'd better discuss this once we've reached our respective residences," Duke Remy said, looking toward the exit of the private room.

-

Time passed, and it was now 2 p.m. The award ceremony for the first- and third-place winners of the academy tournament had begun.

I, Senior Darryl, Senior Vyn, Irene, Senior Gretta, and Senior Alisha were now in the center of the arena.

"You won this time, Rid, but I'll win next time," Senior Vyn said.

"No matter how many times we compete, I'll always win, senior," I said.

"I won't mock your confidence because I know you're very strong," said Senior Vyn.

"Wait a minute, what do you mean by 'next,' Chairman? This is our last tournament at this academy, and the daily matches for this school year ended before the tournament even started. So what do you mean by 'next,' do you want to fail and continue competing with Rid?" asked Senior Gretta.

"That's right, I forgot this was the last match," said Senior Vyn.

Then, Your Majesty the Queen and King Albert entered the tournament arena, accompanied by Miss Karina and several staff members, carrying medals and several money bags. Then, Your Majesty ​the Queen and King Albert began awarding medals, bronze medals to Irene and Senior Darryl, who won third place in the academy tournament. Your Majesty the Queen and King Albert shook hands with Irene and Senior Darryl and congratulated them. In addition to the medals, Irene and Senior Darryl received money bags containing 150,000 Larx. In addition, Irene and senior Darryl also received 2,500 points.

Afterward, Your Majesty the Queen and King Albert awarded silver medals to senior Vyn and senior Alisha, who won second place in the academy tournament. Your ​Majesty the Queen and King Albert also shook hands and congratulated senior Vyn and senior Alisha. Senior Vyn and senior Alisha also received money bags containing 250,000 Larx and received 5,000 points.

Afterward, Your Majesty the Queen and King Albert awarded gold medals to me and senior Gretta, who won first place in the academy tournament. Your​ Majesty the Queen and King Albert also shook hands and congratulated senior Gretta and me. Senior Gretta and I also received money bags containing 500,000 Larx and received 10,000 points.

After all the prizes were awarded to the winners, Your Majesty the Queen, King Albert, Miss Karina, and the audience applauded. After that, we all left the arena, including Your Majesty the Queen and King Albert. Meanwhile, Miss Karina remained in the arena. After everyone who had been in the arena had left, Miss Karina began to speak.

"Good afternoon, everyone. Let me introduce myself. My name is Karina Stella. I am the current principal of San Fulgen Academy."

"I would like to apologize for not greeting you at the opening of the academy tournament and only now. I would like to thank all of you, the spectators and guests, who have been here to watch the matches from the first day to the last. Without your presence and support, this year's academy tournament would not have been as exciting as it was."

"Furthermore, I would also like to express my special thanks to Her Majesty the Queen, His Majesty the King, and the Dukes who helped make this tournament a success."

"It's unexpected that this year's academy tournament, which has run for five days, has to end today. However, this academy tournament will return next year with a different format each year. Furthermore, after this academy tournament, the academy will hold a festival starting tomorrow Monday. We hope that all of you watching will also join in the excitement of this academy-organized festival."

"That is all I can say as the academy principal. And in closing, I hereby declare the San Fulgen Academy Tournament a success."

"The 1218 Academy has officially ended," said Miss Karina.

-To be continued