"Enemy mobile unit attacking from the rear! Maintain formation!"
Under the command of the Wolgwang Palace captain, the knights moved in perfect unison.
After breaking through the knight order of the Imperial Prince, the Emperor's nephew, they aimed to capture the next highland.
It was a good vantage point for surveying the entire arena.
"That northern knight is quite tough."
"She's been clearing the advance route for her unit single-handedly. She definitely has the skill to win the individual competition."
"I heard she's from the Gotberg Marquisate. I thought they only trained healers, but it seems they have many talented people."
The Emperor watched Tanya while sharing his impressions with his brothers, the Imperial Princes.
"She seems highly loyal to the Marquisate. If they can retain such a knight, young Gotberg must be quite remarkable."
"Isn't he the 3rd Princess's personal physician?"
"If he can cast blessings on the entire knight order, his skills must be substantial."
The heated battle continued with dust swirling in the air.
"My knight order!!"
The Tojin Palace knight order had already been mutually destroyed along with Lauga's unit.
Georg clutched his head in frustration at being eliminated without making much of a contribution in the mock battle.
Though the Wolgwang Palace knight order had been advancing with momentum, they reached their limit as the battle entered its final phase.
They had successfully maneuvered the other two enemy units to fight each other first in the final three-way battle.
However, the surviving knight order was formidable.
'It's the 1st Princess Heike's knight order.'
Heike wasn't in the spectator stands because she was personally leading her troops on horseback in the arena.
She was a woman of great ambition who was just as serious about succeeding to the imperial throne as Georg.
"Victory is within reach! Advance!"
With her sturdy, robust body resembling Asella's, she cut through the battlefield with her flowing golden hair—a sight like a masterpiece painting.
Our 1st Company, though part of the Imperial Knights, consisted of regular soldiers. They lacked the skill to hold back Heike's elite knights.
The Wolgwang Palace knights weren't overwhelmed, but they were outnumbered.
Finally, twenty Wolgwang Palace knights including Tanya found themselves surrounded by Heike's elite knights.
"Knight of the North."
Heike called out, pointing her sword at Tanya.
Her resonant voice was amplified by magic so everyone in the arena could hear.
"As you can see from the battle situation, the outcome is decided. Will you continue this meaningless resistance?"
She was urging surrender.
Asella frowned as she realized what this meant.
"Haha, asking the top knight of an enemy faction to betray her loyalty—Sister Heike can be cruel."
Georg explained the situation, intending to mock Asella.
I understood the meaning perfectly.
Even though this was a mock battle for a festival, and they were siblings of the imperial family, they were essentially opposing factions within the imperial court.
By offering surrender first, she made the strategically correct choice of retreat look like the cowardly action of a traitor.
Heike, as a woman aiming for succession, was skilled in political maneuvering.
Now the Wolgwang Palace knights had no choice but to fight to the end, but doing so would certainly result in an ugly defeat.
Asella would lose that much of the Emperor's trust.
Heike had set an efficient trap with just a few words.
"...Tsk."
Asella clicked her tongue.
I whispered quietly to her.
"Your Highness, let's wait a moment."
"Why?"
"Excessive stress inhibits digestive function and causes sleep disorders."
"...Sigh, I walked right into that one. I knew Heike's knight order was strong, but..."
"All we need is to establish justification, right?"
"Do you have a method?"
I nodded.
"I've already instructed Tanya on how to handle this situation."
Asella looked back at the arena.
Tanya lowered her sword, stepped forward, and met Heike's eyes.
"Have you chosen to surrender?"
"The reason our Wolgwang Palace knight order ceases this contest here is..."
Tanya removed her gauntlet and showed her arm to the audience.
Small and large wounds from the battle were visible.
"Because we cannot commit further disrespect to the lord we serve."
Tanya took out a red medicine from her pocket and applied it to her wounds.
A soft light appeared, and a healing effect took place.
"Hmm, what is that?"
The Emperor leaned forward with interest as he watched.
Tanya continued speaking.
"This is a medicinal remedy made through alchemy that heals wounds. It was created by my lord, Teacher Lars Gotberg."
Her declaration caused a stir in the audience.
"Alchemy?"
"Not an artifact?"
"Can wounds be healed by methods other than healing arts?"
"The Gotberg physician!"
After carefully putting the red medicine back in her pocket, Tanya showed her now-clean arm to the audience.
"My teacher devotes himself not only to the Princess but also to the health of the Wolgwang Palace knights. If we continue this battle..."
Tanya glared at Heike.
"Your Highness, it would waste the hands and time of my lord, Teacher Gotberg. This would directly harm Princess Asella's health as well, which would be disrespectful."
Well, she speaks well.
She's gained quite a bit of experience in our Marquisate.
"For these reasons, to maintain our loyalty to Princess Asella, our knight order acknowledges defeat and concludes this mock battle."
Applause erupted as Tanya finished speaking.
It was the audience's encouraging ovation for a beautiful loser.
"The winner of the group mock battle has been decided!"
The announcer's voice filled the Colosseum as the knights gracefully exited the arena.
Heike glared sharply at the back of Tanya's head, then looked up at our spectator seats with a smirk.
Though she shares only half her blood with Asella, that imperial family smile is somehow eerie.
"Young Lord, did you instruct Tanya to do that?"
Asella asked me amid the commotion in the Colosseum.
"Yes. When I heard Princess Heike would participate directly, I prepared the red medicine in case something like this happened."
"Hmm."
"Are you displeased? Should I have prepared her more thoroughly?"
"...No. We'll talk later."
Asella quickly turned her head so I couldn't see her expression.
***
After the break, the magic competition followed.
They had packed all the highlights of the martial arts tournament into the first day.
The schedule was arranged with the Emperor's health in mind. The second day would be a true festival with performances by the imperial orchestra and kitchen.
And we were scheduled to return on the morning of the third day. I wasn't sure if my concentration would hold up since I needed to monitor Asella the entire time.
"Outside, the 2nd Prince's faction's magicians are performing. The response is good."
I reported on the arena's situation while peeking through the waiting room curtains.
"They didn't even have court magicians before, but I suppose Mother finally provided her disciples."
Asella remarked curtly.
Handmaidens were adjusting her changed outfit and fixing her makeup.
She was changing into magician's attire for her competition performance.
The magician's staff she held lightly had elaborate decorations on top, making it look somewhat heavy compared to her body.
She swayed her high-tied hair and asked.
"Does it suit me?"
"You exude more dignity than any great archmage."
"You were born with that silver tongue."
Asella spat out the harsh words, but she didn't seem to dislike my compliment as she quietly sat at the table waiting for her turn.
It was my turn now.
I pumped air into the cuff to measure Asella's blood pressure.
...Systolic 105, diastolic 50. Slightly low blood pressure as usual, but not problematic.
Checking with the thermometer I made: 35.8 degrees.
I recorded the numbers in my notebook.
"What are you writing so much?"
"All necessary numbers for Your Highness's well-being."
"You always carry that notebook around."
"Yes. Oh my, it contains top-secret information including Your Highness's data. Please ensure it's not exposed."
Asella glanced at my notebook.
I keep all my medicinal ingredients and formulas written in this notebook.
I should preserve it well in case I need to make a book later.
"Finally, let me check your pulse."
When I tried to take Asella's wrist, she slightly pulled her arm away.
"Do we have to do that every time?"
"Yes. It's part of the magical circuit examination. Today of all days, shouldn't we confirm that Your Highness's magic circuits are functioning normally?"
"I checked myself this morning. My mana is circulating like the Nekaar River."
"That was about ten hours ago."
"...Really now."
Asella reluctantly extended her right arm to me.
Her wrist was so slender that my thumb and middle finger wrapped around it with a finger joint to spare.
Since blood pressure and heart rate aren't directly correlated, they need to be checked separately. Deviation from the average indicates a problem.
Of course, using a stethoscope would be easier, but she'd probably make a fuss about her soul being sucked out through her heart, so I'm doing it this way.
—Thump, thump.
I manually checked her pulse through the artery.
"It's the same as usual. Every time I check, Your Highness has a rapid heartbeat despite your low blood pressure. It might be your constitution, but it's somewhat concerning."
"Shut up."
"Please don't ignore your physician's medical advice. I can only treat you properly if the patient is aware of—ouch."
Asella made a displeased face and slapped the back of my hand.
She was definitely the type who would throw tantrums about not wanting to go to the hospital as a child.
Being smart and cunning, she wouldn't have fallen for lies about buying her pork cutlets.
Instead, she probably would have thrown me into an oil vat and turned me into a pork cutlet.
"I'd also like to check your respiratory rate."
"Respiration?"
"Like this."
I brought my index and middle fingers horizontally near Asella's nose.
Asella kept her upper body still but pulled her face back, tucking her chin in like a turtle retreating into its shell.
"Please breathe normally. Respiratory rate is an important health indicator... Your Highness, I can't examine you if you hold your breath."
"You!"
Asella slapped the back of my hand and jumped to her feet.
She held her staff, her golden pupils tinged with anger.
Well, she looks stronger than ever.
Cheers erupted from outside. The 2nd Prince faction's magic performance had ended.
That meant Asella was next.
Only then did she lower her hostility toward me and composed herself with her staff.
"Good luck."
Asella didn't respond to my farewell as she walked out of the waiting room with determined steps.