novelblue
Chapter 63: The Tin Knight and The City of Clockwork — Act 3 (5)
Chapter 63: The Tin Knight and The City of Clockwork — Act 3 (5)
Chapter 63: The Tin Knight and The City of Clockwork — Act 3 (5)
The representative of the new faction, René von Lennart, thought.
It’s impossible to turn a beginner into a proper warrior in just a week’s time. The best approach is to instill confidence and adaptability through appropriate difficulty adjustment and various victory experiences.
The representative of the conservative faction, Gerhardt von Lennart, thought.
In a battle between novices, the deciding factor is ultimately mental strength. Being pushed to the extreme, experiencing moving beyond what you thought was your limit—this becomes a solid root that strengthens the mind.
The representative of the rootless, or rather, the invading faction, Adelaide von Lennart, thought.
Cheer up! Cheer up! Fighto!
Although there was one slightly odd one mixed in, their judgments, while differing in details, were similar in basic outline.
It’s impossible to achieve dramatic physical ability improvement or technical proficiency in just a week. Therefore, strengthen the mental aspect.
One side tried to create the “best” state through consecutive successful experiences, while the other prepared for the “worst” with an unyielding spirit, even in dire situations.
***On stage.
The representative of René’s team showed a confident expression and composure as if they could accomplish anything.
The representative of Gerhardt’s team seemed to have a barely imperceptible pride, as if this children’s fight wasn’t anything special.
But what really caught the audience’s attention was not these two, but the last participant beside them.
“Grrrr...!”
Bloodshot eyes. Dark circles. Disheveled hair. Even beast-like growls escaping from the mouth.
There stood a dangerous person who, if encountered in a dark alley at night, or even in broad daylight next to a guard post, would make one want to run away first.
“Uh, um. Ahem.”
Between the three contestants. The knight commander, who had reluctantly taken on the role of referee due to the orders of a superior whose brain was pickled in cheerfulness, opened his mouth with a troubled expression.
“Um, Lady Adelaide. May I ask one question?”
“Ah, yes! Please go ahead!”
“The contestant’s condition appears to be... a little concerning. Are they truly fit to participate in this match?”
In fact, it looked much more than a little concerning, but the knight commander was a gentleman who knew how to distinguish between what could and couldn’t be said to a lady.
“It’s fine! They’re just a bit over-enthusiastic! Lord Ernest thoroughly examined them before the match!”
At those words, the gazes of the count’s vassals all turned towards Ernest.
Ernest’s cheek twitched as he received a barrage of gazes, saying, “You really think that’s okay? Really? Isn’t it your head that’s not okay?”
He tried to maintain composure as he answered, “...The examination showed no particular abnormalities.”
There was an incident where the Tin Knight brought a drug that “sent people on a trip” before the match and asked if it was okay to compete after taking it, but it wasn’t a big problem since he gave up soon after being told it wasn’t allowed.
It seemed more serious that they were in this state without even taking drugs, but having seen such frenzied training for a week, even Ernest’s sense of normalcy had become somewhat numb. This was why a person’s usual environment was important.
“Hmm, well then.”
The knight commander nodded, albeit with a slightly sour expression.
He knew well the diligent and loyal nature of Ernest.
If he judged there was no problem, that assessment could be trusted. Well, the appearance still looked quite problematic, no matter how one looked at it.
“The conditions for defeat are incapacitation, surrender, or going out of bounds. The three will engage in a free-for-all, and the team of the last man standings gains a point. Is everyone ready?”
“Yes!”
“Yes.”
“Grrrr.”
“Uh, could you respond properly... no, never mind.”
Shaking his head as if giving up, the knight commander moved away from the center of the arena to the edge.
Then he declared, “Match, begin!”
***A 1 vs 1 vs 1 battle.
The standard approach was as follows:
Was there one exceptionally strong person? Then the two weaker ones would form a temporary alliance to take down the strong one.
Were two strong ones evenly matched? Then those two would work together to eliminate the weakest one, clearing any hindrances from a 1 vs 1 match.
Then what if all three were similar in skill? Then, based on personal connections or friendships, the two closer ones would team up and attack the remaining one.
One might ask why all the conclusions end up in joint attacks, but that was why it was called the standard approach—it was predictable and highly efficient.
The very fact that it was predictable and repeatedly used despite it was proof enough of its effectiveness.
Therefore, the early development of a three-way battle was a game of reading the situation.
One had to observe one’s surroundings to figure out if one was the strong one or the weak one, and act accordingly.
Yet, as if throwing such standards to the dogs, Representative A charged forward at the start signal and immediately struck Representative R in the face with a wooden sword.