Chapter 212 - Chapter 212: Aurora ③
Aurora held the report, stunned.
Seeing her state, Harry asked.
"What is the matter?"
"Harry. Do you think a ten-year-old child could defeat Oliver Shields, the Royal Guard Knight Commander?"
Startled by the sudden question, Harry was taken aback, but he understood that his master did not expect a witty reply, so he thought seriously for a while.
"If that child is to become one of the Empire's Suit Knights in the future, then perhaps they have that level of strength."
"So there is a possibility it is not a lie or a misunderstanding."
"Did such a thing really happen?"
Asked by Harry, Aurora handed over the report she was holding.
Harry took it and read through it. Then, his eyes widened in shock.
"A ten-year-old Steve Archibalt engaged in a sparring match with Knight Commander Shields for an hour, dodged the Godspeed Sword, and immediately struck the Royal Guard Knight Commander with the same technique. Such a thing—"
If this were not a report but a rumor, it would have been dismissed as a joke, but there are no jokes in reports delivered to Aurora.
Yet, even reading the report, she could not believe it.
"Considering the recent movements of the Archibalt Territory and this report, the only conclusion is that the influence lies with the son, not the father."
Aurora crossed her arms and gazed toward the Archibalt Territory from the window.
As she was thinking about how to summon him, another urgent report was delivered.
"Next, he challenged the son of Baron Hadley to a duel, defeated the man who appeared as a substitute, and sold the right to the 500 gold coins wagered to His Majesty for 350 gold coins. He also eliminated the agents of the Kingdom of Forest who were behind him, and the nobles influenced by them. Furthermore, he became engaged to the daughter of the Macintosh family. The amount of information is so great my head feels like it's going to burst."
Harry silently listened to Aurora's complaints.
He thought that with her mind, she wouldn't burst from information of this volume, but he did not show it on his face or say it aloud.
Also, Harry himself had become interested in the boy, Steve Archibalt.
"But I cannot accept the engagement with the daughter of the Macintosh family. We must not let such talent be taken to the Northern region."
"Yes. If he can defeat the Royal Guard Knight Commander at ten years old and is also sharp-minded, we would certainly like him to devote his efforts to the development of the Western region."
Thus, it was decided to urgently summon Steve Archibalt.
And when Steve arrived, Aurora's first impression was that he was an ordinary boy.
His appearance did not convey his greatness.
After drinking tea, Aurora asked Brian.
"I called you to confirm the rumors in the Royal Capital. It seems your son defeated the Royal Guard Knight Commander. And that he was hired for his skills to help His Majesty's plans, resulting in many nobles connected to the Kingdom of Forest agents being purged. Is it true?"
"It is true that he defeated the Royal Guard Knight Commander, but it is incorrect to say he helped His Majesty's plans. The truth is that he was used without being informed of anything."
"I see. So, the fact that House Archibalt paid off its debts and received a fiancée from the Macintosh Earl family was not because of a reward given by His Majesty?"
"It was not a reward. First, regarding the money, this was compensation paid by Baron Hadley to us. Also, the daughter of the Macintosh Earl family held good feelings toward our son because he saved her, and the engagement resulted from the duel where she was wagered against Baron Hadley's son."
Aurora looked at Brian's answer with suspicious eyes.
She had read the report, but she still wanted to confirm it.
"You say compensation, but I heard Baron Hadley was detained at the duel scene and was not in a situation to prepare a large sum of money."
"Yes. Precisely, Baron Hadley promised payment before being detained, and our son sold the right to receive that payment to His Majesty. We do not have the ability to collect it ourselves."
"A ten-year-old child thought of that. I cannot believe it. By the way, speaking of things I cannot believe, I cannot believe that child defeated the Royal Guard Knight Commander either. I want to know how he managed to win."
Steve answered that question.
"I have a magic within me that allows me to master an opponent's technique. So, I mastered the Royal Guard Knight Commander's movements. And that magic can repeat the task without error. As a result, I fought on equal terms until the Royal Guard Knight Commander grew tired and made a mistake, and I won when the opponent made a mistake."
"I see. I certainly want to see if that is true."
Aurora's request was equivalent to an order, and Steve understood this, so he nodded.
"Then, I will show you here."
Steve said that, teleported from the sofa directly in front of one of the attendants. Then, he lightly touched his index finger to the attendant's side.
Then, 0.5 seconds later, the attendants noticed Steve had teleported, took positions to surround him, and drew their swords. Upon confirming the encirclement, Steve teleported back onto the sofa.
"How was it, Your Excellency? Have you come to believe me?"
Steve smiled at Aurora. Aurora also smiled, but her lips were twitching.
To Aurora, it was as if Steve had told her he could kill her at any time. After all, he could move faster than her guards could react. No matter how many guards were prepared, it could not be considered safe.
"Excellent. So that is the movement of the Royal Guard Knight Commander."
"Yes."
Aurora was convinced here that Steve was genuine. However, that was in martial arts. Regarding his intellect, she still could not be fully convinced.
His answers to questions were solid compared to her own children. But that is possible with proper education. Whether this leads to the development of board games or the discovery of soba is another matter entirely.
Regarding Steve's intellect, she would be surprised by the subsequent conversation and shown that he is indeed genuine.