The starting point of the race.

— Brave knights, noble ladies! Look at who we have here! These are the flower of knighthood, riders as fast as the wind. They came to us from afar with pleasure! Let's see if everyone is here with us! We will sing their names for years to come!— The herald read the names of all the participants in the race, and when he finished, two powerful knights appeared next to him, their faces hidden by helmets.— Special applause for the brothers Gregoire of Gorgon, better known as Goliath and Talos, champions of the last tournament, and it is with him that the winners of the next competition will have the opportunity to fight.

Himmel looked at them and they did indeed look powerful, and their thick armor and two-handed sword and axe are not worn for show.

 *This is going to be a tough ride.* Thought Himmel, who, despite fighting powerful opponents, these two would certainly cause them trouble if he managed to take a good place and advance further.

When everyone had already taken their places, the trumpet sounded giving the signal to start and they set off. The route was quite winding and variable for most of its length, from a beaten track to running through a stream. Control over the horse counted more here than its speed. Until halfway through the route Himmel was in 5th place, taking advantage of the fact that the two knights in front of him had lost control of their horses and let themselves be thrown off them. The fact that he managed to learn the route allowed him to react at the right moment, and Fauna's advice allowed him to optimally use his horse's strengths and weaknesses. The last 500 meters was a straight road to the finish line, and the opponents did not give up, but fate, as fate can be, is fickle.

Geisel appeared in the sky, diving towards the two knights fighting for first place.

— Above you! — Himmel shouted, as loudly as he could.

And fortunately for him, they heard his call and dodged in time, but they had to stop the race. They dismounted and began to provoke the beast into another attack, and when it was preparing to attack, the woman in third place stepped into action, who pierced the beast's head with a shining sword.

— By a close call. — One of the knights sighed. — Does anyone know what this damn thing is?

Then Himmel joined them with the rest of the competitors, who in solidarity decided to check if anyone was hurt.

— It's Geisel. — Himmel replied.

— Geisel? — The surprised woman who killed him repeated. — Correct me if I'm wrong, but they live further north, what's one of them doing so close to the capital?

Everyone was silent, but Himmel had a theory, but he preferred not to mention it. In his opinion, the demon they were hunting had set up an ambush, but he had no proof of this, nor did he know if any of the knights were working for him.

At that moment, a large dog with black fur and eyes the color of blood jumped out from behind the trees. Its appearance scared the horses, which scattered in all directions. The knights formed a circle and watched as the beast prepared to attack.

— Hey Layla, maybe you could use your light magic. — One of the knights turned to the woman who killed Geisel.

(Layla)

— I could, but this requires a specific spell and time, because if I start casting it, this beast will attack us and break the spell.

— Then we'll buy you enough time to do it. — Himmel replied and rushed at the monster, catching a few stones on the way, which drew its attention to himself, then the other knights surrounded the beast and threw stones at it each time from a different direction and fast enough so that it couldn't focus. The beast's growl was interrupted by a pillar of light, which drove the beast into the ground, ending its life.

— We're lucky we have a paladin with us, otherwise it could have been miserable. — One of the knights stated.

— What about the race? — Another asked?

— I think that if it weren't for Layla here and Himmel's sharp eyes, the betrothal celebration could end in a funeral for one of us, so let them take first place, and we'll compete for the next one.

— However, there is a problem.— Another spoke up.— We don't have horses.

Consternation reigned among the gathered, which was interrupted by Himmel.

— If I remember correctly, knights' horses were taught to return to the master. All they had to do was whistle properly.

— We're not supposed to own them, but it won't hurt to try.— Sir Kristoff whistled and two horses belonging to Lyal and Himmel came running.— As you can see, fate has willed that you take first place, we'll get there on foot.

— Are you sure?— Himmel asked, catching the reins.

— Yes. Knights honor demands that courage and sacrifice be repaid, and my friend Christian mentioned that you and your friends have an important mission, so I insist, and who am I to argue with fate.

Himmel nodded and jumped on his horse and he and Layla trotted across the finish line. When the others arrived and told their stories, the judges called Himmel and Layla for a talk. 

— Sir Kristoff and the others told what happened and their decision about you winning, unfortunately the rules do not allow two people to take first place, so I would like to ask which of you will accept second place.

— I do. — Himmel replied without a moment's hesitation, he stepped forward.

— Very good. — The judge was pleased.

— You just give up 1st place without a fight? — Layla was surprised.

— Just like that. — He replied. — Besides, second place is enough to qualify further.

— Me too, but I will not argue. Thank you. — She bowed.

The competitors were decorated by Prince Rion, during which it turned out that 3rd place was awarded to Sir Kristoff because of his experience, achievements and reputation. And unofficially most of the knights owed him something or were his protégés, and the rather mundane fact that this was to be his last tournament before his well-deserved retirement. It turned out that he was Sir Christian's brother-in-law, thanks to which they would both play in the next round.

— You did well. — Menno stated. — And between us, that wreath looks better on you than on me.

— Thanks, and it would look good on you too if you weren't so gloomy. — Himmel laughed and patted Menno on the shoulder.

— Gloomy...something too. — He mumbled.

— What happened there? — Flamme asked, who had joined her companions.

— It seems to me that someone set up an ambush, but I don't know who or why. They weren't opponents that a group of knights couldn't handle.

— We won't decide anything ourselves, and we should be getting ready for the feast, maybe we'll learn something there. — Menno replied.

— We'll meet tomorrow, and for now have fun and behave yourselves. — Flamme said. — As for me, I'll ask Fauna for help and we'll try to ask around ourselves.

Himmel and Menno went to the feast on the spot, they were called by Sir Christian, who signaled with his hand for them to sit down, which they did. Also sitting at the table were Sir Kristoff and Adelaide with Layla.

— I'm glad you made it, let me introduce my brother-in-law Kristoff, and these two beautiful ladies are Adelaide

(Adelaide)

and her younger sister Layla. Don't let their appearance fool you though, they are both unrivaled warriors.

— We can introduce ourselves.— Layla muttered.— Christian is right about one thing. We are beautiful and charming, but we can kick anyone's ass.

— Vocabulary!— Adelaide admonished her.

— Hmfp— She muttered, irritated.— Nevertheless, you put on quite a show today, gentlemen, especially you Himmel. You kept your cool and did well in the fight against that riffraff that attacked us, I am extremely glad that I will be able to face warriors like you, dear gentlemen, just don't blame us if you lose.— Her gaze wandered to Menno.

— We'll fight, we'll see. — Menno replied, who knew that with people like Layl you had to talk briefly and to the point.

— Ha, that's it. — Layla was pleased. Nothing pleased her more than the company of strong warriors who could do more than just talk, unless they talked to the point.

— Forgive my sister, but she's always had a slightly explosive temper, I thought that they would temper her a bit in the order, but as you can see, they didn't succeed.

— It's enough that one of us is boring to the bone. — She replied indifferently, yawning, which was supposed to be a dig at her sister. — And this feast is for fun, not boredom. — Layal lifted her wine goblet and quickly drained its contents.

— Don't be fooled by this charming exchange of words. — Christian interjected, draining his wine goblet. — Despite the difference in character, one will jump into the fire after the other, and these quips and teasing, well... that's just how it is in the family.

— It's no surprise to me, I'm more curious why you became paladins? — Menno asked.

— The truth is that we have three more sisters, and our parents already had a future planned for us, and we didn't want to agree to it, so the choice was simple. Marry or fend for yourself. You can guess what we chose, but it was Christian who took care of us for a while and suggested that we probably wouldn't become knights, but paladins sooner, and any woman can join the Sisters of Light, so we thought why not. We will fight, we will learn to heal, but nothing is good until the end, because at the beginning there is a transitional year, where they constantly watch you and put you to the test, and if you fail, goodbye. We succeeded and I honestly do not regret it. — Layla announced.

— I don't say this often, but my sister is right. The last 10 years have been the best period of our lives and we've learned a lot, well, maybe Lalya still has problems with humility, but in combat she's unmatched among the other sisters and that's why we were offered to try our luck at the tournament. — Adelaide shrugged and looked at Menno and Himmel. — And what made you two take part in the tournament? Because you don't look like the type to like balls.

— I don't like it. I don't know about my companion. The truth is that it's possible that the royal court has been infiltrated by someone working for the demons. — Menno replied. The sisters seemed honest, and soon everyone would learn the truth, so betraying her now wouldn't be a big deal, and it might help.

— That someone would have to have a brain in their head, demons always betray. — Layla stated firmly.

— Yes, but there's no shortage of fools. Gold and the promise of power have always been able to motivate. — Menno concluded, drinking the contents of his cup.

— True, but still, don't count on a lenient tariff tomorrow. — Layla announced. — Honor is an important thing.

— I wouldn't even dare ask for it. — Menno smiled. — I'd be happy to see what you're made of.

— I hope you don't regret it. — Layla smiled maliciously and stuck her tongue out at him.

— Layla! — Her sister scolded her. — You're not 13 anymore to behave like that.

— I know, but a little fun won't hurt, especially since we're going to cross swords tomorrow.

Then Milten sat down at the table.

— Hello Milten. It's been a while since we've seen each other. — Kristoff spoke up.

— It's good to see you too Kristoff, Christian, ladies and gentlemen. — Milten nodded in greeting and sat down at the table. — I have important news regarding the tournament, in which there has been a small change of plans. There will be no group fights, only two on two. The king has decided to send his competitors to the fight. In short: you will draw lots to determine who will fight whom.

— It makes sense, but why did they change the rules so suddenly? — Kristoff was surprised.

— I'm not sure, but they say it was the king's brother's request, so they decided why not agree to it. The tournament will last longer, and the emotions will be greater.

— I don't care who we fight, a fight is a fight. — Layla stated indifferently.

— I agree with her. — Menno replied, who was a warrior to the bone and had defeated more than one enemy in his life and had come close to death more than once, but emerged victorious from each fight, wiser and stronger. He knew that defeat was a sign of weakness.

— Do we know anything about the players sent by the king? Why aren't they here? — Himmel asked.

— Not much. — Kristoff replied, stroking his beard with his hand. — To tell the truth, I don't even know their names. All I know is that they appeared at the king's brother's side about two years ago and have been hanging around him since then. No one I know has exchanged a word with them or seen them in action, but rumors say that being near them makes one feel uneasy. I don't know if it's magic, because I know a few mages, but everyone confirmed that they are not mages, because their mana level is practically negligible. At the level of an ordinary peasant, but there is something strange about them nonetheless.

Sir Kristoff's words made the gathered people slightly uneasy.— Conspiracy theories are the worst thing you can do now. — Menno spoke up. — No matter who they are, we will fight them and either we win or we lose, there is no third option.

Everyone agreed with him, especially Layla, who was impressed by his self-confidence and couldn't wait to see if he was as good with a sword as he was with words.

*An opponent worth fighting* She rejoiced in her thoughts, hoping that defeating someone like him and his companion would give them the prestige they deserved, that they would finally emerge from the shadow of their family name.

The rest of the conversation came down to stories about the adventures that each of them had experienced, of course Menno and Himmel told about the adversities of fate and the opponents they had to fight, and everyone listened with great attention, Layla, hearing these stories, couldn't wait for tomorrow when she would face them in the arena. However, all good things must come to an end, so when it got quite late, everyone returned to their tents, but the mood was good and each of them was curious about who they would be facing.