CHAPTER 117: CHAPTER 117- PREPARATIONS

"Shouldn’t you consult your Vice Commander first?" Reinhardt interjected.

"Hehe.." Vaerion laughed mysteriously, "What do you thin,k Vice Commander, the Divine Paladin is asking for your consent?"

"There is no need to even ask. I agree to this match." A feminine voice came from the helm of the Vice Commander of the Black Gryffin Legion.

"That’s how it is. Your Majesty, please go ahead and set an Exhibition match".

"Very well, I will have the place prepared for their match. It should be three days from now. I will send someone to let you know the details."

The Queen pleased by their positive reply, stood up to exit. Their conversation coming to a cordial end.

"Ah, by the way," Just as the queen and her retinue were about to exit out of the door, Vaerion spoke up.

"I’ll just let you know beforehand, but my Vice Commander is extremely strong".

It was more for Reinhardt and Zerina to hear than it was for the queen.

"I see, we will keep that in mind," saying that, they exited the mansion.

The knights of the Black Gryffin Legion saw them off.

"I did not think there would be another person like that." Seeing them walking away from the window of the mansion, Diana muttered in a daze.

"What is it? Are you getting Déjà vu? When that queen said all that, even I was surprised. I didn’t think there would exist another person like you in this world who actually sees and wants the demi humans to have the same rights as us. The Divine Paladin, he turned out to be a greater man than I imagined."

Vaerion spoke, hugging her gently from behind.

That’s right, the princess of Aetherion, Diana Maelis Aetherion, was an idealist. Who also thought of the same idea as Reinhardt. However, she was unable to execute it because she lacked power at that time.

"I’m glad I came here, I got to see a similar minded person". Diana spoke, a beautiful smile blooming on her face.

"By the way, will it be alright? I have never seen Vice Commander exercise restraint on the other knights before".

"Well, she shows her kindness in her own way. I’m sure everything will work out, after all, this is an opportunity for both of them".

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Reinhardt and Zerina returned back to their mansion. When Bob and the other heard about the exhibition match and the fact that Zerina would participate in it, they were all shocked. They couldn’t understand how an audience with the King and Queen would lead up to this.

What’s more, her opponent was from the Black Gryffin Legion, a powerful Knight Order famous across the entire continent.

The shock only kept on coming when they heard the proposal Reinhardt made in the Council Chamber. Even those who were the closest to him were unaware of his plans. That said, they were not opposed or conflicted by his decision.

Having conversed with the demi humans and getting to know them, they could no longer see the other party as lesser beings. If anything, they were just like them, with their own unique differences.

"Will it be alright Commander? I know that the Exhibition match has already been decided, but Miss Zerina is not a knight," Bob questioned.

The exhibition match was for two knights to display their skills in front of the public. However, not only was Zerina not a knight, but she was even a demi human.

"I’m sure, Her Majesty has her own thoughts for organising this. There is no point in us brooding over it. That said, there is a lot that needs to be done before the match." Reinhardt summoned an Astral Hawk and handed it over to Bob.

"Her Majesty told us that she will inform us of the location and style of the exhibition match. Use this hawk to communicate with me".

The latter held the hawk, confusion plastered on his face. "Communicate? Is Commander planning on going somewhere?"

"Yeah, I’ll be stepping out for a while. There is a need to practice before the Exhibition Match, three days from now" Reinhardt pointed at Zerina.

"Let’s go."

"Eh? Where are we going?" Before the panther girl could complete her question, she and Reinhardt disappeared from the place.

.

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The next time they appeared, they were in the in the middle of nowhere. A vast jungle surrounded them, and all they could hear was the wild roars of the monsters in the distance.

"Huh? Where is this place? When did we..."

"It is one of my skills, [Aetherial Stride]. It allows me to instantly teleport to any location within sight. If the place is too far, like this jungle, it takes time to activate the skill", Reinhardt explained.

That clarifies how they got here. However, there was still one question remaining.

"Why are we here?"

Why would he bring her here, in the middle of nowhere?

"Although I didn’t expect the Queen would set you up for this when she said she would test your worth, I am nevertheless partly responsible. You accepted the spar with the Vice Commander of the Black Gryffin Legion because you want to prove it to everyone that demi Humans are strong"...

"However, you don’t know how the knights from a different region fight. Moreover, your opponent is a level 9; this won’t be easy. I am here to help you train".

Zerina nodded her head, finally understanding why she was here. That said, she was still a little annoyed.

"Hey, I know that you are strong. However, I cannot have you look down on me. Let me tell you, even among all the demi human races from the village, I am exceptionally strong. You haven’t even seen any of my skills or techniques yet".

"That’s why we are here. Allow me to see some of those skills of yours."

Reinhardt beckoned, putting down their baggage containing food and items necessary for their three nights of stay in this jungle on top of a nearby boulder.