For Aisha, this was not an unfamiliar duelist, and one whose strength was great enough to warrant an invitation from the Varian Empire.
While waiting, with nothing else to do anyway, Miles searched through his mind for possible candidates.
Kaima and Kevin, the two siblings of the Seth family?
No. If even Irena had not received an imperial invitation, then the Seth siblings, who were likewise academy students, would very likely not be invited by the Varian Empire either.
Yet among the people Aisha knew, limited to within the Kingdom of Livorden, Miles truly could not think of many candidates stronger than Kaima.
If the restriction of being a student were removed, then among the teachers Aisha knew at the academy, there did seem to be some possibilities.
After all, they were instructors responsible for teaching dueling at one of the three major academies. The strength they displayed was by no means ordinary.
Professor Field was temporarily unable to duel, but Miss Erin, who used Shaddoll Fusion, might be a possibility, and certainly had the strength for it.
Or perhaps an even bolder guess… Vice Principal Raiden?
Miles had never seen that old man duel before. Still, if he could become the vice principal of a duel academy, then his strength should be even greater than that of the teachers, right?
The more he thought about it, the more excited he became. Out of a veteran card gamer's addiction to duels, Miles was filled with anticipation toward this unknown dueling powerhouse.
However, what pulled Miles back to reality was a loli voice.
"Honestly, Miles, you just left me alone at the academy and ran all the way here by yourself. Can you still be considered my personal knight like that?"
"Huh, Nova?"
Appearing before Miles was not any of the duel powerhouses he had imagined, but instead the blonde-haired, golden-eyed little loli who had been clinging to him around the academy all this time.
Only then did Miles notice that at the entrance to Dragon Ravine, at some unknown point, an incomparably luxurious royal carriage had come to a stop.
Along with it was an escort team of several dozen people, mounted on warhorses and fully armed.
To go out with such a grand formation—truly befitting of the royal Kaiser family, the pinnacle of authority in the Kingdom of Livorden.
"Wait, Nova is here?!" Aisha said in surprise. "Could it be that the other invited guest you mentioned, Sister, is referring to Her Highness Princess Nova?"
"Absolutely impossible," Miles said in her stead.
The Varian Empire judged invitations based on a duelist's strength.
Princess Nova, while belonging to the very top tier among first-year students at the Fusion Academy, was still limited to first-year standards.
Even Kaima and Irena had not been invited. With Nova's strength, it was even more impossible.
Nova crossed her arms unhappily. "What do you mean by 'absolutely impossible,' huh? That's really rude, Miles. You make it sound like I'm really weak!"
"Whether you're weak or not is beside the point. Nova, you're just not old enough yet."
If there was any area where Miles had grown the most recently, it would definitely be his skill at coaxing little Nova.
Of course, coaxing children aside, Miles was not lying.
Comparing Nova's current age and growth rate horizontally, she would probably belong among the most talented group on the entire Spirit Continent.
Once the little Nova grew into a tall, sexy onee-san princess, her strength would likely be even more terrifying than Kaima Seth's.
Anyhow, at least for now, the person receiving the imperial invitation would not be Nova.
"Since a royal Kaiser has come along as well, could the one invited by the Empire be…"
Miles was just about to say that perhaps it might be Deion Kaiser, who used Cyber Dragons, when another figure appeared from within that royal carriage.
"It has been quite some time, Royal Knight Aisha Carlos."
The figure who emerged was not the second prince, Deion Kaiser, but the crown prince, Homar Kaiser.
Like little Nova, he had inherited the royal family's distinctive blonde hair and golden eyes.
And compared to Deion Kaiser's tall, muscular, imposing physique, the crown prince Homar, who was more slender and had somewhat delicate features, could be considered a handsome man who truly represented the royal family.
"So the invited duelist this time is actually Crown Prince Homar?"
Aisha never would have imagined that the duelist her sister Alice said she was not unfamiliar with would actually be him.
Indeed, he was not unfamiliar—albeit, he could hardly be called familiar either.
"To receive an invitation from the imperial emperor alongside the great hero who saved the kingdom, the Royal Duel Knight, is the honor of my life as a duelist."
Crown Prince Homar's humility and etiquette were impeccable, making him very pleasant to be around.
No wonder that, compared to the second prince's straightforward and unrestrained personality, the crown prince's steady and rational nature made him the more popular choice as Old King Kaiser's heir.
Or perhaps there were even rumors circulating that Old King Kaiser had already chosen Crown Prince Homar as his successor. It was just that it had not yet been officially announced to the public.
Only certain high-ranking family heads with close ties to the royal family were aware of it.
Among them was the newly risen Carlos family, whom even the royal Kaiser family was eager to win over.
Alice smiled and said, "Judging by Your Highness' good mood, I assume the ritual of inheriting power went very smoothly."
Homar returned a courteous smile. "Thank you for your concern, Lady Alice. The ritual went smoothly, not because of me, but because of my father's reliability."
"The ritual of inheriting power?" Aisha asked curiously. "What is that, Sister?"
"You probably don't know yet. It has already been decided that His Highness Homar will become the next king of the Kingdom of Livorden. However, according to the traditions of the royal Kaiser family, the successor cannot be officially announced to the outside world until the ritual of inheriting power is completed."
"Oh, then His Highness Homar will be king in the future? Congrats!"
"I gladly accept your blessing, Royal Knight. Nevertheless, to be honest, when it comes to whether I can successfully master the strongest power passed down through the royal family as my father has, I do not have much confidence."
"The strongest power of Old King Kaiser!" Miles suddenly became excited.
If one were to speak of the strongest power Old King Kaiser had once displayed, it would undoubtedly be a shocking sight that Miles would never forget in his lifetime.
As the finale of the Battle of the Royal Capital, it appeared on the battlefield and shattered even the sturdy city walls the instant it emerged, sweeping the entire battlefield with flames in a single strike—the strongest monster.
Formed by the combination of the five legendary cards, an irresistible rule-based victory—Exodia the Forbidden One.
"Don't tell me, Your Highness, that through the ritual you inherited those five cards?" Overwhelmed with excitement, Miles could not help but interject.
"Uh… yes, that's correct."
Homar looked with some surprise at the unfamiliar young man before him.
At the same time, he also noticed another unfamiliar face standing beside Miles—Irena.
"Um, Lady Alice, may I ask who these two are?"
"Apologies, forgetting to introduce them was my oversight. This one is Irena, a third-year student at the Fusion Academy. I imagine you've heard of her title as well, Your Highness. Together with Kaima Seth, she is known as one of the academy's Twin Pillars—the Gray Witch."
"The Gray Witch!" Homar's golden eyes widened. "I've long heard of you! Though I'd never met you in person, seeing you today, you're even more beautiful and captivating than the rumors suggest."
"So this is what they call a man who knows how to talk?" Clearly, Homar's praise successfully struck the narcissistic witch's weak spot. "Nice to meet you. Please take care of me, Prince."
Because Irena was not a noble, there was none of the cumbersome etiquette that nobles obsessed over in her speech. Even her greeting was much more casual.
A simple 'please take care of me' was already the highest level of courtesy for the trashy witch when meeting someone for the first time.
"And this one…"
Alice had just been about to introduce Miles when little Nova beat her to it.
"Let me do it, let me introduce Miles to big brother!"
"Then I'll leave it to you, Princess Nova."
Hugging Miles' arm tightly, little Nova's cute face was filled with a radiant smile.
"This is the one I told you about earlier, big brother—the same as Aisha, Nova's guardian knight during academy life, Miles!"
"Nova, with an introduction like that, Homar won't understand at all," Miles sighed softly, then added, "Nice to meet you, Your Highness. I'm Miles, a first-year student at the Fusion Academy."
"No, I understand just fine, Miles. Along the way, Nova told me a lot about you—about your life at the academy."
"That's good, then…"
Miles wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but when Homar spoke to him, his tone seemed noticeably less warm and a bit more serious compared to how he spoke to others.
This isn't another hidden little-sister complex, is it?
Well, in truth, Homar didn't actually have any little-sister complex.
In his daily life, he was simply fulfilling his duties as an older brother, caring for his younger sister in a perfectly normal way.
It was just that during the journey here, listening to little Nova chatter endlessly about all sorts of things that happened between her and Miles at the academy had left Homar with mixed feelings.
Although Nova kept insisting that Miles was her knight, from her stories, Homar could still hear something off.
This was totally one-sided. Little Nova was the one constantly clinging to Miles every day at the academy.
Trying to chat with Miles during class and being ignored. Asking him to read manga together after class and getting rejected. Even when they finally managed to eat lunch together, Miles would finish his meal and leave Nova behind.
If Homar understood correctly, there was a very fitting term among common folk for this kind of behavior…
Being a simp.
My dear little sister. As a princess of the royal Kaiser family, you've been showered with love since childhood, the precious jewel in Old King Kaiser's palm, cherished above all else. Your two older brothers have always taken meticulous care of you as well.
So why, of all things, did you end up becoming a simp?
Homar found his emotions complicated and utterly incomprehensible.
A boy with no family name, not a noble but a commoner… just what exactly was it about him that attracted his sister, who had grown up in luxury?
Just because he's handsome? Then your big brother here is a recognized beauty too, you know.
"Cough!" Clearing away his tangled thoughts, Homar refocused.
Right now, what mattered most was the official invitation from the Empire. Everything else could be dealt with after they returned.
"Lady Alice, in yesterday's correspondence, you mentioned that you had found an additional duelist who could represent Livorden at this banquet. You meant the Gray Witch, didn't you?"
"No." Alice and Irena shook their heads at the same time. "The duelist who can represent Livorden is Miles."
"Huh?" This time, the crown prince absolutely lost his composure.
At first, seeing how close this boy named Miles was to the Carlos family, Homar had planned to think later about his relationship with Nova, and see whether it could be used to further stabilize the ties between the Carlos family and the royal Kaiser family.
What shocked Homar even more was the fact that this boy, Miles, was actually the duelist Alice had selected to attend the imperial banquet in Livorden's stead.
"Forgive my bluntness, but Miles is still only a first-year student at the Fusion Academy, isn't he? Lady Alice, you should also know how important this banquet is. It's not merely a banquet."
"Yes, I'm very aware."
With dueling powerhouses renowned across the continent gathering together, did you really think it was just about attending a dinner?
In the Varian Empire, where martial strength was held in the highest regard, even a banquet naturally involved duels.
Sending a duelist with national-level strength to compete—this annual occasion to display a nation's might had long since become an unspoken rule across the continent.
Homar emphasized, "If we were to lose disgracefully in that kind of setting, it wouldn't be a joke."
Alice maintained her calm, confident smile. "I understand the importance of this banquet better than anyone. And I can also guarantee that Miles has that level of strength."
"Wait, Alice," Miles asked in a whisper. "Wasn't my task to protect Aisha?"
Alice replied softly, "Standing in for Aisha and making sure she doesn't lose in an important setting counts as protecting her too, doesn't it~"
…You really are something, woman. That's some impressive scheming.
Well, whatever. As long as there are cards to play, and he can face dueling powerhouses from other countries, Miles didn't really mind.
"Mr. Miles is absolutely qualified."
"Don't worry, big brother! I can guarantee it too! Miles is really strong!"
"In a sense, he's even stronger than me. Giving him the title of Gray Wizard wouldn't be an exaggeration."
Not only Alice, but also Royal Duel Knight Aisha, the Gray Witch Irena, and even his own sister Nova all voiced their support for this boy.
This only left Homar even more bewildered.
Judging by his age, Miles looked only slightly older than Nova, perhaps even below the minimum enrollment age of the Fusion Academy, making him, like Nova, an early-admission student.
Just how strong could a duelist this young be, to earn the simultaneous recognition of all these people?
What lay before Homar now felt like a double-edged sword.
If Miles truly was as strong and reliable as they claimed.
Then, letting such a 'young and promising' duelist represent Livorden, seize victory before the imperial emperor, would undoubtedly make him the focus of the entire venue and fully display the might of a great nation.
On the flip side, if Miles were to lose.
After the Battle of the Royal Capital had driven relations between the two nations to a freezing point, this first official invitation from the Empire—only for Livorden to deliberately send a weak duelist—would be an act of extreme disrespect, one that could very well escalate into an even more serious international incident.
As the crown prince bearing the weight of the entire nation, Homar dared not gamble recklessly on such a possibility.
"In that case, duel me right now, Miles!"
"Huh?"
To Miles' surprise, before he had even stepped beyond Livorden's borders, the first dueling opponent he would face was Homar—the one who had inherited Old King Kaiser's five strongest Exodia cards.
Wait… If you pull some Exodia FTK, how the hell am I supposed to see your real strength?
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