Lylia got up and walked to the window to look out at the sky, which was getting darker. "Lady Rosalina the Valiant is the strongest Royal Knight that Aethermoor has ever had. She was also my teacher and the reason I became a Royal Knight in the first place!"

Her smile grew warmer as she pressed a hand to her chest. "You should have seen her train. Every swing of her blade looked effortless, like she was dancing. And yet she never once held back when teaching me. She always said a knight's duty is to protect, not to boast."

Lylia let out a small laugh at the memory. "I wanted to be like her so badly back then... strong, fearless, elegant... and someone could depend on."

Everyone listened more closely when Lylia spoke. Greg and Marina looked at each other, and Greg could tell there was more to this story.

"Rosalina ended several major battles by herself during the war," Lylia went on. "Not through violence, but just by being there. She has the power to give off an aura of peace so strong that soldiers would rather put down their weapons than fight in front of her.

"She's a real-life legend."

Elwen said softly, "Hearing it from yourself, I can already tell she's a great knight."

"Of course, she is," Lylia said. "She is also very picky about who she meets."

"Getting to see her is one of the greatest honors in both kingdoms. She will be the guest of honor at the festival, and the champion will be able to talk to her in private. Isn't that amazing?"

"Do you want to see her?" Marina asked with care.

For a moment, Lylia was silent. "Since I left the Order, I haven't seen Rosalina in for a while... but... I really owe her everything, starting from my training, my strength, and my understanding of what it means to protect others."

"I want to show her how I've changed since then."

"Then we'll make sure you get that chance," Greg said with a lot of confidence. "We'll win this thing no matter what I have to make or how creative I have to be."

Lylia turned around to look at him and saw that she was crying. "You'd do that...? For me?"

Greg said, "You're our family, and that's how family works."

The rest of the group murmured their agreement, and Lylia had to wipe her eyes and take a moment to calm down before they could continue with the planning. "You guys..."

Lylia told more about possible competitors and what they were excellent at over the next few nights. "There was Vladimir the Flame, who only worked with metals that had to do with fire."

"Celeste the Dreamer made things that somehow changed how people felt. Ignir the Unbreakable was known for creating crafts that were impossible to break."

"They all sound scary," Felix said one night.

"They're not scary... they're talented," Seraphine said. "There's a difference."

"They're really talented and scary!"

"You're being too dramatic."

"I'm being honest! Sensei is great, but these people have been doing this for a long time. Some of them are real legends!"

Marina said, "Greg is also a legend. Remember the Warhammer Saint? He has forty years of experience from his last life and everything he's learned here."

"But I spent those forty years making weapons," Greg said in a low voice. "Things that took lives. These craftsmen have always made peaceful, creative things. I'm still figuring out how to do that without making things worse."

"That's why you'll win," Lylia said with confidence. "Your things are strong because you put all of your energy into them."

"Your strong beliefs, your desire to help others, and your refusal to take the easy way out. Your work demonstrates these qualities, and I am confident that the judges will recognize them."

Despite his desire to trust her, Greg was still skeptical. He had been lucky so far, making things that worked even though they tended to be chaotic.

But what if he was in a real competition with real judges judging his work? What if his things were too strange? Too difficult to use? What if the system decided to mess with him and make something that didn't work at all?

Marina could tell he was worried, so she took his hand under the table and squeezed it to calm him down. He squeezed back, thankful for her help.

"Don't worry, Greg. We'll be by your side."

...

The packing kept going as the days went by. Bork sorted all of their ore samples and materials, carefully labeling each one and putting them in cases to keep them safe.

Seraphine packed her notebooks and research tools while grumbling about how important it is to keep records. Mira and Donetta worked together to pack up medical supplies and emergency items, making a very well-stocked first aid kit.

Hammy, on the other hand, seemed to know that something big was going on. With even more energy than usual, the slime bounced around the workshop, inspecting every box and bag in the packing process. At one point, he tried to get into Marina's luggage, but they had to carefully pull him out before they could seal it up.

Elwen said, "Hammy wants to help," as the slime bounced determinedly toward another open bag.

"Help? Seems like Hammy is about to cause trouble," Marina said, but she was smiling as she picked up the slime and put it on her shoulder.

Greg had a thought on the tenth day of getting ready. "I have to make something for the contest."

"Something planned and something specific. I can't just show up and hope the system gives me something good..."

"That's probably a good idea," Seraphine said. "Do you have any thoughts?"

Greg said, "Not yet."

"I need to think about what would impress the judges while still being true to my beliefs. Something useful, new, and mostly unique."

For the next few days, he tried out different ideas, but nothing seemed right. He thought that every design he drew was either too simple, too hard, too similar to things he'd already made, or too likely to become sentient and cause problems.

One night, Marina found him hunched over his workbench with crumpled paper all over the place and said, "You're overthinking about it, and you should know that your best things are the ones you make without trying too hard."

"But this is a competition, and I need something amazing to win for Lylia."

Marina patted his back and answered. "So, create something amazing without overthinking it."

"Make something that shows who you are and that you would want to make anyway. Authenticity will be more important to the judges than showmanship."

Greg glanced at her, then at the rejected designs, and realized she was correct. He was trying too hard to show off instead of just being himself.

"Okay," he said, pushing the papers to the side. "I'll figure it out on the way. When you stop trying so hard, you might get the best ideas."

"Now you're thinking like a winner," Marina said as she kissed him on the cheek.

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