“Excellent.”
Luciana nodded in satisfaction at the referee’s verdict, faintly audible from the opposite side.
Of course. She had said they would meet in the finals.
If he had shown the disappointing sight of being eliminated in the preliminaries, she would have been the first to get angry.
“…You look like you’re enjoying yourself, Luci.”
“My apologies, Liza.”
“Well, it’s fine. It’s not as though this is the first time you’ve let your attention wander while we were talking.”
‘Oh no.’
She had committed an unintended discourtesy.
Only after her opponent called her did she meet her eyes.
Elisabetta Frontal was both the young lady of House Frontal and Luciana’s irreplaceable childhood friend.
She was also one of the most noteworthy competitors in this Martial Arts Tournament.
Her fine hair and pale eyes, delicate as dew on new shoots, glittered in the sunlight.
At a glance, she looked like nothing more than a frail young lady.
However, she too was undoubtedly a Northern noble.
At her coming-of-age ceremony, she had even incinerated a monster with fire magic, her specialty. As a mage, she had reached a high level for someone her age.
“Hmm, how harsh. To think I would have to face you from the very first match.”
“I agree.”
Meeting one’s childhood friend in the preliminaries was not a particularly pleasant feeling.
One of them would have to drink the bitter cup of defeat here.
“…I will not hold back.”
Determination appeared on Luciana’s face.
Even if Liza was her opponent, she would never hesitate.
She had a promise to keep as well.
“Who do you think is going easy on whom? That’s my line!”
The moment Luciana assumed a ready stance, Elisabetta grumbled as she raised her staff and murmured an incantation.
FWOOSH!
Elisabetta’s pink hair fluttered as magic manifested.
Red flames.
Her magic possessed such rich color that it gave the illusion of her hair darkening.
“Fire magic.”
Come to think of it, that demon had wrapped her fist in flames as well.
In that instant.
A memory she had forgotten sharpened Luciana’s eyes.
GRIND.
The frustration of defeat was immediately transformed into strength flowing into her sword.
“Begin!”
With the referee’s declaration, Luciana brought her aura-filled sword down upon the fireball flying toward her.
“Wait for me. I will be there soon.”
Whether those words were directed at her childhood friend, who was casting spells from afar—
Or at the vampire who had disappeared without a trace—
Even Luciana herself did not know.
Perhaps they were even directed at the attendant she would face in the finals.
Right now, Luciana had no way of knowing.
***
“Urgh!”
“Then I will gladly claim victory.”
Beginning with the preliminary match that ended almost too easily, I continued racking up a crushing winning streak.
The so-called ragtag bracket. Apart from my first opponent, Dmitri, there was not even a notable dark horse.
Everyone who mentioned that I was an outsider or from a baronial house was nothing more than a brat relying on their family’s influence.
“I can’t accept this! Referee, a rematch! Are you going to stay silent even after seeing that sorcery get through armor?!”
On top of that, there were ugly excuses.
Do they not know that equipment is part of one’s overall power too?
‘If that gets under your skin, why didn’t you take a relic from the vault yourself?’
“Judging by his skin color, that bastard must be from another region too. Can a referee be so biased?”
“Enough. There is no issue. Continue the match.”
Thanks to that, the referee caught among the nobles had a miserable time, but naturally, the result never changed.
The loser’s ugly protest was promptly cut off by the tournament’s host.
‘As expected of Duke Speda! I knew I could count on him!’
The opponent hesitated under the duke’s cold response before quickly retreating.
After continuing to claim victory smoothly with his support, I finally came face-to-face with the final trial.
“We will now begin the final match. Both competitors, please enter the arena.”
The opponent emerging from the other side of the colosseum had been decided from the start.
“…As expected. You did not disappoint me.”
She wore the full plate mail she normally used, though there was one slight difference.
“You are not wearing your helmet today.”
“I judged that it would only obstruct my vision in a duel against you and serve no purpose.”
Thanks to that, her beautiful silver hair and sapphire-like blue eyes were fully visible.
“We have met in the finals, just as promised.”
“I am always an attendant who carries out My Lady’s orders perfectly.”
Luciana snorted at my playful remark.
“Is it not a little early to call yourself the best attendant when you cannot even brew tea properly?”
“I will show you how much I have improved soon.”
Unlike our peaceful conversation, the arena was in uproar.
“Lady Luciana!”
“Hope of the North! Crush that outsider!”
There were the participants I had defeated and the spectators who had jeered at me.
“The warrior from the West fights better than expected.”
“Come to think of it, it has been quite a while since we fought demonkind. We may need to revise swordsmanship that is specialized only for monsters.”
There were also knights gauging the tide of battle with sharp eyes.
“Current odds are seven to three! Anyone interested in betting on Hans Byron, who has put up an unexpectedly strong fight?”
And there were the gamblers who always followed a place like this.
The colosseum radiated unprecedented heat as cheers and jeers mixed together.
“It seems they want me to defeat you.”
“I am not exactly someone they would welcome. There is a reason regional loyalties exist, after all.”
Their reactions did not particularly matter to me. I had heard them since the preliminaries, and they were entirely within expectations.
However, Luciana seemed displeased by their attitude and furrowed her delicate brows.
The crease between them.
It was something I never could have known through the game alone.
After spending so much time with her, I had learned that it was the sign she showed whenever she was irritated.
“What does one’s region have to do with a fight? They do not even consider drawing warriors from other regions. Their outlook is too narrow. They are all fools.”
Wow. Was this really the same duke’s daughter who had insisted, when we first met, that important Northern positions should go to Northerners?
“…Forget the past.”
When I stared at her in silence, she averted her gaze in embarrassment.
As the referee raised his flag, Luciana continued.
“I will tell you in advance: do not even think about holding back. It would be a disgrace to a noble.”
“Of course.”
The very notion of holding back was absurd.
Even considering our recent record, I was at a disadvantage.
‘How could I afford to relax against an opponent I can barely defeat even if I pour everything I have into it?’
“Begin!”
The moment the referee declared the match started, Luciana drew her sword with lightning speed.
“That is the first time she has drawn her rapier.”
“His movements would indeed be hard to catch with a heavy greatsword technique. She has made a wise choice.”
The knights who had viewed me favorably earlier offered that assessment.
“Urgh!”
Just as they said, Luciana’s swift and vicious sword strikes were grueling to evade.
My eyes were busy tracking the tip of the blade trying to pierce my leather armor, and my legs had to move just as quickly.
Luciana met my eyes and gave a faint laugh.
“Your movements are slower than during our sparring sessions. Is it a stamina issue?”
CLANG!
“Your aura also seems less sharp than before, My Lady.”
She was speaking to me even as she thrust her sword. Meanwhile, I could barely get a word out while evading.
Only after being driven back by the force of her counterattack and barely opening some distance could I catch my breath.
However.
There was something I realized as we exchanged blows.
I had been fortunate after facing Dmitri; thanks to the bracket, I had risen by stepping over opponents of no great distinction. Luciana was different.
She must have defeated powerful candidates fairly, such as Elisabetta Frontal and Wolfman, whose names had been mentioned among the favorites to win.
Aura, like mana, was a resource that could be depleted.
The fact that she had already spent some aura against formidable opponents was good news for me.
“Do not speak nonsense. I have more than enough aura left to subdue you.”
“……!”
The moment Luciana finished speaking, the aura from her rapier began to tremble with an ominous force.
“Let us see whether you can dodge this as well!”
Luciana attempted another thrust, just as before.
Perhaps because I had become somewhat accustomed to it, the translucent trajectory was perfectly visible, and it did not seem difficult to evade.
BOOM!
That was until the unsteadily wavering aura exploded and scattered in every direction like flying sparks.
“Urgh?! What is this…?!”
It was nearly impossible to respond to a wide-area attack that suddenly exploded before my eyes.
With the aid of my skill, I barely avoided a direct hit, but just as when I had evaded Batory’s attack, my head suddenly grew dizzy.
Only after lightly biting the inside of my cheek and tasting the metallic tang of blood could I barely hold on to my consciousness, which had almost fled.
A searing pain flared across my cheek a moment later.
On the inside, from the wound I had made by biting myself; on the outside, from the injury left by a fragment I had failed to avoid.
Warm liquid flowed over both sides of my cheek.
“That technique was…?”
“Did you think I had not prepared a countermeasure for you while we sparred?”
“Ha ha….”
This was driving me crazy.
Shock raced through my entire body.
‘Wouldn’t someone usually let their guard down after winning nine of ten sparring matches? And she developed a technique tailored specifically to me on top of that?’
There had been signs, in truth. Even in the game, Luciana had displayed patterns like that, unleashing a narrow-range explosive attack with an instant-death effect.
However, I had failed to account for it because I had unconsciously thought it was a technique she would only learn after becoming stronger.
“When did you learn another technique like that? You never showed it during our sparring sessions.”
“Everyone has a hidden card.”
Her blue eyes held a determination to win this Martial Arts Tournament at all costs.
Her eyes shone brilliantly as they caught the sunlight.
“This is the end.”
“Is it? We still do not know how this match will end.”
CLANK.
The sound of the buckles on the full plate mail coming undone suddenly rang through the colosseum.
“…What?!”
The blue eyes before me filled with shock.
Luciana had already learned through sparring with me how I defeated armor.
That was why she had attacked furiously without allowing me within Tute’s range. It was only natural that she was shocked when I, standing far away, suddenly unfastened her armor.
“You should have watched behind you as well. Keeping watch in every direction is an essential virtue for anyone who carries a weapon.”
I smiled and gestured with my chin.
Behind Luciana, the golden rod that had successfully left her defenseless was floating in the air.
“Magic?”
“As My Lady said, one cannot carelessly reveal every move during a sparring session.”
She had not expected someone with mana as lacking as mine to be able to use magic.
A hidden card was good.
It seemed a master and attendant truly had a connection.
[Bloodflow Arts Used.]
[Penalty Applied. A set amount of blood has been consumed.]
The dizziness grew worse as payment, but it had fulfilled its purpose, so it was enough.
“…Truly, I cannot let my guard down for even an instant around you.”
For a moment.
I found myself admiring her despite the situation.
Her full plate mail had already fallen around her feet.
The duke’s daughter stood with her sword raised, wearing only light armor.
The wild beauty that contrasted with her delicate features showed just how much exhilaration Luciana felt in this battle.
“This is the decisive moment. Will your stamina fail first, or will your blade reach my unarmored body first?!”
“I have no intention of yielding!”
Besides, would it not only be right for me to win, if only to avoid accusations that this was a staged show by House Speda?
“I know that much! I can tell just by the greed barely visible in your eyes!”
Good grief.
She was misunderstanding my noble intention to burn myself up. I was really getting on my mistress’s bad side.
CLANG!
Luciana’s rapier and my dagger collided, ringing with a clear metallic sound.
With the corners of her eyes curved thinly, Luciana pressed against me in a contest of strength.
As I received her rapier with my dagger, I reached for her with my other hand.
A fair sword fight was her specialty in the first place, so there was no reason for me to be drawn into it.
“Are you planning to use magic again?”
Perhaps because she had been caught by it earlier, she did not lower her guard and shifted her attention to my left hand.
“Flash!”
That was exactly what I had been aiming for.
The magic Batory had taught me became a living flash grenade in my hand.
“Urgh! That is blinding!”
“What magic did that Westerner just use?!”
The light was so intense that even the spectators watching from far away turned their heads from the arena with furrowed brows.
Naturally, Luciana, who had taken the attack directly, suffered more severe effects.
“Urgh…. Cheap tricks!”
Even then, it was astonishing that she thrust her sword toward where I stood through sheer monster-like instinct.
Still, the attack had clearly worked. The sharpness imbued in her sword had noticeably diminished.
“My victory.”
And then.
It was not difficult to angle my dagger between her neck and shoulder while her eyes remained shut.
“…I lost again. I truly intended to win this time.”
“Ha ha. That is unfortunate. Now the relic is mi—”
The moment I tried to answer Luciana’s bitter murmur, as she had only just begun to recover from the blinding light—
My vision suddenly flipped.
“Hans, are you all right?”
“Ha ha. I do not have the strength to stand on my own two legs.”
Ah, had I used too much blood? Or had my stamina finally run out after fighting continuously?
The situation was so absurd—the loser stood on both legs while the winner collapsed to the floor—that I let out a dry laugh.
“Winner! Hans Byron!”
Then again, what did any of that matter?
Just as I had wanted, the championship and a relic from the ducal vault were mine.