Chapter 121 - Episode 9: "I Shall Be Looking Forward to It"
Good day! The battle is commencing!
When hunting prey, I always give it my all! I have no time for self-introductions!
That being said, losing one's composure is hardly beautiful. At the very least, one must maintain the 'appearance of composure.'
And so, first, I shall maintain my poise while dodging, dodging, and dodging my opponent's attacks.
My opponent's weapon is a longsword. He is equipped with a buckler in his left hand—a rather common swordsman style.
I can read the attacks of such an opponent to a certain extent. After all, it is the swordplay of a noble. It is so refined I could almost yawn!
If I move as if dancing while fluttering about to avoid his foolish blade, my opponent will gradually become irritated.
"How long do you intend to keep running away!"
"Oh my, do forgive me. It seemed your skill was only at a level where a straightforward fight would be dull, so I couldn't help myself, you see?"
When I respond with a laugh to his raised voice, his swordplay finally loses its composure.
...And just as my opponent's swings begin to grow wide, I commence my own attack.
"Shall we begin, then?"
I slip past his blade and dive into his guard in a single breath.
Yes. My opponent's weapon is a longsword. Being used by a man, it is a long and large implement.
On the other hand, my sword is a middle sword. ...Naturally, when diving into close quarters, I am the one with the advantage.
"Curse you!"
My opponent is no fool; seeing me dive in, he immediately attempted to leap backward. Yes. Exactly according to the textbooks.
...However, by that time, I had already flung one of my swords.
Since it is not the refined fighting style of a noble, he likely could not devise a countermeasure. My opponent's reaction, flustered by the flying sword, was an utter blunder. If one moves to evade while trying to gain distance, one naturally becomes full of openings.
"I have you now!"
I rush in with my other sword in hand and parry his blade.
With a sharp clang, my opponent's sword danced through the air.
When a long sword is parried like that and flies through the air, it truly is quite a sight to behold. Yes. I did it on purpose.
...Of course, that alone would likely have been enough to earn the referee's decision.
But I do not stop.
After parrying the sword, I aimed for the gap between the helmet and the armor.
The neck.
I sliced only the very surface of the skin, just enough to let a tiny bit of blood seep onto the tip of my blade.
There, I halted my sword.
The sight of the blade slipped between the armor and the helmet should be clearly visible to both the referee and the audience.
A stir of excitement rippled through the stands. And then followed the referee's victory call.
"Winner, Stradivarius!"
After waiting leisurely for the referee's judgment, I sheathed my two swords and gave a bow more elegant and radiant than anyone else on the stage.
...The audience is also fired up by this brilliant victory! Yes, what the audience looks forward to is a beautiful battle that is a feast for the eyes.
Parrying a sword flamboyantly. And demonstrating delicate swordsmanship by thrusting a blade into the gap between armor and helmet.
There is no spectator who wouldn't be excited by this! At the very least, anyone who wouldn't be excited by this has no business coming to see a martial arts tournament!
...And so, amidst the great cheers of the crowd, I departed from the stage. Ohohohoho.
Now then. Thus, my first match of the tournament ended in a safe and splendid victory.
Today is the second day of the tournament, but I can already hear voices saying things like 'That warrior was good' or 'I'm rooting for that warrior.'
And naturally, that praise is being directed at me as well!
...There are few female participants, so it feels good to be differentiated in that regard. Yes.
"Now, my opponent for tomorrow is... oh dear, another boring noble brat... Keeb, what about you?"
"Me too. Oh, but it looks like I'll be facing the Prince the day after tomorrow."
Oh. That was unexpectedly soon. But, I suppose so. The third match is already the Best 16. It is about that time...
"...I mean, Violia, your opponent for tomorrow is a seeded one, right?"
"Eh!? Was that so!? I was so uninterested that I didn't even know!"
When I hurriedly checked after Keeb pointed it out, oh, it was true. My opponent was a noble brat who had bypassed the first match due to a seed...
"This... makes my expectations even thinner..."
"Well, they probably aren't strong. Most likely."
They probably pushed their way through with money. Yes. Looking at the house name, it isn't even that grand of a family, but when I think about it, the influential houses of this country, House Fruitier and House Hornbone, were destroyed within a year. In other words, the standard for high-ranking nobility in this country has plummeted. It was a blind spot. Ohohohoho.
"Oh, Doran. Who is your next opponent?"
When I went to peek at Doran's side as well...
"Mine seems to be an adventurer. I might be able to enjoy it a little. The one after that is an adventurer too."
Oh dear... how enviable! Well, presumably, they've grouped the adventurers in the first half of the bracket to make them eliminate each other, with the plan of bringing someone like Chris to the finals. Yes. No matter how you look at it, adventurers are stronger than noble brats.
"...Whoa, Doran, if you make it to the quarterfinals, it's that guy. Lucky."
"Ah, Lital Pia Esclan, huh."
And since both Lital and Chris are on Doran's side, Doran will end up clashing with those two.
"I was the one who wanted to beat him, though."
"Rest easy. I have no intention of losing."
"That's not the point."
...I wonder if Keeb has some sort of grudge against Lital? Ah, perhaps something happened during the scramble for medals in the first phase? I should ask him about it later.
"So, it looks like it'll be me versus Violia, and Doran versus Chris in the semifinals."
I suppose so. Well, that is assuming everyone advances smoothly. I don't think there's any need to worry with these three.
"Hmm, it pains my heart just a little bit to face Keeb in earnest..."
"Same here. But you don't want me to hold back, right?"
"Yes! You understand well! As expected of Keeb!"
"Then, when I clash with either of you in the finals, I shall face you in earnest as well."
"Aaaah, I'm looking forward to it! I'm so looking forward to it...!"
"Hey, Violia. Sorry, but the one fighting Doran will be me."
As we were laughing and poking at each other, I was tapped on the shoulder from behind by Chesta.
"Hey. You should probably duck into an alley. They're coming from behind."
When I checked behind us at Chesta's words...
"Oh my."
Walking this way was a swarm of soldiers.
...Yes. It was the entourage of Chris Bay Clarino.
We quickly slipped into an alleyway to avoid a run-in with Chris.
"...Why is he bringing so many soldiers?"
"Well, Chris is the heir to House Clarino. Of course he has guards."
"But the guy himself is pretty strong, isn't he?"
"Even so, his eyes are only on the front, are they not? It is only right to have someone guarding the rear."
Especially since Chris is currently being attacked from all sides with claims that his command during the slime incident the day before yesterday was mistaken. If he keeps guards around, people won't go out of their way to come and insult him; I think it is a wise choice.
...Chris is someone who has rarely experienced failure. That is, of course, partly because the power of the house he was born into removed obstacles, but I believe it is also due to his own ability.
Such a Chris made a mistake in his command during the slime incident.
...I suspect this is weighing on his heart. Perfectionists tend to suffer over even minor failures. That is likely the reason for that number of guards now.
Therefore, I believe Chris sees nothing but victory in this martial arts tournament. He might even feel like there is no future for him unless he wins.
I can tell by looking at him that it won't lead directly to foul play... but conversely, if he is pushed just a little bit more, even he might stray from the path... I should keep an eye on him.
Now then. That day too, I ate well, slept well, and spent my time with health as my priority. And in the next day's battle, both Doran and Keeb and I decorated our victories more brilliantly than anyone else, stirring up the audience!
Especially Keeb!
Keeb likely has the novelty of being a mage, but more than that, his beautiful features, which are apparent even with his hood pulled down low, are immensely popular with the ladies!
The fact that he is a participant who rose from being an adventurer, rather than a noble, also acts as a spice that makes both commoners and nobles feel a sense of 'the extraordinary,' fueling his popularity!
As for me, I have the novelty of being a female participant, and above all, I am pursuing the flashiest way to win with pure swordsmanship. Naturally, I am immensely popular with both men and women!
...Ah, Doran is just Doran. A hulking fellow in hulking armor knocking down adventurers with his fists and occasionally his legs is quite a sight to see, so he is being found interesting in his own way...
And so came the third match. The quarterfinals... but here, finally, Keeb clashes with Dactor-sama.