Chapter 126

If it had been in the past, Eclight would have definitely said they were just being childish—recklessly making conclusions without evidence, risking the safety of the royal family.

But now…

From the corner of his eye, Eclight glanced at his daughter. Her gaze was firm, without a trace of jest.

And behind her stood the little girl Shaya, arms folded lazily behind her head, looking completely nonchalant.

Eclight said nothing.

Xia had already grown up. She had long been capable of handling things on her own.

Sometimes, it was time to trust her judgment.

Just then—

“It’s over.”

Without the slightest fluctuation in the domain, Shaya had already given her verdict.

And only a few seconds after those words fell, the entire crimson oval sphere began swaying like jelly, the flames surging at the top. The whole domain became highly unstable.

Eclight leapt into the air, soaring to the king’s seat, broad sword raised before him to guard against any possible danger.

It was then that he realized… the Pope, who had been seated on another high platform, was only an illusion, fading away, and the Demon King was no longer atop the platform either.

Tch… This match, and the struggle behind it, was far more complicated than he had expected.

There was no time to think about that now—he had to focus on what was right in front of him.

The crimson domain shuddered a few more times, but just as Xia had judged, it ultimately did not explode.

It simply dissolved into motes of light, without even sparking the slightest extra flame.

The completely scorched sand reappeared in the arena.

After all… Timani no longer had the magic power to sustain the domain.

Two sounds rang out in succession.

Thud.

—Timani’s body hitting the ground after falling from midair.

Bang.

—And the sound of Sylatrella, breathing slightly unevenly yet still holding the golden greatsword before her, landing firmly on her feet.

One lay flat on the ground.

One stood steadily across from her.

Who had lost and who had won was plain at a glance.

The semifinals, which had dragged on for nearly an hour before reaching its end, left the entire audience in a daze for a moment.

But only for a moment.

Someone finally reacted, leaping up with raised arms, followed by waves of applause.

“She… She won! Contestant Syla won!”

“Incredible… A higher race has been defeated! We humans can beat the higher races!”

“Tch, is that Syla really human? I bet she’s some outside help His Majesty brought in.”

Among a crowd, there were always a few who would dampen the mood.

But Sylatrella didn’t care in the slightest what others said—her eyes were fixed only on Lady Shaya, who stood at the edge of the arena.

The Little Holy Sword rose on her toes, lifting her small hand high to wave toward her, her smile blooming like a child who had just won first place at a sports meet upon spotting her parent.

Throwing away the golden greatsword in her hand, the blade vanished the moment it hit the ground.

The Little Holy Sword then bounded forward in two quick steps, arriving before Timani, who lay on her back completely unable to move.

She extended her small hand toward her, smiling with genuine admiration as she said:

“Big sister, you’re amazing! I’ve never met an opponent who made me use half of my strength! You held out until the very end—you’re a worthy opponent! You should be completely proud of yourself!”

Timani did not raise her hand to clasp that small one.

It wasn’t out of rudeness.

Rather… Timani, staring up at the moon hanging in the night sky, no longer had the strength even to lift her hand.

Her crimson dress was still as vivid as ever, but her dust-stained face held only unwillingness and helplessness.

Her magic power had been utterly depleted—wanting to continue fighting was nothing more than wishful thinking now.

As the host announced the match’s result, Timani felt as though everything tonight had been a nightmare…

“‘Only… only half of her strength’… Ah… is this world just far too vast?”

So vast… that I can no longer see the road home.

Even so, the Fire Dragon Clan still had the pride that belonged to the Fire Dragon Clan.

She forced herself to reach out with a trembling hand, clasping Sylatrella’s, and with her pull, barely managed to stand.

She too gave a wave toward the audience—even without a smile, it was her way of giving closure to her part in this match.

Thunderous applause roared back in response.

A fighter who had given everything, putting on such a splendid match, deserved such applause.

Yes… Timani had truly gone all out.

That domain magic—she had never succeeded in using it before.

But this time, she had managed to cast it successfully.

And it hadn’t gone out of control, had it?

As she staggered, at last wearing a reluctant smile, just before she collapsed into unconsciousness—

A faint lavender light flashed over her body.

And in the next instant—Timani vanished from where she stood.

A wave of startled exclamations swept the arena—no one had heard that there would be a disappearing act after the match ended!

Others couldn’t tell what had happened, but Xia could sense the lingering traces of Sheffy’s magic.

Mm… Sheffy probably didn’t want Timani to collapse here.

Sheffy didn’t dislike people who fought with everything they had.

Because… this scene reminded her of something she didn’t want to recall.

But when she did look back, it was a memory that carried a bittersweet taste.

【I tried so hard to save you, so why did you still grow weaker day after day?】

【Was it my own helplessness? Perhaps… I could have done better.】

【But I won’t give up.】

【If I fall, I’ll just get back up again. If not in this life, then we’ll meet in the next.】

Falling didn’t mean one was not a hero.

Xia could see it all—the small figure staggering from a pool of blood, pushing forward toward the next life.

Xia stepped back two paces until she stood beside Sheffy.

She kept her eyes on the front, lowering her voice naturally as she asked,

Her tone carried a touch of gentleness.

“Sheffy, where did you hide Miss Timani?”

“At my house.”

“Huh?”

“I used【Advanced Teleportation】to transfer her to my estate in the suburbs. Don’t worry, just let her lie down for a while and she’ll recover. That kind of fire lizard—if they’re lacking anything, it’s not recovery ability. She’ll probably be bouncing around again in no time!”

“Whether she’ll be bouncing around or not… I just think she’s going to be shocked the moment she opens her eyes.”

…Now then, time for the recap?

The fire lizard might have fallen, but the post-match review still had to be done.

Sheffy was made up of pure curiosity, so while she led Sylatrella down from the stage for a break, she asked what exactly had happened inside that domain called【Scarlet】.

And, surprisingly enough, the Little Holy Sword seemed to have quite the talent for storytelling!

With her bright eyes and little arms waving in rhythm, she painted the scene vividly.

“That Fire Dragon Clan fighter was really strong! Inside that space, it was way bigger than it looked from outside—magma bubbling all over the ground… eek! Pretty scary!”

“A magma domain…? If that’s the case, Timani’s ability is actually a hard counter to you…”

Sheffy wasn’t speaking carelessly here—besides the difference in actual power, psychological factors could also decide victory and defeat in a fight.

And for Sylatrella, the thing she feared most was probably “magma.”

A thousand years ago, plunging headfirst into magma had left a deep shadow in her heart.

But Sylatrella just scratched the back of her head with a silly grin, clearly proud and relieved at her effort.

“Ehehe… Actually, it wasn’t that bad. Even though I was scared, thinking that Lady Sheffy was outside watching over me gave me infinite courage!”

“Of course! I was standing right at the edge of the arena the whole time!”

“Uu… Lady Sheffy, you’re so good to me!”

“…”

Xia’s eyebrow twitched wildly—she couldn’t even be bothered to expose Sheffy’s shameless nonsense.

They had only arrived at the arena right when the match was ending!

Still, Sylatrella really had done well this time—in the past, just hearing the word “magma” would make her face turn pale.

Though truthfully, Sylatrella’s left hand was still trembling lightly.

Even so, she quietly pressed her right hand over her left, hiding that vulnerable side from Sheffy.

Swinging her short legs happily, Sylatrella finished recounting the entire battle.

“That domain seemed to be pure fire element—flames roiling everywhere. And then, and then…! From time to time, giant dragons made of fire would come flying right at me!”

“Hm? And how did you deal with them?” This time, Sheffy’s question was surprisingly patient.

“I just chopped, chopped, chopped, chopped, chopped! When a fire dragon flew at me, I chopped! If I couldn’t chop it, I dodged, hehe… Honestly, I wasn’t in much of a hurry, but for some reason that Fire Dragon Clan fighter was really anxious—charging in recklessly like she just had to win. She kept sending waves of fire dragons my way, but for me, dodging one or dodging ten was no different. Then, just when I was about to counter and go for her… she ran out of magic on her own and collapsed.”

“So basically, you didn’t launch a single attack the whole time, right?”

“Yup! I followed Lady Sheffy’s strategy to the letter—just kept dodging until she wore herself out and fainted!”

“If that happens next time, it’s fine to take the initiative a bit earlier.”

“Eh? Oh… o-okay, I got it.”

Sheffy reached out and gave Sylatrella’s head two light pats—like patting a watermelon—without adding anything more.

Well… for that perverted idiot to last through this match was no small feat.

Her raw strength was much greater than Timani’s, but if Timani had stayed calm and maintained her flame domain longer, the outcome might not have been so certain.

After all, magma and similar things were what Sylatrella feared most; in there, if she couldn’t quickly end the fight, every extra second would only be torment for her.

That was why Sheffy had just said—next time, in such a situation, take the initiative to attack.

As Sheffy ruffled Sylatrella’s head more and more enthusiastically, Xia noticed movement on the distant high platform.

The seat that had belonged to the Demon King—both the Demon King and the Queen had already left—but Princess Belith still sat there.

And now, she was standing up.

“Sheffy, it should be about time.”

“Dinner time?”

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