Chapter 65

Gradually, however, her confused starry-sky-colored eyes became filled with determination and tears.

“Uu… Lady Sheffy, I understand now!”

“You were worried that my life was too monotonous and wanted me to regain my own honor in human form, right!”

“Thank you… Having a mother like you, Sylatrella would go through fire and water, and would not hesitate even if it cost her life.”

Unfortunately, Sylatrella overlooked the bag of even shinier, glittering gold coins lying next to the trophy.

Originally, Sylatrella’s opponent for this round should have been the previous champion, a seventh-rank mage.

However…

The Second Prince, who had originally been set to advance directly to the finals due to a bye in the semifinals, suddenly slapped his knee and rose from backstage.

Arrogantly and flashily, he grabbed his longsword and made his challenge declaration using the amplification crystals along the way.

“There’s no reason for royalty to advance without a fight. As royalty, no matter who the opponent is, we should give our all. Step by step, until the end. I will take on this round myself!”

“……”

The Second Prince was originally supposed to proceed straight to the finals.

But upon seeing that his opponent was a frail little girl, His Highness suddenly changed his mind.

Since he was able to get through each round one by one, why advance directly and leave people room to say that his victory was unearned?

There was no need to say more.

This guy was definitely an opponent he could defeat with his own strength!

67. Duel

“Wow, you Kingdom’s Second Prince are really shameless!”

Simply put, the Prince’s way of handling matters was all about bullying the weak and fearing the strong, achieving merits in the most shameless way possible.

Sylatrella was full of fighting spirit.

She waved her little fists to adapt to this body reshaped after a thousand years, feeling quite good about herself.

But because of the distance, to the audience it only looked like a heartwarming little girl playfully throwing punches, quite adorable and childlike.

But in reality…

With every punch Sylatrella threw, there was a sonic

Boom!

The barrier mages, who were equally unaware, were wondering why the barrier they constructed was starting to shake again. Could it be that the damage from the earlier Fire Dragon Clan had not yet been repaired? How strange.

Sylatrella retracted her fists, and almost at the same time, Sheffy used some kind of mysterious magic to send her light voice directly into her mind through telepathic transmission.

“Listen carefully. It’s fine to hit him, but hold back your strength. Don’t kill him! Otherwise, it’ll be troublesome to clean up the corpse. Also, don’t make too big of a scene. I recommended you for this tournament as a girl with fighting ability, not a girl who only has fighting ability. Don’t disappoint me.”

“Uu… Lady Sheffy’s voice sounds so nice, directly echoing in my head made Sylatrella very excited.”

“Could you say a few more words!”

However, Sheffy would never spoil her. The voice stopped right there.

At the same time, Sylatrella extended her thumb in Sheffy Harl’s direction, indicating that she fully understood and would definitely follow the instructions!

“Haa… Hopefully she really did understand.”

On the other side of the arena.

The Second Prince Milh completely dismissed the little girl on the other side of the battlefield.

He casually weighed the longsword in his hand, shook his head with a bitter smile, and even cast an approving glance at the referee.

“Alright, alright, you’ve arranged this match quite nicely. My opponent is gone, and you’ve even prepared a guaranteed win for me. When I get back, I’ll reward you all with a bonus.”

“Although… couldn’t you at least arrange for an adult?”

“That girl over there, isn’t she just a child?”

“No matter what, bullying a little girl like this—even if I win, it wouldn’t be very graceful or honorable.”

So Milh nonchalantly flicked aside his black bangs, stepped forward, spread his hands with a smile, and said.

“Little girl, you must be very scared right now, right? Don’t worry, I promise I won’t hurt you when the match starts.”

“Hehe… claim victory… yay!”

“Little girl?”

“Shush, be quiet. I’m listening to see if there are any other voices! Noisy!”

“…?!”

“What on earth is she talking about?!”

“Could it be that at her age, her brain still hasn’t fully developed?”

Milh now seriously questioned whether it was the right decision to step onto the stage for this match.

But no matter what, he had to see the victory through to the end.

With a flick of his longsword, the third-rank strength in his arms caused the blade to hum. As a prince, this was the extent of mercy he could offer.

“Little girl, I do feel sorry for you being arranged to fill in at the last minute. But I’m sorry, the adult world is cruel. You might trip and fall in a moment. Of course, you won’t get hurt, because I’ll catch you the moment you fall. Then your task will be complete. Remember, don’t cry and whimper as you leave the stage, otherwise it’ll look like I was bullying you.”

Milh felt that his plan was simply perfect. He could display his strength while also showcasing the royal family’s gentleness, care, and mercy to the audience.

Surely, once this match ended, his reputation would benefit greatly!

Sylatrella listened again for any voices in her mind, but there were none.

Lady Sheffy did not reward her… The little Holy Sword felt quite disappointed.

Speaking of which… who was buzzing like a fly, chattering non-stop just now?

At this moment, Sylatrella finally looked up directly at the man who was steadily approaching her.

Suddenly, she remembered.

Oh oh… this was a competition!

“Mm…! Lady Sheffy, I understand now. I just need to simply defeat the opponent, right! I will do my best!”

The little Holy Sword’s thoughts were slow, while the host’s commentary never stopped.

“Oh! Contestant Syla remains standing still! Is it that she’s not used to the atmosphere of the arena? His Highness Milh doesn’t seem to be in a hurry to make a move either. This match seems almost without suspense… Let’s see if His Highness Milh can end the battle with a single strike! Or will contestant Syla manage to withstand this sword? Haha… I dare say, this might be the fastest semifinal match since the arena was established!”

While the host was saying this, he naturally did not notice the golden light gathering at Sylatrella’s fingertips.

With just a slight bend of her fingers, she could easily strike Milh’s head and knock him unconscious — a simple attack technique.

“Hehe, Lady Sheffy told me not to make any commotion, so this attack method must be very discreet!”

Whether it was discreet or not could be left aside for the moment.

But…

It might no longer be necessary.

As Milh stepped to within a few meters…

Sylatrella’s clear gaze gradually turned hazy.

It was as if flames were burning within.

The ground around her no longer seemed flat…

But transformed into blood and wailing, endless resentful wails, a desolate wasteland of grief.

Her parents’ curses, her friends’ departures.

Voices calling her “monster”, “get away”, endlessly echoed in her ears, lingering.

Reflected in Sylatrella’s starry-sky-colored eyes… was the royal crest of “Sword and Shield” on Milh’s arm.

She hated it…

In the chill of autumn winds, turning back countless times, yet never seeing the enemies of that ancient grudge.

In the drizzling winter rain, lifting her gaze with sorrow, only to realize the purgatory of fire and endless grief.

The Aurus royal family… that shameless royal clan who once pointed a sword at her, demanding she surrender her life and jump into the sea of flames, all under the guise of lofty righteousness and grandiose justifications.

These were not scenes before her eyes at this moment.

Yet Sylatrella seemed to see the same royal emblem from a thousand years ago, the same cold-faced figure approaching step by step with sword in hand, and behind him, a towering sea of fire.

The aura surrounding Sylatrella shifted — it happened almost instantly.

The spectators could not sense it.

But Milh, facing her directly, suddenly felt as if his feet were nailed to the ground, unable to advance even half a step.

He was deeply astonished, staring blankly at his own trembling hand…

Strange.

“I am afraid?”

“Why? What am I afraid of?”

“This little girl hasn’t done anything… She’s still just standing there foolishly, isn’t she?”

Sylatrella lowered her head in silence, but beads of cold sweat were already forming on Milh’s forehead.

“Is this some kind of domain-type magic…? So I’ve been caught in it?”

“No… there are no traces of her using any magic.”

He didn’t know what the little girl had done, but instinctively, he sensed danger.

Perhaps this little girl was much stronger than he had imagined… he could not afford to be careless.

Therefore, to be safe, he needed to negotiate, just as he always did. Negotiation — for absolute victory.

“Hah… Little girl, perhaps I didn’t explain it clearly just now. You only need to cooperate with me in putting on a little show, don’t do anything unnecessary, withdraw your magic. I will give you gold coins, lots and lots of gold coins, enough to spend for a lifetime! I can even promise to grant your parents noble titles…! I am royalty, that Earl Shaya girl certainly can’t offer you something like this! Hahaha… after all, this competition is just a game. There’s no need for you to risk your life for her. If you make a small sacrifice now, I can… uh?”

He hadn’t even finished speaking.

But she had already made her move.

Milh’s eyes couldn’t catch it.

It was an afterimage, a stream of light.

Perhaps the only thing Milh saw clearly was that, as the little girl lifted her head, beneath her blue hair, a faint flicker of golden light and crimson flashed within her eyes.

The golden magical light condensed into an invisible blade. In just a single breath, Milh felt a sharp, uncontrollable pain coming from his waist.

The pain was indescribable… unlike anything he had ever experienced!

He turned his head to follow the fleeting figure that passed beside him.

That blue-haired little girl was now far behind him, having no idea when she had appeared there. She flicked the golden phantom blade into scattered golden sparks, as if she had done nothing at all, merely changed positions.

She did not even look back.

Milh instinctively clutched at the source of pain, but his waist felt as though it no longer belonged to him—he couldn’t touch it, couldn’t see it.

The surroundings seemed to plunge into complete darkness, as sounds slowly faded away. A darkness deeper than night suddenly descended.

“Eh…?”

Milh’s eyes widened, bloodshot from the growing terror and panic.

“I’ve been… my waist… it’s been cut?”

“Severed at the waist?!”

“I’m going to bleed…?”

“A lot of blood…?!”

“Am I going to die!!”

As this thought flashed through Milh’s mind, he let out an uncontrollable, desperate, pitiful scream, as if it were his dying cry. Tears and snot streamed out all at once!

His wailing filled the arena but could not shatter the darkness around him.

However…

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