Chapter 66

That tragic sight of his waist being sliced in two did not appear.

The prince did not know how long he had been screaming in pain.

His vision slowly brightened as the pain subsided, and his voice gradually returned.

What he saw and heard were the contemptuous gazes of the audience.

And also the clearly scornful murmurs of their discussions.

“Ugh… so this is royalty? Turns out they’re this useless… I feel like even if I went up there, I wouldn’t have been that embarrassing. Look at him, crying and sniveling like that. If you didn’t know better, you’d think he’d been hacked to death!”

“Exactly! That young girl just walked slowly past him, didn’t she? And he got scared like that? Was that necessary?”

“I think I saw a sword formed of condensed magic in her hand! Could that be what scared the prince silly?”

“Hahaha, seriously? If that’s the case, His Highness the Prince probably shouldn’t set foot on a battlefield! There are far more than just one sword on a battlefield. He’d probably die of fright right away!”

“Pathetic!!”

The prince no longer had the mind to listen to these insults.

With his face still smeared with snot and tears, he didn’t even have time to wipe them off, hurrying instead to check whether his waist was still intact!

He repeatedly checked his waist, even lifting his gold-trimmed clothes to expose and closely examine his belly.

Only then did he realize… there was no severed waist, not even a drop of blood to be seen!

In moments of life and death, when one realizes they are still alive, they do not ponder why they survived.

They feel only gratitude!

Milh’s legs went weak, and he collapsed to his knees, crying in relief after narrowly escaping death!

“Ahhh…! Thank goodness… thank goodness! I’m still alive… I’m alive!!!”

Crying like a wilted, weeping vegetable just because he was alive — look at how spineless he was.

Meanwhile, at the other end of the battlefield, Sylatrella had long since dispersed the translucent golden blade in her hand. She slightly raised her head and gazed into the boundless night sky beyond the arena.

Her scarlet, hollow eyes gradually reflected the starlight as it restored into a deep blue Milky Way.

The girl stood proudly between heaven and earth, still disdaining to turn back and look.

That disgraceful royal figure was never worth even a single glance from her.

The sword just now had been an Illusion Sword. It executed a strike at a speed imperceptible to the naked eye, transforming this beyond-common-sense attack speed into an illusion displayed before the enemy’s eyes, letting him feel the arrival of death within a slowed perception of time only he could experience.

The brilliance of this sword lay precisely in the fact that it never truly struck.

Lady Sheffy had already instructed beforehand not to cause too much commotion.

If not for this… boy, the illusion you saw would have inevitably become reality. At this moment, you would have died as miserably and desolately as the warriors who fell on the battlefield a thousand years ago.

However… she no longer wished to step into this endless cycle of pain.

Sylatrella no longer wanted to live in hatred.

At last, she turned around.

But this time, her glance back was not to check whether the enemy had lost his will to fight, but to look at Lady Sheffy, who was rising and smiling at her with approval.

Indeed… it was Sheffy who had pulled her from the sea of flames. So why should she leap back into that infinite vortex and endure the burdens of a thousand years?

The sword strike earlier had not severed any irrelevant waist.

——It had severed the chains within Sylatrella’s own heart.

Only now did the host belatedly and incredulously react. Although the outcome was unexpected, he still had to fulfill his duty and make the announcement!

“Victory… victory goes to contestant Syla! Incredible… His Highness the Prince seems to have voluntarily given up, kneeling on the ground and weeping bitterly, while contestant Syla casually claimed victory as if taking a stroll! My goodness… this is surely the biggest upset of tonight’s competition!”

Sylatrella understood everything.

The only thing she did not understand was the true meaning behind Sheffy’s current smile!

That was something only Xiarette, who stood close beside Sheffy, could comprehend.

“Nicely done! Hahaha, Xiarette, did you see that? Sending Sylatrella to compete really was the right decision! I was worried she might make a huge scene again, like that time in the palace when she nearly flipped the whole place upside down! But look! She had restraint. As expected of that crazy pervert!”

“Oh…? So you’re saying that at first you actually thought things were more likely to spiral out of control… and yet you still recommended her to participate under such circumstances?”

“Ahem… don’t put it like that. If something really did happen, I would definitely help her clean up the mess, right…?”

“Are you sure?”

“Absolutely sure!”

Well, let’s hope so.

Xiarette patted Sheffy’s little head. She truly wondered just how much wild and unrestrained freedom was packed inside that little head of hers.

Sylatrella came running back with a smile. As the victor, she directly threw herself into Sheffy’s embrace!

At this sudden pounce, Xiarette’s immediately alert expression was quite a sight.

A childish voice sounded against Sheffy’s flat chest.

“Lady Sheffy! I did it! I didn’t embarrass you, did I!”

“Hey, I have to say, you did pretty well this time!” Sheffy tapped the little Holy Sword’s head twice with her finger, finding it rather hollow. “Keep it up! Take this momentum into the finals. A beautiful tomorrow awaits just around the corner!”

“A beautiful tomorrow awaits just around… hmm! Understood! Lady Sheffy always speaks so profoundly!”

“Of course~ what did you expect?”

Xiarette patted her own forehead and shook her head from side to side. She truly had no idea how much more absurd these two could get with their conversation!

Sylatrella, little sister, you’re relying far too much on Sheffy!

And Sheffy, could you please stop deceiving Sylatrella’s innocent little heart? She’s still just a thousand-year-old child!

At long last, the Second Prince, who was still crying and disgracing himself on the field, was finally carried away by the staff.

Surely, after this humiliation, he would be severely punished by the king once he returned.

Sheffy’s eyes gleamed with the shine of gold coins. She was now just one step away from filling her coffers to the brim.

Because the Second Prince had cried for so long and wasted too much time, the rest period between the semifinals and finals for the contestants was significantly shortened.

“After this unexpected little episode, which really caught us off guard… the match has finally reached its peak duel! Will contestant Syla continue her streak of good fortune? Or will last year’s champion, the Seventh-Rank Kingdom Magician Miss Fanny, successfully defend her title? Alright, contestant Syla has already taken her position again, and now on the other side, Miss Fanny…! Eh? Miss Fanny? Hahaha, everyone please remain calm, perhaps Miss Fanny is still preparing backstage, we will have staff go and invite her again!”

It could only be said that today’s tournament was full of surprises.

Having advanced directly from the semifinals without competing, the magician Fanny should, by all reason, have already been waiting on the other side of the arena.

Yet even as the bell signaling the finals had rung, Fanny still hadn’t appeared.

Sylatrella was eager and ready, hoping to meet Lady Sheffy’s expectations and seize victory!

Hee… Lady Sheffy would surely reward her handsomely upon returning home. She had made such a great contribution this time.

But… where was her opponent? Why was there no sign of her?

The audience, even at this final stage, showed no impatience. They were all busily placing bets on who would ultimately win.

It was unclear how many minutes had passed. The host paced back and forth anxiously, as none of the staff he had sent backstage to check had returned with any explanation!

This, however, was entirely within his expectations.

Tsk… these people, low pay, no stake with the organizers, always shrugging things off and never putting in extra effort. No matter what happens, it’s always me left worrying!

Fortunately, someone finally appeared at the eastern passage.

“Oh oh…! Is our reigning champion Fanny finally making her entrance? It seems her delayed arrival was meant to give everyone a surprise! A surprise… hmm? Contestant Fanny is also wearing a black cloak today? Could she be concealing some kind of magical attack? Everyone, stay tuned!”

Indeed.

The person who walked out slowly from the enemy passage was also wrapped in a large black cloak, just like the one worn by the Fire Dragon Clan girl when she appeared earlier.

The face was hidden, making it impossible to see the features.

This tournament sure had a taste for mystery, didn’t it?

The atmosphere at the start of the finals was entirely different from all the previous rounds—so much so that one could say it was a complete contrast.

Because just look…

On the west side, a silly little girl.

On the east side, a black-robed weirdo.

How could such a pairing for the finals not seem odd?

Sylatrella didn’t care whether the opponent wore a black robe or a white one. As long as she won the final match, she could take the trophy and show off to Lady Sheffy!

She was just like an innocent child desperate to achieve something to proudly present to her parent—it was exactly that kind of mindset.

Sylatrella’s warm-up sonic punches began once again, while the black-robed figure on the opposite side remained completely still, quietly standing there as if brimming with confidence and needing no preparation whatsoever.

By now, murmurs of doubt had begun to spread among the audience.

“Wait a minute… was last year’s champion Fanny ever this short? I remember her being quite a bit taller than this black-robed person!”

“Must be your imagination. I don’t remember clearly either. Or maybe… the organizers are pulling some new stunt again? Come on, haven’t there been enough gimmicks in tonight’s tournament?”

“True enough, let’s just watch. If this year’s champion turns out to be that little girl, now that would be something. The youngest champion in tournament history? Pfft… where would that leave the dignity of our noble Second Prince?”

“Hahaha…! Don’t bring up the prince again, you’ll make me die laughing!”

What seemed like such a “ridiculous” match in the eyes of the spectators suddenly became a whole different matter the moment the referee announced the start of the match…

“The match begins!”

Sylatrella made the first move.

A streak of blue light shot toward the black robe.

With a pinch of her fingers, a trace of golden light formed into a short blade, aiming to finish the fight in the shortest time possible.

However, what Sylatrella did not expect was…

Beneath the cloak, a faint curve formed at the corner of the hidden figure’s mouth.

The black figure moved for the first time, dodging Sylatrella’s near-sonic attack with an eerie, ghost-like motion.

The golden short blade embedded deep into the ground, and soon dissolved into floating sparks of light before Sylatrella’s slightly surprised face.

Huh…?

That attack had already been quite fast, hadn’t it?

To think there was still such a powerful contender in this tournament!

The Little Holy Sword was not fond of battle, but her innate strength made her quite accepting of the idea of “victory.”

Not fond of battle, but eager to win.

“Enhance.” “Speed Boost.” “Wind Spirit’s Blessing.”

With a slight smile as well, Sylatrella’s speed upon turning once again reached a level nearly imperceptible to the naked eye. The black-robed figure finally drew a pitch-black blade in a reverse grip, meeting her with equally swift movements.

The golden magic short blade and the black blade clashed, sending bursts of explosions rippling out. The mere shockwaves from the impact caused the barrier to sway violently, like fragile grass struggling to stand in a storm.

Had both Sylatrella and the black-robed figure not been holding back their strength, the barrier might have been blown apart in an instant.

The battle was spectacular, with flashes of blades and dizzying exchanges—yet, unfortunately, the audience couldn’t see any of it.

From their perspective, there were only two streaks of light crisscrossing and colliding. At such speeds, no human figure could be seen at all!

“Amazing… so this is what a battle between Seventh Rank fighters looks like. Wasn’t Fanny supposed to be a magician? Could it be she’s been hiding her true strength, and melee combat is actually her specialty?!”

“No no no… but what’s even more shocking is Syla! Such a young child able to spar with a Seventh Rank? Has the Kingdom produced another genius?!”

The commoners could not comprehend it.

Any battle beyond their understanding naturally got classified into the highest rank they could imagine.

Seventh Rank—in their eyes, already an unattainable, lofty existence.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep