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Chapter 7: The Cursed Blade of the Sword Demon
The crowd went wild on Miss Servant’s, or should I say Lynokis’s, victory. Well, more accurately, wild with the yells of despair from those who had made the wrong bet.
It...really is Lynokis. I could blink my eyes or pinch my cheeks as much as I wished, but it wouldn’t change that it was absolutely Lynokis. However much I wished for my eyes to be deceiving me, it felt impossible to deny now. Especially since she made a point of glancing my way. I was positive she did. As in, she looked directly at me.My cover was completely blown. How could this have happened? How did I get caught?
Well... Apologies, excuses, and arguments were all things for me to think about once we returned home.
“And now, it’s time for what you’ve all been waiting for! Feast your eyes upon our gracious guest and our main event!”
Due to the excitement from the crowd reaching its peak, the moment Lynokis and her opponent left the ring, the main event was announced. It was getting late, so it did seem about that time.
Е́n ũ m a. іd.
I’d accumulated an uncomfortable sweat from the shock of Lynokis’s appearance, but there was no point in me worrying or showing restraint now that the cat was out of the bag. I should just enjoy the present. I had gone to such great lengths to get myself here in the first place—what good would it be if I didn’t enjoy my time here to the fullest?
Now, release the Sword Demon! Let me bear witness to this arena’s strongest foe!
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“Dungeon scavenger, bounty hoarder, golem hunter, this sword master does it all! An adventurer so renowned that he’s gained the title of the Sword Demon, it’s Asuma Hinokiiiiiii!”
My heart was already fluttering as we entered the main event, but hearing the announcer rattle off the man’s achievements, my expectations skyrocketed. A sword master, he said. That sounded perfect. I had seen many a weak martial artist, but not once had I borne witness to a strong swordsman. Was the title of Sword Demon an exaggeration? Just how strong could he really— Ah.
I first saw a foot stepping out, planting itself in the sand of the ring. What followed was a young man dressed in Eastern attire. He was thin and not very tall. If I had to make a guess, he was probably in his mid to late twenties. His messily tied up black hair made it apparent he wasn’t from Altoire. Hanging from his waist was a single sword with a curved blade. With only one sharp edge, it had to be an Eastern sword.
“So this is the Sword Demon... He’s surprisingly young,” Gandolph muttered. But that wasn’t the part that was the most noteworthy thing.
Е ńûm а̃ .іd̄
“My least favorite kind of fighter may have just appeared.”
That sword was no doubt a demon blade—I believe in the East they’d call it a youto. It was a type of blade I had destroyed many times in my previous life. Put simply, demon blades held a demonic energy that would take over the will of its wielder. What is the desire of a sword? What is its reason for existing? The answer to that question was simple: to cut down lives.
Swords put value on their existence through their ability to cut, and so they yearned for it. It was the reason they were forged, so it was a natural train of thought. But a sword cannot move by itself; even with demonic power, it would still be nothing but a tool. Its only option was to take over the mind of its wielder. The sword would ensure its victim no longer had any regard for reason or morality—virtues that would cause hesitation in cutting a life down.
I despised those demon blades that would ruthlessly ignore the will of a human just to cut.
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Martial arts were not simple violence, a means to kill. Like hell I’d let anyone reduce it to something so devoid of honor. Reason, self-restraint, conviction, and ambition—only once a person had developed those virtues could they truly say they practiced a martial art. It was the reason I and others could so confidently differentiate it from pure violence.
I could not let an existence which held such an unquenchable desire to cut down people, to cut down lives, continue to live.
Eñ u̇m̆ а̄
A demon blade’s demonic power would increase proportionate to the number of lives it had consumed. At first, the wielder would feel as if the sword itself was helping them become stronger. It would get them pumped up, make them want to use it more and more. As that went on, the wielder’s memories would start to become hazy. They’d begin swinging their sword unconsciously and start to do things without even realizing it, until finally, the demon blade took over their consciousness entirely.
To make matters worse, depending on the quality and quantity of the people and souls it had slain, the sword would undeniably begin to develop its own ego. In fact, I was sure there was a demon blade in recorded history that went as far as calling itself the Demon King.
Should the sword nurture them to that point, the wielder would find incredible joy in fighting. They could keep up an endless assault that required an opponent to remain alert at every moment of every day. No human could feasibly do such a thing. Back then, hadn’t I continued fighting for endless days and nights without thinking of sleep or food? And of course I’d ultimately dropped dead. No glory. No fanfare.
At least that was probably what had happened. I couldn’t remember it clearly, but I had a feeling it was something like that.
It was kind of nostalgic though. I’d spent so much of my life destroying those accursed blades, and yet here one was even in this era. Don’t misunderstand though—I still hated the way a demon blade robbed a human of their free will. I simply didn’t hate a skilled martial artist who happened to be wielding a demon blade.
Even if it held demonic power, a sword was a sword. What right did I have to criticize the wielder if they were still of their own mind? Swordsmanship was still a martial art to be respected. Demon blades were often very well-made, the craftsman having put their heart and soul into its forging. Having a desire to wield a good blade was not strange; there was just a fine line between the quality of a sword of great renown and that of a demon blade.
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But if that wasn’t the case, if this was a case that I despised, then I would not hesitate to destroy that blade. If it was allowed to roam free, it could indiscriminately hurt people at any time.
“The Sword Demon has taken out six competitors! What a raging storm of a man!”
As Anzel had informed me beforehand, they were holding a knockout tournament with the Sword Demon as the main entrant...and six had already been cut down. His opponents had wielded all manner of weapons, from swords, to spears, to maces. Simply his possession of an Eastern blade had chased off any potential unarmed contestants. Regardless, the Sword Demon took all who faced him down without effort.
His skills weren’t bad. I could sense the demon blade supporting him a little, but the man himself certainly had his own skill independent of it. That was what made it difficult for me to tell—was he being taken over by the sword or not? Regardless of which it was, his strength was quite middling... From my perspective, he was neither strong nor weak. I could defeat him while balancing a cup of tea on my head.
To make things even more boring, the man wasn’t even taking the lives of those he cut. He was only shallowly cutting their joints so they would be unable to stand or hold their weapons. How considerate of him.
It was a fighting style clearly controlled by reason, and that, again, was what made it hard for me to determine if he was of his own mind or not. Besides, his opponents were so weak. If they didn’t pit him against stronger fighters, then there was no way he could show his full potential. Still, blood was being shed, and the Sword Demon had more than proved his strength to the crowd, so they were still excited.
Е̃ num̌ а́.іd
I want to enter. I want to test for myself just how strong he really is and if he’s being controlled by that blade.
In the midst of my bloodthirst being quenched, after yet another competitor who could no longer stand was carried away by a staff member, the Sword Demon raised his voice and brought all attention back to him: “Quiet! Quiet, I say!” After repeating himself several times, the arena finally went silent.
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What could he have to say that his string of certain victories hadn’t said already? Everything went quiet as the expectant gazes of the crowd fixed on the man.
“I seek a battle with Miss Servant!” he declared.
What? Lynokis was a complete nobody who had literally debuted today, and yet he was challenging her directly? The moment he did, the reaction from the crowd was split between the whispers of the patrons who wanted to support the arena’s existing champions and the cheering of the gamblers who wanted to see Miss Servant fight so they could weigh her future odds. There were likely exceptions, but I was sure those were the two main voices I was hearing.
“Will your personal attendant be all right?” Gandolph asked me.
E num̆a
“Honestly, I couldn’t tell you.” I was well aware of Lynokis’s true strength, but I was yet to bear witness to the Sword Demon’s. The six matches leading up to this had barely even served as an appetizer. I thought it was at least possible that she could win, but there were still so many uncertainties. “But it only really matters if Lynokis chooses to accept.”
Just as I said that, the announcer spoke up once again. “Having been called by name directly, Miss Servant enters the arena!”
Wow, so she really was going to take him up on his challenge.
Ugh, she’s so lucky... I want to be called upon like that too.
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Miss Servant, dressed in her light attire and mask, once more entered the ring. It looked like she was discussing something with the Sword Demon, but unsurprisingly, I had no idea what they were saying from here.
“Then, let the match...”
Wе́b̈ ṅ о̊ vӗl Ёń ǔ m̌ а̃
Lynokis and the Sword Demon took up their stances.
“...BEGIN!”
A sword slash quietly glinted through the air right as that word was uttered. What immediately followed was Lynokis’s right arm flying through the air, blood splashing along the ground with it.
Lynokis’s right arm flew through the air.
Everyone could only stare in silent shock, unable to register what had happened.
A few seconds of silence passed...and then a storm of voices rampaged through the arena.
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Cheers. Screams. Exclamations of anger.
From voices that were left breathless from the shock to the mad voices yelling for more, a mixture of emotions filled the arena in seconds.
“Nia! That... Just now...!”
Gandolph was clearly shaking. It appeared he had seen it clear as day too. Do you really need to shout my name so loud? Perhaps it was silly to worry about that when everyone around us was this deafening, though.
“Bravo, Sword Demon,” I muttered, grabbing the wine bottle on the table in front of me and standing up. Honestly. For being a half-baked martial artist, he really put on one hell of a show, didn’t he? And that was exactly why I had to go.
“Hm?”
Е̌ṅû m_a ._і̃ d̀
He wasn’t bad, but he still had a long way to improve. I descended to the fighting ring among the ceaseless cheers and cries. The crowd had been so worked up that they were left in a state of hysterical chaos, so most didn’t even notice that a child like me had entered. Of course, the Sword Demon noticed right away and looked straight at me.
“A child...? What need has a child to be here?”
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“I’ll answer your questions, but put that sword away first. The match has been decided, no?”
The excruciating pain of having a limb cut off had Lynokis down on her knees, gripping her right shoulder tight. The Sword Demon was raising his sword right beside her, as if he was about to behead her.
I was sure he would’ve done exactly that if I hadn’t stepped in.
“This is the Umbral Arena. Killing is permitted on these grounds. For what reason should I stop?”
W̃ e bn о́ v e l .Е n̊ům̃ а̄
“I understand. But I’d like you to reconsider.”
Their match had been a respectable one. Lynokis had simply lost to the Sword Demon. That was all there was to it. I had no complaints about what had just occurred. In fact, I wanted to praise Lynokis for her efforts. I really did think it was a wonderful battle.
The one who had initiated the assault the moment the battle began was Lynokis. The moment the announcer had signaled the start of the match, Lynokis had taken a decisive step forward and unleashed a right straight punch at the speed of light. I had seen her improvement over our daily training. It was a step forward that even had me marveling at the sight. There were very few people in the world who could respond to a strike like that.
But the Sword Demon had.
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He had taken her fist with the flat of his blade, let it slide across, and then countered by standing his blade upright. That was what had led to her being dismembered. Despite neither of them being masters of their arts, it truly was a face-off between two highly skilled fighters. Much of the crowd knew little to nothing about martial arts and would have been unable to see what had happened because of how fast it had been.
And yet, I had no doubt they all unconsciously felt that they had witnessed a rare and incredible matchup, and that was what had led to the uproar. They didn’t know exactly what had happened, but they knew it wasn’t as simple as Lynokis getting her arm cut off. Even Gandolph had been trembling at seeing a precipice of martial arts that he had yet to reach himself. Excitement had been the cause of that trembling. That moment had satisfied his bloodlust as a martial artist so fully that his flesh and bones couldn’t help but react.
W̃е́ b̌ ǹ о̇v ė l Е nūm ӑ
This fight could only have been called a true match between two martial artists, a match fitting of being called the night’s main event. But that was exactly why.
“She is still weak, but she’ll only get stronger. It would be a shame for her to die here.”
The Sword Demon was silent.
“You too. In fact, is killing her a step you feel you have to take to get stronger? Is it your own desire? Or is this the will of the demon blade?”
Clearly, I had touched a nerve. The Sword Demon pointed the tip of his blade towards me. “Why do you know about the demon blade?”
“Why indeed.”
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Now that his target had changed, I was finally able to approach Lynokis. One wrong move and I was pretty sure her head would’ve been next, so I’d chosen to prioritize getting his attention on me first.
Make no mistake though. If he dares try to swing his blade at me, I will not hesitate to retaliate.
I placed a hand on Lynokis’s left shoulder from where she remained motionless and whispered in her ear. “Focus your inner chi on the area your arm was cut. It will stop the bleeding and help minimize the pain.”
No response. She was focusing so intently on withstanding the pain that she couldn’t hear me.
“Let me see then.” I ran my chi through Lynokis’s body, guiding her own chi towards her right arm. The blood spilling out of her wound began to slow.
“Young...Mistress...?” Lynokis finally had the leeway to focus on her surroundings. The blood loss wasn’t anything to scoff at, but given she was still conscious, it could’ve been much worse. I would’ve been in real trouble if that were the case.
Е̌n úm̊ á
“Keep your focus,” I told her. She would likely be fine now. The wound was a clean cut, so as long as it was dealt with quickly, her arm could easily be reattached.
Now then.
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Delaying Lynokis’s treatment wouldn’t be good, so I’d best get this over with as fast as I can.
I turned back to the Sword Demon, who was now entirely fixated on me.
“Consider this a treat from me to you for showing me such a wonderful match and for sparing Miss Servant.” I took the wine bottle I had brought down with me and spilled the contents onto the ground. “I’ll show you the greatest heights. There should be no reward more desirable for a martial artist, right?”
The Sword Demon eyed me suspiciously. “With that glass bottle?”
Еṅ u̇ m̀ а́
“Oh, this?” I took the now empty wine bottle and lowered myself into a battle stance. “You’re famous, aren’t you? I would feel bad if I didn’t have this at least.”
First, a child had suddenly appeared in front of him, then that very same child had started spouting some nonsense. All of it was probably gibberish to the man. The frown on his face made it apparent that he couldn’t grasp the meaning of my words or understand the situation he was in.
But that wasn’t important. What was was that there were currently two martial artists standing here, one still in training, the other far superior. Nothing more.
“Losing to an unarmed child versus losing to a child with a weapon creates a very different image to those watching,” I continued.
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Many of the spectators were cheering in both confusion and excitement. I was about to take the famous adventurer known as the Sword Demon and make him live through the most embarrassing moment in his life right here, in this arena. Losing to a child using a weapon would at least help him save some face.
“Hmph. You’re talking like you’ve already won.” The Sword Demon smiled as he readied his own stance. This was exactly what I had wanted. His eyes weren’t reflecting his smile one bit—they were completely filled with the intent to kill. “You are not some simple infant; I see that now. Allow me to test your strength.”
Еn ú m̄ ӓ.і̂ d
I was glad that he wasn’t underestimating me at least. I was so sick of opponents who would hold back because all they saw was a child. Nothing but disappointment awaited me at every turn when that assumption was made.
“Wait, before we start, allow me one last question: who forged that sword?”
“My sword?” he repeated, taken aback for a moment. “Kudo Sasanosuke.”
What a nostalgic name!
“Then that has to be one of his early works, right? Given how beautiful and elegant it is. The older Sasanosuke got, the more vulgar his works became; they were so filled with murderous intent. Though if we were to judge by simple objective quality, then his later works were certainly much better.”
I was now convinced. If that sword was an early work made by Kudo Sasanosuke—a sick swordsmith who had pursued the creation of the perfect sword to kill the living—then it wasn’t a demon blade that could take over a human’s consciousness. It would have been made at a time when Sasanosuke was still a young man creating swords only to cut people. The intensity of the emotions and obsessions hammered into those swords was dramatically different to that of the ones he had made later in life.
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I can let this sword go then.
“Shall we begin our bout?” I couldn’t delay Lynokis’s treatment, so the sooner we got this over with, the better. We didn’t need a signal to start our fight. Both of us were already readying our stances among the raucous cries from around us. All that mattered was the timing of our opponent. We refused to take even a single glance away from the other—and then, the Sword Demon twitched.
“Ngh?!”
Good thrust.
It was overflowing with the intent to kill, aimed right for my throat. Not bad at all. But the tip of his blade thrust through the air right beside his original aim, missing his mark. I had moved not a single step. I’d simply moved my hand the tiniest bit, taken the strike with the glass bottle, and adjusted the angle of the blade. That was all it took to dodge it.
The Sword Demon showed surprise on his face for just a moment. I was glad. Really, it was a strike I could’ve taken with my hand, but for someone like myself, I could deflect it with an object as well. It would have been difficult if my opponent was stronger, though. Being unarmed really was much better for me.
W ebn.о ve̊l E̊.n̆û m̄а́
“RAH!”
And yet, he was barely stunned by his miss. Though surprised, the Sword Demon immediately struck down twice, three times, all with the intention of killing me. He truly was releasing a deliciously murderous intent. He was another of those who would be much stronger had his teacher been better.
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I’d had enough playing around though.
“Are you done?”
In only a few seconds, the Sword Demon had slashed his sword fifty times. I had remained there, taking not a single step as I diverted all of his attacks—and the wine bottle hadn’t taken a single scratch. The difference in our strength was clear.
“Wh-What kind of beast are you?!”
W̌еbṅō v̀е̂.l̊ Ē nǔ m а
That display had shaken even him up. He must have used his all at this moment. In which case, it would be fine for me to end it here.
The Sword Demon was defeated. All it took was a good knock over the head with the wine bottle and he was out for the count. This time, the crowd went completely silent, even though I had done something far more advanced than what had occurred between Lynokis and the Sword Demon! Oh, was that why? That was why everyone was put off. They were scared of me, judging me because I was too strong. What weaklings.
“Hurry up!”
Oh wow, the first aid team was very quick to respond. I supposed they were stationed in a place where violence was the norm. They dashed in the second I took down the Sword Demon, specifically to retrieve Lynokis. They didn’t appear to have seen my standoff with the Sword Demon, so they ignored me and went straight to loading Lynokis onto a stretcher before carting her off.
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Never mind, they’re making sure to take the Sword Demon as well. Look after them for me.
Even though killing was permitted on these grounds, that didn’t mean the organizers wanted people to die. I picked up Lynokis’s amputated arm and chased after them. The crowd was still silent around us.
W̄ё b̂ǹоv̀ e̊ l̄ Ӗñ ú m̊а̀.
And then finally, I heard angered voices erupt from behind me, though it wasn’t something worth stopping for.
We rushed through the large waiting room to the infirmary. The smell of disinfectant and blood mixing together in the air was quickly getting to my head.
“We need to stop the bleeding and get the patient anesthetized! Sterilize the wound, now!” A female underground doctor was shouting out orders to her two female assistants as she began getting to work. I wasn’t much of a medic, but I decided to stick around in case there was something I could help with.
Which reminded me, there likely was.
“Is it possible to reattach this?” I asked.
“Huh?” One of the assistants turned around at my question, and the moment she took in the sight of me, her eyes went wide. “Why’s there a kid holding an arm here?!” Of course she would be surprised. Even I would be surprised if I turned round and suddenly saw a kid standing there holding a detached arm. It sounded like something straight out of a ghost story.
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“It hasn’t been long since it was cut off, so I think we can work with it,” I said. I was using my chi to stop the blood loss while keeping the cells active so the limb would remain fresh. There was a bit of sand on the wound, but it just needed a little wash and it would be fine. “Did you intend to just seal off the wound?”
Before I knew it, the doctor that had been leading the treatment was looking at me with cold eyes. The two assistants who had been frantically dashing around at her orders stopped and stared at our interaction.
“Will you assist?” the doctor calmly asked.
“Of course. If there’s anything I can do, that is.”
“Lend me that power you’re flowing through that arm then.”
Oh my, what was this? She hadn’t looked strong at first glance, but...
Е̌nû m̃ а̄_
“You can tell?”
“No. But I can see that that arm isn’t in a regular condition right now. There’s no blood coming out the wound even though there’s no tourniquet, and it doesn’t look like it’s starting to decay. I’ve seen this happen once before so I assume it’s something similar.”
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It wasn’t as if I had been present on the occasion she was talking about, so I couldn’t confirm whether or not it truly was the same, but the part she had seen through was absolutely correct. I couldn’t say anything about her skill, but she clearly had plenty of experience.
“To confirm, you’ve got the cash for this?” she asked me.
“Cash?”
“If we could treat this using the medicine we have on hand, it’d be cheap, but this is severe enough to require the use of magic—”
Ĕnu_ṁа̄. і d̆
“Do it,” I answered immediately. I didn’t need her to be asking such stupid questions right now. If we didn’t hurry up, we wouldn’t be able to reattach the arm. “I’ll pay however much you require.”
It was the duty of the master to look after their student when the situation called for it. It was my selfishness that had led to Lynokis entering the tournament and being injured in such a way, but even if this hadn’t been my fault, my answer wouldn’t have changed. Now wasn’t the time for me to worry about money.
“Really? I’ll hold you to that then.”
Lynokis fell unconscious the second the anesthesia was injected, and that was the signal for treatment to begin.
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“Heal.” After cleaning the wound and applying a medicine that magic could still penetrate, the doctor chanted a spell. A pale white light enveloped the wound on Lynokis’s arm. Meanwhile, I ran my own external chi along Lynokis’s body in order to control her chi and forcefully speed up the healing process.
The theory behind this was the same as what I’d done to heal my current body’s disease. Human bodies came equipped with natural healing and cleansing abilities from the moment they were born, and chi could strengthen those. If Lynokis had been more proficient at chi manipulation, I was pretty sure she could’ve grabbed her arm from the air and attached it back on then and there. I had done that plenty of times in my past life. At least...I think I did.
W̄ ёb̆n о v̀ӗ l Е n ůmä
“Oh,” the doctor let out. “It’s...already healed.”
So it managed to reattach after all.
“Wow, so combining them actually makes it heal much faster, after all,” I remarked. Though magic and chi were fundamentally different energies, they could be used together, it seemed.
“More than it being the combination...”
What? Why are you looking at me like that?
“Well, whatever,” the doctor sighed. “This isn’t a place that looks fondly upon digging into other people’s business.” She told her assistants to clean up as she walked away and sat herself down at her desk. “Let’s talk money. That’s the only thing we trust down here.”
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“Yes, of course. Hm?”
I turned round at the sound of a commotion from outside. Suddenly, the door slammed open and in came a bear of a man.
“And I’m telling you that she’s my daughter!”
Ah, Gandolph. Five or six employees and black suits were trying to hold him back, but he barreled through as if they didn’t even exist. I...had honestly completely forgotten I had left him behind.
The doctor let out another sigh. “Quiet down, would you? We have a patient resting here. We’ve completed our treatment, so you can let him through.”
“No, no, it is perfectly all right. I had no intention of taking the money anyway.” When I was asked about paying for Lynokis’s medical fees again, Gandolph immediately whispered into my ear, almost begging me to use the money he had earned from the bets. After all, the price quoted could likely very easily be paid for with what we had won, given the mountain those chips were forming on our table. “I would never spend all that money. I can barely even think of a single good use for it.”
Ӗṅ u m̂ ã . і̃ d́
Being indebted to someone in the underworld was always a pain, so I chose to accept the money. If I found something else that paid well in the future, I would make sure to notify the man.
“Wow, I thought I’d stated quite the outrageous price, but you can actually pay it?” the doctor said in surprise after I quietly told her of the agreement we had come to. She asked one of her assistants to go fetch the chips for her, since Gandolph had left them behind in his rush here. They were even asked to do the whole process of exchanging the chips for money. These assistants can’t catch a break, can they?
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And then, with a surprised but joyful laugh, the doctor quickly wrote up an invoice.
“Did you rip me off just now?” I asked with suspicion.
“Yes, and no. Whoever you are, you’ll be quoted an outrageous price from the start. Stay alert, y’hear? This is the infirmary of the Umbral Arena after all.”
Oh, of course. The infirmary would work by the rules of the underground as well. They would squeeze out any and all money they could, even if it was from a contestant. The idea of a fair price didn’t exist here.
Е̂ n̊ ūmа̄
“We’ve retrieved the money, doc.”
“Thanks.”
It didn’t take long for the assistants to return.
“Here. You had a bit extra.”
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“Th-Thanks,” Gandolph muttered as he accepted his change. The amount left over really was like a kid’s allowance.
“Sign here please. Naturally, fake names are fine. If you were an aristocrat, though, I sure wouldn’t mind getting your real one,” the doctor teased, clearly more than aware that Gandolph wasn’t an aristocrat. She had likely guessed that Gandolph and I weren’t related too. “And we’re done. You’re free to take her home now.” And yet, even though we were clearly a suspicious trio, she didn’t dig further. This was the infirmary of the Umbral Arena, after all.
We b n оvе l̆ Ӗn ü m̄а
And that was how our night at the arena finally came to a close.
Not wanting to linger, Gandolph and I quickly exited the premises. Gandolph was carrying the unconscious Lynokis on his back. I could’ve managed it myself, but since he’d offered, I’d decided to leave her to him. Besides, if a small girl was seen carrying a woman on her back while the large man beside her was doing nothing to assist, it would cause some weird looks.
“Master, that final match was incredible!” Gandolph’s excitement was yet to abate, even as we swiftly walked down a dark alley to avoid drawing attention.
“Did you enjoy it?”
It seemed like he had taken great joy from watching the standoff between the Sword Demon and me.
“Yes, very much so! If I had been in your position, I would absolutely have been cut down fifty times over!”
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“At least dodge one of them.”
Fifty strikes was exactly how many that man had swung. I admittedly couldn’t envision Gandolph being able to dodge any of those at his current speed, but it was worth praising him for both being aware of that fact and being able to perfectly count just how many swings there had been.
“Something I was a bit curious about... You would’ve been perfectly capable of fending off his attacks even without the wine bottle, right?” Gandolph asked.
“But of course. In fact, the bottle only made it harder for me.”
“That’s what I thought!”
“I will tell you the words you want to hear most: nothing is stronger than one’s bare hands.”
W̊e b̀ nо̃v̄ е ĺ Ĕnu m а
“Absolutely!”
We were both martial artists who had trained solely with our fists, and that meant we had our own biases towards such styles.
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“Oh, so they came after us, after all,” I muttered, coming to a stop.
Gandolph did the same. “What’s wrong?” he asked.
“We have some admirers from the Umbral Arena.” I had directly interfered in an unfinished match. Not for a second had I thought I would be allowed to get away with that. Image was everything down in the underworld, after all. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d think they wanted to scout me.”
I could sense the presence of multiple men making their approach. From their speed, they were a pretty competent group. Given how they would periodically pause in their pursuit, they must not have known our exact location yet.
Еn̆ ůḿ а .ì d
“Gandolph, go back to the bar without me.”
“What? But what about yourself, Master?”
“I’ll go back after I deal with these guys. If we drag them back with us, we’ll only cause Anzel more trouble.”
“Then allow me to—”
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“I entrust Lynokis to your care. Please.”
Gandolph could stand his ground fine under ordinary circumstances, but with Lynokis unconscious, she would be at risk. Our pursuers could very easily decide to take her as a hostage. If that happened, I would have no choice but to show a little more force than usual. Dealing with those from the underworld without having a proper plan would bite you in the butt later. If you were going to attack them, you had to be prepared to take them down as thoroughly as possible.
Е nu ḿä. і d
That wasn’t what I wanted to have to do, though. Despite everything that had happened, I had greatly enjoyed myself tonight. I was in an especially good mood. I had been the one to act with an extreme lack of tact and interfered with a fight to the death. That was rude even for me. It was right in the middle of betting too. The last thing I wanted to do was ruin the arena’s reputation even more.
But most importantly, Lynokis’s safety came first.
“I... I understand. I am perfectly aware that if I remain here, I will only get in your way,” Gandolph conceded, a look of reluctance clear on his face as he ran off with Lynokis.
Not long afterwards, a group of men dressed in black suits surrounded me in the alley. And not just in the obvious spaces—there were some inside the buildings, hiding in the shadows, even on the roofs above. There were about ten of them, and they all looked like they specialized in this kind of dirty work.
But what did that matter? I could take them all down easier than crushing an apple with one hand.
“Sorry ’bout that. Did we keep you waiting long?” one of them asked.
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Two of them stepped in front of me. One of them looked like an average middle-aged man, nothing distinctive about him at all. You could tell from how he held himself that he wasn’t a fighter. Given his attire, though, he was definitely tied to the arena at least.
The other black-haired man with him looked to be in his midthirties and, in contrast to the first guy, was definitely a martial artist. Was he the leader of the black suits?
“No worries, I haven’t been here for long.” They knew exactly why I was standing waiting here. “So? What do you want?”
“Nothin’ much. Just want you to pay the price is all.”
“The price?”
“Quite the sizable sum of money was bet by our patrons on that Sword Demon, Asuma Hinoki. You messed that match up, so you should be the one to pay the losses.”
Е_n̈uḿ а̊ . іd
Well, that was easy to understand, at least.
“And are you the negotiator?” I asked.
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“Yes, indeedy. I’m not a big fan of violence, so I’d be real grateful if you’d give us no fuss. How’s that sound?”
“Not great, if I’m honest. Don’t get me wrong, what you’re saying makes sense. After all, I did selfishly barge into that fight and put a stop to it. I’ll admit that. I really am sorry.”
“C’mon now, little miss, you don’t honestly think that’ll cut it, do you? In the world of grown-ups, a simple ‘sorry’ isn’t enough.”
“But can’t you see I’m still a child? I won’t lie; I was the one who asked to be brought to the arena on a little field trip, but I didn’t intend to involve myself any further.”
Е̇n̄ ū ḿ a . îd
“You think that’ll cut it either?”
“Then allow me to ask my own question: is there a reason that it shouldn’t?” I picked up a stone by my feet. “There’s people in this world that you shouldn’t get involved with, right? I view myself as one of those people. Unless...” I took the stone I was toying with and crushed it with my fingers. “You want to get involved with me? Really? You won’t regret it?”
I could see the hesitation flash across the negotiator’s face.
Seeing his partner at a loss for words, the martial artist took over. “If you’re able to twist that kind of logic out of this, then you should know that we’ve gotta settle the score, right? In our world, you gotta answer for the things you do. You said sorry, right? And that means you acknowledge you made a mistake. Now own up to it.”
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Naturally, I understood that. “Perhaps this is a little crazy coming from me, but I really do think you’re justified in this case. I made you lose face. If you don’t make a good enough show, trust in you will be lost,” I said.
“Not gonna lie, havin’ a kid understand how our side of society works is just creepy,” the martial artist grumbled.
W̌ e bnо ṽ е ľ Ĕ n̂ û m̌ a
Now don’t be like that. I may have looked like a child, but I was literally an old soul.
“Hmm, I’m in a good mood, but I won’t lie that I do still have a bit of pent-up energy. I don’t mind playing around with you a little.”
“The hell are you on about?”
“You can come at me however you like. If you manage to defeat me... No, if you manage to get even one blow in, I’ll do as you wish. Would that be enough to be considered settling the score for you?”
“What utter bullshit are you spouting?”
Come on, now, aren’t you being a bit slow for someone so experienced with this side of society?
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“I’m saying that I’ll give you one chance, so come at me already. If you don’t want to, I’ll beat you all up and then leave. You have to make sure you settle your score, right? Then you can use this opportunity to do that.” When they didn’t respond, I added, “Shall I dumb it down for you? I’m challenging you to a fight.”
I could feel the hostility starting to emanate from the men surrounding me; it appeared they had finally caught on. That was more like it. They may have been weak, but at least they had guts.
“Don’t blame me if you die, kid.”
Those words were the signal. Their hostility swelled up, and then the whole crew launched their attacks at me like an explosion. I dodged a knife that thrust in from the side, and brushed off the men coming down at me from above with a feint. I directly parried the daggers that came at me in scattered intervals, and deflected a whip that came for my feet with the heel of my shoe.
Their coordinated attack was clean and controlled, clearly well practiced. If a group wasn’t used to fighting together, they would end up getting in the way of each other, and their movements would be shaky; those were times that fighting in a group would make someone who was ordinarily strong much weaker. But this group’s movements were very good. The ability to make your move without interfering with anyone else in such large numbers wasn’t something developed in a day. The strength of each individual supported the other and made them only stronger—by about twenty percent if I had to give a rough number.
Superb.
Ёn ũm а̀ .í ḋ
Individually, they were easier to take down then picking fluff off of a sweater, but as a group, they were a very different story. They were significantly stronger. It made them as troublesome as learning correct table manners. If I’d been allowed to retaliate, I would have been fine, but continuing to evade them like this would be difficult. They impressed me, honestly. I was having more fun than I’d thought I would.
“Oh my.”
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Their leader had decided to take the stage now. A suntetsu, hm? In his fist he held a spike that was attached to a ring. What an old-fashioned little gizmo.
Laughter bubbled up inside me at the unending assault. I was having fun. I had no expectations for this group, and yet I was having way more fun than I’d ever imagined!
“Heh heh... Ha ha ha!”
Their attacks never ceased, even though the longer the fight continued, the more their impatience and confusion could be felt from every attack. I couldn’t help but find it endearing how determined they were to keep it up, even though they were definitely strong enough to feel our difference in strength.
Ẇ e b̌ n̊о̊ v̆е̃ l Ên̄ um̂ ȧ
Now then. It was time for me to give them a way out.
At least, that was what I intended to do, but right at that moment...
“Whoa there.” I moved when I suddenly felt a different murderous intent that was almost alien in its intensity. I ran up to the negotiator, who was still helplessly standing there, grabbed him by his lapels, and threw him behind me.
“Whoa?! Wh-What’s the big id—?!” The man immediately went to shout at me after he finished rolling along the ground, but then he stopped—he’d realized what would’ve happened if he’d still been standing there.
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Yes, if he had remained where he stood, he would’ve been dead.
“I see, you had a whole separate blade on you,” I said to the new assailant. “Now this is absolutely a demon blade.”
W_е̌b̃n̊ оv́ е̃ l E̊n̆_um а̌
Asuma Hinoki now stood where the negotiator had just been. In his right hand, he held a tachi. In his left, he held a kodachi. There was an unnatural aura to his presence, and his eyes were empty, not a single shred of sanity left. And on top of that, there was the quiet killing intent. It held a tranquility different to the black suits, different even to his demeanor in the Umbral Arena.
I had seen the tachi at the arena, but the problem child was clearly that kodachi. That was truly a demon blade, the kind that took over the mind of its wielder—the type of demon blade I hated most. It wasn’t inherently bad, but I wouldn’t say it was good either.
“Are you conscious? You aren’t, are you? This is why I hate demon blades.”
A dual-wielding style of both tachi and kodachi—was it in line with the style that the Sword Demon had been training in, or was it a unique form woven from the skills he had acquired over the years?
Even though he had lost his mind, the Sword Demon clearly still remembered who it was he had to cut; he turned towards me, readied his stance, and then immediately jumped at me.
The intent to kill, the step forward, the speed—I had no complaints about any of it. His strikes cascaded down upon me like a torrential downpour, and yet it was quiet, elegant, almost as if his raging killing intent was all a lie.
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I see now.
“You’re a bit lacking.”
One hundred strikes.
I avoided the flash of one hundred strikes. Never mind being cut, I wasn’t even scraped.
Naturally. He was a youngster still within the bounds of common sense, however advanced he may have been—why would I not be able to evade his attacks? If I was honest, I found the black suits a much more engaging opponent. My interest had completely dissipated.
“GROOOOOOOOOAH!”
We̊b̂n о̆ vеl Е_n̂u m а̊
The Sword Demon howled. He was no doubt beginning to get angry that he’d slashed so many times and still his opponent had not died. Whether this was the mind of the demon blade or the mind of the Sword Demon, however...
“Are you done? I’ve had enough of martial artists who are so weak they’re used by their weapons.”
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He launched his next move. I dodged the slash from his tachi and took the attack from his kodachi with my right hand. There was a light crack. It was the sound of the blade breaking.
“Hmph. I see your blade wasn’t very durable either.”
What a cowardly demon blade. All I had to do was stop it with my palm and it broke. I intended to crush it to a pulp too. And with that, the Sword Demon collapsed. The will of the demon blade had left his mind. Just what exactly had he wanted to do that he’d given his consciousness over to a third-rate weapon?
With that out of the way, on to the next step.
Ё ǹu mа̀
“Shall we continue?”
The Sword Demon had so rudely interrupted, but it was important to not forget that before that, I had been in the middle of settling the score with the black suits. And yet...
“We’ve... We’ve seen enough,” the leader of the black suits choked out, while his men stood there in a daze. “We’ve seen enough. Consider our score settled. We’ll no longer get involved with you. So you better stay out of our business too. We’ll forget about tonight, and we won’t search for you or tell a soul about you either.”
Hm, it appeared the Sword Demon had in fact turned into the thing that gave them a way out. It had been a disappointment for me though.
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“But Dao!” the negotiator protested.
“Stop!” the man yelled back. “Are you blind?! This kid was letting us get away with what we were doing! If we fight any more, then every last one of us here is going to die!”
Еnů m а
Exactly. With the effort they’d just been shown, even an amateur could see the difference in strength. That shut the negotiator right up.
“Do you mind if I go now?”
The man silently shook his head. I turned on my heel.
“Oh right. Could you pass on a message to the Sword Demon for me? If he becomes strong enough that I can no longer ignore him, I will visit him myself. Until then, he needs to keep training as much as he physically can.”
The leader nodded. “Understood.”
With that, I left the alley.
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No one followed.
“Mngh...” Lynokis let out a small groan. I turned to look at her just as her eyes fluttered open.
“Are you awake?”
She looked over in my direction. “Young...Mistress.”
“How do you feel? Any dizziness?”
I may have swiftly stopped the bleeding, but that didn’t change the fact that she had lost quite a lot of blood; it wouldn’t be strange if she was suffering from the consequences of that. Her condition wasn’t as bad as mine had been when I was ill, but if she was weak enough that her body rejected food, then it would take a while before she was fully recovered.
Е nu m̂ а̇
Lynokis’s eyes suddenly widened as the initial drowsy fog must have cleared from her mind. She sat up with a sharp inhale, immediately bringing her hand to touch her right arm.
“It’s...still there.” Lynokis rubbed at the limb. Her face showed her disbelief—most likely at the fact that her arm was still attached. “Was I...dreaming?”
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“No,” I told her. “You most certainly fought with the Sword Demon at the Umbral Arena, and your arm was in fact cut off. We simply reattached it.”
Lynokis’s present condition didn’t match up with her memories, and it left her thinking our whole night out had been a dream, but that wasn’t the case. However, for a number of reasons, she may have wished more than anything that it had all been a dream. If it had all been a dream, then it meant I hadn’t sneaked out to go to an underground arena, she had never entered as a competitor, and therefore, her arm had never been cut off.
If only that was all a dream. That may have been the thought running through her mind.
“Lynokis.” I called for her attention, as she was testing the movement of the limb that, in her mind, shouldn’t have been there. I had to make sure I said this to her: “I’m sorry.”
Ŵ еḃn оv̇e l̊ Ӗ ṅū m а
Those simple words had her turning to look at me.
“I didn’t think you would go so far in order to stop or protect me. I should’ve sat down and had a proper conversation with you and come to a conclusion that we were both content with. I feel a lot of regret for what I’ve done.”
Her fight with the Sword Demon was a nonissue—I had nothing to criticize about that. I wanted to praise her efforts to the high heavens for putting on such a brilliant display, a show befitting of my student. There, I saw nothing for her to be embarrassed about. But if the reason that she had taken on that match was entirely because of me, that changed everything.
Had it been a match that Lynokis herself desired, then fine. Even if it were to end in death, to die in a battle you yourself wanted would be a martial artist’s true desire, at least in my opinion. But I was the root cause of that match. Since she couldn’t find a way to remain by my side in the usual way—but still wanted to carry out her duties as my bodyguard—she’d done what she could to be scouted for the tournament in order to get access to the arena. Her fight with the Sword Demon was a result of that necessity.
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If Lynokis had been an established martial artist, I would tell her to accept any challenge from any martial artist anywhere. You can lose, but don’t die. If you’re about to be killed, then you should kill first. But she was my trainee. I didn’t desire such an extreme mindset from her. In fact, it would be cruel to press that upon her.
“But...I’m the one who ended up causing you trouble instead,” Lynokis said dejectedly.
Ẁе.b̂ n̈ oṽ ӗ l̆ È nů m̌ а̌
“Well, you aren’t wrong.”
“Wha—?”
“You’re my student. I would’ve preferred you to win against someone of that level.”
Lynokis only looked at me, stunned.
“I took him down after you were defeated. With a wine bottle. In one shot.”
“Young Mistress, I believe it would only be appropriate for you to be a bit more apologetic.”
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Hm? Whatever for?
“You believe you are at fault, yes?” Lynokis continued.
“Yes.”
“I still haven’t accepted your apology yet, you know?”
“What? Really?”
“Do you not think you should apologize until I do? There are times where the other person is just trying to be humble.”
W еb̆ n̊ ó v̊е l Еnu mа_
“You were trying to be humble?”
“Yes! Of course I was! What choice do I have?!”
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What did she mean by that? Why was she suddenly so worked up?
“It would feel wrong to suddenly accept your apology right away! As your personal attendant, it is far more beautiful for me to demur two or three times, and then after you strongly insist that you were in the wrong, I would finally reluctantly concede that perhaps you had fault in the matter! That is what a servant is! It is not an occupation in which I can openly show disagreement in such a way! Think about the other person’s position! Be considerate!”
I didn’t quite understand what she meant. Why not just make your point as directly as she was doing right now? What was wrong with that?
“Going up against someone wielding a sword while unarmed is frightening! And yet I did that! I did that for you! I even had my arm cut off! You’re supposed to apologize over and over and I’m supposed to be humble about it, and then you’re supposed to praise me!”
Е ṅ u.m ā
I had absolutely no idea what she was going on about. Was she delirious? Maybe all the blood loss was getting to her.
“Come here! Now!”
What?
“You should come and sleep beside me! After everything that happened, you should be okay with that! I tried so hard that you should be okay with that! Sleep beside me! Co-sleep with me!”
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“You know...if you’re this worked up, maybe you’re already feeling better.”
“I’m not better! Absolutely not! Now get up here!”
Ѐn u m̃ а̂.ĩ d̀
Yeah, she was definitely fine. She was back to her usual suspicious antics—she was more than fine.
I’m relieved.
Lynokis making me feel a bit of anxiety or disbelief was business as usual. Being relieved that I felt disbelief towards my own servant did feel a little strange though.
“Can you stand? You can sulk all you want later.”
“I’m not sulking!”
No, she was absolutely sulking like a little child.
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“I was hoping you would realize by now, but since you clearly haven’t, this isn’t the dorms.”
“It is the dor— Wait, what?”
It is in fact not the dorms. Take a look around.
We couldn’t remain at the Umbral Arena forever, and it wasn’t somewhere I wanted to linger anyway. I’d ended up standing out because of the incident with the Sword Demon, so we left the second we’d settled the medical fees with the doctor.
After Lynokis’s treatment, I’d asked Gandolph to carry her back to the Shifty Shadow Rat for me. We’d been followed from the arena, as I had expected. They’d seemed satisfied after I’d played around with them a little, so it was unlikely to cause us issues later. After that, I’d made my way back to the bar. Lynokis was currently sulking in Anzel’s bed.
“Just so you’re aware, it’s already dawn. We need to get back to the academy,” I said. The sun would be rising soon.
Ė num а .íd̆
After we’d returned my hair color back to normal, I had sat beside Lynokis, waiting for her to awaken, all while trying my best not to give in to the sleep that my six-year-old body desired.
A child would grow as they slept; their need for sleep was tremendous. If any other kid had been in my place, they’d have fallen fast asleep ages ago. I had been very close to leaving if Lynokis showed no signs of waking up soon. There was always at least Anzel or Fressa at the bar, so I would’ve felt safe leaving her in their care.
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“I understand. We’ll continue this after we return home then,” Lynokis conceded.
She still intends to drag this out? I didn’t want to see my own personal attendant—who was older than me—sulking and throwing a selfish tantrum in bed. It’s fine. Well, it’s not, but it’s not worth fretting over for now. We really did need to start making our way back. The lighter it was outside, the more likely we were to get caught sneaking in.
“If you can stand, let’s go home together. If not, I’ll go home ahead of you and you can rest here.”
“I can manage,” she insisted. Though a bit shaky on her feet, Lynokis managed to stand herself up. She needed rest, but she would no doubt feel much more comfortable in her own bed. If she seemed like she would struggle to make it all the way back, I could have Gandolph carry her again.
Е nu m̃ а
I left the room with Lynokis and headed for the bar.
“All good now?”
The bar had already long since closed, and Anzel, Fressa, and Gandolph were sitting around a table having a drink together. It exuded the atmosphere of an adult gathering.
“Sorry, Anzel. We intruded for much longer than I intended,” I said.
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“You sure did. Ended up settling with a sharper nightcap than usual ’cause of you.”
You’re just making me jealous. I want a drink before bed as well. Though this body can sleep without one.
Е̂ n um̈а́
“Let me introduce you all while we’re here. This is my personal attendant. I’d prefer to keep her name private, same as my own, but if anything comes up, I will likely end up asking her to pass on messages for me. Do remember her.”
“It’s nice to meet you, everyone. I am the young mistress’s personal attendant. It is an absolute pleasure to make your acquaintance.”
“Yeah... A pleasure.” For some reason, Anzel’s response was slightly stilted, and he looked as if he wanted to say something more. The tone of Lynokis’s voice as she introduced herself was strange, but their exchange ended there.
“Let’s go then.” We had no further business there, given my hair was already turned back. Gandolph had changed out of his tight-fitting suit into his regular clothes, so he nodded, downed the rest of the amber liquid swirling in his glass, and stood up, still steady on his feet. He hadn’t partaken in any of the wine he’d been served at the Umbral Arena, but it seemed like that wasn’t because he couldn’t hold his drink.
“Thanks for the drink, Anzel. Night, Fressa,” Gandolph said.
“Any time.”
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“See you later!”
I still wanted to discuss what we had seen at the arena with Anzel, but time was of the essence. After giving my own brief thanks to the pair, we took off running back to the school.
Reliared was exasperated at me yawning away at the desk beside her.
“You seem tired.”
The day after that thrilling night at the Umbral Arena, I attended school as if all was normal. We had returned just in the nick of time, so I had no choice but to greet the new day with barely any sleep.
“I don’t just seem tired, I am tired.”
Ёn̊ù m̊ а . і̀ d
The lethargy was only made worse by being in a child’s body. I was so tired that if it had been anyone else, they would’ve collapsed on the spot.
“Were you so worked up after the tournament yesterday you couldn’t sleep?”
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Wait, what?! Oh... Yeah.
“I suppose so.”
Reliared appeared to have misunderstood and assumed that I was still worked up from the school’s martial arts tournament like everyone else. My field trip to the Umbral Arena had been on the night of the martial arts tournament that all the students were still so excited about. Only a day had passed, so naturally, everyone was still talking about it. Reliared, unaware of the true reason for my tiredness, understandably thought I was the same.
Honestly, the Umbral Arena hadn’t been that exciting either, but... Well, I wouldn’t deny I at least got some fun out of it.
Ӗ n̂u ḿа̂. і̇ d̈_
For the first time in a while...or well, since my past life, I’d gotten the chance to see a demon blade, fill my chest with the overwhelming scent of fresh blood, and get another little taste of that feeling of my instincts and flesh buzzing. The attack from the assassins wasn’t bad either—it had given me a little excitement. I did have my complaints, but it wasn’t a bad night.
“Why not take a nap once we get back?” Reliared suggested.
“Perhaps I’ll do just that.”
We had arranged a half day with the school, so there were only morning classes today. The recording of the martial arts tournament would be broadcast in the afternoon. The reason the children were still so excited had to be because they were looking forward to seeing the tournament again through magivision. Plus, even though a lot of them had come to see the tournament directly, many wouldn’t have been able to watch all of the matches. Inevitably, some of the competitors would be in the same boat.
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“We should buy some snacks.”
“Let’s make sure we go for a bathroom break before it starts.”
Е̂ n̄_ũ må. ї d
“Get ready to watch how cool I am!”
Such chatter filled the air, all of the students aware that once they started watching, they wouldn’t be able to look away. How excited they were depended on the person, but all attention was on the topic. Good. If this was the reaction the event elicited, we’d probably get an increase in MagiPad sales in the near future.
It must have been tough for the staff at the broadcasting station to edit the footage this quickly. No doubt they’d had to pull an all-nighter as well.
After our lessons filled with restless students ended, I returned to the dorms with Reliared. It was a rare sight to see the girl aristocrats’ dorm so frantic. It seemed everyone was quickly preparing tea and snacks and finishing any odd jobs they had left to do before it was time to settle down in front of the MagiPad in the lobby area—they were all making sure they wouldn’t have to move once the broadcast started.
“Who wants pancakes?” Carme called. She seemed just as busy as the kids were.
“Meeeeee!” a number of the girls responded.
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Pancakes, hm? I’d like some myself, honestly.
Thanks to my and Reliared’s connections, we had our own MagiPads, as did a number of the other children from families of a higher class, so we could watch the broadcast in our rooms if we wished. But I didn’t think the atmosphere would be quite the same watching it privately.
“Want to watch with them?” Reliared asked. She was more attuned to this kind of thing than anyone, so she was completely on board with the idea. She probably wanted to enjoy the highs and lows of the matches along with everyone.
“Sorry, but I can’t. I’ll fall asleep in the middle.” Hildetaura had gone around interviewing spectators and introducing the matches during the tournament, so I was interested to see how she did, but right now, I was so sleepy—horrifically sleepy. I’d probably fall asleep in three seconds if I dared sit down. Hell, I’d probably fall asleep standing up if I wasn’t careful.
“Are you that tired?”
Yes.
Ѐ n̂ ū mа
This child’s body was begging for sleep. I naturally wanted to watch; the editors would’ve worked to a really tight schedule, staying up overnight to put together the tournament footage. Of course I’d want to watch the product of their hard work. But my drowsiness was overpowering even that desire right now, so I chose sleep without hesitation. They’d no doubt rerun it again later, so I could afford to miss it for now.
When I returned to my room, Lynokis was asleep...
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...in my bed.
“I mean, I did say to rest, but...”
You’ve lost a lot of blood, so get plenty to eat and then rest. That was what I had told her this morning before I left. But I’d said nothing about sleeping in my bed. Not a single word.
I’m not entirely sure what she’s planning here... I didn’t particularly want to ask either, but seeing how pale she looked even though she was sleeping peacefully, I’d feel terrible forcing her awake or rolling her off my bed.
Ѐ n̈umа
“Guess we’ll need to sleep together...”
I couldn’t help but call to mind Lynokis begging to sleep in the same bed last night. Or I supposed it was this morning. That must have been what she was silently telling me to do now. What a troublesome little student.
“Hup.”
“Gwuh?!”
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I made sure to give her a little punch in the gut so she wouldn’t wake up while I was sleeping.
Oh, the whites of her eyes were showing now. How peaceful. At least she wouldn’t wake up for a while now. I had no idea why she was so obsessed with me, but I granted her wish and slept in the same bed for the night.
Ĕ n̄ü m̂а̄ .і̆ d
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