Chapter 77
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 77
Chapter Title: Festival - 6
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From the moment the two selected their protectees, things deviated wildly from expectations.
I had no idea who they would place behind them until I saw it with my own eyes.
Delion's person to protect was Deina.
While the spar with Tiana was ongoing, they must have coordinated in advance upon seeing the sudden rule change.
"You're not telling me to run too, are you?"
"......Just fill the spot."
"Good thing. I couldn't move fast in this outfit anyway—it'd just get in the way."
The two carried on their calm conversation.
Deina's dress was so long and ornate that it dragged on the floor if she bent her knees, and even as she entered the match area, she held the hem carefully with both hands.
Her claim that everyone at the festival would fuss over their outfits didn't feel off-base; she clearly put the most effort into selecting hers.
It didn't feel like she'd just picked anyone, the way Bell had volunteered when Tiana had no one specific in mind.
As a guard on late shifts, it was rare to see Delion mingling with other residents.
Even now that I'd grasped most of the relationships among the townsfolk, I hadn't known he and Deina were on such friendly terms.
"People who've grown up together in the village since childhood would naturally feel closer."
"Koon and Delion have been friends since they were kids, right? Was Deina born and raised here too?"
"Probably."
According to Ellie, everyone around her age who'd been in the village before her was born in Luden.
That implied Ellie herself wasn't from here.
Had she moved here at a very young age?
I didn't have time to ask.
Koon had already picked his protectee right away.
His choice felt so nonchalant, yet it was completely unexpected.
"Sua, you're participating as Koon's protectee?"
"I asked him myself."
Sua flashed a meaningful smile, like someone who'd hatched an amusing scheme.
"For starters, I'm in a pretty hated position these days."
"Hated? You? By who?"
"I can kinda guess why, but I'm not the type to tiptoe around considering every little thing."
With that, still spouting cryptic words, Sua headed behind Koon.
It had been a fair bit of time since Sua stepped down as guild master and stayed on the first floor, so I'd assumed she'd settled in without issue.
"It's really fine. I can ask someone else—"
"No, no. I'll do it. I said I'll do it, okay?"
"Ah...... Got it."
It didn't seem like Koon had specifically wanted Sua.
She'd bulldozed her way in on her own insistence.
Back when she'd arbitrarily sprung Priya—who'd been arrested for causing a scene—I'd figured there might be friction with the guards.
But seeing her chat casually with Koon now, it didn't seem to be them she was at odds with.
Koon was the one who'd instantly recognized her as Amelia despite her newbie gear, after all.
He'd often gone slime hunting with her while guarding the forest entrance, so if there were hard feelings, I'd have noticed by now.
"......"
Then it's gotta be the other side.
Delion.
It was oddly oblivious of me not to have caught on until now.
Delion's expression darkened as he looked at Sua.
"She's really going all the way now. Of all things, picking that person......"
He muttered his discontent under his breath.
Unaware of it, Raymond cheerfully announced the start of the match.
"Alright! Both challengers, greetings to each other!"
"......"
"......"
"Um, hello? Greetings......?"
Delion's state went beyond just stewing inwardly over Sua.
Whatever had passed between them before, their awkwardness was visible even from the stands.
They both ignored even the pre-match courtesy bow.
"Ahem. Let's begin."
Raymond's voice lacked energy as he somehow started the match.
Deina stiffly scanned her surroundings in tension, while Sua leisurely crossed her arms and eyed her opponent.
Koon and Delion, gripping wooden swords, took their stances.
- Thud!
Delion charged first.
Intending the same strategy as with Tiana, perhaps—leaving Deina exposed.
But Delion wasn't as fast as Tiana.
He gave his opponent plenty of time to react.
Koon chose to charge forward as well.
- Clang!
The wooden swords clashed with a sharp crack.
Delion swiftly followed with another attack; Koon twisted his shoulder to evade.
Overcommitting to rapid strikes threw off his posture.
Koon swept his sword upward from below.
"Who do you think will win?"
"Delion's gotta take it, right? Look at those arms—even one hit at that speed would knock you out cold."
"This is more about stamina than power. Koon's movements are clean, no wasted motion."
The crowd buzzed with predictions among the residents.
Some argued Delion's superior strength; others claimed Koon's technical edge.
Of course, plenty flipped sides with every exchange.
"What do you think, Earthbound Spirit?"
"Who'll win?"
"I think Koon will, but they say seeing more means knowing more—what's your take?"
"Neither looks like they want to win."
"Huh?"
Ellie tilted her head.
To someone unfamiliar with swords, it might just look like flashy attacks colliding.
Both Koon and Delion had multiple openings to go for the win.
Like with Tiana, this wasn't a match to fell the opponent with swordplay.
The swords only maintained deadlock; at an opening, you had to dash for the opponent's protectee.
No matter that their skills lagged behind ours, as swordsmen themselves, they couldn't miss those chances—and yet they let them slip by meaningless.
No intent to disrupt and slip past; they just hammered away with their blades.
As if they'd forgotten this was a protector duel with special rules.
"Uh...... Isn't that a bit much?"
The crowd was starting to sense the odd vibe.
Their strikes were veering outside match bounds.
"Haaah!"
- Boom!
Delion's wooden sword slammed into the ground.
How hard did he swing for that sound from wood?
But Tiana couldn't mimic that weight, opting for lighter strikes.
Focusing solely on power left the swordsman paying the price for misses.
"Too much force in his arms."
"Yeah. Veins popping on his wrist."
"Showing such lack of focus—disappointing."
Tiana, who'd approached, chimed in.
Even to her, the negative emotions bled through their swordwork.
"They seem seriously pissed at each other. Wonder what set those two off."
They even aimed for faces, necks, or sword hands.
Koon's blade grew ever more precarious.
He stopped holding back his strength.
Each clash boomed, whether ground, Koon's sword, or—god forbid—a body part.
"Let's see how long they keep this up."
"Shouldn't...... we stop them?"
"Sometimes, letting them vent their grievances fully is the way."
Sua and Deina—who'd stood frozen in place for minutes—seemed just as baffled.
They might tense if charged directly, but with the swordsmen brawling alone, it could even feel boring.
"Did he just pommel-strike?"
"Kicking right after without mercy."
Good thing they were wooden—no slashes or stabs—so they could vent endlessly with bludgeoning.
Their frenzy halted by the wooden swords' poor durability.
- Crack!
Delion's sword shattered under his aggressive swings.
"Break for a bit! Swords are busted—grab new ones!"
Sensing the chaos, Raymond urgently halted the match.
Relief palpable at the timely pause.
"One more time: attack the opponent's protectee to win. Hitting protectors doesn't count, no matter how many times. Got it?"
"......"
"......"
"Ugh, whatever. Now."
Koon stepped out of the match area.
Rest time until Delion got a new wooden sword.
I seized the chance for a word with Koon.
"What happened? Argue before the festival?"
"Yes...... A bit of an issue."
Calm now, he realized his mistake, avoiding eye contact.
"It wasn't worth getting physical over, but with Amelia volunteering as protectee...... I just stoked Delion's anger needlessly."
"Should've just let you two fight alone if I'd known."
"No. I'll pull myself together and do it right."
I wanted to hear the beef's details, but Delion received his new sword.
Dragging this out would sour reactions further—we needed to wrap the match.