A Date Full of Ups and Downs (4)
Faye and Theo's date went off without a hitch. They enjoyed a meal at an atmospheric restaurant and took a pleasant stroll together afterward. Truth be told, Faye would have been happy no matter where Theo suggested they go. On top of that, he'd done his homework on her preferences, so barring any major interruptions, the day should have coasted smoothly all the way to the end. The only odd part was that Faye's tastes differed a bit from those of your typical noble young lady, which made their date itinerary slightly unconventional. And right now, the place the two of them stood was the absolute peak of that unconventionality.
- Go!! Kill him!!
- What are you flinching for?! Attack!!
- Split him in two!!
It was an arena. The crash of metal, the spray of blood in a brutal brawl. The thrill of watching lives flicker out in real time from the safety of the stands… none of that existed here. This was an entertainment venue that men, women, young, and old could all enjoy together. Sure, the two men on the arena floor were glaring at each other like they wanted to murder one another and swinging their weapons with lethal intent, but nobody actually died. Both of their weapons were replicas, after all. The spectators' crude shouts were just them getting swept up in the atmosphere; no one was really getting killed.
Of course, it wasn't completely safe. Even if they were using fists instead of fake weapons, a solid hit in the wrong spot could still kill a person. But in this medieval fantasy world, that kind of thing could be brushed off as a minor mishap.
"Counter it!! No, you should've dodged there—why the hell are you charging in?!"
Faye gripped the railing of the spectator seats, leaning so far forward she was practically hanging over it as she shouted. It was a relief to see her having such a good time. All the money spent securing front-row seats had been worth it.
"Theo, Theo! Who do you think's gonna win?"
Faye grabbed his arm and shook it excitedly.
"Hmm… I'd say the red one."
Theo glanced at the man wearing the red armband. It was a simple visual aid for spectators unfamiliar with the arena. From what he could tell, the two fighters were evenly matched in skill. But the red fighter was swinging his weapon with far more savage intensity.
"Why are they going at it so fiercely?"
"Because they want to win, obviously! Who the hell fights because they want to lose?"
Faye answered Theo's quiet mutter with breezy certainty. It made sense coming from a battle maniac like her… but he suspected there was more to it than that.
"Maybe. Could be they desperately need the prize money if they win."
Everyone had their own circumstances. Theo let the thought slide.
The match ended in Red's victory, just as he'd predicted.
"Ah~ So close! If he'd charged in willing to sacrifice an arm instead of dodging, Blue could've taken it!"
"Wouldn't Red have blocked anyway? He still had his left hand."
"One left hand wouldn't have been enough to stop that. If Blue had even a little stamina left—"
Faye mimed swinging a sword with her bare hands, fingers twitching like she was itching to jump in herself.
"Just like I said, watching arena fights gets your blood pumping! It's fun to watch, but damn, it makes me want to fight too!"
"Want to spar on the way back?"
"For real?! Yes! I love it!"
Overjoyed, Faye threw her arms around Theo in a big hug. He felt the soft press of her chest against him. Small, but they're definitely there, he thought with a mental nod.
"So should we head straight there? Should we?"
"After sparring, we probably won't have time for anything else. Let's hit one more spot first. I heard the next course is faster if we take this route."
The pair left the arena still wrapped in a warm, cheerful mood.
The shortcut Theo had scouted ahead of time led through a rather secluded path—a quiet alley with hardly any foot traffic. They were halfway down it when strange voices reached their ears.
"Why? Why am I disqualified? I won! I won exactly like you said!"
"It wasn't enough. You needed to win more overwhelmingly. A victory at that level doesn't cut it."
"You never said that! You told me winning was all that mattered!"
"Hoo… How noisy. Drag him away."
"W-wait! Okay! I get it! I'll win overwhelmingly next time! Just give me one more chance! I don't want to die like—like this…!"
A few more grumbles followed, then everything fell silent.
Theo met Faye's eyes. It was obvious they'd stumbled into something troublesome without even needing to investigate. He could still pretend they hadn't heard and turn back now. He didn't want to ignore it, but since this was a date, he should consider Faye's feelings…
But Theo's worries turned out to be pointless.
"Theo, Theo!"
Faye's eyes sparkled as she urged him forward instead. Somehow she'd already drawn her sword and now held it ready in her grip.
Well, of course Faye wouldn't back down from a fight like this.
Theo let out a small chuckle and pulled out the staff he'd brought along.
"From the sound of it, there are at least three enemies. One of them seems to be a captive, so I'll handle that side."
"Got it!"
They didn't need a detailed plan. They knew each other's abilities better than anyone, and they'd practiced their coordination plenty of times.
Without hesitation, the two moved toward the source of the noise.
After rounding the corner, they spotted a group of men a short distance away. Between them lay a single unconscious man bound with ropes.
"Tsk. Witnesses. Deal with them."
The man who spotted the running Faye barked the order. His tone was flat and irritated, like he'd done this sort of thing more than a few times.
At his command, the others drew daggers and charged.
Theo hurled the pebbles he'd picked up along the way and shouted.
"Stone Cannon!"
No mana moved. No magic activated. Of course it didn't—he hadn't cast anything. He'd simply thrown the stones while calling out the spell name.
But when hypnosis was layered on top of it…
"Uwaah!"
"Dodge!"
The men at the front panicked and threw themselves sideways. To their eyes, those tiny pebbles had probably looked like head-sized boulders hurtling toward them.
The situation itself—a man with a staff shouting a spell name and throwing stones—was enough to trigger the automatic assumption that he'd just used attack magic. No further explanation needed.
The pebbles clattered harmlessly to the ground a little farther on.
Faye dashed right after them.
Her eyes quickly scanned the daggers in the men's hands. These weren't props or threats—they were real, with edges sharp enough to gleam blue. She hadn't fully grasped the situation yet, so her plan had been to simply subdue them. But if they were coming at her with lethal intent, the story changed.
Fwoosh! Flames erupted along the blade she'd drawn. It was the effect of her newly purchased scabbard.
She delivered a wide slash to the man who'd leaped aside to avoid Theo's stones. Without sparing the screaming, falling man a glance, she swung at the next one.
Clang!
"Graaagh!!"
Her sword was blocked by the dagger, but the flames flickering around the blade followed the arc of her swing and engulfed him. The burst of fire poured straight onto the man's face. Actually, the strike had been calculated to make contact even if blocked.
In truth, the scabbard's enchantment didn't last long. It had been nearing its end after the first kill, and the flames that hit the second man were more flash than substance—the heat was nowhere near real fire.
But how many people could calmly calculate temperature when flames were rushing at their face? At least this man couldn't.
Faye didn't miss the instant he reflexively closed his eyes. She twisted her blade and slashed the hand gripping the dagger.
Clatter. The dropped dagger hit the ground as blood gushed from his wrist. It was a wound that would be fatal without immediate treatment.
"Kr, graaah!!"
Yet the man charged Faye anyway, ignoring the blood spraying like a fountain. It was an unexpected reaction, but without a weapon, it posed no real threat.
Faye cut him down lightly and turned to the next opponent.
While Faye fought with fierce intensity, Theo wasn't idle. He quickly chanted and raised a wall of stone.
"Stone Wall!"
Rumble!
Infused with mana, the incantation caused a rock wall to surge from the ground, shielding the captive man from the suspicious group. The magically summoned barrier would last about three minutes—more than enough time to finish off the remaining enemies.
"…Tsk. This has gone sideways."
The man who seemed to be the leader clicked his tongue, realizing Faye and Theo were far stronger than expected. He pulled out a grotesquely twisted wand and began chanting.
As the spell built, an ominous aura spread around him. It was the kind of creepy energy that made you want to run on pure instinct.
Theo knew it well. The aura of black magic—one that black mages frequently used when they needed to escape.
"He's running! We have to stop that!"
"On it!"
Even without details, it was obvious they couldn't let such sinister energy finish manifesting.
Faye tried to charge the chanting man immediately, but the others blocked her path.
"Ugh… Get out of the way!"
The remaining men attacked with even greater ferocity. It was downright eerie how they kept coming even after losing limbs or taking holes through their stomachs. Theo's offensive spells were also thwarted by men throwing their bodies in the way.
The black magic neared completion. Black mist rose from the ground and slowly wrapped around the black mage's body.
"I'll remember your faces. The price for interfering with our work will be paid in full… Argh!"
Thud!
But just before the spell could finish, a white figure dropped from above and landed squarely on the black mage's shoulder. Unable to bear the sudden weight of a full person, he slammed face-first into the ground. The black mist scattered weakly, and the magic fizzled out unfinished.
"Uh…"
Everyone froze at the sudden intrusion. Even the men who'd been clinging desperately to Faye's ankles turned to stare blankly.
The white figure casually stepped down from atop the black mage and planted her feet on solid ground. She wiped her forehead with one arm and laughed, refreshed.
"Whew. Nice! Event mid-boss cleared! Gotta take out the frustration generators early, right?"
She looked around, spouting words none of them could understand. Then her eyes met Theo's.
"Huh? Theo? Faye? What are you two doing here?"
"…That's what I'd like to know. Luna. Why are you popping out here?"
Luna had appeared.