Ranking Battle (4)
A thunderous voice boomed across the screen.
Friga, who had been about to land the finishing blow on Estel, froze mid-swing. Why stop a perfectly good match out of nowhere?
What the hell is going on?
I had been watching just fine—who the hell thought they could barge in? Annoyed, I spun the camera every which way, hunting for the idiot who had interrupted the fight.
Clip-clop. Clip-clop. Clip-clop.
The crisp ring of hooves filled the air, so clear and pure it sank straight into my ears. I turned the view toward the sound.
"…Unicorn?"
What are you doing here?
The fairy steed I had registered as the tenth-place prize—the Unicorn—was descending from the sky as if walking on air. Starlight dust streamed from its flowing mane while it strode with lofty dignity, head raised toward the heavens.
What in the world…
I had no idea why the Unicorn had suddenly appeared in the arena, but it might be some kind of random event, so I kept watching quietly.
The Unicorn delivered that outrageous line in a deep, resonant voice. My mind snapped wide awake. What did it just say?
"What?"
"Huh?"
The Unicorn spewed its deranged monologue without a single pause for breath, and my mind went blank. A dizzying fog settled over my head; I pressed a hand to my forehead.
I understood.
I finally understood.
What kind of monster did I just put up as a prize?
I had registered a raving virgin-obsessed Unicorn as a reward. Look at that horny beast spouting monologues. I had unleashed a monster. I bitterly regretted how casually I had listed the Unicorn as a prize.
Prrrrrhhh!
With a fierce snort the Unicorn strode toward Friga. The sight snapped me out of my daze. What the hell was that pervert about to do?!
"You crazy virgin-obsessed bastard!"
I frantically opened the skill window, found Lightning Strike, and dropped it right beside the Unicorn—aimed just close enough that the beast might not die from a direct hit.
CRAAAAACK-BOOOOM!!
The Unicorn actually claimed a lightning bolt could not stop it. Thankfully, though, it turned away from Friga.
"Wow… what the hell is this thing even doing?"
For a surprise event, it was… something else. Maybe an easter egg that triggers when you register a Unicorn as a prize? I never imagined the Unicorn would be this far gone as a virgin maniac.
The Unicorn buried its nose against the fallen Estel’s body and casually sniffed while analyzing her. Every single action was appalling.
Then it knelt before Estel and declared:
"What…?"
Estel was a female character? More importantly—if the prize Unicorn ran off, what would happen to the event I was hosting? It was going to kidnap a participating warrior and escape?
I stared blankly at the Unicorn’s declaration of desertion when—
Ding!
"Wh-what? What is that even saying?"
A message had appeared in the corner of the screen, but the letters were so thoroughly corrupted that not a single readable word remained.
Ding!
You must prevent the Unicorn’s departure!
"W-wait? Is it seriously trying to run away right now?"
On screen the Unicorn was already trying to hoist the unconscious Estel onto its back.
The crazy bastard was actually attempting to desert!
Panic seized me. A prize kidnapping an event participant and fleeing? What kind of insane scenario was this?!
I frantically spammed Lightning Strike. Whether the Unicorn lived or died no longer mattered—escape was not an option.
CRACK-BOOM!! KA-BOOM!! CRASH!!
Countless bolts hammered the Unicorn’s back. The damn thing was disgustingly durable; even after taking a solid number of direct hits it still looked fine.
At least the damage was registering—the Unicorn screamed. Yet even while screaming it shielded Estel with its own body so she would not be struck by lightning. That sealed it for me.
This bastard… is the real deal.
A genuine, eyes-rolled-back virgin maniac.
History teaches that mad beasts respond best to the rod. So this raving virgin-obsessed creature needed a proper lesson. With the heart of a strict trainer disciplining a bad dog, I rained lightning down upon the Unicorn.
CRACK-BOOM!! BOOM!! KA-BOOM!!!
Only after dozens of bolts did the Unicorn finally raise the white flag.
The Unicorn bowed toward the sky in apology.
If you were a prize you should have stayed put. How dare you try to abscond with a participant?
I almost dropped a few more bolts out of pure spite, then restrained myself.
Once the sudden event’s chaos settled and my head cleared, the Unicorn’s earlier words about Estel floated back to me.
It said Estel was a maiden of at least a century. Is that even possible?
A virgin of a hundred years or more could not be human—she had to be some other race.
Fantasy settings had a few famous long-lived races. Dragons, of course, and elves or nymphs—fairy folk who, depending on the lore, easily lived many times longer than humans.
After confirming the Unicorn had returned to its sacred flame, I turned the thought over carefully.
Her weapons were a composite bow and daggers, her movements light… is she really an elf?
She showed several popular elf traits, but it was still too early to be certain. She had not used the most famous elven weapon—the longbow—and I had never gotten a clear look at the decisive feature: her ears.
While I was at it I tried to get a look at Estel’s face and moved the camera.
"Huh? Where’d she go?"
In that short time someone had carried her off, or she had left the arena herself—Estel had vanished without a trace. I scoured every corner of the screen for a long while but never found her again.
While thoroughly scanning the spectator stands I did spot Emperor Caesar, so at least I got to add the emperor to my favorites. That was the only profit of the whole mess.
"No, uh, well, you see… what happened was…"
Surrounded by holy knights and priests, Friga was sweating bullets as she desperately spun a story.
"Sooo… I was about to kill Estel, right? My eyes had completely gone red and I almost finished her off for real, but then that fairy steed showed up and stopped me. Said unnecessary killing was forbidden in the sacred arena."
"Ohh…"
"Indeed, the fairy steed itself intervened to prevent needless slaughter…"
Friga mentally patted herself on the back. Even she had to admit it was a brilliant tale.
"Then why did the god punish the fairy steed with lightning?"
"Uh… uh? That was…"
"The fairy steed was sniffing the scent of Estel’s body. What was that about?"
"Huh?"
Questions sprouted like weeds among the priests and crashed over Friga.
She racked her brains until they ached, mixing lies with truth, but the moment she mentioned that the god had personally created the fairy steed, everything exploded.
The priests, holy knights, and high priests who had been listening intently all lit up with fervor and swarmed her at once.
"Its appearance!!! What did it look like!! Oh heavens, I was too far away to see properly!!"
"The conversation!! Tell us every word in greater detail!! This must be recorded!! My lady!!"
"A-aaargh!! I don’t know either, you lunatics!!"
Crash!
Friga smashed a window and fled the oncoming horde.
"My lady! My lady! Where are you!!"
"My lady!! So what exactly did you discuss with the fairy steed!!"
"We would very much like a more detailed description of the fairy steed’s form!!"
Holy knights, priests, even high priests joined the hunt, shouting Friga’s name through the streets.
As a result Friga was forced into an untimely period of homelessness, hiding until her next duel came around.
"Seriously… what kind of suffering is this?!"
Friga ground her teeth and swore that the next time she met the god she would definitely land one solid hit. She would absolutely hurl her axe straight into that face.
…Throwing an axe might be a bit much. A punch would do.
Time flowed on. Among the ninety-nine warriors, some tasted the sweetness of victory while others drank the bitter cup of defeat.
For the victors, radiant glory and even harsher duels awaited. The defeated offered proper respect to the winners, cradled their divine relics, and departed.
Excluding the ten great sacred flames, there were eighty-nine sacred flames in total.
The divine relics that emerged from those countless flames came in every shape imaginable.
Some received exquisite paintings; others received sturdy, finely crafted bracers.
At a glance they shared no common form, yet one clear trait united them all.
Each bore a soft inner radiance and carried itself with noble grace.
Thus, on the streets of the Holy City one could often spot people wearing faintly glowing bracers, necklaces, or bracelets. That gentle light became a badge of honor proving they were one of the ninety-nine warriors who had proven themselves through countless duels—and the warriors wore them with great pride.
And in a back alley of the Holy City, Estel—her entire body hidden beneath a robe—quietly gazed at her own bracelet.
The golden band had been wrought in the shape of intertwining branches and leaves, its craftsmanship exquisite. It shed a golden light that was never vulgar, only elegant and noble.
Is it truly…?
Estel’s lips, hidden by the robe, pressed tightly together. Her slender, snow-white fingers trembled faintly as they caressed the bracelet.
The cool metal sent a tingling sensation up her fingertips.
Could it be…!
On a hopeful impulse she drew the composite bow from her shoulder.
She pulled the string with all her strength, yet—as always—the bowstring did not budge an inch. Estel let out a soft sigh and returned the bow to her shoulder.
Then she looked out at the street beyond the alley.
Faces laughing and celebrating without a single trace of worry. She watched them for a moment, then kicked off the wall and leapt upward.
Tap-tap—
She had confirmed the rumor was true. Now it was time to return.
And to tell them.
He has truly returned…!
At last, the long wait of her people was over.
And once more, the day of the festival would dawn.