The Sparring Match (4)
The duel between Ma Chao and Zhang Fei that I had brought about drew spectators from every direction.
The generals who caught wind of the commotion first were, of course, among the earliest to show their faces, and even the soldiers enjoying their free time in the nearby barracks began to sneak over and join the crowd.
In no time the training grounds were packed and bustling, and Zhang Fei and Ma Chao, eyeing each other amid all the attention, put on even graver expressions than before.
I suppose having a big crowd nearby does change how you feel about a fight.
Zhang Fei let a flicker of trouble show on her face.
"If I lose now, it'll be mortifying…."
"……"
At her muttered words, Ma Chao said nothing, only tightening her grip on her weapon.
Paying the girl's reaction not the slightest heed, Zhang Fei went on.
"You're starting to feel it, aren't you?"
"This much is nothing."
"Really, now?"
Ma Chao's true personality came out in that blunt retort, and Zhang Fei grinned wide before charging at her once more.
CLANG!
The moment their spears collided, a sharp crack rang out across the grounds.
To my eyes they both still looked full of fight, but Zhang Fei, locked blade to blade with Ma Chao, seemed to feel it differently.
"Says it's nothing, but your strength's slipping a little, isn't it?"
"…!"
Azure-silver and jet-black whirled together in a dizzying dance as the duel between Ma Chao and Zhang Fei intensified.
Zhang Fei hoisted her spear high overhead and brought it crashing down.
THOOOM—!
"Ugh!"
Ma Chao, who had caught Zhang Fei's blow on the shaft of her own spear, let out a groan.
That's not a club, that's a practice spear. Who swings a practice weapon like that?
By the end of this match, that spear's going to be scrap.
Ma Chao was holding out better than I'd expected, but the gap in experience could not be dismissed — she never once managed to seize the upper hand against Zhang Fei.
And this without even wielding her beloved Serpent Spear, the one she used to push Ma Chao this hard.
Zhang Fei had truly earned her title as a match for ten thousand men.
Just as I was marveling at Zhang Fei's martial prowess, she turned her head and looked sharply back at me.
"I've humored you long enough — shall we call it here?!"
"……?"
Caught off guard by the sudden question, I raised an eyebrow.
Was she deliberately lowering her level to spar with Ma Chao, hoping to leave a good impression on me?
Did she want a match with Seo Yeo that badly?
Well, it had already been a valuable experience for Ma Chao either way, so I gave a small nod, signaling to do as she pleased.
Confirming my answer, the smile at the corner of Zhang Fei's mouth deepened, and she began pressing Ma Chao even harder.
Apparently she had been holding back all along, just as she'd claimed — Ma Chao now seemed to struggle just to parry Zhang Fei's attacks.
CLANG!
At last, Ma Chao failed to withstand the assault. Her stance crumbled and she staggered for an instant.
The winner was decided right there.
"Done."
"……"
Zhang Fei was no green general who would let so naked an opening simply slide past.
Staring at the spearpoint that had appeared right before her eyes before she could even recover her footing, Ma Chao heaved a deep sigh.
"If that uncle can't hold a candle to me anymore, where do all these people keep coming from…."
"I am pretty impressive."
At Ma Chao's words, Zhang Fei gave a shrug and withdrew the spear she'd thrust at the girl's face.
That uncle, is it. Could she mean Yan Xing?
I offered a small, silent tribute to Yan Xing, who must have been beaten black and blue by Ma Chao back in Xiliang.
"Now it's your turn — a promise is a promise, right?!"
Flushed with triumph and full of herself, Zhang Fei left Ma Chao behind and came to me, her eyes gleaming.
I glanced around for a moment.
Zhang Liao and Guan Yu seemed to have hit it off remarkably well already, chatting away with easy familiarity, while Xu Huang had her eyes shut and appeared to be replaying the duel she'd just witnessed in her head.
"…Sure. I don't see why not—"
Looking over the faces gathered around me, I decided there was no way anything dangerous could happen, and I was just about to nod—
"Hold it."
"……?"
At that moment Lü Bu, seated beside me, straightened up from where she sat and fixed her gaze on Zhang Fei.
"Who, exactly, am I supposed to be sparring with?"
With Lü Bu cutting into the conversation and blocking her path, Zhang Fei made a puzzled sound.
"I'm about to fight the General-in-Chief's bodyguard, no?"
"…With her?"
"That's right."
Lü Bu rose to her full height, pointed at Seo Yeo, shook her head, and settled back down at my side.
"Oh, that's all. I thought you were picking a fight with Jeong Reung."
So that's why she butted in out of nowhere.
Sparring match or no, if I locked blades with that walking weapon of destruction, it would be an utter catastrophe.
Everyone present would learn exactly what the inside of my body looked like.
Lü Bu was every bit as rabid as Seo Yeo about guarding my safety, so her reaction to Zhang Fei's subject-less sentence was hardly surprising.
"Fine, then. Have your bout. I'm honestly curious how long you'll last."
"…I feel incredibly underestimated right now."
When Zhang Fei's face soured, Lü Bu answered with a scornful smirk.
"What, got a problem with that? Then come fight me again."
"You little brat, I swear."
"…Little brat?"
Leave it to Lü Bu and Zhang Fei — in the handful of exchanges it took them, they were already growling at each other.
Both of them had hair-trigger tempers, and I could see with perfect clarity that if I left them be, they'd be at each other's throats again in no time.
Zhang Fei glared at Lü Bu and shouted defiantly.
"You think I'm scared of you? Bring it, you tiny little runt! This time I'll be the one winning!"
"Ha! Don't make me laugh! Apparently once wasn't enough for you — this time I'll smash you to dust—"
"That's enough, both of you."
Letting out a sigh, I placed my hand on top of Lü Bu's head just as she was working herself up.
Startled by the sudden contact, Lü Bu froze solid on the spot.
I seized the moment without missing a beat.
"Lü Bu. You're in the wrong this time. Why'd you have to pick the fight first?"
"Th-that's…."
With no rebuttal to offer, Lü Bu rolled her eyes every which way and fidgeted, unable to sit still.
With the heart of a parent raising a troublemaking child, I addressed Zhang Fei.
"I'll apologize on her behalf."
"Ah… well, if you put it that way…."
At my gesture, Zhang Fei too nodded with a somewhat dazed look on her face.
"A promise is a promise, so I suppose I should honor it. You're fighting Seo Yeo now?"
"Y-yeah…."
Zhang Fei answered in the affirmative, still wearing that dimfounded expression.
"Understood."
When I shot a glance at Seo Yeo, who stood near at hand, she — who had been watching this entire spectacle unfold — slowly approached Zhang Fei and held out the Serpent Spear she had been carrying.
"This doesn't come around often, so fight with no regrets. Seo Yeo hardly ever accepts sparring requests these days."
"…Right."
It was true.
She'd accepted challenges once or twice, but when they kept coming and it started to interfere with her guard duties, Seo Yeo had taken to ignoring sparring requests altogether.
…Come to think of it, she'd always been like this, hadn't she.
Still, once a match did begin, she at least adjusted to her opponent's level and gave them a proper bout, so that was a mercy.
"Go make us proud."
Rising from my seat, I reached out and patted Seo Yeo on the shoulder.
She gave a calm nod and walked with Zhang Fei to the center of the training grounds.
Watching her go, I returned to the spot where I'd been sitting.
"So… are you mad?"
Lü Bu, still planted exactly where she'd been, squirmed about as she stole anxious glances at me.
She looked for all the world like a small child fretting over whether she was about to get scolded by her parents, and a flicker of mischief stirred in me.
"What do you think?"
"U-um…."
When I asked with a smile, cold sweat broke out across Lü Bu's face.
"Well… uhh…."
Watching her begin to sweat, I fell into brief contemplation.
What comparison would fit her current state best?
Right.
It was almost exactly the look of a man who'd just been told by his lover, 'Do you really not know why I'm asking?'
Say 'I don't know' and she snaps 'How am I supposed to know if you don't tell me?' Say 'I'm sorry' and she snaps 'Sorry for what, exactly?' — an impassable guard, an impenetrable wall.
Just listing the examples made my head spin.
From Lü Bu's position, unable to read my mind, she was probably feeling exactly what that poor man felt.
"…Um…."
Trembling slightly, Lü Bu looked up at me like a frightened squirrel.
If I pushed her any harder, she really might cry, so I smiled and rested my hand on her head.
"……?"
"I'm not mad."
At my words, the question in Lü Bu's eyes gave way as her face brightened just a touch.
"Really?"
"Really."
Meaning it as a bit of encouragement, I gave her hair a thorough ruffling.
"I'm not mad, but you can't go around picking fights with just anyone from now on, understand?"
When I said it with a smile, Lü Bu nodded her head rapidly without a word.
"Good heavens. To see the Peerless Under Heaven, General Lü Bu, like that…."
"Our lord certainly knows how to handle women…."
"That's exactly what I admire about him…."
The soldiers watching the scene nearby began to mutter among themselves in distinctly odd tones.
What on earth are you people going on about?
"I expected there'd be some, but this many…?"
Ma Chao too was wearing a bewildered expression and muttering strange things.
I turned my gaze toward Zhang Fei and Seo Yeo, now locked in an exuberant exchange of blows.
The soldiers gathered to watch were caught up in the excitement, cheering at the top of their lungs, and even Zhang Fei wore a smile at the corner of her mouth, clearly enjoying the bout.
Seo Yeo was no different from usual.
That strangely, inexplicably calming expressionlessness of hers.
Every time I saw that face, it did something strange to my mood.
I swept my gaze across the scene around me and nodded at all the vibrant energy filling the air.
It was loud and rowdy, and it made me happy.