Lucia and the Underground Arena (4)
His hand trembled as it gripped the sword.
Before Lucia stood a man with a hazy, unremarkable face.
A man named George. But in truth, he was Count Yulian von Reinhardt—the heir to that renowned grand duke.
A bet, huh...
The moment she recalled the details of that bet, the shaking in her hand subsided a little.
Before coming to the pleasure quarter, inside the carriage, Count Yulian had proposed a wager to her.
"We're both entering the underground arena as fighters. Why not make it more interesting with a little bet? Whoever wins gets to make the loser grant one wish. What do you say, Lucia?"
The count was always so gentle and serious with her. It was unexpected—after all, a bet was a form of gambling. But she quickly understood.
Come to think of it, the day our relationship got a little closer... we met at that secret gambling den.
With those words, the count asked what she wanted.
After agonizing over it for a long while in the carriage, Lucia finally spoke to him, her cheeks burning with embarrassment.
"I-If it's all right with you... I'd like to go to the restaurant where Tricia works. With you, Count."
Tricia, Cecilia's older sister. The demonkin elf hid her true nature while working at a restaurant in the capital's affluent district.
The prices were steep, but it was a famous spot among Pantheon's noble cadets. Especially for couples seeking an intimate, atmospheric meal.
In a way, it was Lucia asking him out on a date first. Her face flushed hot as she bowed her head briefly after saying it.
The count already had a noble fiancée in Princess Lilia.
Yet he was the one who had taken her virginity, even if it had been impulsive.
And though she couldn't admit it aloud, he was the man she had fallen for completely.
He's someone I shouldn't covet so freely...
But she couldn't stop her heart from yearning. That's why, when he first hired her as a sparring partner, she had been happier than when she passed the Pantheon entrance exam.
And now a bet, of all things—with the prize being whatever the winner desired.
If that was the case, a simple meal together wouldn't be so bad, right...?
Unable to hide her personal feelings, she blurted it out. Surprisingly, the count accepted readily.
"I-It doesn't mean anything special. Tricia talks about that place all the time, saying how delicious it is... I was just curious about the taste..."
"A restaurant? That's no trouble at all. Very well. Then, if I win..."
He paused, lost in thought for a moment.
"Clash swords to show respect!"
The arena staff's shout rang out.
Get it together. No room for carelessness, Lucia.
As Yulian drew close, she shared her impressions of the previous match.
"That last fight was astonishing."
"No, you were impressive too, Lucia."
The count spoke calmly, but in truth, he was amazed. They'd sparred often at Roia Hall's training grounds, so she thought she knew his skill well. But today's display was a step beyond.
Fabian. That frivolous guy might be second only to Rip in our order.
Fabian's relentless sword strikes had been shattered by the count's counter.
He'd feigned being on the defensive, then felled Fabian in one blow. The moment Lucia saw that strike, something deep in her chest surged wildly.
It was beautiful.
Count Yulian was the kind of man whose looks went beyond handsome into the realm of true beauty. But with his appearance altered by magic, she could focus solely on his sword.
The line traced by the longsword's tip was as sharp and steep as a northern snow mountain's peak. Yet the power at its edge was as ferocious as an avalanche unleashed by the mountain's rage.
A realm of genius she'd never seen in her peers' swordplay.
And now she faced that genius in a match with everything on the line. As the count mentioned the bet again, she replied quietly.
"If I lose... the bet where I help you using my body."
Yulian's wish. Hearing it, Lucia had been flustered. The count wanted her body as his prize.
More precisely, there might come a time when he needed to "use" her body, and he wanted her help. The implication was ambiguous.
Sparring was using one's body against an opponent. The count wasn't some rogue like Fabian, so it might mean that.
But I'm already his sparring partner. Still... if he's wagering it in a bet, even the count is a man. He might have those thoughts too.
The capital's noble sons were no strangers to nightlife. He'd phrased it indirectly, but it probably meant that.
Like at the secret salon... he wants me as his nighttime companion again?
It was too blatant for the gentle count's words.
But Lucia wasn't disappointed. It was natural for a young man to have desires.
On the contrary... if it meant getting closer to Yulian, even like that, it was what she wanted. He'd already taken her innocence, so there was no repulsion.
The count is different from trash like Duke Pedro or Fabian!
Still, if possible, she wanted more. Even if she became his secret lover, not some impulsive mood-driven fling like last time, but a proper date leading to something deeper.
She was a swordswoman trained in a combat order, but she was still a woman.
We both can't use mana anyway. I have to win this bet no matter what.
And she felt different from usual. Her senses were sharpened. In this mana-restricted place, she didn't have to worry about the awkward mana flow that had plagued her lately.
Did the count bring me here intentionally for that too?
She thought so for a moment but dismissed it. He wouldn't be that considerate to her after just one night.
If that consideration turned out to be true... she'd be so overjoyed she wouldn't know what to do.
"Return to your positions!"
The two clashed swords and stepped back to their marks, both assuming their opening stances.
"Match begin!"
The staff bellowed. Lucia gripped her one-handed sword's hilt tightly.
And her body moved before her thoughts. The sword tip closed in on Yulian.
***
The tournament final had begun.
Neither could use mana. But with my special mana heart and my ultimate arts like White Night restricted, I bore the heavier chains.
The instant the match started, Lucia's eyes changed completely.
It was a simple request to go to a restaurant together, but the bet had made it personal for her.
Good thing I suggested the wager.
No room for complacency. She'd crushed all her opponents to reach here.
A fully committed Lucia was a far tougher foe than Fabian. It could end in a single exchange.
So I have to block her first strike no matter what.
If her opening blow disrupted my stance, her barrage would follow relentlessly.
But Lucia's attack was faster than I'd anticipated.
Already!
Her sword tip was at my throat before I could even sense the path. Even at 3rd tier, I couldn't match that speed.
Clang—
Sparks flew with the metallic ring. I'd barely blocked her blitz.
No, not blocked—predicted.
My body hadn't reacted in time. But as frequent sparring partners, I'd moved my sword preemptively.
She's targeting the wrist first, as always.
Knowing her habits, I'd foreseen the spot.
I stepped back early, widening my two-handed grip to fist-width. Her blade clashed against my crossguard and bounced away. Lucia's eyes wavered.
No time to relax.
I swung horizontally at her exposed side, the air ripping with a boom even without mana.
But against Lucia, it was a mistake. Powerful but predictable—perfect for her counter.
Lightning-fast opener and counter. Duke Pedro's signature. Lucia had inherited the talent instinctively.
Sure enough, she turned my swing against me.
Before my rotation finished, half a beat ahead, her quick thrust grazed my side.
Or almost did.
"Tch."
Lucia let out an unconscious sigh of regret. I'd predicted this counter too. My previous attack was a feint.
Anticipating her response, I pulled back before completing the swing. Her blade sliced empty air.
This is enough.
Lucia's expression hardened. She'd reached the final smoothly with just opener and counter today.
But I was different from her previous foes. Those two weapons wouldn't work on me—she'd just realized it.
If she'd awakened her talent sooner, she'd have varied them. But not now.
My plan had worked. Her finisher was sealed.
She was trapped in the psychological noose I'd cast.
I pressed with feints mixed into quick thrusts.
Pattern's too simple.
I dodged or parried every time. I handled her flurry with ease. The moment her breathing faltered—
My sword was at her throat.
"...I lose."
Cheers erupted in the underground arena. For "George," not me.
Their eyes met. Lucia's gaze burned with unprecedented frustration.
***
The next day.
During Pantheon's lunch hour, I slipped out briefly to visit a new spot. Right next to the academy, so it was quick.
The Imperial Central Library. The 23rd floor.
Beyond the 22nd floor for high nobles, this was a special area for imperial family only.
I was there with Lilia. Unlike the modern lower floors, the 23rd brimmed with antique elegance.
From the shelves, I found the tome I sought.
So this is the origin of the Orhain family's mana cultivation method.
I stood before the shelf, flipping through the manual. I was certain now—gaining access here as a reward was the right call.
Orhain's mana cultivation... looks risky, but worth adapting properly.
Among the empire's myriad methods, even Reinhardt and Orhain houses had refined theirs over generations.
Originally, only a family's few geniuses could master them.
Hundreds of years ago, when this manual was penned, they were operated in dangerously unimaginable ways by modern standards.
Mana accelerated perilously fast inside the body, rushing through paths that could shatter the mana heart.
Orhain's was especially extreme.
Feels downright sinister.
I studied the original Orhain manual closely.
Compared to the modern Centriac Knights' version, it was excessively ferocious, pursuing growth above all.
Much faster learning, but at the cost of the user's life. A hazardous art.
Like a demonic art from the unorthodox sects, in simple terms.
Perfect for me and Lucia. With Iseland's doom looming, no time for pure, slow methods.
Refinement was needed, though. Cultivation methods affect the mind.
To purge its toxicity, blending it with the purest Reinhardt original would work.
If it goes to plan, I'll hit 4th tier. And Lucia aces midterms.
Unlike other heroines with golden wings, Lucia had silver—reserved for top midterm scorers, who get reserve squad reassignments.
So I needed to boost her fast in weeks.
As I sat beside Lilia with the manual, she suddenly spoke in a sticky, sultry voice.
"No one else here... just us. Hehe."
Lilia placed her hand atop my large one.