Just Do It
“You think I’ll lose again?!”
Kairen thrust his foot forward with a roar of pure fury. He barely managed to block Rubelia’s rapier with the sole of his shoe.
“Ugh?!”
It wasn’t a mistake, but it was clearly a loss. That was the thought that flashed through Rubelia’s mind in that split second.
The two long swords that had been stopped by her short sword slid forward with a sinister scrape. Since both her rapier and short sword had already done their jobs, she had no way left to block the incoming counter from the pair of long blades.
‘There’s still a chance…’
Besides, the scoreboard still read eight to five. Even if she gave up a point, Rubelia held the advantage.
‘It’s fine…’
After running through a dozen thoughts in the space of a heartbeat, Rubelia resigned herself. In this situation, yielding a single point was the rational choice.
She thought so.
‘Think…’
“You think too much.”
“Huh?”
The words Selene had spoken drifted through her mind.
“Rubelia. You think too much.”
“B-but I have to think before a fight. Once the battle starts, I can only move based on what I’ve already planned, right?”
“It’s still fine.”
“Yes, I suppose that much is acceptable.”
“Hobby.”
“Huh?”
“If it’s just a hobby, that much is fine.”
“Gah!”
The casual, honest remark stabbed her again.
“Then what does it even mean to fight without thinking?!”
“(Tilts head) Fighting without thinking is fighting without thinking.”
“Ughhh!”
“Rubelia. You’re thinking again.”
“Gah!”
“Don’t. Think. Leave it to your body.”
“Haaaa…”
It had only been one or two seconds. Why was this memory flashing through her mind like a panorama?
“Gaaaaaaaaah!”
The resignation that had begun to settle over Rubelia ignited into fresh rage. All her overthinking was hurled beyond the edge of consciousness. What filled her head now was no longer thought.
It was instinct.
“I hate losing!”
The moment that instinct burst from her lips—
“What?!”
“I said I don’t want to lose to a bastard like youuuuuu!”
CRACK!
The dull sound of something fracturing echoed across the entire Imperial Colosseum.
“Huh?”
Even the announcer froze in shock. For a moment, no one in the arena made a sound.
“Guh…”
Rubelia had been faster than the magic-infused long swords. Faster, even, than the two blades she had dropped, which still hadn’t hit the ground.
“K-Kegh?!”
What she did was simple. She simply rose at the fastest speed her body could manage and slammed her forehead straight into Kairen’s face. That was all.
“Uh… uhh?”
Thud.
Kairen collapsed.
“Ehh?!”
The flustered announcer whipped around to look at the judges. Unanimous decision. Whatever the method, knocking your opponent down was swordsmanship.
Kairen’s quick reflexes in blocking the blade with his shoe sole had been impressive. But Rubelia, who had taken the blow and answered with her entire body, understood the fundamental philosophy of the sword even better.
“Incredible! The score is now nine to five! What unbreakable will, refusing to yield even a single point! Absolutely astounding!”
The crowd stirred. To those who had come to watch swordsmanship as entertainment, the scene wasn’t particularly interesting.
Yet some among them nodded in approval. A noble young lady screaming in a cute voice before delivering a headbutt was, without question, a rare sight.
“Waaaaah!”
The cheers erupted a beat late. Whatever else it was, the match had been far more entertaining than Selene’s one-sided slaughter.
“That’s right, everyone! This is true practical combat! Not hesitating to engage in close-quarters brawling and still seizing victory! That is the very spirit of swordsmanship! A purity you will never see in magical duels! This is swordsmanship!”
The announcer mixed every argument he could think of to keep the atmosphere alive, whipping the spectators into excitement.
“Now then, only one point remains!”
He gestured toward both contestants, preparing to hype the climax of what might be the final bout.
“So if you would please… huh?”
But—
“Eh? Contestant Kairen?”
The announcer saw the eldest son of House Valcazar lying spread-eagled on the ground, showing no sign of getting up.
“W-wait, what?”
It was the first time he had encountered such a situation since becoming announcer. Yet he knew exactly what it meant.
“Ah! The contestant is unable to continue! If Kairen does not rise, the match ends here!”
“......”
“In that case, the victor is!”
The announcer excitedly seized Rubelia’s hand and thrust it high into the air.
“Lady Rubelia von Estelle!”
Cheers thundered through the arena.
“Eh? Me? But there’s still one point left?”
Rubelia, who had won almost by accident, left the arena bathed in the crowd’s fervent applause.
“Ughhh…”
Kairen was dragged from the arena in what would surely go down as the most humiliating exit in the history of the swordsmanship tournament.
Meanwhile.
“Are you really… really going through with this?”
“We don’t have a choice!”
“B-but…”
Behind the Imperial Colosseum, Rosy paced restlessly around Martin with an anxious expression.
“It’s already over. I failed to become the Empire’s Sword, which means I won’t get to meet the Emperor today. You know that!”
“Then why didn’t you practice more?!”
“Shut up! That damned woman! That damned Selene or whatever she is ruined the timing!”
“You’re the one who cheated, aren’t you? You put Absolute Restriction on her, right? You cheat all by yourself, lose anyway, then throw a tantrum screaming about cheating. It’s honestly a little pathetic…”
“Shut uuuup!”
Just then, both of them sensed a presence. They turned in the same direction at the same time, instantly on guard.
“Please be at ease. It is only me.”
“Oh, Cassian… ah!”
Rosy started to say his name, then hurriedly clapped a hand over her mouth.
“Tch!”
“Oh? So both of you already knew my true identity?”
“Of course. You filthy revolutionary scum. Did you think I’d work with you without doing any background checks?”
“Hmm…”
“Let me ask you one thing. Why the hell are you here?”
“Why am I here? What exactly do you mean by that question?”
“Exactly what I said.”
Martin spoke while deliberately keeping his distance, eyes wary.
“As you know, this is a fight between people of high station. Extremely high station. We’re simply carrying out a commission.”
“I am well aware.”
“And this is no place for filthy revolutionary bastards like you. The reformists are the same. Honestly, I can’t tell the difference between you people anyway.”
“Hmm… it seems you still distrust me a great deal.”
“Obviously.”
Cassian smiled.
“Have you forgotten what our objective is?”
“......”
Cassian slowly approached Martin and whispered.
“To assassinate the Emperor.”
“......”
“Is that not our shared goal?”
“It’s the commission I received from my client.”
“Yes, exactly. And is it not also beneficial to our Red Sanctuary?”
“No.”
Martin shoved Cassian away with a disgusted look.
“My reason for wanting the Emperor dead and your reason are completely different.”
“How so?”
“You dream of a world without an emperor. My client simply doesn’t like the current one.”
“Even so, our paths overlap until that point, which is why we are cooperating. For now…”
Martin glared at him.
“You still don’t trust me.”
“Correct. And I especially dislike that your magic is that filthy mind-manipulation type.”
“But didn’t you already take care of that problem in advance?”
Cassian smiled. Martin frowned and said nothing.
“Didn’t you use your own ability?”
“I did.”
“You placed an Absolute Restriction. ‘Never use magic on the other party.’”
“And if either of us had cast magic on the other beforehand, it would be dispelled immediately.”
“Those were the terms, correct? So after that, did I ever attempt to break the restriction?”
“You didn’t.”
“Exactly. I believe this should be sufficient, no?”
“Tch!”
Martin clicked his tongue and stepped back.
“You creepy bastard.”
“I think I’m rather handsome, actually… Cassian.”
After glaring at Cassian a moment longer, Martin turned away.
“Fine. Whatever. You don’t seem like you’ll stab us in the back right now, so come along.”
“We’re going with the second option, then?”
“Yes. Since things have turned out this way, we’ll carry it out immediately.”
Cassian nodded at Martin’s words.
“Then I shall see you at the designated location.”
“Yeah.”
A short while later.
At the highest vantage point of the Imperial Colosseum.
“Looking at it like this, the entire Empire seems to be spread out before us.”
“Thirty thousand spectators have come to watch the Empire’s swordsmanship tournament.”
“Indeed. That number should be roughly three percent of the imperial capital’s population.”
“And the effect will reach nearly half the capital’s population.”
Whoooong.
“If we activate all the pendants we hid throughout the arena.”
“Yes.”
“Shall we begin?”
“Yes.”
Cassian and Martin faced each other and nodded.
“There are so many people…”
Seria, who had tagged along with Cassian, gazed at the scenery with innocent wonder.
“Let’s finish this quickly and go home.”
Rosy yawned, clearly bored.
“Yeah. We should wrap this up fast.”
As he spoke, Martin walked straight up to Rosy and—
Shunk.
“Eep?”
—plunged a dagger into her.
“You won’t be going back, though.”