The Red Sword's Next Target
—To whom will you dedicate the glory of this victory, or perhaps express gratitude to Count Trenpe for his teachings…… anything is fine.
—I have no memory of receiving teachings from the Count. He is nothing but a coward.
—Eek…….
—His sword deceives people. Is there anything more despicable for a swordsman?
The audience erupted into murmurs, voices rising in anger.
The guy had a special talent. The talent to stir up murderous intent in others!
“How unlucky!”
“Just because he’s a duke’s son!”
“Boo!”
The fury was so intense that it wouldn’t have been surprising if someone stormed the arena. Though anyone who tried would likely be cut down by Robenin in a single stroke, so no one actually moved. Everyone seemed to value their own lives. Any anger management issues would be instantly cured in front of Robenin.
—……I-I see.
—I’m the one who won, so why are you all curious about my mood? This is meaningless.
—That may be true, but…….
—I’m leaving.
—Wait! Just one more question, please!
—Useless…….
—It really is the last one!
This was only the second question, though.
—Isn’t it what everyone’s curious about? Many people are wondering. Where will your next move take you, Young Master……! If you have someone in mind as your next opponent, please tell us!
—Next…….
—Yes! There are rumors you’ll seek out the Mercenary King after Count Trenpe.
—I have no interest in the Mercenary King.
—Pardon? Why not? He’s still one of the strongest fighters you haven’t defeated yet.
—He has a record of losing to Count Trenpe, and he’s an extremely foolish man.
—……That was quite some time ago, and we assumed you would be interested…….
Did he just call the Mercenary King an idiot?
Must’ve misheard. I dug at my ear and looked around—several others were doing the same.
The Mercenary King was as infamous for his bloodlust as Robenin. He was one of those powerful, insane bastards you absolutely shouldn’t provoke.
Congratulations, Robenin. Even without me, someone’s bound to kill you.
—I was interested for a while. But someone more intriguing has appeared.
—Oh! Who are you planning to challenge?
Now that I looked, the guy only showed life in his eyes when talking about fighting.
I already felt sorry for his next prey. It had nothing to do with me, but if they couldn’t win, I’d recommend just losing once and getting it over with.
Because if they lost, he’d cling to them until he won, making a nuisance of himself.
—Crowell.
—……Who?
—Was the name Jeanie……? Jin? Jan? Anyway, something Crowell.
“Ugh, something Crowell, you crazy bastard. Crowell isn’t a first name, it’s a family name……”
“……Jeanie.”
I muttered it, and only then realized why the name sounded so familiar—it was mine.
For a moment, my brain stopped functioning. I couldn’t think at all.
The host clearly understood but asked again anyway. He looked just as incredulous.
—You don’t mean Lady Jeanie Crowell……?
—That was the name. The woman who survived the dragon’s grasp.
—Saintess Crowell…….
—Right. That woman.
—Yes…… They say she’s alive! What wonderful news. She’s a blessing to the continent, a gift from the gods! Truly a precious soul…….
—I want to fight her.
Every single person in the stands flinched at once and spoke with one voice.
“Crazy bastard……”
“He’s lost it.”
“……Run away, Saintess……”
Some even muttered it aloud, but I had lost the ability to speak.
—They say she returned alive from the dragon’s grasp? And even blocked its breath…… Rumors aren’t always reliable, but I’m curious how much of it is true.
—I desperately hope I misunderstood…… You don’t mean you want to fight the Saintess……? You want to swing your sword at her……? At her…….
—Exactly. I’m so excited at the thought of sparring with her.
For the first time, the guy smiled, looking genuinely pleased. It was a chillingly beautiful smile—so terrifying that it finally snapped me out of my daze.
“Boo! What kind of person is that!”
“The Saintess is a special-class protected individual! We have to protect her!”
“You’re the only one who’d think that while looking at the continent’s symbol of sacrifice, you battle-crazed lunatic!”
“Snap out of it!”
The jeers were sharp, and most of what I wanted to say came flying from all directions.
And I really had tried to stay still. Even when Robenin beat the Count. Even when he acted obnoxious. Even when he couldn’t remember my name and just vaguely referred to me.
But the fact that he’d completely forgotten our previous fight—that I couldn’t forgive.
Because he’d erased me from his mind just because I was the loser.
“Robenin Pedri!”
Fueled by rage, I shot up from my seat and planted one foot on the chair in front of me, shouting.
Up until then, I probably just looked like another angry spectator.
When I gathered mana at an unprecedented rate and raised my killing intent to the point my teeth ground together, several sharp-eyed people started turning toward me.
“Yeah! Bring it on, you lunatic! You need a beating! If you accept the chall…… mph!”
Ash!
“Mmph!”
“Shh, calm down.”
“Nghhh!”
“Calm…… calm……”
Damn it, this angel bastard!
Because of you, I can’t do anything dangerous! Get out of my right side! I’m going to soak that red-haired psycho in water and use him as Endairon’s head ornament!
[That’s right! Please calm down, Master! You’ll get high blood pressure! And you’re a human who won’t even live a few decades!]
[Kill him!]
[Exactly! If you summon Endairon now, you’ll collapse again from the lifespan reduction symptoms!]
I bit down hard on the hand covering my mouth, tasting blood, but Ash didn’t move it.
I even licked the bitten spot, but that trick had been overused and no longer worked.
“Ughhh!”
Unable to contain my temper, I thrashed wildly, but he easily lifted me like a sack of potatoes and dragged me out of the stands in the blink of an eye.
Ash whispered urgently as he carried me out of the stands, tucked under his arm like luggage.
“I’m sorry. But this won’t do.”
[Rai!]
[Huh? Ash?]
“Mmph!”
[How much? Can I draw blood? No? Just peel him off? You’re so picky!]
If I got confused, Rai wouldn’t understand the command properly, so his response was delayed.
By the time Rai failed to grasp the order, I had already been dragged out into the corridor.
The short tunnel leading to the exit was empty, and I was seething with rage at the fact that Ash had once again stopped me from doing something.
No one was allowed to treat me like this.
When Ash set me down near the exit, the moment I was free, I raised my hand to his face—an action that was very much like me, and one I shouldn’t have taken.
“Die!”
Smack!
Yes, I slapped him. I hit Ash across the face. Even though he could have dodged with his eyes closed, he took it fully and just looked at me as if it didn’t matter at all.
“Jeanie! You know this isn’t the time to push yourself!”
“……Ugh, why are you just taking the hit!”
“If hitting me makes you feel better, then do it. But for my sake…… right now……”
“You’re annoying!”
“Please hold it in for now. I know it’s an unreasonable request, but it’s for your sake.”
I knew the anger meant for Robenin had been redirected somewhere else.
But I was angry enough to puff up my chest and huff, yet also sorry, and I had to admit once again that I was quite the madwoman myself.
Tears threatened to well up. It was frustrating how all these emotions mixed together and refused to settle.
I hated things not going my way, I hated Robenin, and I was angry that someone dared to stop me when I couldn’t even kill them for it.
I just wanted to cry from sheer rage. The fact that I couldn’t be certain I could beat Robenin, even while this furious, filled me with the most frustration.
[Uh…… Did Undine…… come out……?]
“Jeanie…… I’ll apologize, okay? Don’t make that face.”
Not knowing what to do, he pulled me into a tight embrace. The warmth of his large body was oddly welcome. I hugged him back like I was clinging to a pillow to suppress my anger and poured out all my fury.
“Why won’t you let me do anything! That guy said he wants to fight first!”
“Yes. I heard. But not here. Not now. You have to consider your condition too.”
“I’m almost healed!”
“Yes, I see you’re still injured.”
Ah, this felt pretty good. When I got worked up, Ash’s gentle patting seemed surprisingly effective against my fiery temper that even dragons couldn’t handle.
Because of our height difference, I had to bury my face in his chest, and that was nice.
I grumbled while wiping the tears that had almost fallen on his chest.
“I fought with worse injuries before.”
“And how did that turn out?”
“……I lost.”
“Right now, the Young Master is also injured. Even if you settle things someday…… today doesn’t seem to be the day. The situation isn’t favorable in many ways.”
Ash’s hands were large and warm, making me feel good. It was strange how just the fact that those hands were touching somewhere between my back and waist allowed me to steady my ragged breathing.
Was this how tyrants felt when they melted at the touch of a woman as warm as morning sunlight, as if by fate? I felt like I could melt a little in these hands.
“Revealing your identity in front of all those people isn’t what you want, is it?”
“No……”
“If all you want is to settle things with the Young Master, there will be other opportunities. Much safer ones, without drawing attention, without any nuisances…… a place where you can face him as nothing but yourselves.”
Ash occasionally said the right thing and annoyed me.
Unable to argue, I pouted, then felt a brief kiss on the top of my head and looked up. The cheek I had slapped earlier was noticeably red.
The necklace’s magic was precise—it perfectly reflected expressions, sweat, even wounds. The only thing it hid was his true face. But the look in his eyes as he gazed at me—that, it couldn’t change.
“……I’m not going to say I’m sorry. Because you’re the one who defied me.”
“That doesn’t matter. Stopping you from doing what you want doesn’t make me feel good either. If I think of this as the price, it might even be generous.”
“……Are you an idiot?”
“I hear that from you often.”
“Other people don’t say it?”
“Well, at least not to my face.”
Of course, since he was a prince. I let out a small laugh as if I hadn’t just been acting like a mad dog, but Ash suddenly stiffened and pulled me out of his arms, hurriedly tucking me behind his back.
“What? What’s wrong?”
“Jeanie, please promise me you’ll stay still.”
I didn’t have to wait long to find out why. At the end of the corridor we’d thought was empty, someone stood.
Slowly, with quite large strides, they walked toward us, and as they approached the exit where we stood, they emerged from the darkness.