Echoes of Victory
As Ethan collapsed, marking the end of the match, what rained down upon Lia as she stood alone in the arena was not jeers, but cheers. Beneath the roaring applause and cheers of encouragement—the first she had ever received in her life—Lia looked down at Ethan, who lay sprawled miserably on the ground. It was a hollow end. A tragic final showing for a hero she had believed she could never defeat—indeed, a hero she had never even dreamed of trying to overcome.
"Th-The winner is... Lia!!!"
At the referee's belated shout, Lia turned around without hesitation. What she felt in this moment she had always dreamed of was not joy, but a profound bitterness.
By the time I opened my eyes, the tournament was already over, and the arena had been completely emptied of spectators. Or so it seemed, judging by the silence surrounding me and the fabric of the waiting room tent draped overhead. *Damn it, how long did I sleep this time?*
"You slept for about half a day."
As I sat up with a frown, Jing spoke as if reading my mind. Still, half a day?
"I'm surprised the temple actually let us rest here."
"I think they're still discussing what to do with Ratel."
Lia's worried voice drifted over from behind me. Turning my head, I saw her looking down at me, her appearance just as battered as mine. It seemed her duel with Ethan had been anything but easy.
"What should we do? If they try to keep holding Ratel..." Lia muttered anxiously, her eyes fixed on the temple building.
"Well, I don't think keeping him around will be very easy for the temple either."
Lia let out a small smile at my response. "Seeing as you're in the mood to joke, you must really be feeling better."
"I'm entirely serious."
There was no way a small temple like this could handle that kid's atrocious temper.
"He's right, Lady Lia. Keeping Ratel locked up won't be a walk in the park for them either," Jing added, his serious tone lending weight to my opinion.
At Jing's words, a look of gravity settled over Lia's face. "...But doesn't that make it even more dangerous? It'll be a disaster if Ratel snaps and does something crazy inside."
"..."
That was a highly plausible point, so we quickly hurried out of the tent.
Lia's first prediction hit the mark.
"His innocence has not yet been proven. Until then, we cannot recognize your victory."
The bastards were trying to overturn the tournament results.
"But you have no way to prove his guilt either, do you? Since no evidence has been found."
"That is why we are telling you to wait! Now, begone!"
Despite Jing's protests, the temple refused to stop being unreasonable. Prevented from even stepping foot inside the temple building, we were suddenly grabbed by the knights and dragged outside. With every muscle in my body screaming in pain, having my arms yanked back made me curse under my breath. But until we received permission to enter Limis, we couldn't afford to resist.
The knights dragged us out and threw us onto the street outside the temple gates. Sacrificing one of my arms to barely avoid faceplanting onto the dirt, I buried my face in my hands and swallowed a groan of agony. *What stellar treatment.* I swore to myself right then and there that I would never set foot in Lucha Village again as long as I lived.
"Whoaaaaaa!!!"
Absurdly, a wave of cheers washed over us. Startled by a sound that contrasted so sharply with our rough treatment, I finally raised my head to look around.
Crowds of people lining the temple fence were cheering. Though the fervor gradually died down as more of them noticed us sprawled on the ground, they still offered a long, resounding round of applause.
"W-What is this?"
I wasn't the only one bewildered; Lia, still plastered to the dirt beside me, stammered in confusion.
"It seems to be applause for the victors," Jing answered, effortlessly hauling both Lia and me up by our arms.
It seemed Jing was right. I could hear some of the villagers calling out Lia's, Jing's, and my names from among the crowd. Lia looked around at the crowd in disbelief. They weren't a massive crowd, but they had undoubtedly gathered to applaud the true victors of Lucha.
"What is all this racket?!"
Startled by the roaring cheers, the priests who emerged from the temple faltered at the unexpected sight.
"Quiet! Quiet down! These people have not won yet!" the knights who had just thrown us out shouted in a panic.
The applause died down completely, but in its wake, confusion rippled through the crowd.
"They didn't win?"
"If they didn't win after all that, then who on earth did?"
The people began to whisper. In a way, it was only natural. During this year's Lucha Tournament, the favoritism the temple had shown Ethan was far too blatant. While no one had openly rebelled against the temple, many had harbored doubts. As the murmurs grew louder, it was the temple's turn to panic. Unaccustomed to having their decrees questioned, the priests couldn't hide their fluster.
"Silence! All of you, disperse!"
I stepped toward the priest who was frantically trying to shoo the crowd away. "Unless you want this year to be the absolute last Lucha Tournament, I suggest you stop being so stubborn."
"What?" He glared at me in irritation.
"If word gets out that the winner of the Lucha Tournament is ultimately decided at the temple's whim, how many villagers do you think will participate next year?"
"Don't be ridiculous. Lucha will be held next year without a hitch," he scoffed, dismissing my words.
Perhaps. "Then we'll just have to come back next year. And maybe the year after that, too."
At my reply, the priest's face drained of color. It was practically a threat that we would keep showing up in Lucha Village until they recognized our victory. If this kept repeating, then just as I said, people would eventually stop entering the tournament altogether.
"What will it be? It seems to me that taking a bit of flak now and leaving the aftermath to someone else would minimize your losses."
The priest glared at me as if he wanted to murder me on the spot, but I didn't care. It wasn't like he was the first person in the world to harbor murderous intent toward me.
Ultimately, the temple fully recognized Team 34's victory. Once the win was finalized in front of everyone, they had no excuse to keep holding Ratel.
"Ratel! You went through so much!" Lia warmly greeted Ratel as he was released from the temple.
"Lia, looking at our faces, you'd think *we* were the ones who were locked up," I remarked, looking back and forth between Ratel—whose complexion had actually improved during his captivity—and Lia's battered face.
"You do look like a mess," Ratel said, scanning us from head to toe.
"But we kept our promise!" Lia said excitedly, completely unbothered.
The emotion from the villagers' cheers earlier still hadn't faded. I was almost worried she might decide to stay in the village after all. *If she does choose to stay... I'll just have to lure her away by asking her to guide us to Limis.*
To celebrate our victory, the villagers tried to take us to the largest tavern in town. Key word: *tried*.
"I'm not going. What do you expect to do with someone who's exhausted to death?"
It was all thanks to Ratel's cold refusal and icy glare, which threw cold water on the whole affair. Everyone dispersed, muttering curses at Ratel's obnoxious personality.
Consequently, despite our hard-won victory, our destination was once again the tavern we had taken up lodging in. Lia came with us. She said that when she had stopped by her home, Ethan's shop was tightly shut.
It was Jing who cheered up the slightly downcast Lia. Dragging along Lia and Ratel—who claimed to be exhausted despite having done absolutely nothing—he headed out to the market district. True to his philosophy that hard work must always be rewarded, they returned laden with a mountain of food.
"Isn't this a bit too much? I think we'll have a lot of leftovers."
Lia, who knew nothing of Jing and Ratel's bottomless stomachs, quickly realized how naive her assumption was. Soon, she found herself stuffing her own face to keep up with the two of them as they vacuumed up the food.
Everyone gathered downstairs for a small but merry party. Everyone except me.
Claiming I was unwell and needed to rest upstairs was the perfect excuse, especially since I had literally fainted during the tournament. Leaning against the window frame, using the muffled chatter filtering through the thin, uninsulated walls of the cheap inn as a lullaby, I felt a cold breeze brush past my hair.
"Weak child, are you sleeping because you are tired?"
A mischievous, cocky voice tickled my ears, accompanied by the sensation of soft fur brushing against my face.
"I'm trying to sleep, so go downstairs and get some food. If you go to Lia, she'll give you as much as you want."
"Do you truly think I would fear going hungry?"
"Then why are you here? There's nothing left for you to get from me."
"Anyone listening would think I do nothing but beg you for food every single day."
*Isn't that true?* I was pretty sure the only reasons he stayed with me were the prophecy and the food.
"If it's not for food, then why did you come?"
"I came to ask you something. And to see how badly you were hurt."
As if to prove his words, El scrambled up and down my arms and legs. Once satisfied that I was mostly intact, he climbed back up to my face. "You are more intact than I expected. To be honest, I wasn't entirely sure you would be able to use it properly."
*I knew it.* No wonder he had been so half-hearted when teaching me.
"It didn't go as well as I'd hoped. My skin kept trying to turn into a bear's, so it was a pain to hide it. Anyway, is that all you wanted to ask?"
At my question, El slowly closed and opened his eyes. His golden pupils locked onto me. "Reckless child, what would you have done if your body had refused to transform as you wished during this tournament?"
I didn't understand why he was asking this now that everything had ended well, but I answered calmly. "I would have run away, obviously."
"Truly?"
First Lia, now him. Why did nobody ever believe what I said? "Though I was willing to take a bit of a risk to achieve my primary objective."
"Your primary objective?"
"Lia. She's someone who will be highly beneficial to have on Ratel's journey."
"What is so remarkable about a mere girl like her?" Referring to Lia so rudely, El looked down toward the floor below as if he couldn't comprehend my reasoning.
In the novel, Lia was the next person to become Ratel's companion after Jing. She had an important role to play later on.
"Then why did you not say so from the beginning? We could have found a less dangerous way," El asked, unable to understand.
"Because we don't have time."
If I had honestly proposed that we take a detour to participate in a tournament just to recruit someone, we would have ended up bickering for ages. Jing's anxiety would have doubled, and he would have looked at Lia with resentment. As for Ratel, he wouldn't have even pretended to listen to me unless Jing agreed first. "I simply chose the most efficient method."
At my answer, El parted his lips as if he wanted to say something.
"What is it?"
When I nudged him, El finally spoke. "But hear me, arrogant child. A relationship built on such methods cannot last. Surely, a day will come when the accumulated lies will burst."
"How novel. That's the first time you've ever given me advice that actually sounds like it came from an elder."
At my reply, El fell silent, staring quietly into my eyes. Although the small squirrel's dark eyes were undoubtedly fixed on me, it felt as though the person he was addressing wasn't me at all. It was as if he were offering advice to someone else entirely—someone locked deep within his memories.
"...It's only a temporary connection anyway. Once this is over, I'll go my way, and the others will go theirs."
My voice came out softer than I intended. Without another word, El climbed up my shoulder and slipped himself deep inside my pocket.
"I guess he really can't make it down. He must have been incredibly tired today." Lia couldn't take her eyes off the second floor where Ran's room was.
"Indeed. We should let him sleep in peace tonight."
Lia quietly watched Jing, who chuckled as he sliced a pie and popped a piece into his mouth. She crept closer to him and lowered her voice. "It might be a bit strange to ask this now, but... are the three of you planning to work as mercenaries once you receive your blessings?"
"Well, something like that," Jing mumbled evasively.
As Jing gave a vague answer, Lia looked back and forth between him and Ratel. "Your group is just so unusual. Jing, I can understand, but Ran... well, does he really suit being a mercenary?"
Lia narrowed her eyes, picturing Ran in her mind. Although he had managed to take down Ethan during the tournament, he didn't seem particularly accustomed to brawling. He didn't seem to train diligently, nor did he carry any special weapons... Reaching this conclusion, Lia shook her head. "He doesn't suit it at all. In that case, are you two employed by Ran?"
At Lia's words, Ratel glared in her direction.
"Ah, I guess not," Lia quickly backtracked, meeting his gaze.
Jing pondered for a moment on how to explain their dynamic. "Well... Ran joined us to help us out. We would be in a very tight spot without him."
"So you have a goal that's difficult to speak of." Lia popped a neatly sliced piece of mutton into her mouth. "Then how long will the three of you stay together?"
Jing, who had been answering her questions so readily, couldn't give a straight answer this time. *Indeed... will Ran stay with us until we destroy every last Holy Relic?*