Chapter 105: The Tin Knight and the Martial Arts Tournament (12)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 105: The Tin Knight and the Martial Arts Tournament (12)
“N-No way. Our lord was defeated by a mere little girl?”
“Well, members of the Lion Duke’s bloodline tend to look younger than they are, so she might actually be older than she seems…”
“That’s not what’s important right now! Hey, you! What happened to that brilliant plan of yours? She’s perfectly fine, without a single problem!!”
“Th-this can’t be happening.”
Although a few young men were radiating a gloomy aura, steeped in shock and horror, they were only a small minority.
The overall atmosphere in the stands was closer to cheers and delight.
The reason was simple.
“The bastard was arrogant the whole way up. Serves him right!”
“Hey, hey, keep it down. What if someone hears you?”
“Fuck, did I say something wrong? And why worry when so many people are shouting? Everyone’s having a blast.”
People have always loved stories of the weak toppling the strong.
This was especially true when the strong one was an obnoxious, arrogant young noble, and the weak one was a girl with a cute face.
After all, outstanding looks were a status symbol in their own right.
“So, does this make it two losses in two fights?”
“Huh? Did they fight another time besides this?”
“You know, that incident where he stormed the Halder Company, only to tuck his tail and run.”
“Ah, that was her? The, the, what was it? Some kind of mask?”
“The Lennart Mask.”
“…Hmm, that naming sense is a bit cringey. You’re saying that young lady is the one?”
“Isn’t that just how kids are at that age? Let’s just watch over her warmly.”
The crowd reveled in Maximilian’s defeat, finding it cathartic, and celebrated Adelaide’s victory.
As a bonus, the rumor of the ‘Lennart Mask who protected an innocent company from unjust oppression’ spread along with it.
The only saving grace was that Adelaide had yet to fully grasp the problem with a name like ‘Lennart Mask.’
*
Even after the match between Adelaide and Maximilian ended, the people did not leave their seats.
The tournament was not over yet.
The next matchup, in particular, was a bout that would make any aficionado of spectacle’s eyes gleam with anticipation.
“Kalidahs will win, obviously. The title of consecutive champion isn’t just for show.”
“But her opponent is a legendary adventurer, isn’t he?”
“Aren’t adventurers usually a bit lacking in one-on-one combat?”
“Judging by Team Kumara in the team matches, that doesn’t seem to be the case. You saw how Peter fought, didn’t you?”
“Tsk, tsk, you don’t know anything. He’s still no match for Kalidahs.”
The invincible champion and the legendary adventurer.
A user of a massive greatsword and a user of a short dagger.
A weighty, destructive fighting style and a fast, unorthodox one.
Opinions were divided on who would win, but no one doubted that this would be a spectacular fight.
Some even claimed this was the true final match.
And finally, they met on the stage.
“……”
“……”
The two had conversed quite amicably when they met in the audience, but now that they faced each other on the stage, they said nothing.
Both understood they had reached a level where even the slightest opening could lead to defeat.
Faced with the oppressive aura emanating from the two fighters, even the boisterous crowd fell silent and swallowed hard.
“…Then, let the match begin.”
As the referee, looking more nervous than ever, stepped back, the two took their stances.
Peter let the dagger in his right hand hang loosely, an ambiguous posture that was neither offensive nor defensive.
Kalidahs placed her left foot forward, raised the greatsword’s hilt above her head with both hands, and looked ready to charge at any moment.
And, the instant the starting signal rang out, both of them moved.
Thud!
With a heavy impact, a crimson-black trajectory shot toward Peter.
The moment the ridiculously large greatsword tore through the air and struck down, the ground literally exploded.
KRA-KOOM!
It was a brutal sound that made the initial footstomp seem like nothing, and its power was just as brutal.
A section of the stone arena was pulverized by Kalidahs’s strike.
It was a merciless blow that allowed for no defense.
But such power was meaningless if it didn’t connect.
Whoosh!
Sword energy erupted from Peter's dagger, slashing at the back of Kalidahs's neck three times in succession.
It was an uncanny display of swordsmanship; an ordinary person wouldn’t even have been able to tell how he’d swung the blade.
But despite the sword energy being sharp enough to cut through steel, Kalidahs was unharmed.
Her armor, a strange combination of metal and leather, had perfectly blocked Peter’s attack.
Peter frowned but didn’t press the attack.
Kalidahs’s greatsword, brimming with menacing power, had already closed the distance.
Peter floated into the air to evade Kalidahs’s strike, but the greatsword screeched to a halt immediately after.
It wasn’t some special sword technique or skill.
Kalidahs, having stopped the attack with pure strength alone, simply bent the greatsword’s trajectory and swung it toward Peter.
For Peter, suspended in mid-air, there was no way to dodge.
That would have been the case, had Peter been an ordinary warrior.
Within the small tempest kicked up by Kalidahs’s greatsword, a fresh breeze made its presence known.
The wind, which had been gently and freely embroidering the air, gathered at Peter’s feet and became his foothold.
It wasn’t a metaphor or anything of the sort. Peter literally kicked off the empty air and once again evaded Kalidahs’s attack.
Fzzt-!
For Peter, who could create a foothold anywhere in the air, spatial constraints were meaningless.
He shot around like a pinball, aiming for Kalidahs's vitals.
And against his three-dimensional maneuvers, Kalidahs fought back, swinging the massive greatsword as if it were a mere reed.
The scene was like a fierce dance between a gale and a leaf.
“Whoa.”
Adel watched the scene while treating her wounds with the medicine she had received from Dorothea.
She had thought Maximilian was skilled, but these two were on a completely different level.
[The ‘Tin Knight’ advises you to watch them both carefully, as you don’t know which one you’ll have to fight!]
“Huh?”
Adel wore a slightly bewildered expression.
The Tin Knight stared at Adel as if to ask what was wrong.
“No, it’s just… Aren’t the team match winner and the individual match winner supposed to face off anyway? And since you were invited to the tournament by the champion, I naturally thought you would be the one to fight.”
[The ‘Tin Knight’ says that’s a separate matter!]
[The ‘Tin Knight’ insists that while a traditional champion match isn’t bad, a battle between teacher and pupil would be a cool event in its own right!]
“But…”
Adel’s voice trailed off.
To Adel, the Tin Knight was a symbol of strength.
She had faith that no matter what formidable foe appeared, the Tin Knight would surely seize victory.
Peter was a man who had fought on equal footing with that same Tin Knight, if only for a moment, and Kalidahs was now displaying skills comparable to his right before her eyes.
“…I don’t think I can win against people who are strong enough to face you, Sir Knight.”
In response to Adel’s honest feelings, the Tin Knight remained silent, which was unusual.
As the silence stretched on, Adel began to fidget nervously.
“No, I mean, I didn’t say that in a defeatist way, you know? It’s just an objective assessment, or something.”
The Tin Knight stared at Adel for a long moment as she rambled on nonsensically.
And then.
“Hwek.”
It pinched Adel’s cheek.
“Siw, Siw Knighd?”
It pulled.
“Siw Knighd? Siw Kniiighd?!”
It pulled haaaard.
“Ouch! Ow! Sir Knight! Ow!”
After flailing about like a baby bird, Adel finally broke free from the Tin Knight’s grasp and crouched down, holding her cheek.
It would have hurt to be pinched by a hand of ordinary flesh and blood, so the pain of being pinched by a hand made of metal was beyond words.
Even Adel, with her strong pushover tendencies, flared up this time.
“Seriously, what was that for! That hurt! If you have something to say, just say it!”
Adel protested loudly, a red mark still visible on her cheek.
The fact that the handprint was already fading at a rapid pace was a testament to her special constitution.
[The ‘Tin Knight’ says its hand moved on its own!]
[The ‘Tin Knight’ marvels that it’s a truly magnificent cheek, to feel so soft even without the sense of touch!]
Adel glared at the Tin Knight with cold eyes, but soon sighed and lowered her head as if realizing it was useless.
[The ‘Tin Knight’ says that there is no teacher who would not rejoice in their pupil’s victory!]
The words were spoken as if in passing.
Adel’s eyes widened as she lifted her head and looked up at the Tin Knight.
But the Tin Knight didn’t meet her gaze or say anything more.
As if it had said all it needed to, it simply stared at the arena.
Adel’s lips parted a few times, but she, too, turned her gaze to the arena.
Her violet eyes were no longer those of a simple spectator, but of a warrior filled with a desire to win.
Fzzt-!
The duel between the two masters, which had seemed as if it would never end, was finally approaching its conclusion.
Thanks to Kalidahs’s incredibly heavy attacks, the arena was now so battered that its original shape was hard to recognize.
Peter, who had dodged Kalidahs’s greatsword with a fluttering movement, swung his dagger again.
With a cracking sound, the neck area of Kalidahs’s armor split open.
Kalidahs quickly dodged and attempted a counterattack, but perhaps due to the strained movement, she lost her grip on the greatsword.
Peter seized the opportunity and charged toward the weakness he had just created.
Grab.
And as if waiting for it, Kalidahs’s hand clamped down on Peter’s forearm.
A giant’s strength, unthinkable for a human, forcibly dragged Peter’s body.
Kalidahs slammed Peter into the ground with all her might.
“Kuhk!”
For the first time, a sound escaped Peter’s lips.
As if to prove his title of legendary adventurer wasn’t just for show, Peter skillfully executed a breakfall even in that situation, deflecting most of the impact.
Not only that, but he also displayed the technique of using Kalidahs’s strength against her to pull his captured arm free.
It was just as Peter was about to counterattack.
《Impressive. You live up to your name. But it’s already over.》
At Kalidahs’s words, Peter frowned.
Peter retorted.
“What nonsense are you talking about?”
The answer came not from Kalidahs, but from outside the ring.
“Contestant Peter! Your body has made contact with the ground outside the arena boundary! It’s an out-of-bounds!”
Only then did Peter look down at his feet.
His body was indeed standing on the ground, not the arena.
To be more precise, it was the spot ‘where the arena used to be’ before Kalidahs had pulverized it.
Realizing that Kalidahs had deliberately thrown him here, Peter was outraged.
“You, you bastard, so that’s why you were smashing the place up! Was this your plan from the start!? Besides, this counts? Really?!”
《How many years do you think I’ve been the champion here? It would be shameful to lose to a newcomer in exploiting the rules.》
Peter looked at the referee as if in protest, but the referee simply shook his head with a regretful expression.
With nothing more to say, Peter’s shoulders slumped in defeat.
“Hah, so that’s how it is.”
《You’re accepting it surprisingly well.》
“Just as the world of adventurers has its own rules, this place has its rules too… Though it’s a bit of a shame I couldn’t see the full power hidden beneath that armor.”
The last words were almost a whisper, so only Kalidahs could hear them.
Kalidahs paused for a moment, then shrugged once before picking up the fallen greatsword and raising it high.
The referee’s declaration of victory rang out, and the audience, who had been bewildered by the sudden turn of events, soon erupted in cheers.
The final conclusion was somewhat unexpected, but the battle the two had shown until then had been sufficiently spectacular and thrilling.
Adel continued to stare at Kalidahs as she received the crowd’s cheers.
On and on, as if not to miss a single tiny scratch on the armor.