Chapter 54
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Translator: Wjin
Chapter: 54
Chapter Title: Cheers for Charlotte
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Charlotte turned away as if she had finished her business and headed back toward the supervisor. Kate, who had been watching the tournament grounds, gazed once more at Charlotte's retreating back.
She was curious about Charlotte.
Grateful. Sorry. And at the same time, she found that composure of mind and skill to swoop in and save her utterly admirable and cool.
To the point where her heart was already growing anxious at the mere thought of getting to talk with Charlotte one more time.
To the extent that she regretted not practicing her spear training more seriously—something she had always dismissed as boring and ill-suited to her.
Anyway, if she wanted to stand proudly before Charlotte, she had at least to pass this stage.
Kate trudged forward on legs that no longer trembled or stiffened, picking up the spear that had fallen to the ground.
"Forfeit?"
One of the supervisors approached Kate.
It looked like he had come to suggest she withdraw now that things had turned out this way.
Kate shook her head.
She knew it was an uncharacteristic choice, but a surge of inexplicable courage welled up from somewhere.
"No. I'll give it another go."
Despite the unusual incident, the preliminaries proceeded smoothly to the end.
Slimes fell one by one in turn, and participants either forfeited or turned in coins they had barely managed to claim.
Byaki Setia was among those who submitted coins quickly.
Having to face the slimes with an aura-clad sword, he didn't struggle much, but it still took longer than expected for his skill level.
'At times like this, it'd be more efficient to just smash them with a heavy spear with good reach.'
Still, Byaki's delay wasn't anything remarkable.
As he approached the supervisor, he glanced at Lancelot foolishly trying to take on two slimes at once and was confident he was the first.
When he handed over the coin and pushed it into the box, it let out a metallic clink instead of the dull thud of hitting the bottom.
"Huh, what? I'm not first?"
Byaki looked up at the stands in puzzlement. The crowd, which usually erupted in thunderous cheers every time someone submitted a coin, was eerily silent.
And it wasn't just anyone—it was him, Byaki Setia, the heir candidate of House Setia, on whom all expectations were pinned.
As he scanned the crowd with a strange look in his eyes, a belated roar finally exploded from the hitherto silent stands.
Waaaaah—.
Waaaaaaaah—.
Hooray—!
Long live Charlotte—!
The cheers weren't directed at Byaki Setia.
The thunderous cheers from the stands rang out the moment Charlotte, having submitted her coin to the supervisor, vanished completely from sight.
Waaaaah—.
Hooray—!
Hooray—!
The Cheiker Kingdom revered the martial way.
Depending on the leader and the era, its value had flowed for good or ill, but in every citizen's heart burned a longing for chivalry.
Not mere admiration for the strong, but a wish that those strong ones would protect the weak, bolstered by the support, care, and cheers of others.
But reality didn't work that way.
Which was exactly why people went wild.
Someone who had shed blood and sweat up to this day, striving to outdo others in competition, now helping a rival competitor.
Marquis Lamorei Tantinus gripped the arms of her chair tightly.
Her deep blue hair, identical to her daughter's, was tied up in a single ponytail. She kept her unyielding gaze fixed on the arena below without ever relaxing her grip.
Only when Kate, down in the tournament grounds and struggling fiercely yet refusing to give up, finally felled a slime and triumphantly held up her coin did the marquis at last lean back against her seat.
Her husband removed his cloak and offered it to her.
"Here, at least drape this over your shoulders."
Marquis Tantinus shook her head.
"...No need. More importantly, that girl Charlotte. I'd only heard rumors about her, but... she's truly remarkable. Once the tournament ends, I should seek her out and give her my thanks in person."
Her husband looked at her quizzically.
"Do you really need to go that far?"
"...Did you just call her 'that Charlotte'? She saved our Kate."
"Wasn't it just some showmanship? Look down there now—Kate handled one on her own just fine."
"...Dear."
"You always see Kate as so weak. That's why, even though I've trained her myself, she keeps growing up so timid. I didn't think she'd even make it past the preliminaries, so for her to do as well as she has already shows she's got more potential than—"
"What are you saying?"
Marquis Tantinus ground her teeth and glared at her husband.
The marquis loved her one and only daughter dearly.
Even though her house had produced empresses for generations, she wanted her own daughter to walk her own path, free from becoming the emperor's wife, so she had taught her spear arts.
But that was all.
She just wanted her daughter to grow up happy. She wouldn't mind if she succeeded her position, and she hoped she'd make many good friends... but it was all for her daughter's happiness.
Her husband, perhaps because he himself lacked talent in the sword, had started training their daughter harshly from the moment she unexpectedly showed promise in martial arts, pushing her to the brink like one driving her toward a cliff.
He was good at supporting her otherwise, and since her daughter wanted to live up to her father's expectations, she couldn't outright stop him, so she had let it go to some extent...
Even when Kate had tearfully asked not to participate in this Shadow Blade Day and to join in five years instead, he had forced her anyway.
'...Just now, Kate's expression wasn't a lie. That trembling voice wasn't either.'
It had clearly been a dire situation.
Without Charlotte, something horrific and unimaginable would have happened.
"...If you're going to say one more word, you'll be sleeping in the corridors of the marquis's estate tonight. No—right on the floor of this tournament ground."
As Marquis Tantinus bared her teeth and growled, her husband finally clamped his mouth shut with a dissatisfied expression.
'He's so lovable to look at, but sometimes he crosses the line.'
Rubbing her throbbing temple, Marquis Tantinus watched her daughter Kate submit her coin and head to the waiting room.
'...Charlotte. Charlotte Setia.'
The name she hadn't truly known before was now firmly etched into her mind.
Guided by an attendant, Charlotte entered the room where those who had passed the preliminaries were gathered.
In the plain white room devoid of decorations, children clustered in small groups, wiping sweat from their bodies with towels and chatting among themselves.
When they had all first rushed into the preliminaries together, she had thought there were so many participants, but the group here was surprisingly small.
Maybe a dozen or so from each group had survived at best?
There had been many injuries from the slime battles, so even those who defeated their slimes apparently hadn't advanced to the main round.
As Charlotte mentally counted the people in the room, her eyes caught a beautiful boy standing quietly alone, not mingling with anyone.
'Welcome.'
Charlotte flashed a bright smile at Joseph, who mouthed a greeting to her.
'See? I wasn't worried at all. I knew you'd pass the preliminaries no problem.'
But inwardly, Charlotte realized she was relieved to see Joseph's face.
She sometimes felt anxious whenever it seemed the story she had read was twisting because of her presence.
Because she could never predict what or where it might twist.
As she moved toward Joseph, a murmur erupted among the children who had belatedly noticed her.
"What? Already from Group 3?"
"It's Charlotte."
"What happened? Is there a separate waiting room for Group 3?"
"Looks like Charlotte snagged the first one."
The kids didn't know she hadn't just taken her own slime first but had dealt with others too, but it was still surprising enough.
Still, none of them approached Charlotte to speak.
They were the same ones who had ignored her all this time, so now that she had been the first to claim a slime, they had no idea what to say to her.
"Charlotte...?"
Russell, who had been polishing his sword, heard the murmurs, his eyes lighting up as he stood.
He glanced behind her, but neither Byaki nor Lancelot was there.
'She's really been training hard. Impressive. But without aura, can she pass this...?'
Unable to shake off his puzzlement, Russell sheathed his sword and approached her.