HTRE 09

Chapter 9

Soma was so anxious that she could not stay still. She had decided not to worry, but her mouth would not listen to her.

As she wrapped a protector around Eroika’s wrist, concern suddenly appeared on her face. Every time she looked at Eroika’s wrist, it was so slender that she wondered how she could even hold a sword with it.

“Of course I’m at a disadvantage when it comes to strength. Maybe he’s much better than me in terms of technique too. But you know, Soma. You know how I got this far. If I just have to buy some time, I think I can do it.”

Eroika remembered the days when she had forced herself through harsh training. Even against Tiller, who was incredibly strong, she had stubbornly gotten back up every time she was knocked down. As for technique, Soma herself belonged among the best swordsmen.

She had clashed swords with them day after day using nothing but her determination. Kylev would be no different.

Eroika cheerfully stood up and lightly tapped Soma on the shoulder. The red-haired boy who had protected her when they were young had grown into a fine man and a proper knight.

“Don’t worry. I’ll definitely win.”

Soma felt a little more relieved by her firm voice.

Believing that the difficult days she had endured would not betray her, Eroika headed toward the arena.

Her back looked far too slender to carry the weight of the world.

“Waaaaah!”

Eroika was the first to appear in the arena.

Cheers erupted at her appearance.

The sight of her preparing to cross swords with the 14th Prince aroused the curiosity of the people.

Eroika slowly looked around the audience. All these people would prove that she existed. She gave a slight smile toward the people cheering for her.

“Ha… She’s smiling like that?”

Ethan, who had been watching her, let out a laugh at her relaxed attitude.

She really was an incredible woman.

Eroika was definitely the main character of this stage. Her confident expression said so clearly.

The rules of the match were simple.

Both would use wooden swords, but Eroika would also carry a shield, while Kylev would use only his left hand.

During the ten minutes of the match, if Eroika dropped her sword or became unable to continue fighting, she would lose.

In other words, if she could endure for ten minutes, she would win.

The cheers grew even louder when a tall man appeared in the distance across from Eroika.

As Eroika had noticed before, he was even taller than Tiller. His build was a little slimmer, though.

As he approached, Eroika had to look up at him for quite a while.

Kylev’s training clothes, designed to allow easy movement, showed off his well-trained muscles. The difference in their physiques alone was enormous.

His broad, straight shoulders and prominent veins were intimidating just to look at.

“I greet His Highness the Prince.”

Eroika politely bowed to the prince.

Eroika was pretending that she remembered nothing. Kylev must have been somewhat confused by the fact that she had returned alive but had lost her memories. Did he feel even a little guilty?

Suddenly curious about his expression, Eroika raised her head and looked up at Kylev.

His golden eyes were unwavering. They looked down at Eroika without containing a single emotion.

Their gazes met in the air. His eyes were rough, like those of a wild animal.

“Is she really going to be okay? They look like a predator hunting its prey and a helpless baby animal.”

The spectators were worried about Eroika. Looking at the two of them, it seemed as though she would not last even one minute against the prince, or perhaps not even thirty seconds.

“I praise you for coming this far. People will have already thought highly of your courage. So I think it would be better for you to put down your sword now.”

The prince was not trying to provoke her with his words. At that moment, he sincerely wanted Eroika to give up.

Perhaps her confidence was not merely bravado. Her eyes were still firm. Yet, through the training clothes that revealed the shape of her body, she looked even more delicate than he had expected.

“I suppose you don’t want the humiliation of having struggled against a woman?”

Eroika looked up at Kylev with an expression so relaxed that it made his sincerity seem meaningless.

“Just what are you…?”

Kylev was dumbfounded and unconsciously let out a hollow laugh.

“Where does that useless bravado come from? I’m sorry, but it looks like nothing more than reckless pride to me.”

“Would you like to play along with that reckless pride?”

“I hope it isn’t just an empty bluff.”

No sooner had Kylev finished speaking than Eroika charged at him. The prince easily blocked her forceful sword strike, but she quickly lowered her body.

Eroika disappeared from Kylev’s sight in an instant and launched another strike from behind.

“That’s it.”

Ethan, who had been watching Eroika nervously from the audience, remembered her smiling at him earlier.

Eroika’s sword was fast. Her slender body was perfectly suited for avoiding her opponent’s attacks. Her fighting style was to evade every sword strike and then quickly deliver a counterattack.

‘Ethan’s Shadow.’

That was the nickname the knights of Palastian had given Eroika because her attacks could not be seen.

She had already earned recognition throughout the kingdom. He had been worried for a moment because her opponent had such a great reputation, but perhaps she actually had a chance of winning this match.

It did not take Ethan long to realize that his worries had been unnecessary.

The speed of their swords began to increase, and the audience fell silent. The woman they had expected to drop her sword immediately after the match began was fighting evenly against the prince.

Three minutes had already passed since the start of the match, and Eroika’s movements became faster and faster as she read the flow of the battle.

Kylev’s footwork, which had only been focused on blocking Eroika’s sword, gradually began to change.

‘So it wasn’t a bluff.’

He could not read her movements at all. If he kept blocking, he would eventually be caught off guard. Deciding to change his strategy, Kylev twisted the sword that had been used only for defense and thrust it toward Eroika.

At some point, their positions had completely reversed. Eroika, who had been attacking, was now blocking Kylev’s sword.

“Are you getting desperate?”

Eroika dodged Kylev’s sword strikes one after another as if teasing him. She was far stronger at defense than offense.

‘She’s strangely irritating. Whenever I follow her movements, she dodges as if she had been waiting for it.’

Kylev’s expression darkened slightly, and the spectators could no longer predict the outcome.

Her sword could not be read. Kylev was not used to situations where he had to rely only on his instincts, and his movements gradually became slower.

“W-What is going on?”

Sweat gathered in Bosarba’s hands as he watched the match.

Could that woman really win?

Kylev was said to be able to read every sword path. Yet now, wasn’t he failing to keep up with that woman’s movements?

The sand in the hourglass that had been turned over at the beginning of the match was gradually running out. Seven minutes had already passed.

The spectators could not close their mouths as they watched Eroika’s swordsmanship. Her movements looked almost like a dance. It was completely different from the elegant dance she had shown with the prince at the previous banquet. This dance was much more brilliant and spirited.

Kylev slightly turned his head to check the time. When he saw that there was not much time left, his eyes grew heavier.

Sweat formed on his forehead, and his breathing became rough. It was proof that, despite intending to take the match lightly, he had faced his opponent seriously.

When he put strength into the sword he had been holding lightly, Eroika’s steps were pushed backward.

“…!”

Her legs trembled from even that small amount of force.

The momentum had already shifted toward Kylev. Faced with his seemingly endless and overwhelming strength, Eroika’s eyes wavered.

If he could not read her movements, he would stop her with a technique that overwhelmed them. That was the method Kylev chose in the confusion.

Pushing her back with overwhelming strength was not the method he had originally wanted to use. He wanted to applaud her for bringing out his true skills.

“The little performance ends here.”

Eroika’s wrist was eventually caught in Kylev’s grasp as she was driven into a disadvantageous position. A moment later, the sound of her wooden sword hitting the floor rang out.

Kylev had grabbed Eroika’s wrist in an instant. He had not missed the opening created when she staggered from his advancing strength.

“…The winner is His Highness Prince Kylev!”

“Waaaaah!”

Their movements had been too fast to follow with the naked eye. The audience, which had fallen silent for a moment while trying to understand what had happened, erupted into cheers.

It had been more exciting than any other match. No one could take their eyes off the smooth movements they had created together.

Eroika had endured for nearly nine minutes. It was clearly her defeat.

Bosarba, who had been biting his nails out of habit throughout the match, let out a sigh of relief. He had almost witnessed his younger brother lose. Of course, Kylev would not have found it easy to win either.

When the Emperor stood up from his seat while applauding, the excited spectators who had been cheering loudly fell silent.