It was only recently that Dorothea pushed him away because she was not feeling well.
It was only a few days ago that he slammed the door of the infirmary with a face that looked like she was about to cry.
But now youâre going to fight with that bastard?
Ethan clenched his fists as he watched Dorothea prepare for the match under the arena.
âIf you were weaker, it would have been better to be selfish, but I hated the stubbornness of choosing a thorny path.â
And if you get hurtâŠ
Ethan forgot to take good care of his expression and showed his tension as it was.
* * *
Meanwhile, below the arena, the guys who seemed to be Alexâs friends giggled and shouted.
âLeader! Be quick, baby, youâll get hurt!â
I clicked my tongue when I saw them running around and arguing here and there.
Itâs childish to think that kids who are old enough to eat are still playing alley leader.
Then Alex twisted his back and came over to my side.
âBaby, you will regret what you said before hitting the ground. Be careful not to bleed that pretty face.â
Alex tapped my head and said.
My brow furrowed.
Why do you tap someoneâs head?
For a moment, I was about to be angry but then came to my senses.
âDonât hit people, good kids who donât hit peopleâŠâ
Controlling the heat rising from the inside, I clenched my teeth.
âIâll be going up to the arena soon, so hit him thenâŠâ
I waited for the time of legal and wholesome violence to come.
The arena was cleared and the match that I had been waiting for so much began. I and Alex went up to the arena together and faced each other.
âYou donât even know if you will get hurt?â
Alex raised one corner of his mouth, but I lightly ignored those words and raised my sword.
Rather than fit in with his childish puns, I wanted to swing the sword quickly.
âIt would have been better if it was a real sword.â
It was better to call it a stick because it was soft and blunt, only the fake black shape made to avoid casualties in these festival matches.
âFighting Dory!â
Rayâs voice came from afar.
It was Ray who cheered, but I looked at Theon.
he was looking at me so that I couldnât help but win.
The sound of the trumpet rang in my heart. At the same time, an excited Alex ran to me first.
I looked straight at Alex as he rushed towards me.
âIâm not used to it.â
I was unfamiliar with Alexâs attack and didnât know what to do.
âHe too slow.â
Alex was so slow that he gave me too much time to think about whether to avoid it first or drag it a bit.
Itâs difficult because there are so many options.
If it were Stefan, the flow of the sword would change like a ghost and follow in the midst of this slowness.
I remembered my practice with Stefan and took a step in finding the right timing.
It had only taken one step, but the attack missed so effortlessly that I could put a bridge between Alexâs sword and me.
âThatâs a good ideaâ
Alex laughed.
I looked at him with cold eyes.
âYou are not good enough.â
To be honest, I was expecting a little bit because he was the boss.
I swung my sword and hit Alexâs thigh.
âArgh!â
Alex screamed unfiltered at my stronger-than-expected power.
He had no idea how much power could come from my small and thin body.
When the smaller side made an effective attack on the big opponent, cheers erupted from the spectators who watched the match without expectations.
Alex turned to fight back immediately, with a fever so high that he forgot the pain.
âOh noâŠThere are so many gaps, itâs hard to decide where to hit.â
puck! puck! puck! puck!
A quick, even thud rang out.
Even after hitting like that, there was still time left, so I took my sword one turn.
âUgh.â
A groan escaped Alexâs mouth.
Alex is so tall, so I struggle, and he is large, so there are many places to hit and it is slow.
âThe turtle can hide it in the shell, but how can it be so slow without the shellâŠ?â
I tucked my hair behind my ears and looked down at Alex, who was on my knees.
Alex gritted his teeth and tried to get up.
Whoâs going to give you a chance to get up?
âYou canât get up if you do that.â
My sword struck him again on the shoulder and he knelt down again.
At this level, did you just say not to come out?
At the reception desk, you insisted on going back to the match list, so I participated, but it was not worthwhile.
As I stood proudly and looked down at him, Alex, heated, tried to attack with his fists and torso instead of his sword.
However.
âArgh!!â
He collapsed on the floor in pain as if his wrist was about to break.
âdummy.â
Whereâs the idiot who runs His fists at someone with a sword?
If your fist goes out first because youâre angry, itâs your own loss.
I almost let out a sigh of pity.
âThatâs why you should have stayed still when the referee changed the match list.â
I whispered to Alex that Iâd been merciful for a long time.
Alexâs face turned blue.
âYou, who the hell are you!?â
âMe?â
Well, a good kid?
The referee declared defeat for Alex, who couldnât get up and raised my hand.
âThe winner is Dory!!â
Cheers for me poured out from all sides.
Theon saw Dorothea, who raised the hand of victory. The light of the sun was pouring pure white over Dorothea.
Dorothea, who had not shed a sweat, seemed to glisten in the sunlight for some reason, and her blue eyes that met him seemed to silently give him victory.
It was dazzlingly beautiful.
* * *
âUgh.â
Alex came down from the arena and sighed.
His self-esteem was shattered and trampled on, and his body and mind were torn apart.
âGreat, boss!â
The boys who served Alex as boss flocked around him.
âdone! I am no longer a boss!â
Alex wiped away his tears and looked at me.
Since you lost so horribly to such a small kid, how do you maintain your position as a boss?
Those who had gathered next to Alex also turned to me.
âthen⊠⊠Is she the boss?â
They murmured to me.
I looked at them and shook my head as if pathetic.
âIâm not interested in being a neighborhood alley boss.â
âWhat?â
âI donât like to sit in the boss seatâŠâ
Iâve even played a boss thatâs a little bigger than the bastards who rob the neighborhood kids.
I smiled bitterly as I recalled the past.
I didnât want and shouldnât have a position like that.
âSo you go on, boss.â
I quietly left.
Then Ray, who was far away, ran to me.
âDorothea, you are amazing!â
Ray stamped his foot with great excitement. He looked happier than when he had won.
âBe quiet.â
At most, I used a pseudonym to compete, but are you going to talk about it all over the place?
When I glared at him, Ray sighed and nodded his head.
âI didnât know you could do this much swordsmanship. What happened?
When you were in the Imperial Palace, you never held a sword⊠â
âDonât even pretend to know.â
They look alike, and their skills stand out, so theyâll be caught off guard when the Duke of Bronte sees them.
I walked past Ray carelessly.
* * *
Ray looked behind Dorothea as she moved away.
âItâs hard.â
Rayâs smile darkened. He wanted to give Dorothea a lot of compliments.
Rey had done it herself, so she knew how much effort Dorothea had to put in to get to where she is today.
No matter how genius Dorothea was, that level of leisure and skill was not created overnight.
Besides, she had never held a sword when she was in the Imperial Palace, so it must have been the two years Dorothea spent in the detached palace.
Theon quietly placed a hand on Reyâs drooping shoulder.
âYou can make it to the finals, Ray.â
Ray laughed at Theonâs words.
âHaha, right. I never thought Iâd ever run into Dorothea with a sword.â
âI didnât know I would see the princessâs sword either.â
Dorothea, who is quiet and silent, who seems dark somewhere, had such power hidden.
Although the match ended quickly and I only saw simple movements, Theon could find traces of skill and proficiency in Dorothea.
She was someone who could shine like that.
He could understand why Ray was excited. After watching Dorotheaâs match, his heart raced too.
* * *
I and Ray went on to win consecutive victories without any surprises, and we made our way to the finals without hesitation.
And I was approaching the semifinals. If I win this match, I will face Ray in the final.
I relaxed slowly so that the pleasant heat did not subside.
The previous opponents were so easy, I felt like I had just warmed up.
âItâs the semifinals! These opponents are two players who have blown a new wave in this yearâs game! dory and Joy!â
Joy, I thought it was a familiar name.
Is it a common name? Somehow, when I hear the name Joy, I vaguely think of a potatoâŠ
âpotato?â
I saw the opponent coming up on the other side. A face with scruffy brown hair and a wrinkled expression. But the sullen face soon saw me and slowly opened and her eyes widened.
âPrincess?â
âpotatoâŠ?â
âShit, Whatâs this!â
It was the kid who started swearing out loud. The child who brings the grace of the month every month.
âI canât believe I didnât notice her name right away!â