At the moment, Joy thought the sword really penetrated her neck, so she held her breath and hardened.
â⌠â
A frightened look, but she did not give in and was looking for a chance to rise again somehow.
Eyes that know a lot of curses but donât know the world, but have to live anyway.
The eyes Iâve never seen before, unfamiliar to me who lives a second life.
Joy was really ready to sell her life for 10 Blanc, so I clenched my sword.
âSelling your life for 10 Blanc is stupid.â
I said looking into her eyes.
âWhat?â
At that moment, my sword, which had been stuck on the floor, was immediately attached to Joyâs neck.
The trumpets sounded announcing the end of the game.
Joy realized the game was over while she was distracted by my words.
At the thought of being deceived by me, Joy got angry and yelled at me and punched me.
âYou said youâd pay me back if I won! Damn it, you were making fun of me! My 10 BlancâŚ!â
However, her fist only stirred in the air, and I calmly raised my sword and avoided the fist.
âIf you are alive, you can earn 10 blancs somehow.â
âWhat? somehow? What do you know of someone born as a princess!â
âYeah, I was born good, so I donât know how you lived. I know this though. There are many ways to earn 10 blancs without having to sell your life.â
10 Blanc. Worth 100 pounds of flour. The price is about five common peopleâs clothes.
It wasnât a small amount, but it was too little money to sell her life.
It was cheaper than a book, a silk, or a pig, so itâs a waste of human life.
âI donât know how toâŚâ
âIâll tell you how.â
âWhat?â
âCome to me when you have to sell your life for 10 Blanc.â
âAre you sympathizing with me?â
Even though the match was over, Joy was angry and swung her fists at me.
âCan you sell your life for 10 Blancs but not your pride? I think selling your life for 10 blancs is more damaging to your pride.â
Joyâs eyes, which had been burning at my words, suddenly went dark and lost their light.
The fists that had been swinging through the air as if at a loss for words also stopped.
Is it a habit to stop your body when you stop thinking? Itâs not a good habit to use a sword.
I thought so and gently pressed down Joyâs hand, which had stopped in the air.
âYou can take your pride where you want it, potato.â
âI am not a potatoâŚ!â
âYou are a potato. Itâs also an insulting potato.â
I smiled as I looked at Joy, and the referee confirmed my victory.
âYou know where I live, so come to me when you need ten blancs.â
I said so and left the arena.
* * *
As it was a game with many surprises, more people gathered to watch the final than at the beginning.
And the main characters of the final were Dorothea and Ray.
âDorotheaâŚâ
Ray, who was preparing to go up to the arena, cautiously called out Dorothea. In His heart, he wanted to hold Dorotheaâs hand and say letâs do well, but Dorothea couldnât allow it. Ray had a complicated mind ahead of the game.
âShould I win or lose Dorothea?â
Neither side seemed against him.
âYou know, Dorothy. Do you want to win?â
Ray asked Dorothea carefully. Then Dorothea looked at Ray.
âJust think about it for me.â
After reading Rayâs thoughts, Dorothea warned him with a stern look. Joy and Ray were equally arrogant in their thoughts.
âYou say I am weak enough that someone can afford to take care of me?â
Ray nodded as he dozed off like a deflated balloon.
âI wonâtâŚâ
Ray thought his younger sister would want first place. And he was willing to give the 1st prize to his younger sister. Ray thought if Dorothea wanted, he wanted to give Dorothea a great victory as long as she didnât get hurt.
âEven if you do your best, you canât beat me.â
Dorothea pointed at Rayâs arrogance.
âWhy does everyone think heâs going to win?â
âDo I look so weak?â
Unlike Dorothea, who was offended, Ray somehow felt better about Dorotheaâs complaints. He thought Dorothea would put her heart into this match. Maybe this match could be a time to share His heart with Dorothea.
It occurred to him that this might be the first time Dorothea did her best for Ray.
After the arena was cleaned again, Dorothy and Ray went up together.
Clara stamped her feet as she watched the two of them confidently enter the arena.
âReally, I donât know who to cheer for.â
If the two fight, someone will lose. No matter who wins, there is a loser, so it was also a problem.
âWho do you think will win?â
Clara asked Stefan, but, as always, he didnât answer.
However, his fists were clenched firmly, unlike the previous matches he had been watching leisurely.
* * *
As the trumpet sounded in the clear sky, I made eye contact with Ray. Rayâs eyes, holding the sword, were sharp.
great.
If he had loosely loose eyes, I was going to beat him up without mercy.
Ray and I both clashed swords at the same time.
A loud sound echoed like fireworks exploding.
My fingertips felt Rayâs power.
A toughness that cannot be compared with its predecessors. And solid basics.
Fool Ray has always liked to simply repeat basic training. Itâs a discipline that looks stupid because itâs not faking, which made Ray stronger than anyone else.
I was a little envious of Rayâs simplicity.
After doing a simple movement tens of thousands of times, you might get tired of it and think about other things, but Ray had never expressed that kind of expression.
So even after returning, the basic skills were pushed, Ray.
I grabbed the sword late and was younger than Ray, so maybe it was natural, but I wanted to win it.
Still, I had my strengths. His eyes and brain are faster than Ray.
Reyâs gaze was distracted as I twisted my small body as faked my gaze.
Using Rayâs bewildered eyes as a stepping stone, my sword headed toward his neck.
Rey evaded the attack with an intermittent drive and stepped back.
âObviously, I thought I would have the upper hand.â
I clenched my sword, deeply feeling my lack of skill. I canât believe I canât even beat 14-year-old Ray when I returned.
I and Ray traded more sums than in any other match played today. Each time the two swords collided, the audienceâs voice rose with excitement.
At that moment, the tip of Rayâs sword passed my arm. Although it was a blunt sword, Rayâs strength and speed ripped through the skin just by swiping the tip.
âDamn it, come to your senses, Dorothy.â
I frowned, angrier at giving Ray a chance rather than being sick.
Then, Rayâs sharp eyes loosened.
âUh, are you sick?â
Reyâs bewildered gaze turned to my thinly bloodied arm.
I clenched my teeth as I looked at Ray, who was stupidly concerned about his enemies during the fight.
Now, Ray, I was the enemy. Still, Ray is stupidly worried about his enemies. He didnât even think of poking through this gap.
Ray was nothing like before.
âItâs the same as back then.â
Rayâs reaction made my mood drop to the floor, and Rayâs innocence made me even angry.
âIt doesnât hurt, so focus on it, Ray!â
âYes!â
Ray straightened his sword again and nodded. But even as I swung my sword, his former gaze did not return. Ray, unable to fully unleash his skills, was helpless in front of my sword.
Do you have any plans to fight? Are you planning on attacking me?
A fight is like childrenâs playing hitting tuk-tuk sticks. A blade without a sharp edge.
âConcentrate!â
I swung my sword and shouted, and Ray trembled in surprise. As a result, Ray completely gave me a chance to attack. Rey, unable to stop my sword, stopped breathing.
âI told you not to let it slide, didnât I?â
My sword stood still without touching Rey. Ray opened his eyes and looked at me who had stopped. The moment I stopped, Rey had no intention of attacking even the perfect gap.
âI⌠I didnât let you off the hook.â
Did you see this or what? Why are you standing still even when my sword doesnât move?
ââŚ.â
Ray shook his head, but I lowered my sword and turned my head.
There was no point in fighting anymore. Rayâs concentration was completely broken, and even defeating Ray in such a stupid state didnât feel good at all.
âYou idiot.â
Whether victory or defeat, I donât want to face anything unless itâs sincere. Moreover, if the opponent is Ray.
âIâd rather fight potatoes than you.â
At least she fought with all her heart until the end.
I groaned angrily and ran out of the arena.
* * *
âDorothea!â
Ray hurriedly followed Dorothea as she left the arena.
He never meant to upset Dorothea. No, he didnât understand why Dorothea was so angry.
He never really tried to go easy on Dorothea.
At the height of excitement, as the players left the arena one after another, the panicked referee ran towards Dorothea.
âhey kids, If you give up in the middle of the game like this, youâre in trouble!â
The referee, who was in a hurry to catch Dorothea, almost tripped without seeing the string holding the tent pole of the stadium underneath.
However, the string, which had already been caught in the foot and pulled tightly, pulled the pillar that had been standing in front of it.
Dorothea looked back at the creaking sound.
A large pillar was leaning over Ray, who was following her.
âDorothea!â
âYouâre doing all sorts of thingsâŚ!â
Dorothea clenched her teeth.
Crash!
With a loud noise, the tent collapsed completely, and dust flew in all directions.
âPrincess! Prince!â
Clara and Stefan were startled and ran straight to the fallen tent.
It was impossible to see what had happened because a huge tent had hit Ray. Meanwhile, Ray, lying under the tent, slowly opened his tightly closed eyes.
Obviously, the pillars were collapsing.
The white tent was covered everywhere and was out of sight.
but.
âDorotheaâŚ?â
âYou really donât help my life.â
Dorotheaâs frown appeared above Ray.
Thanks to Dorotheaâs push, Rayâs body managed to get out of the way.
âUgh!â
Dorothea, who was about to step away, frowned at the pain she felt in her arm. One of Dorothyâs arms, which had pushed Rey away, rested on a pillar.
Dorothy tried to push the pillar and pull her arm out, but the pain in her arm was so severe that she couldnât move.