Chapter 125 – Winner
Bowen’s “That’s it” was barely audible amid the cheers.
Almark slowly walked over to Polois, who was lying on his back on the ground a few steps away.
“Polois. Are you okay?”
Polois had his eyes wide open, not understanding what had happened.
“Can you stand up?”
“… Did you do it?”
Polois asked, turning his eyes only to Almark.
“Did you send my body flying this far?”
“… I’m sorry, I pushed too hard.”
Polois shook his head at Almark’s words.
“It’s supposed to be forbidden.”
“Eh?”
“It’s supposed to be forbidden to use magic in a match.”
“… I didn’t use magic.”
“Don’t lie!”
Polois shouted, still lying on the ground.
“You used magic!”
“I didn’t.”
“How dare you say that so brazenly. Otherwise how could you have done this…”
“What he says is true.”
Before he knew it, Bowen was standing behind Almark.
Bowen placed his hand on Almark’s shoulder and looked into Polis.
“Polis, I vouch for Almark’s martial arts skills. In fact, he has blown away Torque larger than yours in the same way. And Almark, if I remember correctly, you…”
“…Yes.”
Almark nodded.
“Polois, you were showing off a bit earlier. To be precise, it’s not that I don’t use it, it’s that I can’t. The only magic I can use is the mist magic I recently learned from Professor Illumis.”
“That’s so stupid…”
Polis’s face twisted.
Tears were about to spill from both of his eyes.
“Polois,” Bowen called out gently.
“You were strong. But your opponent was a little too strong. What you need now is…”
Saying this, he patted Almark on the shoulder again.
“Praise the winner. If you can’t be a good loser, you can never be a good winner. And that would be a disgrace to your family name, Stouts.”
Polois didn’t answer, but hid his face with his arms.
You could see tears spilling from the gaps.
After being declared the winner, Almark left the arena amidst loud cheers, with a stern expression.
Thankfully, most people couldn’t hear his exchange with Polois earlier because of the cheers.
To most people, it probably just looked like the winner was saying something to the loser.
“Almark!”
Wendy called out to Almark from the cheering section.
Almark finally smiled at this.
“Thank you, Wendy. I heard your cheering.”
“Yeah. I was a bit worried, but it looked like you had a lot of fun in the end.”
Wendy said, smiling at Almark, then her worried face returned.
“But now you seem a bit lonely.”
“…Wendy knows everything.”
Almark said with a smile, as if to reassure Wendy.
“My turn is over, so I’ll give you a little.”
“That’s all?”
“Yeah, that’s all.”
Though he thought Wendy probably didn’t agree, Almark said that.
Because he can’t fight one-on-one anymore.
Because he’ll never be a mercenary again.
He can’t say that to Wendy.
“I feel sorry for that guy, Polois.”
Torque chimed in from the side.
“Hey, Torque.”
Almark replied.
“Thanks. I couldn’t hear you cheering at all.”
“Who would cheer for you?”
Torque snorted.
“I would have won even without that.”
“Not really. It was a tough fight.”
“Say that.”
Torque rubbed his stomach as he spoke.
“I remember. He pushed harder than me.”
“I put more effort in because everyone was watching.”
Almark gave a bitter smile, and Torque grimaced and shook his head.
“Polois, you can’t eat properly today.”
“Almark!!”
The voices of Nelson and the others came from the players’ seats.
If we take it easy, the next game will start.
“We have to go now.”
Almark said to the two in the cheering section, waving his hand and trying to leave.
“Almark.”
It was Deg who hurriedly appeared from beside Torque.
“Next time, teach me that cool introduction.”
“Yeah, sure.”
Almark nodded with a smile.
In the player’s box, Almark was greeted again by Nelson, Morgen, and Raido with great joy.
“Almark is amazing, after all!”
Nelson tapped Almark on the shoulder.
“One blow. One blow.”
“And he completely shut down the opponent’s attack.”
Raido said.
“I took the lead, so I did it in a flashy way to get everyone going.”
“Yeah! We’re getting some momentum!”
Nelson clenched his fist at Almark’s words.
“It’s my turn next. I’ll do it too.”
From behind the excited Nelson, Morgen called out to Almark.
“…Almark, is it your leg?”
“Eh?”
“You hurt your leg?”
“Why?”
“Well, I thought you wouldn’t have chosen to fight like that if that wasn’t the case.”
“…Thank you. My leg is a little sore, okay? It’s fine now.”
Almark smiled at Morgen.
Morgen laughed awkwardly.
[I’m so happy.]
Almark thought.
[I’m blessed to have friends who understand me so well.]
“Okay, it’s about time!”
Nelson shouted.
“I’m off. I’m going to blow him away.”
Almark tried to remain calm as he spoke to the excited Nelson.
“Nelson, your opponent is Eston. From what I can see, he’s a little stronger than Polois.”
“A little stronger, huh? Almark only took one hit, so I think I could win with about three.”
“Listen to me seriously, Nelson.”
Almark said.
“Eston will make the most of his physique. You should also remember your training with Torque…”
“I’m being very serious, Almark.”
Nelson interrupted Almark.
“At this point, there’s no need for words. I got all worked up watching your match. Sorry, but I’m not cool enough to listen to your advice anymore.”
Almark could see the fire in Nelson’s eyes.
Nelson was more determined than anyone else to win this tournament.
Poor reasoning would only dampen his fighting spirit.
“Okay. I’ll leave it to you, Nelson.”
“Yeah. Leave it to me.”
With that, Nelson started walking towards the arena.
“Well, get going.”
“Nelson.”
Almark called out to his back at the end.
“When things get tough, remember that…”
“I know.”
Nelson interrupted Almark again, turned around and smiled.
“Lord Boruk’s maze, right?”
“If you know it, that’s fine.”
“Yeah.”
Nelson didn’t look back this time, just walked straight towards the center of the arena.
Chapter 126 – Nelson
In the center of the arena.
The two fighters facing each other are Nelson and Eston.
Nelson is not small either, but he looks a little weak in comparison to Eston’s well-endowed physique.
“You guys are dirty.”
That was what Eston said.
“Huh?”
Nelson turned his eyes towards them, his eyes bloodshot with excitement.
“That guy from earlier. I’m talking about the guy with the name something.”
Eston jerked his chin in the direction of the two pairs of fighters.
“He’s apparently from the north. It’s not fair to hire a mercenary from the north who kills people for a mere martial arts tournament.”
He said, chuckling faintly.
“You.”
Nelson’s face changed color.
“Almark is just from the north. You want to call him a murderous mercenary from the north?”
“How much did you pay him? I’m sure you guys can’t pay that much.”
Nelson’s lips trembled with anger.
“You insulted my teammates and my class.”
“Insult?”
Eston shook his head with a smile.
“It’s a word used when you have an honor worthy of being humiliated. Um.”
“Nelson.”
Nelson said, slamming his head.
“You’ll be an unforgettable name by the time the match is over.”
“Not at all.”
Eston was still composed.
“But I’ll keep in mind your earnest wish that I remember your name.”
“Norish.”
Nelson spoke the name, slamming it even more.
“Do you remember this name?”
“I think someone asked me that before.”
Eston shook his head disinterestedly.
“Sorry, but we don’t remember the names of people we don’t care about. Look, Professor Bowen is here.”
Noticing Bowen approaching, Nelson gritted his teeth and swallowed his angry words.
“Nelson, he seem very excited.”
Morgen looked at Almark.
“I wonder if that’s okay. I think he got completely carried away by the other person’s provocation.”
“He probably got carried away.”
Almark nodded.
“I think he got carried away right away.”
“Eh!”
Mogren looked at Almark with a reproachful look.
“Because Almark would send you off to the match without letting you calm down.”
“That’s fine.”
Almark said coolly.
“In Nelson’s case, you see.”
Eston bows gracefully as his name is called out.
Nelson stomps his feet, waiting for his turn.
When Nelson’s name is called out and he raises his right hand, holding his sword, a particularly loud cheer erupts from the women in the audience.
“Nelson! Go for it!”
“If you lose, I won’t accept it!”
“If you don’t win, I won’t forgive you!”
Hearing this, Nelson grimaces without thinking.
Hey, aren’t they only sloppy in their cheering when it’s my turn?
Then, in the back of his excited mind, he thinks.
But, well, that’s more like me.
Then he slowly brings his sword in contact with the tip of Eston’s sword.
“Begin!”
“Daaaaaahh!!”
With a roar of determination that drowned out Bowen’s voice, Nelson steps forward.
A sharp thrust filled with spirit.
However, Eston caught it as if he had been waiting for this.
“Oh, look!”
Morgen grabbed both of his hands.
“That’s just how Eston planned it!”
“Yeah.”
Almark nodded.
But even I couldn’t stop Nelson.
“Aaahh!!”
Nelson thrusted with all his might.
Eston received it.
Nelson thrust straight into Eston’s torso.
As a child, Nelson never doubted for a second that his father was a knight.
So when he found out that his father was only a squire to a knight, he was disappointed.
When he asked his father when he would become a knight, his father’s answer was unexpected.
“A knight is a knight. A squire is a squire. That will never change.”
A clear difference in status.
Nelson realized this for the first time then. But wouldn’t my father be able to become a knight if he did something good?
As Nelson continued to speak, his father looked at him with a dumbfounded expression.
“Where do you do good deeds?”
A battlefield where you can do something good enough to become a knight. There was no such thing in this peaceful country.
So what is a knight?
His father’s answer was enough to shatter Nelson’s ideal of becoming a knight.
“A knight is someone who rides a horse. A nobleman who can pass through the castle gates without dismounting is called a knight.”
Wrong.
Nelson thought.
A knight is a brave man who wears armor, rides a horse, and carries a long spear, fearlessly charging straight into the enemy camp and monsters.
“That’s in stories, of course.”
His father’s answer was blunt.
When it was decided that he would enter the Nork Magic Academy, Nelson thought that he could transcend his social status and become a knight.
“Dad, can I become a knight too?”
“Well, maybe you could if I got promoted.”
“Dad, I’m not talking about the kind of knights you serve.”
“The knights in your favorite stories don’t exist in this world.”
At least not in this country, his father said.
Nelson vaguely understood that.
So he decided to focus on his way of life, not on his status.
Always be straight.
It’s hard to put into practice, and often ends up crooked.
Nelson thrusts straight in.
Eston receives it.
Receives it.
Receives it.
But Nelson’s attacks don’t stop.
Eston looks confused when the attacks he thought would stop unexpectedly continue.
Nelson doesn’t care about that.
Thrust straight. Thrust. Thrust. Keep thrusting.
“Come on!”
Nelson shouts with determination.
He continues.
Thrust. Thrust.
He has been thrusting since the moment the match began.
How long will this go on?
Eston’s face finally loses its composure.
The power of Nelson’s thrusts is not weakening, but rather increasing.
[This is for making fun of my class.]
Nelson counts with his excited mind and thrusts with all his might.
[This is for making fun of Almark.]
Eston tries to counterattack after receiving the thrust, but.
[This is for not remembering my name.]
With no time to counterattack, Eston’s sword goes into vain defense.
[This is for making Norish cry.]
An even stronger thrust. Eston’s face changes color.
[This is for making Norish cry.]
[This is for making Norish cry, too. This too made Norrish cry.]
And not just the power. The rotation speed was also increasing.
[This was because he hadn’t remembered Norrish’s name.]
Finally, Nelson’s thrust grazed Eston’s torso.
[This is for made Norrish cry.]
Nelson didn’t stop.
[This is for made Norrish cry.]
[This is for made Norrish cry.]
[This is for made Norrish cry.]
[Damn it. This is for made Norrish cry.]
The spectators must have had trouble telling which of the furious continuous attacks that hit Eston’s torso.
Eston’s torso made a noise, as if it was being crushed by Nelson’s thrust.
“That’s it!” Bowen’s voice rang out.
“He just got carried away with the provocation.”
Almark said to Morgen, whose eyes were wide. “Nelson will become stronger without hesitation and with a straightforward approach.”
From the cheering section, Norish could be seen waving her arms widely at Nelson, who proudly raised his sword towards the crowd.
Translator Note: Hello dear reader, I don’t have many comment because it become really enjoyable to read and make me want to read more and more. See you
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