episode_0257

“…Huh. No need.”

Arina let out a gasp at the absurd reaction.

“Do you know what you’re talking about?”

Yeah, I guess so.

Even I think it’s crazy.

At the present time, a martial arts competition is taking place.

It is not optional to supplement and check your equipment during this competition, it is mandatory.

However, it is impossible for a contestant to go it alone and purchase all the necessary equipment. In order to do so, the right answer was to receive support from various sponsors and conduct tests.

That means it would be quite disadvantageous to leave it to just one person like me, Viscount Ptois.

Just looking at what’s inside, you can tell that there are some pretty good items. If they were to give it to you for free, that would be a huge benefit. Even the items that actually seem helpful are briefly visible in the item text window.

At the same time, he cut me off and refused.

Most of the limitations that Karsene has are due to Arina, who took away his rights.

If you want to give it all back, you’ll look like a crazy person if you refuse.

No matter how common sense you think about it, it’s normal to accept it.

however.

“As someone said, I’m not qualified.”

I don’t like it. The very act of receiving help from you.

“Don’t be stubborn, just choose and use it. I will carefully select the sponsors that will be the best for you among these quality items.”

“Why, is it because you think my poor performance in the competition will tarnish the family name? So you mean, I should at least get the minimum score with those items? If that’s the case, then I don’t need it anymore.”

Boom!

He swings the entire box with his fist, causing it to fall off the table.

“I think I said this at the symposium. You have to try it to know whether it’s long or short.”

The overturned box fell to the floor, and the items I had painstakingly prepared spilled out like an overturned trash can.

“Ha. You’re going to be arrogant until the end, right? No, maybe I’m stupid for showing favor to you. ”

Arina’s blue eyes, erected neatly, began to sparkle.

“Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t bring this to you to improve your competition results.”

“Then why are you here?”

“The reason I brought this is because your mother told me to cheer you up. So.”

-Crack!

Arina’s foot crushed the entire box, crushing the equipment like toys.

“If you really bring shame to your family name because of your arrogance, if you fail to live up to your mother’s expectations and fall miserably, you will pay a very painful price. Karcein.”

Arina then went out without looking back.

“Ugh. Wow, how can they overlap like this?”

When I heard that, I couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

This is probably a warning of sorts.

It’s a warning to the effect that since you’re being stubborn and not even wearing proper equipment, let’s see how well you do.

I guarantee that if this is the reason you have a choice, excuses like gear or item will probably not work.

I guess you could say that there’s one more invisible constraint.

Well, that’s okay.

It’s just one more reason to rank higher in this competition.

After ordering the servants to clean up the trash, I went into the room right next door.

and.

There they discovered a brightly shining object.

“…Come to think of it, this was the waiting room where Karcein stayed last year.”

Somehow, it felt similar to the background of a map I had seen in a game.

The locations of objects and things also felt strangely familiar.

“This is a place where a memorial would appear.”

This memorial will most likely contain the records of last year’s Martial Arts Tournament, although that doesn’t mean we know what it will contain.

Well, I guess I’ll have to take a look.

I reached out and picked up the memorial.

-Tiring!

▶You have obtained the Perforated Bow Memorial.◀

***

-Crunch, crunch.

“…”

Arina stopped in her tracks and turned towards Karcein’s room with her eyes sharply raised.

“…Arrogantly.”

Arina grits her teeth and mutters to Karsain.

From her perspective, she had brought these things with Carcein in mind.

But, I was really annoyed when he showed off his skills and was so proud of himself without even looking at it.

“Huh. Even so, that pride won’t last long.”

If they had been working on their equipment and improving its inconveniences, the waiting room would have been filled with weapons that had been tested. At this time, all the participants were busy devising strategies.

But Karcein’s waiting room was extremely empty.

If the sponsor’s capabilities are not sufficient to produce the required items within the required time frame.

The participants were confused and couldn’t figure out how to respond in each event.

Sometimes problems arise when there is a conflict between participants and sponsors.

For an extreme participant like Karsain, the very claim that he had a sponsor might be a lie.

The reason doesn’t matter.

“Last year, this year too. You kicked away the golden opportunity I gave you. Karsane.”

-Crunch, crunch.

The sound of Arina’s shoes echoed through the hallway again.

As the sound of footsteps gradually fades away, someone around the corner appears.

Arina’s pink hair swayed as she walked down the hallway.

She revealed herself and muttered in a hollow voice.

“You didn’t receive that?”

Why on earth?

A strange feeling of discomfort began to return.

-Tiring!

[ Claire Bagrand ]

[ 92% ]

***

-Ting!

As most people who have used a bow know, the bowstring is quite sharp.

If you use it incorrectly, you can often see your hands getting hurt or cut.

That is, since you have to pull the string to shoot the bow, it is common to wear protective gear to avoid hurting your fingers.

However, Carcein’s was broken as usual.

-Ting!

Karsine’s fingers, which were pulling the bowstring, began to turn red.

Still, he catches the next arrow as if he doesn’t care at all.

-Ting!

The sharp line was pressed and engraved repeatedly, creating dark marks.

The flesh is slowly reaching its limit of what it can endure.

If I pulled the bowstring one more time, my fingers would eventually become too weak to hold on and would get hurt.

And yet the bowstring is pulled.

-Ting!

The sharp line cut my skin.

Blood drips out in drops, dripping down.

By this point, it was starting to feel quite painful.

I could have flinched and backed away from the stinging pain.

however.

Carcein’s bowstring is dyed in red liquid and is continuously pulled.

-Ting!

-Ting!

-Ting!

There was no pain.

Even if blood spurts out, you don’t feel any pain.

The boy’s eyes shot the arrow calmly as if nothing had happened.

Because he had already died from other pains.

After one archery session, Karsane’s thumb and index finger were soaked in blood.

Isabella, who saw this, came to him with a handkerchief and wiped the blood away.

“How could this be… Didn’t Arina give you a bow?”

“…”

The boy did not answer.

Just keep silent and pull your finger out.

The eldest sister stood in front of the boy.

“I told you to keep your hands clasped. Is this your intention to get your mother’s attention?”

“…”

Several more questions followed, but Karsine did not answer until the end.

So next game.

Even if the next game starts.

There was nothing hanging on it.

Under the clear sky.

The passion of the noble children to show off their skills was overflowing.

But one man has no passion.

I had nothing, I couldn’t hold anything.

There was no warmth whatsoever.

Just in a bland state.

With an expression that showed no interest whatsoever.

All I did was go through the schedule of this competition in silence.

Then, in the end, in the last and most important event, he completely let go of his sword, even though he was in a situation where he could have easily defeated his opponent.

The result was a loss by abstention.

And so, the martial arts tournament of Karthusin Bagrand ended.

▶The Hole-Punched Bow Memorial has ended.◀

“…”

As expected, the memorial contained a story from last year’s martial arts tournament.

On the surface, it may seem like there’s really nothing to gain from it.

No, more than that, there will be more people who will wonder, “Why are you doing that?”

Where can I sell the bow I worked so hard to get and get my hands wet with blood?

Even though the misunderstanding deepened because Isabella kept questioning Arina about why she did that, she just stayed silent without saying a word.

Even if you have the chance to win against your opponent, don’t you just let go of your sword?

There were more than a few things that seemed like difficult actions.

But, I could tell.

“…How is it that I look exactly like I did in the second grade?”

Because I saw my resigned self in that guy’s appearance.

The guy didn’t say anything.

He didn’t make any expression or do anything special while playing the game.

So I could tell.

First, I threw away the bowstring because I had made a hole in it with my own hands and was not using it.

What’s the point of using something like that? It’s not mine. If I just leave it alone and that little brat gets it, he’ll definitely get accused of something. It was the best choice to destroy it myself and throw it away.

Second, I knew that my silence, even as the misunderstanding deepened, was meaningless.

Even if I explain that I didn’t mean it that way, will they even listen? Of course not. In that case, it would be better to just keep your mouth shut and move on quickly.

Finally, the reason I gave up on a game that I could have played better was because I couldn’t find a reason to do so.

What good will it do to look good to these families? The most foolish thing to do was to try to look good to them.

Yeah. I don’t have any expectations.

I ended up accepting the reality that nothing would change even if I was misunderstood.

I realized that there was no point in trying to look good to these families.

In a word.

You must have given up. Just like I did back then.

I really liked that and chuckled.

“Yeah. There’s no one to cheer me on.”

The world is just standing alone.

There was no one to support or trust in the first place.

That’s the only law of the world I know.

-Phew, pfft.

Is this the sound of a horn signaling preparations for the next game?

It looks like it’s about to start.

-Bam.

I threw the bow tie, which would never be found anyway, into the trash can and left the waiting room to go up to the stadium.

So, the bow is buried in the darkness called the trash can.

It would be fate for them to spend their time in silence, trapped in the waiting room of the past, before being incinerated and disappearing into the trash.

however.

That fate was just broken.

-Click.

“Active… Didn’t you use Carcein last year?”

Her pink hair flowed down in a flowing manner.

***

“Ouch.”

Harni put the finger he had just pricked with a needle in his mouth.

“Ugh… difficult.”

I wasn’t really used to it.

This is embroidery.

Although embroidery is supposed to be a liberal arts subject suitable for young ladies, she has never tried it before.

That’s because just making this can create the misunderstanding that you’re bewitching someone. What’s the point of making a fuss by scratching it?

Anyway, thanks to that, Harnie had a hard time from the moment she started holding the needle and threading it.

I realized that it was too short and I couldn’t even thread it through a few times, so I untied it with my own hands.

If the handkerchief gets tangled up in the thread or loses its shape, you have to start over.

I accidentally pricked my finger and blood gushed out through a round hole.

Nothing came easy, one by one.

Still, she applies the medicine, puts on a bandage, and picks up the needle and thread again.

-Sarak.

It may not have been the case last year, but this year there was someone to cheer for at this competition.