episode_0263

Cheering crowds in the round stands under the blazing sun.

The stadium, filled with the heat of battle and enthusiastic cheers, is the arena, the highlight of the martial arts competition.

In this place, where everyone brings their desired weapon and fights 1:1 to win, there are only winners and losers.

And in that place.

Carcein was also taking steps.

-Kaang!

“Ugh…!”

The opponent is unable to withstand Carcein’s attack and falls.

A sword aimed straight at the neck.

It was the moment of conclusion.

“Wow.”

“Really. How can you fight so uncoolly in a martial arts tournament?”

“Swing it a little harder, huh? It’s more fun to fight while getting your body involved!”

“Not fun!”

Despite his victory, Karsain was booed.

Although they said it wasn’t fun on paper, the real reason was obvious.

Or that their bets on the outcome predictions turned out to be wrong.

Or the person you want didn’t come up.

There may be many more.

But most importantly, he would want Karthus to be defeated quickly and horribly.

“Uh. Hmm. The referee announces the winner. The winner is Prince Karsain.”

“…”

The referee who decides the match with a trembling expression.

The host announces the winner with a look of reluctance.

Then, the audience once again started booing.

There was no one on Carcein’s side in the stadium.

-chuck.

Karsine puts away his sword and silently returns to the waiting room.

His expression is utterly empty.

Even though we won, we weren’t very happy.

Even though I defeated my opponent fairly, I was booed back, and I felt it was not only unpleasant, but also unfair.

A sense of emptiness begins to creep in with the referee’s expressionless face and the host’s seemingly unenthusiastic reactions.

But I guess that’s okay.

In the first place, I didn’t participate in this competition with any specific purpose.

Along with the ban on entering the martial arts hall, I was also banned from holding a sword. I only participated in the martial arts competition because I could hold a sword. It had no value beyond that.

Still, I wanted to make sure that the sword wouldn’t be pushed around.

The sword he held himself was his only joy, and he wanted to prove that he could win without being pushed back by the sword he had learned from Radiel and Mark.

That was the only wish of the boy who had nothing.

“…Your left arm is cut.”

As he was leaving the stadium, Karsin felt pain in his left arm, albeit belatedly.

You won’t be able to play properly with an injured body.

Some degree of treatment will be necessary.

As I was walking towards the waiting room.

A voice is heard in a deserted place.

I was about to pass it over because I thought there was no point in hearing it…

“I am sorry to have to come to see you, Your Majesty. I came because there is a possibility that you two will meet in the next match since Lord Karsein did not drop out.”

“…but?”

“Well, that’s why I’m telling you.”

Arina’s unmistakable voice.

Mention of the name Carcein.

It didn’t matter until there.

however.

“If the topic of Prince Karsain comes up like this, the position of the princess could become ambiguous. Even if he is an adopted son, he is still a man.”

“…”

“I think it’s necessary to properly show off your skills, Princess.”

At the request of Marquis Magnuel, Carcein found himself having to listen to the end of this conversation.

Karsine laughed in vain and denied it.

‘Honestly, that’s ridiculous. How could I threaten Arina’s position, how could I threaten the position of Duke Bagrand?’

No matter what, they are the eldest daughter and adopted son, the legitimate heirs.

Not only is the position within the family important, but comparing a strong candidate to inherit the Bagrand Dukes’ business with a commoner who is implicitly treated as a commoner is also very wrong.

So Arina won’t care.

Because Arina is smarter than him. Because she is the next duke to lead the Bagrand duchy. Because she is the epitome of a noble.

I would not accept a proposal like that.

The Marquis Magnuel will be sharply reprimanded for his great mistake.

‘Yeah. How did I… how did I become a duke?’

Swallowing hard, Carcein denied every word of Marquis Magnuel’s claims.

But… why is that?

Arina’s voice, which readily denies the truth, is not heard. Her voice, which should have pointed out sharply to Marquis Magnuel, is being delayed for quite some time.

‘no way…’

…really.

You think I’m going to take your place as successor?

Carcein swallowed with anxiety and turned his head.

“Whew. Got it. I guess that means show some performance, right?”

“Yes, that’s it.”

“…But if I use too much force, it’s obvious that he’ll get seriously hurt, so I hope you understand. I’m sure your mother will be worried too.”

“Of course. I believe that Your Highness will take care of it. Oh, I took up too much time. Please fix it. ”

“Okay.”

The sound of two people’s footsteps moving away.

Karsine, who had been quietly eavesdropping on the conversation, lost all strength in his legs and collapsed.

“Ha, haha…”

Karsine laughs in vain.

I never imagined that conversation would end like this.

“That’s…what you wanted?”

-…Don’t worry about your grades. Just don’t cause any trouble and just play the game.

-No one expects anything from you anyways? Me~long!

-If you’re going to come back injured without even using what’s given to you, why are you participating? Are you an idiot?

No one expected it.

None of the family members even mentioned the position of the head of the household.

however.

None other than the Duke’s strong candidate.

They are holding us back for such ridiculous reasons.

-Kwak.

“…Yeah. It’s useless.”

Let’s lose badly in the next game.

That’s exactly what she wants.

Karsin headed to the stadium, forgetting even the pain in his left arm, which he had injured in the previous match.

***

As time goes by.

It’s time for the next match.

The host confirms the names of the two contestants who will compete in this match and introduces them to the audience.

I know for sure who will win, but I think it will be pure fun to watch him get defeated so badly.

“Ah, how can fate be like this? Truly, this is an incredibly pitiful match!”

The audience’s attention is drawn to the host’s seemingly regretful reaction. What kind of match could it be that makes it so regrettable? Everyone listened to the host’s voice with high expectations.

“This match is none other than a civil war. And two people who are very close are meeting!”

“Oh my. It’s a civil war.”

“Is it a fight between comrades? Or between allied families?”

The audience is excited at the mention of civil war.

The smiling host announces the name of the first contestant.

“Princess Arina of the Bagrand Dukes, who is on a hot streak following the symposium!”

People chuckled when they heard that.

‘Aha. Is that what you meant by ‘it’s a pity?’

‘Ha ha. That makes sense. I said it was a civil war.’

‘If it’s a civil war match and the princess’s opponent, it’s too obvious.’

‘It’s a strange fate. Yes.’

The nobles cheered more passionately than ever at the fateful matchmaking.

As if to live up to those expectations.

The host tried hard to keep the corners of his mouth from going up as he introduced the next contestant.

“The opposing participant is! Oh, what a fate! It is Prince Karsain, the only son of Bagrand!”

Karsine appears as usual.

It looked like he hadn’t even healed from the injury he sustained in the previous match.

“Now, it’s a sad civil war between family members. Who will win this match? Let’s start the match now!”

The host finishes his performance.

The match starts with the sound of a horn. Considering the opponent’s style, he should have run out first and swung his sword, but now he just stands there with empty eyes.

Arina sighed as she looked at Carcein like that.

“Tsk. Why are you making such an idiot face? You should have rushed in first and settled things quickly.”

“…”

“Okay, fine. I’ll take care of it.”

-fault!

As Arina, who had closed the distance in an instant, swung her sword, Carcein reflexively blocked it.

“Hmm. Is this enough to block it? I was wondering how much strength I should use, but it seems to be just right.”

“…”

“I hope you can block a few of them properly. Karsain. You too, as Bagrand, cannot save face. Also, I don’t want to hurt you either.”

Arina kicks the ground while staying close and twists the axis of her sword.

But the power was only superficial and didn’t seem to be exerted with much effort.

Several more attacks follow.

It was a scene where things were pushed back unilaterally, rather than a combination of something tense and thrilling. Anyone could see it that way.

Repeating the same thing over and over again, Arina continued to make demands on Karsin.

“Left side. Block it.”

No, not the side.

It is better to force the opponent to avoid the blow by raising his elbow.

-grasp!

“This is the 23rd form of the Peselos Pian Sword. Turn the center of your lower body to the side. Then, your feet will fly off, so keep your arms firmly attached to your thighs.”

Wrong. Instead of turning the center of your lower body to the side, you can counterattack by pushing with your shoulder and immediately seize the opening. It is much easier to block the following kick with your sword sheath.

“This is Hasaldre’s White Lotus 8th form. It’s a fairly strong stabbing attack, but it’ll be hard to resist because it’s full of mana. Hold the sword tightly with both hands and block it.”

It’s a perfect mistake. Since it’s a hard stabbing attack, you can catch the opening by twisting the tip of the sword with your sword and deflecting it.

however.

Karsin silently fulfilled Arina’s wishes.

After a few combinations and one-sided attacks, if you order a shallow counterattack, a fairly plausible scene is created.

Of course, it goes without saying that all of this is just a script written in Arina’s head.

“This stupid play is about to end. You must be exhausted, but I’ll finish it soon. Go back and rest. Karsain.”

The final blow was not told.

But it is plain to Carcein’s eyes.

A four-hit combo that continues while charging.

It was Arina’s signature sword technique, where she would then rotate her body greatly to deliver a finishing blow.

If you take that head-on… probably a retirement.

As Arina mentioned, her body was not seriously injured.

‘…It’s finally over.’

Arina. You said what you wanted was a performance, right?

Then this will be better.

Karsine bit his lip and relaxed his grip on his sword.

“…! You…!”

Before Arina, surprised, could even shout to quickly put strength into her sword.

Kaang! The sound of metal colliding reverberated throughout the stadium, and soon a red liquid flew high into the air.

-Thud.

The sword flew far away and got stuck in the wall of the stadium.

Karsine’s body falls to the sandy beach with deep cuts.

─Wow!!!

The crowd roared at the wonderful conclusion.

They cheered without any distinction.

But at that moment.

A look of bewilderment rose in his blue eyes.

“’s, call a doctor! Call a doctor!”

I can see the hair tie.

It was a hair tie that Karsene had given me as a gift in the past.

However, the hair band that was visible reflecting the sunlight was stained with blood and no longer shined.

***

▶The Blood-Stained Hairband Memorial has ended.◀

▶After the 20 second timer has elapsed, time will return to normal.◀

“Heh. Heh. Hahahaha!”

When I saw the memorial, I laughed out loud.

“Ha. Yeah. That’s what you meant?”

A cold chill covers my whole body.

“I wondered why there was such a memorial. As expected. I was right to back down.”

Haven’t things changed a little in your family lately?

I did have that thought, just a little bit.

I realized that it was a truly pointless delusion.

Just because he’s an adopted son.

Because he is a child picked up from outside.

Because of my mother’s mental illness, I had to become a family with a complete stranger.

Because there was even an incident where I was reprimanded by someone who was just like that man.

So I just thought of it as something I hated.

But, that wasn’t the real reason.

If I think about it carefully, there was a time when I felt something meaningful. When I helped a business, my name was mentioned in a project among the employees.

-Don’t you think you’re pretty smart? Your grades were pretty good.

-Especially, the explanations are clear enough to be used as tutoring. The grades are worth acknowledging.

-I wonder if it would be a good idea to let him inherit the business quickly from the beginning.

At that time, I tried to pass it by, thinking it was nonsense.

The first voice that was heard was that of the first child.

-Do you think this kind of project would work for our company?

Why do you have to react like that?

Even though you clearly know that I can’t get a full-time job at your company.

I had that question.

Looking at this memorial, I think that question has now been answered.

From that day on, whenever a situation arose where I had to get involved in work, my eldest would secretly send me a critical look.

“Yeah. It wasn’t because I did something wrong or because there was a reason to hate me.”

You thought I was going to take your place.

Because I feel like the position would be shaken just because I’m a man.

So that’s why you hated it?

Okay, I got it.

Now I know exactly what I should do.

▶The timer is running out!◀

“Oh. Okay. Sorry for talking nonsense. But, I’m going to take this.”

-Knock knock!

A few strands of red hair were torn out by the hair tie that had been forcibly pulled out.

“Ugh! What are you…!”

“Looking at this present now, it was such a shabby gift. I’ll give you a new one today.”

As you wish.

I’ll erase all traces of you and leave.

In this fucking house.

***

As Arina came down from the room where she was preparing, Claire was waiting with her arms folded.

“Why are you so late?”

Whatever.

I have only one thing to say.

“Isn’t it starting soon?”

“Huh? That’s true, but.”

“Go and sit down. Things worked out well with Arina.”

“Really? Well… Okay then.”

Claire sat down with a bewildered expression.

It worked out well.

No, it’ll get better soon.

Time passed like that.

The place is filling up with quite a few guests.

“Hello, Duchess.”

“Ah, come on. Harnie Youngae.”

“…”

“Flora. I, I should say hello. She’s Carcein’s fiancee. Huh?”

After a brief conversation, Harnie whispered in my ear.

“Why don’t you ask me to go with you, idiot. It’s safer to go with me.”

“It’s not that dangerous. Oh, I guess I should say this is better.”

“Yes?”

“Well, you’ll know when you see it.”

Soon, the star of the birthday party, Arina, appeared.

“Hello, ladies and gentlemen.”

As expected, she was the eldest daughter of a great noble family who would inherit Bagrand. There was no sign of crumpling or dishevelment in her speech.

Applause at the beginning and end of the speech.

Now all that remains is a few words from the family.

“Our big sister is the best! She’s the best!”

Well, it’s not strange for this kid to be like that.

The gift box is also very large and flashy. I wonder what it contains…

“Happy birthday, sister.”

Claire handed over the gift along with a simple and formal congratulation. It seemed that this was one of the new products that people had high expectations for.

“I am happy just to have a wonderful first daughter.”

Isabella also gave a gift along with congratulations from her mother’s perspective. This one seems to be related to the Bagrand Dukes.

‘It’s my turn. This is perfect.’

Arina glares as if she remembers what happened earlier.

don’t worry.

You don’t have to look at me like that, because I’ve prepared the gift you want.

“Oh. I made a mistake. I broke the gift you brought me today with my own hands. ”

“Ruin it? What the…”

-Thud thud.

The hair tie decoration is broken and flowing down.

The string was already broken to the point where it was unusable.

At that moment, the party venue quickly became cold.

It was a well-known fact that the hair tie was an accessory that Arina always wore.

“You…!”

Arina bit her lip.