episode_0090

After chatting with Uncle Gid, we returned to the arena just in time. Aria went back to the waiting room, and I returned to the audience seats. When we arrived, the final match of the second round was already in progress. We’d only chatted for about 15 minutes, but it was progressing so quickly…

“Ahhhhh!!! And just like that, the match is over!! It seems everyone was intimidated by the presence of the Black Saintess, Contestant Aria Ritt, who played in the first match?! As more and more contestants declared their surrender, the officials wore very troubled expressions!!”

It seems Aria was the reason the matches went so quickly. Well, it was clear they would lose if they ran into Aria, who could even pierce armor and inflict damage, so they must have just surrendered. Orgun seemed to have noticed it too, as he mentioned Aria.

“Alright!! It seems they’re re-drawing the brackets!! Originally, there were over 100 contestants, but as soon as the first match of the second round ended, everyone started shouting ‘surrender’ as soon as their matches began, leaving only 8 participants!! Nevertheless, please give a round of applause to the contestants who still bravely remain!!”

“Whooooooaaa!!”

At Orgun’s shout, all the spectators began cheering and applauding. Indeed… For people to be brave enough to stay while Aria is still in, they must be truly remarkable… I, too, clapped, admiring their courage.

“Alright!! I’ll introduce the remaining contestants! First up!! The one who showed an incredible twist in the first match…!! The Black Saintess, Aria Ritt!!!”

“Saintess-nim!!!”

“Second!! One who fights with magic!! Andres!!! And third…”

Each time Orgun introduced a contestant, the cheers of the audience filled the arena. They all seemed like skilled individuals who had shown incredible power in the first round… Well… it seems they’ll probably lose to Aria though…

“And laaaast!! Hailing from another region!! A former Holy Knight, a strong female knight who wields a spear!!! Viola Blossom!!”

The moment Orgun finished introducing Viola Blossom, a female knight armored from head to toe, the arena officials behind Orgun raised a large board with all their might. Orgun then looked behind him, smiled broadly, and shouted.

“Ahhh!!! Ladies and gentlemen!!! The brackets have finally been made!!! In the first match, Aria Ritt and Andres will fight!! The Black Saintess’s unexpected combat abilities versus Andres’s magical prowess! Which ability will truly emerge victorious!!! The contestants are now!!! Appearing!!!”

Simultaneously with Orgun’s shout, Aria appeared, and on the opposite side, a man with orange hair and a pointed hat, Andres, slowly revealed himself. Seeing the two, the crowd cheered even louder.

“Black Saintess-nim!!! Win this one too!!”

“Andres!!! Today is the day magic wins!!! Let’s go!!!”

Amidst the cheers and encouragement of the crowd, Andres looked around and smiled. However, Aria didn’t care about anyone else’s support. Yet, seeing me cheering for her, Aria smiled broadly and nodded.

“Look! The Saintess-nim smiled at me!!”

“No, it was me!!”

As the spectators around me started clamoring that Aria had looked at them, I let out a wry laugh. Because I knew Aria would never look at anyone else… Knowing that, I chuckled wryly and clapped again, and as I clapped, Aria smiled even more broadly before turning her head to Andres. Then I, too, turned my head to Andres and thought.

‘Magic, huh… You never know what might happen, so for now, shall I just watch how Aria deals with magic?’

“Hello, Saintess-nim. I am Andres, a mage. I’ve been watching your fights. You fight very impressively. Perhaps that’s why the audience is cheering for you too.”

Andres, on Aria’s opposite side, bowed respectfully to Aria. However, Aria simply watched Andres, who remained bowed, and offered no greeting in return. Andres then tilted his head, straightened his back, and asked Aria.

“Hmm? That’s unexpected. I thought a Saintess-nim would accept my greeting. Wasn’t it because the audience was welcoming and cheering for you that you showed such a joyful expression? I’m a little disappointed.”

“Whether the audience cheers for me or welcomes me, it’s none of my concern. The support and welcome of just one person is enough for me. And there is only one person in this world from whom I accept greetings, or to whom I offer them. And I only offer greetings to that person’s benefactors and family.”

“Just one person? Hmm… So Saintess-nim, you participated in this match to give the Tears of Magnod as a gift to that person. That’s regrettable. That gem has high research value, yet you’re trying to obtain it just to give it as a gift to someone…”

“Whether I give it as a gift or not, it’s none of your concern. I simply want to give that gem to the one I love as soon as possible.”

“Alright!!! Then!! Third Round, Match One!!! Staaaaart!!!”

Simultaneously with Orgun’s declaration of the match’s start, the audience began cheering again. Then Andres took out an old gnarled staff from his back, pointed it at Aria, and spoke.

“I understand what Saintess-nim wants. But that precious research material, which could benefit the world, cannot be turned into a mere gift like this. Therefore, I will also give my full power….”

“Full power or whatever, do as you please.”

Just as he was about to declare his resolve to give his all, Aria spoke in a bothered tone, making Andres frown as he looked at her and thought.

‘What is this? Is she really a Saintess? It’s certainly not common for a Saintess to wear black… Moreover, that Saintess hasn’t used any divine power throughout the matches… Is she just a strange woman imitating a Saintess…? Or…!! Was it because her opponents were weak enough that she didn’t need to use divine power to win?!’

Andres questioned why Aria wasn’t using divine power. He then shook his head to clear his thoughts, took a deep breath, and spoke to Aria.

“I was lost in thought for a moment. Allow me to say this in advance, Black Saintess-nim. My specialty is fire magic. So I’ll be using powerful techniques from the start… I trust that a Saintess-nim wouldn’t die from it.”

“Go ahead.”

“Yes…. Then…!”

Andres, with his staff pointed at Aria, began to imbue his energy into it. Then a red magic circle appeared at the tip of Andres’s gnarled staff, and three more identical magic circles manifested in the air around Andres. At that, Orgun shouted in an excited voice.

“Ohh ohh ohh!! Is this Andres’s first move!!! Andres!! He’s trying to subdue the Black Saintess with his specialty, fire magic!!”

‘Four magic circles at once…!! That person, Andres… he’s no ordinary opponent… But… if it’s Aria…’

“Alright… here I come!”

Andres’s four magic circles began to glow fiercely red. Then fireballs shot out from the magic circles towards Aria, and Aria took the four incoming fireballs head-on. Black smoke billowed up from where Aria had been, and Orgun, seeing this, shouted in dismay.

“Ah… Aah… Andres’s flames hit her dead-oooooon!! Contestant Aria!! Is this finally her exit!?”

“With an attack of this magnitude, the Black Saintess-nim surely must have unleashed her divine power…. Ah… no?!”

‘Yes… I knew it.’

Andres thought Aria must have surely used divine power against his attack. However, Aria leaped out of the black smoke to the side, and as she immediately rushed towards him, Andres, greatly flustered, pointed his staff at her again.

‘What?! She definitely took a direct hit, didn’t she?!’

Andres, still flustered, shot out fireballs at Aria again. However, Aria leaped sideways, avoiding all the fireballs, and Andres was greatly shocked to see Aria effortlessly dodge his fireballs.

‘Wh… what?! Then could it be… that the contestants so far were weak enough that she didn’t even need to use divine power…? The contestants up until now were weak?! Including me?!’

Andres realized that all the contestants who had fought Aria so far, including himself, were weaker than her. At that, Andres dropped his staff to the ground, threw both hands up in the air, and shouted.

“Da… damn it! Surrender!! I surrender!”

As Andres declared his surrender, Aria, who had been running towards him, stopped halfway. At that, Orgun shouted again in a highly excited voice.

“Ahhhhh!!! A quick surrender here!! The victor!!! Contestant Aria Ritt!! Could it be that even magic has no effect on Contestant Aria?! She has effortlessly broken through to the semifinals!!”

As Aria’s victory was announced, the audience began to cheer again. Even after that, when Aria easily won her semifinal match against a large man, the spectators all began to cheer for Aria, and Aria confidently advanced to the finals. Thus began the final match. Finally, the last two remaining contestants reappeared.

“Alrighttt!! The Last Point Tournament!! Its final match!! Is about to begin!!! The Black Saintess, Contestant Aria Ritt, who has been on an unstoppable winning streak!!! And the powerful female knight in silver armor!! Contestant Viola Blossom is now entering!!!”

With Orgun’s shout, Aria and Viola stood in the center of the arena. Viola Blossom… a female knight who had shown a high-level fight just like Aria… Hmm… Whether Aria could actually defeat that female knight… it’s become hard to guarantee…

“Black Saintess, Aria Ritt. I, too, am a Saintess like you. And… that gem is an offering our god desires. Therefore, I will surely obtain that gem.”

“That won’t happen. That gem is what the one I love wanted. So, whether it’s a god or anyone else, I will not hand over that gem to anyone.”

“…. Are you daring to betray God…?”

“Betrayal? Let them say so. Because I’ve realized who I truly love. God is a being who can never enter my heart.”

“Alright, then!!! Match sta…..”

“Such a heretic…!!”

The moment Orgun was about to declare the start of the match, Viola suddenly leveled her spear and immediately charged at Aria. At that, Orgun and the spectators were greatly flustered, and I too was very surprised.

‘Wh… what?! The bell hasn’t rung yet?! Why is she attacking already?!’

“Ha… has the match started?!”

“Uh… uhh?! Wh… what are you doing!!! Ring the bell quickly!!”

As Orgun urgently told them to ring the bell, the officials hastily rang it. But the battle had already begun, and Aria, who had been dodging Viola’s spear until the bell rang, wore a perplexed expression as Viola began thrusting her spear even faster once the bell sounded.

‘….?! This physical ability…?!”

“I told you I was a Saintess, Aria Ritt… Though killing isn’t permitted in this match… I will kill a heretic like you….!!”

“Wh… what are you saying! Your god is none of my concern…!!”

“No… that is the god you also served. Therefore, you have betrayed all of us, Aria Ritt.”

“What do you mean….!!”

Aria, who had been dodging Viola’s spear, was greatly flustered when she was grazed on her right flank by it. She then immediately leaped backward to escape her position, but Viola didn’t let Aria get away, charging forward again and thrusting her spear at Aria. And I was greatly surprised by Aria’s unexpected struggle.

‘Aria… is being pushed back?! Is that Viola’s true skill!?’

‘To… to throw a punch… Th… there’s no opening…!!’

“It’s a mistake if you think you’re the only one who can use divine power, heretic!!”

“!!!”

As Viola, who had been thrusting her spear at Aria, suddenly plunged her spear into the ground, the surrounding ground began to shatter. Due to the tremor, everyone in the audience seats began to sway, and Aria, unable to keep her balance, eventually leaped from her spot.

“Th… this can’t be!!! Contestant Viola!!! She destroyed the ground!!!”

“Uwaaaaaah!! What is that contestant doing?! Is she trying to kill us?!”

“Ugh… Ugh… An enormous tremor….. Oh?!”

I, who had plunged Trahan into the ground to steady myself, saw Viola leap from her spot towards Aria, who had jumped into the air. At that, my face instantly turned pale, and Aria, seemingly greatly flustered, looked at Viola approaching her with a frown.

‘No… no place to dodge…!’

“Heretic, die!!!”

“Aria!!!! Dodge it!!!!”

“!!!”

The moment I shouted with all my might for her to dodge, Aria, as if she had heard my cry, collected herself and kicked Viola’s spear with her foot, sending it flying. As the spear dropped from her hand, Viola was greatly flustered, and taking that opening, Aria delivered a powerful kick to Viola while still in the air.

“Co… cough…”

“Because of you….!!! Because of you….!!!! That person thought I was weak, didn’t they!!!”

Viola, kicked by Aria’s foot, retched and was slammed into the arena wall at incredible speed. Aria then landed on the ground and immediately ran towards Viola, who was stuck in the wall. She then punched Viola, who was embedded in the wall, with all her might in the abdomen, and Viola retched again.

“Urk… ugh…”

“You, or God… Anything that obstructs the path between me and that person… I will crush all of them, just like you!!!”

‘Wh… what kind of… power is this… Among Saintesses… one who wields such power is unheard of… Ugh….’

Viola was greatly shocked by Aria’s immense power and fainted on the spot. Then the wall where Viola was embedded began to crack further, and then the wall crumbled. Orgun, who witnessed it, was initially shocked, but then shouted again with heightened excitement.

“A sh… short but incredible fight!!! The victor!!! Contestant Aria Ritt!!! The final victor of the 925th Last Point Tournament is!!! The Black Saintess, Contestant Aria Ritt!!! The Black Saintess, Aria Ritt, who showed an unexpected charm in the arena!!! Has taken the championship prize, the Tears of Magnod!!”

As Orgun declared the end of the match and the final championship, the audience began to cheer again, and seeing Aria barely manage to defeat Viola, I sank to the ground in relief. Phew…. My heart nearly dropped out of my chest, seriously… While I was feeling relieved, the officials carried away the unconscious Viola. And finally, the closing ceremony proceeded with an official handing the Tears of Magnod to Aria.

“Ah… I almost choked in that last part, seriously…”

After all the matches ended, I waited for Aria outside the arena, and sighed, recalling the fight between Aria and Viola that had just happened. Haaah… That contestant named Viola… for some reason, she really tried to kill Aria… What on earth was the reason…? But why isn’t Aria coming out yet? Surely, that contestant Viola….

“Zeke-niim!!”

Just as I was worrying about Aria, Aria came out of the arena with a bright smile and ran towards me. Phew… It’s a relief nothing happened to Aria….?

“Aria, what’s in your hand? What about the Tears of Magnod?”

“Hehehe…. Try opening it!”

Aria handed me a small box wrapped with string. What is this box? What could be inside that makes Aria look so expectant? As Aria looked on, anticipating me to open the box, I untied the string and opened the box. Oh…. this?

“This is a brooch, isn’t it? And the gem embedded in the brooch….. Isn’t it the Tears of Magnod?”

“Yes! I made it myself! You gave me this brooch as a gift before, didn’t you, Zeke-nim! It’s a bit late, but… it’s my way of returning the favor!”

A brooch…? Ah, you mean the brooch I gave you that time when you kept trying to threaten Karina… But that one was…

“But that brooch was made from ordinary slime magic stone. And besides, I gave it to you because you kept threatening Karina… Its value compared to this brooch is….”

“No. To me, it’s a priceless item precisely because Zeke-nim made it yourself. And… the reason I’ve been able to control my emotions even a little until now is precisely thanks to this brooch you gave me, Zeke-nim. When I touch or look at this brooch… it’s like… I feel the belief that Zeke-nim is thinking of me.”

“….”

Listening to Aria’s explanation, I looked at the brooch Aria had made… That’s right… when giving a gift from the heart, one shouldn’t place value on the material. What truly holds value is the sentiment behind it. Being lectured by Aria in reverse for the first time in a while… it felt subtle somehow, and I found myself smiling unknowingly. Then I pinned the brooch Aria made onto my clothes, and as I pinned the brooch she made onto my clothes, Aria wore a very joyful expression.

“Ze… Zeke-nim…!! You accepted…?!”

As soon as I pinned the brooch to my clothes and hugged her tightly, Aria was greatly flustered and her face flushed. Aria was speechless from the immense surprise, and I hugged such an Aria tightly and spoke.

“Ze… Zeke…. Zeke-nim…?”

“Aria…. I’m so glad you’re safe…. And thank you for the gift. I’ll cherish it well from now on. Thank you, truly.”

“…. Yes.”

As I expressed my gratitude, Aria gave a simple, comfortable reply, and with a smile that was neither excessive nor faint, she hugged me tightly. Through the setting sun, the gems on the brooches Aria and I had exchanged sparkled. As if responding to our wish that we both have a pleasant journey in the Herlos region without suffering serious injuries.

Bonus Chapter: What If – #3

[ This special chapter is being released because another 30 chapters have passed! ]

1. What if Merzel had refuted Aria’s words in Chapter 63?

“You say it’s true? So what does that have to do with me? There is no room in my heart for anything like a god. Only Zeke-nim can reside in my heart. A heart that cares for others? That’s none of my business. For love, I don’t care if I stain these hands with blood. All my heart is for Zeke-nim…!”

“Ugh… In that case, you will never be able to travel with that man… It’s as plain as day that you’ll act as you please, so how could he travel with you…? *Gasp*…”

The moment Merzel refuted Aria’s words, Aria punched Merzel hard in the abdomen. Merzel then gagged and couldn’t speak, and Aria, seeing Merzel writhing in pain, threw Merzel to the floor.

“Cough…”

“Ah… who exactly are you to try and drive a wedge between Zeke-nim and me? Do you still not know your place?”

Aria spoke, looking at Merzel with a chilling expression, her smile completely gone. She slowly approached Merzel, then squatted down and spoke, looking at Merzel, who was collapsed on the floor, gasping for breath.

“Haa… *Gasp*…”

“You, who have no one to love, should step aside. There is no place in my heart for words like yours. If you don’t want to suffer more, just shut up and watch.”

[ It is said that Zeke found out later and scolded her terribly. ]

2. What if Cecilia’s confession in Chapter 63 had been heard by Zeke?

“Th-This is a big problem for you, isn’t it, Cecilia?! Lady Aria surely wouldn’t have left you alone…!!”

“Exactlyyyy!! *Scream*! What do I do now?! This love for Zeke won’t disappear!! I… I tried to forget him by doing bad things to him… but I don’t know why my heart pounds and my mind goes blank whenever I think of Zeke!! Take responsibility, Zekeeeeee!!!”

As Cecilia screamed, Merzel averted her gaze and sighed. And that sound reached our ears, as we hadn’t left Grobel yet. Hearing Cecilia’s scream, I froze on the spot.

‘Uh… uh oh…’

Ce… Cecilia likes me?! A succubus?! No, but… that’s shocking too… but more than that… that’s not the problem…

“….That bat-bitch……”

‘Ah…’

The problem was that Aria was extremely angry.

[ We leave the rest to your imagination. ]

3. What if Akada couldn’t cook in Chapter 74?

“*Screech*!!! Wh-What is this… *Ugh*…”

“I… I like spicy food, so… it was a dish I asked to be made quite spicy…”

“This won’t dooo!! Revo-ssi, please eat with me too!! I’ll treat you to something more delicious!!”

At that time, I, who didn’t know what spiciness was, forcibly dragged Revo-ssi over to treat him to a meal. I took out my knife and cutting board for the first time in a long while. But… perhaps it was because it had been too long?

“Uh… oh? Th-This shouldn’t be happening…?”

“Uh… Akada-ssi?”

“Uh…? Uh oh?!”

The cooking after a long break was a complete failure. I don’t know what on earth I did back then… but the unidentified something in the pot even suddenly exploded. So afterwards…

“I’ll just make it… Would it be alright if I make it sweet, with no spiciness at all…?”

“….I’m sorry….”

Revo-ssi cooked instead of me.

[ Akada still prefers sweet flavors, though. ]

4. What if Iruvan had noticed Zeke’s plan in Chapter 78?

“Yes! It’ll be even more humiliating for you if I win with this sword you personally threw to me, won’t it?! How dare you humiliate me with words?! The price for that…!”

The moment the red-haired boy was about to pick up Trahan, which was stuck in the ground, he seemed to notice something, stopped reaching for Trahan, and looked at me, speaking.

“You wouldn’t have just thrown this… There’s something about this sword, isn’t there?!”

“….Oh-ho…. To notice that…”

“Th-This… this human dares to look down on a spirit…!! I’ll never forgive…!”

“Alright, alright. Then get hit by this and sleep soundly.”

Realizing that I had thrown a trap specifically designed to catch him, the red-haired boy began to rage, and taking advantage of that opening, I unleashed demonic energy from my hand towards him. The boy then became shocked by the demonic energy, and his mind began to take a blow.

“*Screech*!! Wh-What is this… *Ugh*…”

The boy, whose mind was attacked by the demonic energy, collapsed on the spot. I looked at the fallen boy and scratched my head, thinking.

‘I only unleashed it at minimum output… but he passed out.’

[ Defeated nonetheless ]

5. What if Aria had noticed Gid’s identity in Chapter 88?

“It seems something is bothering you. For now, focus on the match. We can talk about the rest after this match is over.”

“…..? Huh…? Uh oh?”

Aria looked at Sarzohn’s face, then seemed to realize his identity, as she alternated glances between Sarzohn’s face and my own in the audience. Why is Aria suddenly like this? With such a truly shocked expression…

“….? Excuse me… Saintess-nim? The match has already started…”

“….”

“Hm…? Saintess-nim?”

Aria clamped her mouth shut and trembled, staring at him. Sarzohn was utterly dumbfounded, unable to understand why Aria was reacting this way. Meanwhile, Aria was deeply troubled, even blushing.

‘Oh… what do I do?! He’s Zeke-nim’s relative! Sh-Should I control my strength?! Or should I lose?! I… I need to make a good impression on Zeke-nim’s relative if I want to get married and do various other things… right?! No… no… Bu-But Zeke-nim’s brooch is important too, bu-but leaving a good impression on his relative is also important… Oh… what do I do?!’

Aria was agonizing over whether she should lose or win. However, Sarzohn, who had no way of knowing any of this, was puzzled and thought.

‘….What is it?’

[ If Aria hadn’t listened to Gid and thought about it later, her brain would have overloaded and exploded. ]