CH 52

TL: Yuki

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Because the quarterfinals will be held at noon, we are currently killing time idling at the Inn. Aguera-san also seems to be free today and was drinking tea gracefully with us.

But you know, it would have been much better if you didn’t place your feet on the table… still, the beauty of that leg-line is a wonderful sight.

「I didn’t expect that you would be that strong you know, I was thinking that you reaching the first round would already be good enough.」

「Did Aguera-san bet on anyone?」

「Nope, I’m not good at betting you see. That guy too, my old boyfriend poured all his assets into betting and lost, there was also a time where he ran away with my money. But was caught and right now turned into a slave, he is probably working hard in a mine somewhere now」

You say that with a nostalgic face, but the content is quite heavy. I am astonished to the point that I couldn’t even remember the taste of the tea I’m drinking. La Veil also felt awkward about it.

「Well, I think he’s thinking of working back here when he returns」

「Eh, you’re planning to redo the relationship?」

「I don’t, I have already failed once and was looked at with pitiful eyes. I wonder if I can find a good husband out there. You know someone that might welcome me warmly? 」

Ah, that’s the face of someone who wants to look for someone who would do errands for her. Nee-san sure has power behind her. No more like a little too powerful is what I would say. To the person who will be her husband, please live strongly.

「So are you guys also betting?」

「Ah, yeah, I got a bet from Arena」

「Ne~♪ I bet a loooot~」

「Hou,  how much?」

「Gold Coins, a lot, 5「Ooops」umugumu」

That was dangerous, really dangerous. I won’t let Arena say anything more than that. If she says 5000 pieces, Aguera-san’s heart might just stop.

「You bet 5 Gold Coins right?」

「Hou, betting 5 Gold Coins you say!! Well, I guess the hero will win it anyway. Even if you join in there, the result might already be fixed. You should take advantage of it Jou-chan」

Ahhh, so you’ve also given up to that situation. If you say that to Arena right now will just be more fired up.

『We will now continue the event once more!! Today will be for the quarterfinals, it will be the battle of the remaining strongest 8!! Now, for the first match, it will a battle between the Blazing Flame Lady La Veil and Abil the crafty warrior!!! 』

「Been a while since we’ve met, it was from the qualifiers I think」

「Ooh, same here, but I didn’t expect you to be quite the beautiful Nee-san 」

『There will be no time limit in the qualifiers!! Furthermore, the whole stage including the whole area will be added as battle stage so there will be no losing by throwing them out!! Please go crazy with to utmost and show off to everyone your power!! 』

While listening to what the announcer said, La Veil’s face was painted with a grin. It seems that she interpreted the rule as no off-limits on the stage as something like it would be fine if I destroy the stage. That desire started to build up inside her head.

「Hey, hey nee-san, what’s with that extremely wicked smile… What are you planning to do, oh beautiful Nee-san?」

Abil prepares his sword while slightly trembling. Although he was wary about it, he understood that it would be an extremely difficult battle because he also witnessed La Veils fight in the second round yesterday.

『Then, for the first battle of the quarterfinals!!! Battle Start!!!』

「My Flames, Blow up everything around me!!!」

「You must be kidding, right!?」

As an introduction, La Veil created a fire pillar that was around 10 meters high. It burned the place where Abil was standing a second after he moved to escape. Turning blue from seeing the ground where he was before being charred, Abil moved away in order to escape from further damage.

「That’s not all!! Here’s more!!」

She created another pillar as if to mock at how futile his moves were.

「How can I win against this!! If only I can find a little——!!」

「What is it?」

「Oiiiiiiii!!??」

And another one was unleashed again at Abil. He was now stuck surrounded by fire pillars. The swirling fire pillars that began to spin were generating tremendous heat making the area where Abil was hot enough that it felt like he was in a desert in the middle of a blazing sun. Sweat was dripping from his skin like a waterfall, and even his armor is starting to heat up.

(I can’t sense even a little bit of magic power depletion… Even for great wizards, they won’t be able to last 10 seconds casting something like this… Damn… Why must I be faced with such a monster!! )

「Are you going to show us your courageous spirit, or will you drop out just like that!!」

「Daaaaaaaaaahh!!」

Reading the reads the trajectory of the fire pillars and jumped out. Although he was able to escape the blazing hell, her sword was swallowed by the fire pillar and turned into noting more than a pile of melted metal.

『Amazing!! Abil somehow managed to escape the fiery cage made by Nee-san with only his weapon as a sacrifice surviving the ordeal!! We still wouldn’t know how the match will end up!! 』

After escaping, Abil immediately rush towards La Veil. The only weapon he had was a spare knife on his waist, but being weary of La Veil’s Halberd, he realized that he wouldn’t be able ha parry that with his knife.

「I won’t let you!!」

「An opening!!」

Abil was attacked by her Halberd send an extremely strong pressure from the swing, but he was able to avoid it by paper thin margin. He was then able to close in and grabbed her planting his feet to the ground in preparation to throw her.

「Wah, What is with this ridiculous…!?」

As Abil attempted to throw her, what he felt was a weight so heavy that it was as if he was trying to pull out a big tree. Abil was totally wide open from the action of attempting to throw her,

「Touching a woman’s body… How long do you plan to stay dumbfounded!!! 」

「Gaaaah!!」

From a simple swing, Abil’s body was flung into the wall. You could hear the sound of crushed debris and the sound of his body falling.

There they found Abil struggling to stand up despite his body covered in blood and wounds.

『With this it will be「Wait!!!」』

La Veil obstructed the announcer that was about to announce her victory. She then approached the battered Abil. Then she asked.

「Are you giving up?」

「…Fugu, I… I can… Still…」

Abil tried to stand up and raise his hands, but blood was definitely flowing out of him. Although he was already running out of strength, the fighting spirit in his eyes still hasn’t disappeared.

「Is that all you’ve got!!! Stand up and show me your spirit!!! Young Hero!!!」

「…I, I am a… Hero…?」

「Yes, young one, heroes are not those who have strength to defeat demon kings nor are those who show off their strength. It is those few that are show courage to fight the impossible! If a brilliant young man displayed courage befitting that, then I would acknowledge them as a wonderful hero!! 」

It was definitely a remark to smear dirt on the Hero’s name. Despite that, the meaning of the word hero is nonetheless the exactly what she had described. Abil could only laugh wryly at her announcement.

「For you… to compare to such a… I’m not worthy of… guh…」

As he said those words he finally lost consciousness and fell down. La Veil look towards the announcer and nodded, the once more the declaration of victory was announced once more.

『Participant Abil was not able to stand up anymore, the victory goes to Participant La Veil!! Respecting her opponents will until the end, she has shown us the true pride of a warrior!! She will proceed into the semi-finals!! 』

「What will you do if any of them were listening to that? Don’t say things that would needlessly provoke the heroes…」

「Well you know, isn’t that actually great? If the other side gets provoked, won’t they seriously come to fight us? 」

The message she said about the heroes from a while ago. If it was heard by heroes in the audience then they will definitely be marked as enemies of the heroes. If that entire group of summoned heroes comes to attack them, it will be a really crazy battle so stop it. I might accidentally kill them if it turned into a battle of life and death you know?

『Following that match is the second round of the quarter finals!! Please enter, the magician who has a good control of water, Magic User Morial and he will be challenging the Hero Ayane!! 』

「Seriously, I’m really unlucky. I don’t think I’ll have any chance to win against a hero, but I will still do the best I can to at least fight back」

「Is that so」

Murial slumps his shoulders as he look at the hero who doesn’t seem to care at all.

(This woman… She’s dangerous)

Among the ones who faced the hero, it was only Morial who had a good fight with another person while having a good atmosphere. It was one of the targets who the hero wants to destroy.

『Now then, for the second match, battle start!!』

「Tides of water, become a creature of majesty and swallow my enemies!!!」

What appeared was a huge snake made out of water. It winded itself and tried to swallow the hero with its strong torrent of water. The hero was just standing without doing anything, and she was easily covered with water.

「Engulf!!」

The water serpent wraps the hero and enclosed it in a water sphere. Several layers of swirling torrent were assaulting the hero. Even though the hero is in that state, Morial didn’t drop down his attacks and was looking at the hero who was expressionless, and yet he still felt like something bad was about to happen. However,

*Bashan

「What!」

Suddenly, the water snake that he was manipulating was destroyed and the water scattered on the ground. After that, the hero activated her holy sword and slowly walked towards Morial.

To Morial, he couldn’t believe that his strongest attack wasn’t even able to scratch the hero and was easily destroyed. He is already at the point of giving up. But because he was also unharmed, he decided to persist a little more.

「Spear of Ice pierce my enemy!!」

He produced several ice spears and shoots it towards the hero. However, that magic disappeared as it came in contact with the hero’s holy sword without even any of it remaining. Be it magic, weapons, or his strongest attack. It was all useless.

「Ah… I… Sur…!! Guh!!」

At the moment he tried to surrender, the hero was already near him and slashed all his limbs other than his right hand. The scream of Morial reverberates in the whole stadium.

『Conclusion, It has been settled!! The victor is Hero Ayane!! Recovery Magicians, please immediately mend it or Participant Morial will die!!  』

The announcer declared the victory in a hurry. In this fight, if urgent measure isn’t taken immediately, Morial might die and will disqualify the Hero.

「Ah…」

「Oh Sorry, I might have overdone it. Sorry about that and let me cure you」

But before the recovery magicians arrived, the Hero already applied recovery magic and closed his wounds. That is without connecting back the cut off parts… Right before he fainted, the last thing he saw was the hero grinning in pleasure, and it was an ugly and distorted grin. Then the Hero whispered something to Morial before he left.

『With this, next year, or even after that, you will never ever see the one you love… It’s – the – end ~ ♪』

When she arrived back to her waiting room, the terminal for communication was trambled for a bit then got connected.

「Are you doing it?」

『Oh, it finally connected. The plan to give La Veil a little fright has been set up for tomorrow. Even if the fight with Aidle in the finals comes, threatening her won’t be a problem. Defeat them at that time and show them what it’s like to face the hero 』

「Yeah, Alright~」

『Well then, I’ll be moving.』

Receiving more pleasant news, Kousaka hummed in delight as she walk away.

But both Hino and Kousaka wouldn’t know that the result of what they plan to do for the sake of their own pleasure would be something that they would surely regret as a result…