"It just happened."

That was the one-sided notification Sir Fluffy gave me.

To him, I could only say this:

"What do you mean, 'it just happened,' you crazy bastard."

If I could, I would have praised Fluffy for acquiring the virtue of shamelessness, but the situation didn't allow for it.

Fluffy, with a perfectly straight and shameless face, said, "You're the one who told me not to worry. That it would be taken care of."

This guy. He had reached a state where he only picked out and heard what he wanted to hear.

"That was in case you went berserk, Fluffy. What am I supposed to do if you make that guy go berserk?"

CRACKLE!

"KRRRAAAAAAK!"

Fluffy glanced back at the noisy, flashing scene behind him and shrugged.

"I didn't know that would happen either."

"...."

I couldn't really blame Fluffy, since this situation was unexpected for me too. Who would have thought that guy would suddenly snatch the demon sword and promptly go berserk? Even his own lord probably didn't know. Look at him. His eyes are wide open.

Regardless, the situation was not good.

Was his name Lionel? Perhaps because this knight was stronger, he looked several times more powerful than when Wolfgang had gone berserk.

I scanned the arena.

I could see the terrified faces of the people. I could hear their screams. There were so many people. If this was left unchecked, a great disaster, the likes of which had never been seen, would unfold.

Just then, as if sensing the gravity of the situation, the Royal Knight Aron Hobas, who was serving as both referee and announcer, approached.

"Sir Lionel. Can you hear me? Please calm down and..."

BOOM!

Aron was sent flying like an arrow and slammed into the side of the arena. He had been struck by a sword swung by Lionel, who was now consumed by Vlad.

"Kyaaaak!"

Screams of shock erupted from all over.

"...."

The destructive power was immense.

No, he just seemed to swing it casually, but how was it so strong? Even when he was sane, I didn't think I could beat him easily. With Vlad added to the mix, this was... hopeless.

An ominous energy was covering the sky.

I slightly lifted my blindfold to look at the sky and saw that the entire area above the arena was now covered in black storm clouds.

CRACKLE! CRACKLE-RUMBLE!

Red lightning struck the demon sword like mad.

"Kuaaaaaaaah!"

It was like watching a scene from a nightmare.

A catastrophe was descending.

"...This is insane."

Regardless of all that.

The Heavenly Demon calmly expressed his thoughts in a single phrase.

[How noisy.]

His tone held no sense of urgency whatsoever.

[It's rare for someone truly strong to be so noisy.]

"He looks crazy strong to me."

[That's because you're weak.]

At that moment, Lionel, having sent Aron flying, seemed to have finished charging and lowered his raised sword halfway. It was a sword wreathed in crackling red lightning.

However, it was pointed in my direction.

"...Huh?"

The Heavenly Demon chuckled lowly.

[It seems he likes you.]

"No, I don't think so. He's probably pointing at Fluffy, not me."

Just in case, I slowly sidled away from Sir Fluffy.

The tip of the man's sword followed me perfectly.

A sigh escaped me automatically.

"Seriously, why me..."

[Why, you ask? Are you genuinely asking?]

"Did I do something wrong?"

[Didn't you beat him like a dog on a regular basis?]

"Come on, what a petty guy. Over something like that?"

[...]

There was no more time to talk.

"Kuhak!"

The man charged straight at me.

"My lord! Get back!"

These damn Black Knights were busy protecting only their own lord. Protect me too, you heartless bastards. Seeing Fluffy already mixed in with them, I could only feel admiration.

"Wow... that son of a bitch."

Fluffy's gaze seemed to say to me:

'What do you want me to do? I'm bare-handed right now.'

I shot a glare back at him.

'Shut up, you dog.'

Ah, come to think of it, I was wearing a blindfold. Dammit. Nothing's going right. Can't I even curse him out properly?

"Lord Ashuban! He's coming!"

In the end, the only one who drew his sword and stood by my side was Lady Ashley.

"Kaaaaaahk!"

In the blink of an eye, the man reached the edge of the stage.

The moment he leaped up to bring his sword down.

Clang! C-Clang!

A pillar of deep blue ice instantly grew and swallowed him. Vlad, which had been rampaging wildly, froze in mid-air.

"...."

A sudden silence fell.

Amidst the chilling air, a man was suddenly standing next to me.

"Hoo..."

It wasn't even winter, yet the man with deep blue hair was breathing out white puffs of air. He held a sword as blue as a glacier, and his pale face, as white as snow, was striking. He still looked more like a sculpture carved from ice than a living person.

"He's frozen for now."

The voice that flowed out with the white breath was just as cold.

I looked back and forth between the dual-wielding knight trapped in the ice and the Frost Knight standing beside me, and asked.

"...Is he dead?"

"Not yet."

Frost Knight said, looking at the knight trapped in the ice.

"Is there a way to stop the rampage?"

"There is."

"What is it?"

"Kill him."

"Other than that."

"He has to let go of the sword."

Frost Knight looked at me.

"Is that really all it takes?"

"Yes."

"Simple enough."

"It is simple."

Frost Knight immediately raised his sword diagonally towards the air and slashed.

K-thunk!

A corner of the ice broke off...

Clatter!

Vlad fell.

The man, amidst the shattered ice fragments, trembled and hummed as if in frustration.

I didn't even want to deal with him, so I lightly kicked the blade up with my foot. Of course, the direction was towards where our brave Black Knights were surrounding the Black Prince in several layers.

"Wh-what are you doing!"

"Get back!"

From among the terrified men, Sir Fluffy shot out and caught Vlad. He then immediately sealed it in its scabbard. The humming sound gradually subsided.

Having confirmed this, Frost Knight looked at me, as if to ask if it was done. I gave him a nod, and only then did Frost Knight sheathe the blue sword he had been holding loosely.

Crack... CRASH!

The ice shattered into pieces, and Sir Lionel fell out from within.

Frost Knight, who was watching, murmured softly.

"Aron."

At that, Aron appeared from somewhere and caught the falling knight. He seemed to have been slammed into the side of the arena by Vlad, but now he was perfectly fine, holding Sir Lionel in his arms.

I muttered to myself without thinking.

"Hey, he's perfectly fine."

I hadn't meant for him to hear, but Aron looked at me.

"I was lucky."

"...Doesn't seem like just luck to me."

Frost Knight instructed Aron.

"Return him to the First Prince."

"Yes."

Aron immediately carried Sir Lionel and walked to the opposite side of the arena.

As I was watching him, I felt an intense gaze.

I looked, and Frost Knight was staring intently at me.

"...What are you looking at?"

At that, Frost Knight tilted his head slightly to one side and asked.

"Can you see me?"

"Of course, I can."

"How?"

"With the eyes of my heart."

"...I see."

Having been easily convinced, Frost Knight suddenly said something unexpected.

"When this is over, would you care for a cup of tea?"

It was so out of the blue that I just stared at him for a moment before answering.

"Where?"

"At my mansion."

"...."

A sudden invitation? This was baffling even for me.

As I hesitated to answer, Frost Knight asked.

"Does that mean yes?"

I replied in a bewildered tone.

"I didn't say anything."

"Silence is generally interpreted as affirmation."

"Is that so?"

"It is."

"Aha."

"So?"

I maintained my silence.

"Does that mean yes?"

"Probably."

Having finally gotten a confirmation, Frost Knight slightly raised the corners of his mouth to form something resembling a smile.

"...I'll look forward to it."

Then he turned and walked away somewhere.

Seeing his awkward smile gave me goosebumps all over. It was as if a sculpture I had been admiring had suddenly looked at me and curled its lips. It was creepy.

I rubbed the goosebumps on my arms and said to Lady Ashley beside me.

"Ugh... did you just see that guy smile?"

"...."

Ashley was staring at me with wide, round eyes. I looked around and saw that not only the Black Prince but the other knights as well had expressions of utter shock.

"...Lord Ashuban."

"Hm?"

"Did you... just get an invitation from the Frost Knight?"

I scratched my cheek and replied.

"Seems like it."

"Uh... no... I mean... huh... well, that's..."

Lady Ashley's mouth gaped open, unable to form a proper sentence.

Does she want to go with me?

I tilted my head, looked at her, and asked, "Want to come along?"

"Pardon? M-me? C-c-can I really?"

"Why not?"

"Gasp..."

Lady Ashley covered her mouth with her hands.

"If you don't want to, then don't."

"N-no, that's not it. Let's go together."

Fluffy, who had approached at some point, shamelessly cut in.

"Me too."

"What about you?"

"Let me join too."

"Why you?"

Lady Ashley had shown the resolve to stay by my side and fight to the end. But this guy was the despicable one who had fled without a moment's hesitation.

Sir Fluffy closed his mouth for a moment, searching for something to say to my question.

"...."

This bastard. Why is he so annoying? It seemed he had undergone some kind of awakening since becoming the master of Vlad. An awakened Fluffy. He was becoming a handful.

The despicable Fluffy pointed to his waist and said.

"The master of the ninth and final famed sword of Ophosis."

"...?"

"I am still very lacking and would like to receive some advice from him. As a junior to a senior."

"...."

I looked at Fluffy with displeasure... but having no good reason to refuse, I just glared at him.

Fluffy interpreted my silence on his own.

"That means yes."

"...."

And so, I recruited two companions to storm Frost Knight's mansion.

***

But there was no time for such leisurely talk. An invitation or whatever, it was only possible if we won first. Come to think of it, the match wasn't even halfway over, yet Frost Knight had left after saying such idle things. Was he that confident that the Black Prince would win? Then why did he dispatch three Royal Knights to the First Prince's side?

Dammit. I don't know.

For now, I decided to focus on the match.

And so, the third match somehow concluded. Although Sir Fluffy had surrendered, the other side had also left the stage, so both were recorded as losses. A draw filled only with losers, no winners.

To summarize the match results so far...

3 to 2.

Of course, we were the 2.

The remaining knights were eight versus seven.

Of course, we were the seven.

...It wasn't an advantageous situation. But at the same time, it was still a situation where we had a chance.

After that, the matches proceeded quickly.

This time, our brave Black Knights, who had been quietly burning with fighting spirit, stepped up. They fought quite well, perhaps inspired by the previous matches, but... that was the process, and the results were not great.

Five Black Knights went out and fought a total of six matches, securing only two precious victories. The first two Black Knights were defeated, and to break the losing streak, Sir Smith went out and barely secured a victory. But in the process, he sustained injuries that were not exactly light, and he lost the next match. After another loss in the following match, Sir Max finally went out and succeeded in a mutual destruction, taking down one of the opposing knights. Of course, due to the injuries sustained in the process, he could not continue the match.

"Quickly, to the waiting room!"

"Yes!"

I stared blankly at Sir Max being carried away on a stretcher. It wasn't that the Black Knights were weak, but rather that the First Prince's knights were too strong.

...Where did he get such monsters?

The result was 8 to 4.

Instead of closing the gap from 3 to 2, it had widened even further.

The remaining knights were six versus two.

A situation where Lady Ashley and I had to defeat six knights. And to top it off, three of those six were Royal Knights.

A sigh escaped me automatically.

"...This is too much weight on my shoulders."

The area under the Black Prince's eyes was turning dark and sunken. I didn't know if he would suddenly collapse. Would he be able to last until the end of the match?

He looked this way and said.

"Lady Ashley."

"Yes!"

She answered vigorously and shot up from her seat. Then, with a solemn face, she said to me.

"Lord Ashuban. Do not worry. I will do my absolute best. Even if it means my death."

But I am not a man so weak as to be comforted by her. A pathetic man who pretends to be strong even in the face of death. That is me.

I forced myself to maintain a relaxed attitude and replied.

"Lady Ashley. Don't worry and go out there. I'll wipe out the rest."

"...."

Ashley seemed deeply impressed by my words and stared at me for a moment while standing.

"Your voice is trembling slightly."

"It's just your imagination."

"Yes."

Lady Ashley strode over to the Black Prince, made a pledge similar to the one she had made to me, and then walked up onto the stage.

As I watched her bravely advancing back, the Heavenly Demon said something unexpected.

[My disciple.]

"Yes, Master."

[Relay a message to that blonde one.]

"...A message? What kind?"

The Heavenly Demon continued.

"...? Is that all?"

[Yes.]

The Heavenly Demon's advice was puzzling even to me.

But I decided to relay it anyway.

"Lady Ashley."

Lady Ashley, who had just stepped onto the stage, turned to look at me.

I delivered the Heavenly Demon's advice to her.

"Is the flash the only child of the explosion?"

Ashley looked at me with a 'what kind of bullshit is this' expression.

But I said no more, and Ashley nodded, then turned back around.

I watched Ashley's back and her shimmering golden hair as she headed to the center of the arena, and thought about the Heavenly Demon's bullshit.

(End of Chapter)

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