Chapter 113

With experience from the previous match, the Little Holy Sword was already well-versed in winning prize money!

And now, as for the current match situation...

At the same moment that Xiarette and Sheffy turned their heads toward the arena—

The host’s resounding proclamation and the audience's exclamations had already filled the air!

【N-No way! Last tournament’s champion, Syla, has ended the semifinals with an instant kill! Unbelievable… Her opponent was none other than the highly anticipated Sixth-Rank genius magician, Claven! This is simply… Syla truly lives up to being this tournament’s biggest dark horse!】

Sylatrella casually tossed aside the golden magic sword blade in her hand, which dispersed into light particles and scattered with the wind.

She ignored the opponent who had been knocked out before he could even chant a single spell, and also disregarded the audience’s cheers and astonishment. All she wanted now was to return to her mother’s embrace to ask for a word of praise~

Yay yay~ She was one step closer to meeting Lady Sheffy in the finals. What a difficult journey this had been!

——“Difficult.”

On the high platform, the Pope slightly widened his eyes at the sight.

But it was only a momentary shock; he leaned back into his chair once again, falling into thought.

From a high platform dozens of meters away, the Demon King murmured his judgment quietly.

“Ho, clean and decisive moves, excellent magic control. This brat… the human clan’s Holy Sword is indeed something. Wouldn’t you say so, Herilet?”

“Well… leaving the Holy Sword’s power aside, I’m more curious about how close Sheffy is with the Holy Sword… Aren’t we from the Demon Clan after all…”

From afar, that “Holy Sword girl” was clinging to Shaya’s arms, looking exactly like a child acting spoiled with her mother.

It was just that the “mother” had an expression of disgust, and even directly kicked her away, completely lacking any sign of maternal affection.

Herilet had been a little worried just now.

But she quickly let out a relieved smile and shook her head.

“Haah… Well, yes, that child Sheffy has always liked doing the unexpected since she was young… I should’ve gotten used to it by now.”

“Hahaha! That’s called taking after my personality! Refreshing!”

From afar, Belith watched that blue-haired little girl throw herself into her elder sister’s arms… Her gaze was as cold as an ice cave.

But Belith still had her reason intact. While trying her best to stay calm, she also heard the discussion her parents had just had.

They had just said…

Holy… Holy Sword?

Were they saying that little child was the true form of the Holy Sword, Sylatrella?

No, seriously, how did they even figure that out?

Although she didn’t fully understand the situation… Belith had once faced off against Sylatrella in the last tournament while in disguise.

After just a few exchanged moves, Belith had already sensed that this little girl was anything but ordinary. Her movements were so fast that Belith could barely keep up, her strength was exceptional, and more importantly—she hadn’t even used her full power.

If her true identity was the Holy Sword itself… then that would explain everything.

That damn Hero...

It wasn’t enough for her to cling to Elder Sister on her own, she even had to let her Holy Sword cling on as well—truly ruthless…

Someone was grinding their teeth in frustration, but the tournament was still ongoing.

While everyone was still discussing how unexpectedly abrupt the previous match had ended—

The host’s astonished voice echoed once again.

【Th-This…! The second semifinal match ended the exact same way!! The Fire Dragon Clan’s contestant Timani, seemingly imitating Syla’s performance just now, also defeated her opponent with a single blow! My god… The way this tournament is progressing is completely beyond our expectations. It’s unbelievable!】

Today, Timani was not draped in her usual brown robe.

She wore a fiery red dress, exhaling a breath of scorching air. Flames curled around her dragon horns as she looked with disdain toward the orc warrior on the ground, who appeared to have been roasted.

Most likely, he wasn’t dead.

Timani had been controlling her strength—this last【Dragonflame】was not a high-level spell. Even for Timani, it was one she could wield with ease.

With a graceful flick of her noble crimson hair, Timani turned in place and exited the arena, preparing for the next round.

No matter what... she had a reason she could not afford to lose today.

Her match this round may have taken even less time than Sylatrella’s earlier match.

After two matches with such unexpected developments, the audience was left dumbfounded, at a complete loss for words.

They had assumed these would be evenly matched duels… yet to their surprise, both had ended in one-sided instant defeats?

But what truly drew their attention—

Was the host’s next announcement.

Even the host himself furrowed his brows as he read the next match lineup.

His tone grew noticeably more cautious, completely stripped of the earlier jovial enthusiasm.

At this moment, more than a host, he resembled an official delivering a decree.

“The next match… will be contested by the First Demon Princess, Sheffy Harl. P-Please maintain silence in the arena and await the arrival of the participant.”

29. Arrival

Oh-ho, is it finally my turn to take the stage?

Honestly, weren’t the audience just now all fired up? Why did everything go silent the moment my name was called?

Well, it wasn’t completely silent.

In the Demon Clan’s spectator area, half of the demons were raising their arms and shouting, “Long live Her Highness the Princess!”

Of course, the other half chose to remain silent, or muttered empty slogans with evident apathy and disdain.

To those demons who remembered Sheffy’s achievements from the past ten years, she remained the invincible “War Goddess Princess” of the Demon Domain.

But to most of the demon nobility, the fact that the First Princess had been captured was a stain that could never be erased.

To be captured was to be defeated, and the defeated did not deserve applause.

Even if she had now been released, she was nothing more than the shame of the Demon Clan. Her past accomplishments included, none of it was worth celebrating.

It was likely only because they couldn’t disrespect someone of higher rank that they refrained from openly insulting her.

A flawless jade draws admiration from the world.

But should that jade bear even the slightest flaw, it would be cast away in scorn.

People only demanded the jade remain pure and pristine, never considering that after years of wind and rain, it was already scarred and battered.

Yet no amount of wounds could earn the jade the world’s sympathy—only cold remarks like “What a disappointment” or “She lacked strength.”

The jade had never meant to flee.

She had once asked some of her people—how much longer must I endure?

Ten years? Twenty? Even thirty would be fine.

She only hoped that afterward, she could become like a butterfly soaring through a sea of flowers, overlooking the horizon, gazing at the seamless blend of sea and sky.

But the answer she received was...

——“That day will never come.”

As the Demon Princess, pride was an eternal burden.

Her form was like jade, but her heart was like a butterfly.

While Sheffy continued to comprehend the cruel truth hidden within those words, the Demon King’s Castle had already become her cage.

To the world, the defeat of the Demon Princess meant falling from a glorious battlefield into the Human Clan’s prison.

But to her—where was the real prison, truly?

They didn’t care, because the one imprisoned wasn’t them.

All they wanted was for the Demon Domain to forever possess a radiant jade, through which they could proclaim their power to the world.

And if that jade lost its value—then just discard it.

With her back to this nearly suffocating silence, Shaya moved gently, placing the half-eaten donut into【Storage】.

Just as Sheffy was about to use【Teleportation】to make her entrance in her usual form and leave the Shaya doll behind—

She suddenly felt a gentle warmth covering her left hand.

Turning to look, she saw Xiarette’s soft smile blooming like jade.

“Shaya.”

“Mm?”

“Since you’re heading into the match, then enjoy yourself—don’t dwell on unhappy thoughts. And also… I just wanted to tell you that, in your sister’s eyes, you’re one of a kind. Whether it was you back when you were in the Demon King’s Castle, or you now sitting here, I… I don’t quite know how to say it. What I mean is, you don’t need to care so much about what others think. Your brilliance doesn’t need anyone’s judgment—your sister understands that completely. Put that way… do you sort of get what I’m trying to say?”

“Nope.”

“Eh?! Then let me rephrase! Let me think… think…”

“Pfft…”

“Shaya?”

Somber and dejected just a second ago, and now breaking into a mischievous grin—completely at ease.

With Sheffy’s level of understanding, how could she possibly not grasp what Xiarette was trying to convey?

Sheffy let out a silly chuckle, and despite the host calling her to the stage for the second time, she simply took out the donut she had just stashed into【Storage Magic】, her appetite returning with force. She shoved it into her mouth and ate her happiness away.

“Mm… so sweet. Hey, Xiarette, you’re actually quite good at this talking thing! You almost made my heart flutter!”

“Don’t tease your sister like that… seriously… You looked a bit down, so I just thought I should encourage you…”

“Wasn’t joking, though?”

“Huh?”

The Little Holy Sword noticed the atmosphere was dragging a bit.

But she wasn’t one to ignore the mood. After kneeling on the chair and turning around with a deeply displeased glare at the gloom-stricken audience seats, Sylatrella returned to her seat, arms crossed and tone brimming with indignation.

“Hmph… From ancient times to now, these people have always been this foolish. Lady Shaya is clearly the greatest person in the world, but they don’t even know to treasure her. And now they’re sitting there sulking, acting like someone owes them something. If they’ve got the guts, why don’t they go up on stage and fight! However many come, we’ll take them all on! We—! Mm?”

Another donut had suddenly appeared in her mouth, silencing Sylatrella’s barrage of complaints.

The Little Holy Sword looked up, first seeing the tiny hand that had stuffed the donut’s sugar glaze into her mouth.

As the hand withdrew, Sheffy’s snow-pure smile bloomed before Sylatrella’s sapphire-blue eyes for the very first time.

Smiles were a luxury—ones that couldn’t last long.

After Shaya turned back and told Xiarette, “I’ll be right back,” the “Shaya” on the seat lost all expression, sitting upright and unmoving like a doll, staring straight ahead at the arena.

Sylatrella stood up and poked at the “Shaya doll’s” collagen-rich cheek, pouting as she grumbled.

“Mm… Lady Shaya’s soul has gone off to some distant place again. She’s not moving.”

“Sylatrella… could you please not make it sound like she died… Shaya just went to compete. She’s not that far.”

She said it wasn’t far.

Yet both Xiarette and Sylatrella subtly scooted their seats closer toward the center.

That way, they’d be a bit nearer to the Shaya doll.

Not far.

But always wanting to be a little closer.

.......................................

In the contestants’ waiting area, the staff were pacing anxiously in circles.

The third call had been made for Princess Sheffy to enter the stage—and still, she hadn’t appeared.

They weren’t political figures, nor were they merchants.

But as the organizers of the arena tournament, failing to ensure a contestant’s timely arrival on an occasion like today meant offending both politicians and top merchants alike.

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