Chapter 117

“Don’t be fooled by the distance, my eyesight is perfectly fine!”

Wait, this isn’t right?

“Is the referee here? As the Demon Clan Princess, I want to report this as internal manipulation! There’s clearly something wrong with this draw!”

32. Envelope (4K)

Contestant Timani’s state of mind was far from stable at this moment.

She was nearly at her breaking point from the nerves!

In the waiting area for the match, Timani sat alone in a corner, hugging her knees.

Despite there being seats available, she chose to sit on the floor. If Sheffy were here, she would definitely call this kind of stubborn behavior a typical trait of fire lizards—incurable.

Some staff members backstage tried to remind her to prepare for the semifinals, but all of them returned empty-handed.

The reason being... they couldn’t even get close!

Though the waiting area wasn’t particularly large, where the staff stood, it was comfortably at room temperature.

But the closer they got to contestant Timani, the hotter the air felt—as if approaching a volcano. Instinctively, it made people retreat.

Fortunately, there was nothing flammable in the waiting area. Otherwise, they might have had to prepare fire extinguishers at any moment.

With no other options, the staff had to stand far away and shout to inform her about the match progress.

“Miss Timani! You have at most ten minutes before the semifinals! Your opponent is contestant Syla, please be prepared!!”

“Got it...”

Her response wasn’t loud, it sounded calm, but the surging heatwaves had clearly intensified.

Seeing this, the announcers quickly fled. Whether she heard or not, staying there any longer and they’d be roasted alive!

Once the waiting area was cleared and only Timani remained...

The cold sweat on her forehead—condensed from tension and pressure—finally dripped to the floor.

Representing the Fire Dragon Clan, her crimson wings stretched out from both sides of her back, half-wrapping around her.

Her extremely dense magic overflowed uncontrollably in the form of heat, causing the temperature in the waiting room to rise.

Her powerful tail lashed unconsciously against the wall behind her.

When Timani turned to look back, she realized she had already smashed a noticeable dent into the solid wall with her tail!

Oh no... oh no!

Visibly, the face of this member of a higher race from the Fire Dragon Clan turned pale.

She hurriedly turned around to try salvaging the damaged wall, mumbling pitifully in near-tears.

“What do I do... this... this shouldn’t cost money, right... I didn’t mean to... ugh, so annoying!! What the hell am I doing!”

The pressure made her want to punch the wall to rubble and fly off on the spot!

But when Timani thought about how doing that would definitely get her fined, and even damage the Fire Dragon Clan’s reputation...

She had no choice but to find a small wooden board to try covering up the dent in the wall, then sat back in her previous spot hugging her knees, continuing to brood in meditation.

The stunning crimson-dressed girl curled up like that gave off an inexplicable sense of discord.

Clearly a powerful member of the Fire Dragon Clan, yet in this moment, with no one around, she appeared particularly fragile.

While burying her head, Timani first raised her head slightly to confirm that no one else was present.

Then, she slowly reached her hand into her crimson hair.

As her fingers brushed through the strands...

—Her fingertips touched the pointed ears hidden within.

The elf-like ears, a defining feature of the Elf Tribe, stirred a surge of indescribable bitterness in Timani's heart.

She had imagined it countless times... If only, when she touched her ears, they weren’t pointed like this—if all of this was just a terrible nightmare—how wonderful that would be...

【Your birth itself is an absurd mistake.】

【Because of you, the bloodline of the Fire Dragon Clan has been tainted with disgrace. Though your parents’ sins should not be yours to bear, you are not qualified to remain within the clan. The magic within you does not obey your command, it rampages and wreaks havoc—this is the punishment for the sin in your bloodline. The Dragon God foresaw this. You will never achieve any merit; you will only bring disaster.】

【Leave. Leave this place. You need never step foot here again.】

A sob escaped her lips uncontrollably, but she quickly forced it back down.

Timani lowered her hand, letting the long crimson hair fall once again to conceal her ears. As she repressed her deep self-loathing, she slapped her cheeks to lift her spirits.

“Don’t panic... don’t let it affect you... If I win this match... with so many nobles from different countries present... the elders will surely hear about it... This time, I can definitely go home... Absolutely. But...”

But...

Could she really win?

Timani had just personally watched the battle of the Demon Clan Princess.

She hadn’t set foot on the arena herself, but even from afar, the overwhelming magical pressure—like a raging storm—had surged through the air. Even the fearless bloodline of the Fire Dragon Clan had instinctively sounded the alarm to flee in terror.

【Desert】【Purgatory】【Torrent】【Wind Magic】【Extreme Cold】

These five types of magic, taken individually, weren’t all that unusual.

But when a single person could simultaneously control all five of these entirely distinct magical elements—and each one remained perfectly stable without any signs of rampage...

That was something utterly unthinkable.

To a bystander, it might have just looked impressive—but to someone who understood the deeper principles, it was terrifying.

As far as Timani knew, even those monster-like elders of the Fire Dragon Clan could at most wield four types of magic at once...

And yet, the final spell cast—【Desert】—had such overwhelming power and effect.

If the other spells that had been canceled midway were of similar magnitude, Timani dared not imagine what kind of existence the caster truly was.

“Are the Six-Winged Demons... really this powerful? If that’s the case... how did the Fire Dragon Clan and the Divine Species manage to drive them to the corners of the continent back then?”

The more she thought about it, the harder it was to understand.

Yet the more she thought... Timani noticed her arms trembling with excitement...

The stronger the Demon Clan Princess was... wouldn’t victory become all the more meaningful?

Defeating an ordinary opponent would never earn her the clan’s recognition.

But if she could defeat the Demon Clan Princess head-on, then everything might be possible!

And this might be her last and only chance.

However... to win, she might have to risk everything.

Timani looked down at her clasped hands and clenched them tightly, a ring of fire sparking to life.

She had her own trump card—a decisive, one-hit finishing move.

It was fine...

As long as she could go home, it was all worth it.

To hell with those words about how she’d never accomplish anything and would only bring misfortune!

Timani brushed off her skirt and stood up.

Only then did she remember—before facing the Demon Clan Princess, her next opponent was that little girl named “Syla”?

Hmm... she wasn’t sure where the girl came from, but it shouldn’t be too hard, right?

She had seen that girl instantly defeat her opponents in the earlier matches, but all of them were relatively weak—hardly convincing evidence of real strength.

Alright, in any case, it was time to step onto the field—no point overthinking it now.

Since she was from the Fire Dragon Clan, what she ought to do was simply defeat her opponent with honor.

Her long skirt rustled in the wind, and the intense heat in the waiting area subsided, returning to normal.

To a chorus of cheers and applause, Timani stepped forward on her journey.

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

Little Holy Sword was feeling very lively now. She thought the arena was an incredibly fun place!

She could stretch her limbs after being reborn, and even earn money for Lady Sheffy, making her happy—where else could she find a win-win place like this!

The only downside was that, up to now, all her opponents had been rather ordinary... none had really stirred her fighting spirit.

Well, people should be content—no need to complain about that!

“Hehehe... I’ll make sure to win this one quickly. Once I reach the finals, I’ll let Lady Sheffy give me a good beating!”

“Sigh... I’m not in the mood to scold you right now, so don’t rush to get yelled at.”

Sheffy replied wearily. She was busy thinking about whether she should actually beat Belith in their upcoming semifinal match.

If she didn’t beat her up, the girl was simply too arrogant—even secretly rigging the draw to place Sheffy directly against her. That alone was maddening.

But if she did beat her up, her mother had clearly instructed her to get along well with her today. If she laid a hand on her, she’d surely get her ears pulled as punishment.

If that’s the case, wouldn’t this become a no-win situation?!

Like drumming a rhythm, Sheffy patted Sylatrella’s head in a lively tempo as she conveyed this conundrum.

“And besides, it’s not even certain you’ll make it to the finals. For all we know, you might get smacked in this very round.”

“That’s not acceptable! If anyone other than you hits me, I’ll go all out, fight to the bitter end, and never surrender.”

“Look at you, turning a match into a heroic sacrifice!”

Xiarette scooted closer to Sheffy, cutting into the bizarre “mother-daughter” banter, and leaned in to whisper a question by Sheffy’s ear.

“Sheffy, are you saying there’s a chance Sylatrella might lose to Timani? Is that even possible?”

“Whether it’s possible or not... you... just move away a little first!”

Seriously, can’t you people stop exhaling so close to my ears when you talk to me?

And don’t tell me it’s unintentional. I’m sure you’re doing it on purpose!

My ears aren’t balloons—blowing air on them won’t make them puff up.

With Xiarette’s golden hair brushing her earlobe and making it tickle, Sheffy rubbed her ears protectively and...

Closed her left eye as she gave her answer.

This wasn’t just for Xiarette’s benefit—she was also speaking to Sylatrella.

“You can’t judge everything by surface-level strength. If it’s purely about combat ability, Sylatrella definitely outmatches Timani. But... I’ve got this sneaking suspicion that the fire lizard has made some serious preparations for this match. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have returned after being driven off last time. She might just have a trump card!”

“A trump card? I’m not afraid of any trump card! I’ll just slash, slash, slash...! Mmph!”

“Don’t speak yet. Let me give you a strategy.”

Sheffy quickly covered Sylatrella’s mouth, only to feel what seemed like the girl’s tongue sneaking a lick across her palm—sending shivers down her spine. She hurriedly pulled her hand away and gave her head a swat, then leaned in to whisper some tactics in her ear.

As Sheffy’s explanation progressed, Sylatrella’s expression gradually brightened with understanding.

“Ohh... I see now... Got it! Leave it to me, Lady Sheffy!”

“Also, make sure you go easy on the slashing. I’ve always felt Timani is a morally upright, good-hearted lizard. She doesn’t deserve anything too harsh.”

“Understood!”

The amplification crystal on the field issued its second urgent call—it was the second time the host had called for her.

【Contestant Syla, please report to your position. Contestant Syla, are you present? Please make your way to the arena promptly.】

“Go on now.” Sheffy gave her a supportive pat on the back. “You’re so short that with the railing there, the host probably can’t even see you. Don’t make things hard for him.”

“Mhm mhm! You’re just as short as me!”

“Get lost!”

“Yes! I’m off to get lost right now!”

If Sheffy hadn’t straightened her posture, Sylatrella might have actually followed through and rolled her way to the arena.

As Little Holy Sword hummed a cheerful victory tune and bounced toward the battleground, Xiarette curiously asked—

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