Chapter 63 Showdown
Onyx, of course, was not to be outdone. He too assumed a similar stance to Killion, and spoke to his master and mistress in a weighty, measured voice.
“I agree with the idea of setting up multiple bull’s-eyes, but it’s not enough.”
“…”
“I suggest that we set up obstacles in the middle, so that instead of just walking and throwing darts, we compete by skipping obstacles and throwing darts.”
“Ohhh, that’s an excellent idea!”
The owner and his wife nodded, smiling broadly. They immediately began to set up the stage for the contest.
Veronia’s heart sank as she saw Killion and Onyx warming up on one side. A chill ran down her spine.
‘Come to think of it, it’s a duel between the two of them… between the main character and the Shadow.’
What if this dart game turns into a real fight, not just a bet, and they don’t throw the darts anywhere but at the bull’s-eye? A tower of worry built up in Veronia’s mind.
They had done as Killion had said and hung five targets in a row on the wooden wall. They arranged chairs, tables, and buckets on the floor, just as Onyx had said.
“Now,” said Onyx, “we’re ready to go…”
“Wait!”
The owner was about to announce the start of the game. Suddenly, Jediel jumped to his feet and stalked over to them, and then he said, with a wry smile.
“I think we should put a time limit on this!”
Jediel was not alone; Princess Espin, who had also moved to the child’s side, interjected.
“Yes, because you’re both so good that a high score might not be the difference between winning and losing.”
“That’s a fair point.”
The master nodded, and so did Killion and Onyx, which is why the master had to prepare an hourglass.
Onyx was the first to go. Veronia turned her head to glance at Jediel, who was staring at Onyx with his hands clasped together and his eyes glowing.
‘Is it that good!’
Jediel laughed, looking even more nervous than Onyx.
Taking several deep breaths to prepare herself, Onyx flipped the hourglass over and took off running.
“Whoa!”
“Ooh!”
There were gasps all around, and rightly so, as Onyx’s movements were so flying. In fact, even Veronia was surprised.
‘Onyx is so good at using his body!’
As a member of the Intelligence Guild, he never knew when or where he would encounter a dangerous situation.
That’s why he was constantly training his body. However, he didn’t expect to be so physically active in his work.
He stomped on a chair and leapt over it, then rolled on a table and leapt over it, then rolled over a bucket and leapt over it. His dart landed in the center of the bull’s-eye.
“Wow, 10 points in a row, that’s amazing, that guy!”
“He’s so fast! He’s like a flying squirrel!”
The onlookers, amazed by Onyx’s quick movements and accurate darting skills, hung on his every gesture, mouths agape. Jediel and Espin watched, munching on popcorn they’d bought.
It was then.
“Ugh!”
A fairly muffled groan escaped Onyx’s mouth as he tried to skip across the wide table with one hand and slipped.
“I think you’re sprained.”
“Oh no, is he hurt?”
Concerned voices echoed around the room. Veronia was worried too. There was nothing more silly than getting hurt playing a silly game.
‘I hope you’re not too badly hurt.’
The wince was short-lived, and Onyx was back on her feet, running, rolling, and jumping up and down to finish the game.
“One eight, one nine, and eight tens out of ten darts, for a total of 97 points. Time is three minutes and 53 seconds!”
The owner’s voice crackled as he announced Onyx’s game score.
“Wow, that’s great!”
“He’s going to win!”
“Not yet! That aristocrat-looking guy is pretty good too! You should have seen him earlier! Ugh! They were both so close!”
In the midst of all of this commentary and anticipation, Onyx came over and sat down next to Veronia.
“Is your wrist okay? You seemed to sprain it earlier.”
“It’s about this bad, I’m fine.”
“Let me see.”
Veronia looked at Onyx’s wrist, and despite her words, it didn’t look too good. Veronia’s eyes widened as she looked at the red, swollen wrist.
“Are you sure this is okay? That must hurt, I think you need to put some ice on it, and why…”
Onyx wanted to say, “Why are you jumping into this childish betting game!” but she held it back, noticing Jediel beside her, looking at her with concern.
Onyx smirked at her.
“Don’t worry, Jediel. It doesn’t really hurt. You should be watching Killion play.”
“It’s…”
“Yeah,” Jediel said, but he didn’t look up right away. He still looked worried. Onyx ruffled the boy’s hair playfully.
“If you’re so worried, why don’t you call me Uncle Onyx instead of Mr. Onyx, it might cheer me up a bit.”
“Oh…”
Jediel’s mouth immediately twitched, and he glanced at Veronia. He was looking for her permission, as if calling him ‘uncle’ would make them ‘family’ and therefore he needed her permission.
Veronica smiled and nodded, amused by the cuteness of his invisible head.
“Uncle Onyx! Uncle Onyx! Uncle Onyx! Now, are you feeling better? Doesn’t it hurt?”
“Yes, I think I’m feeling a little better. Thank you, Jediel.”
Jediel smiled at Onyx’s reassurance that he was feeling better.
Meanwhile, Killion, who was preparing for the game, was completely demotivated. Veronia’s look of concern for Onyx’s wrist had completely demotivated him.
Watching her frown at Onyx, then tear her eyes away, then smile again, he felt a pang in his chest, like a hole had been punched through it.
‘What the hell am I doing here…’
A deep sense of skepticism sapped his energy. What’s the point of playing a game like this?
“You have to win!”
“Come on, Mister Killion, we’re on the winning side!”
Espin and Jediel waved their hands in the air, cheering him on, but it did nothing to revive his spirits. Veronia’s gaze was still fixed on Onyx’s wrist.
He started the game, and the results weren’t much better.
“Two 8, one 9, and seven 10 out of ten darts, for a total of 95 points. Time is 3 minutes and 57 seconds!”
“So the winner of this game of darts is Mr. Onyx!”
The owner and his wife shouted in a loud voice, and the people who had been watching the whole time clapped and cheered in unison.
“You were both excellent!”
“Thanks to you, we had fun too!”
“Well done, congratulations!”
“Now we can have a nice meal, kid!”
There was a chuckle here and there.
The owner and his wife approached Jediel with two stuffed animals almost as big as he was, one a rabbit and the other a squirrel.
“You both did a great job,” the owner said, “and these are your prizes for scoring so high.”
“The one who hopped like a rabbit is the rabbit doll, and the one who ran like a squirrel is the squirrel doll.”
The owner placed the rabbit in Killion’s arms, and the squirrel in Onyx’s.
“…Thank you.”
“…”
The adult men’s faces trembled as they accepted the stuffed animals in their arms.
Meanwhile, Jediel’s eyes shone as brightly as the sun as he looked up at them. They were not unaware of the child’s eager gaze. But they acted as if they had made an unspoken pact to pretend not to notice.
“I wish you’d put it on the bed.”
“No, but there are times when I want to eat alone, and I can put it on the chair opposite.”
Killion and Onyx muttered to themselves loudly enough for Jediel to hear.
Jediel’s face quickly turned grim. He’d thought there was a pretty good chance the doll would be mine, and now it looked like they were just going to take it.
“I don’t envy you at all, I got this one too.”
Jediel made a pouty face and waved the small wooden puppy they’d been given first.
Killion and Onyx exchanged glances and giggled. Then they looked at each other and started nodding. They seemed to be planning something.
Killion spoke first.
“I think you should keep this doll, Jediel, because now that I’m older, I don’t think it’s appropriate for me to have a doll in my bed, even if it is above me.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Here, take it.”
“Wow! Thank you!”
Killion gave Jediel a large stuffed rabbit. The child hugged the stuffed animal with open arms. The child, instantly cheered up, smiled broadly.
This time, Onyx spoke up.
“Really?”
“Yeah. Here.”
“Oooh! That’s exciting! Thank you, Uncle Onyx!”
Onyx handed Jediel a large stuffed squirrel.
The child had to waddle backwards, barely holding the rabbit in one arm and the squirrel in the other. By now, sweat was pouring down his face.
Killion and Onyx giggled at how cute it was.
Veronica and Espin shook their heads in disbelief at the two men’s childish antics. What was so funny about this prank on the child?
Jediel, on the other hand, was having a hard time walking with two large dolls, but he didn’t give up.
