It was only recently that Dorothea pushed him away because she was not feeling well.
It was only a few days ago that he slammed the door of the infirmary with a face that looked like she was about to cry.
But now you’re going to fight with that bastard?
Ethan clenched his fists as he watched Dorothea prepare for the match under the arena.
‘If you were weaker, it would have been better to be selfish, but I hated the stubbornness of choosing a thorny path.’
And if you get hurt…
Ethan forgot to take good care of his expression and showed his tension as it was.
* * *
Meanwhile, below the arena, the guys who seemed to be Alex’s friends giggled and shouted.
“Leader! Be quick, baby, you’ll get hurt!”
I clicked my tongue when I saw them running around and arguing here and there.
It’s childish to think that kids who are old enough to eat are still playing alley leader.
Then Alex twisted his back and came over to my side.
“Baby, you will regret what you said before hitting the ground. Be careful not to bleed that pretty face.”
Alex tapped my head and said.
My brow furrowed.
Why do you tap someone’s head?
For a moment, I was about to be angry but then came to my senses.
‘Don’t hit people, good kids who don’t hit people…’
Controlling the heat rising from the inside, I clenched my teeth.
‘I’ll be going up to the arena soon, so hit him then…’
I waited for the time of legal and wholesome violence to come.
The arena was cleared and the match that I had been waiting for so much began. I and Alex went up to the arena together and faced each other.
“You don’t even know if you will get hurt?”
Alex raised one corner of his mouth, but I lightly ignored those words and raised my sword.
Rather than fit in with his childish puns, I wanted to swing the sword quickly.
‘It would have been better if it was a real sword.’
It was better to call it a stick because it was soft and blunt, only the fake black shape made to avoid casualties in these festival matches.
“Fighting Dory!”
Ray’s voice came from afar.
It was Ray who cheered, but I looked at Theon.
he was looking at me so that I couldn’t help but win.
The sound of the trumpet rang in my heart. At the same time, an excited Alex ran to me first.
I looked straight at Alex as he rushed towards me.
‘I’m not used to it.’
I was unfamiliar with Alex’s attack and didn’t know what to do.
‘He too slow.’
Alex was so slow that he gave me too much time to think about whether to avoid it first or drag it a bit.
It’s difficult because there are so many options.
If it were Stefan, the flow of the sword would change like a ghost and follow in the midst of this slowness.
I remembered my practice with Stefan and took a step in finding the right timing.
It had only taken one step, but the attack missed so effortlessly that I could put a bridge between Alex’s sword and me.
“That’s a good idea”
Alex laughed.
I looked at him with cold eyes.
“You are not good enough.”
To be honest, I was expecting a little bit because he was the boss.
I swung my sword and hit Alex’s thigh.
“Argh!”
Alex screamed unfiltered at my stronger-than-expected power.
He had no idea how much power could come from my small and thin body.
When the smaller side made an effective attack on the big opponent, cheers erupted from the spectators who watched the match without expectations.
Alex turned to fight back immediately, with a fever so high that he forgot the pain.
‘Oh no…There are so many gaps, it’s hard to decide where to hit.’
puck! puck! puck! puck!
A quick, even thud rang out.
Even after hitting like that, there was still time left, so I took my sword one turn.
“Ugh.”
A groan escaped Alex’s mouth.
Alex is so tall, so I struggle, and he is large, so there are many places to hit and it is slow.
“The turtle can hide it in the shell, but how can it be so slow without the shell…?”
I tucked my hair behind my ears and looked down at Alex, who was on my knees.
Alex gritted his teeth and tried to get up.
Who’s going to give you a chance to get up?
“You can’t get up if you do that.”
My sword struck him again on the shoulder and he knelt down again.
At this level, did you just say not to come out?
At the reception desk, you insisted on going back to the match list, so I participated, but it was not worthwhile.
As I stood proudly and looked down at him, Alex, heated, tried to attack with his fists and torso instead of his sword.
However.
“Argh!!”
He collapsed on the floor in pain as if his wrist was about to break.
“dummy.”
Where’s the idiot who runs His fists at someone with a sword?
If your fist goes out first because you’re angry, it’s your own loss.
I almost let out a sigh of pity.
“That’s why you should have stayed still when the referee changed the match list.”
I whispered to Alex that I’d been merciful for a long time.
Alex’s face turned blue.
“You, who the hell are you!?”
“Me?”
Well, a good kid?
The referee declared defeat for Alex, who couldn’t get up and raised my hand.
“The winner is Dory!!”
Cheers for me poured out from all sides.
Theon saw Dorothea, who raised the hand of victory. The light of the sun was pouring pure white over Dorothea.
Dorothea, who had not shed a sweat, seemed to glisten in the sunlight for some reason, and her blue eyes that met him seemed to silently give him victory.
It was dazzlingly beautiful.
* * *
“Ugh.”
Alex came down from the arena and sighed.
His self-esteem was shattered and trampled on, and his body and mind were torn apart.
“Great, boss!”
The boys who served Alex as boss flocked around him.
“done! I am no longer a boss!”
Alex wiped away his tears and looked at me.
Since you lost so horribly to such a small kid, how do you maintain your position as a boss?
Those who had gathered next to Alex also turned to me.
“then… … Is she the boss?”
They murmured to me.
I looked at them and shook my head as if pathetic.
“I’m not interested in being a neighborhood alley boss.”
“What?”
“I don’t like to sit in the boss seat…”
I’ve even played a boss that’s a little bigger than the bastards who rob the neighborhood kids.
I smiled bitterly as I recalled the past.
I didn’t want and shouldn’t have a position like that.
“So you go on, boss.”
I quietly left.
Then Ray, who was far away, ran to me.
“Dorothea, you are amazing!”
Ray stamped his foot with great excitement. He looked happier than when he had won.
“Be quiet.”
At most, I used a pseudonym to compete, but are you going to talk about it all over the place?
When I glared at him, Ray sighed and nodded his head.
“I didn’t know you could do this much swordsmanship. What happened?
When you were in the Imperial Palace, you never held a sword… ”
“Don’t even pretend to know.”
They look alike, and their skills stand out, so they’ll be caught off guard when the Duke of Bronte sees them.
I walked past Ray carelessly.
* * *
Ray looked behind Dorothea as she moved away.
“It’s hard.”
Ray’s smile darkened. He wanted to give Dorothea a lot of compliments.
Rey had done it herself, so she knew how much effort Dorothea had to put in to get to where she is today.
No matter how genius Dorothea was, that level of leisure and skill was not created overnight.
Besides, she had never held a sword when she was in the Imperial Palace, so it must have been the two years Dorothea spent in the detached palace.
Theon quietly placed a hand on Rey’s drooping shoulder.
“You can make it to the finals, Ray.”
Ray laughed at Theon’s words.
“Haha, right. I never thought I’d ever run into Dorothea with a sword.”
“I didn’t know I would see the princess’s sword either.”
Dorothea, who is quiet and silent, who seems dark somewhere, had such power hidden.
Although the match ended quickly and I only saw simple movements, Theon could find traces of skill and proficiency in Dorothea.
She was someone who could shine like that.
He could understand why Ray was excited. After watching Dorothea’s match, his heart raced too.
* * *
I and Ray went on to win consecutive victories without any surprises, and we made our way to the finals without hesitation.
And I was approaching the semifinals. If I win this match, I will face Ray in the final.
I relaxed slowly so that the pleasant heat did not subside.
The previous opponents were so easy, I felt like I had just warmed up.
“It’s the semifinals! These opponents are two players who have blown a new wave in this year’s game! dory and Joy!”
Joy, I thought it was a familiar name.
Is it a common name? Somehow, when I hear the name Joy, I vaguely think of a potato…
‘potato?’
I saw the opponent coming up on the other side. A face with scruffy brown hair and a wrinkled expression. But the sullen face soon saw me and slowly opened and her eyes widened.
“Princess?”
“potato…?”
“Shit, What’s this!”
It was the kid who started swearing out loud. The child who brings the grace of the month every month.
‘I can’t believe I didn’t notice her name right away!’
