Then, something shifted onstage. For some reason, the referee—his face utterly pale—approached the Madam and spoke to her. She listened, nodded, and then relayed something to the staff waiting backstage.
A moment later, the referee was replaced. His face had been almost ghostly… maybe he wasn’t feeling well?
“With that, we will begin the final match before the lunch break!”
““““OOOHHH!””””
Once the new referee was ready, the Madam began the announcement. Since it was the last match before lunch, the audience was more fired up than ever.
“Red Corner: Heir of the Count Ooak, Chikin!”
““““Boo—! Boo—! Boo—!””””
Huh?
The moment the Madam called out the heir’s name, the audience erupted in a massive chorus of boos.
Fina-san’s older brother explained why.
“That guy keeps loudly proclaiming that Fina will be his bride at every opportunity. The townspeople know about it, and they absolutely hate him for it.”
Wow… what an idiot.
Even Sue, hearing Fina-san’s brother’s explanation, couldn’t help but jolt in disbelief.
“Blue Corner: The Miracle Mage… Ao!”
“Go, Ao!”
“Take that idiot down!”
The moment Ao’s name was announced, the crowd erupted into thunderous cheers. A few over-the-top shouts here and there, but nothing to worry about. Ao waved her tentacles enthusiastically, responding to the audience’s cheers.
“All right, the match time is set. Let’s begin with a handshake—”
“Hmph! I have no need to shake hands with something like a slime.”
““““Boo—! Boo—! Boo—!””””
The heir ignored the referee’s instructions, snapping shut his full-face helmet as he stepped back from Ao.
Ao had been more than ready to extend her tentacles for a handshake, but he completely brushed her off. The audience responded instantly with another massive chorus of boos.
Ao bristled with anger, putting some distance between herself and the referee.
The referee, meanwhile, looked utterly helpless.
“Both competitors, take your stance! Let the match begin!”
““““OOOHHH!””””
The referee, eager to get the match underway, gave the signal to start. The heir drew his sword from its scabbard and began concentrating his mana.
Yep—already breaking the rules.
“Heh, a mere slime won’t even make a decent test swing.”
“Whoa! Contestant Chikin’s sword is starting to glow! Meanwhile, Contestant Ao has deployed a magical barrier.”
A mocking voice can be heard from the full-face helmet. I couldn’t see his expression, but there was no doubt he was grinning. Ao, on the other hand, raised a small magical barrier, fully prepared to defend herself.
“Uooooooh!”
“Contestant Chikin is charging with his sword!”
Well… that’s something.
The heir had charged forward with his sword raised, looking brave—but his pace was painfully slow. Even in plate armor, with the supposed effects of a magical tool, he should be moving much faster.
Ao stayed completely focused, maintaining her defensive stance without a single lapse.
“Take this!”
Whoosh! Boom!
“Contestant Chikin swung his sword at Ao! And… some kind of mysterious explosion just occurred!”
The heir swung his sword straight at Ao. Then, when the blade struck the stage, it triggered a massive explosion. However, the Madam paid no attention to his blatant rule-breaking and continued her commentary as if nothing had happened.
“Huh? Damn it… the sword won’t come out!”
“Gahaha!”
“What on earth are you doing?!”
“There’s an idiot over there! Hahaha!”
Yes, it’s important enough that I’ll say it again. The heir’s downward swing didn’t hit Ao—it drove his sword straight into the stage. Right beside Ao, who was standing behind her magical barrier. And now, the heir was struggling desperately to pull his sword free from the stage.
The audience couldn’t help but laugh at his clumsy predicament.
Ao, meanwhile, alternated her gaze between the sword stuck in the stage and the hapless heir, her expression utterly serious.
She hadn’t moved an inch and yet she clearly hadn’t expected his swing to miss her entirely and he even embed his sword in the floor.
Yeah… this match is already over.
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.
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