“Go, Ao! Do it!”
“Go, go!”
“Keep it up!”
From outside the stage, Shiro and the others were cheering loudly.
Ao glanced back at them, waving her tentacles in return.
Honestly… she looked completely at ease.
“Ugh… c-can’t… pull it out…”
Meanwhile, the heir was still struggling desperately with his sword stuck in the stage. Ao turned her gaze toward the Madam, and she gave a subtle nod, gesturing as if to say, “Go on, do it.”
Thud!
“C-can’t… pull it out… guh—!”
Slam!
“Whoa! Contestant Ao’s powerful tackle just hit Contestant Chikin square in the stomach! Or… since his sword finally came free from the stage, maybe it’s all good?”
“Gahaha! He flew back spectacularly!”
“Even with all that fancy armor, is his brain just as empty?”
The heir, smashed by Ao’s charge, flew nearly five meters back. Even without taking major damage, he must have felt that impact. The audience couldn’t contain themselves and burst into laughter at the sight of him soaring across the stage.
“D-damn it… I-I’ll… kill you!”
“Ooh! Contestant Chikin is charging!”
The enraged heir ran straight at Ao, swinging his sword with all his might. Apparently, he thought Ao had insulted him—but really, he was just blowing himself up.
“Uooorah!”
Smack!
“Amazing! Contestant Ao just caught Contestant Chikin’s downward swing with a proper blade-grab!”
“What the—now the slime is stopping his sword?”
“Bwahaha! Well, the swing was way too slow anyway.”
I could understand why the crowd are shouting. The heir’s sword swing, focused more on hitting than speed, was too slow. Even Fran or Horn could probably have caught it in a proper blade-grab.
Whoosh… whoosh… WOOOSH!
“Whoa! Uwaah!”
Slam!
“Whoa! Now Contestant Ao, still holding onto the sword, has swung Contestant Chikin in a giant toss!”
“That guy really flies, huh?”
“Hahaha! That’s just proof that his head is as empty as his armor!”
Uh… that heir really is hopeless. Even with such fine equipment, he can’t use it properly at all.
Just as the audience said, it seems the problem isn’t the gear—it’s what’s inside. And now, something strange was happening with him.
“G-g-guh… guzzoh…”
“Whoa! Contestant Chikin is using his sword as a makeshift cane, but he’s having a hard time standing up!”
He wobbled like a newborn fawn, struggling to get to his feet.
The reason quickly became clear.
“His mana ran out just one minute into the match.”
“Yeah… such a short operational time.”
Just as Sue had said, the heir’s meager reserves of mana were exhausted in an instant. As a result, the armor that had been functioning as a magical tool became nothing more than heavy plate armor.
Including the chainmail beneath, that thing must weigh a ton.
Ao cautiously stepped closer to check on the heir.
“O-oa? Oaaah!”
“Oh my! Contestant Chikin has fallen again, weighed down by his armor—and this time, he landed face-first!”
“Gahaha! Hahaha!”
“Ha-hahahaha! M-my stomach hurts from laughing… hahaha!”
““““Haha—hahahaha!””””
The audience erupted into uncontrollable laughter.
The audience erupted into laughter at the sight of the heir tripping while trying to stand.
Shiro and the others weren’t holding back either, pointing and laughing uncontrollably at his misfortune.
Amid all the chaos, only Ao and the referee calmly approached the heir.
Come to think of it… the heir hadn’t twitched a single muscle since he fell.
“Match over. Medical team, bring a stretcher. Quickly!”
Seeing the heir’s condition, the referee and Ao called urgently for the stretcher.
Soon, a stretcher was brought onto the stage. And, almost casually, the referee declared the match over.
Even the Madam seemed concerned now, her eyes on the fallen heir.
“It seems… Contestant Chikin hit his head when he fell and has lost consciousness.”
“Whaaaat?!”
The audience was shocked, and so were Sue and I.
The heir, stripped of his full-face helmet, didn’t move a muscle.
(Shine)
“Oh! Contestant Ao is casting a healing spell on the Contestant Chikin! What an admirable display of sportsmanship!”
“Way to go!”
“Magnificent!”
Just to be safe, Ao cast her healing magic, and the audience responded with a huge round of applause. Waving her tentacles, Ao turned toward Shiro and the others, a small smile on her face.
“Ao-chan, that was amazing!”
Fina-san and Pearl were clapping with all their might, cheering for Ao.
Well, there was no doubt who had won.
“Now… that guy isn’t going to the medical tent—he’s going straight to the prison. Mother gave the orders, so there shouldn’t be any issues.”
“Even if he were taken to the medical tent, I wouldn’t want to treat him.”
“Neither would I.”
It wasn’t just Sue and me—Fina-san’s older brother didn’t hold back either, tearing into the heir mercilessly.
And just like that, Ao’s first round came to an end—though to be honest, even Ao wasn’t entirely sure what had just happened.
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.
Previous ⚜ Table of Contents ⚜ Next
Yume Neiji's Works 