[M-My, that ended quietly, huh. It seems like Zoysan is still recovering, and as such, please allow me to announce the results. The winner of the twentieth match of the Athena Festival battle-tournament is~ Toru~!]

Hmm, even Adela is sweating bullets. I held back considerably, also, I directed the little killing intent that I did release, explicitly towards Nazriya. I wanted this match to go on, ending it in such a short time was no fun. Her weapon and armor are amazing, and her use of wind magic is unique as well. If not for my advanced education in aerodynamics, I probably wouldn"t have been able to figure out the reason behind her use of wind magic to reinforce her sword.

No cheering could be heard, no manner of applause was showering above me, but I knew the reason, so I accepted this unfortunate reality and took my leave from the field. I entered into the partic.i.p.ants" room, where the atmosphere was heavier and more tense than I expected, and as such, I escaped from there and found myself a seat in the stands.

The people had recovered and the break had ended, the battles were going on as scheduled and were being enjoyed by the audience. Some fights had the true spirit of chivalry while others were a contest of trickery, each battle interesting in its way. I ate my lunch while accompanied by Shirone, surrounded by the cheerfulness of people and grazed with the gentle wind of togetherness. The simple snacks purchased from the stalls became a feast so delicious that it would even overshadow the meal prepared for the Royal banquet.

The Athena festival was built around the concept of the battle-tournament, and as such, the festival in its entirety would persist as long as the battle-tournament was an ongoing event, but that doesn"t imply that the staff behind the battle-tournament would deliberately try to prolong it, on the contrary, they want the first few rounds to finish as soon as possible, as the people are more interested in the heated battles of the higher stages than the one-sided slaughter of the lower ones. This is all done to earn the maximum revenue, which is a great strategy in my opinion.

According to a member of the staff into whom I coincidentally ran into while strolling with Shirone, the committee is planning to bring the first round of battles to a close before the third day ends.

Currently, it"s about 6.30 P.M, and the 47th battle of the tournament is going to begin momentarily. I am comfortably seated on one of the seats in the stands, with the seat on my right being occupied by Shirley, and the left filled by Mirae. They arrived during the second break of the battle-tournament, and we coincidentally ran into each other. Mirae was still embarra.s.sed and bashful about the kiss yesterday, but she gathered her courage and requested me to join them. They were both in their uniforms, but they still managed to catch the eye of several pa.s.sersby.

"Hey Toru, snap out of it, the next match is starting."

Mirae poked me on my left cheek with an annoyed look on her face.

"Yes, yes. I know."

I shoved away her hand and placed mine on the armrest, to which, she smiled and intertwined her slender fingers with mine.

"Toru-kun, want?"

When I rotated my head in Shirley"s direction, she could be seen holding a packet of snacks in her hands. The snack in the huge packet was called [Sylvia Sparkles]. When I first heard the name of this particular snack, I couldn"t hold back my laughter. Sylvia"s popularity among the commoners was more than I expected.

"Um-hmm."

I retrieved multiple pieces of the hexagonal shaped snacks and munched on them, while I was contemplating on various matters concerning my fight with that n.o.blewoman and its conclusion, Zoya"s loud voice penetrated my ears.

>

[You"re correct, I did spend some time involved in Sylvisan"s private life, and all I"d like to say is that Sylvisan is a very kind and caring soul, she genuinely believes that commoners and n.o.bles are one of the same, and that belief is backed up by her impressive taste in men.]

It looked to me like she was suppressing an urge to laugh, it must"ve been my imagination.

>

The gazes of more than 200,000 people fell upon one of the gates that led to the battlefield. The one who emerged from the very same gate that I had utilized hours ago was a young woman clad in grey-blue armor. The sword on her waist radiated what seemed to be energy belonging to the ice element. Her blue hair, which turned purple at the ends were tied into a ponytail. Her fair skin almost seemed transparent. Her silhouette was surrounded in the redness that came with the sunset, yet her gentle and voluptuous feminine features emphasized their existence, making them seem like an independent body. Her beautiful blue-green eyes, filled with strength and determination, were directed towards the gate which was 300 meters in the polar opposite direction. The current Sylvia was the most beautiful I had ever seen her.

"Woah~~~!!!!! Princess Sylvia!!!"

The crowd, in simple terms, went crazy, especially the male faction. Sylvia, while walking towards the center of the field, softly raised her right hand and waved it in all directions.

"She"s quite popular, huh."

I murmured to myself, but it seems to have been heard by Mirae.

"Yep. There are rumors that she roams around the city while dressed in ordinary clothes, they are still unfound but widely believed. However, she"s out of your league, someone who is sitting beside you gently holding your hand might be a better choice, right?"

She said with a smile.

"Not happening."

I replied with a smile as well.

"Tch!"

She clicked her tongue and focused on the match.

When I turned my head in the direction of the field, Sylvia had already reached the middle and a man was standing before her. A man who was clad in armor that bore some similarity to the one Sylvia was equipped with, came into my sight. He was a young man of about 21-22, his face was fair with no sign of scars or bruises, his build was good and his sheathed sword seemed to be pulsating uncontrollably. His black eyes were l.u.s.tfully focused on Sylvia. The same colored hair on his head was short and perfectly arranged.

n.o.body… cheered for him. When I looked around, the people were tired after cheering and screaming for Sylvia with all their strength, and as such, they could not do the same for Virgil Mortanze. I couldn"t help but snort at this situation.

>

The various flying screens in the air showed the battle in close-up, not that I need it though. Just when I braced myself for the clash of swords and flying of spells, someone unexpectedly spoke in a confident tone.

"Princess Sylvia, I am in love with you. I ask you here and now, as the next head of the Mortanze family, will you marry me?"

He fell to one knee and asked with a confident and dominating tone. I felt my eyebrow twitching and my anger rising. The female faction in and around the dome started screaming while the male faction gritting their teeth and booing.

"Umm… This is all too sudden Mortanze-san…"

She took a deep breath and said with a resolute expression.

"I appreciate your sentiments Mortanze-san, however, I can"t reciprocate your feelings. I am sorry."

His body jerked, but he managed to retain his confident att.i.tude.

"What if I win this battle."

"Still a no."

Sylvia said with an angelic smile, to which, Virgil got up while concealing his expression, and spoke in a calm tone.

"So the rumors were true?"

"Huh? What rumors?"

"There are rumors… That say… That you"ve fallen victim to a filthy commoner"s seduction…"

"W-W-hat!?"

"They say... That you expressed your love for a commoner… Tell us… Tell us all that it is untrue… Tell us that our Princess, sacred and holy, has yet to be soiled... Tell us that a commoner, unworthy of even living, has not laid his disgusting hands on you…"

Sylvia kept her lips pursed.

"NO! This can"t be happening! Our Princess… No. My Princess. Who is that filth that dares to defy a n.o.bleman and puts his hands on the Princess!? I will kill you! I will kill you and free the Princess from your curse. Commoners must die! Commoners shall all be purged! Weak creatures! Living off the strength of the strong! One of millions of such s.h.i.ts dares put his eyes on the Princess!? I will-"

"Mortanze-san…"

Her voice just now sent a chill through my entire being, it penetrated even the soul. Cold, so cold. Angry, filled with rage. The voice of death, so this is how it sounds like…

Virgil stopped his screaming, scared, he looked at the Sylvia. Her eyes lowered, her body surrounded by enigmatic purple and white radiance.

"... It would"ve been completely fine if the only one you verbally a.s.saulted would be me. I can accept all forms of abuse and a.s.saults directed solely at me… But you committed the grave sin of speaking ill about the one I love… Insulting him… I am sure he wouldn"t even bat an eye at the words coming from the mouth of someone as despicable as you… However… You mocked him in front of me… As a woman… I can"t let such words and killing intent go unpunished…"

White fog could be seen forming in front of Sylvia"s mouth. Her lips were moving ever so slightly, yet her cold and pressurizing voice filled the dome with an atmosphere of absolute terror and fear. My anger died down and I leaned back into my seat, grabbing some [Sylvia Sparkles] from the packet in the hands of a frozen in terror Shirley, I watched the battle in antic.i.p.ation.

"...Fight… No… Try to survive… Mortanze-san…"

"Ice Magic- Halberd of Snow."

The surroundings went cold as numerous huge halberds in the sky made of white ice appeared. Even while sitting 150 meters away from the battle, the temperature could be felt dropping. The sky above the two partic.i.p.ants turned black, the halberds grew in size and density. The number of huge halberds in the sky went beyond fifty, due to their size, they were spread across the field as they couldn"t fit in a small area.

Their tips turned in Virgil"s direction, he panicked and was only able to cast a meager barrier spell.

"Wind Magic- Whistle Protection."

Sylvia remained indifferent and slowly brought her right hand in front of her body, and closed her palm, forming a tight grip. More than 50 halberds, measuring more than 5 meters each, came hurling at Virgil at inconceivable speeds. He increased the mana fueling his barrier, however, that wasn"t enough to protect him, and after realizing this fact, he condensed the barrier and focused on protecting his vital organs.

All four limbs severed, eyes filled with tears and face contorted in pain, he begged Sylvia to spare his life, and then lost consciousness from pain. She took a deep breath, slapped her cheeks, and managed to regain the usual warm, cheerful and gentle look in her eyes, and spared Virgil"s life before giving Zoya an exaggerated wave.

>

With Virgil"s limbless body at her feet, she spun around and waved in the direction of the stands. Looking at the warm expression on their beloved Princess"s face, the audience finally managed to thaw out and started cheering with all their strength.

And this time, I cheered for her along with them.