"What, what? A bet?"
"Yeah. You said you'd definitely win against me. I'm confident I can beat you too."
"...You're out of your mind, aren't you?"
"So, let's make a bet. On who'll win."
"Heh, I'm all for it! Don't come crying and begging for mercy later!"
Banshis seemed to contemplate for a moment, then a wicked smile spread across his face.
"If I win."
He pointed a finger at me and confidently declared,
"You become my slave."
"Slave?"
"Yeah! You come when I call, go when I tell you, obey my every word, and especially! Never talk back!"
Typical Banshis thinking.
"What do you say?"
So, I.
"Okay. If I lose, I'll be your slave. Coming when you call, going when you tell me, obeying your every word, and never talking back."
"Ha! Goo-"
"Then you be my dog."
I decided to play along in Banshis' style.
"Wh-what...? Be what?"
Banshis' eyes bulged as if they would burst.
My words seemed to shock him so much that his face turned from red to pale.
"Didn't you hear? Be a dog. Woof woof - a dog."
"...Crazy. You want me to be a dog for a bug like you?"
"But you said this bet was your victory. So there's no reason to be scared, right?"
"Who's scared!"
Banshis shouted.
"Fine! But since you might change your mind later, swear on the name of Rodbel."
"Okay. I swear on the name of Rodbel. Will you?"
"Of course, I will too!"
He pointed the end of his wooden sword at my neck.
Then, with a coldly hardened expression, he declared.
"I swear on the name of Rodbel. If I lose, I'll be your dog. Even if this oath is unnecessary!"
Banshis, shouting with a force that was somewhere between an oath and a curse, glared at me with blazing eyes.
Then, he muttered as if spitting out the words.
"You really are a girl you can't be nice to, even if you try."
Leaving those words behind, he returned to his master on the opposite side.
And, as if to show off, he swung his wooden sword.
His energy was considerable.
After hearing Banshis' words, I genuinely wondered.
'When did he ever try to be nice to me?'
Is he even imagining things now?
That's when it happened.
With a clatter, the door opened, and someone came inside.
I knew who it was.
'The real protagonist has arrived.'
The person who started this whole thing, Duke Ego Rodbel.
Turning towards the door, as expected, Duke Ego Rodbel was entering with Rigreen.
However, it wasn't just the two of them who entered.
Holding Ego Rodbel's hand, another person was entering.
It was as if the dark space brightened with her appearance alone.
Her white skin, slightly tinged with a rosy blush, was like the first snow, and she had round eyes, a petite nose, and adorable lips like cherries.
Above all, her snow-white hair was exactly like Duke Ego Rodbel's.
Looking around, the girl spotted someone and smiled brightly.
"Little brother!"
"M-Miracle? How did you get here..."
Doddoddo.
Running towards Banshis in an instant, the girl - Miracle - rushed into Banshis' arms.
"I heard that brother was going to spar, so I asked Father to let me come along."
"Father did?"
At Miracle's words, Banshis looked at the Duke in surprise.
I was surprised too.
Because he wasn't the kind of person to bring Miracle to a place like this.
But as I listened...
'Miracle must have begged to be brought.'
The Duke is cold and indifferent to his other children, but he is a kind father only to Miracle, so he couldn't refuse her request and brought her along.
Step, step.
The Duke, passing by the frozen me, approached Miracle, who was hugging Banshis.
Banshis flinched and looked up at him.
He quietly looked down at Banshis and extended his hand.
"Miracle, the sparring is about to start, so come here."
"Ah, yes. Little brother, you have to do well. I'll be cheering you on!"
"O-okay..."
"And..."
Whack. Miracle's head turned.
Towards me, who was staring motionlessly, she shouted with a bright face.
"Lucia, you do well too!"
Boing boing.
Waving her hand while jumping, she took the Duke's hand and moved to the side of the wall.
"...Miss, are you alright?"
Aen, who came to my side, asked with a worried expression.
Unlike me, Miracle was clearly loved by the Duke, and it seemed to bother him.
In case I might be hurt.
I smiled softly at Aen.
"I'm fine."
I really was.
'I'm used to things like this.'
I'm not particularly hurt or intimidated.
Rather, I need to focus on the upcoming sparring.
Especially since I made a bet.
'The bet was impulsive, but.'
Either way, I have to win this sparring, so nothing changes.
It's just one more condition added to the conditions.
"Then..."
Rigreen stepped forward.
"As you know, the rules of the sparring are that Master Banshis wins if he strikes Miss Lucia's heart or neck. Miss Lucia wins if she touches any part of Master Banshis' body. We will cast a protective magic on both of you, so you don't have to worry about injuries or pain."
In line with Rigreen's words, Aen put something around my neck.
It was an ordinary necklace with a purple bead, and as soon as I put it on, a thin membrane surrounded my body and disappeared.
As I clenched and unclenched my fist, feeling as strange as if I had wrapped a thin cloth around my entire body, Aen smiled and explained.
"It's a magical tool with protective magic. It protects the young lady's body. It's often used for practical sparring, so you don't have to worry about the magic wearing off."
He deliberately explained more gently, in case I was afraid.
"If you have finished wearing the magic tools, the commanders should go outside."
"......"
At that moment, Aen's expression changed with worry.
'He said there's no need to worry, but.'
It seemed that he was more worried.
His eyebrows and eyes drooping downwards, his lips hesitating as if he was about to say something.
He didn't look like the dignified commander of the Rodbel 1st Magic Knight Order at all.
Just an ordinary adult worried about a child.
He hesitated and parted his lips.
"Don't overdo it too-"
"I will."
I seemed to know what he was going to say without having to hear it, so I deliberately interrupted him.
Aen looked at me with a surprised expression.
I smiled and said.
"I'll definitely win."
"Miss..."
"I'm Commander Aen Rixus' first disciple."
"......!"
"So please don't worry and watch."
Aen's eyes widened.
He looked at me with trembling eyes, then smiled dejectedly.
"That's right, I know better than anyone how strong the young lady is, but I was worried for nothing. I'm sorry."
His large, scarred hand gently stroked my head.
His eyes were as warm as sunlight.
That eye is the light that illuminates the darkness for me.
"I believe in you."
"Yes."
"Take this opportunity to show them properly. How great Aen Rixus' disciple, Lucia Rodbel, is."
After a brief conversation, Aen moved away.
I looked at the weapon box again.
Everyone's eyes were on me. The sparring would begin once I grabbed a weapon.
I immediately pulled out what I had looked at earlier.
Then I turned around and faced Banshis.
At the same time, Banshis' eyes widened as he proudly struck a pose.
It wasn't just Banshis.
Everyone except Aen was looking at me with bewildered eyes.
"......? Hey, wait, you don't mean to tell me you're going to fight with that?"
Banshis asked in an absurd tone.
I nodded with a nonchalant face.
"Yeah."
"No, wait a minute!"
Regardless of what Banshis said, I grabbed the weapon I had chosen.
With one hand, I tightly gripped the spear that was as long as my body and wrapped and tied it with the cloth I had prepared in advance.
'My hands aren't strong enough yet.'
This was to prevent me from accidentally dropping the spear.
'This is the feeling.'
The feeling of it fitting perfectly in my hand made me smile without realizing it.
The spear was the weapon I had chosen.
Comments
Post a Comment