The Courtesan

Chapter 111

ELAYNE

“I’ve seen through your tricky style. That will not work on me,” my opponent says with a sneer.

“What a shame. I was really hoping it would.” I shrugged, taking a stance.

“The church asked me to take good care of you. The saintess especially said to tell you that she has always hated your arms.”

“What a coincidence. I’ve always hated her hair.”

“You will die here today.”

“I have quite a lot of goals lined up for myself so can I just not die? Thank you.”

The judge raised his arm and we brandished our weapons.

“READY! SET! FIGHT!”

When I witnessed him fight, I could tell he was fast. However, when we were fighting, he got faster. I could almost not tell where the strikes were coming from and spent the first half dodging and running from them. I could only sense them at the last second and I countered as fast as I could.

His feet were as light as clouds, flying from one place to another in the arena. He could herd me the way he attacked but it felt like he wasn’t trying to disqualify me; he was trying to kill me. If he wanted me dead, I wouldn’t just lay down and die.

Between each flurry of strikes, he always took a breather so I jumped backward when he did this. I had never upped the pace when I was fighting before because I was unsure of technique but I decided to do it one time since my life was literally on the line.

Switching my sword to my left hand, I rushed at him. He was caught off guard by my switch but he was quick to react to my first strike. Thankfully, I had the time to watch him in his earlier fight so I had figured out the best way to sweep him off his feet.

I increased the pace on my left hand, matching his perfectly. This time, I was the one pushing forward, recklessly charging in. At some point, his face started to contort and his technique changed into straight killing blows. The whole arena was only filled with sounds of us fighting.

“... Looks like you fell for my little tricks after all.”

Surprising everyone there, I trip him, landing him on the floor with an intense fall, where I even hear a c***k. Instead of pointing the sword at him, I dig it into his sides. I watch as he screams in agony.

“THE MATCH IS OVER! EL WINS!”

I let go of my weapon but I don’t rise immediately.

“Next time you want to kill someone, try to check their will to live first.”

I returned to the back, feeling very excited. It’s like a fire was ignited in my veins, making me want to fight more.

I want to see more blood. I want to fight more.

The very first thing I asked Tyler when I returned was;

“When’s the next fight starting? Can we just skip the wait?”

“... My lady, please try to calm yourself.

“I can’t. I’m too excited. Do you think he’s going to want to kill me too?”

“Kill you? What are you talking about?”

“Oh, apparently Noelle and the church are trying to get rid of me.”

“Isn’t that a good reason not to participate in the next match?”

“I’m not a quitter. I’ll rest if you’re going to use that as an excuse to postpone the next match.”

Lion is completely silent, watching me sit on the chair. After a while, he clears his throat and calls out to me.

“My lady, have you ever felt some strange sort of excitement when you do something?”

“No…?”

“What’s the one thing you enjoy doing?”

“I love gardening. It helps me relax.”

“No, that doesn’t make sense,” he mumbles, pacing.

“What are you trying to prove, Lion?”

“At some point when you were fighting, there was this maniacal grin on your face. Your eyes were wide and you looked like you were possessed by something. It was terrifying to watch.”

“Aren’t you an experienced soldier? That shouldn’t scare you.”

“It shouldn’t. Except… I’ve seen something like that before.”

“I’m sure it’s quite common...”

“No, it’s not. The only other person who has had this kind of expression while fighting was Prince Kalvin, when he wiped out a whole squadron with just a wooden sword.”

“Lion, are you trying to say I might be losing my mind like him?”

“I’m saying, my lady, I don’t think you should hold a sword for now.”

“Lion, I am nothing like Kalvin. I have never gone berserk and there is nothing wrong with enjoying a fight. There’s no need to be worried about me.”

“Please my lady, we don’t want you to get hurt or hurt someone else,” Tyler pleaded. I stared at them in disbelief.

Looking out in the arena, it was almost time for the final fight. The top ranked was already walking towards the platform. I stood, taking my weapon.

“My lady, please reconsider.”

“If anything happens to me, Lion, Tyler, take good care of me.”

I could feel their scorching stares on my back as I walked out to the stage. The first ranked looked like a noble with his countenance. He stood straight and tall, holding his weapon with poise. He also didn’t look native to Zerramond.

“Were you also sent by the church to kill me?”

“The church? Do I look like scum?”

“You look like the corporate kind of scum.”

“... Seems like you already have a bad impression of me. Very well then.”

He raised his sword, stood sideways with a hand at his back. He waited for me to attack and I didn’t lag. I rushed straight at him with my sword, faster than I had ever been. When our swords collided, I was actually thrown back.

When I looked up, he had only shifted slightly from his position. His stance looked as steady as a mountain.

“You’re strong,” he simply said.

“Thank you.”

I rushed at him again but this time, instead of going straight, I swerved, attacking his sword from the side. He looked surprised for a brief second but he adjusted, meeting the tempo of my sword. None of us were pushed back, both unwilling to retreat as we crossed swords.

His strikes were strong but mine weren’t faltering. I was thankful for the lesson Kalvin gave on my grip, even though he spent most of the time doing something else. Finding holes in the defense of my opponent was difficult but not impossible.

After trading thousands of blows, I was still not tired. The fire in my veins ignited even more, flowing much faster. My movements became much more fluid and I finally got hits in. his cool demeanor was gone, panic rising in his eyes. I became even faster, pushing him back.

Using the same sets of movements I used to fell each of my opponents, I confused his rhythm and swept him off his feet. I thrust the blade near his throat, staring straight into his eyes.

“W-What kind of demon are you?”

The horror in his voice was strange. It was just a duel? Why was he so scared?

“I’m not a demon, just someone who desperately wants to win this competition.”

The judge called for the end of the duel. I really had done it. I won.