Chapter 258: Words of Encouragement, and a Confrontation with an Old Acquaintance (1)

"...Understood. Instead, will you not do two matches?"

"Hoh, two matches?"

"Yes. After Sara, fight me."

"Eh?"

When I proposed that, Ivano’s face went pale, saah.

"N-no, I cannot fight, so that..."

...Apparently Ivano had misunderstood.

"Ah, no, I thought to fight Regina."

"Ah, s-so. With this one. Fuu. But what will you bet? Other things to bet... hm?"

Ivano, wiping the sweat that had sprayed, seemed to have found something, and moved his gaze behind me.

I turned behind too, and Sara was walking this way.

What she wore was the usual high-exposure armor.

Of course the breasts were fully visible, and if she turned her back the buttocks would be exposed too.

Behind Sara, Muriel, Sophia, Rosina, and Birga wore armor too, and the other Dules who could fight equipped their own weapons and came out to the arena.

Muriel and Sophia wore armor for A-Dules, but Rosina and Birga did not have it yet, so they wore ordinary armor.

"Whose are those?"

"Ah, two or so of mine are mixed in, but almost all are Lord Hiroyuki’s Dules."

To Ivano’s mutter like a monologue, Freit answered with a smile.

"Hoh! Many! Pick and choose! Then let us do this. When this side wins the second match, lend those for one night. That is fine!"

Ivano made exaggerated hand gestures, opened bloodshot eyes, looked at my Dules, and proposed that to me.

No, more forcing than proposing.

I did not want to make the Dules the object of a bet.

Well, I had no intention of losing.

"All of them?"

Even so, I put in a complaint.

"Ah, right. Then for the number of Dules I will lend this. Then shall we begin."

Ivano pointed at Regina behind with his thumb and said.

Which meant if I won he would lend Regina for sixteen days.

Ivano had probably interpreted my complaint as deciding the object of the bet.

Then, as if he could not wait anymore, he advanced the talk on his own.

At that age being a member of this city’s assembly, I thought he was capable, but maybe he had succeeded by advancing deals forcefully.

Come to think of it, Freit had forceful parts too.

In this city was that forcefulness the secret of success?

"Master?"

Thinking such, Sara peeked at my face.

"Hm? Ah, yeah, do your best."

To hide the embarrassment of having been thinking blankly alone, I called that to Sara, and kissed her forehead.

"But do not get injured."

Then I recalled when she fought Birga in the royal capital, set a hand on her head, and put in a nail.

It was not actual combat.

"Master... yes!"

Sara dyed her face red, stared at me, smiled, and answered.

"Then excuse me."

Sara, who stepped back and bowed her head, raised her face and wore a serious expression.

"Yeah."

I lightly tapped Sara’s back and headed to the wall side of the arena where the other Dules were.

There three chairs were lined, and in the center Freit sat, and on the right facing the wall Rine sat.

"Please, this way."

Freit urged the empty left seat.

"Thank you."

I sat in the left seat as urged.

At once Muriel stood beside me.

Beside Rine Laura stood.

...From when had Rine become part of Freit’s family?

Well, she probably did not want to sit beside me, whom she disliked.

Then Freit’s guards and the other Dules stood at the wall too.

"Like lovers."

"Yes, that is the intention."

Probably having watched the exchange between me and Sara, Freit teased me, so I handled him coldly.

"Freit too, right?"

"True, right."

I recalled having heard about when Freit made Laura a Dule and countered that, and Freit nodded while laughing without any hesitation.

About the treatment of Dules, Freit and I probably had the same feelings.

I saw Lotte, whose mouth corners smiled a little, so I felt curious and looked at the opposite side, and Muriel wore a smile too.

"Now then. Normally we should watch from above, but well, neither magic nor projectiles will be used, so let us watch here."

Freit pointed at the top of the wall behind.

There should be spectator seats there, but because of the wall side it could not be seen that far.

I returned my gaze, and Ivano had taken position at the wall side of the opposite side of the arena, the same as us.

The other side seemed to have brought about three guards too.

"Then we will begin."

Nikolaus, whose figure had disappeared before I knew it, called from the seat on the luxurious decorated box seat that was probably the noble seat.

Quite far, but that voice was heard clearly.

He was probably using magic or something.

With Nikolaus’s words Sara and Regina stood a little apart.

At that time Sara turned, and our gazes met.

Sara smiled, returned her gaze, and drew the broadswords from the sheaths with both hands and took a stance.

She took a half-body posture with the left side toward the enemy, turned the tip of the left-hand broadsword toward the opponent, and stood the right-hand broadsword vertically behind.

A counter stance, rare for Sara who was good at attacking.

Opposite, Regina drew the sword on her back while glaring at Sara.

The greatsword about Regina’s height had fairly wide width.

With that there would be considerable weight.

With that heavy-looking armor too, was Regina a power-type gladiator who fought with strength?

She held that greatsword at the lower right, and turned the tip behind.

A stance that could cut reverse kesa at once.

"Then... begin."

Nikolaus confirmed that Sara and Regina had taken stances, then gave the signal.

The one who moved at the same time was Regina.

Regina ran toward Sara while dragging the greatsword on the ground.

"Hoh. Fast."

From beside Freit’s admiring voice was heard.

True, Regina was faster than I had thought.

In the middle she raised the greatsword, and in less than a few seconds put Sara in range.

"Haa!"

After only a slight windup, Regina swung down vigorously toward Sara.

Sara, while lowering her left foot, received the greatsword of Regina with the broadsword held in the left hand by turning the wrist reverse to the left side and flowing it, and at the same time mowed with the right-hand broadsword and tried to hit Regina’s neck.

But Regina, who stopped before the tip touched the ground, changed the trajectory and cut from lower right to upper left.

Sara, who tried to stop with the left-hand broadsword, because of the reverse grip could not put strength, and changed the trajectory of the right-hand broadsword and tried to stop Regina’s greatsword.

"Haaaaaaaaaa!!!"