Chapter 90

Upon arriving at the arena, we guided Her Highness to the very top of the spectator stands, the special viewing area, or rather, the VIP seats. This area is a private room, and in a sense, it is isolated from the other open stands.

At the entrance of the room, in the hallway, I, Magilka, and the prince were present. Here, my role also came to an end.

"You both have worked hard. But, you still have a match to fight, so it's not over yet."

"I will do my best to meet the expectations of Your Highness."

Magilka bowed to the prince, and I, still in my armor, followed with a ladylike bow.

Seeing my posture, the prince smiled and turned to enter the private room. I let out a sigh and finally managed to release the tension that had been building up until now.

"Well, I'll go back to prepare."

Magilka said this and moved away from me.

"Ah, thank you, Magilka. I practically left everything to you. Ah, I'll do something to thank you later, what would you like?"

At my words of gratitude, Magilka stopped, turned to me, and narrowed her eyes.

"No, don't worry about it. But if you can, there's one thing I'd like to ask."

"What? What is it? Tell me, tell me♪"

Magilka took a step closer and leaned in to whisper in my ear, perhaps not wanting to be overheard.

"In the next match, don't hold back, okay?"

"Eh?"

I was taken aback and tried to look at Magilka's face, but she quickly moved away and turned her back on me. I had no way of knowing what expression she had when she said those words.

"Then, I'll leave it to you, Lady Mary."

Without looking back, Magilka moved away from me. I was left standing there, trying to understand her words, until she disappeared from my sight.

"Miss?"

Tuytte, who had been standing a little distance away, called out to me, puzzled, and I was brought back to reality.

"Eh, ah, no, it's nothing. We should go back and meet up with Safina."

I chuckled nervously and started moving in the opposite direction from Magilka.

(What did she mean by that, Magilka? Not holding back, why would she say something like that...)

I couldn't fathom Magilka's true intentions and kept thinking about her words as I walked.

When we reached the waiting room assigned to us, Safina was already there, preparing. She had on sturdy gauntlets and a chest plate.

"Safina, you're already preparing?"

"Ah, Lady Mary. Well, I'm a bit nervous."

Safina, who hadn't noticed my presence until I spoke, stopped her work and looked at me.

(Even if the outcome doesn't matter, it's still nerve-wracking, especially with the prince and the queen watching. I can't afford to have a poor performance, especially since Safina comes from a prestigious family.)

I realized that I also come from a prestigious family and started to feel nervous.

"…………"

(Ah, why is the pre-match waiting period so excruciating? I feel like I might throw up from the tension.)

"Safina, I've never seen you in such heavy armor before."

"Heavy armor? Not as much as Lady Mary."

"Oh, right. I'm in full armor."

To avoid the heavy silence, I forced a conversation and we shared a wry smile. The atmosphere seemed to lighten a bit, so I decided to keep the conversation going.

"By the way, is the security all set?"

"Well, I've handed over the command to a deputy and the security is continuing. However, since this is the last event of the arena, everyone is gathering here, and some are already starting to clean up the grounds."

"I see, this is the last one, we can't mess up."

I felt a mix of relief and tension as I looked up at the ceiling.

"That's right. Oh, by the way, I heard that Lady Mary caught a thief, that's amazing."

Safina, who lightly clapped her hands and brought up the topic, seemed excited, but I didn't want to dwell on that particular memory.

"Ah, thank you. It was just a coincidence, a coincidence."

"Still, a thief. Maybe because of the distraction with the hooded person, we might have overlooked some things."

Safina's thoughtful expression made me feel a bit uneasy, and the atmosphere grew heavier.

"Shouldn't the two of you discuss your strategy for the upcoming match?"

Tuytte, noticing our silence, offered to help, and I quickly jumped on the opportunity.

"Yes, that's a good idea, Tuytte! Strategy, strategy♪ Safina, let's discuss it."

"Right. Well, if we think about it, Zaha will probably be the main attacker, and Magilka will support or use ranged attacks, right?"

Safina joined in the conversation.

"That's likely, considering those two. In that case, the best approach would be to restrict Zaha's movements while closing the distance with Magilka."

I removed my helmet, placed my hand on my chin, and looked up at the ceiling, deep in thought.

"I'll keep Zaha occupied, and Lady Mary can directly attack Magilka. Since Lady Mary is both a mage and a swordsman, it would be best to use that to your advantage. Then, finish Zaha with a decisive move..."

Safina suggested, but she didn't seem entirely convinced.

"I understand how you feel. Magilka wouldn't miss that. I think she'll have some kind of strategy. Ah, if only we had gathered more information about them from Karis and the others."

We discussed for quite a while, but no particularly good ideas came up. In the end, we were left with a safe strategy, and a student came to call us.

"Here we go. Let's do our best, Safina!"

I extended my hand in front of Safina. Surprised by the sudden gesture, Safina tilted her head, unsure of what to do with my hand, which was palm-up.

(Ah, right. They don't do this in this world.)

"Safina, place your hand on mine. We'll all put in our best effort. Come on, Tuytte, join us too."

"Huh? Me too?"

"Of course, you've been part of our team, practicing together. Come on, both of you, quickly, quickly♪"

I urged them, and after a brief exchange of glances, they chuckled and placed their hands on mine. I explained that when I say "Fight," they should respond with "Oh!" and looked at our hands. They followed suit.

"Alright, we've practiced so much, let's go all out with confidence. This match, we might not win, but let's enjoy it to the fullest!"

I glanced at both of them and then back at our hands.

"Here we go! Fight!"

"Oh!"

With my cheer, they responded.

(Ahhh♪ I've always wanted to do this. My dream has come true♪)

I felt elated as I moved away from them and headed down the corridor where the guide was waiting.

We waited at the entrance to the match area, and the prince appeared from the VIP seats.

"I will announce to everyone!"

The prince's voice, amplified by a magical device, echoed around the arena, which fell silent.

"The final match has concluded, and before the awards, I would like to offer a mock battle. I believe this match will be beneficial for both Solos and Areyos. I hope everyone will enjoy watching."

As the prince's words ended and he disappeared from view, the arena buzzed with excitement, and the guide students led us into the arena. The excitement I had felt earlier was gone, and the tension returned as I listened to the prince's announcement. I swallowed hard and, with my full armor clanking, walked into the match area. The buzz grew louder, and surprised voices rose around me.

"Is that armor... the Silver Knight? But it's too small?"

"That's the White Princess... and the one next to her is Karshana, right?"

"Why are students from Solos and Areyos here?"

The voices I heard added to my nervousness. Then, from the entrance opposite ours, another pair appeared, and I gasped.

There stood Zaha and Magilka. I wasn't surprised by their presence, but their equipment shocked me. Zaha had similar gauntlets and a chest plate like Safina, which was fine and expected. However, the weapon he held surprised me.

A shield.

Yes, Zaha unexpectedly had a shield and a sword. The shield was intricately crafted and gleamed in the sunlight, clearly not a common item. It looked like a legendary hero's shield.

And Magilka.

She was also armed. She wore a seemingly significant and intricately crafted gauntlet on her left arm and held an ornate staff in her right hand. The staff was far too long for her, extending beyond her height, and she also wore bracelets, amulets, and earrings, all of which seemed to have a significant backstory. In short, she was covered in magical items.

"Eh... both of you. What's with that equipment?"

I couldn't help but point at them rudely.

"We were told that magical items are allowed, so we brought them. Oh, and just to let you know, these are all artifact-level items. I borrowed them from Grandfather's collection."

"Artifact-level!"

I couldn't help but ask in response to Magilka's casual statement. Artifact-level items, as the name suggests, are extremely valuable and not something a regular student should be using. Yet, here they were, all lined up...

"Yes. I borrowed them from Grandfather's collection, which he unnecessarily gathered under the guise of research. I believe weapons are meant to be used, not just displayed."

"Um, and the permission?"

"Grandfather promised to assist if it would liven up the school festival. This is part of that. I'm sure he's delighted."

"So, you didn't get permission."

(At this moment, the headmaster, who is watching with the queen, might be foaming at the mouth and collapsing. Well, I'll consider it punishment for leaving everything to us.)

"Ah, Lady Mary, I actually have artifact-level items too. I thought I'd be holding you back if I didn't use them..."

As I let out a dry laugh, Safina, standing next to me, showed me her magical items and confessed. Her voice was so low at the end that I barely heard it.

"You must be joking..."

I sighed deeply and slumped my shoulders.

(What are you planning to fight with in this match? Is it such a terrifying opponent that you need these?)

Then I realized something.

"Y-You don't mean that this equipment is... for fighting me, do you?"

"Of course, it's for fighting you, Lady Mary! As the Silver Knight, you need this level of equipment to face you!"

"I'm not the Silver Knight, I'm just dressed like one! Please don't equate us!"

My plea was drowned out by the cheers and buzz of the crowd. I crouched down in my full armor and started drawing the kanji for "sorrow" on the ground.

(I just want to go home. I might cry.)

Before the match even started, I was already mentally devastated and sulking.