129. martial arts competition (2)

Become a royal knight again as Maxim Appart, not as Arsene Bern.

Maxim looked into the mirror and kept repeating the king’s words. In the mirror, a man who is not himself but has become himself is looking at Maxim. Water was dripping from the ends of her black hair, and her black eyes were wet with the water she washed her face with, dripping like tears.

“Wake.”

Maxim spoke so loudly to himself. Distorted and distorted things slowly began to find their place. We have to move on. Maxim squeezed Baek-ah. The first match of the finals was just over. He had to defeat four more knights before he could relax a little.

Maxim suppressed his pounding heart and left the bathroom. The cold, dry air of the winter wiped the moisture from his face. Maxim, who blinked his cold eyes, stopped in a towering position when he saw the shape of a person approaching him.

‘The audience should all be inside.’

I tried to pass by the person approaching me, wondering if it could be a player official, but that person also saw Maxim and stopped. It was a woman in a dress with attractive, long red hair that reached her chest. Maxim was seized with a sense of incongruity, as if he had seen that face somewhere before, and looked into its eyes. When the eyes that glowed purple met Maxim’s eyes, they emitted a light that reminded them of something excited. Feeling that something was wrong with Maxim, he tried to quickly get out of his seat, but was caught by the woman’s words.

“Arsene Bern, right? I just won a match.”

It was a very elegant, colorful voice. It’s like pulling people by force. Maxim nodded slowly, wary of the manpower. I don’t feel any special magic power. It wasn’t breathing or moving as if he had learned swordsmanship separately, but Maxim thought it was very dangerous to let his guard down right away.

“… Yes, that’s right.”

The woman let out a low laugh. If the voice was flowing, there was something decadent about that laugh. An alarm bell rang in my head. However, since he could not openly show his vigilance, Maxim only observed the woman’s behavior.

“I just watched the game, I really enjoyed it. It was one of the best matches I have ever seen.”

And, soon, a wide smile. The strangely tense atmosphere of Maxim disappeared, and there was only a woman in front of him with a beautiful smile. Maxim blinked in confusion at the sudden change of atmosphere. The woman laughed again. This time, it wasn’t a deliberate laugh, it was a genuinely funny laugh.

“The scene that breaks the aura head-on! At that time, the expression of the corner of your mouth raised was so cool… .”

The woman was blushing. Maxim could clearly see that the flushed face was not a face flushed with shame. The teardrop under the slightly folded right eye caught Maxim’s attention. Maxim took a step or two away from the woman who had narrowed the distance before he knew it, but the woman continued to say what she was trying to say again, closing the distance to Maxim that much.

“Because I thought I would fall in love with you.”

“… thank you.”

The woman was deliberately pushing her chest against Maxim. Naturally, a soft, heavy feeling touched Maxim’s arm. Maxim kept a moderate smile and opened his mouth to leave the seat, but the woman secretly wrapped her hand around Maxim’s arm to stop Maxim from speaking.

“Oh, I forgot to introduce you by name. I am Lilia My name is Lilia Bergman.”

“Yes, Lilia. Nice to meet you… .”

The woman who introduced herself pushed herself forward with the momentum to cut off Maxim’s words, as if spurring on. Maxim narrowed his brows at the strange sensation he felt at the moment and shut his mouth. I felt the strange feeling I felt when I first saw her again.

“Where, after today’s schedule… Do you have time? No, maybe it would have been better to ask if there was time after the tournament.”

Even if it wasn’t for the strange feeling from her laughter, Maxim didn’t want to get involved in this at all. As the car was about to refuse, pulling his arm out strongly, Maxim could hear another footstep approaching behind him. I tried to pull myself out using the excuse of someone approaching, but the voice of the person approaching came first.

“I think the other person is in trouble right now.”

A very familiar voice. The thought of, of course, entered Maxim’s head first. The sound of footsteps does not stop and comes closer to them. Maxim turned his head to face Theodora’s cold face, whom he did not want to see for now.

“Wouldn’t it be better to let go? There are still matches to come.”

Theodora reprimanded Lilia, who had her hands wrapped around Maxim’s arm, with sharp eyes. Lilia smiled coquettishly and hugged Maxim’s arm tighter. Theodora’s face hardened somewhat, and Maxim sighed deeply.

“You don’t seem to dislike Arsene that much, do you?”

For some reason, Maksim removed Lilia’s arm, who seemed to be enjoying the situation, with some force. Then, in a voice that wasn’t so friendly, he spoke to her as if warning her.

“You do this. Sorry for the suggestion, but I’ll pretend I didn’t hear it.”

Upon hearing Maxim’s cold voice, Lilia hummed and ran away from Maxim. With an expression of genuine regret on her face, she sighed.

“It’s too bad. Of course, if you change your mind, I’m always in favor.”

Then, stepping away from Maxim, Lillia left a comment with a laugh.

“My seat is at the top on the east side.”

Then, slowly, on her shoes, she disappeared across the aisles of the arena. Maxim frowned, brushed his hands away, and bowed his head slightly at Theodora. It seemed that the strong scent of a person named Lilia was still lingering in my nose.

“thank you.”

“In a situation like that, it would be better to cut it off more clearly.”

Theodora answered Maxim’s words in a cold voice. Maxim smiled bitterly and nodded his head. Come to think of it, Theodora’s competition was in the fourth order of the round of 32. I remember that the opponent was one of Count Agon’s knights from Murat.

“Are you going to the match now?”

“Yeah. I heard that you also defeated your opponent overwhelmingly. He defeated an opponent who was using an aura ‘without an aura’.”

Maxim shrugged.

“Since it was the finals, it wasn’t that easy. It’s because I got a good sword.”

“… Yes. okay.”

Theodora continued to stare at Maxim as if he were suspicious of something. But when he looked at him with that gaze unchanged at all, as if he had something to say, Theodora shook his head and turned his back. Maxim hesitated, then spoke aloud to Theodora, who was about to leave.

“The match, be sure to win.”

Theodora, who was about to continue her steps, stopped on the spot and turned around to give Maxim a lonely smile. When was the last time you saw that sad smile? It was a smile filled with deep sorrow like dark clouds in his eyes. What does that smile say to Maxim? Are the memories that float in those eyes reflecting the same memories that are passing by Maxim’s eyes right now?

“thanks.”

Theodora looked at Maxim for a long time, and finally said so. It was a very warm voice that I had never heard before. Maxim looked blankly at Theodora’s back as she left. The matchup in the main draw set them up to face each other in the final.

Will I be able to meet you again

Maxim sighed and walked down the corridor leading to the stands. 3 games will be in full swing. Thinking of Christine and Charlotte waiting for him in the stands, Maxim let out a small sigh.

—

“Maybe it’s because the second game was so impressive, but the reaction to this third game is kind of fading.”

Christine said that while applauding the winner of the third match, a knight of the 4th escort, with an insincere applause. The competition was nothing special. At first, the two knights, who had collided without using an aura, competed with the aura at the same time, and the victory returned to the knight of the 4th Guards.

“Do you know how noisy people were on the way up? You’ve become a complete celebrity.”

“With winning a match, here are last year’s semifinalists.”

At Christine’s sullen voice, Maxim sighed and looked at Charlotte. The semifinalists of last year’s martial arts competition casually crossed their legs and looked at Maxim.

“Quarter finalists, how was your popularity at the time?”

“I couldn’t even make it to the finals and failed, so please don’t call me that shamefully.”

However, as if he didn’t hate the way he joked around so easily, he had a weak smile on his lips. Christine opened her eyes wide as if she didn’t know that, and looked at Charlotte.

“Did you go all the way to the semifinals last year?”

“Daejin luck was good. Not much to brag about.”

Charlotte grumbled, then focused on the fourth match, which was about to begin. After the winner was declared, the referee opened his arms wide to announce the next player to enter.

“next-! Victor Dragunov of the 3rd Guards!”

A familiar name came up, and Christine and Charlotte nodded as they recognized it.

“Was it an article from Count Agon?”

“Although I was broken a few times by Dennis-senpai.”

Of course, Maxim did not pay much attention to the article of Count Agon appearing now. Next, all the attention was focused only on her appearance, which the referee would call her name. Christine tilted her head as if Maxim’s appearance was strange.

“Theodora Benning of the Knights of the Ravens!”

And, as soon as his name was called, he realized why Maxim had such an expression, and quickly turned his head to the knights entering with a sullen expression. At the sight of Theodora entering, the crowd began to stir. Beautiful fluttering platinum hair, pale skin like snowflakes, and sharp but clear eyes. The image of a female knight who appeared only in fairy tales was enough to stir people up.

“… senior.”

Maxim heard Christine calling him. It wasn’t the pouting expression that one might have in a situation like this, but one expressing genuine concern for Maxim.

“It’s okay, Christine.”

Maxim then focused on the two knights drawing their swords. Theodora had erased both the sorrowful expression and the lonely eyes, and had become just a knight clad in a chill. With a black sword made of mixed black iron in his hand, the dark cloud turns into a cumulonimbus that embraces lightning and shimmers in his eyes.

“… Captain, are you okay?”

Christine stared at Theodora and asked in a quiet voice. Maxim could not nod his head at the question. Because she knows better than anyone else that she’s not okay. Even in the attitude of refining his fighting spirit, only he knows that unknown anxiety is swirling.

“It won’t be okay. therefore,”

Mana swirled around Theodora.

“I have to change.”

“match! start!”

At the same time as the referee’s declaration, Theodora’s mana condensed like a bomb about to explode. Before the opponent could lift the sword properly, Theodora’s attack exploded as it was.

bang-!

There was an unprecedented explosion sound and a thick cloud of dust scattered. The audience looked at the stadium with puzzled expressions as to what had happened. Maxim swallowed a dry spit when he saw the overwhelming sword force. got stronger Even before the dust cleared, Maxim could easily predict the outcome.

“It is strong.”

Christine said that while looking at Victor Dragunov, who let go of the sword and fell out with the first blow. Charlotte nodded beside her as if agreeing.

“It must be difficult with Dennis.”

The referee’s declaration of the winner is heard. It was only then that the audience, realizing what had happened, let out a cheer. Theodora looked around the audience and stopped her eyes on where Maxim was sitting. Then, as if he had seen a ghost, he stood with his eyes wide open. And then, with a somewhat relieved expression on his face, he walked out of the arena.

“… Did you see me?”

Christine asked Maxim in a bitter voice.

“yes. He probably thinks he’s glad he’s alive.”

“Before that, I spoke too harshly.”

Christine said that with a bit of regret, and the audience’s cheers gradually subsided. Christine looked at Maxim and said like someone asking a bad favor.

“Can everything come back to normal?”

“What’s changed won’t come back, but you can right the wrongs.”

Maxim said that while looking at the next knights coming in.

As the winter wind grew colder, the martial arts competition was gradually heating up. After the first day of the finals, the organizers of the martial arts competition made a poster of the quarterfinal matchup and put it up at the entrance of the Colosseum. Maxim looked at the list of knights who advanced to the quarterfinals.

[Quarterfinal 1, 2nd Guards Arsene Bern / 3rd Guards Alphonse Kiermeier]

[Quarterfinal 2 matches, Theodora Benning of the Raven Knights / Damian Law of the 3rd Guards]

Sure enough, from the quarterfinals, Beninga’s guys were filling up the bracket. Maxim then checked the lineup for the third game and stiffened in his seat.

“Hey, Arsene. Were you even looking at the bracket?”

Maxim looked back at the voice that spoke to him behind him. As always, it was Dennis Amber with a relaxed expression on his face. Dennis put his hand over Maxim’s shoulder as if he wanted to check the matchup that Maxim was checking, and turned his gaze to the matchup.

“You are fighting with a knight of the 3rd Guards this time. It won’t be a good opponent. You better be careful.”

Dennis, who had warned Maxim with a smirk, narrowed his eyes when he saw the match in the second game.

“If you go to the finals, there’s a good chance you’ll face Theodora Benning. That guy is really incredibly strong, but I wonder if you can win.”

Dennis muttered that, then looked at the third match and raised the corner of his mouth. It wasn’t a mischievous smile, but a ferocious laugh with clear fighting intentions.

“I was wondering why you are so hardened.”

Dennis raised his finger over the match with his name on it.

“I was hardened after seeing this.”

Maxim looked at the match that Dennis pointed out again. Falling in the middle, one name betrayed Maxim’s expectations and suddenly put its name on the bracket as Dennis’s opponent.

[Quarterfinal 3 matches, 4th Guards Dennis Amber / Crescent Moon Knights Javier Franco]