The day's competition ended.
Gazef escorted the King back to the palace, then walked out of the palace
and returned to his residence.
The road was exceptionally quiet.
As if some force had caused pedestrians to avoid this path, Gazef felt something was amiss.
Just as he was on alert for a possible attack, three figures appeared ahead: one man and two women. The man was dressed in light Adventurer gear, with a Mythril Adventurer's plaque hanging on him. More importantly were the two women. One of them was a young girl with golden hair like royalty. Although dressed in a maid outfit, her appearance and demeanor seemed even more noble than the Kingdom's princess. The other black-haired girl was dressed in neutral noble attire, with a black-sheathed sword hanging at her waist. Although she concealed her aura, the moment Gazef saw this girl, he immediately focused all his attention on her.
The girl's beauty was outstanding, far beyond anything he had ever seen; perhaps even legendary elf maidens were no more beautiful. But this was not why Gazef was focused on the black-haired girl. He was paying close attention to her entirely because he felt an unprecedented threat. He couldn't sense any aura from her at all; in fact, if she hadn't deliberately stood in front of him and appeared in this specially prepared environment, but merely brushed past him on the road, he felt he would have had no chance to discover her extraordinary nature.
But even now, he couldn't sense her presence at all. Although his eyes could see her, she seemed to not exist there.
The ability to do this indicated that either she possessed extremely high Stealth skills, capable of completely hiding all aura, or her strength was so great that it could affect his perception. But no matter which possibility, it was enough to show her danger. A Stealth practitioner capable of completely hiding their aura right under his nose was probably a Hero-level figure.
Gazef didn't know that his guess was spot on.
The girl in front of him not only possessed that level of skill, but her strength also far exceeded his imagination.
"Greetings, Warrior Chief of the Kingdom." The black-haired girl was clearly the leader among the three. She said with elegant demeanor, "Although it's presumptuous, may I ask you for a match?"
Although the girl used words of request, her actions were incredibly domineering, leaving Gazef no room to refuse. With such a display, Gazef didn't think he had any chance to decline her.
"Before I agree to a match with Your Excellency, may I know your identity?" Although Gazef felt pressure from the other party, she did not seem to be his enemy. At least, he did not feel any malice or killing intent from her. Moreover, if she truly wanted to kill him, given the abilities the black-haired girl had displayed, she would not need to go to such trouble. That Stealth ability was simply that of the most terrifying assassin.
"Astrea."
The young girl calmly spoke a name.
Gazef's pupils contracted.
This name was all too familiar to him. The man who had disrupted the Grand Tournament and defeated him years ago was also named Astrea. The Imperial Sword Saint, a family holding the title of the strongest swordsman—did they plan to strike at the Kingdom's plans just like they did back then? Gazef drew his sword, staring solemnly at the girl across from him. Since the Empire intended to do this, he absolutely could not lose to the Sword Saint again this time!
If he remembered correctly, the girl before him should be that man's daughter. She was only sixteen this year; even if she possessed monstrous talent, at most she had only just stepped into that realm. It wasn't as if he had no chance of winning at all!
"It seems you've prepared yourself." Seeing him draw his sword, the black-haired girl turned back to the Adventurer and said, "Hanta, let me borrow your weapon for a moment."
"Oh, alright."
The Adventurer excitedly handed his sword to the girl. Gazef couldn't help but frown at this scene. He noticed that the sword the girl carried with her didn't seem like an ordinary weapon, but then his brow relaxed. Although she seemed to be looking down on him, he didn't feel this was an insult. If anything, it was his opportunity!
"I'll ask just in case—what would be the consequences if I refuse to spar with you?" Gazef was actually suppressing a surge of frustration. The Empire's underhanded tactics were truly irritating, though he understood this was the appropriate attitude toward a hostile nation. If the Kingdom could use such methods, he believed they would make the same choice.
Hearing his question, the girl thought for a moment before answering, "I haven't thought about what the consequences would be yet, because I don't think you'll refuse."
Liar.
Both of them said it in their hearts simultaneously.
Gazef felt that she would definitely resort to any means necessary when the time came. He glanced at the unnaturally quiet streets around them; having used such methods already, she certainly wouldn't give him a chance to refuse. Saying she hadn't thought about it yet was simply because she knew he couldn't refuse at all.
On the other side, however, she was thinking:
If I get rejected, I can't exactly force him, can I? She didn't have that kind of intention.
Even though the Empire and the Kingdom were hostile, she didn't want to go on a killing spree in the Kingdom. Doing so offered her no benefit, and who knew if the Kingdom had some secret trump card? She didn't want to test that possibility at all.
Holding Hanta's sword, Tsukasa said to Gazef, "You may make your move."
Because if she moved first, Gazef would have no
chance to act. She wanted to witness Gazef's strength, so naturally, she wouldn't strike first.
Gazef nodded.
"Then I won't be polite."
Though he looked very boisterous on the outside, he wasn't actually a character without schemes, nor did he follow the pedantic standards of the nobility. To him, the most important thing right now was to win this match and thwart the Empire's conspiracies. Naturally, he would take any advantage he could get and wouldn't feel the slightest bit of embarrassment about it.
Gazef charged toward Astrea.
His movements were incredibly agile.
Alice watched this scene with boredom. In this place, only Hanta felt Gazef's strength was impressive.
Watching Gazef's attack, Tsukasa, who had originally intended to use the sword, even had the leisure to tilt her head and think for a moment. Then she lightly raised her right hand, extended two fingers, and caught Gazef's greatsword perfectly between them. The interest in her eyes instantly plummeted.
As Gazef's attack was blocked and he was still in shock, he heard the girl say with some displeasure, "There's no need to use these testing methods. Show me the strength you had in the arena just now. Use your Martial Arts. Or are you looking down on me?"
The girl released the greatsword and lightly flicked the blade with her finger. Gazef suddenly felt a terrifying force, and his entire body was knocked back. Even though he used all his strength to grip his weapon, it eventually flew out of his hand and fell to the ground. He looked at his trembling hands, sinking into a heavy silence. He realized he had vastly underestimated his opponent's strength.
Seeing the distracted Gazef, Tsukasa couldn't help but frown. Was this person truly just dallying with her?
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