Botond let out a long sigh as he tried to find a more comfortable position on the bed that was clearly too small for him.
"Good for him," he grumbled. "As an adventurer, he could afford to quit. He'd have been an idiot to get seriously injured for nothing."
Apollonia stared up at the ceiling, as if searching for answers in the plaster.
"In a month, there won't be a trace of our injuries. But if we, as knights, surrendered a duel… that shame would stay with us for life."
David smiled faintly.
"To be honest, I would've surrendered too… if Lady Floralys hadn't made that bet with Young Wolf."
Botond lifted his head.
"Since you're here, I'm guessing you two lost that bet, huh?"
"Yeah," David nodded. "I didn't stand a chance against that female Wolf Knight."
Apollonia turned her head toward him, curiosity flickering in her eyes.
"And what was the wager?"
David chuckled as the memory surfaced.
"Lady Floralys had to serve as Young Wolf's maid for an entire day."
Apollonia's eyes widened.
"She was humiliated?"
"Not at all," David waved a hand. "She enjoyed that day at the Wolfwoods' so much that she told me: next time she visits Wolfwood, she'll stay for several days and wear a maid outfit the whole time."
Apollonia blinked slowly.
"Your lady has… interesting tastes."
"Hahaha!" David burst out laughing. "She was already eccentric when I first met her. Floralys was born a simple village girl — an elven forest girl. Her pure and innocent heart stayed the same even after she became the noble Lady of Greenwood. I only became a Green Hawk Knight because of her. I would never have served any other noble."
Botond nodded approvingly.
"So you don't like nobles? If not for Lady Floralys, you would've become a wandering knight?"
"I would've become a hunter," David corrected him. "The knight's life doesn't interest me much."
Botond laughed.
"A hunter who became a Knight Captain? The Greenwoods have always been free‑spirited."
"Not always," David shook his head. "Only for the last two hundred years — ever since Lady Floralys became the head of House Greenwood."
The three knights fell silent for a moment.
The quiet of the hospital room was broken only by the soft, pulsing glow of the healing crystals, their gentle light brushing over the wounded knights as if Neptunia itself were trying to ease their pain.
Botond adjusted his blanket, then glanced over at Apollonia.
"So, what about you, Apollonia?" he asked. "Have you known the Hero for long?"
Apollonia slowly exhaled, as if the question pulled her back into the past for a moment.
"Eris? Yes. I was the one who taught her how to wield a sword. In the beginning, she was the one running after me… and now she's left me so far behind that I might never get the chance to fight alongside her against the demons."
David nodded with genuine respect.
"You'll have plenty of chances to fight demons. As for the Hero's party… I think Andrea Wolf will be the one chosen in this tournament."
Botond lifted his head.
"The female Wolf Knight who beat you?"
"That's the one," David sighed. "She was on a completely different level than me. If I hadn't put everything I had into deflecting her strike, she would've cut me in half… the same way I usually cut goblins in Greenwood Forest."
Botond whistled.
"She's fighting Christina Silverwood in the semifinals. You think she'll beat her too?"
"If I had to bet, I'd put my money on the Wolf Knight," David replied without hesitation.
Apollonia nodded.
"Maybe I would too. I experienced firsthand how strong Young Wolf's female wolves are. And I heard Andrea Wolf is even stronger than Anita, the Windstorm."
Botond let out a bittersweet laugh.
"Too bad I never got to see them fight. With my luck, I got the Hero as my opponent right away. Hahaha!"
Apollonia smiled, though there was a sharper edge behind it.
"One thing is certain: Eris will win. Perhaps fate wanted her to face two Wolf Knights in a row."
"I wouldn't call the Hero's victory certain," David countered. "If Andrea Wolf can use that strange technique, then your Hero is going to have a very hard time."
Apollonia shuddered.
"Don't even mention it. I still get chills when I remember that beastly roar."
Botond stared up at the ceiling and sighed deeply.
"I'd give anything to watch the semifinals… and instead I'm stuck here in a hospital bed. I'm so damn unlucky…"
The three knights fell silent again.
Only the soft, rhythmic glow of the healing crystals filled the room — as if the magic itself were trying to soothe not just their wounds, but the ache of missing the battles unfolding in the Arena.
We return to the Royal Knight Tournament grounds, where the first semifinal match was just beginning.
The eastern gate slowly opened, and Anita, the Windstorm, stepped out. Light struck her armor, making it gleam as if the wind itself were dancing around her.
On the eastern stands, Alexander the Bard raised his lute high and signaled to the children and the Wolf Knights. A new Wolf‑song burst forth — fresh, energetic, and proud, celebrating the two female Wolf Knights. The children sang at the top of their lungs, and the Wolf Knights joined in with deep, powerful voices.
Anita stopped directly beneath the stands and raised her right arm toward the sky. In the sunlight, the gesture looked as though even the wind bowed before her. The words and rhythm of the song slammed into her heart like a raging whirlwind.
What encouragement… what a feeling! she thought, her chest swelling with emotion.
With this, I feel like I couldn't lose even against the Hero. This reminds me… of the first time I swore loyalty to you, Young Wolf.
The music continued, the crowd roared, and Anita closed her eyes.
The voices, the wind, the sunlight — all of it pulled her back to the moment she first knelt before Young Wolf and spoke the words that changed her life forever.
Anita, the female Wolf Knight, sank deep into her memories — back to the day she vowed to serve Young Wolf for the rest of her life, even at the cost of her own.
The crowd thundered, the song grew stronger, and the Windstorm's heart pounded as if a tempest were about to erupt inside her.