—————————————————————–
Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Yuziro
—————————————————————–
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
“Zeta wins.”
The man’s pronouncement left Belle staring at him, dumbfounded.
The thrill of victory, the satisfaction of having subdued Zeta, evaporated like mist.
The man addressed Belle’s open-mouthed stare with a matter-of-fact tone.
“Of course she does. Zeta stopped attacking because she thought you’d lost the will to fight. What were you supposed to do, just let her walk away?”
“I-Is that how it is?”
“That’s how it is. I signaled the end of the match. Why did you tackle her after that?”
Belle hadn’t even registered the signal.
Consumed by the fight, she had kicked Zeta’s shin and wrestled her to the ground.
Basking in the afterglow of victory, she now realized her move had been… unsportsmanlike, to say the least.
A blush crept up her cheeks.
She glanced at Zeta, who was brushing the dirt from her clothes.
The fall had left her quite disheveled.
Having dusted herself off, Zeta turned and walked away without acknowledging Belle’s apology.
A faint murmur, almost a whisper, followed her.
“You won, Belle.”
“……!”
Belle didn’t know why, but in the short time she had known Zeta, she understood the girl didn’t concede easily.
If Zeta said she lost, she meant it.
Belle’s face lit up.
“…….”
Clasping her hands to her chest, she trembled with excitement.
She wanted to shout, but she bit back the urge and instead, darted off.
“Thank you, mister!”
The man chuckled, watching Belle wave as she ran away.
“That kid.”
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
After investigating the two deserted villages, I returned to Begalo Vegas.
For some reason, everyone seemed to expect me to uncover all the evidence and deduce what had happened.
“But thanks to Mr. Iyerpol, we’ve learned a few things, haven’t we?”
Sir Müller, ever the optimist, chimed in.
The problem, Sir Müller, was that we couldn’t learn anything else.
What we had uncovered was the limit of my abilities.
I was just a slightly exceptional hunter and scout, not a psychic who could read memories or a detective who could solve mysteries.
…Though I desperately wanted to say that, I held my tongue.
No need to make myself look bad.
“What did the Begalo Vegas officials have to say?”
“They’re in an uproar, as you can imagine. The lord’s face was ashen.”
Understandable.
Imagine having an entire village under your jurisdiction vanish overnight.
How would you explain the lost tax revenue, the missing people?
He couldn’t simply report to the Kalak Royal Family, “Another village disappeared. What do we do?”
Being in charge meant taking responsibility.
I could vividly picture the portly lord’s face turning pale.
“He’s got a fire under his feet now.”
“Haha, indeed.”
Sir Müller laughed, seemingly unconcerned.
He was part of the relief force, but this was, after all, someone else’s problem.
Of course, I felt the same way.
“They’re planning a much more thorough response this time. They’ll be deploying large patrol units to the affected villages.”
“Weren’t there soldiers stationed in the second village?”
“Yes, but…”
Sir Müller lowered his voice.
“Even the soldiers stationed there disappeared.”
Even the soldiers?
I could understand the villagers disappearing, but the soldiers, who were on high alert after the first incident… that was unexpected.
“So this time, they’re deploying mobile patrols to cover the surrounding villages. That way, if anything happens, the patrols will be able to respond.”
“They’ll be deploying a significant number of troops.”
“Indeed.”
That meant a lot of work for the soldiers, patrolling such a wide area.
I offered a silent prayer for their safety.
Turning to Sir Müller with a smile, I asked.
“So we’ll be dispatched when the patrols report something?”
“No, you’ll be going with them.”
“……Huh?”
What? Did I hear that correctly?
My ears must be playing tricks on me.
I cupped my ear and asked again.
“We’re going with them?”
“Not ‘we.’ Just you.”
I breathed a sigh of relief.
I must have misheard.
I needed to get some good medicine; hearing things at my age wasn’t a good sign.
As I smiled, relieved, Sir Müller continued.
“Not ‘we,’ but you, Mr. Iyerpol. To be precise, all the adventurers will be assigned to patrol units.”
“…….”
“It’ll be tough, but we’re counting on you. No one knows monsters better than adventurers.”
Sir Müller’s cheerful tone didn’t soften the blow.
I had thought he was a nice guy, but I was starting to reconsider.
As we entered Begalo Vegas, I heard the sound of running footsteps behind us.
The rapid patter grew closer, and as I turned, Belle launched herself at me, leaping like a squirrel.
“Senior!”
Instinctively, I bent my knees to catch her, and she wrapped her arms and legs around me, clinging tight.
The force of her embrace nearly knocked the wind out of me.
“Belle… what’s this about…?”
She just giggled, clearly delighted about something.
Perhaps she had received some good news.
“What’s got you so happy?”
“It’s a secret!”
“…….”
What was she up to? I couldn’t help but smile at her unusual giddiness.
I ruffled her hair, and she nuzzled her face against my chest plate.
That had to be uncomfortable.
Belle refused to let go, so I ended up carrying her back to our lodgings, her clinging to me like a koala.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Back in her room, Zeta sat on the edge of her bed and took a deep breath.
The air filled her lungs, then slowly escaped.
The excitement that had pounded in her chest subsided, leaving a calm stillness.
Her senses, dulled by adrenaline, returned.
Once her mind was clear, she replayed the spar in her memory.
She had underestimated Belle.
Belle had been strategic from the start, and Zeta’s overconfidence, born from their previous encounters, had been her downfall.
She should have remained vigilant until the very end.
‘The judge’s decision is irrelevant.’
A spar was a simulation of a real battle.
If this had been a real fight, Zeta, caught off guard, would have been the one to fall.
She considered herself defeated not because of the outcome of the spar, but because of her carelessness throughout the fight.
Hearing Belle’s triumphant cry as she pinned Zeta to the ground had been… humiliating.
That humiliation, however, had forced Zeta to re-evaluate Belle.
‘But it’s alright.’
She had learned something valuable.
Learning was what Zeta did best.
She wouldn’t make the same mistake twice.
She had lost this time, but she wouldn’t lose again.
“…….”
Zeta closed her eyes and replayed the spar, analyzing every detail.
She refused to be second best.
That was her driving force.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
[lmaoooo iyer got scammed so hard]
