Chapter 123: Conquest
For sure, I thought he wouldn’t lose. This is what it looks like. She’s standing on her own, another said.
Wow, this was quite unexpected. But what can I say? Anything is possible in this tournament. Winner. Celia from sindra, the emissary shouted. The crowd erupted, cheering for her.
Celia smiled as the attendants checked on her. She raised her sword for a moment, then lowered it, glancing at Cora in the stands. Cora was watching her closely, and Celia smiled at her. Blood still trickled from the wound on her back.
Two healers rushed forward. "Good thing it wasn’t a major injury," one of them said as he placed his glowing hands over her. The wound closed instantly, vanishing as though it had never been there. Then they moved on to Wilfric to tend to his far heavier injuries.
Celia left the arena and made her way to the participants’ section, where the others usually waited. As she entered, she spoke up. "How was my performance, Master?"
"You were so outstanding," everyone replied at once. Celia bowed her head. "Thank you, Master."
Linda stepped forward, eyes wide. "Wow, how did you do that? You were actually much faster. You can tell he’s really good at using the sword."
"Yes, he is," Celia said, nodding. "If it was the last time I came here and fought with him, I wouldn’t stand a single chance. It should have ended the moment it started. But thanks to Master, after the mana transfer, I’ve gotten stronger and I’ve proven myself to you, Master."
Her master smiled faintly. "Yes, you have. But I want to tell you this. I didn’t expect you to try and sacrifice yourself, letting him strike your back on purpose. Or maybe you didn’t know. I’m sure you could have increased your flame so he couldn’t even come close to you."
"Okay, Master," Celia said softly.
"Well, that was quite the show," Laira added from the side. "You were really impressive."
"Thank you," Celia replied.
Tharion stood then, stepping closer. He extended her hand to Celia, and Celia shook it firmly. "Wow," Tharion said, "I didn’t know you were this strong. What’s going on? This is the first time I’ve seen a lady who’s actually as strong as I am."
Nolan’s eyes narrowed as he looked at Tharion. "Do you really think if you fought her, you would win?" he asked.
"Yes. Obviously," Tharion answered without hesitation. "When it comes to raw power, we wouldn’t be evenly matched. But there’s one thing I’m very good at—I’m faster than her. She isn’t able to use her sword as well as she should. You could tell there was a big difference between her and Wilfric’s skill and technique when they clashed. The only thing that made it even was her speed and the weight of her strikes. That’s what let her keep up. But still, she’s an amateur when it comes to true swordsmanship. She doesn’t have much battle experience. I can tell from the way she fought."
Nolan studied him carefully. He’s actually right, he thought. He knows what he’s saying. If Tharion and Celia fought, I can tell myself—Celia wouldn’t win.
"Well, this was one of the best performances of the day," the emissary declared. "And not only that, Team Nolan has proven themselves once again!"
The crowd erupted. "Yes, yes! Team Nolan are the best! I’m rooting for them now!" one voice shouted. Another added, "This is the first time I’ve seen young women this strong. And they’re still so young!" Cheers rippled through the arena like rolling thunder. "The dragons keep punching! Wow, things are so lively down there!"
The emissary nodded. "And not only that, the match was truly outstanding. Wilfric was good. A fine fighter. He was no amateur."
"But that demi-human, Celia..." Alaric said as he leaned forward, eyes locked on the arena. "Her ability rose higher and higher, making the fight evenly matched. At the start, Wilfric was clearly stronger. But as the fight went on, it was as if she kept getting stronger with every strike."
"Yes, indeed," Rovanis agreed. "She was truly outstanding. But this was against a Rank S. A Rank S! I did not expect that outcome. She’s so young, yet she possesses such power."
Alvoryn folded his arms, his voice carrying a note of pride. "And again, she is from my village. I never expected someone this strong to come from Sindra. In our village, no adventurer has ever reached Rank S or even stood toe-to-toe with one. But she has just done it."
" yes she has," Alaric said. "Well, yeah. She was truly strong. She fought the Rank A’s...and she won. She won!"
"Mr. Hero, what do you think about this?" Alaric asked, turning to Dalvin.
Dalvin, the hero, glanced at the crowd, then at where Celia was sitting. She was truly beautiful. I could add her to my party... but I’m sure she would refuse an offer from a hero like me. She’s so beautiful, he thought, his gaze lingering. Then he looked back at Alaric.
"Well, I’ll answer your question," Dalvin said. "Even if she loses, or she’s not the one who wins the tournament, she’s going to join my party. She’s strong. She has so much talent to grow, and for a lady, she’s powerful. You can see her strength increasing."
"Yes, you are right. And that’s the that a wise decision," Alaric said, nodding in agreement.
"Yes, indeed. Truly wise. So tell me, what plans do you have now that you are the hero? After the battles and once you move back, what will you do? You’ll be going back to Sindra, right?" Alvoryn asked.
He’s asking about my plans. What plans do I have? In my previous world, I had no girls, no ladies, never had a girlfriend. But in this world, I’m going to have as many as I want. I’m going to form a harem, and that lady Celia here is going to be one of them. Davin thought as he grinned.