Chapter 225: The Calm Before the Storm
Mahiro's existence was to Rose like a beam of light illuminating endless darkness.
In her childhood, she had been saved because of him.
Back then, as the princess of the artistic kingdom of Oriana, Rose naturally possessed extraordinary talent in all forms of art.
Whether it was painting, music, theatrical performance, fashion design, sculpture, or anything else, Rose had achieved considerable success and earned high praise.
It could be said that which path she would choose to pursue in the future was a matter of great interest to the artists of the Oriana Kingdom.
But Rose abandoned all these and chose the path of wielding a sword.
That beautiful figure standing under the full moon, as if grasping a sliver of moonlight, became an unforgettable memory and a goal she aspired to chase.
That graceful form, to her, was in no way inferior to any other art.
In just two years, her exceptional talent allowed her to achieve remarkable progress in swordsmanship.
However, in the Oriana Kingdom, wielding a sword was despised as a barbaric act.
No one was willing to acknowledge swordsmanship as an art form.
Ignoring her family's dissuasion, Rose went abroad to study at the Midgar Magic Swordsman Academy.
To make her swordsmanship embody such beauty became the art Rose decided to refine throughout her lifetime.
This art she yearned for received no recognition in the Oriana Kingdom.
But she didn't mind.
Because Rose didn't pursue ultimate beauty for the sake of others' approval.
Even if no one recognized her, she would persist in walking her own path—this was the decision she had made.
Yet she never expected that when she truly reached the realm she had imagined, it was again with his help.
The one who saved her in childhood, leaving an indelible impression, had now extended his help once more, granting her the power for revenge...
How could she ever repay him?
Amid the lively atmosphere of the Bushin Festival, Rose slipped back to her dormitory and stood under the shower washing her delicate body when these thoughts crossed her mind.
Even if the warm water flowing down her skin could wash away the bloodstains, it couldn't cleanse the lingering confusion in her heart...
The night passed without incident.
...
The next day.
Mahiro enjoyed the rare luxury of sleeping in.
Since he had advanced to the finals, he had no matches in the morning, whereas Claire had one.
But he saw no need to watch.
Claire's current strength made participating in the Bushin Festival completely one-sided—there was nothing worth watching.
When the finals came, he planned to simply show up, concede defeat, and hand the championship to Claire.
However, precisely because he didn't go in the morning, terrible news reached him.
"You're saying Cid Kagenou did this? He beat Claire like this?"
In the hospital room permeated with the smell of disinfectant, Mahiro gazed at Claire lying unconscious on the bed like a sleeping beauty.
Across from him, a faint figure in a dark gothic dress, Aurora, sat squarely on Claire's hospital bed.
As if oblivious to the heavy atmosphere, she extended her pale jade-like fingers and idly poked Claire's cheek.
With a soft sigh, she murmured:
"That's right. Claire said that man is her younger brother, named Cid Kagenou, but he registered under the name John Smith. She specifically warned me not to intervene, and now she's been beaten so badly."
Aurora's tone was filled with melancholy.
After all, Claire was her disciple, yet she couldn't even put up a fight against her opponent.
But then again, if she had been the one to face him, she likely wouldn't have won against that man named John Smith either.
At best, she might have lasted a little longer.
The opponent's magical power was simply terrifying—among the most formidable she had ever encountered, ranking in her top three.
Fortunately, Claire's injuries weren't severe, merely superficial wounds. Yet, the emotional trauma was likely far greater than the physical harm.
That was probably why she remained unconscious.
Mahiro: "..."
He stood there in silence.
"What do you plan to do?" Aurora lifted her head and asked, looking at him.
"What do I plan to do? Of course, I'll avenge Claire," Mahiro replied coldly. "Even if he flees to the ends of the earth, I will never let him go."
Cid Kagenou... How dare he...
Even if Aurora hadn't revealed it was Cid, Mahiro could have guessed.
Who else but Cid would use the ridiculous name "John Smith" and possess such overwhelming strength?
After all, the name originated from a certain film, symbolizing a secret agent and assassin.
It also represented a superhero from DC Comics.
"My, how terrifying~"
Noticing the cold fury in his expression, Aurora couldn't resist teasing him lightly: "If it were me instead of Claire who got beaten up so badly, would you seek revenge for me, Mahiro-san?"
"Of course."
Mahiro raised his eyelids and met Aurora's gaze directly: "I've said it before—I will protect your life. You are no longer the Witch of Calamity sung about by everyone, merely a woman named Aurora."
His tone was exceptionally serious, devoid of any jest, in stark contrast to Aurora's playful demeanor.
Aurora simply chuckled softly without saying another word, though the look in her eyes as she regarded him held a hint of something unusual.
In the blink of an eye, it dissipated into the air, and she returned to Claire's body.
Whether Mahiro would truly act on his words or not, for Aurora, having such a response was already enough.
"Rest well."
Mahiro bent down, gently tidying the strands of hair on Claire's forehead and temples as she slept, softly stroking her cheek.
A few pure white particles glowed and enveloped her body.
In an instant, the dust on her vanished.
He didn't use regeneration magic on Claire, only a simple cleansing spell.
Thanks to the Tyrant genes and the potent restorative properties of the medicine, Claire's wounds had already healed completely, making reversal unnecessary.
The reason she hadn't woken up yet was likely due to the overwhelming shock she had suffered.
Despite having worked so hard, she ended up being defeated by her own younger brother.
With her proud nature, she probably found it difficult to accept...
After finishing everything, Mahiro turned and left the hospital room.
Outside the hospital room, two elves were waiting for him.
One was Alpha, and the other was naturally Beatrix, now known as Omega.
The two had been acting together recently, or more precisely, Beatrix had been following Alpha around as if afraid she might disappear.
"Is Miss Claire alright?"
Noticing him emerge from the hospital room, Alpha asked in a voice as lovely as a silver bell.
"No major issues, though she's still unconscious for now," Mahiro said, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "By the way, Alpha, send two people to protect Claire later, just in case."
"Mm, I understand. I'll have Beta and Epsilon guard Miss Claire."
Even if Mahiro hadn't mentioned it, Alpha had already planned to do so.
Meanwhile, the somewhat clueless War Goddess extended a hand toward him.
"Mahiro, would you like some?"
She asked in a calm and elegant voice.
In her hand was a hamburger, a special "Bushin Festival" product recently launched by the Arcadia Trading Company.
Though she was holding a whole bag full of them in her arms.
"You seem to be in a bad mood. Eating something might help you feel better."
That's what she said.
"I used to do that before."
She added immediately after.
"No need, thank you. My mood is actually quite excellent right now."
Mahiro smiled and politely declined Omega's kindness.
"Alright, everyone should get ready. I need to prepare for the competition too..."
"Wait a moment!"
Just then, a fourth person present interrupted him.
It was a silver-haired girl, staring at him with crimson eyes.
"Is there something else, Your Highness Princess Alexia?"
"Yotsuba-sensei, what exactly are you planning to do?" the girl questioned.
From the earlier conversation, she had caught a whiff of something unusual.
It's true that Claire-senpai was injured and unconscious, but security in the royal capital was currently very tight, with all members of the knight orders mobilized.
There shouldn't be any need for additional protection.
Yet he had done so anyway.
Therefore, Alexia felt that this Yotsuba-sensei might be planning something, perhaps intending to cause an even greater disturbance...
"What I'm going to do... I have no obligation to tell you."
"But out of our former teacher-student relationship, I advise you to go back and persuade your elder sister—"
"No matter what happens next, don't interfere unnecessarily, or you'll lose your life."
Having said that, Mahiro turned and left.
There was no need for further words.
After all, the plan had already reached this stage.
Rose, who had escaped, had accepted his power and was preparing to take revenge on Duke Asshat.
All that remained now was a major battle with the cult, nothing more.
"What... does that mean? Hey, wait!"
Alexia couldn't comprehend his words, but by the time she wanted to inquire further, Mahiro had already walked away.
Even Alpha and her aunt had vanished without a trace.
However, the news of Claire being defeated by a mysterious participant named John Smith, who was competing in the Bushin Festival for the first time, had also shaken others.
"Is it true? That Claire actually lost?"
"Who exactly is this John Smith?"
"Who knows? But Claire seemed quite agitated during the match."
"Could they know each other?"
...
Though it was just past noon.
Behind the ornate, magnificent gate, within the extravagant VIP box seats, upper-class nobles and foreign guests had already gathered, whispering among themselves.
Without exception, these were all so-called high-ranking figures, including almost all the academy's top officials.
But Claire's defeat—she being the previous Bushin Festival champion—had left the academy executives sweating profusely.
After all, she was the pride and symbol of Midgar Academy for Dark Knights, second only to Princess Iris.
Now, this humiliating defeat was bound to impact future admissions for years to come.
"Your Highness Iris, what should we do next?"
The academy director, wiping sweat from his forehead, cautiously sought the opinion of the first princess, Iris.
Yet Iris's demeanor was the complete opposite of his anxiety; she sat there calmly and composed, without a trace of concern.
"Let's observe for now. There's still one more match. If it really comes to it, we'll add an extra match—I'll step in myself."
"You... stepping in yourself..."
Hearing this, the academy director grew even more panicked.
He was well aware of Princess Iris's capabilities.
But after watching the morning match, he felt that even if Princess Iris participated, it would be futile.
Though it sounded somewhat disrespectful and even blasphemous, Princess Iris's swordsmanship seemed inferior to Miss Claire's.
How could she possibly be a match for John Smith?
Yet Princess Iris, overconfident, remained unaware of this fact...
Just as he was racking his brains to dissuade her, the door at the entrance to the VIP box swung open once more.
Turning to look, they saw a beautiful elf dressed in revealing attire, draped stylishly in a black overcoat, stride in gracefully.
In that instant, all eyes converged on her, faces filled with astonishment.
Lady Beatrix, the War Goddess...
Why would Her Excellency come here?
Although Beatrix had lost her match, no one present dared to underestimate her.
After all, during her active years a decade ago, Beatrix had never once tasted defeat—otherwise, she wouldn't have been revered as the War Goddess.
Moreover, Mahiro's performance in that match was simply beyond conventional standards, not to mention the rumors that he had once taken on three opponents alone in the Goddess's Trial and defeated the legendary Witch of Calamity.
Were it not for Princess Iris's presence, they would have long sought ways to curry favor—though even now they harbored such intentions, planning to make moves after the competition.
"Lady Beatrix, you've finally arrived. Please take a seat here," Iris said with a smile.
Beatrix nodded and headed directly toward Princess Iris.
However, just as she was about to sit, someone intercepted her.
"My, my, so you are the legendary Elven Sword Saint, the War Goddess Lady Beatrix? I am Doem Ketsuhat, Duke of the Oriana Kingdom. It is an honor to behold your esteemed presence."
Doem had deliberately brought the King of Oriana along to flaunt his connections and ingratiate himself.
Even if the Oriana Kingdom had little interest in warriors like her, establishing goodwill couldn't hurt.
Moreover, just as he had heard from the cult, this Beatrix indeed bore a striking resemblance to the hero Olivier.
If he could turn her into his pawn, his status within the cult would soar!
While Doem was lost in his fantasies, he completely failed to notice the slight frown forming on her face.
"Perv, you stink."
Her words were brief.
The moment she spoke, the entire hall erupted in murmurs, with gasps of shock echoing throughout.
Doem froze on the spot, his face flushing with humiliation.
But what troubled him more was the panic in his heart.
To turn the King of Oriana into a compliant puppet, he had used a highly addictive herb.
The herb's effects were undeniable, but it had the drawback of causing the poisoned to emit a peculiar odor.
However, Doem had already masked the king's odor with perfume.
Logically, no one should have been able to detect it...
"...Lady Beatrix, aren't you being somewhat rude?"
"Sorry, but it really stinks."
Beatrix, never one for arguments and always straightforward by nature, apologized bluntly but reiterated her point.
Doem: "..."
I know your nose is sharp, but must you repeat it!
Suppressing his inner turmoil, he couldn't help but glare at Beatrix before turning away with the king and returning to his seat above.
It didn't matter. Even if he couldn't forge a connection with this woman, so what?
After all, Rose had fled while already in a diseased state. If he could capture her alive...
Then, for the cult, her blood would undoubtedly become the ideal research material!
It would still be a great achievement!
"Ahem, Lady Beatrix, please come sit here first," Iris said awkwardly.
"Alright."
Beatrix readily accepted Princess Iris's invitation and took her seat.
This minor incident was thus strangely brushed aside.
It had to be said, the VIP seats offered an excellent view, allowing a full panorama of the arena below.
"Lady Beatrix, have you found the person you were looking for?"
Iris struck up a conversation with her.
Beatrix nodded seriously and said, "Yes, I have found my niece. I won't lose her again."
"Congratulations to you." Princess Iris offered her heartfelt blessings.
She had heard about Beatrix's search for someone early on and had been assisting in the search all along.
But unfortunately, she had never encountered anyone resembling the description.
Or rather, someone with such outstanding looks as Beatrix should be impossible to hide within the royal capital.
Soon after, the host's voice echoed from the arena below.
"Finally, the moment everyone has been waiting for—the championship match! Let us welcome the contestants!"
The moment the words fell, almost all spectators held their breath.
For good reason.
One was the mysterious John Smith who had crushed last year's champion with overwhelming force, while the other was Mahiro, the swordsmanship instructor who had powerfully defeated the "War Goddess" Beatrix.
Both were beings beyond ordinary standards.
Perhaps this match would prove more spectacular than any previous tournament!