Royal Match, Second Round
“I wonder if I can explain this properly… Reed?”
As the second match of the prestigious battle was about to begin, I went to my father to explain the situation while Asna was getting ready. However, my father’s expression was severe, his eyebrows furrowed, his eyes narrowed, and his mouth tense. In other words… he was extremely angry.
Ignoring my father’s anger, I began to explain. By the way, I kept quiet about the fact that Raycis had spoken ill of my mother and the Baldia territory to him. As I did so, my father’s anger seemed to turn to astonishment, and he let out a sigh.
“Haa… even though I always tell you to hide your claws, this idiot…”
“I don’t think I have any claws to hide…”
My father was taken aback by my response for some reason, and Diana and Reubens, who had been holding back, burst out laughing and shook their shoulders. “How rude,” I thought. Then my father looked at me and spoke in a slightly angry tone.
“It’s an important match, show them what you’re capable of.”
“Yes, Father.”
Even my father seemed quite angry about the fact that I had been criticized. Diana and Reubens, who were standing behind me, also seemed angry about it and urged me to do my best. As we chatted a little more, someone called out to me from behind.
“Excuse me, Reed-sama, may I have a moment?”
When I turned around, Farah was standing there. Asna had not yet returned, so it was unusual for her to be alone.
“Yes, what can I do for you?”
“Um…”
“? “
Farah seemed a little suspicious, but what could it be? After a moment of hesitation, she made up her mind and looked at me with a determined expression.
“If it’s Reed-sama, I think it will be fine, but could you promise me that you will forgive all of Asna’s actions during the match…!?”
“Huh…?”
Actions during the match… What is she going to say all of a sudden? I didn’t intend to pay attention to such things, but… Farah’s expression conveyed a sense of desperation. She looked at me with an earnest expression, her ears slightly drooping. Oh, she’s so cute… No, I nodded to Farah’s words.
“I understand. I will not pay any attention to Lady Asna’s actions. Please rest assured.”
When Farah heard my answer, she changed from a desperate expression to a full smile, shaking her ears… so cute. …Speaking of which, Farah is the only Dark Elf I’ve seen with moving ears. I was curious, so I decided to ask her about it.
“Excuse me, Princess Farah, if I may ask one thing…”
“Gohon! Reed-sama, it is a breach of manners to ask a Dark Elf woman about the movement of her ears. Please refrain from doing so.”
At that moment, Diana seemed to realize what I was about to ask and interrupted me with a cough. It would normally be a rude act, but she prevented my breach of manners in advance, so it’s a different story. Besides, when Farah heard Diana’s words, she turned red and covered both ears with her hands, shaking them. It was as if I had done something terribly wrong, so I apologized in a hurry.
“Princess Farah, I’m terribly sorry. It was due to my lack of knowledge.”
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After apologizing to Farah, I lowered my head. Then she answered in a flustered manner.
“N-no, it’s fine. It’s okay… Ah, more importantly, please raise your head.”
When I raised my head at her answer, Farah was still shaking her ears a little. However, when she coughed lightly, she smiled shyly.
“Reed-sama, thank you for your words earlier. Asna tends to get a little excited when she has a sword in her hand, and she is easily misunderstood. That’s why I wanted to get your permission in advance.”
“I see. However, when I practice martial arts, my mouth tends to get a little rough as well. Don’t worry about it, it’s fine.”
When Farah heard my answer, her expression brightened. And her ears moved up and down. I couldn’t help but feel the urge to touch them.
“Reed-sama, thank you for your permission. Asna will be happy too. Well then, I’ll take my leave.”
Farah answered happily, bowed, and returned to the stands. I was still curious, so I asked Diana about it.
“…Hey, Diana. Why do Dark Elves’ ears move?”
“I will not reveal a woman’s secret for any reason. Isn’t that right, Reiner-sama, Reubens?”
Looking at the expressions of the two people Diana turned to, I couldn’t tell if they knew or not. But Diana’s “[OOOH]” aura was so strong that Reubens shook his head vertically and my father was silent. Diana is actually quite intimidating… As I watched, I muttered in amazement.
“Haa… I get it. I won’t ask any more questions about this. Is that okay?”
“Yes. That’s wonderful, Reed-sama.”
She smiled at my answer. In the end, what did Farah’s ear movements mean? Well, I’m sure I’ll find out if I have the chance. And so, I decided not to think about it too deeply.
Afterwards, I moved to the center of the match venue and waited for Asna while doing warm-up exercises. Before long, she appeared from inside the Palace and walked straight towards me. Her steps seemed light and unnerved. When she arrived in front of me, she stopped and bowed, then smiled happily.
“Once again, I am assigned as the exclusive bodyguard of Princess Farah-Renalute. I am Asna-Lanmark. Please take care of me from now on.”
“Yeah. I’m also the son of the Count Reiner Baldia, Reed-Baldia. Nice to meet you too.”
I responded to her greeting and shook hands with her. Then, I couldn’t help but stare at her appearance up close.
She wore a military uniform with black as the base color, which reminded me of the Meiji era. The dark elf woman wearing it was unique in every way.
The top resembled a black gentleman’s suit, with a necktie around the collar. The bottom was black pants and knee-high military boots. She also wore a military cap on her head. Moreover, Asna’s long pink hair, mixed with red, was tied into three braids at the back. Noticing my gaze, she made a puzzled expression and looked at me with her green eyes.
“……What’s wrong?”
“No, I just haven’t seen anyone else but you, a woman wearing that outfit.”
“Is that so? Indeed, there are not many women who wear this outfit.”
She muttered as if to confirm her clothes and returned her gaze to me, continuing her words.
“I heard from the princess. She said that you wouldn’t mind my actions during the match. Thank you for your consideration.”
“No, it’s okay. I also tend to speak harshly during training and matches.”
She listened to my answer and smiled slightly, “I see.”
“However, Reed-sama, you have wonderful talent. Your match with Prince Raycis was impressive. To be able to use [Body Enhancement] at that age is amazing.”
“Ah……did you notice?”
I wondered if crushing Prince Raycis with body enhancement was against the rules, but it seemed to be okay. When I showed a little anxiety, Asna smiled cheerfully.
“Fufu, don’t worry about it. Only a few people noticed. Besides, it’s not against the rules. It’s just that Prince Raycis is immature and didn’t notice Reed-sama’s body enhancement. There’s no need to worry.”
“Is that so? That’s a relief then.”
I sighed in relief at her answer. If I had been disqualified or scolded, I would have been exhausted from then on. At that moment, Asna, who had been smiling until now, suddenly changed her expression to a serious one.
“……I want to see Reed-sama’s true strength, including body enhancement……!! “
Her atmosphere changed dramatically with her statement, and I felt a familiar tension running through her body.
In that instant, I realized [this is killing intent]. It was not much compared to my father, but I didn’t expect her, a foreign lord’s daughter, to show killing intent towards me. This might be what Farah was talking about, how [the sword makes one’s spirit wild].
Unlike before, she showed a [noble] personality that I couldn’t have imagined. So, I also showed a slightly dangerous expression, held the wooden sword with both hands, and faced her with a straight and serious look. Asna seemed happy that my atmosphere had changed a little, and she showed an unbeatable smile.
“Fufufu, ahah……wonderful. Reed-sama is wonderful……!! “
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