Chapter 223: 223
Ch . 223 There Was Only One Way (2)
Elena observed the other matches from the side . As they were the final ten knights, all of them fought with great skill .
‘This won’t be easy . ’
She had not yet fully recovered from the arrow wound on her back . If she didn’t overdo it in the beginning she would be fine, but it might hamper her later . The only way to avoid the worst possible scenario was to win each match as quickly as possible .
The upcoming battles were simple tournament-style matches where the winner moved up and the loser was eliminated . There were a total of ten knights, so Elena had to fight three or four matches .
‘That man stands out…’
At the moment, Wickley was completely dominating his opponent . It looked to be a tight match, but Elena knew that Wickley could have won a while ago and was deliberately toying with his opponent . After the knight was worn down, his face darkened as he realized what Wickley was doing .
‘Is he going to forfeit after all?’
Elena watched the scene with narrowed eyes . The knight turned to the referee as if he couldn’t endure the battle any longer .
“I—”
Puk!
A sharp spear pierced the man’s shoulder before he could even get a word out . Wickley was strong enough to even pierce armor, and blood started to spurt from the knight’s shoulder .
“Aaaagh!”
The knight fell from his horse, screaming in pain . The referee watching from the distance turned towards Wickley .
“He was about to forfeit . Was this necessary?”
Wickley simply gave a shrug .
“Was he? I didn’t know . ”
The referee looked doubtful because of Wickley’s unapologetic attitude, but Wickley hadn’t violated any rules . At the time, it wasn’t clear whether the other party had forfeited, and soon the referee declared the winner .
“The victor is Lord Wickley!”
Other injuries had occurred during the competition, and it didn’t matter much to the spectators . A thunder of applause rang in the stadium for Wickley’s victory . Some murmured among themselves about the cruel nature of his win, but it was not considered an official problem anyway .
Wickley, having won his first match, exited the arena with a bold swagger in his step and he glanced towards Elena . He grinned, showing his yellow teeth . She couldn’t help but notice that his smile bore a current of provocation .
‘What? Does he have a bad relationship with my brother?’
Elena was puzzled, but she soon smiled back beneath her visor .
‘…Fun . ’
It had been a long time since she faced the tension of a fierce battle . Her blood tingled in anticipation of fighting as a knight again . Although her condition wasn’t the best due to her injury, she wouldn’t let that hold her back .
As she watched Wickley walk away, she heard the host announce the next fight .
“Next up is Lord Paul Dayed, and Lord Derek Blaise!”
“Ooooh!”
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Much of the crowd was expecting Derek’s fight, and there were loud shouts coming from the stands . Elena stood up from her seat and climbed onto the horse that Derek was supposed to ride for mounted combat .
Now it was her turn to fight her first match .
Carlisle’s worry grew when Elena did not return from giving Derek his handkerchief .
‘Where the hell has she been?’
Her brother’s match was up next, and she had been anticipating it the most . Carlisle couldn’t wait any longer, and he was about to summon a servant, when—
Chaleuleuleuleug!
Kwadangtang!
A loud clash caused Carlisle to pause and look towards the arena . As soon as the match began, Elena had aimed for her opponent’s chest with her lance, and the opponent was quick to change the direction of his horse to avoid it .
But that’s exactly what Elena wanted .
She swiftly rotated her lance in midair and struck her opponent on the shoulder with the momentum .
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Kwaang!
The sound of metal clashing on armor was enough to fill the stadium . Elena followed up with a series of attacks, causing her opponent to lose balance on his horse .
Hwiiig—
The spear was so fast it was like a whip .
Taaaaang!
The knight, unable to withstand another blow, finally toppled from his horse . He tried to pull himself up quickly to make up for the disadvantage, but it was too late .
Seueg—
The tip of Elena’s lance touched the opponent’s Adam’s apple . The knight weakly lifted his hands and he spoke with a defeated expression .
“…I surrender . ”
Never had a match been decided in such a short amount of time . The grace and power that Elena displayed was vividly embedded in everyone’s mind . There was a moment of stunned silence, and then a thunderous cheer broke out from the stands .
“Wow!”
It was a short but intense game, and the crowd leapt up from the stands and whooped . Elena’s red eyes slid towards the referee . He was just as astonished as everyone else, and he coughed and finally shouted out the judgment .
“T-the victor is Lord Derek Blaise!”
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The cheers bursting from the stands did not abate even when the match was over . Elena lifted back her lance with a smooth motion, then slowly exited the stadium on her horse .
Carlisle had been watching the scene intently .
‘Has he been holding back his skills? The previous matches were good, but this time…’
Carlisle sat in his seat, mulling over what he saw . As he watched the knight leave the stadium, the knight turned towards him, and he caught a glimpse of red eyes . A sudden realization rushed into Carlisle’s head .
‘Could it be…’
The distance made it difficult for him to see, but those eyes looked familiar to him . He knew what Elena looked like in armor as well, and while others might not notice the small differences between her and Derek, it was glaringly obvious to Carlisle . He also knew that Elena’s abilities were far superior to anyone else’s, and it was strange that she hadn’t come to see Derek’s game . Moreover, the knight had wielded the the lance with great skill .
‘Someone with a weaker arm usually uses that kind of technique . The momentum can deal a stronger blow than a direct attack . ’
Elena was an excellent knight, but nevertheless, as a woman she was relatively weaker to a man . Naturally, she would attack with a style suited to her physical capabilities .
If Carlisle’s guess was true, then it was likely that Derek had been compromised .
Carlisle suddenly stood up from his seat . If the knight was indeed Elena, he was both immeasurably proud and worried for her winning the match when she hadn’t fully healed yet .
‘…I really can’t take my eyes off her for a moment . ’
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