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Test Your Skills, Glory Awaits the Victor – Part 07

“Can you tell me more about the Half Dragons?” Hikaru asked.

“Hmm? Is there something else you want to know? I think I’ve told you everything.”

“I want to know more about the whole betraying a drakon thing. Do you know what kind of drakon it was? How exactly did your ancestors betray it? I feel like there’s more to that part of the story.”

Hikaru’s guess was that it was a Fire Drakon that their ancestors betrayed. The Fire Drakon at the deepest part of the dungeon, Forest of Deception, said that it was tricked by a drakon tainted by evil. The story of the Dragonfolk and the Fire Drakon were slightly different, there were parts that matched up.

The Dragonfolk’s story only mentioned ‘betraying a drakon,’ but there was not necessarily only one drakon involved. One possible version was that the Fire Drakon trusted the Evil Drakon, and the Evil Drakon used the Dragonfolk to deceive the Fire Drakon.

Before Hikaru could say any more, something flew in through the window—and pierced Jillarte’s chest.

“What…?”

Jillarte’s body tilted and fell backward with the chair in slow motion.

She was shot—sniped.

“Jillarte!”

Hikaru rushed over to her and lifted her up. Jillarte coughed up blood. Her face was growing paler and paler. It was no ordinary wound—there was poison.

Hikaru checked outside the window. Past the backyard, about a hundred meters away, stood a huge tree, far from the range of Hikaru’s Life and Mana Detection. A figure jumped down from the branches.

They hit her from that distance? Right at her heart?

The person turned around and calmly left.

Hikaru cursed. With two points in his Muscle Strength, he was able to lift Jillarte up easily. He dashed to his room and kicked the door open.

“Paula!”

“Y-Yes?!”

“Healing Magic, now! Use everything you’ve got!”

“R-Right away!”

Fuck, fuck, fuck!

Hikaru slammed his fist onto his knee. He never thought they would go after Jillarte in broad daylight. He knew that whoever sent the Stone Golem wouldn’t give up that easily, but he let his guard down.

It was too late to go after the culprit. Hikaru knew that they were that skilled.

He saw the shooter himself.

“Please work…”

The only hope now was Paula’s magic and Jillarte’s vitality.

---

Upon receiving the news, Garan of the Ogrekin and ten Dragonfolk led by Utekko rushed to the inn. Garan just happened to be with Utekko.

“What happened, Silver Face?! Why was Jillarte attacked?!”

Utekko grabbed Hikaru by the collar, but he did not resist. This happened because he wasn’t cautious enough. They could’ve sat much farther from the window.

“Stop it, Utekko.”

“Jillarte! Are you all right?!”

Jillarte emerged from the inner room. Paula had already healed her.

“Yeah. My body feels a little heavy, but otherwise, I’m back to normal. Thanks, Silver Face.”

“Why are you thanking him?!”

“It’s not fair to blame him. I was the careless one,” Jillarte said flatly, then looked at Hikaru.

He still couldn’t forgive himself. But what needed to be said were not words of apology.

“There’s something you need to know,” he said. “I saw the shooter.”

“Really?”

“What?! Who was it?!” Utekko demanded.

“It was Ryver, the adventurer.”

The room suddenly fell quiet.

Hikaru couldn’t mistake the figure that gracefully jumped from the branches of the big tree. Red hair, narrow eyes, and a relaxed demeanor that suggested they didn’t care about being seen.

“A-Are you sure? Was it really Ryver that attacked Jillarte? That’s a serious accusation.”

“I’m sure. Is this Ryver fellow really that big of a deal?”

“He is. I’m surprised you don’t know him,” Utekko said. “The Dragonfolk’s village is located far from Hopestadt, but even we’ve heard about him.”

“He belongs to a party called Rising Falls,” Jillarte cut in. “A rare A-ranked party with only four members.”

Adventurer rank and party rank were not necessarily the same. If a commission required the abilities of Rank A adventurers, it would be assigned to Rank A parties. If, however, a group of Rank B adventurers could complete the commission, their party rank would be considered A.

A party usually had at least five members, and sometimes dozens. In escorting huge caravans, it was easier to have several dozen people in one party, so there was plenty of demand for it.

That may as well be a private army.

In parties with dozens of members, the leader gained a lot of authority, eventually earning the respect of the Adventurers’ Guild.

“I heard that three of the four members of Rising Falls are Rank A adventurers.”

“So they’re strong on their own, but they’re even stronger together.”

“Yes. That’s why they’re well-known…” Jillarte trailed off.

Hikaru knew exactly what she was trying to say. “So if I accuse Ryver of being the shooter, the Adventurers’ Guild is going to cover for him? Since there’s no evidence other than my testimony, and since we are both competitors in the same tournament, they would assume that I was lying to discredit him.”

“And the damage is also gone.” Jillarte put her hand on her chest. Her wound had completely closed. “Oh, no. I’m really grateful for the healing. I can’t thank you enough!”

“I know. I’m not doubting you. I understand that it’s difficult to prosecute Ryver. In which case, there’s only one thing to do.”

“Don’t tell me you’re just giving up,” Utekko said. His face was grim. “His slot was given to him by the Beastmen. It’s safe to assume that the Beastmen were trying to kill Jillarte.”

“Don’t give me that look. It might not look like it, but I’m actually not feeling too good.”

Hikaru’s emotions were boiling beneath the mask. He felt regret for letting his guard down, followed by anger.

“I’ll crush him fair and square in the tournament. He’s gonna pay for pissing me off. And let’s just say it won’t be cheap.”

Utekko swallowed. Hikaru was furious.

Hikaru was an amateur in combat, but the battles he’d survived were far more severe than what ordinary swordsmen had gone through. He emitted fury that made Utekko flinch momentarily.

“In that case, I’ll go ahead and do you a favor too,” Jillarte said.

“What favor?”

“I’ll take down that East fellow that’s bothering you.” She sounded delighted for some reason.

Hikaru didn’t know if she was happy being able to fight for Silver Face, whom she owed a lot to, or if there were other reasons.

But why did Ryver target Jillarte?

Hikaru wondered if Gerhardt was behind this, but if Jillarte were to die now, he would be the first suspect and labeled a coward. Gerhardt would suffer the most damage.

There’s something else at play here, Hikaru thought.

---

The following day’s matches were slightly different. Jillarte was set to fight East in the first set of matches, while Selyse was scheduled to fight in the adjacent ring. If things were the same as yesterday, Hikaru would fight in one of the remaining rings. However, Hikaru and Ryver’s match was moved to the second set, and two other pairs were chosen from the other bracket.

“Aren’t you glad you’re not fighting at the same time as Gerhardt?” Hikaru said.

He was in Jillarte’s waiting room. Visiting participants was allowed as long as the person gave their permission. There was no staff around either.

“Yeah,” Jillarte agreed. “Though if I win today, we’ll still be fighting simultaneously tomorrow, so it won’t make any difference.”

There were currently sixteen participants left, and tomorrow there would be eight. There were four rings, so tomorrow’s matches would be happening simultaneously.

“Lady Jillarte,” a staff called. “It’s time for your match.”

Jillarte got up from her chair. “Make sure to watch the fight.”

“Not like there’s any other matches to watch.”

She chuckled. “Right.”

Seeing her smile, Hikaru gave a start. He kept forgetting that Jillarte was a girl too.

“Stay calm,” Hikaru said. “You can beat him if you just keep a level head.”

“Gotcha.”

“Your match is about to begin,” the staff repeated.

“See you later.”

“Yeah.

Hikaru held out his right hand. Jillarte gave a small smile, tapped his hand, and walked away, waving.

Looks like all the tension’s gone, Hikaru thought as he watched her go.