Chapter 155
As the cheers of the crowd died down, the host hurriedly opened his mouth and said, “It was such a short match, we didn’t get to see the reactions of the Master judges! Now that the round has ended, let’s hear what they think about the match!”
The audience’s attention turned toward the top of the front row, which had the best view of the fight. It had exactly six seats and exactly six occupants. Every occupant was a long-standing Master, and their steely gazes had been watching the fight intently.
There were three great powers, seven medium countries, and two weak countries. A hundred years ago, the Master of the Allied Powers of Palentine merged many smaller nations into one. He was Storm Knight, Windnemill.
“This is really unbelievable. I have heard some rumors about the Avalon Empire’s greatest talent of all time, but this is just…” Windmill muttered to himself.
“Well… I didn’t think that there would be such a difference between imperial and non-imperial knights…” said one of the six Masters, Hasegi. He was seated next to Windmill. Hasegi was an eccentric Master who fused swordsmanship with alchemy.
The kingdom of Fordran, which was Hasegi’s homeland, was located in the southernmost part of the continent, and it was famous for alchemy. Hasegi made a new form of science by combining swordsmanship and alchemy.
He had a serene expression that greatly contrasted his typical demeanor.
.
Hasegi did not take Babelon, the Knight of Steel, lightly. He was only a few ranks lower than Hasegi, after all. Non-imperial knights were prone to underperforming, but Babelon was one of those who could contend with any of the three great powers.
However, it seemed that they would have to re-evaluate things today.
“Hahahahaha—”
A chuckle could be heard coming from the far left seat. It came from an energetic middle-aged man, clearly less than forty and with a truly insufferable face—Count Arie bron Sten, with his signature gray hair and snake-like eyes.
“You’ve really exceeded my expectations, Joshua Sanders. I didn’t expect that you were already this strong. I-I can’t take it anymore! I’m telling you… Kekeke!”
Arie wrapped his arms around himself with a flushed expression. Standing right in front of him was a ripening fruit, and its beauty was a sight to behold.
‘I want to shove it down my throat right now…!’
Arie bron Sten had always been faithful to his desires.
“Five years… I waited five years. I can still wait just a bit longer…” Arie stuck his red tongue out and licked his lips.
Meanwhile, the host started speaking, “First of all, we shall talk about the representative of the Hart Kingdom. If you think that the Knight of Steel Babelon deserves the glory of becoming a Master, please raise your hand.”
“...”
The host’s voice was loud and clear thanks to amplification magic. Every audience member could hear the host’s words, but none of the Master judges responded.
As much as they wanted to pass judgment, how could they do that when Babelon didn’t even manage to attack his opponent properly?
“Uh…” The host was bewildered by the silence that was more deafening than he expected. As the silence deepened, Babelon’s expression distorted.
There was no way he could have prepared for something like this. In front of the many knights and audience members from all sorts of nations and organizations, he was actually forced to his knees in just a few bouts by that spear.
“Keep your head up.”
“...” Babelon shuddered at the voice coming from above him.
“Are you ashamed of losing?”
“I—” Babelon was about to say something, but he ended up biting his lip.
‘Am I ashamed? Yes, I am. The battle ended too fast for me to do anything substantial, so I’m mad and ashamed. I feel like going crazy.’
As the Red Heart of the Hart Kingdom, Babelon had never experienced something like this before.
Joshua stared at Babelon and said, “To be honest, I have no idea what you are feeling right now. I have never been defeated after all.”
“...” Babelon’s eyes went bloodshot at the arrogant words of Joshua.
He trembled with rage for a moment before eventually giving up.
“Hah. What is this, are you trying to mock me?”
He really couldn’t blame anyone here. When it came to provocation, he was the one who took the initiative to provoke Joshua first. And in the end, the young man he provoked first defeated him fair and square.
“I guess this is the winner’s right,” Babelon mumbled weakly. A sense of helplessness swept through his heart.
“There are two kinds of people in the world.”.
“Two kinds?” asked Babelon. He stopped moving upon hearing Joshua’s words.
“There are those who are like you—people who stop moving forward because they feel helpless.”
Babelon trembled.
“Lastly, there are those who take their defeat as a lesson and use that as a foundation to improve.”
“...” Babelon remained silent.
At that, Joshua continued. “We’re not fighting in a war where defeat is unacceptable. So, you have to make a choice. You are free to choose whatever you want, but there’s one thing I can say for sure.”
Joshua’s following words clearly registered in Babelon’s ears.
“I can say for sure that if you overcome this defeat, you will become much stronger. Perhaps I will have to worry about losing when we meet again. That would be a new feeling, I hope you’ll teach me next time.”
“Hahaha!” Babelon chuckled. It was the first time he laughed like this in a long time. “A funny guy, you’re a funny guy. You’ve never lost, right? So how can I teach you how to lose? I’m a total stranger as well. As expected, you’re a typical arrogant young master.”
Babelon’s words were sharp, but once he was done speaking, he finally raised his eyes to meet Joshua’s eyes. For some reason, Babelon didn’t feel too bad while staring into Joshua’s abyss-like eyes.
‘Actually, I feel a lot better. What a strange guy…’
After muttering to himself, Babelon shook his head and stared at Joshua once more before asking, “Why are you saying this to me?”
“…” Joshua answered almost immediately, “It’s because I can feel it, too. The eyes of the Hart Kingdom’s people.”
“…!” Babelon’s eyes widened upon realizing it.
He had just realized it. Babelon started trembling all over.
Joshua continued. “You’re not the only one who lost this fight. A lot of people in the Hart Kingdom are watching you right now. The long civil war ruined their minds and bodies. You are their beacon of hope. Are you going to disappoint them?”
Joshua's voice became a spear that pierced Babelon’s heart.
The Hart Kingdom was slowly recovering, but the nearly ten years of civil war had left deep scars in the Hart Kingdom.
Ulabis’ arrival became their reprieve, and now, the people of the Hart Kingdom wanted the world to know that they were still alive.
Babelon was carrying the hopes of the Hart Kingdom’s citizens.
‘Damn it—'?Babelon tried his best to hide his pained expression.
“Stand up.” There was a hand reaching out for him.
“...”
“Stand up. Show your people that the Red Heart of the Hart Kingdom is still beating.”
At that, Babelon bit his lips tightly. He came to a realization that Joshua defeated him in both attitude and skills. Joshua was young—yes, but he deserved Babelon’s respect.
People like Joshua were rare despite the vastness of the continent. After all, who would think about the well-being of their opponent in a battle? Especially in the Reinhardt Masters’ Battle.
“I… admit defeat, Joshua Sanders.” He reached out and grabbed Joshua’s hand.
The moment Babelon grabbed Joshua’s hand, loud cheers erupted.
Babelon was defeated, but the citizens of the Heart Kingdom were smiling.
The host had been patiently waiting for their conversation to end, so when he discovered that they were done, he finally declared loudly, “Now! We have to ask the judges if the representative of the Avalon Empire, Joshua Sanders, is qualified to become a—”
The host’s eyes widened. Before he was even done speaking, six hands were already raised high up in the sky.
The host saw that and roared. “It’s a unanimous decision!”
Regardless of their affiliation, every Master judge raised their hand. Even the gloomy-looking Arie had his hand raised up high. The first Master of the Reinhardt Masters’ Battle was born, and the crowd erupted into roars once more.
“Wooow!”
“Awesome, Joshua Sanders!”
"I love you! Please marry me!”
“I’m your fan now! Please become the lord of our Reinhardt!”
Joshua’s impossible talent and his inhuman looks captured the hearts and minds of the continent. Master Joshua Sanders had left his indelible mark on the history of the continent. The only question left was if he would be satisfied being just a Master.
If not, then…
As a professional, the host quickly recovered and said, “Now, every winner of a round in the Masters’ Battle will have a unique right. They have already been recognized as a Master, so they can choose to abandon the competition or continue their journey.”
The host made a sidelong glance at Joshua.
“You have already been recognized as a Master, and if that is your only goal, then you can choose to abandon the competition. Otherwise…” the host trailed off. It seemed like he was subtly encouraging Joshua to continue competing.
The host couldn’t really be blamed for this. Joshua Sanders’ magical charisma was making the Masters’ Battle even more entertaining, and it was enjoyable to watch him fight as well.
Joshua thought about it for a moment before speaking, “I will…”
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