Chapter 182

The Lotus Cup entered the third day . The initial thirty-two participants had now only left eight .

Participating in the Lotus Cup is already an honorable achievement, but anyone who had won till the third day is considered glorious enough in the martial arts world . Despite so, Moore who appeared in front of Ardis on that morning looked a little awkward .

「Hey Ardis . 」

「What? 」

Ardis replied after being called out by Moore who looked like he wants to sigh .

「Those people with political power are really tyrannical and selfish……, are you sure you can handle them? 」

「They’re all about like that but, what’s up? Well, I think I know . 」

Seeing Moore’s appearance, Marquis Holguin must’ve done something . It’s about the most important time for the Lotus Cup, and the Marquis is sure to be pulling some string behind now .

「My opponent was changed . 」

「That so . 」

Ardis didn’t think much of it .

「That’s quite the uninterested reply . Aren’t you interested in who is it? 」

「It’s not like I’m the one fighting right? 」

「That might not be the case . 」

「Meaning? 」

Ardis asked the meaning behind Moore’s words .

「I mean, the opponent I’m facing was changed to none other than you, Ardis . 」

「Me? 」

Ardis looked a little surprised at the sudden revelation .

「That’s strange though? What happened to the match up yesterday? 」

Moore had come out the second match of the day, and Ardis’s was the sixth . From how the order goes, they should only meet up at the finals .

There should’ve been no way they will match up in the quarterfinals .

「Is there any past cases where the match up is changed? 」

「No? This should be the first time as far as I know . 」

Ardis’s expression looked a little sour .

「It must be Marquis Holguin’s doing, huh . 」

「Nine out of ten it is . We’re no more than annoyance to him . Since we’ve won our matches so far, he must’ve thought of doing something, and eliminating either one of us is the best idea he thought . 」

It must be the Marquis Holguin wanting to eliminate even either one of them that he had altered the match up of the tournament . It was obvious why he would set up Ardis to go against Moore .

「His intentions are clear like water . 」

「Well……, considering it’s his stage of performance, it’s no doubt we’re no more than annoyance . 」

If they’re advancing in the tournament, Moore would clash eventually . That’s something inevitable .

The original match up can be said best for them . Might as well fight each other at the finals to thoroughly defame Marquis Holguin, so the sudden change in the brackets was undesirable .

「But then again, I thought Marquis Holguin would be more shrewd . I was even on guard for it . 」

While joking around, Moore’s eyes were still serious .

「Small fries would always try to do something that makes it looks like they’re unrelated at first . They would only do something more direct after failing . 」

「Though I didn’t really want to fight with you until the finals……」

Moore spoke what Ardis thought too . In the first place, their purpose on this stage is different .

After getting transported into another world together with Minerva, he must’ve understood Ardis’s strength with his own eyes . Moore sighed again, looked down and shrugged, it seems like he was convincing himself .

「Well, it’s no use grumbling over it now . 」

「That’s right . One of my always caught with trouble acquaintance said that going with the flow of life is essential . 」

「Hou . You’re speaking like you won now, isn’t that being careless? 」

Towards Ardis who spoke like not towards his opponent, Moore was criticizing .

「Did you not know, I’m a swordsman right? 」

Moore clicked his tongue after hearing the black haired young man saying that as a matter of fact .

「It’s hard to believe but, it seems to be the case . 」

「Either way, we will know when we fight . Talking this and that here won’t change the fact that our matchup is decided . 」

「That’s true . 」

Moore understood that too . With a change of pace, he agreed with Ardis .

「But since I’m also here thanks to His Excellency, I can’t go down without a fight . Expect me to try my best . 」

「Of course . 」

Ardis’s short answered with a grin .

The time for the match have come, Ardis and Moore walked out towards the middle .

「Tch, that guy is snickering up there . 」

Moore was grumbling hatefully, and Ardis was prompted to look at the nobles area . It is the same lame looking person that was glaring at Moore when he won the first match .

Marquis Holguin is the perpetrator behind the assassination incident on Minerva . He must’ve waited happily for Ardis and Moore who are annoyance participating under Duke Nyrestia’s power to fight each other .

Rather than a smile of anticipation for the match, it was obvious to Ardis that it is a smirk proud of his own actions .

「It’s irritating to have it his way…… . But that’s just how it is with someone that has power . I don’t think His Excellency can do anything to the sudden rule change as well . 」

「Why, I bet that face is going to be red in flames by the time Lotus Cup is over . Let him be happy now . 」

After all it was the purpose why Ardis participated . Ardis and Moore met eyes for a moment, before returning them forward .

Another two steps and it looked like Moore realized something and looked at Ardis with a dubious look .

「Did you really participate because of that――」

「Hey, keep the talk later . We’re opponents now . 」

Ardis chose the same weapon as the two prior matches while shutting Moore up, and moved to the starting position indicated y the judge .

「What a pity……」

Moore who was left behind shrugged, and took up his shield and sword without a choice and moved to the starting position as well .

Same to prior, the judge reiterated over the rules, and finally the start signal rang out in the arena .

「Here I come . 」

Just as the match started, Moore leapt out in a straight line . Ardis as well did not stay passive this match and went forward .

One of the dulled swords came from overhead, another came from the side, the two met each other and produced a loud ringing noise .

It felt like the true starting signal for the match . The two took some distance after the first exchange, then as if planned in advance, they took three steps counterclockwise .

Two swords exchanged again after the angle changed .

「Can you dodge this? 」

Moore stabbed outwards after taking half a step back . Ardis tried to deflect it and counterattack it with a downward slash .

「It’s my turn――」

But his counterattack stopped halfway . After all, reading Ardis’s counterattack, Moore’s shield were ready .

Rather than defending using it, it was more like a shield bash towards Ardis .

「Tch! 」

By a hair breadth, Ardis managed to stop it with the handle of his sword, and went for a kick from the side as retaliation .

「Too obvious! 」

Against that, Moore didn’t dodge or avoid it, but instead advanced even more . A kick’s force leverages the lever principe with the body as the fulcrum .

Because of that, the power is at its maximum when the target is at the very edge of the attack radius . Conversely, getting closer to the fulcrum would mean losing power, and of course the speed behind it as well .

「Then……! 」

Ardis whose kicking power was dragged to a stop changed his target but, at the same time, seeing that Moore moved his shield in defense, he made his stop .

That moment, the role of defending and attacking reversed . The side where his shield was, Moore opened his fist, and a rock was let loose from his hands towards Ardis’s eyes .

「From there!? 」

Ardis who had understood Moore’s intentions tilted away his head to avoid a direct attack towards his eyes . Of course, Moore wouldn’t let that chance slip .

Ardis realized he was at a disadvantage as he tried to retreat . Stopping the shield bash with the handle of the sword, Ardis managed to make use of its momentum and take some distance .

The countless exchanges happened in just a short time brought intense cheering to the arena . Among a gather of exceptional talents, Ardis’s and Moore’s swordsmanship aren’t that exceptional .

Every single sword that the elites of the army swung were like refined stories that drew the spectators in . On the other hand, their swordsmanship were underhanded and most human-like .

Their swordsmanship were trained and mixed with blood and sweat . Kicking, blinding attacks, feints, it can be said like the fangs of a wild beast called human .

There wasn’t any beauty nor elegance behind it . However, many were still captivated by its vitality and wildness .

A tense moment between the moves linked like flowing water . The gallant figures of the two looking and aiming for each other’s gap were standing out .

「As expected from a mercenary . 」

Ardis was impressed at Moore’s adaptability .

「Well, I have my experience fighting with those that have weird screws before I entered the army . 」

「I suppose so . A mercenary got to have that experience . 」

Unlike nobles who are taught from young as an obligation, or those soldiers that received training with discipline in a group, standing on a battlefield with just oneself, Ardis had been living a life where it’s uncertain a friend from yesterday will become an enemy today .

Although he didn’t know if Moore who had been living in a world without many wars have such experiences, he could tell that the lives of mercenaries that are used only as convenient gofers are not that blessed .

They’re not fighting for fame nor name, nor was it for someone else . With just a beautiful way of fighting, it can be said a mercenary’s way of living is too harsh for that .

「I don’t know how those elegant people fight as well . So I will have you know that it’s my forte too . 」

Moore replied lightly to Ardis’s declaration .

「It’s not like I have any complaints about that . 」

「I thought so . 」

With a slight smile on their face, Ardis kicked against the ground and resumed the fight again .