119 Battle Stages Part 3
You know there is a saying back on Earth that I heard once. That saying was: “What kind of dog shit luck does a person have to have to be so lucky.” While crude, its meaning is that one must be very lucky to step in dog poo. And well, the idiot on my stage for my second battle must have just that much luck. Not only did this idiot actually make it into the second round of the tournament, but he also met me for a second time. And that person is none other than the quack hero with idiot disease so far gone that he needs to be put six feet under.
I mean, I especially remember ejecting him the hardest out of the free for all in the first round. So why is he once again standing in front of me ranting on about how he was going to become a grand hero after beating me. He even called me a demon lord! Is this revenge for me making him pay me back!? “And so Demon Lord, we will now settle this once and for all!”
“Ummm…. Mr. Hero, a word please….” I quickly cut him off by raising my hand in front of me.
“Huh? What? Please go ahead.” Why is he suddenly all polite? HE just called me a demon lord and was now being polite these mood swings…
“First things first, how did you even get here? I could have sworn I ejected you out of the battle stage in the first round.” I mean, I did, right? Or is this some kind of like… novel or game thing where the hero has all kinds of plot armor, so he will always make a comeback no matter how underhanded it is.
“Huh? Well, I landed on another stage and kicked everyone off, so they gave me a pass.” Was this tournament really not a place where rules mattered? Well, I guess after I knocked out two other contestants and got away with it, I can see them not caring even if he was from another battle stage. But how did I not notice him before? I could have sworn I watched all the battle stages.
“I see… So if you land on another stage this time and beat them, you will once again pass, I guess….” I tapped my chin for a second before coming up with a plan. Since using catapult doesn’t work, I can just take the stage out from under his feet.
“Next match, begin!” The announcer suddenly shouted. I looked at Mr. Hero Boy and gave him my best smile as my eyes lit up, and with a slight shake, the stage shrank towards me.
“Wait! Huh!?” Charles stared at me in disbelief as he fell on his but on the freshly revealed ground. He did not understand what had just happened. He looked up at the announcer in hopes this was against the rules but sadly….
“Battle stage seven hundred seventy seven, contestant number one thousand seventy two, Faith, winner!” The announcer yelled out. I watched as Charles, the wonderful hero’s face paled as he went from looking at the announcer to me.
“I smiled brightly at him as I bent over with my hands behind my back and said: “Don’t forget my money. All twenty billion of it.”
“Wait!? Twenty billion!?” Charles yelled out. Sweat began to form on his forehead. He looked left then right, and just before he thought he could get away, I waved my hand and made him float in the air.
“You are not trying to run out on your debt, right?” I asked. I guess now he could really call me a demon lord or demon queen, or whatever.
“I… I can’t pay that! I only have a few copper to my name. This tournament was supposed to let me live for a while!” Charles cried out. Tears began rolling down his cheeks. Now I felt slightly bad like I was bullying some kid. I reached into my pocket, digging around like I was getting something, before pulling my hand out and flicking a gold coin at him.
“Make this last for a while.” I said before letting him down. “Just remember you own me.”
“Yes, thank you! You are such a kind demon lord!” Charles yelled out. My eye twitched, and the next thing I heard was a scream as someone flew through the air. “He is such an Idiot!” ρꪖꪕᦔꪖꪕꪫꪣꫀꪶ
I returned the stage to its normal size before raising it into the air. The announcer looked at me and gave me a polite nod which I returned in kind. Luckily today’s battles were not dragging on as much. Sei, Runa, Gesel, and Sir Derek all finished their matches not long after me. So did the rabbit girl and large fan girl. The tailed cloaked figure seemed to be searching for the right time to knock their opponent out.
As I sat there watching the matches, I noticed I could not tell which one of these people was supposed to be after my life. Sir Derek did warn me that I was being targeted. I just did not know by who. This was why I was studying all the matches. Not only to pass the time but to see if any of these people would be the ones to try to assassinate me.
While it may seem like I am messing around, I am still thinking about the things to come. I am watching everyone closely to see who might be suspicious, but the only one I found strange so far was the small cloaked figure with a tail. The way they are fighting is different from everyone else. I do not see the reason to be fully hiding all your abilities.
But then again, I could be completely wrong, and this is just how the small figured fights in the first place. But either way, they are currently on my top list of people to look out for. Next up would be fan girl and hammer girl. They may be showing off quite a bit, but they are still both fairly strong. I don’t think the nobles with proper information would send weak people after me.
I mean, the count would not send some low level goons to try to fight me, not after I thrashed his own guards inside his own house. And if I am wrong and he really did send some low level goons, then he is just a pure idiot.
Even though I say all of this, I still wish to have a proper fight. Yes, I could have fought against the hero boy, but I really want nothing to do with him. He is quite annoying. Just something about him that gets on my nerves.
Now that the bracket is getting smaller, I should be able to fight Gesel and the rest soon. But this has reminded me that I should really find some time to level more. I have been so busy with so much since arriving in the capital that I haven’t even had the time to level up any. I also need to find more evolution stones as well. However, it does make me kind of nervous. I still worry about my next evolution turning me into some king six headed freak.
While I love my dragon form, I still can’t use it at all. When I am alone in the bath, I will sometimes transform my hands to make sure I still have the ability to. One day I want to fly through the sky, soaring around and looking at things after everyone I know passes away. While this may seem like a strange dream for the future. It is something that might help me cope with the sands of time. As I am almost thirteen now, I still have a long ways to go. My mother, my father. My brother and his family. My friends. All of them will one day leave this world while I will still be walking around watching as the sands of time continue to fall. But there is one thing I do know. For now…. I will make the most of my life and protect those I wish to protect. I will live my life now without regrets. What will happen in the years to come, I do not know, nor do I wish to know, not after the gloomy scenes from the fortune teller.
My train of thought was suddenly broken when I heard the announcer yell out: “Prepare for the next and final battle for today!”
I stood up and dusted the dirt off me before making the stage fall to the ground. As I did, a figure suddenly appeared in front of me and stood there with a smug grin on her face. “We meet again! Today is the day you shall face your doom!”
“Errm…. Runa, are you okay?” I asked with a worried expression. I checked her forehead to see if it was hot or not. I even pulled on her pointy ears, which caused her to blush and quickly back away.
“Wha-What are you doing!” Runa asked while covering her ears.
“I was checking to see if you were the real Runa and not some imposter,” I answered with a smile.
“What imposter!? You’re the imposter!”