Chapter 39 The Festival And Princess Birthday （3）
As Ayame and I made our way through the rows of seats, the cheers of the crowd grew louder and louder. Thousands of spectators filled the arena, all eagerly waiting for the tournament to begin.
The special seating area wasn't hard to spot.
Several rows of luxurious red seats overlooked the entire arena, giving a perfect view of the battlefield below. A few royal knights stood nearby, making sure no one entered without permission.
The moment we got close, a familiar voice rang out.
"Hey! There she is!"
I looked up and saw a girl waving on the second row both arms over her head.
"Finally! We were wondering where you disappeared to."
Ayame rolled her eyes.
"I was just taking my time, that's all."
The girl ignored her and immediately turned her attention to me, a mischievous grin spreading across her face.
"Oh? And who is this? Is he your boyfriend or something?"
Ayame's face instantly turned red.
"No, he's not!"
She and the other girls burst into laughter.
"Sorry, sorry," she replied with an awkward grin. "Just wondering."
I looked at her and shrugged.
"Yeah, about that... I'm not really interested in relationships, actually."
They all stared at me in shock.
Even Ayame looked surprised.
I blinked and glanced between them.
“Is there something I said?”
The girl quickly waved her hands.
“No, there isn't.”
Her cheerful expression faded slightly into a small frown.
“It’s just... those words reminded us of someone.”
I tilted my head.
“It does?”
The girl sitting beside her nodded immediately.
“Yep. He used to say that all the time.”
“He did?” I asked.
“Yeah,” she replied. “Every time someone brought up relationships, he'd always say he wasn't interested or that he didn't care about that kind of thing.”
Ayame and the others nodded their heads at the same time.
“Yeah.”
“I see...” I replied. “Sorry about that.”
“It fine.” she replied
Inside, however, I couldn't help feeling slightly disappointed.
Seriously...?
Out of every detail they could remember about me, that's what stuck with them?
How lame...
Before I could think about it any further, a familiar voice suddenly called out.
“Is that Sir Raito?”
I looked up.
Ayame and the other girls turned as well.
Several rows above us, I spotted Kairo sitting in the third row.
The moment our eyes met, his face lit up.
“It is Sir Raito!”
He immediately stood up and waved excitedly.
Then he turned around and shouted toward the seats behind him.
“Hey! Zachi! Yanie! Hiro! Look who's here!”
I followed his gaze.
In the first rows, Zachi was chatting with four other. The moment she heard Kairo's voice, she turned around.
At the back in the fifth rows, Yani who was talking with a group of six girls. Meanwhile, Hiro was seated beside Kairo, surrounded by four other guys.
One by one, their heads turned toward me.
The moment they recognized me, their eyes widened.
Then smiles immediately spread across their faces.
“Well, look who finally decided to show up,” Zachi called out with a grin.
“It's good to see you again, Raito,” Yanie said warmly.
Even Hiro gave a small wave.
“Honestly, I thought you weren't coming.”
As more of the other heroes noticed me, the atmosphere around the special seating area became noticeably heavier.
Like everyone of there eyes was looking at me.
"Well, there are so many people around that it was hard to get in," I said.
The girl from earlier suddenly looked at me with widened eyes.
"Oh! So you're Sir Raito? The one who helped them during their last mission?"
I scratched the back of my head awkwardly.
"Yeah, that's me. Hehe."
Yanie immediately shook her head.
"He didn't just help us," she said. "He saved us."
Several of the heroes nodded in agreement.
"She's right," Zachi added. "You guys should've seen him fight. It was awesome."
I could already feel everyone's eyes turning toward me.
"Hehe..." I laughed awkwardly, not knowing what else to say.
Before the conversation could continue, the sound of trumpets suddenly echoed throughout the entire arena.
BWOOOOOO!
The crowd immediately erupted with excitement.
Thousands of spectators turned their attention toward the battlefield below.
The tournament was about to begin.
Ayame looked toward the arena before turning back to me.
"Looks like it's starting. We should grab a seat."
"Right," I replied. "I'll go find one over there."
I pointed toward one of the crowded sections of the arena where ordinary spectators were seated.
Ayame blinked.
"Wait. You're not sitting with us?"
"Yeah," I said. "I'll find somewhere over there."
Zachi immediately frowned.
"Come on, just sit here with us. It'll be way more fun."
"She's right," Yanie agreed.
I smiled and shook my head.
"Thanks, but I'm not a hero. Besides, I don't really like drawing too much attention to myself."
The girls stared at me for a moment.
"Really?" they asked simultaneously.
"Yeah."
I gave them a small wave.
"Thanks for getting me inside, Ayame. I'll see you guys later."
Ayame smiled.
"Sure. No problem."
With that, I turned around and left the special seating area.
As I walked away, the noise of the crowd grew louder and louder.
The ordinary spectator section was packed with people from all over the kingdom. Merchants, adventurers, nobles, and commoners were all gathered together, eagerly waiting for the first match to begin.
As I found a seat among the crowd, I leaned back and looked toward the center of the arena.
The massive battlefield stretched out before me, surrounded by thousands of cheering spectators.
I crossed my arms and smiled.
"Let's see how fun this tournament is going to be."
A few seconds later, large doors built into the arena walls slowly opened.
RUMBLE...
One after another, the contestants began walking out onto the battlefield.
The crowd immediately exploded with excitement.
Cheers, whistles, and shouts echoed throughout the entire colosseum.
Some people were waving banners while others were calling out the names of contestants they recognized.
The participants gathered in the center of the arena, standing proudly beneath the bright afternoon sun.
Just as the announcer stepped forward to begin his speech—
A strange feeling suddenly washed over me.
My smile vanished.
"..."
The hairs on the back of my neck stood up.
It was faint.
Almost impossible for a normal person to notice.
But I felt it.
An ominous presence.
A chill ran down my spine.
"What was that?"
My eyes narrowed as I scanned the arena.
The crowd continued cheering, completely unaware of anything unusual.
But the feeling remained.
No...
It was getting stronger.
"This doesn't feel right..."
I slowly stood up from my seat.
The excitement of the tournament faded into the background as I focused entirely on the strange sensation.
Then I felt it again.
Mana.
But not normal mana.
A dark, twisted energy mixed within it.
The moment I recognized it, my expression hardened.
"This mana..."
I clenched my fist.
"It feels demonic."
My gaze immediately shifted toward one of the interior hallways beneath the arena.
The presence was coming from somewhere inside the colosseum itself.
A terrible possibility crossed my mind.
"...Don't tell me it's him."
Without another thought, I turned away from the tournament.
The announcer's voice echoed across the arena as the opening ceremony began, but I ignored it completely.
Whatever was happening, it was more important than any tournament.
I quickly slipped into one of the arena corridors and broke into a run.
The sounds of the crowd grew fainter behind me as I rushed deeper into the halls beneath the colosseum.
With every step, the demonic mana became stronger.
And stronger.
My expression darkened.
Something was very wrong.
As I sprinted through the interior of the arena, I ignored the sounds of the tournament above.
The cheers of the crowd gradually faded behind me as I descended deeper into the colosseum.
One floor.
Then another.
Then another.
The further down I went, the stronger the presence became.
A dark, oppressive pressure filled the air, making the stone corridors feel colder with every step.
"It's getting stronger..."
My expression grew serious.
There was no doubt about it now.
The mana I was sensing wasn't normal.
It was twisted.
Corrupted.
Demonic.
The same unsettling feeling I had sensed before.
The same presence that had escaped from the mines.
I clenched my jaw and increased my speed.
Then suddenly—
I felt another source of mana.
My eyes widened slightly.
"This mana..."
Unlike the demonic presence, this one felt familiar.
Strong.
Steady.
Disciplined.
I had felt it before.
"It feels like Sir Gallagher's mana."
The realization immediately made my heart sink.
I focused my senses and followed the flow of mana deeper into the underground passages.
The two sources were close to each other.
Very close.
One was Sir Gallagher.
The other was the demonic presence.
And both of them were fluctuating violently.
My expression darkened.
"It looks like he's fighting against that demonic one."
A loud crash echoed somewhere ahead, followed by a brief tremor that shook the corridor beneath my feet.
Dust fell from the ceiling.
My eyes narrowed.
"Dammit..."
I pushed off the ground and ran even faster.
"I need to hurry."
As I got closer to where the mana was coming from, the sound of clashing steel echoed through the underground halls of the arena.
CLANG!
BOOM!
The violent sounds grew louder with every step.
Then, moments later, I rounded a corner.
My eyes widened.
There they were.
Sir Gallagher was locked in battle with a man wearing a dark cloak.
The fight was intense.
The walls around them were covered in deep sword marks, and cracks spread across the stone floor from the force of their attacks.
But it was obvious who was winning.
Sir Gallagher was losing.
The cloaked man swung his sword with terrifying strength.
BOOM!
The impact sent Sir Gallagher flying backward.
He crashed into the stone floor and tumbled several times before finally coming to a stop.
His sword slipped from his hand and skidded across the ground.
"Damn it..." Sir Gallagher muttered as he struggled to stand.
The cloaked figure let out a low chuckle.
Then he dashed forward.
His sword was already raised.
He was aiming to finish the fight in a single strike.
My eyes narrowed.
Without hesitation, I summoned my Han Jian sword from my Item Box.
The familiar weight settled comfortably in my hand.
Then I activated a skill.
"[Wind Walk]."
The world blurred.
The place where I had been standing became empty.
In the next instant, I appeared directly in front of the cloaked man.
His eyes widened.
"It's you!"
I didn't answer.
I swung my sword.
CLANG!
The cloaked man barely managed to block the attack with his own blade.
Even so, the force behind my strike created a powerful shockwave.
BOOM!
The impact sent him flying backward across the room.
He slid several meters before finally regaining his footing.
I landed smoothly on the ground between him and Sir Gallagher.
The tip of my sword pointed toward the cloaked man.
Behind me, I heard Sir Gallagher's voice.
"Sir Raito!"
I kept my eyes fixed on our opponent.
"You okay, Sir?" I asked calmly.
Sir Gallagher slowly stood up and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.
"Yeah," he replied. "I am now. Thank you."
I gave a small nod.
Then I tightened my grip on my sword.
The cloaked man stared at me from across the chamber.
Neither of us looked away.
The atmosphere immediately grew tense.
The cloaked man slowly pushed himself back to his feet.
Then he started laughing.
A low, amused laugh echoed throughout the underground chamber.
"Hahaha... So you're here too."
Sir Gallagher and I remained where we stood.
Neither of us lowered our guard.
The demonic mana pouring from the man was enough to tell me he was still dangerous, even after taking my attack head-on.
The cloaked figure glanced between the two of us before reaching up and grabbing his hood.
"Well..." he said with a grin. "I suppose there's no point hiding anymore."
He pulled the hood back.
The moment I saw his face, my eyes narrowed.
"So it was you after all."
His familiar crimson eyes gleamed with amusement.
The same sharp features.
The same mocking smile.
The same demonoid I had encountered before.
Beside me, Sir Gallagher's expression darkened.
"It's him, alright."
Sir Gallagher grab his sword grip tightened around it until his knuckles turned white.
The anger in his eyes was impossible to miss.
He took a step forward and pointed his blade directly at the demonoid.
"What the hell are you doing here, Demonoid!?"
The demonoid merely smiled.
Then laughed.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
It seemed our unfinished business was about to continue.