Can I really do it?
No, that’s not the issue. I’m not worried about whether I can do it.
Now, I just know—I have to win. That’s all there is to it.
For the first time in this match, we stepped forward at the same time.
The prince’s movements were clearly slower than before.
A wound on his side seemed to drag at his leg like a weight.
Even so, I was still much slower than him.
“Ahhh!!”
With a shout, I burned through all the mana I had left.
My entire body surged forward, groaning from the strain.
Five meters remaining…
The prince’s sword came flying toward my chest.
If it touched me, the match would end. It was a clear and unmistakable blow—anyone could see that.
Earlier, I had tried to block him head-on. I was overwhelmed by his power and sent flying.
This time, I aimed for the side of his sword.
Using Neia’s special characteristics, I planned to break the prince’s sword.
Three meters remaining…
I twisted my body slightly just before his sword reached me—and then struck with all my might using Neia.
The moment Neia made contact with the crown prince’s sword—
“…Huh?”
The strength in my wrist gave out.
Neia couldn’t withstand the recoil and flew from my grip, soaring to the far side of the arena.
The prince’s sword, its trajectory only slightly altered, pierced my side.
“Guh…!”
A burning pain tore through my side.
Blood rushed into my mouth almost instantly.
My mana was nearly depleted.
But I didn’t stop.
With a sword still stuck in my side, I lunged toward the prince.
“What?! Ike, stop! No matter how close—”
The prince’s voice was full of shock.
But I couldn’t focus on what he was saying.
There was no time to listen.
I grabbed the prince, hooked his leg, and slammed him to the ground.
Neia had flown to the corner of the arena. I couldn’t retrieve her.
Her power, once fueled by mana, was now too weak to subdue anyone.
But I still had one thing left.
“Give up.”
I glared down at the prince, tasting the blood flowing from my mouth.
The prince didn’t move.
Because the dagger Reina had given me—Diana—was pressed against his neck.
“I won.”
The moment Diana touched the crown prince’s throat, the match was over.
Even if I had passed out from blood loss, I could have slit his throat before falling.
The prince clutched his sword for a final moment—then slowly let go.
“…I lost.”
No sound came from the audience.
There had to be hundreds, maybe thousands, watching.
But silence hung heavy in the air.
“Ha… ha… ha…”
I slowly turned my gaze toward the center of the stands.
Finally, I gathered the last of my magic and focused on her face.
Reina covered her mouth with one hand, a single tear streaming down her cheek.
I did it.
I smiled faintly, raised my right hand, and gave a thumbs-up.
“I won, Reina.”
As the belated roar of the crowd erupted, my consciousness faded.
***
Magic.
That was the first word that came to mind when I regained consciousness.
I’d worried that I might die before blacking out—but when I opened my eyes, my body was perfectly intact.
Well, except for one thing—the deep wound on my side had left a scar, just like the one on my chest from last time.
“Congratulations on your victory, Ike.”
The person who entered the medical room where I lay alone was the crown prince.
He removed his mask and wig.
“Your Highness…”
“It’s fine. Don’t get up. Ordinary healing magic only restores the body—it doesn’t bring back your strength.”
“…Thank you.”
I slowly leaned back against the bed and looked at him.
“How did the match end?”
“As expected, you won. But the award ceremony was canceled since you lost consciousness completely. Don’t worry, though—the prize money will be sent to the Axus family.”
He said that and sat slowly in the chair beside my bed.
“I thought I was going to win, of course.”
There wasn’t much confidence in his voice.
Even though I was the one who won, I couldn’t bring myself to laugh.
The truth was, I had been pushed to the very brink of defeat.
“But I lost to you.”
I wasn’t particularly curious, but the prince continued speaking on his own.
“You misunderstood. Outwardly, I said I was expecting you to win, but in my heart, I fully believed I’d be the victor. Even knowing how foolish it is to be arrogant and careless.”
“Is that so?”
“Thanks to you, I learned a valuable lesson. Thank you, Ike. And congratulations on your win.”
“…Thanks.”
“Well, that’s all then.”
With those final words, the prince left the room.
A few minutes later, the door opened again—this time, it was Reina.
“Ike.”
“Oh, Reina.”
“I’m sorry.”
As soon as she entered, she bowed her head in apology.
“…What?”
“I knew who your final opponent would be. I knew it, but for the sake of fairness, I kept it a secret.”
“That’s understandable.”
“But I knew it wouldn’t be easy. I knew it’d be a tough fight, and I still provoked you! I asked you to win, even knowing who you’d be up against. Because of my selfishness—!”
A tear slid down Reina’s cheek.
When I saw her crying earlier in the arena, I thought they were tears of joy.
But they weren’t.
“I’m sorry. If I had known you’d push yourself this far, I wouldn’t have asked.”
Those were tears of regret.
“Because of me, you’ve been scarred again. And all because of me, even to the very end…”
“Reina. I think you’re misunderstanding something.”
“…Huh?”
She looked up at me, eyes still teary.
She really shouldn’t look so cute while crying, I thought to myself. That alone almost made me laugh.
“It’s true you provoked me. It’s true your request was difficult. But like I told you before—I was aiming to win from the start.”
There was a little bravado mixed in, but the sentiment was genuine.
“Well, as you said, I ended up with another scar. But it’s fine if you think of it as a symbol of victory. In fact… isn’t it kind of cool?”
“….”
“So rather than that complicated apology, there’s something else I’d rather hear right now.”
“…You really have changed.”
Well, I “had” changed.
But I couldn’t exactly say that aloud.
After wiping away her tears, Reina gave me a wide smile and said,
“Congratulations on winning, Ike.”