“…Why.”
Why did this happen?
Right now, the prince couldn’t even use his own magic.
My plan—to restrict his movement and force a direct confrontation—had clearly been working.
After that, I thought I could exploit the difference in our weapons to gradually wear him down.
But there was one crucial thing I overlooked.
Obviously.
Yes, what I considered an advantage was now turning against me.
I had slowly driven the prince toward the edge of the arena, limiting his space more and more.
At this rate, I believed victory was within reach.
It wasn’t unreasonable for me to think so.
“Let’s go a little faster.”
And with those simple words, everything began to change.
I swung my sword, and in an instant, a wound opened on my left arm.
It was shallow, but the blood flowed freely.
“Huh?”
It wasn’t that his speed was impossible to follow with my eyes.
But for every swing I made, his sword moved twice.
The gap in our attack speed had flipped.
Of course, I didn’t intend to back down just because of that.
Even if I was slower, I still held the upper hand.
From the beginning, I never foolishly believed the crown prince would be at a disadvantage forever.
When I attacked from the right, he’d have to counter with his opposite arm—a movement that created larger motions.
Larger motions meant more openings.
If I could target those gaps, it would still be possible.
I could endure a few wounds.
“As expected, you’re annoying.”
But as he spoke, the prince demonstrated a technique I couldn’t comprehend.
He continued to attack and defend while switching the sword from his right hand to his left, and then back again.
When I moved in to exploit that moment of transition, he seamlessly passed the sword back—leaving no openings at all.
And just like that, my strategy crumbled.
Yes. There was something I had completely overlooked.
The crown prince wasn’t just a genius—he was the greatest genius in the long history of the Astraian Empire.
The wounds on my body began to accumulate.
Thankfully, none were fatal, and the arena’s barrier minimized the bleeding. But even so, each small injury took its toll on my stamina.
My breathing grew heavier with every moment.
“Ha, ha, ha…”
Any advantage I once had was now completely gone.
Even if I swung with all my strength, the prince could effortlessly counter me.
“Ike. Give up. There’s no chance of winning.”
While I struggled to catch my breath, the prince urged me to surrender.
But I gritted my teeth and forced a smile.
“I appreciate your fighting spirit, but I didn’t want to see such empty eyes. I wanted to fight the version of you who radiates certainty—who controls the flow of battle and forces the opponent to dance to his rhythm. I don’t enjoy bullying the weak.”
The prince lowered his head, looking sincerely disappointed.
“Let’s end this. You’re not fun anymore.”
Then, I slowly took my stance.
I lowered my center of gravity and drew the sword in my right hand back like a bow.
The intent was clear.
“I happened to witness a great move the other day. That person used it to protect someone. But now—”
A thrust executed at extreme speed.
I stepped forward slowly to counter it.
“It’s over, Ike.”
The moment the prince lifted his feet, my vision flipped.
“Keugh…!”
I must’ve tried to block it with my sword.
But when I came to my senses, I was pressed against the arena’s wall.
“Damn it.”
Above me stretched a clear blue sky.
As I slowly turned my head, I saw the prince standing at the far edge of the arena.
He’s absurdly strong.
Frustration burned in my chest.
The audience didn’t cheer.
Instead, the air was filled with silent expectation that I’d just surrender.
“…Well, if I were them, I’d probably feel the same.”
The prince was nearly unscathed, save for a few scratches.
Meanwhile, I was a wreck.
If not for the arena’s protective barrier, I would’ve collapsed long ago from blood loss.
To anyone watching, this was a hopelessly one-sided match.
It must have been painful to watch.
But I had no intention of admitting defeat.
“It’s not over yet.”
I rose slowly, spitting blood from my mouth.
From the crowd, I heard murmurs of disapproval—calling me an idiot who didn’t know when to quit.
I dismissed them without a second thought.
“Ike. You’ve reached your limit. There’s no point in going on.”
Once again, the prince urged me to surrender.
But I ignored him.
“You’re weak. Not even close to what I expected. Maybe I was wrong about you when you fought Miss Helen…”
“You talk too much.”
“What?”
“Noisy. Like I told Miss Helen—a knight’s enemy is not defeated with words.”
“Knowing when to give up is a virtue, you know.”
“But I can’t lose right now.”
I turned my eyes to the audience.
There, watching with a sorrowful expression, was Reina.
I knew the masked man was the crown prince before this match began.
He was the greatest genius in the empire’s history.
And I…I was supposed to be the one standing beside Reina in the future.
Should I just give up and accept defeat?
Wouldn’t that be more reasonable?
But Reina said she wanted me to win.
Maybe she even knew who my opponent really was.
So I couldn’t give up.
If it’s what you want—I’ll do it.
I’ll fight.
That was why I kept going.
And more than anything, the more I thought about it, the more ridiculous it all seemed.
Reina truly loved the crown prince.
Unless he was a terrible person, I had no right to interfere.
I didn’t resent the idea of Reina and the crown prince ending up together.
But…
He had already abandoned Reina once.
He ignored her feelings and chose another heroine.
Even if he didn’t remember it—I couldn’t just let that go.
Yes.
This was my own one-sided grudge.
And for that reason alone, I didn’t want to lose to him.
That man—
The crown prince, Leon.
I wanted to land at least one solid hit on him.
That was the only reason I hadn’t given up.
“And more importantly, it’s starting to show.”
I slowly turned to Leon and smiled, fierce determination in my eyes.