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“Cough… cough…”

The human warrior fell to the ground, groaning pathetically after being struck in the face by a gauntlet.

Looking down at him, Samuel tilted her head slightly, her curiosity piqued.

‘Why?… Why did the attack stop?’

In a split second, the human warrior’s blow had taken advantage of a momentary gap.

It was an unexpected counterattack that sent her helmet flying and, at the same time, his sword came barreling toward her head without a shred of hesitation.

However, in that last moment, he suddenly froze, exhibiting a hesitation she could not understand.

From Samuel’s perspective, who had been prepared to sacrifice an ear to minimize damage, that behavior made no sense at all.

Yet instead of pondering the reason behind it, Samuel thrust her fist forward and delivered a powerful strike to his face.

As a result, the human warrior collapsed, utterly unconscious.

Immediately afterward, the arena was filled with cheers of victory for Samuel, but she didn’t have a moment to savor her triumph; she simply picked up his body and hurled it toward the waiting aides.

“Before treatment, let’s restrain him first. He is a human after all.”

Samuel spoke in her trademark dry tone.

Hearing that, the aides managing the arena felt a wave of confusion. Nevertheless, since it was the Demon General’s order, they swiftly began to assess the situation.

A moment later, upon stripping him of his robe and dismantling the magic items he wore, a shocking discovery was made.

Aside from the human hero Ellen, acknowledged by the Demon King, another human had secretly participated in the Narcil Selection without permission! This revelation left the tournament manager and the aides in deep shock.

“What is this person’s identity? Disguised or not, how did a human warrior end up here?”

“We don’t know yet. We can only gather details once he awakens.”

“Hmm… understood. Then let’s bind the problematic one securely and confine him to a temporary holding area. Once he regains consciousness, begin the interrogation—thoroughly determine how he got here and whether he has any companions.”

“Yes.”

“Understood.”

*

For a while, the organizing committee, unsure of the reasons, had declared a halt to the match.

In relation to this, the Demon Races, who had been high-spirited a moment ago, expressed their boredom and dissatisfaction, passing the time in a lackluster manner.

But during that moment, aside from the somewhat laid-back demons, the members of the newly formed Hero Party, who had been hidden in the corner of the arena, were beginning to panic due to the unexpected situation.

“H-Hector lost? No matter how formidable the opponent—a Demon General—it can’t be this bad!”

A man in a black robe voiced his concern with a frantic tone.

Following the comment made by Pompey, an archer from the Elf Church Country, the other companions began to nod in agreement, wearing serious expressions.

“That can’t be good… If Hector got caught in this match, our plan to eliminate the Demon King at the peak moment will essentially be in ruins.”

Bles, a beast-woman clad in gray robes, voiced the unmistakable despair in her tone, which only heavyened the already grim atmosphere.

At that moment, a young girl still in her youthful innocence, wearing a blue robe—Dagon—addressed her companions in a calm voice despite the overwhelming chaos surrounding them.

“Calm down. It is indeed a major crisis that Hector-sama has found himself in, but it’s too early to succumb to despair. We should focus on what we can do right now.”

“What… what can we even do?”

“Of all things, our strongest Hector has been captured. What can we possibly do in such a situation?”

Bles replied, her voice a mixture of disbelief and despondency to Dagon’s outlook.

In contrast, Dagon, maintaining her cool despite her youth, continued to speak to her companions.

“First, we need to rescue Hector-sama.”

“Is that even possible? We just saw him being dragged off by the demons moments ago!”

“That’s exactly why we must take action immediately.”

“What?”

Dagon firmly responded to Bles, whose spirit was flagging.

Realizing that this young but perceptive companion wasn’t merely spouting empty words, Bles began to become aware that there was certainly rationale behind Dagon’s insistence.

Then, Dagon continued to speak in earnest.

“Think about it; even as a prisoner, this is still a match taking place in the arena. As stated earlier by that Demon King, we certainly have far more freedom to move here than we would inside the Demon King’s Castle.”

“That’s true, but…”

“Moreover, those demons are undoubtedly thrown off balance by this unforeseen emergency. If we capitalize on this opportunity, there’s a good chance we can achieve our goal.”

“…I see. I think I understand a bit of what you mean.”

Bles nodded, her eyes regaining some light, showing signs of hope from Dagon’s words.

Afterward, the three began brainstorming together on how to rescue Hector.

*

“Phew…”

Eliza sighed softly as she looked at her fallen opponent.

Unlike Samuel, who had barely scraped by against a newcomer, Eliza had effortlessly dispatched the sprightly newcomer before her.

However, witnessing Samuel struggle earlier cast an air of caution over her regarding the novice before her.

‘Well… I suppose it was just an unnecessary fear in the end.’

Finishing that thought, Eliza lightly retrieved her sword and turned away.

Her gaze shifted to the next opponent she would face.

It was her mother, Elias.

‘I will definitely win, Mama… I’ll prove that I’m stronger than you!’

*

After a preliminary round that felt reminiscent of a qualifying match, the first round of the main event concluded, and those who remained took a brief respite.

Having certainly cut the crowd in half, there were no longer any stragglers remaining among those with the demon generals and elite guards present.

Among them, I began to search for who my next opponent would be.

‘Let’s see… I know they came from a match between newcomers…’

Information was lacking due to their rookie status but still hoping to at least exchange pleasantries, I diligently surveyed the area.

Moments later, my gaze landed on that person—the one clad in red armor—who had overwhelmed their opponent earlier.

‘They displayed overwhelming strength against another newcomer. It doesn’t look like they’ll be an easy match…’

They radiated an unusual presence, far from what one would expect from a typical rookie.

With Samuel’s earlier experience in mind, I couldn’t afford to underestimate the one who so easily hinted at such superior skill beneath that red exterior.

Just then…

“Hero.”

“Ah… Eliza, what’s the matter?”

Suddenly, Eliza called out to me.

I halted my attempt to engage in conversation with the red-armored person and turned my attention to Eliza instead.

“What is it? Do you need me for something important?”

“…Yes. It’s important. Really… really important.”

Eliza spoke with a serious tone, an unusual level of gravity in her expression, evoking an instinctive wariness in me.

“Are you aware that I will be fighting Mama next?”

“Ah… yes, I am aware of that.”

“Please, watch that match with your eyes wide open. I need you to promise me.”

“Pardon?”

Eliza’s request to simply pay close attention to her match struck me as unusual.

But given the serious undertone in her words, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of doubt.

‘Why is she emphasizing watching the match? Could it be… she wants me to notice her growth after honing her combat skills?’

Since we were friends and comrades who fought together, perhaps she yearned for me to recognize how far she had come.

Especially considering she might perform better than I did, she could be counting on me to view her objectively.

With that in mind, I responded warmly to my friend’s request.

“Understood. I’ll do my best to concentrate and cheer for you, Eliza.”

“Ah!”

Hearing my affirmation prompted Eliza to flash a beaming smile.

Perhaps she didn’t expect me to accept her request or had some other thoughts; either way, seeing her delight made me feel like a cat being amused.

 

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