The Strongest Villain Sets Out: Reincarnated into a Merit-Based Clan, I Become the World's Strongest Swordsman - Chapter 67: Princess Loses Her Temper

The tournament had begun.

My first opponent was just a muscle-brained fool. Using a bit of aura made it an easy victory.

The colosseum buzzed with surprise—”To think someone from the prestigious Salvatore Ducal House would…”

But that lasted only briefly. When the next participants were called to fight, the colosseum’s atmosphere grew tense once again.

“Lia! You’re up!”

“Oh, that’s me.”

The next person called to the ring after me was Cornelia, using a fake name. Since she’s royalty, I made her change her name.

Still, her noble aura couldn’t be hidden… actually, no, there wasn’t any. Cornelia was like a large dog wagging its tail.

Swaying her beautiful hair left and right, she said to me:

“Watch me, Luka. I’m gonna do my best!”

“Keep it reasonable. Even though killing is allowed, if people die it might slow down the tournament.”

“Okay~”

I doubted whether she truly understood, but Cornelia gave her response and stepped into the central ring.

Interestingly, her opponent was also a woman, wielding a long wooden spear.

“How unusual. She looks like a close-combat type… I wonder if she’ll be a match for Cornelia?”

▼△▼

Under Luka’s watchful gaze, Cornelia Zehabaruto stepped into the ring.

From the opposite staircase, the female participant also appeared on the ring.

By coincidence, it was a battle between women. The venue buzzed with renewed excitement.

“Hello there, Lia-san. I’m Lin. Since we have similar names, let’s get along.”

“Get along…?”

Cornelia tilted her head at Lin, who approached with a smile.

Her expression clearly said she didn’t understand what Lin was talking about.

“We’re among the few female participants. Plus, we both use close-combat weapons. You can use aura, right?”

“That’s right. Can you too?”

“Yes. I’ve even beaten boys my age!”

Lin spoke boldly and pointed her spear tip at Cornelia.

However, seeing this didn’t make Cornelia draw her wooden sword. She continued standing there defenseless, wearing a smile that seemed almost eerie.

“…Hey, listen!”

“Hmm?”

“Hurry up and ready your weapon. I don’t like attacking defenseless opponents.”

“Why do I need to ready myself? I’m fine in this state.”

“Tch. You’re awfully confident. Are you showing off because your boyfriend’s watching?”

“B-boyfriend⁉”

For the first time, Cornelia’s face showed agitation. Her face turned bright red.

“Oh, was I wrong? That reaction…”

“B-boyfriend, well… more like my future husband…”

“Huh? Are you insane or something?”

That was a fair point. But Cornelia bristled at Lin’s words.

“What do you mean? Did you just make fun of me?”

“————”

Immediately after, Lin’s spine shivered. Her instincts felt terror at the killing intent Cornelia emitted.

“I-I wasn’t making fun of you. I’m just jealous.”

“Jealous?”

“Your future husband is really handsome. Plus, he’s from the Salvatore Ducal House. Your future’s practically guaranteed.”

“Ehehe. He’s my pride and joy.”

“But I hear that Salvatore Ducal House members are only interested in strength. That means if I beat you, I might have a chance too, right?”

“Ah… I see. I see, I see.”

At Lin’s words, Cornelia’s smile vanished. Her voice dropped slightly in tone.

“I was thinking of holding back for Luka’s sake, but maybe that was a mistake? There are always people like this… idiots who don’t know their place and try to get close to Luka.”

Cornelia’s gaze pierced straight through Lin’s forehead.

This time her whole body trembled. Instinctively, she lowered her stance, cloaked herself in aura, and kicked off the ground.

—This girl is dangerous! I need to end this fight immediately or I’ll lose!

Lin’s reasoning was correct. Launching a surprise attack before Cornelia could prepare was rational.

But she picked the wrong opponent.

Lin closed the distance in an instant and thrust her spear tip toward Cornelia’s chest.

The powerful strike hit its mark.

Everyone was certain of Lin’s victory… but the battle wasn’t decided.

With a dull sound, Lin’s spear stopped.

The tip had definitely reached Cornelia’s chest.

But there was no damage.

Blocked by her silk clothes, blocked by Cornelia’s aura, it couldn’t even leave a scratch.

Seeing Cornelia standing there calmly, Lin froze in her attack position.

“Wh-why…”

“I just defended with aura. You’re too weak to break through my defense.”

A simple explanation. A simple answer.

Therefore, Lin fell into despair.

If Cornelia’s words were true, then no matter how hard Lin tried, she couldn’t damage Cornelia.

Their total aura capacity was fundamentally different.

“This is boring, so I’ll end it quickly.”

Cornelia grabbed Lin’s spear and crushed it with her bare hands.

Overwhelming power backed by aura.

Seeing the scattered wooden fragments, Lin instinctively jumped backward.

Cornelia was right in front of her.

She had caught up after Lin jumped.

There was no escape.

The moment Lin realized this, Cornelia’s fist connected with her face.

The match was over.