The Strongest Villain Sets Out: Reincarnated into a Merit-Based Clan, I Become the World's Strongest Swordsman - Chapter 70: Girls' Battle Part 2

Chapter 70: Girls’ Battle Part 2

My fight with Sheila was over.

Sorry to Sheila, but my victory was unshakeable.

Actually, I was able to bring out my strength precisely because my opponent was Sheila.

Despite her defeat, she wore a somewhat refreshed expression.

Two women greeted Sheila and me as we returned to the spectator seats together.

Lucia and Cornelia.

“Good work~ That wasn’t a bad fight.”

“Hmph! Sheila, I’ll avenge you.”

“I decline.”

“Why not!”

Sheila immediately refused Lucia’s generous offer.

Unable to bear it, Lucia glared at Sheila with a demonic expression.

“I’ll overcome my own defeat with my own power. I don’t need Lucia-sama’s cooperation.”

“Grr…”

“Haha, Sheila has better resolve than Lucia.”

“What did you say~! I wasn’t saying it with that kind of meaning…”

“Mm, I know. That was just a joke.”

“Don’t get so worked up, Lucia.”

“Whose fault is it, whose!”

“Gyah!” Lucia yelled at me.

She makes a nice sound when you hit her.

Knowing this, Sheila and I improvised a joke.

Lucia was brilliantly fooled and her face turned red.

“Well, personally I was happy about Lucia’s feelings.”

“I’m not happy being pleased by you.”

“Don’t sulk. I just said I was happy that Lucia has developed a sense of camaraderie.”

“Camaraderie… huh.”

“A little while ago you were really prickly. Like ‘I don’t need companions!’ with that serious look.”

“That’s not an imitation of me, is it? I’ll kill you.”

“Joke, joke.”

But I really was happy.

Until now, I’d only thought of companions as tools for getting stronger, but perhaps due to Cornelia’s influence from being with her so long, I’d also started developing something like camaraderie.

Not that it changed anything.

Lucia grabbed my collar and pushed and pulled me back and forth.

“Mm, I was happy too. To Lucia-sama, I’m properly a companion.”

“Gah! Enough, let’s change the subject! …Besides, thinking of you as a companion is natural.”

Saying this, Lucia turned her gaze away with a huff.

This tsundere~

I persistently poked Lucia’s cheek for a while.

She tried to slap me.

I caught her wrist and guarded.

“—Lia!”

“Oh, I’m next.”

While fooling around with Lucia, the announcer had somehow announced the next match.

The first one called was Cornelia.

I wondered who her opponent would be.

I listened to the announcer’s voice while restraining Lucia, who was still trying to slap me.

The one called was…

“Lucia Morgaaaan!”

“…Huh? M-me?”

It was Lucia, whose wrists I was holding.

“Oh. After Sheila and me, it’s Lucia and Cornelia. I’m expecting an interesting fight.”

I quickly released her wrists.

Lucia immediately stood up.

She gave me a fearless smile.

“Leave it to me. I’ll teach that princess the taste of defeat.”

“Big talk.”

I saw off Lucia’s back as she walked toward the ring.

Right now, Lucia was completely fired up.

She showed no signs of being intimidated even with the superior Cornelia as her opponent.

Meanwhile, Cornelia had already stepped into the ring.

She wore the same fearless smile as Lucia.

“Oh my, I get to fight Lucia already. Too bad.”

“Too bad? I’m happy I get to crush you before Luka does. We were destined to face each other somewhere anyway.”

“I see. I’m sad though. —Because I won’t be able to watch Lucia’s matches anymore.”

“Tch!”

Cornelia returned Lucia’s provocation with her own.

A thin vein seemed to appear on Lucia’s forehead.

“Princess Cornelia and Lucia-sama… Ironically, it’s the same setup as us earlier.”

“Yeah.”

I understood what Sheila meant.

While Cornelia could use magic, aura was the ability she used most frequently.

On the other hand, while Lucia could only use magic, she was the best at magic among the three, excluding me.

Aura versus magic.

As Sheila said, it would be exactly the same fight as before.

Earlier, Sheila had used speed and technique while I overwhelmed her with power, but in Cornelia and Lucia’s case, they’d probably… clash power against power.

I hoped the situation wouldn’t escalate to the point where not just the ring but the entire colosseum got blown away.

I chuckled as I waited for the match to begin.

Cornelia held a wooden sword in her right hand.

Though she’d never taken a stance in any previous match, she properly readied herself when facing Lucia.

The blade stopped precisely in a middle stance.

Lucia also gathered her mana before the match began.

Neither had forgotten their killing intent.

The air trembled.

Even from the spectator seats, I could feel the tense atmosphere on my skin.

Perhaps the announcer felt the same way, as he declared the start of the match with some confusion.

“N-now then—let the match begin!”