Chapter: 361
The door of the arena swings open, and a small girl steps out.
When she first appeared in the arena, the audience’s gazes were filled with suspicion. Everyone thought, “How strong can such a small kid really be?”
However, Lucy Allen shattered those doubts by proving her strength. With countless victories, she demonstrated that she was a person worth respecting.
Therefore, the gazes of the audience now held respect for her martial prowess. They believed she wouldn’t be easily defeated, even against a strong opponent.
“Hey, angel! Give that strong person a beatdown!”
“The beast won’t be able to break your shield!”
“Angel! I’m all in on you! Show us what you can do!”
“Fight! You can do it!”
Amidst the excitement for an amazing match, Benedict’s expression, sitting on one side of the audience, was nothing short of grim.
It was a puzzling sight. The guy who openly expressed his love for his daughter, striking fear into others, was frowning at Lucy instead of cheering her on.
“Allen, aren’t you going to cheer her on this time?”
Upon hearing Count Bardronel’s bewilderment, Benedict finally managed an awkward smile.
“Of course I’m supporting my adorable daughter.”
“I know that, but your expression doesn’t look too happy.”
“…I’m just worried, that’s all.”
Benedict never doubted Lucy’s talent.
She was undoubtedly a genius, even apart from his fatherly love. A child who used to struggle just climbing stairs could, in just over a year, be praised as having the greatest talent among the kingdom’s divines.
At the same time, Benedict trusted in Lucy’s abilities.
She had enough skill that if she attempted the entrance exam for the Allen Knights without her name, she would certainly pass.
His usual overreactions stemmed only from concern for his beloved daughter, not doubt in Lucy Allen’s martial abilities.
But this time, her opponent was extremely formidable.
Lasha.
A frenzy who had challenged renowned strong persons across the continent and had survived countless battles.
Among the many powerful figures Benedict remembered, she left a particularly strong impression.
Time had passed, and rather than fading, she had grown even stronger—too strong for the current Lucy to handle.
“Ha ha. Don’t worry. Allen, you saw it too, but Lady Lasha is someone who understands the boundaries. She won’t inflict any irreparable wounds on your young lady.”
At Count Bardronel’s lighthearted remark, Benedict couldn’t manage to nod in agreement.
He knew. He had faced Lasha in the past; how could he not know her temperament?
Lasha loved to fight, but she wasn’t someone who enjoyed shedding blood. But, on the flip side, she could spill blood as much as needed for a fight.
Aware of this fact, Benedict couldn’t shake off his worries.
Lasha was a person who could harm Lucy to drag him into the ring.
If she acted suddenly, could he respond in time?
Could he block Lasha before Lucy was in danger?
As his worry for his daughter deepened, the arena door opened, revealing Lucy’s opponent.
Lasha.
There were countless words to describe her.
“Weakness Factory!”
A nickname given because she would shatter recognized strong persons and reduce them to relative weakness.
“Festival Crusher!”
A title naturally born from her reckless habit of charging at strong opponents, ignoring the surrounding situation.
“Humility Injector!”
“Fight Maniac!”
“Crazy Bitch!”
“Hey! Calling someone a crazy bitch is just an insult!”
As the endless chant continued, Lasha raised her voice, causing laughter to erupt all around.
Then, at that moment, someone yelled out a title that perfectly represented her.
“Strong Person Hunting!”
A mere word that reveals the principle of Lasha’s actions and the way she lives.
“Strong Person Hunting!”
“Strong Person Hunting!”
“Strong Person Hunting!”
As she heard the audience’s shouts, Lasha walked to the center of the arena, meeting Lucy’s gaze with a smirk before lifting her leg.
Boom!
At that moment, when her foot landed on the ground, the earth couldn’t withstand the pressure and let out a scream.
“Shut up, weaklings!”
As her booming voice drowned out the audience, one by one, people closed their mouths.
After a moment of perfect silence, Lasha let out a sly grin and turned her gaze towards Benedict.
“Hey, Benedict! I have a proposal!”
“You don’t have to shout that loud. I wish you’d just speak normally.”
“I was thinking about something yesterday!”
Benedict furrowed his brows, but Lasha continued undeterred.
“If my young lady and I fought, the match would be obvious and one-sided! That’s just boring!”
“What are you getting at?”
“Let’s say! If your daughter can hold out against me for one minute, she wins! But if she loses, you’re fighting me next!”
This bold proposal could only come from someone with complete confidence in her overwhelming skill.
Benedict frowned at the thought that his daughter was being slighted, yet at the same time he was a bit relieved by the prospect of hope for Lucy.
It was comforting to know that Lasha wouldn’t harm Lucy to provoke him.
So, when he thought it through, there was truly no reason to reject such a proposal.
“Will you not harm Lucy?”
“I won’t. Why would I? I have no hobby in crushing seedlings.”
“Then I’m fine with it.”
Ultimately, it was Lucy who had to accept or reject the proposal. The wager was up to her.
Seeing Benedict fall silent, Lasha turned her bright smile towards Lucy.
“Hey, Benedict’s daughter. What’s it gonna be? This is better than having no choice at all, right?”
Lasha was confident that Lucy wouldn’t refuse the proposal.
Despite her wild appearance, Lucy Allen was a highly calculating person.
The eyes of a hunter observing the opponent from behind the shield are not something a reckless fool exhibits.
Look at her now. Instead of answering immediately, she’s calmly calculating the pros and cons.
“Are you not confident to last a minute? I expected you to be a tough one, but it seems you’re a little coward after all?”
Lasha, impatient with the wait, threw in a remark, igniting a fierceness in Lucy’s eyes.
“…I’ll accept your stupid challenge, muscle pig♡”
There you go. This is how it should be. Young blood needs this kind of spirit.
“Don’t come crying to me afterward, okay?♡ Or else that’ll be really embarrassing!♡”
“Ha ha ha. You’re full of confidence, huh? You think you can beat me?”
“Of course! Why are you even asking?♡ I’m not dumb enough to get bitten by a mindless beast!♡ I know your brain is packed with muscles, but I hope you learn to think a bit!♡ Muscle pig!♡”
Lasha struggled to suppress the rising excitement, unable to vocalize her feelings.
Heh, I heard you have a dirty mouth, but this is beyond just dirty.
With every word she spews, it’s like she’s embedding pure rage; her voice has reached the level of a blessing.
Does she possess something that plays with human emotions?
This is fun. Very fun.
“Let’s see if your skills match that strong voice.”
I wonder how dangerous this child is, who keeps saying our lousy Evil God must die. And just how much potential she really has.
*
<…Young lady. Was provoking her truly a wise choice? it seems a bit risky.>
Seeing Lasha’s gaze sharpen even further, Grandpa let out a scoff.
‘It is indeed risky.’
If Lasha loses her sanity and throws a serious punch to try to kill me, it could lead to serious trouble.
‘But if you want to win, isn’t this level of danger necessary?’
Still, the reason I provoked Lasha was that I believed in her.
Lasha mentioned that I am destined for greatness in the future. She has no intention of breaking me before I fully grow.
Lasha promised Benedict.
That she wouldn’t harm me.
If it’s Lasha, the one who bets everything for the sake of battle, the one who treats the Evil God like a mere tool…
I’ll bet she’ll hesitate in the middle of an attack meant to kill me.
That small moment of hesitation will surely take a place in the one minute I need to endure.
Of course, that’s not the only reason, but explaining might not make sense to Grandpa.
[Heh. You really want to win that badly. …Does it really need to be a must-win situation?]
‘No, not specifically.’
It’s true there’s a quest at hand, but there’s no particular reason to clear it.
Even if I fail, a single prayer to the Shoddy God is enough. It’d be unfortunate to not see the status window, but it’s not something I absolutely need to view.
[Then why.]
‘This is the best course of action.’
To raise even a little bit the chances of victory, one must agitate the opponent’s emotions. That’s how I reached my conclusion.
After listening to my explanation, Grandpa mumbled in a voice close to lament.
[You’re not really in a position to call others crazy, huh.]
‘What? What do you mean all of a sudden?’
Isn’t it better to struggle and fight back than to lose helplessly? I’m just giving it everything I have, why should I be called crazy for that?
[Forget it. What if she truly loses her mind?]
‘In that case, I’m sure father will do something about it. Right?’
With Benedict glaring fiercely from the audience, how could I die? I shrugged my shoulders with that belief, prompting Grandpa to sigh loudly.
[No plan at all. No plan.]
‘I’ve got a plan, okay?’
[That’s what I said. Ha. Do as you wish. I’m just glad I’m not a failure...]
Instead of responding to Grandpa’s complaints, I tuned him out and activated various buffs. I sensed any comment from Grandpa would only deepen his displeasure.
After some time, when all preparations were finished, Lasha stretched.
“Are you ready now, little one?”
“You can tell by looking♡ What, are your optical nerves pumped with muscles too?♡”
“Ha ha. First, I’ll make that mouth of yours shut.”
While watching Lasha swing her arms wildly, I raised my shield.
My emotions were fired up.
I haven’t faced her before. To enjoy this, even if I hold back, the first attack is bound to be one I’m very familiar with.
“Here I come. Let’s see if you can hold out.”
Just as I predicted.
Realizing my guess was spot on, I raised the corners of my mouth as I moved the shield following the instincts engraved in my soul.
I hope Lasha stays strong for a long time beyond this monitor.
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