Chapter 60
"Don't."
With a simple "Don't," Xiarette safeguarded the last shred of Sheffy's shameful dignity.
The gentle wind over the lake stirred quietly. All the big fish held their breath, not daring to break the water's surface. As if all creation shared in Sheffy's sorrow over not getting a donut, everything fell silent...
From above Sheffy's head, two entrance tickets suddenly fluttered down—that was Xiarette's doing.
Sheffy reached out to catch the thick paper slips, and quite naturally glanced over the content printed on them.
As she finished reading what was written on the tickets...
Her previously dull eyes sparkled more and more, and a joyful grin crept across her face with her little tiger teeth showing.
Sheffy finally perked up and turned around in delight!
"Xiarette...! This is...!"
"Yep~ Royal Capital Arena, and they're evening tickets. Also, in the evening, the donuts are served without limit."
"Nice, nice...! That supplier! So sly and conniving, the same donuts are limited in the afternoon but unlimited at night? Isn't that just plain exploitation!"
"Pfft, so, what now?"
"What else? Let’s go! We’re going to eat all their unlimited donuts!"
"What if you can't finish them?"
"Pack them up and take them home!"
.............................................
Lately, the Hero’s carriage had been exhausted.
The horses couldn’t understand what had come over their mistress, who usually liked walking everywhere on foot. Now she always rode the carriage, going round and round the Royal Capital with that little girl who was like a demon when it came to catching fish.
They wouldn’t even walk when stepping out. Whether near or far, they had to take the carriage!
Well... Xiarette thought this was perfectly normal.
When alone and in a bad mood, she used to enjoy walking. But now, with someone she liked, she didn’t want that person to get tired, not even from walking a short distance.
That’s just how delicate emotions were—present in every little detail of life.
Every time they entered the core district of the Royal Capital Cormier, Miss Shaya's eyes would sparkle, and she'd gasp with awe.
"Wow...! Xiarette, look, look! That whole arena over there is decorated with purple Light Magic Crystals! It’s so bright!"
"Yup~ that’s the Cormier Arena we’re heading to. Hm? I think I introduced it to you before, didn’t I?"
The Royal Capital by night was always the warmest place under the stars.
Perhaps the Human race didn’t have as deep a heritage as other races, but they always knew how to dress up the noisy night and make it dazzling.
Unlike those proud races who disdained lighting up the darkness, thinking it made them more mysterious.
Just yesterday, this area had suffered an attack from Jeffriel, the Six-Winged Demon. Yet the Cormier Royal Grand Hall, which was temporarily sealed and still under repair, had already regained some of its former splendor. Swans were newly carved into the already elegant architecture, as if last night's crisis had long since passed.
In reality, that wasn’t the case at all—the crisis still lingered.
It was just that the Human race had a knack for finding joy amid suffering.
Earlier along the street, the local flavor of the city bustled with life—vendors selling snacks and miscellaneous goods shouted constantly.
But upon reaching the core region of the Cormier Royal Castle, where the Knight Order patrolled the streets, street vendors no longer dared to cross the line. Beyond that lay the residential area of nobles and royals.
There was no food for sale there.
But that didn’t matter.
Miss Shaya had already bought a variety of Royal Capital delicacies along the way—her hands were full!
Hehe, that hundred gold coins confiscated last time from that plump noblewoman in the name of justice were finally put to good use. She could buy anything she wanted—only with money could one eat well!
"The night market... ah, the night market! This grilled Northland octopus ball dish, they really don’t have it in the Demon Domain. Hehe... hmm? Xiarette, what did you ask just now? Ah, never mind what you asked—try this, it’s really good! Open up!"
"I’ll try it... ah... mm."
There were two bamboo sticks in the octopus box, and the one Sheffy handed to Xiarette was the one she had already eaten from.
Xiarette made no attempt to switch sticks.
Whether the two hadn’t noticed such a small detail...
Or had noticed and simply chose not to mention it?
"...Mm, it’s a bit hot. Hmm... not bad. I used to eat this as a child. The filling seems to have decreased compared to back then."
"Cutting corners?"
"Can’t be helped~ All the years of war. Returning to how things used to be will take some time."
"Tsk tsk tsk, coming to the Royal Capital was the right call. Even if it’s just for the food—yes, even in the future it’s still the food—this war simply must not continue!"
"Of course. Miss Shaya’s decisions are always correct. Big sis totally approves~"
"To... too many unnecessary words! Here, you take the whole box! I... I’m going to try those over there!"
Mhm.
Watching Sheffy bounce excitedly around the night market, always turning back to look every few steps, Xiarette felt genuinely happy.
In the past, night markets never interested her. But now, she found them colorful and delightful.
Indeed, even a simple walk became special depending on who was by your side.
Her laughter rang out.
Her gaze lingered with fondness.
Miss Shaya wandered around the stalls with renewed energy, all traces of the afternoon’s fatigue gone.
It was the power of healing magic—and also the power of good food!
After running around for quite a while, Sheffy finally remembered that Xiarette had asked her something earlier. So she jogged back and gave a slightly delayed response.
"Ah, I remember! Just now you asked me about that Cormier... something about beans... something bean arena?"
"It’s the Royal Capital Cormier Arena, not something edible."
"Of course I know that! I’m not some airhead who only thinks about food. You told me the other day, didn’t you? You said that arena is where sworn enemies meet and sign an agreement to duel, and it’s legal to kill each other! I’m really not into that kind of thing~ So once we get there, I’ll just have some donuts. No need to waste your entry tickets either."
Xiarette pulled out the tickets, handed one to Sheffy, and figured it was about time. She reminded Sheffy to pack up her food for now—they could eat while watching the match once they got there.
"The tickets actually weren’t bought... After driving off Jeffriel yesterday, the king gave out a bunch of rewards. These were part of them. Mm... but that’s not important. What’s important is, I think I didn’t explain it properly last time. The arena isn’t just for life-and-death duels... Like tonight, it’s not for that kind of grudge match at all."
"Oh ho...! That’s what I thought!" Sheffy tilted her head and squinted at Xiarette, suddenly understanding. "I was wondering how your people could be so twisted. I mean, enemies fighting to the death in the ring, and the audience down below just stuffing themselves with unlimited donuts?! That’s not exactly an appetizing sight! Heh, so what is the arena for tonight?"
"..."
Xiarette fell silent. No wonder Sheffy had been in such a hurry to grab the donuts and leave earlier.
Turns out, she didn’t want her appetite spoiled by flying blood and gore.
But that kind of thing wouldn’t happen tonight.
To help Sheffy enjoy herself more and not feel lost, Xiarette gave a more detailed explanation.
"Tonight’s event... is more like a performance, I guess? The Royal Capital hosts something like this every week. People from all over the world sign up to participate, then they’re split into one-on-one matches. The winner gets a reward. That’s basically it? I’m not completely sure—I haven’t been in a long time. But I can say for certain: no killing is allowed. The victor stops at a clear win, and the loser... well, it’s all about participating. It’s more of a martial arts exhibition."
"Hah... that actually sounds pretty good! Like two big fish fighting—winner gets braised, loser gets steamed."
"Now that’s a tragedy with no winners..."
They were almost there. Just a bit farther and they’d reach the arena, where the entrance barrier check had already come into view.
At that moment, Miss Shaya suddenly remembered something, perked up, and raised a finger with a brilliant idea!
"There’s a reward...? Xiarette, do they give money?"
"Yes, I think? Though it’s not just money. A lot of people are in it for the glory. Winning might not mean much at a national level, but among the audience and through word of mouth, it definitely makes you known as a strong fighter."
"Xiarette, enter the tournament. Our lives need prize money. Mmmph...! Why’d you hit me on the head again? Is earning money to support our home a crime now?"
"You're just trying to join the fun, aren’t you...? We’re not short on money. I know what you’re trying to say. But unfortunately, I can’t participate in this kind of event. As the Hero, I’m not allowed to take part in civilian martial competitions. Besides, even if I did join, I’d get scolded for it. The participants are here hoping to be recognized, to win the championship and gain honor, right? For someone already well-known, it’s not even certain they’d be accepted. And if people already know who’s going to win, the audience wouldn’t enjoy it either."
"Aww... that’s true. Then, how about I go!"
"And who was it that said she didn’t want to draw attention, huh?! Hmm...?! Why is it that the moment something fun comes up, you suddenly love making a scene? Is it this little brain of yours?!"
"Wahh... I was wrong, I was wrong! I admit it!"
Xiarette gave Sheffy a spiral knuckle drill to the head—a warning to behave and just watch the match without stirring up trouble!
Under the completely painless double-fisted threat, Sheffy could only give a sheepish smile and promise not to cause any commotion.
She picked up her ticket and raised her hand to wave Xiarette over to enter.
"Let’s go, Xiarette! Time to watch the match. Looks like there’s a fast track over there—our tickets are marked VIP, which means no need to queue!"
"Shaya, wait... hey, are you really sure this is okay?"
Whether Sheffy could sit quietly and just enjoy the show...
To be honest, Xiarette didn’t have much faith in that~
**64. Entry (Four Thousand Characters)**
The girl at the Cormier Arena entrance in charge of ticket inspection was feeling really worn out.
Sigh... during wartime, there were always some freeloaders trying to sneak into the arena with fake tickets.
They had no money, yet hoped to get inside to enjoy the free food and watch the matches for entertainment. They really treated public spaces like their own living room.
She didn’t mind them faking tickets, the issue was—if a fake ticket slipped through and got caught, she would be the one held responsible.
Most of the audience inside the arena were nobles or wealthy merchants, so the management was very strict. Every single ticket had to be thoroughly examined.
That’s why this job wasn’t easy at all...
After carefully checking the previous ticket, her ears—already numb from long hours of work—suddenly caught a clear and melodic voice.
"Hello, ticket check!"
"Yes, yes, please hand your ticket through here... huh?"
The young girl lifted her head and peered beyond the wooden ticket booth frame—but saw nothing at all.
Wha... what’s going on? No one’s there?
Who just spoke?! Don’t tell me I’m possessed or something?!
Her face began to pale. Just as she stood up to get a better look from above, a tiny snow-white hand struggled to slap a ticket onto the counter, even politely nudging it further in.
Not long after...
Miss Shaya’s adorable little face finally popped into view as she tiptoed up with all her might, just barely reaching the counter’s visible range.
“Haa... what’s taking so long with the ticket check? Not a peep from you! Is this counter made for giraffes or something? You’re not treating people like people here!”
“Uh...! Sorry, sorry, little miss! I didn’t see you at all—I thought someone was playing a prank. Just a moment, okay?”
Realizing the speaker wasn’t a ghost, the ticket-checking girl quickly reached for the ticket and prepared to let the child in.
Couldn’t afford to be careless—anyone who could enter the Cormier Arena had to be nobility. And this girl was so cute, so finely dressed, she was clearly some noble family’s child out enjoying herself.
But just as the girl picked up the ticket in haste and placed it in front of her for inspection...
Her tired brows furrowed again.
Whenever she furrowed her brow, it meant she suspected she’d found another fake.
Actually, "suspected" wasn’t quite right. She was convinced—this had to be fake!
Hiss... she’d checked so many counterfeit tickets, and this one was by far the most outrageous, the boldest.
At first glance, there was nothing wrong with the front of the ticket.
But flip it over to look at the back and you’d immediately see...
—How could there be such a massive royal crest on this ticket?!
The “Blade and Sword” emblem symbolized supreme royal authority in the kingdom. Wherever this symbol appeared, it demanded kneeling in reverence!