The Seventh Prince Runs Away from Awkward Situations Chapter 96

Regardless of the shock Ria experienced, enough to shake her life to its core, the competition proceeded as planned.

“Group 12’s Idan and Group 34’s Ran!”

I stepped out of the waiting room and headed to the match arena as my name was called.

Idan, who had come out first and was waiting, had a face stiffer than ever before.

He must have been certain of Ria’s elimination.

If the temple withheld Ria’s judgment, he likely planned to take revenge on me in the first match and neatly grab the championship.

“Life doesn’t go the way you want, right?”

Looking at his face filled with dismay, I couldn’t leave out a sarcastic remark.

Idan, who had been staring into the void, glared at me.

“What did you do?”

“Shouldn’t I be asking that question? What did you plot.”

He seemed to have many things to ask, but putting all that aside, he brought up what he wanted to say the most.

“You seem to have forgotten, but the one cornered right now isn’t me, it’s you.”

It was regrettable that what he chose was merely a cheap threat.

Now that things had turned out this way, it seemed he wanted to keep at least his promise to grind my mouth.

It was a blood-curdling threat, but I wasn’t afraid.

“It was strange from the beginning.”

“What do you mean?”

He asked back at my muttering.

“Why now, of all times. If you simply wanted to stop Ria from winning, why go through such a troublesome ordeal.”

If he simply wanted to stop us, the outsiders, from winning upon receiving the temple’s order, the fastest way would be to beat Ria in the match.

Externally, the only ones swinging fists in Group 34 were Jing and Ria.

Even if he couldn’t beat Jing, if he could beat Ria, there was no reason to use dirty methods like today.

He could give the excuse that he simply didn’t want to wield violence against his family, but well.

He had already witnessed Ria being beaten to a pulp by Jinger with his own two eyes.

It would be more ideal to subdue her with his own hands rather than having her beaten by others.

If Idan was truly stronger than Ria.

“I don’t know what you are talking about.”

Letting his meaningless feigned ignorance flow in one ear and out the other, I stared into his wavering eyes and opened my mouth.

“You, you’re afraid of facing Ria head-on, aren’t you?”

Along with the sound of him swallowing his breath, the referee’s voice announcing the match rang out.

“The match starts!”

It must have been only a few seconds that Idan stopped reacting.

However, it was enough time for me to strike first.

“Forfeit!”

Idan couldn’t move, as if nailed to the spot, even until the flustered referee announced his victory.

***

Idan is strong.

Idan loves his family.

Idan sacrifices himself for his family.

These were the most intense propositions in his life that could not be overturned.

He had never doubted them, not even once.

There was no need to.

……Was that really true?

-Ria, do not use your strength carelessly.

-Your strength is nothing special. There are far stronger people in the world than you.

-How do you intend to step outside the village when you cannot even beat me.

Idan’s voice constantly hovered inside Ria’s head.

Things she had accepted as truth, everything she had considered bitter advice for her own sake.

“Group 12, Idan victory!!!”

Ria pulled her mind up from the chaos at the referee’s voice announcing the end of the match.

Only then did she hurriedly walk toward the waiting room door.

The first match was the duel between Ran and Idan.

What happened to Ran?

Is he okay?

Ria, who was about to urgently lift the tent door, ran into Ran who was entering and pulled her hand back.

Fortunately, he was standing on his two feet.

“Ran! Are you hurt anywhere?!”

Along with a worry that sounded like a scream, Ria examined Ran’s body here and there.

“I am perfectly fine, though I lost the match.”

Ria, confirming that all of Ran’s teeth were intact, heaved a sigh of relief.

“It’s okay. Because Jing and I are here.”

“You seem confident about winning now.”

Ria nodded to Ran.

“I said I would win.”

She knew that now was the time to put down the swirling emotions for a moment.

Or perhaps it was an escape that had hardened like a habit.

“No, I don’t really know. I don’t want to think about anything else right now.”

Ria knew her answer was quite pathetic.

Even after confirming what Idan had done right in front of her eyes, she was fed up with her indecisiveness and was still confused.

“It doesn’t matter. Out of the days we live, how many days can we be full of certainty.”

But Ran answered as if it were no big deal.

It was a statement that somehow drained one’s strength, but he was right.

Hasn’t it just been proven that the answer she had agonized over and over was also the wrong answer?

Ran took off his gloves and placed them in the hands of Ria, who was laughing weakly.

“Go and win, Ria. Because nothing holds you back now.”

“……Yes.”

With a strange sense of liberation, Ria walked into the crowd’s jeering.

It was a strange thing.

To feel such elation as if she could do anything, even though nothing had been resolved.

“The match starts!!!”

At the referee’s shout announcing the start, Ria braced herself.

Her heart still beat with the momentum to strike her breastbone.

But this time, she didn’t dislike it.

Ria extended her fist toward the opponent rushing at her.

Without fear, with all her strength.

***

Ria’s victory was quiet this time as well.

It was unknown whether it was because of the unexpected win, or because of that somewhat excessive and clean method of knocking out the opponent in a single blow without allowing an attack.

With Ria’s cheerless victory and Jing’s victory which likewise ended without dragging on time, Group 34 approached the finals this time too.

As soon as all matches ended, the one who ran to us was none other than Idan.

“Ria!”

Idan, who approached while gasping for a rough breath, urgently called Ria, but Ria’s reaction was cold.

“Go back, Idan. Since you lost once, you must win in the next match.”

“I don’t care about the match or whatever. Talk to me…….”

“No, there is nothing more important than the match right now, Idan. We have to meet in the finals.”

Idan gritted his teeth at the reaction that was colder than when she swore to grind my mouth in the match.

Soon, the place his anger was directed at was Ratel, who was standing beside Ria.

Idan grabbed Ratel by the collar.

“What kind of nonsense did you do!”

Idan seemed to have lost his fear due to anger.

Or perhaps he thought Ratel was an easier opponent than Jing.

Neither was a wise judgment.

I pondered whether to wait until Ratel beat Idan just enough not to kill him and then stop him, or to run away after he killed Idan.

But regrettably, the fact that my pondering was useless was soon revealed.

Because there was someone else who did not wish for our victory.

“Where are the guys from Group 34!”

The voice of the temple priest, who entered the waiting room with knights on both sides, rang inside the tent.

It was a familiar face.

It was the man who had visited Idan’s restaurant.

He soon found us, where everyone’s gaze was focused, and strode over.

At the priest’s appearance, Idan immediately let go of Ratel’s collar, stepped back, and bowed his head.

The displeased face of the priest, who had been looking down at his head with dissatisfaction, soon turned toward us.

“There were reports from other participants that there was suspicious movement right before the match.”

He pointed his finger at Ria and Ratel and ordered the knights.

“Bind those two immediately.”

But among us, the only person who was flustered was Ria.

Ratel looked at him crookedly without even getting up from his seat.

“Evidence.”

“Wh, what?”

At Ratel’s excessively short question, the priest stammered as if flustered.

A faint irritation was contained in Ratel’s face.

“I asked what the evidence was. Who saw what.”

“This insolent fellow, in front of whom right now……!”

Ratel’s gaze, which had been looking down at the priest who was raising veins in his neck as if bored, briefly turned to Ria.

Watching her trembling with anxiety for a moment, Ratel opened his mouth again.

“Seeing that you came without even knowing who the original owner of the gloves is, that report or whatever doesn’t seem trustworthy.”

At Ratel’s point, the man raised one eyebrow.

“The real owner, you say?”

“The gloves were originally mine.”

The person more surprised than anyone at Ratel’s lie was Ria.

The priest’s dumbfounded scoff bursting out was faster than other words coming out of her mouth, which had opened in surprise.

“Ha! Where are you sprouting such lies? Those gloves were Ria’s.”

“How are you certain?”

“That is, naturally…….”

“Is there a reason they must be Ria’s gloves?”

“Th, that is…….”

When Ratel asked with narrowed eyes, the priest mumbled.

At that sight, Ratel looked at him with pathetic eyes.

“You don’t know how to do anything other than force your logic.”

The problem was that it didn’t end with just a look.

The enraged priest raised his voice as if he would pounce on Ratel right away.

The one who saved the priest’s life was Jing.

He quickly blocked the space between the two.

“Since he is a child who grew up in the countryside, his words are a bit short, Priest. I apologize on his behalf.”

When Jing, the leading role of the tournament, bowed and entered first, the priest snorted as if disapproving.

“However, we also need a reason we can accept. Are you saying we committed some illegality?”

“There are people who saw Ria participating in the tournament carrying a weapon. And that fellow is hiding it for her.”

In his confident voice, Ratel stepped forward.

When the large bulk suddenly approached him, the priest, who got scared for a moment, flinched backward.

Jing, who tried to restrain Ratel, stopped moving upon confirming that he was quietly lifting both arms to the sides.

“Wh, what is it.”

The startled priest asked at Ratel’s appearance of spreading his arms like wings.

“Search me. Whether there is a weapon or not.”

“Isn’t it obvious you already stashed it away!”

When he argued back, Ratel turned his head and shifted his gaze to the entrance and only exit of the tent.

“You guys are the ones who came running panting as soon as the match ended. You should know very well there was neither a corner to stash it nor the time.”

At his answer, veins popped on the priest’s forehead.

“You must have used some dirty trick I don’t know!”

At his outburst, a sneer hung on Ratel’s face.

“Here we go again. There must have been some method you don’t know. Are you saying ignorant residents know things that even those who serve god don’t know? If you don’t know anything and can’t do anything, where does your qualification to judge people come from.”

At his sarcasm, the priest’s face turned red.

“Eek! Lock this guy up immediately!”

Perhaps judging that arguing further would not be advantageous for him, the priest screamed.

Fortunately, Ratel quietly gave up both arms to the knights binding him.

***

Really, Ratel was dragged to the temple just like that.

And very quietly at that.

Ria seemed to think that Ratel being dragged away was her fault.

She followed behind Ratel, who was being dragged away, until the end.

Actually, if she knew that he could knock down the two holding his arms just by swinging his fists a few times, she might feel quite betrayed.

“Ratel! I’m really sorry!”

Ria shouted toward the back of Ratel’s head as he entered the temple.

At her shout, Ratel turned his head back.

“Is that all you have to say?”

At Ratel’s question, Ria’s face darkened even more.

“I committed a mortal sin. I will definitely repay this debt.”

Ratel looked down at Ria, who looked ready to slam her head on the ground beyond just bowing.

Eventually, Ratel’s mouth opened.

“I don’t need an apology.”

“Ratel…….”

Ria blurred her words at his generosity.

“I don’t need an apology that is just words. If you are sorry, win and take me to Rimis Temple.”

Fortunately, the emotion didn’t last long.

“……Yes. Don’t worry. Because I will definitely win.”

Ratel, who heard Ria’s answer that had regained a little confidence, soon turned his gaze.

The place his golden eyes headed was me.

“Do you have anything to say?”

At my question, his lips curled up hatefully again.

“Try to do well. Next time, you won’t be able to forfeit.”

He teased me for the last time and disappeared into the temple, dragged by the hands of the knights urging him.

That guy with the dirty temper.

Thinking that staying there any longer was a waste of time, I turned around and headed to the lodging.

“He didn’t mean it.”

Jing, who heard his last words with me, defended him.

“No. It was sincere with high purity.”

Jing also didn’t seem to think his lie would work, so he followed behind me without much response.

“Wait! Are you really going just like this?”

Ria’s worried voice desperately grabbed me and Jing.

“Tomorrow is the finals. We have no time to waste here.”

Even at my answer, Ria’s face didn’t know how to relax.

“St, still. Being treated as a sinner inside the temple is harder than you can imagine. This happened because of me, so I am so sorry…….”

At Ria’s words, Jing made a face as if he heard the most useless worry in the world.

Well, if it was a human who knew how diligently Ratel had gone around smashing temples in the capital, there was no way they would worry like Ria.

“He will probably be much more okay than Miss Ria thinks.”

“Pardon?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

Jing spared his words.

Yes, because sometimes silence is better than an inconvenient truth.