"You've been staring daggers at me since the last fight started..." Julian, the noble guy, said with curiosity in his eyes.
"You saw me?"
His eyes must be unbelievably good if he was able to notice me glaring at him from a distance, and among a huge crowd.
"Indeed. You think I wouldn't? I understand the jealous men, but it's the first time a woman ever looked at me with such hostility before. No less, it came from such a beautiful lady elf like you."
"Fufu... you must be an idiot. Those girls might not be looking at you with hostility, but I'm sure they're thinking you look so stupid with those obnoxious clothes."
"My uniform was designed for elegance and style. It seems you're new to this city... I'll tell you now, this is what noble men like me wear to represent our status."
Truly, his clothes were similar to the ones I see noble people wear in anime... he couldn't get any more cliche.
"Mmmh..." he grumbles out of nowhere and said, "Since my enemy is a woman, I'll make sure to hold myself back... but..."
"Mm? What are you plotting with that small head of yours?"
He suddenly went silent after a strange glance. He's definitely plotting something.
"To be honest with you, you're the prettiest thing I've ever seen in my entire life... I noticed it earlier when your were at the crowd, but now, I can tell for sure."
"What!? A sudden confession!?"
"Alright... how about we make a bet?" he said, ignoring my reaction.
"What was that about? And a bet you say...?"
His words caught me off guard, I needed to regain my composure.
"That's right... if you win, I'll rent you the most expensive room in the most expensive inn in this city. You can stay there for as long as you like."
"I'm not really that happy with that offer... I don't like expensive things."
"O-oh! I see... I heard elves live primitive lives in the forest... so you don't understand the luxury of expensive houses? How unfortunate. Even a barbarian would appreciate this offer."
This guy... just how can he throw an insult with such an innocent look on his face.
"That's not exactly the reason why. That luxurious stuff just doesn't suit me."
Suddenly, his eyes widened, as if he just heard me say something so absurd.
"But... fufu, but from what I see... your beauty deserves the utmost luxury this city could offer."
"N-now you're just hitting on me! When are we gonna start!?"
Being hit on by a fellow man felt awkward and embarrassing. I know how crazy of a beauty I turned out to be, but I'm still a man inside.
"Wait! Kuku... you didn't accept my offer, then how about this: if you win, you can ask me anything you want, and I'll give it to you. Money, weapons, armour... your choice."
"I guess I need a small amount of money..."
I still have the coins I saved when I was at the village. However, that money won't last.
"So you're short on money. I get it, I'll give you 300 gold coins if you win."
"Isn't that a bit too much?" I forced a laugh after hearing his absurd offer.
"Well, it's enough... considering what you'll put on the line."
"Gulp... I see... and what is that?" I nervously asked.
"It's simple... if I win, I want you to spend a night with me."
"A night...? You can't mean!"
I turned pale when I realized what those words meant. When I glared daggers at him, Julian simply gave me a nod.
"Yo-You can't put any amount of gold coins on a woman's body! Especially mine!"
That's such a tyrannical thing to do. Wait... I heard that brothels are common in this world. Maybe a bet between money and a woman's body in a duel is a common thing in this world too... I'm not sure, but that sounds horrible.
"A-and I'm a virgin too..."
My virginity should not be put on the line on a simple duel of swords.
"What did you say...? With that pretty face of yours and that otherworldly figure... you can't be..."
I unconsciously blurted it out, but I thought no one would be able to hear it. With his enhanced senses, it seems Julian was able to pick up on it.
"500 gold coins if you win! No! A thousand!"
"Eh!?" I instinctively screamed.
I'm having second thoughts on this now... but can I still back down? After I confidently declared I will beat him up, it would be embarrassing. He also said that he would kick me out of the city if I didn't accept his challenge... I don't think he's serious about it, but I still can't take the risk. But if I lose...
No... wait, I don't think I'll be beat by him at all... from what I saw from his earlier fights, he's no big deal.
I can do this! Surely! I already put my pride on the line, so I can't back down.
"Fine! There's no way you'll win anyway."
"Fufu... I'll take back what I said earlier. For this, I definitely would not hold back."