Upstairs, we were already waiting for the girls. Algo immediately embraced Liri and, seating her in a chair, began to court her in every possible way.
"Hym, you're circling around me as if I were on my deathbed," Liri remarked.
"But I was so worried about you. Perhaps you want something? Water or a cushion to lean on?" Algo asked with concern.
"Oh, for heaven's sake, calm down already. I haven't been beaten that badly. It's the hurt pride that burns much stronger. I couldn't land a single blow on Riz," Liri clenched her little fist in frustration and gritted her teeth, "but never mind, we have two more intriguing battles today."
"Indeed," I looked thoughtfully at the screen.
"Yukitori Asura versus Hilda Degarun," the upcoming matches were named.
"Asura, are you okay?" I inquired.
"Huh?" Asura seemed downcast these past few days, "Yes, I'm fine, I'm eager to fight and have no intention of losing."
In her voice, there was no trace of confidence; rather, this battle seemed indifferent to her. The blue-haired warrior headed towards the exit, and I stopped her before the door.
"Remember, your katana draws its power from your anger, but also from your self-assurance. If you don't want to fight, then no magic will work," I said.
"Why are you saying such things? I'm fine. I'll go and settle the fight with one blow," the girl abruptly pulled her hand away from me and went to the arena without looking back.
"What's wrong with her? Girls, do you know anything?" I turned to the twins.
"Well, I can't say," Miriam looked away.
"Nothing happened, and we don't know anything!" Vivien snorted sharply and turned away.
"You're lying, something happened when you were at her place," the girls exchanged glances and stared at the ground.
"It's all about her clan, or rather, how they treat her," while the girls hesitated, Werner decided to speak.
"Werner! We promised not to tell anyone!" Vivien protested.
"Well, they're our friends, and I see no reason to keep it a secret," Werner replied.
"We all worry about Asura, and if we can help, just tell us," Katrina approached the twins and put her hands on their shoulders in a friendly manner.
"Well, maybe you can help, but only if you can," Miriam exchanged a glance with her sister.
"It all started when we arrived in her clan's lands," Werner began his story, "they are a closed clan, but only to outsiders. They treat strangers fairly well, especially strong warriors, as long as they don't interfere in their affairs. But Lady Asura is considered an outcast who left the clan, and thus, they treat her worse than criminals. While we were accommodated in the main house and treated like esteemed guests, Lady Asura had to live in a barn, and no one except us spoke to her."
"What? But why? She just went to study at the Academy," Katrina clenched her fists angrily.
"But she's the heir of the clan, and she couldn't leave without a serious reason. As we were told, they allowed her into the house only out of respect for the strong warriors who came with her. Otherwise, they would have driven her away as soon as she crossed the village border. It's a closed clan focused on martial arts; from a young age, everyone must learn swordsmanship, even if in the future they become fishermen or peasants. If they can't cut down a tree with a sword strike, they're considered a disgrace to the clan."
"Wow, those are pretty strict requirements. It would be problematic for me," I pondered my abilities in comparison to the thickness of an average tree. The prospects didn't look too bright.
"Krito, it's all because of your style, and the Yukitori clan's weapon and style are suited for killing in one strike. Slicing through a steel grate for an experienced warrior of their clan is no problem," Werner explained.
"Wow, but Asura is a master of their style. Could they really treat her so poorly just because she went to the Academy?"
"Exactly because she's a master! They don't teach outsiders their style, although they allow them to train with others, they'll never get a katana. And Lady Asura left the clan as a master, so she betrayed their teachings."
"Then... why did she leave the clan? I mean, as the princess of the clan, they wouldn't deny her anything, right? I think if she convinced the clan's leader of the importance of learning from other cultures, they would have allowed her to go to the Academy," Katrina said, clenching her fists with anger.
"She couldn't explain it," Werner lowered his gaze.
"Even if she did explain, they would probably lock her in her room forever!" Vivien exploded with indignation. "Damn elders with their closed-minded views!"
"Conservative, sister, don't get so worked up. We always support Asura, so she won't be lonely even if she can't return to the family."
"But still, her plan may take many years, and living without family will hurt, even if she has faithful friends by her side."
"Wait!" Katrina interrupted the twins, "What exactly is Asura striving for?"
The trio fell silent, trying to figure out where to start, but the red princess intervened in the conversation.
"Knight's code, isn't it?" The surprised looks of the trio confirmed Seleria's words. "Well, why are you staring like that? Yes, I did a little background check on all of you, or rather, my father did, just to make sure I was in good company. And then he passed everything on to me. Mmm, and I couldn't resist and peeked a bit myself. The Yukitori Clan has exclusive rights to its lands, but due to the loss of magic, they lost the main privilege of being feudal lords of their territory. The new feudal lord doesn't seem to care much about his subjects, so Asura decided to attain noble status through a different means."
"You spied on us?" Katrina almost exploded with a powerful lightning charge.
"That's not the main point! The main point is that Asura wants to earn a knighthood based on her merits from your family, and then she can vie for the title of feudal lord of her lands. But after that, she'll never be able to return to her clan because they don't recognize the feudal system of Verania. Asura will do a great favor for her family, but in doing so, she will forever lose the right to be part of it. She'll go from being a mere outcast to a traitor," Seleria replied.
"But Lady Asura said that by accomplishing her plan, she could return home as a hero!" Miriam objected, receiving only a sad glance from the princess.
"She didn't want to worry you, but according to their laws, she can never return. Perhaps when she left the clan, she was determined to see her plan through to the end, but upon returning home, doubts started to consume her again. Right now, that's all that bothers her, and in this state... she will lose."
Asura stood in the center of the arena when, with a light clinking, a girl emerged from the gate dressed in white, her armor adorned with steel plates. The white princess's boots were also covered with delicate steel plates, making each step sound like the trotting of hooves. Behind the steel pauldrons with a fur lining, there was a mount for her weapon—a huge two-handed axe of reddish hue, the size of which matched the stature of the warrior herself.
"Wow, what a magnificent axe," Vivien, a lover of heavy weapons, couldn't help but admire the beauty of this specimen. The axe was indeed remarkable, with its triangular-shaped double-edged blade adorned with unusual inscriptions and a large gem at its center. "And what a gemstone! Could it be a diamond?"
"Well, judging by the brilliance, yes. But a pricey little axe it is. However, it's hard to believe it's entirely made of adamantium," Nordrune, with his reddish hue, indicated that it could be adamantium, but it seemed simply impossible.
"Why not? The material is strong and heavy, just as befitting a true princess," Vivien argued.
"Consider the size of the axe. If it were made entirely of adamantium, it would weigh forty kilograms!"
"Oh, come on, it would be impossible to lift it."
"Well, not so fast. Considering the build of a standard Nordrune warrior, it's quite possible, but a girl like her would definitely struggle to carry it properly and fight with it effectively."
"Yeah, you're probably right. She's not much stronger than me in build. But let's first watch the fight."
"Hmm, so you're the Snowbird, huh? I expected more," the princess's voice was serious and confident.
"I'm sorry, do we know each other?" Asura was first taken aback by the unusual greeting.
"Personally, no, but my father told me that in these lands, there are a couple of good warriors. So I came to see for myself."
"Your father?" The girl glanced at the stands. King Siegfried was watching the arena with a slight smile. "I assume you need something from me? I heard you even enrolled in the Academy a year earlier; I wonder why."
"It's simple. My dad said there were a few strong fighters among the freshmen, and I wanted to test my skills against them. If I had waited another whole year, I might have missed this chance."
"So you came here for me?"
"Not just for you, but partly, yes," Hilda smiled satisfactorily and thoughtfully stroked her chin. "If you prove yourself worthy, I'll have a lucrative offer for you."
"I'm sorry, but I'm not interested in your offers."
"Well, well, there's no need to reject them right away. And besides, let's drop the formality and use the familiar 'you.'"
"Huh? Well, whatever you want."