A life that felt insignificant to my senses. But that spirit of murder disappeared in an instant along with the cheers of the people in the stands.
Did I see something wrong? As I tilted my head with a puzzled expression, the 'fast deer' who participated in this game with me shouted with a sharp gaze.
"Your Majesty! Why are you standing there blankly? Concentrate on the game."
"…okay."
The awkwardness lasted only a moment, as the Shawnee team put the ball between our goal posts and scored a point.
While the warriors from both teams took their places in the center again, I quietly walked to the left of the formation.
'Map window!'
As I quickly scanned the audience seats through the map window, I couldn't help but wonder once again. There aren't any red dots, they're all blue.
I could be mistaken. but.
'Let's just turn it on just in case.'
The elder who was watching the judgment asked me while looking at my face.
"Your Majesty the Emperor! Are you ready?"
"We are ready, so you can start the game."
As soon as I finished answering, the 'fast-footed deer' came up to me and started nagging me.
"Your Majesty the Emperor! Why have you been acting like this since a while ago? What are you going to do if you lose the game? This is a game that involves the honor of the tribe. Let's do our best."
"I told you, I got it."
Then, the sound of the flute rang out and the game began again. The Lenape tribe, which had lost a point, took the lead.
A Lenape woman began to pass the ball, safely back to the ground. I shouted to my Lenape warriors as they saw the Shawnee warriors rushing toward our camp to try to steal the ball passed by the 'Flying Deer'.
"Each of you stop one person!"
"We're going to attack the left side now!"
Lenape warriors, including myself, began to obstruct the Shawnee warriors' advance. While the men of the two camps were engaged in a fierce physical fight, our team's women began to run at a terrifying speed, passing the ball back and forth down the wide-open left field.
The Shawnee women desperately tried to stop them with their whole bodies, but it was already too late.
"One point of the Lenape tribe!"
The Lenape team hugged each other and screamed in joy as they put the ball between exactly two sticks. After our Lenape team's ceremony, the lead went to the Shawnee tribe, who had taken a point from us.
Peeeeeeeeeee!
As play resumed, the Shawnee women quickly crossed the line into our camp, exchanging passes. I shook off the Shawnee warriors who were blocking me and took the lead in securing a place to pass.
"This way!"
"be careful!"
A Shawnee woman, surrounded and pressured by Lenape women, threw the ball hard to the right, flustered.
"Take it!"
At that moment, I flew and quickly snatched the ball that had no owner. However, under the Pahsaheman rules, the ball could not be passed or carried with the hands.
Before I knew it, the Shawnee warriors were running towards me, trying to pressure me. I quickly put the ball on the floor and kicked it with all my might.
Phew! Phew!
Even though I had two sticks and a fair distance between them, the ball I kicked went flying straight into the air. Cheers erupted from the stands.
Waaaaaaaaaaaaah!
"Can the ball go that far?"
"As expected of His Majesty the Emperor!"
"What? Even the stick is flying away."
The ball, which was flying in a very large parabolic arc, passed right between the two sticks.
"One point of the Lenape tribe!"
At the same time as the elders shouted for the referee, 'The Moon Rises' and 'Stars in the Sky' in the audience shouted with more joy than anyone else.
"A very big two thousand days! Very good job!"
"Dad! You're the best!"
I ran back to our camp and did a simple ceremony, pointing at them with my finger. Before we knew it, the 'Swift Deer' and our Lenape team members approached us to offer their congratulations.
"That was a wonderful kick, Your Majesty!"
"Please do it again next time."
"From now on, any ball that falls on the floor will be kicked by His Majesty the Emperor."
After a while, the game between the Shawnee and Lenape tribes ended with the Lenape tribe winning.
7 to 3.
The original Pahsaheman game rules state that the first team to score 12 points wins the game without a time limit. So, sometimes the games went on late into the night, and I had to change the rules myself.
The match time limit is thirty minutes for each half. In the second half, I kept my promise to my daughter and scored another point with a long kick. After saying goodbye to the opposing team, the Shawnee tribe, I left the stadium.
Perhaps because of the victory in the game, the Lenape warriors and women spoke to me with light steps.
"Thank you for your hard work, Your Majesty the Emperor!"
"It's great because it doesn't waste any energy since it's finished in an hour."
"Your Majesty the Emperor! I ask you to join us in the next match as well."
I listened to them and quickly looked around, checking the map window. As expected, there was no red.
'…hmm!'
I occasionally checked the map window during the match, but I didn't see any red dots. But just in case, I didn't close the map window and left it as is.
* * *
"Susquehannock Tribe advances to the finals!"
Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!
9 to 8.
The Susquehannock Tribe, coming off a narrow win over the Mohawk Tribe, made a huge splash at Pahsaheman to eventually secure a spot in the finals.
"Your Majesty the Emperor! The Susquehannock tribe warriors are quite well-suited to your hands and feet."
The 'Fast Deer' was full of vigilance as he watched the Susquehannock tribe play against our Lenape tribe in the finals.
"Your Majesty! The Susquehannock tribe's warriors are quite well-suited to our hands and feet. I don't think we'll lose, but I think we should still be careful."
Like a game analyst, the 'Fast Deer' began to coolly analyze the Susquehannock Tribe's strength.
"If we can just block the main characters, I think we can win. And Your Majesty the Emperor! Please kick me into the stick again."
"If you get the chance, you have to score."
Since we made it to the finals, it was natural to want to win. A short while later, as expected, a fierce battle broke out with the Susquehannock tribe.
4 vs 4.
Since both tribes play a style that relies on excellent defense, the score was not high. Pahsaheman's performance was also almost the same.
As I was concentrating on the game, sweat started to form on my forehead.
"The enemy is charging again!"
"You can't afford to lose points at this hour."
"Stop it!"
Is it because I played in so many matches on my way to the finals? The Susquehannock tribe and our team, the Lenape tribe, were both very tired.
And now there are only five minutes left. If it ends like this, it will go into overtime. But personally, I didn't want to see the match go into overtime.
'Let's end it like this.'
Up until now, I've been just running around without using my full abilities. I marked the other woman like a leech and waited for the ball to fall from her hands.
"Got it!"
At that moment, our team's woman who had intercepted her pass was looking around with the ball in her hand. The warriors and women of our team shouted urgently at her.
"His Majesty the Emperor must kick the ball."
"Quickly pass it to His Majesty the Emperor."
She quickly threw the ball at my feet. At the same time, Susquehannock warriors and women came rushing toward me.
Even if you kick the ball here now, it will be blocked by the opponent's body.
then….
I lightly kicked the deerskin ball with my foot. The ball flew high above my head, tracing a small arc that easily knocked aside the Susquehannock warrior blocking my way.
I used to play soccer a bit in school, so I started running towards the opponent's half, showing off some cool individual dribbling.
Swish! Swish!
Make the opposing warrior hesitate by jumping on the wrong foot.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Make your opponent's warriors look like fools with Marseille Turn.
Hot! Hot!
He easily beat three players with a phantom dribble. Shouts of admiration were heard from the audience one after another.
Waaaaaaaaaaaaah!
Even the Shawnee warriors and our Lenape warriors were amazed at my splendid footwork.
"..."
Finally, there was no one in sight to block my path. No, from behind, the Susquehannock warriors were running madly toward me.
The distance to the goal is approximately twenty meters. Ten seconds left. I kicked the ball with all my might, with my toes pointed up.
Phew!
The ball hit the instep and flew low and fast between the two sticks. At that moment, the referee's voice was heard loudly.
"One point of the Lenape tribe!"
At the same time, the Lenape tribe team cheered with joy.
"I won!"
"I was certain of victory from the moment His Majesty the Emperor took the ball."
As soon as I finished my fist-pumping ceremony, the Susquehannock warriors and women came to the center of the field with the ball in their hands, their shoulders slumped, as if they sensed defeat.
And the moment the ball was passed, the elder referee signaled the end of the game.
"Lenape Tribe Victory!"
Waaaaaaaaaaaaah!
The Pahsaheman Games, held to promote harmony and unity among the tribes belonging to the 'Sun of the Sky', ended with the Lenape tribe winning.
'We could open the Olympics by adding a few more games.'
As His Majesty the Emperor consoled the Susquehannock Tribe team, who had unfortunately lost in the finals, the people in the stands suddenly swarmed into the stadium like a swarm of bees.
"It was the best final ever."
"His Majesty the Emperor's last gallop was truly spectacular."
"The Susquehannock Tribe lost, but they played very well."
"I can't wait for next year's competition."
In an instant, the stadium was filled with Pahsaheman players and people.
"Your Majesty the Emperor! Please shake my hand."
"I am so happy to see His Majesty the Emperor here in person."
"It is an honor, Your Majesty the Emperor!"
At that moment, I felt a strong murderous aura behind me.
Not one, but two.
Swish! Swish!
Where did you get it? Two sharp daggers quickly dug into my chest and side. People were crowding around me, so there was no room to dodge the daggers.
The judgment was faster than ever. I thought of the shield and dagger stored in my inventory. Before I knew it, I had lifted the shield in my left hand and covered my body.
The two Iri Tribe trainees who had attempted to assassinate me looked utterly bewildered as their daggers were uselessly blocked by their shields.
At the same time, the people around me screamed and shouted urgently.
"It's assassination!"
"These tribesmen have attacked His Majesty the Emperor!"
At that moment, as soon as the final match ended, the 'Honest Bear' and the guardsmen who had come running to the stadium to escort me rushed in.
"Honest bear! I'll kill them all!"
"You can't kill him."
Before I could stop him, the 'Honest Bear's' huge axe struck the Iri tribe warrior's head with a mighty blow.
Phew!
There was a sound of skulls breaking and brains flying everywhere. At the same time, the royal guard warriors swung their swords mercilessly, hacking at the last remaining Iri tribe warrior.
Wheeeeeek! Phew! Phew!
'shit!'
For a moment, a curse almost came out of my mouth. I looked down at the two cold corpses, whose forms were already unrecognizable, and let out a sigh without realizing it.
Phew!
"I can't even ask who bought it."
However, I had a rough idea which tribe was trying to kill me.
* * *
Pahsaheman – Traditional football of the Lenape people.