Erika matched him by raising her sword, her eyes gleaming.

Ion worried that Erika might have seen him as a dishonorable person all this time.

He swung his sword, trying hard to move according to the orthodox style he’d learned at the Academy.

It took considerable effort to suppress the habits formed during his harsh life as a mercenary.

After receiving his attacks a few times, Erika’s speed increased.

Having taught her lesson, she now seemed ready to end it.

Feeling the match would soon be over, Ion felt disappointed and racked his brain.

‘If I provoke Gerick, will he send Erika out one more time?’

Gerick had bet a large sum on this match.

Most people had bet on Erika, believing she would naturally win, so even with his large bet, Gerick wouldn’t receive much in return.

Ion knew he could never defeat Erika in swordsmanship, but he still wanted to cross swords with her a little longer.

If he couldn’t face Erika like this, he had no other way to be with her.

Clang, clang!

Ion swung his sword vigorously to match Erika’s speed, but it wasn’t enough.

Before he knew it, Ion’s sword had left his hand and was flying far away.

“Ah……”

Ion let out a disappointed sigh as he gauged Erika’s reaction.

She seemed to have lost interest in the boring conclusion of the match.

‘F*cking idiot.’

Ion cursed himself as he picked up his sword.

How could he waste such an opportunity by failing to capture even a sliver of Erika’s interest?

Erika looked down at him with indifferent eyes before leaving the arena.

Gerick cheered for Erika’s victory, grabbed her hand, and raised both their arms toward the audience.

Gerick’s associates surrounded them, congratulating both Gerick and Erika on the victory.

Ion couldn’t let it end like this.

With determination, he approached Gerick and Erika.

“How about ten thousand gold?”

With a face full of defiance, Ion made his proposal to Gerick.

Though these matches were just pastimes during breaks, the stakes had been rising with each repetition as spectators increased their bets.

With Gerick joining in, Ion was confident he could draw him in further.

Sure enough, Gerick took the bait, twisting his lips into a smile.

“Ten thousand gold? What if you go bankrupt?”

“Don’t worry about my finances. What’s it going to be? Are you in or not?”

“You really don’t know your place, trying so hard to sink even lower? I welcome it anytime.”

“Good. Tomorrow at this time, in this place. Deal?”

“Deal.”

Ion turned away coldly first.

He hoped to appear as someone trying desperately to get revenge after today’s defeat.

Gerick laughed heartily at Ion’s retreating figure.

He found it hilarious that someone with no money would succumb to emotion and put on such a show.

‘I’ll make you completely destitute.’

Gerick scanned Ion’s back with sharp eyes before turning to Erika.

The eyes with which Gerick looked at Erika seemed about to drip honey.

“Why is our Erika so cool? There’s no one in the world who uses a sword as cleanly as you do.”

“……Do I have to do this again tomorrow?”

“Huh? Why, don’t you want to? Is it because that guy’s skills are so poor it’s not fun?”

“Well, it’s not that……”

Erika was concerned about Ion betting such a large sum of ten thousand gold, but Gerick hadn’t even considered this.

Despite sharing the status of princes, everyone knew how differently Ion lived compared to Gerick.

Although Ion’s circumstances had changed significantly after catching and selling the Tiger, this was kept strictly confidential, leading to misunderstandings.

Erika didn’t mind having one match against Ion instead of Gerick, but betting money made her uncomfortable for some reason.

“That guy needs to be taught a lesson. A penniless nobody daring to bet money? Erika, let’s wake him up with a good thrashing.”

“I’m not comfortable with matches involving money……”

“He needs to be completely cleaned out so he won’t cling to us again. Just this once, okay?”

Erika reluctantly nodded and moved away, trying to hide her uneasiness.

Gerick stuck by Erika’s side until she reached her quarters, matching her pace.

Back in his quarters, Ion spent the night reviewing the day’s match, researching how to capture Erika’s interest.

He hoped that after the next match, Erika wouldn’t look at him with that expression of lost interest.

Though he couldn’t win, he needed at least one move that could surprise Erika.

‘I must make this a match that stays in Erika’s memory.’

The next day, Ion headed to the arena with firm resolve.

※※※

News of Ion raising the stakes made the arena much more crowded than yesterday.

Though everyone knew who would win between Ion and Erika, the substantial amount of money at stake had everyone placing bets.

But Ion didn’t notice the crowds surrounding the arena.

Only Erika, warming up on one side, made his heart pound.

Ion stretched while stealing glances at Erika.

His mind raced with thoughts of how to capture her attention.

Gerick approached Ion with a swagger.

“Ready to get crushed?”

“We’ll see who’s better when we face each other.”

“You’re far from coming to your senses. How can you possibly believe in yourself? Are you that disconnected from reality?”

“Is your grasp on reality so good that you push Erika forward as your champion?”

“You bastard. Erika is my person. She’ll wield her sword for me her entire life, just as she always has.”

“Why does someone who can’t even fend for himself and passes his burdens to others have so much to say?”

“If you’re jealous, just say so, you punk. Don’t pick fights for no reason.”

Ion smirked and shook his head.

He was indescribably happy to cross swords with Erika, thanks to Gerick putting her forward as his champion.

But he couldn’t tolerate Gerick claiming Erika as his own and using her according to his needs.

The problem was that Ion seemed to be the only one who thought Erika was being used by Gerick.

No one could object when Gerick loudly proclaimed that Erika was his person, his knight.

Not only at the Academy but also during external activities, Gerick was always with Erika. Since Gerick controlled even Erika’s relationships, people naturally accepted his claims.

Still, Ion wondered.

What did Erika actually think?

Was Gerick a friend to her, or her lord?

Compared to Gerick, who constantly showed affection toward Erika, her reactions remained indifferent.

That was Ion’s only remaining hope.

Though Erika appeared to be dragged along by Gerick, it didn’t seem like she had given him everything yet.

“Are both of you ready?”

Sir Peter was in charge of today’s match.

Peter formally checked if Erika and Ion were prepared.

When both indicated they were ready, Peter moved to the center of the arena.

Erika and Ion took their positions following Peter’s gestures.

“I will now begin the match between Sir Erika and Sir Ion.”

“Woooooo—”

The crowd’s cheers erupted with the starting signal.

Ion took a deep breath, raised his sword to his chest, and drew it diagonally downward.

He wanted to show proper etiquette first, avoiding yesterday’s mistake.

Erika raised her sword and drew it diagonally downward at a similar pace.

Taking that as the signal, Ion charged forward and swung his sword at Erika.

Whoosh—

It was a powerful strike that made the sound of a sword cutting through air.

But it posed no threat to Erika.

She twisted her body to avoid Ion’s sword and blocked it by swinging her own sword upward.

Ion applied pressure to their locked swords and pushed forward.

He knew that although Erika was a woman, she could freely control mana, meaning she wouldn’t be overpowered even in terms of physical strength if she channeled mana into her feet and legs.

However, Ion had no intention of fighting defensively.

He planned to unleash every attack he could, even if they were blocked.

Ion’s sword was fierce, as if he was prepared to lose an arm.

Erika’s movements changed as she blocked his sword.

If she had used only fifty percent of her skill yesterday, today she seemed to be using seventy percent.

The corner of Ion’s mouth turned up slightly.

His heart swelled as he saw Erika focusing on his movements.

Though Erika’s sword was overwhelming, he felt like he could fly to the heavens.

‘Yes, Erika, look at me more. Just a little more.’