CHAPTER 195: SEMI-FINAL MATCHES END AND AFTERMATH

Lucen, who had carried Eisen to the infirmary, placed him on the bed. Lucen sat on the little wooden stool beside the bed, tapping the edge of his boot lightly.

He glanced around. The walls were plain, cracked in a few places, and the single window let in only a sliver of light.

This was another trope he also wanted to experience. But he imagined being the one brought back to the infirmary after giving his all, and waking up to a cute or beautiful woman’s face.

’Yeah, well, I guess this guy wouldn’t really care who comes here to greet him... Still, that was the first hit I received in a match.’

Lucen touched his cheek that had been nicked. The scratch was no longer there, but he could still feel Eisen’s fist that had nearly hit him.

’Now that I think about it, I do tend to be able to avoid most hits due to battle instincts. When it was at the Novice rank, it warned me a second or two before something dangerous was coming, but now at the intermediate rank, it tells me a few seconds earlier, and my body even moves before I think about it. Yeah, this skill is pretty great. I wonder what will happen when it reaches an advanced rank. Will it be like a certain spider hero’s senses?’

While Lucen was thinking about such random things, Eisen opened his eyes. The first thing he did was look at his surroundings.

"I see... So I really lost..." Eisen spoke as he then looked at Lucen. His mind attempted to catalog the experience, to sort emotions the same way he sorted the books in his room.

But there were too many of them, overlapping, contradicting. He couldn’t find a proper category to place them. As he was deep in thought, Lucen’s voice brought him back to reality.

"Well, you did your best," Lucen responded.

Eisen exhaled softly, not dramatically, just a simple release of tension. His eyes didn’t hold frustration or disappointment, only a faint trace of acceptance.

"Yeah, I guess... You could even say that was the only time I actually tried to do my best."

"Is that so?... So how does it feel doing your best?"

Eisen paused at the question. He didn’t answer immediately, which was unusual for him.His gaze drifted upward to the ceiling, as if searching for the correct word in the shadows between the beams.

He was trying his best to think of what answer he wanted to say. This was the first time he had felt so many things at once it was rather confusing for him. After several seconds of thought, Eisen finally gave an answer.

"... Uncomfortable," Eisen said while opening and closing his hand.

"Uncomfortable?" Lucen blinked as he stared at Eisen.

Eisen nodded, slow and deliberate. "My chest felt tight, as I continued despite breathing becoming difficult. My arms and legs hurt. My heart was beating too fast. My mind kept telling me to stop, to conserve mana, to think rationally. But my body kept moving without permission. It was... Hmmm... I guess very inefficient."

Lucen couldn’t help but chuckle. "You’re the first person." ’In this life and the last.’ "To ever say going all out is inefficient."

Eisen watched Lucen’s shoulders shake with laughter, and though he didn’t fully understand what was amusing, he found the sound strangely comforting.

It differed from the others, who seemed to laugh at him mockingly or sarcastically. There was a sort of authenticity in Lucen’s laughter.

Eisen tilted his head lightly, considering that. "Yes... It was a rather inefficient way to use one’s body. Still... To never stop, to continue onward despite how illogical... It felt... Good."

Lucen raised an eyebrow. "Hoh... Good, is it?"

"Yes," Eisen continued softly. "I’ve never pushed myself like that before. Well, to be fair, I was never pushed to my very limits before. Never fought without calculating every possibility. Never acted without logic. It felt reckless, irresponsible, and well, pointless." He then looked at Lucen with a slight curl to the right side of his lips. "And yet... It was enjoyable."

Lucen was rather shocked to see that small smile on Eisen’s face. He then showed a grin as well. "Well, that’s good to hear."

Eisen’s expression shifted minutely, no smile this time, but something warmer, like a quiet acknowledgment.

"I’m glad that you were my opponent."

Hearing what Eisen said, Lucen shrugged his shoulders. "Well, you did entertain me as well. I find you quite interesting."

"Is that so?... I guess I do too. I also learned a lot from this match. So many things, about myself as well. It would seem that before looking outward, I need to look inward first."

Eisen then placed his hand on his chest and spoke. "It would seem that I don’t like losing."

"Nobody does."

"Then I’ll make sure to win next time," Eisen responded with that flat tone of his.

Lucen looked at Eisen’s expressionless face a little and then started laughing. "Sure, you can try. But I don’t plan on losing anytime soon."

Eisen blinked at Lucen’s laughter. His head tilted slightly, that tiny gesture he always made whenever he encountered something he didn’t fully understand.

Now that he looked at Lucen, for some reason, Eisen could not begin to imagine this person losing.

’I lost to him once, and I’m already thinking about such things. I guess, while I’m at it, I’d better study how people’s minds work.’

Eisen was feeling excited to do something; there were so many firsts that were happening to him today.

’To challenge something, to try and achieve a goal. It would seem that I did not truly understand such things until today.’

While he was thinking Eisen’s stomach growled rather loudly. "It would seem that I have depleted too much energy and require sustenance."

The second Eisen said those words, Lucen once again started laughing heartily. "Hahaha! You really are something else. When I thought you were getting close to looking like a human, you suddenly spoke like that."

"Huh? What do you mean? I’m simply stating a fact. I am human, which is why I need sustenance to replenish my energy."

Lucen wiped a tear from the corner of his eye, still laughing. "Yes, yes, you are indeed a human. Alright then, come with me, let’s go and eat."

"Will it be free?"

"Of course."

The two of them then left the infirmary. Eisen followed behind Lucen as they headed to the Thornehart Estate.

***

While Lucen and Eisen were talking, the people in Caelhart were talking even more excitedly than in the past few days of the tournament.

No matter where you went, no matter what corner of Caelhart you were in, there was only one thing anyone was talking about, and it was the match between Lucen and Eisen.

Children swung imaginary punches at each other, reenacting the final exchange between Lucen and Eisen.

In every tavern, mugs clattered on wooden tables as patrons argued over techniques, footwork, and exaggerated stories of the fight.

Some insisted Lucen had eaten monster meat and drank their blood to become that strong. Others swore Eisen was some secret noble from a fallen house of a different kingdom.

The stories ranged from word-for-word boring facts to wild, imaginative stories about Lucen and Eisen’s lives.

Even in the betting places, no one was shouting that they lost their money; instead, they kept on talking about Lucen and Eisen’s match.

Those who won the bets sang praises for Lucen’s undeniable skill and power. There were even some drunks shouting.

"For the North!"

"To Lucen Thornehart!"

Who would have thought the person most people considered to be the weakest of the four ducal heirs was actually the strongest?

After watching Lucen’s matches, and knowing that the only damage he has ever received from the beginning of the tournament to now was the nick on his cheek.

Now, many people can’t even imagine Lucen losing. It was like he wore victory like it was his and his alone.

There were also quite a few who were talking about Luce and Eisen’s conversation. Especially that line Lucen said about a smile being a tool, and also a way to strengthen one’s resolve, and to even trick yourself to make the fear disappear.

Those words of his resonated with quite a lot of people. To the children who dream of becoming knights and mages. To the veterans who had been to countless battles.

There were now a few who started smiling without much reason, but simply to hide what they truly thought. Some even decided to continue to smile and never show another expression again.

***

Right now, the very idea of Lucen Thornehart losing in the finals against Elyra Runescar was something no one could imagine ever happening.

So no one was that excited to see the match tomorrow, since unlike all the other matches, this one seemed so one-sided.

It was not that Elyra was weak. In fact, she had proved time and time again that she was someone not to be trifled with, but her opponent, Lucen, was something else entirely.