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Theodore POV
What a weird guy.
But anyway, the man was gone now. He had to finish his business with the old man and get back to the tournament. His match was today, after all. Thankfully it didn't take that long to get it done, and the man even gave him a discount. A hefty one, at that. He seemed genuinely excited about solving this puzzle whatever it was.
With that, he was ready for his match with Tessia.
She was going to be an interesting opponent, that's for sure. In his eyes she was an elite competitor, her being Rank 4 didn't matter much to him. What mattered was that she was trained by the Sword Saint.
Getting to where it was taking place as he practiced his mana Theodore couldn't help but feel a bit excited. He materialized into the VIP room where the others were present and they all looked at him as he appeared. Sitting down without acknowledging anyone but Jason, he played around with mana until Tessia materialized in there.
Everyone looked at her, and Garrett actually smiled. "Well well, if it isn't the Sword Saint's disciple."
Huh. What did he even want with her? He hadn't really bothered her before this, but why was he bothering her now?
Tessia ignored the man and simply sat down on her seat where she looked at Theodore and nodded, prompting him to nod in return. Garrett fumed but didn't move from his place while Theodore was busy thinking.
It was true that Tessia was the Sword Saint's disciple, but he wondered why she hadn't used his sword yet. Which she had inherited. Was it that she hadn't found anyone worth using it on? Or was it something else.
Regardless, if she respected him enough as a fighter, she would take it out. After all, he didn't come here to beat a punching bag. He came to fight the Sword Saint's student. If she walked into that ring empty-handed, he would be severely disappointed.
***
General POV
The arena erupted into cheers as the two contestants walked into the arena.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we've got Theodore and Tessia!"
It wasn't just the arena that was cheering, though. The entire city was watching. And many even beyond that, through various means, though these people were strong enough to have the luxury to do so.
"Get em! Kick his ass, Tess!"
"Show him your sword! Show him the might of the Sword Saint's disciple!"
"Beat that bastard into the ground! I bet on you, don't make me a loser!"
People were screaming from the stands, and it was clear they had their favorites. Some were even betting on the match. But it wasn't just the common people. It was the nobles too.
And not only were the nobles betting, the king himself was watching. King Alexander Lockheart had always been a fan of the tournament, and he made sure to watch every match. Even if it was only on the crystal. But this time, he had a personal stake in this tournament.
His son was fighting against a disciple of a man strong enough that even his father praised him. And to Alexander Lockheart, that was a pretty rare feat. It was enough to pique his interest, and it made him pay close attention to the match.
"Theodore has been doing quite well, hasn't he?"
His wife said, standing beside him.
"He has. I'm surprised, to be honest. He's doing better than I expected. He's a lot stronger than I thought he was," he said, watching the match closely. "And he has changed much from the last time I saw him, too. His soul is... different."
"Different? Different how?" she asked, curious. "He seems the same to me. Well, he's grown up a bit, of course, but he's still our son."
"No, he's... he's more mature. He's calmer. He's more... confident. I don't know how to explain it. It's like he's a different person," he said, watching the match closely. "But also the same. It's confusing."
"He's our son," she said, "of course he's changed. He's gotten older. He's grown up. He's not a little boy anymore."
"I suppose," the king said, watching the match closely.
With the match starting to a strong start with both Theodore and Tessia throwing themselves at each other going for a quick finish, it was a sight to behold.
Especially when they clashed.
Theodore was the aggressor, and Tessia was the one who was on the defensive. She was parrying his blows, dodging his attacks, and trying to find an opening to counterattack. But Theodore was relentless. He was a relentless fighter, and he was pushing Tessia to her limits.
The fight made many of those watching wonder why Theodore was suddenly so aggressive. Was he trying to finish this fight early? It was hard to tell, but one thing was for sure: This match was going to be a good one.
***
Jasper POV
Jasper was watching the match with the other organizers and he was enjoying the spectacle. They were seated in one of the VIP booths, watching the match from the best seats, and everyone watched with rapt attention.
Theodore had had been their most recent topic of discussion, and this was an interesting fight, to say the least. None of them knew how Theodore was as strong as he was despite being Rank 2. Though they had their theories, none of them knew for sure. And this fight was a good opportunity to see what he was capable of.
And they were not disappointed.
"Look at him go! He's not holding back at all," one of the organizers said. "He's really giving it his all. He's not afraid to take risks. He's not afraid to put himself in danger. What's making him go at it this aggressively? And how is he so strong?"
"Is he using relics? Is that it? Jasper, you did a thorough inspection yes?"
"Why're you asking him that again! We know he did a thorough inspection!"
"Shut up! Then how can you explain his strength! I'm saying we should inspect him again!"
"Shut it!"
The bickering between the organizers was annoying, and Jasper was growing tired of it. They were arguing about how it was impossible for a Rank 2 to be as strong as Theodore, and they were accusing him of lying about his Rank and hiding it, and even throwing jabs at Jasper saying stuff like he didn't do a proper inspection.
"Man, I thought Tessia would fare better, but look at her... she's getting dominated," one of the organizers said.
"Maybe she's just rusty," another organizer said. "Or maybe she's just not as good as we thought she was. Or is Theodore just better than her."
"I mean, she is trying to hold her own, but Theodore is, for some reason, pushing her quite a bit. Why is he doing that?"
"Who knows. But we should be careful not to draw any conclusions. Let's see how the match plays out before we make any assumptions."
And they did, they watched as the match played out. It was not even a match. It was just one person beating the other up. The match went on and it was clear that Theodore was winning, and that he was not going to let up. He was going to keep going until he won.
It was a brutal fight, and it was clear that Theodore was the better fighter. But the problem was, it didn't seem right. It was as if something was wrong with the match.
Why was she still fighting without her sword? Jasper scratched his chin, humming to himself.
"Something is wrong with the way Tessia is fighting," he muttered to himself.
"What do you mean?"
"She's not using her sword," Jasper said. "Why is she not using her sword? Why is she not even bringing it out? What is she thinking? Is she not taking this seriously? Does she think she can win without using her sword?"
What else could it be?
Given how the Sword Saint went about disciples, the fact that she even {had} his sword mean she was no longer his disciple. But that shouldn't mean she couldn't use the sword. It was quite the opposite. The Sword Saint simply felt he could teach her no more than he had. It had been same with his other disciples.
He trained them till perfection and then let them be in the world.
So the question was, why was she not using her sword? Was she trying to prove to others that she didn't need his sword to win or whatever? If that were the case, it'd be a really stupid reason. She had a good tool. She should use it.
It was not like it was something to be ashamed of.
Theodore, on the other hand, was putting on a show. He was a master of his magic, and he was using it to its fullest. He was using it to beat Tessia down, and he was using it to make her look bad. He was humiliating her, quite intentionally. Heck, he seemed to be trying to antagonize and rile her up for some reason.
Did he want her to bring out her sword?
Jasper was confused. What was the point of this? What was the point of this match? What was the point of any of it?
"Oh, she looks pissed. I've seen that look before, she's going to get serious," one of the organizers said.
"Well, it looks like he succeeded." Jasper said.
"Succeeded? What?"
"She is manifesting her sword."
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