~Chapter 84~
Kyle quickly nodded. He had a wife who was two years older than him back in his home country.
He still hadn’t written the letter to tell her that he had arrived safely. Judging by the current situation, it didn’t seem like he had arrived safely at all.
“Do you have children?”
Kyle nodded again, confirming he had children. His twin daughters were five years old this year. Their birthday was coming up soon, and he had bought them a lot of presents. But he wasn’t sure if he could give them to them…
However, as Kyle kept answering, the man in front of him seemed to grow darker in his gaze. Kyle suddenly felt a sense of danger.
‘If I answer, I’ll be let go, right?’
As he thought that, the man let out a sharp sigh and asked again.
“I’ll ask directly. What’s your relationship with Relshiz Baltain?”
“…?”
“Were you lovers?”
“…??”
Kyle’s face was filled with confusion.
What on earth was this all about?
He didn’t understand the intention behind the question, so he couldn’t respond easily. Plus, since his mouth was still covered, he couldn’t say anything at all.
Realizing this, the man’s eyes narrowed.
Kyle quickly shook his head.
‘Lovers? No, we’re not anything like that! I’m married and have a family! Why are you asking me this?!’
Despite his frantic shaking of his head, the man remained silent, deep in thought.
“But if you answer like that, how can I be sure you’re telling the truth? If you deny it, then that’s it, right?”
The blonde-haired man spoke, and the red-haired man nodded in agreement, as if he understood.
“Ugh, ugh…”
Kyle trembled, unable to say a word.
After a brief silence, the silver-haired man made a decision.
“I think it’s better to take a closer look.”
The man mumbled to himself as he stretched out one hand toward Kyle’s head. Kyle thought he might hit him, but instead, the man just brought his hand close to his face.
In the middle of Kyle’s confusion, the silver-haired man, Aska, smiled slightly.
“This is going to hurt a little. I don’t have the time to go easy on you.”
Huh? What?
Right after the warning, a white light began to radiate from Aska’s hand.
Kyle’s eyes shook, and soon, a suppressed scream escaped him.
***
After sneaking into the designated guest seats of the Willovis family, the Duke and Duchess greeted me and Shiz with smiles.
“How are you feeling, Relshiz?”
They must have seen the chaos from yesterday.
I awkwardly smiled and nodded.
“I bet Aska pushed me hard again. I’ll have a word with him later.”
“Hahaha…”
We all knew that Aska wouldn’t care about being scolded by anyone.
“But where’s Aska?”
I thought he’d be here since there was no special schedule today, but I didn’t see him.
“Oh, you don’t know? I thought he would be with you.”
The Duke’s wife’s words surprised me slightly.
“Why would you think I’m with Aska…?”
“Oh, really? Hahaha, my mind’s all over the place.”
She laughed with a slightly suspicious smile, her face turning a little red. What was with this weird atmosphere?
“So, when does the match start?”
At my question, the Duchess’s eyes sparkled with excitement.
“The combat match! Oh my, yesterday, we saw someone amazing among our Edelheim representatives!”
“Yeah, the red-haired young man! I heard the rumors, but seeing him in person was something else.”
Even the Duke, who usually acted composed, spoke excitedly.
“You didn’t see it, Relshiz? He was incredible. He’s big, but so fast. He beat all his preliminary opponents in less than five minutes.”
“Honey! Shiz is here.”
“Oh, my mistake.”
The red-haired man with great fighting skills? I thought I knew who it was.
“Ah, he’s entering!”
After the Duke’s excited shout, the man in question entered the arena.
Even from a distance, I recognized him immediately.
“Guffero! Guffero!”
The crowd cheered loudly and whistled, calling out his name. Shiz even waved her little hands excitedly.
“Wow, the investigator!”
“I thought so…”
The man who had been the talk of the town was Felix Guffero, the head investigator of Edelheim’s Investigation Bureau, whom I had placed a bet on earlier that morning.
***
During most of the main event, I was busy shielding Shiz’s eyes from the intense matches.
“Ah, ugh, that’s going to hurt.”
Honestly, even as an adult, I could hardly watch.
Felix, a current investigator with rumors of fighting in underground arenas, mercilessly defeated his opponents.
‘It seems even more dangerous than fighting with swords or spears.’
It was truly overwhelming power.
As the final match approached, the excitement grew. The crowd cheered passionately for the strong contender.
Shiz, who could only hear the noise, looked frustrated.
“Mom, is the investigator fighting well?”
“Yeah, he’s doing great…”
“I want to see too.”
I didn’t want Shiz to get any ideas about hand-to-hand fighting. She already thought Felix was cool, so showing her the match wouldn’t help.
“No, you’re too young to watch.”
“Aww…”
Shiz stomped her feet in frustration.
Sorry, but people are getting beaten to a pulp over there…
“Hmm. He wasn’t this aggressive yesterday. Something’s strange.”
“Yeah. Could something have happened that upset him personally?”
I overheard the Duke and Duchess talking in a worried tone.
I didn’t know what the issue was, but I felt sorry for his opponent. I hoped the medical team was prepared, just like yesterday.
Just then, Felix, in the arena, swept his hair back.
“Ahhh, he’s so handsome!”
Wow, he sure has a lot of fans.
With his hair and rugged, fierce look, Felix was quite handsome in his own way. Well, as long as he stayed silent and still.
‘If he wanted to, he could probably date anyone, but why did Osquil get so mad when he tried to pair him with me?’
I remember when Shiz and I got caught up in misunderstandings with him. Luckily, I managed to clear things up.
The Duchess leaned in toward me and asked in a quiet voice.
“Relshiz, do you know him personally?”
“Yes, well, in various ways…”
I hesitated, and the Duchess’s eyes changed. A hint of anxiety or suspicion flashed in them.
“How? Are you… romantically involved with him?”
“What? No way!”
I was taken aback and quickly explained my connection with Felix.
“Wait, the investigator who used to make your life miserable? Oh, if I had known, I wouldn’t have cheered for him!”
“Oh, it’s fine. We’re not on bad terms anymore…”
Looking back, my relationship with Felix had changed quite a bit. I had thought we’d always be enemies.
I looked down at Shiz’s round head, feeling a strange emotion.
After failing the regression and seeing Shiz appear, I thought my life was ruined. But now, when I look back, so much has changed.
I’ve worked things out with Aska, solved cracks with him, heard Reyester say he’d make me ‘his person,’ and even got invited to the investigator’s home.
If an oracle had told me this future a year ago, I would’ve thought they were a fraud.
In just two seasons—spring and summer—everything had changed so much. It felt unfamiliar but… maybe in a good way.
‘This situation feels oddly peaceful.’
Without competing, without any hostility, and without major conflicts, this situation was strangely calming.
‘Am I losing my mind?’
I chuckled at the thought. Here I was, thinking about peace, while being in the most dangerous situation of a magician’s life.
***
The match schedule quickly reached the finals. Felix defeated his opponents so quickly that the event progressed faster than expected.
He finished the final match in the blink of an eye. When Felix’s final opponent fell, the crowd erupted in an enormous cheer.
“Wow!”
Medical teams quickly rushed onto the field, carrying Felix’s opponent away on a stretcher.
The announcer raised Felix’s hand alone, declaring him the winner.
