"Now it's time to call it a day. I feel like I gained a whole level of experience with that last blast." After landing, Tiran and Aetras arrived at the final resting place of the magical puppets and saw Aya proudly waving her fist.
"Hmph, go ahead and show off. There's nothing impressive about harvesting the leftovers." Tiran snorted, dismissing the coolness of Magic. In the end, he was the one who made a mess by slashing it with his sword.
Aetras seemed somewhat regretful, carrying only a lightweight magic revolver after removing her magitech equipment. She sighed, "Looks like winning first place this time is out of the question. By the way, why would Prince Tiran participate in this kind of competition that goes beyond the standard? Isn't this taking away the adventurers' opportunities?"
"Well... it's because I want to save our daughter."
"Huh?" It took the female gunner two whole seconds to realize what he meant. She raised her hand to signal for a pause, cautiously asking, "Wait, are you referring to... Aya and... Prince Tiran?"
"Exactly." Aya nodded calmly.
The expression of the female gunner became complicated, very complicated...
After defeating the magical puppets, the treasure hunt game called "Dungeon and Warriors" had come to an end. After repelling two attempts by other participants to attack them, the boundaries had shrunk to their final state.
Most of the participants chose to leave the game with the treasures they had obtained, while a small number of people who refused to admit defeat were knocked unconscious by Aya's three fists and two kicks, and then thrown out. In the end, only Aya and her group remained in the field.
"Hey, Shuma... why do you both look so disheveled."
Tiran saw the disheveled female knight and mercenary on the central square where the boundaries had been locked in place and his expression subtly changed. "I say, Shuma, you didn't accidentally misfire, did you... also, pay attention to your appearance..."
"No way! How could I possibly be involved with this wanted criminal?"
The female knight, contrary to her usual calm demeanor, shouted with a flushed face.
"Yeah, yeah, Your Highness is thinking too much. Although I wouldn't mind... cough!" Beinrich seemed indifferent, but then he received a well-timed and precise knee strike from the female knight, directly hitting his lower abdomen. His face turned red, and he immediately squatted down.
"Are you out of your mind, young lady? I saved your life earlier!" The mercenary glared at Shuma.
"Hmph, regardless, I'm the one who killed that giant snake." Shuma crossed his arms and snorted.
Tiran and Aya stood aside, exchanged glances, and nodded in agreement. There was definitely something going on between these two, no doubt about it.
...
As they walked out of the competition area, Chip, who had been waiting for a long time, immediately approached them.
"Chip, sorry to keep you waiting..."
Before Aya could even greet him, Chip angrily grabbed her collar, his eyes behind his glasses almost bursting with fire. "You, you, you, you! Do you know what you've done?!"
"Huh? What did I do? Even if you ask me like this..." Suddenly being interrogated, Aya was a little confused. What did this mean? Also, why was he so angry?
"It's about that!" Chip pointed excitedly at the big screen used for watching the competition in the waiting area. He even seemed a bit incoherent. "You just destroyed the pinnacle of magitech technology! Do you know how brilliant that creation was?! If our professor sees this, he will roll up his sleeves and fight you!"
Damn it, is it my fault? Aya has become accustomed to unwarranted blame like this, helplessly covering her face and waving her hand. Whatever, if you want me to take the blame, then so be it. Are all researchers like this? According to your logic, even if it means sacrificing my life, I shouldn't fight back as long as it's an outstanding work, right?
Calculating the scores didn't take much time, and soon the final results of the competition were out. As expected, Aya's name was at the top of the rankings.
— After all, it was the sum of the scores of the four people, and Shuma and Beinrich even defeated a maze boss-level giant snake. The scattered points added up to more than 20,000, far exceeding the second place.
Although there was some suspicion of cheating, the rules didn't say that teamwork was not allowed. Who asked you adventurers to always go solo and be so full of themselves? Don't blame me if you're not willing to cooperate.
Transferring the points to Aya was also a decision made after careful consideration. After all, Tiran and Shuma were "official" personnel with records in Sainz, and considering that the organizers behind the scenes were also the actual authorities of Sainz, exposing their identities could cause trouble. It's better not to attract attention if possible.
Aya's name and detailed information did not appear on Milanía's list of visitors. She was only listed as a private attendant to the princess, so her identity was relatively concealed. In addition, with that string of magnificent magic that blasted Hermes, her victory wouldn't arouse much suspicion.
After a brief explanation, Aya was quickly taken away by the staff sent by the organizing committee.
The long corridor was quiet, the only sound being the footsteps echoing at a leisurely pace. Although the surrounding lights were not dim, Aya always felt a sense of oppression in this place.
Whenever she felt oppressed, she would get nervous and... keep staring at the girl walking beside her.
Whoever designed the uniforms for the dungeon employees, Aya just wanted to give them a thumbs up. The uniforms appeared to be ordinary, but they were paired with thigh-high black stockings and a low-cut design... Hmm, compared to a certain princess who only had looks but lacked a generous bosom, it was truly pitiful.
Aya thought to herself with a heavy heart.
"Um, can you stop staring at my chest?"
Feeling chilled by the suspicious gaze, the girl nervously hugged her chest and looked at Aya in fear.
"I'm sorry." Aya quickly apologized, forcibly turning her uncontrollable head back, not looking sideways, and maintaining a dignified expression.
At the end of the hallway was a heavy wooden door, guarded by two robed guardians on either side. The cold eyes beneath their hoods stared at Aya and the girl leading the way.
That gaze carried a powerful sense of oppression, similar to a berserker's roar or a dragon's roar, but the effect was far inferior. Aya chose to ignore it and fortunately released a strand of dragon aura to help protect the girl by her side.
But even so, that kind of intimidation was still terrifying for an ordinary girl.
"Please... please inform the master that the winner of the competition has arrived. I... I must take my leave now!"
Bowing ninety degrees, the girl hurriedly finished speaking at an extremely fast pace, then turned and fled.
Aya shrugged her shoulders and stepped into the door.
Inside the door was a grand hall with a completely different style from the rugged stone walls outside. The floor was covered in thick carpet, stepping on it was like stepping on cotton. The decoration looked like a medieval noble castle, with beautifully framed paintings on the walls on both sides and classical-style full-body knight armors placed against the walls. At the very end, under a curtain, was a table that seemed to be the size of a small room.
The master sat leaning against the corner of the table on the left. He was different from what Aya had imagined. She had thought that the person who could create such a bizarre competition would be someone similar to Tiran, a lunatic. But the man in front of her was dressed neatly in a formal suit, young and handsome, with slightly drooping eyes that revealed a hint of laziness. There was even a bright red rose in his chest pocket... Well, he wasn't a lunatic, but rather a playboy.
"Welcome, our brave warrior!" The master held a transparent crystal glass in his hand, raised it to Aya in a toast from afar, and then drank it all in one gulp. "I never expected the first champion of the tournament to be such a lovely girl."
Aya was too lazy to explain anymore. If she was considered a girl, then so be it. She had to accept it.
"No need to welcome me. I'll just take the reward and leave," Aya said, not bothering to pay much attention to him because Tiran had told her to hurry up. She simply stared at the playboy with dead fish eyes.
"Don't be in such a hurry, Miss Aya."
The playboy smiled faintly and extended his hand to Aya. "The reward will definitely be delivered to you, but before that, I have a question. According to the information of the participants registered here, Miss Aya is a lone bounty hunter. However, there is no record of your name in the mercenary guild or bounty hunter association. Normally, a hunter as powerful as you should not be unknown, which means... you didn't leave behind your real information, right?"
Aya tugged at the corner of her mouth. Of course not, how could she tell them her true identity?
"That's right. Does it matter? Are you saying that if I don't leave behind my real information, I can't receive the reward? Tell me, what's your relationship with × Corporation?" Aya rolled her eyes.
"No, no, no, it's just out of curiosity. We have no intention of making enemies with a strong individual over a small detail," the playboy shook his head. "But since you are a lone wolf... I wonder if Miss Aya is interested in working for me?"
