"Poncho!"
"Gordon!"
"Poncho!"
"Gordon!"
Cheers and shouts ran all over the place as the two men devoured food like there was no tomorrow.
On the stage, Poncho and his opponent ordered food after food, feasting as they competed against each other.
"Looks like Sir Poncho met his match," Hakuya said, observing the competition calmly. Damon sat beside him, hands crossed, looking unbothered.
"Really? I think Poncho is clearly winning here."
Well, that was true. Poncho was clearly three servings ahead of Gordon, both devouring food like wolves.
Suddenly, as the competition was going smoothly, Poncho stopped eating. His face twisted in discomfort as he clutched his stomach instead of reaching for more food.
"What is it? What's happening? Poncho suddenly stopped eating!" the announcer exclaimed. "Look, Gordon is catching up now!"
Gordon, without any regard for his opponent, didn't even look at Poncho and instead continued eating, slowly closing the gap.
"What is it?"
"Does his stomach ache?"
"Hah… pig. Eating so much, obviously his stomach's going to burst."
The audience split—some distressed over Poncho's condition, others, especially those who bet on his opponent, mocking him.
"Uak… uak."
Clutching his stomach, Poncho suddenly began to vomit. All the food he had devoured poured out of his mouth.
"Ek—!" The staff shrieked at the sudden vomit as they hurried to take him off the stage, while Gordon caught up and took the lead.
"It looks like Poncho is down! Gordon wins!"
Some cheered, while the rest looked concerned for Poncho, who was being treated by the stationed healer.
"Goodness…" Hakuya gasped, watching all this unfold, as Damon stood up and went after Poncho.
Lying on the ground, still clutching his stomach, Poncho twisted in agony while the healer used light magic on him—but it had no effect.
"…Magic isn't working," the healer said in defeat, shaking his head.
"B-ba…" Clutching his stomach, Poncho tried to speak. "B-bathroom…"
"O-oh yes! Hey, you all, escort him to the bathroom," the healer commanded the staff, then added with a laugh, "Looks like he just ate too much and upset his stomach, haha."
"It's nothing serious. His stomach's just upset… pretty badly. In a day or two, maybe he'll be back to normal," the healer said, chuckling.
The surrounding men also laughed, except for Hakuya and Damon—Hakuya sighing in relief while Damon stayed quiet.
"Thank God," Hakuya muttered, shaking his head. "Sir Poncho really had a chance in this tournament."
Side-eyeing Damon, he continued, "With his gift, he was sure to win and get an audience with the king. Don't you think so, Sir Damon?"
"Yeah… he would have won." Shaking his head with a wry smile, Damon replied in a tone of shared regret while glancing at the screen in front of him.
[Ability to temporarily induce instant and severe food poisoning to the target once marked]
"Too bad this happened…" Damon said, his face showing disappointment and grief. "But everyone has their own destiny."
"Maybe winning this tournament wasn't in Poncho's fate," Damon added sagely, to which Hakuya nodded.
"Yes, fate… what a strange thing it is." A faint amusement played on Hakuya's lips. "So what now?"
"You've withdrawn your name from the martial arts tournament… and Sir Poncho's been disqualified now. What will you do next?" Hakuya asked, curious about Damon's next move.
"Hmm… let's see. I'd like to stay in Parnam for some time before heading north," Damon said thoughtfully. "In the meantime, I'd like to earn some good money and gather enough funds."
"So you plan to start a business?" Hakuya tilted his head, intrigued.
"The new economic reforms are really friendly to merchants nowadays—lower tax rates and laws that favor domestic growth," Damon explained. "I think there's no better place on the continent than Parnam right now to earn money."
Money was Damon's priority to realize his ambitions. Though he could easily rob a few cities—or even the royal treasury—it was better to grow in a standard way and use his fame wisely.
'…The country's already on the brink of economic collapse. Not to mention the food crisis. I can't rob them, you know,' Damon thought. 'How kind-hearted I am.'
The Oakshade robbery and Rendalia's forest curse—people didn't know it yet, but Damon had been involved in both. If misfortune began happening everywhere he went, it wouldn't be long before people traced it back to him.
'My reputation would be ruined…' he mused. 'All my staged acts would be for nothing if I keep doing things without regard for consequences.'
"…By the way, Hakuya, I have a favor to ask of you—you see—" Damon began, but before he could continue, a loud commotion drew his attention.
"Ack! Stop!"
"Hey, get her!"
Screams of pain and fury echoed from the distance, growing louder as the commotion approached them.
Damon frowned, listening to the chaos, but his eyes widened when he saw a silver-haired figure leap out of the crowd.
She had brown skin and a striking silver ponytail. Wearing chest armor and gauntlets, she looked every bit the warrior. Her slender legs peeked out through the slit in her waist cloth—moderately muscular and healthy.
Her ears were long and pointed, her silver hair flowing gracefully. A girl more than a foot shorter than Damon landed before him, green wind magic fading from around her.
Small though she was in size compared to Damon, her presence was remarkably strong. Just standing in front of Damon was enough to make him stand alert. Her aura was like that of a beast—strong and ferocious. Even Damon could feel the danger radiating from her, unlike anything he had ever felt before.
'If we fought… would I win?' Damon wondered, his gaze fixed on the strongest warrior of the kingdom—who, at that very moment, was sizing him up in the same way.
"…Are you the one they call the Saint?" the dark elf asked, holding her sword and fixing Damon with a serious gaze.
'Finally We Meet'
The character Damon wanted most by his side. The one he had wished for. The one behind most of the drama he had orchestrated.
The character finally stood before him in the flesh.