For a moment, Richard's face became red, and he believed Adela was in front of him. He dropped his gaze as he said.
"No, it isn't like that. I don't want to disrespect you; I'm only concerned about your security. I would answer to my master and your daughter if something were to happen to you."
Richard hesitated a minute before speaking. He was conversing with the mother of his love. He had talked before with Veronica, but he had never been anxious. But now he was really eager to speak with Veronica.
Veronica lightly smiled at Richard. Richard's eyes widened when he noticed she was beaming brightly. The smile was really serene. Richard gave a mournful look for a brief period as memories of his mother flashed through his head. He spoke with a firm voice.
"And also, somehow, I felt the Lycan was targeting me from the beginning."
"What do you mean by that?" Veronica asked, with narrowed brows and an inquisitive tone.
"Yes, it appears that someone bewitched the Lycan to kill me. The Lycan was much stronger than usual." Richard stated this as he continued to study the Lycan.
"So, kindly let me handle it, duchess." He raised his dagger gradually while speaking.
"Are you trying to kill the Lycan with this dagger?" Veronica said as she eyed his blade.
In the meantime, the Lycan snarled and began racing toward Richard and Veronica. Richard did not feel the need to respond. Richard also got ready to attack the Lycan, but just as he was about to strike the Lycan, something unexpectedly stopped him.
He squinted his eyes and took a quick glance before realizing he was behind a magical barrier. The Lycan struck the barrier immediately. But the Lycan could not break it. The barrier was more powerful than any previous barriers created by other sorcerers. He saw Veronica leap and hurl her potent fireballs at the Lycan right in front of him. The Lycan swerved abruptly and turned to face Veronica. It then turned back to look at Veronica before casting a vicious glare towards Richard.
The Lycan was determined to teach Veronica a lesson, so it raced up, climbed the short slope, and leaped to catch her. But quickly avoiding the Lycan, Veronica leaped to the ground. She drew her blade out and pointed it at the Lycan. The Lycan growled at Veronica and sprinted in her direction. It was swift, and it quickly assaulted Veronica.
[Clank]
The blade of Veronica and the Lycan's claws clashed. From inside the barrier, Richard yelled out to Veronica, "Duchess."
The Lycan continuously attacked Veronica. She responded to Richard while avoiding him, "Don't worry, prince. We will win the fight and then return before the match is over."
[Clank]
The Lycan viciously attacked Veronica. When Richard finally turned his attention to his hands, he saw his wounds were healing. But the pain in his chest worsened. He bent down and clutched his chest. He was having problems breathing. Suddenly, he became aware of another sense. But it was beyond the barrier. Richard could make out the black smoke that was around the barrier. Although the black smoke appeared to be a humanoid, there was no face; it was just smoke. Richard gazed into his eyes when he noticed it. He paused as he held the crystal in his palm, thinking that now was not the moment.
[Wallachia]
Erin and Adela were standing in the opposite corner of the field. Because the battleground had been destroyed. They destroyed everything there. Imperial sorcerers went there to make repairs. Ron and Draven appeared to be having an important conversation.
After some time, Ron arrived and stood next to Adela. He glanced at them before turning to face everyone.
He appeared to be about to announce the winner's name. However, everyone was perplexed about the winner. Ron stood up and made his voice heard.
"Among all the matches, this one was the most dangerous. And the players in this match are really talented. Therefore, we decide that Erin and Adela are both our winners based on the match. Because the atrocity had occurred or was about to occur, the consequences could have been disastrous. And in the end, both of our participants affected it."
"So, both Adela and Erin are chosen for round 2."
Everyone applauded as they heard the announcement. "Adela, I'm sorry," Erin murmured as she turned to face her. "I was unaware that it would occur."
"It's OK. Everything is under control now," said Adela.
But Erin arched her brows and said it while thinking about something.
"However, I'm not sure how it got to be that way. I cast that spell a lot, but I had encountered nothing like that. But things are very different now. I don't understand how they made one and become so cruel."
Adela's eyebrows furrowed as she heard Erin. She began to consider Erin's comment. Erin's comments were too important for her to merely disregard.. It seemed really suspicious. The situation did not become worse when other people called upon their pets for help. But everything changed when they called in their pets. What caused that?
Adela was contemplating Erin's remarks when Max's voice abruptly cut her off.
"Camilla is right here."
Adela turned to look at Camilla. She observed, though, as Camilla turned her attention away from her and onto Erin. "Can you check on her wound, Camilla?" Max said. "We have round 2 coming up, so we need to heal her quickly or she won't be able to compete in the next round."
Camilla gave Erin a gentle nod before approaching her carefully. Adela gave Camilla a sharp look as she folded her hands together. Camilla approached her and grasped her hand while attempting to feel her pulse. Adela was staring at Camilla as Camilla was trying to feel Erin's pulse. Camilla sensed Adela looking at her. She hesitated before speaking as she turned to face Erin.
"Would you please take a seat somewhere? I need to treat your abdomen."
Erin gave a firm nod and took a leisurely seat on a stone. Healers stopped the wound's bleeding, but its internal pain remained. When Camilla placed her hands on Erin's abdomen, the spot began to brighten. Max had seen Camilla cure Armin previously, so he was confident that she could do it. So he had faith in Camilla.
After a while, Camilla came to a halt and asked Erin, "Do you feel any pain now?"
Erin gently sat up while arching her brows. She touched her abdomen, and a smile appeared on her face. "It's gone. Camilla, you really are amazing. It will no longer hurt."
Erin stood up as she spoke and attempted to move forward. She can move around so easily now. Adela inhaled deeply before turning her attention back to Camilla. She noticed Camilla was smiling. She looked at Camilla and spoke.
"I'm also hurt. Please also take care of my hands."
Camilla's expression abruptly went melancholy as she shifted her eyes back. She lowered her head as she approached Adela gently. It appeared like Camilla was considering something or was troubled by something. Camilla promptly grasped Adela's hand and cured her wounds.
Adela's hand was being treated by Camilla, who did not even turn to face her. Adela turned her attention to Camilla and abruptly questioned her.
"What do you think about my and Erin's match, Camilla?"
When Camilla heard Adela, her hands began to tremble. She said, "Pardon, I don't get it. What do you mean by it?"
"I'm just wondering if you think it's strange that Erin's pet just suddenly made a terrible move."
Camilla had a serious expression as she focused on getting well. Camilla turned to face Adela after tending to her wound and stated, "I don't think it is unusual, Adela. Perhaps Erin used a different spell or perhaps her pet wished to protect itself, in which case the demons made a different choice."
Adela blinked gradually after hearing Camilla. She exhaled deeply after that and remarked, "I hope you're right. But what if what you're saying isn't correct?"
Camilla narrowed her eyes and stated, "When you guys were fighting, I wasn't there. I am therefore unaware of what truly occurred."
Adela received a severe glance from Camilla. She took a deep breath and said, "Well, I hope you are well now. And it will be a tad late to begin round two. So take a rest."
Camilla left without hanging around. Before Adela could ask her something, she bolted from there. She shut the door after going inside the women's restroom. Camilla struggled for breath before taking a steady breath. She mumbled while checking her hand.
"Did- Did you do that? Did you try to kill Adela?"
Camilla's voice and hands both shook. Suddenly, a voice resonated throughout her head.
"Oh, you bother me so much. You have the audacity to ask me."
Camilla squeezed her lips together as she considered what would become of the battle. Imagine if the creature killed Adela or turned the earth bloody with corpses. Camilla hid her face behind her hands. "What if everyone was killed by the demon?" she asked.
"You claimed Adela was in your bloodline. But now you're attempting to kill her. Why?" Camilla inquired, her voice shaking.
To be continued...