Viviane missed.

The very first shot she’d ever fired in the arena skated off of Galahad’s thick pauldron and crashed into the stone floor where it laid uselessly.

Despite the twinge of disappointment that Viviane felt, her shot had actually been quite impressive. She had missed her mark, but it had still connected with a knight who was moving faster than most could see.

But the arrow had served a different purpose.

Not expecting the sudden ranged attack, Galahad flinched, and when he did Medrauta didn’t miss a beat.

“Hah!” With a clarion cry, Medrauta pivoted and thrust her sword upward, staining its once pristine blade as its tip pierced through a gap in Galahad’s armor.

“Guh!” Galahad retreated quickly. Medrauta’s thrust had pierced into his shoulder, making it difficult for him to wield his heavy sword with enough speed to match Medrauta’s alacrity. He could no longer afford to fight offensively. At least, not as a swordsman.

A fiery aura lifted off of Galahad’s body as Princess Gwenhwyfar bestowed her Crest upon him, an enormous pillar of light and flame bursting forth from her body like a dress woven from a phoenix’s feathers. Similarly, Galahad’s body was now wreathed in ethereal flame as he wasted no time accepting the Crest’s boons unlike Medrauta who had rejected it.

“Ignis Fatui!” Galahad shouted, causing four flaming swords to manifest around him.

“Not this shit again,” Medrauta clicked her tongue in annoyance. While she was perfectly capable of dealing with five opponents at once, the problem laid in the Ignis Fatui’s ability to regenerate even if dispersed.

Galahad charged toward Medrauta, swinging his enormous blade in a wide arc without concern for defense and forcing Medrauta to retreat as the flaming blades cut off her chances of counterattacking before the prince could recover.

After all, Galahad had learned from their previous match. So long as his attacks covered a large enough area to prevent Medrauta from weaving in, the Ignis Fatui would be able to ward off anything she attempted.

“...Shit,” Medrauta grit her teeth as her mind raced through the options available to her. Normally, she would’ve attempted to stall the match and leverage her superior swordsmanship to gradually find openings and exploit them. Even with Galahad’s obvious tactic, she was sure she could outmaneuver him eventually.

Unfortunately, such a strategy wouldn’t be possible in this match. Viviane stood only a few feet behind her, and if she backed up too much...

...We’ll lose instantly. Medrauta focused on her opponent like never before. She analyzed every minute detail of Galahad’s movements, every shimmer of light against his armor, and every breath he took. And with a sudden burst of movement, she advanced.

For a moment, Galahad was caught off guard. Attacking from Medrauta’s position was such a risky and disadvantageous move that he never considered someone as experienced as Medrauta would even attempt it.

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But that was all. He was in the superior position, and he knew it well.

Recovering instantly, Galahad swung his massive blade in yet another wide horizontal arc, sending it crashing into Medrauta’s side even as her longsword had leapt forward with impossible speed.

Medrauta slammed into the ground and spat out a globule of blood. Her half-plate had taken the brunt of the blow, but she knew she’d broken at least two ribs thanks to that maneuver. Even so, she’d managed to cut through one of the Ignis Fatui that attempted to shield Galahad, allowing her to mark his face with a long but shallow cut.

And in the midst of all this, Viviane still hadn’t fired a single arrow.

What should I do...? He’s so fast... And his armor... Viviane stood still, uselessly watching the scene play out before her yet again. She could feel the tears welling up in her eyes as always. Even though she had worked so hard, she was still useless.

Viviane’s lips parted. She wanted to say something, to apologize to Medrauta even as the silver-haired knight fought desperately against the prince’s onslaught.

But no words would come out. There simply wasn’t a way she could express all the pain and regret that she felt.

I was a fool to even challenge the princess in the first place... Did I really think two weeks would be enough...? I—

“Viviane!”

Medrauta’s shout pierced through the despair that clouded her mind like a ray of light cutting through unfathomable darkness. “We’re gonna win. And then you’re gonna finish that goddamn sentence of yours!”

“Like hell I’ll let you win!” Galahad retorted as he brandished the enormity of his sword through the air once again, forcing Medrauta backwards.

Though Medrauta had dispelled the anguish that once seized Viviane’s thoughts, the noblewoman still wasn’t sure what she could do. Galahad’s armor was too thick for her arrows to pierce through, and he moved far too quickly for him to target his exposed head.

“Damn it!” Medrauta cursed, more frustrated than ever. “He’s wide open, but I can’t fuckin’ go in! If only I could do something about those goddamn flaming pieces of shit!”

Medrauta’s last line reverberated within Viviane’s ears. Her eyes widened in realization.

That’s it! Viviane’s face lit up as she gripped her bow tightly, drawing an arrow from her quiver and nocking it to her bow. I’ve finally found it! Something I can do!

“Medrauta! Focus on attacking the prince!” Viviane shouted.

“Huh!? I—”

“Just trust me, Medrauta!”

Medrauta risked a look back at Viviane, and what she saw stunned her.

Viviane’s golden hair streamed behind her in an unseen wind like luminous rays of sunlight. Her brilliant eyes glowed with a light of determination so strong, it was almost blinding. It was the most beautiful thing Medrauta had ever laid eyes on, and she felt her heart nearly skip a beat.

But most beautiful of all was her smile. Her smile that told Medrauta everything was going to be alright. Her beautiful smile that heralded victory even before it was achieved.

That sole expression contained the unfathomable depths of her feelings for Medrauta.

Medrauta knew she had to look away, but she didn’t want to. She wanted to burn Viviane’s resplendent image into her eyes for all eternity. But alas, even eternal beauty was made ephemeral on the field of battle.

Reluctantly, she tore her gaze free from her lady and returned her attention to Galahad. The sight of the heavily armored prince brought Medrauta back to reality. More than that, she now truly understood what her role as a knight was.

The prince readied his sword.

Medrauta did the same.

For the first time in her life, she wanted to win, not for her own glory or to redeem her worthiness as a knight. No. Her desire for victory stemmed from a far more simple reason.

I want to see that smile for the rest of my life, Viviane.