If You Win, Your Prize Is The Princess

T/N: I’m not sure if I misinterpreted something or the author had a continuity error, but it seems that “Fludow” is now “Magusa”. This would be the arena guy that mentored Sylia and offered her intel.

“Now then, I’d love to catch up, but first of all, I’ve got to do something about them,” the man said as he pulled out the baton from his waist.

He’s so tall and muscular, the men look like toys compared to him. But Sylia was worried about something other than that.

“Wh-Why is he here?” she asked.

If she wasn’t mistaken, that was the man she met at Brenarch’s arena. He was the one who provided her with useful intel and took care of her for a while after the finals.

Who this person was… Sylia was sure he was,

“Magusa!” Luna cried. “What are you doing here?!”

But there was one more question. The astonished Luna beside Sylia called him out by what was (probably) his name.

After being called, Magusa turned around and smiled at Luna, baring his shiny front teeth. “Hey, Princess! I’m glad you’re looking well! Hold up a minute, please!”

“Bastard! Don’t fuck with us!” a sword-wielding thug upfront yell as he thrusts into Magusa’s open back.

Look out! Sylia was just about to yell.

“Hmph!”

Magusa thrust his arm out without looking at his approaching attacker.

“Gugh?!”

Magusa grabbed the man’s arm with one hand. Then, the man found he couldn’t swing down his sword and couldn’t move, either. The desperation on his face shows he’s trying to resist but Magusa’s sheer strength seemed well above his.

“It’s not good to leave your stomach upon… NOT GOOD AT ALL!” Magusa roared.

He thrust his baton into the defenseless man’s abdomen.

“Ougah?!”

The man went flying. His face was twisted in tremendous pain. There must have been tremendous force behind the blow, as the man crashed to the ground and laid there writhing without a sound.

“Well, that leaves three more?” Magusa said as he casually kicked the incapacitated man to the side and bared his baton once more.

“Fu-Fuck…! Hey, scatter!”

The three thugs spread out in a coordinated fashion. It seems they intend to surround and attack their target.

However,

“Too slow!” Magusa yelled.

""

“Wha…?! Guah?!”

Magusa tackled the man in the middle with incredible force. The momentum sent him flying immediately, he struck a wall with unpleasant noise, slid down to the ground, and then stopped moving.

At first, there were 3 people. And now, there were 2.

“What the… how is this happening?” one of the remaining thugs shouts as he recklessly charges Magusa.

Unfortunately, the man received a vicious grapple to his cheek and was slammed into the ground.

“You guys have no meat or bones,” Magusa said, chuckling under his breath as his baton remains unused.

Sylia understands what’s going on at the moment but it’s hard to understand why.

There was no doubt that Magusa was the man Sylia met at the arena. But, then he said:

“I used to be a mercenary. That’s why I settled in this country. So when I see a strong person like you, I remember and ache for my old days.”

It didn’t add up at all. Perhaps he came to this country as a mercenary and became part of the guard but that would contradict his saying he settled in Brenarch. It was possible that he simply emigrated from there.

“Hey, over here!”

As Sylia was thinking it over with a troubled expression, more voices joined in. If you add the pickpockets who were the original villains and the men who claimed to be members of a mysterious cult, it’s become quite the gathering in this narrow back alley.

“Hey, you’re late!” Magusa said.

“You’re early, Captain! After the rescue signal came, we were going through the traffic jams at the festival grounds…”

Several people with the same weapons as Magusa rushed in. Apparently, these were the real reinforcements. As Feuille had sussed out the suspicious people before Sylia could, she told them these guys really were on their side.

However, there was a new question for Sylia:

“C-Captain?” she asked.

There was no doubt that the actual guards rushed in, as Feuille said. And they just called Magusa “Captain”. Can a single mercenary be the head of a country’s national guard? It’s been less than a year since she saw him in the arena.

“???”

There were so many things she didn’t understand but before she knew it, everything was over.

“We took them down!”

The 2 remaining men were easily restrained on the ground and moaning in pain. It’s as if they wouldn’t have won against Magusa even without the reinforcements. You could say it was all inevitable.

“Alright! Take them in,” Magusa said. “And these guys… you want them handled special?”

“Yes, because these are likely the cause of this all,” Feuille said. She briefly explained who were the pickpockets and who were the cultists.

Magusa looked unconvinced of the report but soon replied, “Be careful of your surroundings when you take them in! I’m going to go have a little chat with these ladies, so go ahead.”

“Roger!” the guards said. “The first guard will handle these ‘suspects’ from here on out!”

“Copy that!” Magusa yelled back.

The guards took the fallen men, the unconscious ones were tied up with rope and hauled on their shoulders. Incidentally, the rope was owned by the suspects. They had their tools turned against them.

“Well then, things have finally calmed down,” Magusa said with a pleased expression.

“Magusa! It’s been so long…” Luna said.

“Oh, you haven’t changed at all, Princess… no, you’re a little more beautiful. You’ve grown up.”

“Oh, is that so?” Luna said.

One of Sylia’s questions was his relationship with Luna. Why are these two, who shouldn’t have even met, talking like old friends?

When she notices Feuille, she doesn’t hide her suspicious expression. Apparently, she doesn’t know anything either and when she looks at Sylia, her face reads, “What do they mean?”

“By the way, after such a long time, the Little Missy… she’s the wife of the Princess now? I had a lot of fun back at the arena when she was around,” Magusa said.

“Ah, yeah,” Sylia said, answering for Luna. “It’s been a while… umm, I’m sorry, I’ve got too many questions to ask.”

“Did you two know each other for a long time?” Luna asked.

“Yes, that’s right… but? How did you know him, too, Luna? Umm, hmm?”

“Y-Yes, that’s because–” Luna started.

“Hold up, wait a minute,” Magusa interrupted, flashing his teeth before. “It’s going to be a little complicated. I think it’s best if we go back to the castle at once. The threat may not be over yet.”

His words advised caution. And Sylia was convinced. Thieves like those thugs seemed to have a terrible smell, attracting people like those cult members. She didn’t think they were bluffing earlier.

“I’d like to ask you n detail about what happened,” Magusa said. “Is that alright, Princess?”

Luna seemed reluctant to leave the festival grounds and return to the castle immediately, but she knew that things were going to get bigger than she expected, she figured she should leave the festival as she could no longer enjoy it.

“Alright, let’s go back at once.”

Somehow, things are getting strange, Sylia decides to join them on their return with an ill-feeling in her gut.