“Because he lost to a Black Cat?”
A proud Blue Cat lost to a lowly Black Cat. I didn’t think the leader of Blue Pride would’ve let him off easy. Maybe “suspend” was code for “hanging,” but Zehmet corrected her.
“No. His words were out of line, even if they were under the pretense of firing up the crowd. I apologize for his sake.”
“…!”
Zehmet hung his head low. The declaration shocked Fran and baffled me, especially because he was telling the truth. I’d activated Essence of Falsehood as soon as Zehmet started talking…but he hadn’t uttered a single lie so far.
“I plan on demoting Seith from his position, as well. I want to eliminate the prejudice against Black Cats.”
Fran was confused by these impossible words. “What are you talking about, Blue Cat? Have you lost your mind?”
“Ha ha…you would think that. And I understand that you don’t believe me. But trust me when I say that I have no intention of underestimating you, and that I despise the slave trade.”
Fran looked at him with suspicion. She couldn’t trust him. Who was to say this wasn’t all a ploy to make her go easy on him? “If you want to fool me, you need to come up with better lies,” she spat, but there were no lies here.
Fran, this guy hasn’t told a single lie so far.
Are you kidding me?
Wish I was. He’s telling the truth. He really is sorry.
Fran bored deep into Zehmet’s eyes. He didn’t waver, because he had nothing to hide. Even so, Fran couldn’t believe it. “You’re lying!” she screamed in a flustered rage.
I sympathized with her confusion. It was like meeting a mob boss who turned out to actually be a good person. The encounter would’ve been difficult to believe under any circumstance, but it was even more impossible to take in right before a battle.
Calm down, Fran. It doesn’t change what we came here to do.
Whether Zehmet was telling the truth or not didn’t matter. For now, we had a fight to win.
“Hm. I’ll cut you down, then think about it,” Fran muttered, readying her blade.
“You’re right. This is not the time for such discussion.” Zehmet had no intention of backing out, either. He drew his blades—one on his back and one on his hip. This guy was a dual-wielder.
He’s strong, Fran.
But he’s a Blue Cat.
Even then, he’s strong.
All right…
Zehmet had a good balance of skills and stats. As a mercenary, he was able to wield multiple weapons, but he preferred swords. No wonder he made it through the qualifiers. He was evolved, too—a Blue Leopard, to be precise. Underestimating him would be a bad move.
Name: Zehmet
Age: 36
Race: Blue Cat; Blue Leopard
Class: Blitz Knight
Level: 53/99
HP: 541; Magic: 236; Strength: 217; Agility: 322
Skills: Stealth 3; Evasion 5; Danger Sense 6; Bow Arts 3; Bow Mastery 4; Vigilance 4; Sword Arts 8; Sword Mastery 10; Advanced Sword Mastery 2; Command 6; Raise Morale 3; Kick Arts 4; Kick Mastery 5; Blink 10; Flash Step 3; Interrogate 4; Spear Arts 2; Spear Mastery 3; Dual Blade Mastery 5; Elemental Blade 2; Climb 7; Poison Resistance 3; Water Magic 3; Paralysis Resistance 2; Spirit Manipulation; Sense of Direction; Night Vision
Class Skill: Awaken; Blitz Blade; Leopard Paw
Titles: Glorious Founder
Equipment: Azure Dragon Fang Shortsword; Adamantine Alloy Longsword; Hydra Full Plate; Greatwing Dragon Feather Cloak; Bracelet of Status Resistance; Ring of Life Regeneration
“Are the contestants ready?”
“Hm.”
“Any time you are.”
“Very well. Begin!”
The fight commenced, and the combatants immediately made their move.
“Haaa!”
“Raargh!”
Fran threw the entire weight of her anger into her swing. While inelegant, the strike could end the fight in one blow. Zehmet crossed his blades together to block her attack, attempting to knock me out of Fran’s hands. She held on tight thanks to her superior strength and Sword Mastery.
They clashed swords, trading blows and weaving in feints to make the other drop their guard. Blow after killing blow was dodged and deflected, and it looked like they were an even match. But Fran dealt with Zehmet’s dual blades with only one of me, and eventually she got the upper hand. Sword Mastery was paying off.
Meanwhile, Zehmet was having trouble keeping up with Fran’s calm and calculated strikes. He had to turn this around before it was too late.
“Blitz Blade!”
“Hmph!”
“Urgh!”
Blitz Blade, the Class Skill of the Blitz Knight, was a high-velocity strike. It was fast, but nothing Fran couldn’t handle. In fact, the attack’s speed made it a prime target for a counter-strike. Zehmet managed to block her counter with his shortsword, but she was getting the hang of it. She’d get him next time for sure. He had the same idea, and stopped using Blitz Blade altogether.
He jumped back a great distance, abandoning his offensive. The ten-meter leap happened so fast that Fran couldn’t keep up.
“Ugh!”
Fran widened her eyes, straining to get a read on Zehmet’s next move. This was probably an effect of his other Class Skill, Leopard Paw.
“You’re very strong,” he said.
Fran stared at Zehmet. Her confusion and doubt had vanished. “You’re not bad, I guess,” she admitted.
“Thank you.”
Fran raised her eyebrows at his honest and straightforward gratitude.
“I knew Black Cats could be strong, too. Discriminating against them is a mistake.”
“…”
Now that Fran had settled down, she was more prepared to accept the man’s honest stance. She finally understood that his earlier apology was authentic.
“Never seen a Blue Cat who wasn’t a piece of garbage.” She held no malice towards him, despite her words. Fran looked at Zehmet with genuine curiosity.
“Heh…yeah… We really do need to change our ways,” Zehmet laughed bitterly. While honest, Fran’s words were still heartbreaking. He readied himself again, remembering that they were still on a battlefield. “But just because I’ve apologized to you doesn’t mean I’m going to let you win. My band’s name is at stake here. I’ll be taking this round.”
“That’s my line.” Fran readied me again, but her curiosity brought a faint smile to her lips.
“Huff…”
I felt Zehmet gather his magical energy.
“Awaken…!”
His body started to swell as soon as he uttered the word. His muscles expanded, especially his thighs and calves. Black and blue
