"Beautiful…" Lucas whispered. This was almost certainly the first time he had seen Katerina's eyes fully open. That intense orange color reminded him of some kind of rare magical gem one might find in a fantasy game. But that wasn't the only thing different about Katerina's eyes, now there was a wildness burning in Katerina's gaze—something Lucas was not used to seeing on her usually calm and stern face.
"I was warned that Lady Katerina was a very skilled mages, but is she also skilled in close combat?" asked Caesar, watching the lynx girl advance toward her opponent with a threatening grace.
This time Aislyra answered the ex-dictator's question. "Yes, very skilled. I understand it might be unexpected, considering she chose to participate in a match while wearing a maid's dress—which isn't exactly ideal for moving around nimbly. In fact, you could say that what you are about to witness, hero Caesar, is Katerina's true method of fighting. And consider yourself fortunate, because it's extremely rare for Katerina to use that fighting style. She always claims such a wild approach isn't appropriate for Her Majesty's personal maid," explained Aislyra, then boldly added, "But of course, in a close-quarters fight between me and Katerina, I would still win."
This explanation made Caesar—and especially Lucas—fix their full attention on the "second phase" of the match that was about to unfold.
Angre believed he was prepared for close combat against Katerina. It was true he had very little mana left and could only use what remained to maintain his physical enhancement. But considering how little damage the girl's spells had done to him so far, he was sure that he wouldn't have too many problems.
But that was a terrible miscalculation. Katerina's speed was absurd—far faster than any prey he had ever hunted. The only reason he was still alive was because of his Mana Skin, yet even that was not completely invincible. Cuts made by Katerina's claws were appearing everywhere, spreading across him like harsh reminders of reality, and for the first time in years, Angre was losing blood.
The best he could do was block as many attacks as possible with his daggers while hoping his hardened skin would prevent fatal injuries.
For every three blows he managed to parry, ten more slipped through. Katerina's speed was more than triple his own. If the fight continued like this for even a few minutes, Angre would undoubtedly lose.
But he had no intention of giving up. Whether he won or lost the match didn't matter—he had already said he wasn't particularly interested in the tournament itself. But he absolutely could not fail Katerina's test. He had done his best not to show it, yet Angre was increasingly worried. Since arriving in the capital, the only jobs offered to him were those of adventurer or, naturally, hunter. Neither would satisfy the elders, who would simply force him to return to the village. However, if he managed to secure the position of assistant to Queen Alberia's personal maid—the queen of one of the largest and most influential countries on the continent—then even the elders likely wouldn't be able to object. And even if they tried, if Katerina, one of the rare remaining lynx beastkin, spoke on his behalf, they would have no choice but to accept.
It wasn't that Angre hated his village. Despite being a cold place, practically always covered in snow, it was peaceful, and most who lived there were good people. He loved his family, who lived in tranquility. But it was exactly that tranquility which, day after day, was slowly killing him inside. Every day was the same, and almost nothing ever happened that made his heart race. Even hunting, due to his condition, no longer excited him. The last time he had shed even a drop of his own blood before today had been during that hunt more than ten years ago, when he had encountered an overwhelmingly powerful Over Beast.
So when Katerina made him that offer, he decided he would treat it as his last chance to begin a life filled with new experiences and excitement, and from a certain point of view, it was not far from the truth.
A job opportunity like this would likely never cross his path again for the rest of his life, and he had not been joking when he said that Queen Alberia was his type. He needed only to watch her interacting with the people in the cafeteria to recognize that she was a wonderful and kind woman who, because of her kindness, would surely find herself in trouble often enough to make the lives of those who served her anything but dull. He absolutely could not let this opportunity slip away!
The clash of blades continued relentlessly, with Angre unable to do anything except stay on the defensive. And even though defense was the only option he had left, it was not working. The cuts made by the maid accumulated rapidly, and although none of them were truly lethal, Angre was losing more and more blood. In addition, just to try to keep up with Katerina's speed, he was pouring more of his already dwindling mana into his physical enhancement spell, which was dangerously close to burning out completely. Yet despite all of this, the fight was still not over.
On the other side, Katerina seemed almost entranced. A wild, empty smile stretched across her lips, and her hands and arms moved with such speed and fluidity that they appeared to be acting on their own, as though they were two independent beings separate from Katerina herself, and she was merely guiding them. The longer she remained in this state, the more the power and speed of her attacks increased. This became immediately clear when, without warning, both blades of Angre's daggers snapped.
The instant the metal shattered, a massive opening appeared in Angre's defense. Katerina took immediate advantage of it, slashing across the boy's chest and abdomen with her sharp wooden claws and leaving five blood-red streaks carved into his skin.
In that moment, every spectator believed the match had reached its end. Without his daggers, with his mana nearly depleted, and with a deep wound stretching from his pectorals to just below his stomach, there should have been no way the young beastman could continue… but—
"It's not over yet!!!!" Angre roared. Even now, Katerina had still not declared that he had passed the test. The young man stiffened his legs to keep from collapsing, threw aside the broken remains of his daggers, and clenched his fists.
Then, using the last of the strength left in his body, he hurled a punch aimed directly at Katerina's face. Because she, too, had believed that her last attack had finished him, she did not expect another strike. The punch hit her squarely, snapping her out of the semi-trance she had entered moments earlier.
Katerina's expression shifted. Her eyes remained wide open, but her face regained the familiar look she usually wore. Then, in an instant, another rarity bloomed across the maid's face—a smile filled with satisfaction and pride, a smile that conveyed more than a thousand words.
But unfortunately for Angre, he could no longer understand what it meant. He had lost too much blood, and not enough was reaching his brain. No complex thoughts formed in his fading consciousness. The only thing left in his mind was the desire to continue what he had started and to maintain his physical enhancement spell. So he fought with everything he had left, and Katerina—though slightly worried for his health—chose to accept the challenge.
From that point on, Angre was unable to land another hit. Katerina avoided his punches with calm, elegant movements, never counterattacking.
The young man's barrage of blows at empty air continued for a full minute, and although they hit nothing, they were not meaningless. Even Katerina was beginning to feel the fatigue of the long, grueling match. This, combined with the fact that—despite her skill—she was admittedly a little rusty in close combat, caused her to misstep as she shifted to dodge one of Angre's punches.
For a moment, she was exposed, waiting for the strike. But it never arrived. Angre's fist froze only a few millimeters from her face.
The mana Angre had been using to maintain his physical enhancement finally vanished. And, considering the state of his body, that spell had been the only reason he was able to keep fighting until now.
He completely lost consciousness and, like a puppet whose strings had been cut, began collapsing toward the ground. However, before he could hit it, Katerina calmly said, "Healing Bush." A thick and barky, leafy bush sprouted instantly at the point where the young tiger man was about to fall, cushioning him like the softest of pillows.
"The winner of this match is Katerina!" announced Pinusal, raising the girl's right arm.
As usual, the crowd erupted into thunderous applause. Even though they hadn't been able to see the first half of the match, the second half had more than made up for it. The audience was genuinely impressed by the performance of both fighters.
Meanwhile, the bush where Angre lay began to glow with a soft green light, gently healing his wounds. Although nowhere near Aurora's level, Katerina was also skilled in some healing spells.
After about forty seconds, Angre—still not fully healed—regained consciousness despite his injuries not yet being completely closed. He looked around in confusion, then straight ahead, where he saw Katerina standing with the same calm expression she had worn when she stepped into the arena field, her eyes half-closed again.
Thanks to his now partially functioning mind, he immediately understood he had lost the match.
"So, what do you say? Did I pass the test?" Angre asked with the wild, confident grin Katerina had grown used to seeing on the young tiger man's face, though a faint tremor in his eyes betrayed his fear that he might not receive the answer he wanted.
"You weren't bad at all, young man, even if your hand-to-hand combat still leaves a little to be desired. But nothing that proper training won't fix. When you've fully recovered, don't leave the tournament grounds, because once everything ends, I want you to come to the palace. But be prepared, the training that will turn you into the perfect butler won't be easy," Katerina said in a stern voice, though a small smile lingered on her lips.
Angre's pupils stopped trembling, and the smile on his face broadened.
"Of course," the young man replied with enormous joy, before fainting again.
Katerina, still wearing that small smile, stepped away from Angre and exited the arena field.
Lucas, Caesar, Sequoria, and Aislyra discussed the match they had just witnessed and the fact that Katerina had recruited the beastkin named Angre. Lucas had already been told that this tournament was often used as a method to recruit new soldiers and Royal Knights, but he never expected Katerina to use it to recruit a personal assistant—someone who would work with her as his personal butler. This slightly unsettled Lucas, considering their secret. Still, he trusted Katerina, and if she believed Angre was suited for the position, she was probably right.
Another thought still drifted through Lucas's mind: 'Should I ask Katerina to tell me about her past?'
But all of those thoughts vanished when, unexpectedly, Katerina entered the royal cabin.
"Your Majesty, I hope you enjoyed my fight against Angre," Katerina said in her usual calm tone.
It was surprising because less than a minute had passed since the match had ended, and Katerina was already present in a maid outfit that was clearly different from the one she had worn during the fight. The tear on her right shoulder and the blood-soaked fabric were nowhere to be seen. Lucas wasn't sure where or how she had found the time to change, but considering how fast she usually undressed him, perhaps it wasn't surprising at all.
Lucas did his best to set aside, at least for now, the thoughts of Katerina tragic past and respond in the way she deserved.
"Yes, it was an amazing spectacle," Lucas replied with a broad smile.
A small smile appeared once again on Katerina's face, accompanied by a faint blush warming her cheeks.
In just over a minute, the stadium was prepared for the next match. Angre was taken away by the medical team, and the bush created by Katerina's magic dissolved back into the ground.