The World Is Mine For The Taking

Chapter 89 - The Sword Festival, Part 3 (4)

The fourth day of the Sword Festival finally arrived, but I didn't bother wasting my time watching the opening. Instead, I went straight to the matches, focusing only on Johanne's battles. Two out of three of his fights were already done, which meant he had only one left. If he won, he'd move on to the Quarterfinals. Whether we'd end up facing each other there or advancing separately to the Semis still remained uncertain.

The anticipation in the air was thick, the energy of the crowd crackling like static against my skin.

As I was watching, lost in thought about the potential matchups, I suddenly felt a sharp poke against my back. A jolt ran through me, and I turned around, only to be greeted by an almost blinding glint of light. My vision burned white for a second, and I instinctively raised a hand to shield my eyes.

My vision adjusted immediately, and standing before me with an exaggerated pout was Tris, her usual mischievous grin slightly dimmed by my reaction. The source of the sudden flash? Her glasses, perfectly angled to reflect the sunlight straight into my face.

"How rude of you to cover your eyes the second you see my face. Am I really that ugly?" she huffed

I blinked a few times to clear the lingering glare from my vision.

"Sorry," I said, still rubbing the corners of my eyes. "Your glasses caught the light at the wrong angle and flashed right into my eyes. It wasn't intentional—I swear."

Tris narrowed her eyes at me for a moment, as if deciding whether or not to believe me. Then, just as quickly, her face shifted back to amusement, a knowing smirk tugging at her lips.

"Well, I suppose that's fine. You don't seem like the type to lie," she said, flipping a strand of hair behind her shoulder.

I watched her closely as she reverted to her usual expression—that smug grin spreading wide across her face again, her eyes gleaming with mischief.

I hesitated for a moment before asking, "Sorry if this is out of nowhere, but... do people really call you ugly?"

"Hm? Oh, yeah. Plenty of times before." She shrugged, as if it was nothing.

That didn't sit right with me.

Ever since coming to this world, my standards for beauty had skyrocketed. Women here were absurdly gorgeous, and even some of the men looked unnaturally attractive. It was a level of perfection I'd never encountered back on Earth. Maybe being here had warped my perspective, or maybe I'd just grown used to being surrounded by stunning women.

But even with those heightened standards, I couldn't wrap my head around the idea that anyone would call Tris ugly. Sure, she wasn't exactly a goddess by this world's insane beauty expectations, but she was far from unattractive. In fact, if she had been born on Earth, she'd probably be modeling right now, gracing magazine covers with her sharp, intelligent features and natural charm.

"People call others ugly all the time, you know," she said matter-of-factly. "I'm not an exception."

I frowned slightly. "Really?"

Damn... I guess the beauty standards here were even more brutal than I thought.

"I don't think you're ugly at all," I told her. "Honestly, I think the people saying that are either blind or just jealous. Maybe they just can't handle the fact that you're actually good-looking."

Tris raised an eyebrow at me, her grin widening. Then, with an almost theatrical flutter of her eyelashes, she leaned in slightly.

"Oh? So you do think I'm quite the beauty, Leon?" Her tone was dripping with playful seduction. "Are you flirting with me? My, my... I should warn you—I'm a married woman."

I let out a short chuckle, shaking my head. "Relax, I'm not about to seduce my friend's wife."

"Really?" She gave me a wicked smirk. Then, with a teasing glint in her eye, she leaned in just a little closer, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "Though, I wouldn't mind if you tried seducing my husband instead."

And there it was. That damn fujoshi glint in her eyes. Even after marrying Johanne, she still hadn't let go of her BL obsession. Some things really never changed.

Then—

The referee's hand came crashing down.

"Fight!"

And in an instant, steel met steel.

The impact rang out like a war drum, the force sending a shockwave through the ground. The clash of blades tore through the air, sparks igniting as Johanne and her opponent collided with brutal precision.

The match had begun.

At first, neither of them had the upper hand. The battle was evenly matched, each clash of steel sending sparks flying as they tested each other's strength and precision. Johanne didn't seem to have immediately figured out her opponent's weak points, nor had she found an opening to exploit. I supposed that was to be expected—finding a flaw in a trained fighter's defense took time.

And this man—he was good.

Every movement was calculated, every swing of his blade backed by experience. He wasn't some amateur swinging steel blindly; he knew how to fight.

But even so, as the match dragged on, Johanne slowly began to take control.

The shift was subtle at first—a little more weight behind each strike, a little more speed in her movements. Then, before long, she was dominating. Her attacks hit harder, her blade pushing her opponent back step by step. The man could do nothing but block, barely keeping up with the relentless force behind Johanne's swings.

The tide had turned.

Now, there was no doubt in my mind—Johanne was going to win.

But then— Find more chapters on My Virtual Library Empire

Something happened.

Johanne's body suddenly tensed. Her expression twisted, her breath hitching as she clutched her lower stomach. A flicker of pain flashed across her face, her grip on her sword faltering.

Beside me, Tris let out a quiet, almost defeated sigh.

"Oh no... Not again..." she muttered under her breath.

I knew exactly why she had reacted like that.

This wasn't the first time Johanne had been struck by sudden, unexplained pain. The last time it had happened was during her physical examination—right in the middle of being assessed.

She had no idea what was causing it. Even the doctors couldn't figure it out. Johanne thought it was some kind of mysterious illness, something invisible to the naked eye.

But I knew the truth.

It wasn't an illness. It wasn't some unseen condition.

It was just that time of the month.