You think you're worthy of saving the world?

When she opened her eyes again, she saw Cynthia kneeling beside her, her face contorted with unprecedented anger.

"Lady Tia! You lied to me after all, and went out to find the murderer on your own!"

What followed was an hour-long lecture.

Tia felt completely exhausted.

Was everything I just experienced just my imagination? Was it because I missed Yuri so much?

Even if I told Mrs. Valpughis and Cynthia what happened tonight, they probably wouldn't believe me...

The reality was pretty much as she imagined.

No matter how much Tia explained that the murderer was dealt with by a mysterious young man with superb skills, people only agreed on the surface, but they were unwilling to believe it in their hearts.

They all believed that the brave fairy princess had rid the people of evil and vanquished the wicked villain.

Rosalia even took this opportunity to mold Tia into a city hero, having the newspapers extensively publicize her heroic deeds, further enhancing the already revered reputation of the elven princess.

"Madam, actually... I think I saw Yuri last night."

Rosalia was stunned when she saw Tia say those words with such a serious expression.

Then, for some reason, her cheeks flushed, and she smiled gently: "Me too, I've been dreaming about that child every night lately."

Tia: "..."

……

……

……

And so, the time came to the morning of the competition.

Just past eight o'clock, the venue for the dueling tournament was already packed with people.

The blue-haired elf, Cynthia, was busy among the crowds. She was responsible for the operation of the dueling tournament, coordinating the conflict between the elf army and local officials, and also assessing the contestants.

Having not slept well for three consecutive days, she remained focused and alert, without a moment's respite.

Because she knew very well that Tia was the one who had a harder time than herself, and she had to step forward to share more of the burden for the future Elf Queen.

Sometimes Cynthia would wonder: if she had listened to Yuri that night and obediently run away, would everything have been different?

Yuri will not die; he is still his and Tia's companion.

"This kind of 'what if' doesn't make any sense..."

Cynthia patted her cheeks to clear her head and threw herself back into her work.

The dueling tournament officially began in the early morning.

Lady Valpughis and the Elf Princess also appeared as scheduled in the chairman's area of ​​the spectator stands.

"Look! That's the next Elf Queen, Tia! She's so beautiful!"

"But! Lady Valpuzis is as dignified as ever!"

The enthusiasm was ignited in both the stands and the waiting areas for the athletes.

The fairy princess was not wearing her usual ranger outfit today, but rather a gorgeous and elegant evening gown, looking like a princess straight out of a fairy tale.

She obediently followed Rosalia's advice and attended the event not as a "knight," but as a "princess."

She aims to become the most beautiful and perfect vase, arousing men's protective instincts and fighting spirit, and finally awarding medals to the champion of this tournament, the "Brave One".

—This is Tia's work today.

Although Tia herself was very unhappy with the arrangement, she still complied with it.

She benefited greatly from the two weeks she spent with the lord's wife.

Rosalia was like a teacher to him, a close friend, and a fellow countrywoman determined to avenge Yuri's death against the witches.

The conference officially began shortly after the two took their seats.

The number of participants in this competition exceeded five hundred.

It's impossible to finish the competition in one day with so many people, so the preliminary rounds started several days ago.

The rules of the competition are a true sword duel that ends in a draw, and no one can be killed.

After all, selecting a "hero" is a sacred ritual, and killing cannot be permitted.

After a week-long group-based round-robin tournament, 64 players remained.

The 64 finalists who have now entered the final are all top-tier experts with absolute strength.

Among them were warriors who had made great contributions in the war, as well as renowned and well-known knight commanders.

There are warriors who single-handedly defeated the frost giants, and there are also genius girls who have perfected their swordsmanship.

The glory of the past is no longer important; now each of them stands in the venue as a contestant.

The first round of the dueling tournament consisted of eight groups of contestants competing simultaneously.

The audience was captivated by the soldiers' dazzling performances, erupting in cheers and quickly creating a lively atmosphere.

Amidst this boiling heat, the two beauties on the stage seemed to be surrounded by a lack of warmth and enthusiasm, as if winter had arrived.

"Tia, have you received a reply from the Saintess yet?"

Rosalia rested her chin on her hand, scanning the arena with an extremely languid gaze.

Tia shook her head: "We haven't received a reply from the Holy Maiden yet..."

The fairy princess was used to light clothing and found it very uncomfortable in today's heavy dress, her waist cinched so tightly that she could hardly breathe.

However, in the eyes of the contestants and the public, her stiff and uncomfortable sitting posture became a model of a dignified and elegant princess.

"Is that so... It seems that the Vatican intends to completely ignore our actions this time and adopt an ostrich strategy in all aspects."

No one dressed as a member of the Tenri Church was seen among the contestants.

It seems the church has already pressured its members to prevent them from participating in today's dueling tournament.

"How could that be! Even if the Vatican is unwilling to acknowledge the existence of witches, at least the Holy Maiden...!"

Tia bit her lip.

In her heart, Astraea, the "Saintess of Ashes," was an exceptionally outstanding woman.

Gentle and kind, righteous and humble.

Tia believed that as long as she explained the situation clearly to the Saintess in the letter, she would definitely be able to get her help.

Unexpectedly, Astraea ignored the letters she sent pleading for help.

"Your mother also seems unwilling to send more reinforcements, only sending an advance force."

"In the worst-case scenario, we might have to rely on ourselves this time," Rosalia said calmly.

After a long silence, Tia's face hardened: "No problem... Even if we're the only ones left, we must destroy the evil witch."

During the conversation, the first round of the competition quickly came to an end, leaving 32 of the 64 contestants.

In the second round, 16 contestants remained.

In the third round, the final eight contestants were determined.

Amidst the continuous, thunderous cheers, Tia remained silent.

Whenever she looked out over the arena and saw the contestants fighting so hard to win her favor,

One person's image always appeared in the elven girl's mind.

If she hadn't been dreaming that night, she would have met Yuri again today...

The elf's intuition told him so.

"What's wrong, Tia?"

Rosalia noticed her unusual behavior: "Is there a player you like in the quarterfinals?"

The elven princess shook her head: "No. Each of them is an incredibly outstanding and powerful warrior, but none of them are the one I'm waiting for."

Upon hearing this, Rosalia gave a poignant and beautiful smile: "What a coincidence... I'm the same way."

……

……

……

Yuri entered the tournament venue with "Crimson Witch" just before the quarterfinals were about to begin.

After obtaining the power of Crimson (50%), his physical abilities increased across the board, and his eyesight surpassed that of humans, allowing him to see a tooth that had fallen on the competition field from hundreds of meters away.

Of course, I also saw Rosalia sitting in the VIP section.

For some reason, she and Princess Tia beside her exuded a strong aura of widowhood.

"I'm sorry to have kept you waiting, Your Highness."

Yuri murmured to himself, then resolutely stepped into the venue.

Chapter 073 Rosa: Yuri...? (Seeking first subscriptions)

The venue was spacious and had a three-dimensional structure, which reminded Yuri of the Roman Colosseum in his previous life.

They found their assigned seats on the tickets at the edge of the venue.

Yuri was dressed in a faded black robe and a hood today, which made him a suspicious figure and kept his distance from those around him.

As for the blonde witch accompanying them, she was dressed as glamorously as ever.

This strange combination makes one think that "Crimson Witch" is a noblewoman and Yuri is her servant, which reduces the suspicion quite a bit.

As soon as she sat down, "Crimson Witch" excitedly called over the snack vendors selling snacks in the venue.

“Hey… Crimson, we’re not here to play around,” Yuri said in a deep voice.

They're here to cause trouble.

"What does it matter, Master! Ah, please give me two hot dogs, two glasses of juice, and a serving of nuts! Thank you!"

Normally, in Gray Castle, the "Crimson Witch" would obey Yuri's every command, but today she was like a wild horse that had broken free of its reins, or rather, like a willful little girl.