The match began.
“Please, everyone.”
“Don’t worry, Division Leader.”
Vice-captain Dejerus, who was in charge of defense, along with Astell and Benu, answered confidently.
The base was built with a simple tent. On the table in the center sat the “treasure”—a single carrot.
Their mission was to protect this carrot and cut down the opponent’s “eggplant.”
After everyone put their hands together to strengthen their resolve, the starting whistle blew.
They had 60 minutes.
“Let’s go, Sir Hedel.”
“Yes.”
Hedel and I quickly started running toward the Vissel Knights’ base.
To get there, we had to pass through a forest.
The enemy’s attack team would also be somewhere in this forest, heading toward our base.
There were two possible strategies:
Either predict the enemy’s route and attack them first,
or avoid them and go straight to their base.
The first option had the advantage of weakening the enemy early.
‘But we might waste too much strength and fail to reach the base in time.’
Considering the size of the forest, it would take at least 30 minutes just to cross it.
‘If attackers overdo it, it could backfire.’
Also, the Erne Knights defending the base were quite skilled.
So we didn’t hesitate—we chose to go straight to the enemy base.
The wind blew through the trees.
Hedel and I moved quickly through the thick bushes.
But I noticed Hedel kept glancing at me.
“Say it.”
“Huh?!”
“You have something to say, don’t you?”
I said while cutting through thick vines ahead.
“N-No, I don’t.”
I was just testing him, but it seemed he really did have something to say.
Since Hedel was Cassium’s vice-captain, he probably knew what mission Cassium was on.
“Do you happen to know? About Cassium—”
“He… he has no intention of getting married.”
The words came out of Hedel instantly, filled with firm conviction.
After saying that, his eyes darted around nervously.
“What?”
“That’s what I mean.”
Hedel avoided my gaze and tried to move forward, but got caught in a vine.
I cut it and blocked his path.
“You know about the marriage proposal too? Did Cassium tell you?”
“….”
“I see.”
I let out a hollow laugh.
So that guy had been telling his subordinates he didn’t want to marry.
That must be why he didn’t come himself when sending the proposal… why he didn’t even show his face to me.
‘And here I was, thinking about it seriously…’
Just how ridiculous did he think I was?
“When you see Cassium, tell him this.”
“…Division Leader.”
“I’m not interested either.”
The vine around Hedel’s foot snapped completely.
Watching him regain freedom, I started moving again.
As I ran, I bit my lip tightly.
My chest felt heavy, like something was pressing down on it.
‘It’s because I’m angry.’
Because my pride was hurt.
But deep down, I knew that didn’t explain everything.
Still, I refused to acknowledge it.
I ran faster and more roughly through the forest.
“...What is that?”
At Erne’s defense base,
Hearing Astell and Benu mutter, Dejerus followed their gaze.
“That’s…!”
“Sir Dejerus, do you know what that is?”
“Of course! That’s Kimtogi!”
“Kimtogi?”
A black, muscular, strangely cute rabbit was hopping through the grass.
There was only one rabbit like that in the world.
It belonged to Division Leader Rize.
“Kimtogi!”
Dejerus almost ran into the forest to catch it, but remembered his duty.
He was on defense, and holding position was important.
‘Why is Kimtogi here…?’
It must have wandered here somehow.
After the match, he would have to report it to Rize.
Until then, he just hoped nothing happened to the rabbit.
“From here, I’ll go this way. You go left.”
“Yes. See you soon.”
“Right. Don’t forget to use the signal if something happens.”
“Yes.”
The end of the forest was near.
We were about to enter the defense zone.
We decided to split up to divide the enemy’s attention.
Each of us would take down at least one defender, then meet at the final point and strike the treasure.
The path I took ran along a cliff beside a river.
‘I’m almost there.’
The sound of wind and water grew louder.
I moved faster.
‘How much time is left?’
Soon, a whistle blew five times in the distance.
It was blown every 5 minutes—so 25 minutes had passed.
“Not bad.”
But then—
I heard something mixed with the wind behind me.
Footsteps.
In the next moment, I turned and swung my sword.
Clang!
“…!”
I thought it was the enemy defense team.
But it wasn’t.
“Finally, you showed up, Rize!”
“Mars? Weren’t you an attacker?”
It was Mars.
“You didn’t expect an attacker to lie in ambush, did you?”
Mars laughed loudly.
‘So attack and defense teams are working together?’
That meant I might face 2 vs 5.
It wasn’t a bad strategy if you ignored the time limit.
But—
“Mars, is this your team’s strategy? Or yours?”
“Of course it’s mine. Surprised?”
“I thought so…”
“What do you mean?”
“I thought it was a decent strategy. But…”
Mars smirked and attacked again.
“Listen to the end, Mars. It’s not.”
“What?”
“It would only work if you cooperated with your team.”
“Shut up! Who are you to judge?!”
“If you’re alone here, it’s no different from attackers meeting in the middle.”
“Shut up!”
“You just wasted time waiting.”
Mars gritted his teeth and charged.
“You’re showing off just because you got a marriage proposal from a duke!”
“You don’t even know what showing off means.”
If I were that kind of person, I wouldn’t even be talking to you right now.
“Oh right—where’s that fiancé of yours? Didn’t even show up. Did he run away because he hates you?”
That irritated me a little.
But I didn’t respond.
‘If I react, I lose.’
That’s what the book “How a Great Person Handles Conflict” said.
“Also, what’s with that rabbit? A monster? Why is it haunting me even after dying?!”
But I wasn’t a “great person.”
“Don’t talk about my rabbit. It’s alive. How can you say something like that?”
You can insult me—but not my rabbit.
“…What?”
Mars looked confused.
He really thought he had killed my rabbit.
“I gave it poisonous plants… Wait, it didn’t eat them?”
“Poison?”
I remembered.
He had given me some grass before.
“Give it to your rabbit, Rize. You can’t afford food anyway.”
I had planned to eat it myself, but it disappeared with the basket.
“That was poison?”
Mars ignored me and shouted,
“A rabbit dares to trick me?!”
“What trick?”
“It pretended to be a ghost and harassed me!”
“Did you faint or something?”
“…No!”
“Enough. I don’t have time for this.”
As I tried to move past him, Mars blocked me.
“You won’t write the recommendation, right?”
He meant the Imperial Knights recommendation letter.
“I will.”
“Liar.”
“Move, Mars.”
I meant it. I had promised.
Mars, furious, attacked recklessly.
Full of openings.
I lightly struck his shoulder.
His grip loosened and his sword fell.
“Aaagh!”
He screamed and collapsed, clutching his shoulder.
I didn’t hit that hard.
I stepped closer.
“Are you oka—”
Then suddenly—
Mars sprang up and shoved me with all his weight.
“Rize, take this— huh?”
Some things are hard to prepare for if you never expect them.
I never expected my cousin to push me—
Or to push me off a cliff.
My body fell down toward the deep river below.
