Little Pink Starfish

However, before the third match, a short break was taken. While Asher was dealing with an excited Noah, someone came to their spectator seats where Hugo and the others were.

The elderly gentleman who suddenly appeared had a beaming smile and bowed his head to the three of them.

“Your Highnesses, I hope you are in good spirits.”

His neatly combed-back white hair, well-groomed mustache, and the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes as he greeted them gave him a very pleasant demeanor. Asher felt like he recognized this elderly gentleman from somewhere. Hugo, upon seeing his face, muttered his name.

“Count Dasmond…”

Hearing that name, Asher was startled.

A noble who once led the Queen’s faction, supporting Asher’s claim to the throne and opposing the Crown Prince’s faction.

── Count Barkis Dasmond.

Hugo, making no effort to hide his displeasure, glared at Count Dasmond.

“My, my, Prince Asher… It has been a long time since we last met…”

“Count Dasmond… It has been a while.”

Back when he was being manipulated, Asher vaguely remembered that this man was often seen alongside Marquis Clark. He also recalled that he frequently visited Queen Angela.

…I haven’t had a chance to speak with the nobles from the Queen’s faction since my right to the throne was revoked… They never approached me, only watched from a distance, so I assumed they were angry.

Despite being the leading noble of the Queen’s faction, Count Dasmond was smiling as he gazed at Asher.

“Ah… It may be strange to apologize at this point, but… You did so much for me, Count Dasmond, and yet…”

“Oh, come now, whatever are you saying? Even if you are not to be king, you are still Prince Asher… My loyalty to you remains unchanged.”

Count Dasmond spoke in a gentle tone, narrowing his eyes.

“However… I must say, it is still a little disappointing. I truly believed that you would become king, Prince Asher.”

Hearing those softly spoken words, Asher instinctively shrank back. Hugo, watching the exchange, clicked his tongue, causing Count Dasmond to clear his throat.

“Prince Asher, indeed, you will not be king. However, my desire to serve you has not changed. That is why I have come today…”

“…That is…”

“Well, I only intended to offer a greeting, but I seem to have overstayed my welcome. Please excuse me.”

With a graceful bow, Count Dasmond promptly took his leave. Noah and Hugo both looked at Asher with concern, seeing his slightly dejected expression.

“That old man…”

At that moment, the sound of wind instruments rang out, signaling the end of the break.

“Asher-nii-sama! The match is starting!”

Perhaps trying to cheer him up, Noah enthusiastically clung to Asher. Asher let out a small smile at Noah’s antics and shook off his melancholy.

“…Alright, we have to cheer for Dias’ Black Knight!”

Together with Noah, Asher turned his gaze toward the center of the arena.

The first and second matches had ended quickly, but both had their share of moments that excited the audience.

However, the third match—

This one ended just as quickly. In fact, it was over in an instant.

“Eh… I-It’s over?”

It happened so fast that Asher couldn’t comprehend what had happened. He turned to Hugo, who was clutching his stomach, laughing uncontrollably.

“Instant kill…! Is that guy even alive⁉”

Indeed, Hugo’s words perfectly described the match.

As soon as the signal to start was given, Karl rushed forward and struck at Dita with all his might. However, Dita blocked it with his gauntlet, leaving Karl’s torso wide open. In that brief moment, Dita, without even drawing his sword from its scabbard, struck Karl forcefully in the stomach.

Karl was sent flying through the air, capturing the attention of everyone in the arena.

“…The third match! Karl, the Black Knight, is unable to continue. Victory goes to Dita of the Temple Knights!”

As murmurs spread through the audience, the unconscious Karl was carried away on a stretcher.

“U-Um, is he going to be okay?”

“In a way, no… If I were in his shoes after such a humiliating match… I’d just end myself.”

“Hugo-niiue! That’s an awful thing to say!”

Hugo tried to stifle his laughter, but Asher shot him a disapproving glare, which had no effect whatsoever.

Meanwhile, Noah’s eyes sparkled as he kicked his feet excitedly.

“So cool! That guy is amazing, Asher-nii-sama‼”

Though he nodded at Noah’s enthusiasm, Asher couldn’t help but pale at the overwhelming strength of the Temple Knights’ commander, Dita.

…That means Theodore will have to fight him too… No matter how strong Theodore is…

Asher clenched his fists, his expression clouded with concern.

He believed in Theodore’s strength, but that didn’t change his worries. He didn’t want him to get hurt. If possible, he didn’t want him to experience any pain at all.

As Asher sat, lost in anxious thoughts, Hugo smirked as he looked toward Nadidrew.

“Fair competition, my ass. That bald bastard is pulling strings.”

“Huh?”

“When six people fight, three will advance, right? That means one of them gets a free pass. And now, that guy Dita is already in the finals.”

“Then that means…”

“Next up is Sam versus Theodore.”

“W-What do you mean by ‘pulling strings’?”

“…Just look over there.”

Asher followed Hugo’s gaze and saw the first-row seats packed with young noblemen and women. Behind them, arena staff were collecting money from commoners making bets.

“They’re adjusting the front-row ticket prices for each match and letting people gamble on the winners. It’s a lucrative business. Sam and Theodore are both good-looking, and the Temple Knight Commander isn’t bad-looking either… The tournament was arranged so that the handsome fighters get the most matches.”

“…T-That’s underhanded…”

Just as Hugo had said, as soon as Samuel and Theodore stepped into the arena, the noble spectators in the front row erupted in cheers.

Among them, some even called out Theodore’s name, making Asher slightly irritated.

…I want to cheer for Theodore loudly too…

…Ah! That girl…!

Among the nobles letting out high-pitched cheers, Asher spotted a familiar young lady.

With light brown hair elegantly tied up and dressed beautifully, Miss Doriana was in the front row, gazing fervently at Samuel.

Wasn’t she engaged? Ward mentioned something about that…

Shifting his gaze to the noble seating area reserved for higher-ranked individuals, he spotted the Veil Duchess, dressed even more lavishly than her daughter, watching the match.

“Sam versus Theodore, huh… Well, Theodore will win again.”

“Again…?”

“The only one who could put up a decent fight against Theodore in knight training was Sam. But Theodore is on another level… Honestly, I question whether he’s even human.”

For a brief moment, Asher’s heart skipped a beat.

There was no way Theodore’s beastman lineage was known… and yet.

For the past few days, Asher had spent his time leading up to the tournament filled with various expectations and worries.

What if Theodore lost?
What if he won but wasn’t granted a title?
What if their marriage wasn’t approved?

And then, a fear Asher had never considered before crossed his mind.

Dias was a nation that banned discrimination against beastmen.

But that didn’t mean discrimination had disappeared. Even in Dias, knights’ titles had never been granted to beastmen. They were all placed in the Beast Corps as soldiers.

What would happen if people found out that Theodore was a half-beastman?

A loud cheer erupted, snapping Asher back to reality.

The match had already begun.

As he exhaled and lifted his gaze—

The next moment, Samuel’s sword struck Theodore’s arm.

Blood dripped onto the ground as Theodore quickly created distance between himself and Samuel.

Astonishment and murmurs spread through the audience.

“Asher!! Wait, stop!!”

Ignoring Hugo’s voice, Asher leapt from his seat and ran.

There was nothing he could do.

And yet, he couldn’t just sit there.

──────・・・・・・

As Samuel elegantly waved to the crowd, Theodore observed him with suspicion.

…What is this? Something feels off.

Noticing Theodore’s gaze, Samuel turned to him with a bright smile.

“It’s been a while since we’ve crossed swords, Theodore.”

“Yes.”

“You never hold back, even when facing me.”

“…I recall you once telling me that you dislike being treated lightly.”

“Indeed… However, there is something I despise even more. And when I encounter something I cannot forgive, I will use any means necessary to eliminate it.”

As Nadidrew glanced between the two of them, he raised his hand. The signal for the match rang out.

Samuel’s affable smile vanished. The moment his hand reached for his chest, a sharp pain tore through Theodore’s head.

“…!?”

“My apologies, Theodore, but I have decided to rid Asher of all parasites clinging to him.”

To Theodore’s shock, Samuel’s voice was suddenly too close. He immediately leapt backward—but he was too late. In a split second, he felt wind rush past him, and then a searing pain erupted in his right arm.

Staggering from the sharp headache, Theodore pulled further back. Blood dripped from his wound, staining the ground.

“…Ugh.”

“Theodore, I trusted you. I even liked you.”

Samuel’s voice was quiet yet chilling.

“That’s why, when I discovered your deception… I was surprised to find that it truly saddened me.”

Theodore barely managed to parry Samuel’s fierce attack, but the force sent him stumbling backward.

His body felt feverish. Nausea churned in his stomach.

The closer Samuel came, the stronger a terrible scent assaulted his nose.

“This scent…!”

Clutching his nose and mouth, Theodore focused on the pouch tied to Samuel’s chest.

Notovis!

Samuel noticed his gaze and smiled again.

“You don’t look well.”

“…!”

He knows.

Samuel knew that Theodore was of beastman descent.

But something was strange.

Why was it affecting him this much? As a half-human, Theodore had never reacted this severely to Notovis before.

“…Sixteen years…”

Samuel’s voice was low and cold.

“Sixteen years wasted… My precious time with little Asher.”

“…”

“When Asher was just a baby… I was too young to do anything. But at least I kept him away from Clark… I should have protected him better…!”

As Samuel bit his lip in frustration, Theodore raised his sword.

“I disgust myself… Think about it. Five-year-old Asher… He’s beautiful now, but back then he was so precious… Yet because of the Queen’s faction, I couldn’t even be by his side… Looking back, it was all Clark’s fault…! How infuriating! I thought that as time passed, his purity would fade, and his soul would be tainted… But…”

“What… are you talking about?”

“Asher is an angel incarnate. His heart remains untainted, still overflowing with kindness and love.”

“…”

“I should have been the one closest to him!”

Samuel clenched his fists, trembling with rage, and glared at Theodore.

“I should have been the one stroking his cheeks, letting him sit on my lap, holding him as he fell asleep, feeding him sweets, ruffling his hair as he called my name in that adorable voice…! Those sacred moments should never have been stolen from me!!”

Theodore stared silently at Samuel, unable to comprehend his words.

The audience, unaware of their conversation, anxiously watched their duel unfold.

“I will protect Asher.”

Samuel reached for the pouch at his chest, scooping up a handful of Notovis powder.

“…This is for your own good as well.”

With a gentle smile, Samuel moved.

Sensing danger, Theodore tried to evade—but the overwhelming scent of Notovis slowed his reaction.

The next moment, a choking wave of the scent filled the air, and Theodore’s vision went black.

An unbearable pain tore through his skull. His body trembled as something inside him roared to life.

“Don’t worry, I won’t do anything cruel. This is simply your punishment, Theodore. Stop deceiving me. Reveal your true self to everyone.”

Samuel’s whisper reached his ears as Theodore collapsed to his knees.

The pain was unbearable.

He couldn’t breathe.

His consciousness wavered.

“Theodore!!”

Out of the corner of his darkening vision, he saw Asher rushing toward him.

He wanted to shout, Stay back!

But no words came out.

Instead, a deafening roar erupted from his throat, shaking the entire coliseum.

Every spectator’s eyes widened in shock.

Horror spread across their faces.

Before their very eyes—

Theodore’s form began to change.