Cuddles and Desserts / The Next Match's Format and Opponents

"There's no need to be so surprised. I've always been tough and uncompromising, so it's perfectly normal for him to come looking for me." Bianca explained with a helpless smile, under the gazes of the old knights in the team.

"Yes, I just remembered, little Bianca, you don't seem to have accepted any sponsorships or collaborations from any companies." After hearing Bianca's explanation, the old knight frowned first, then put down his wine glass and said.

Bianca's performance in the arena was so impressive that even the veteran knights somewhat overlooked this aspect.

The other two did remember the incident, so they weren't particularly surprised by Bianca's explanation.

"Wait, why has the atmosphere suddenly become so serious? Who's the spokesperson?" Maria Nearl, who had no idea who the spokesperson was, asked, somewhat bewildered by the sudden change in atmosphere.

Upon hearing this, the others present exchanged glances, and then bald Martin spoke up to explain to Maria Nearl.

After Martin's explanation, Maria Nearl, who roughly understood what a spokesperson was, turned to her friend beside her and asked somewhat uncertainly:

"So, that man came to ask Bianca to cooperate with you?"

"Pretty much, you can understand it that way. However, I've refused them all." Upon hearing this, Bianca nodded slightly, then answered seriously.

"Eh..."

After hearing Bianca's answer, Maria Nearl's eyes flashed with surprise, but also with a hint of worry.

During this time, thanks to her friend, she learned about knightly competitions through various channels and even knew a lot about the inside story. She is no longer a complete novice.

Not only Maria Nearl, but the other three old men also had complicated expressions after hearing Bianca's answer. It reminded them of that dazzling child from years ago...

"No need to be surprised or worried. I know what I'm going to face next. Don't you trust my abilities?"

After noticing Maria Nearl's emotions, Bianca smiled, hesitated for a moment, and then reached out to pat the head of the person in front of her to comfort her.

"... Um."

When Maria Nearl met Bianca's confident and determined eyes, her worries quickly faded, and she nodded firmly.

"..."

The three people sitting not far away exchanged strange glances after seeing what was happening, but in the end, none of them said anything. They simply continued to listen quietly.

"To be honest, I've always had a question, but I don't know if I should ask it." Gazing at Bianca in front of her, Maria Nearl once again thought of a question that had been bothering her and that she hadn't been able to figure out.

Upon hearing this, Bianca gave the person in front of her a gentle smile before saying in a helpless tone:

"We're friends, there's no need to be so cautious. Ask away, and if I can answer, I'll tell you the truth. Knights don't lie."

"Would you like to talk to me alone?" Maria Nearl asked, her gaze slowly sweeping over the three people who were openly eavesdropping.

"It's alright. Since he's someone you trust, Maria Nearl, just say it."

To be honest, at this moment, the silly goose was at a loss for words, both amused and exasperated by her friend.

"Alright then, actually I've been wondering, Bianca, what is it about you that you want to win this match? Although you told me before, it was too vague... I still don't quite understand."

After asking the question, Maria Nearl looked at her dazzling friend with a puzzled expression, hoping to get an answer from her.

This question had been bothering the little pony for some time, but because it was a private matter, she hadn't dared to ask and had kept it to herself.

"So that's what you wanted to ask. I thought it was something else. I blame myself for not explaining it clearly before." Upon hearing this, Bianca's azure eyes flashed, her helplessness almost overflowing.

"Well... I only mentioned the main purpose at the time. If we're just talking about the purpose of the competition, to put it simply... I wanted to fight for the right of the infected to participate in the competition."

"Hey!"

Looking at Maria Nearl, whose face was full of surprise at her words, Bianca shook her head helplessly and continued:

"You can't be that surprised, can you? I wasn't joking before. As for why I wanted to do this..."

"To be honest, I despise this kind of competition that lacks any fairness or honor; it's simply a casino of capital. But at the same time, I also know that many people rely on, or want to rely on, this competition that I despise and look down upon."

"However, among this group, those infected don't even have the most basic qualifications to participate... Even if the competition is unfair, I want to give them a ticket to enter. And I will do my best to make the competition fair."

P. S.: Please give me some votes to encourage me to vote.

Chapter 32 Stickers and Desserts

"..."

As Bianca's voice faded, the entire tavern fell silent. Everyone present stared at her with varying expressions, lost in thought.

"Young lady, although your wish is good, you may be being a bit too naive. If you don't cooperate, how can those people possibly grant your wish?" After a long silence, the old knight took a large gulp of wine before speaking in a serious voice.

"While it might actually happen as you described, Mr. F, I have my own way of solving this problem."

After listening to the old knight's words, Bianca simply chuckled and offered no further explanation. Her beautiful azure eyes remained filled with confidence and determination, unwavering despite the words of others.

If Maria Nearl had asked this question, the goose would definitely have given a thorough explanation. But now... she didn't want to waste her breath.

To reiterate, if you explain something beyond their comprehension, they won't believe you anyway, so there's absolutely no need to explain it. Doing so will only make you seem arrogant.

Clearly, the old knight was not satisfied with Bianca's answer. A complex emotion flashed quickly in his eyes before he put down his wine glass, gave a cold snort, and said:

"Hmph... It's good to have ideas, but don't be too naive or idealistic. I hope you can make it happen in the end, little girl."

"..."

The other two, while offering no comment or advice regarding Bianca's remarks, subtly echoed the old knight's attitude.

In their eyes, although the young man in front of them was very strong and honest, he was still too inexperienced and easily taken advantage of.

However, both the old craftsmen and the old knights could understand this, especially after they learned Bianca's age.

"Thank you for your kind words, Mr. F."

"Hmm..."

'Feel sorry.'

After listening to their conversation and noticing the strange atmosphere among them, Maria Nearl frowned slightly, then looked at Bianca with a hint of apology in her eyes.

At the same time, he silently apologized to his friend using his lips.

'It doesn't matter.'

Upon seeing Maria Nearl's lip movements, a smile flickered in Bianca's azure eyes, before she shook her head seriously and responded in the same way.

"..."

Although she saw Bianca's response, Maria Nearl's expression was still not very good, and she looked completely lacking her previous energy and happiness.

After all, in her opinion, if she hadn't asked that question, her friends wouldn't be being "questioned" by her elders, and the atmosphere wouldn't have become so strange.

"Pfft..."

Seeing Maria Nearl's expression, Bianca couldn't help but chuckle again. After ruffling Maria's hair once more, she reached out her hand and said:

"We've finished our drinks. Miss Maria Nearl, would you mind joining me for afternoon tea?"

"Hmm, eh?"

Maria Nearl was slightly taken aback when she saw the hand extended in front of her. Clearly, she hadn't yet recovered from Bianca's gesture of patting her head and inviting her in.

"Hmm... okay." After a while, Maria Nearl finally came to her senses and took Bianca's outstretched hand.

At the same time, she didn't forget to say to the others present, "Master Koval, Uncle Frye, Martin Bianca I will take our leave now. We'll get together with you all later."

"Go ahead, go ahead, young people should definitely have more fun."

After listening to Maria Nearl's words, the three nodded and echoed her sentiments.

After greeting the three elders present, Maria Nearl and Bianca left the tavern.

"Hug..."

Once outside, Maria Nearl opened her mouth apologetically to apologize again.

However, before she could finish speaking, a slender, snow-white finger pressed against her lips, stopping her.

"Shh, don't overthink it. Let's go, I'll take you to get something delicious."

"But..."

Maria Nearl was stunned for a moment by Bianca's actions, then instinctively tried to say something.

"There's no 'but' about it. Maria Nearl, you've always been the one to take me out to play before, so this time I'll take you instead."

After interrupting Maria Nearl and giving her a gentle smile, Bianca gently yet firmly took her hand and led her forward.

"Eh..."

Maria Nearl, who was being led forward by the hand, was still a little dazed. However, even after she came to her senses, she did not resist Bianca's slightly forceful actions at all.

And so, in a daze, Maria Nearl was led by Bianca to a beautifully decorated café.

"Here's the menu. Just order whatever you'd like to eat."

Bianca couldn't help but chuckle as she looked at Maria Nearl, who still seemed a little dizzy even after sitting down.

"Hmm... alright then."

Maria Nearl, who had wanted to say something more, gave in after a long pause, meeting Bianca's smiling eyes.

She took the menu with a helpless expression and then ordered.

Then, after all the desserts had been served, Bianca spoke again, "What happened at the tavern earlier was just a minor incident in my opinion; there's no need to take it to heart."

"I understand perfectly well what your elders, Maria Nearl, mean. They are worried that I am too strong and easily broken."

"I know that, but why don't you explain, Bianca? You're clearly not like that..."

Upon hearing this, Maria Nearl first nodded slightly, then asked with some confusion.

"As for why I didn't explain, it's simply because I felt it was unnecessary. If some things aren't revealed, even you, Maria Nearl, would have doubts, let alone them."

Do you remember the scene when we first met?

Bianca patiently answered Maria Nearl's questions.

"..."

Upon hearing this, Maria Nearl, recalling her overreaction when she first met Bianca, blushed slightly with embarrassment and whispered, "Okay, okay, stop talking about it! I won't dwell on such trivial matters anymore."

"Heh~ Let's change the subject then. How about trying some desserts? I think the desserts at this shop are pretty good."

"Uh-huh."

P. S.: Let's see if I can manage three updates today. I haven't been able to get the rhythm right, which is a bit annoying. I wrote a detailed outline, but when I actually started writing, it didn't feel right, and what I wrote was different from what I had in mind.

Give it a push.

Chapter 33 The Format and Opponent of the Next Match

A few days have passed since Martin last had afternoon tea with Maria Nearl. Here at Bald Martin's pub...

On a sunny afternoon, because night had not yet fallen, the tavern looked rather empty, with only a few familiar faces sitting there.

At that moment, Bianca was discussing the custom-made armor with the old craftsman Koval, who was sitting and drinking.

If the competition spanned a shorter period, the Goose might have given up on creating this set of armor, which was ultimately useless but unique to him.

However, given the format of the Knights' Tournament, it will likely be a long time before Bianca wins the championship, so there's no harm in using that time to get a set of armor.

After all, as mentioned before, the armor she's wearing now, no matter how well it fits, isn't truly hers.

"Bang--"

However, just as the people in the hotel were chatting and drinking, the wooden door of the tavern was suddenly flung open with a loud bang.

"..."

In an instant, all five people turned to look at the door, and the tavern fell silent for a moment.

"Hey, Zofia... Sister, what brings you here?"

After seeing who it was, Maria Nearl was slightly taken aback, and then spoke first in surprise.

Following Maria Nearl was Martin, the bald owner of the tavern. Looking at his dilapidated tavern door, a hint of heartache flashed in his eyes as he spoke:

"Zofia, my door... be careful, or you'll have to pay for it later."

"Uh, don't worry, I'll compensate you." After hearing what bald Martin said, Zofia turned around and glanced at the door behind her, coughed lightly, and said with a hint of guilt in her eyes.

"So, what's got you in such a hurry, Zofia? The last time I saw you act so rashly was a long time ago," the old craftsman Koval, sitting to the side, asked with a curious expression.

"It's not in a big rush, is it? I just heard some news, and I'm here to see Bianca." Zofia didn't try to hide anything from Koval's question and answered directly.