Chapter 20: Person from another world

A cold breeze touched Aria’s face as she felt something underneath her—it was much softer than cushions.

“Whaa… I didn’t know I also had a teleportation ability… Hehe, well, this will work for me. I was tired after attending that so-called party.”

“Augh… Excuse me, could you please get up? I am being crushed down here,” Leo said as his back served as a comfortable chair for her.

“Huh…” Aria looked down toward him as she tried to remember where she had seen such a unique mana.

“You are… if I recall correctly… Freya’s guy, right? The one who got a cheat skill… What do people call them? Ummm…” She thought hard. “Yeah, a cheater! From another world.”

“Hey! It’s a hero from another world, not a cheater! But first, get off of me!!” He put pressure on his hands to push himself up, causing Aria to roll backward off him.

“Whaaa… Hey! At least warn me before you do that! You know I am the Sword Saint—if I get angry, even the gods are afraid of me!”

“Yeah… yeah, gods are… Wait, did you say Freya? You know who Goddess Freya is?” His eyes widened in disbelief upon hearing her words, flashes running through his mind as he remembered the falling girl.

“You… you are Aria, the Sword Saint Goddess Freya-sama told me about…” He took a few steps back and pulled out his sword in a panic.

“Huh…? Did that big-headed woman put nonsense into your mind? How mean she is! It was a mistake of mine to show her mercy!” Aria pouted in anger.

“You showed mercy to her…? How dare you mock the Goddess! I don’t care who you are, but if you insult her like that, then I will…”

“Then you will…?” Aria tilted her head.

[SYSTEM WARNING: THE OUTPUT OF THE TARGET IS INCREASING. PLEASE EVACUATE THE AREA.]

Again? She doesn’t feel that strong to me. Also, I don’t know why, but she smells kind of drunk. She might be strong, but right now she is unarmed—this is my chance! If I get rid of her, maybe Goddess Freya will be pleased with me.

He ground his teeth and muttered, “Here goes nothing!”

He leaped at her, his sword held high in the air with its target being her head. But before it could hit her, Aria gently caught the blade between her thumb and index finger.

“Hey! You are doing this again? You know, striking an unarmed—”

She stopped as her cheeks puffed up and she felt sick. Releasing his sword, she leaned toward the corner, supporting herself against the wall.

Baughh!

She started vomiting.

“Umm… are you alright…? If you want, I can take you to the infirmary.”

She wiped her mouth with her sleeve and turned to him. “I am totally…” Her cheeks puffed again as she turned away and vomited once more.

Is she really strong, or has my system glitched on something?

A few moments later, she finished cleaning herself up and turned back to him.

“Yeah, what I was saying was…” He raised his guard, ready for an attack. But as she took a few steps forward, she stumbled over her own feet and fell face-first onto the ground.

“Hey, are you…?” Worried, Leo rushed over. But walking closer to her, he heard the soft sound of her snoring as she drooled on the ground.

Now, this is the best chance to…

He lifted the sword, but hesitated and returned it to its sheath. Well, I think that would be a cowardly act. And she doesn’t look like the same person Goddess Freya told me about.

Meanwhile, inside the celebration hall, the tension had still not fully dissipated, even though a few moments had already passed since Zenjo had left with the red-haired guy. Shawn stood beside Rikka, who splashed water onto her own face as her eyelids fluttered open.

“Ugh… Rikka…? What happened? And…” She bolted up. “Shawn, is he…”

As she was asking in a panic, he interrupted her. “Yeah, I am fine and still alive, I guess.”

“I panicked when that Zenjo guy swung at you and you fell unconscious.”

“I see. Well, I apologize that you had to go through such a—”

“Don’t worry about it. I talked to the King about it, and he assured me he will take action after the tournament ends, as he can’t ruin the festival.”

“My father is a real jerk,” she muttered under her breath.

“Anyway… there are many things I wanted to ask, but now that you are awake, I need to go and find Aria before she causes any…” He lowered his voice before continuing, “…trouble.”

As Shawn started walking, Rikka called out to him, “Sir Shawn, Aria-sama’s scent is coming from that direction, so she might be over there.” Rikka pointed toward the hallway.

“Yeah, thanks.” With that, he ran toward it.

Back in the garden, Leo was sitting near Aria, looking at her in confusion while muttering to himself.

She is a Sword Saint? The strongest person in this world? But why would such a high-status person fall from the gallery? Is someone trying to kill her? And that strong alcohol smell… it seems like someone mixed something into her drink. I need to report this to the Aquallia King.

“ARIA!”

The shout shattered the quiet. Leo looked up to see a man sprinting toward them. But as Shawn reached them, he saw Aria lying on the ground and Leo sitting nearby. Sensing something was wrong, Shawn pulled out his sword and pointed it at him.

“Quick! Tell me your name, status, and where you are from!”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” Leo raised his hands defensively. “I didn’t do anything!”

“Hurry!”

“Yes! I am Leo Valhart. I am seventeen years old, and—maybe you won’t believe this—but I was summoned here by Goddess Freya!”

“I see. So you are a cheater.” Shawn resheathed his sword.

“It’s Hero! Not cheater! Geez, why do people always put a cheater tag on me?”

“Anyway, where did you find her?” Shawn asked.

“Well, if I remember correctly, while I was searching for the party hall entrance, she fell from the sky!” He pointed his finger toward the heavens.

Shawn narrowed his eyes, looking troubledly toward her.

So, she really got drunk and fell down here. Aria, I don’t know what to say, but it is lucky for us that you fell on someone from out of this world, not one of your followers. If they saw you in this condition, I don’t know what would happen.

Noticing Shawn staring at them, Leo waved his hands frantically. “I swear, I really didn’t do anything to her! She really fell from the sky!”

“Well, I know you are telling the truth. Also…” He paused, thinking to himself: I need to make up a story to deceive him at least. “Well, you see, the alcohol smell on her…”

Before he could finish explaining, Leo interrupted him mid-sentence.

“Ahh… I know! Someone tried to assassinate the Sword Saint, right? I mean, they spiked her drink with alcohol and pushed her down from the gallery!”

“Huh…?” Shawn’s eyes widened, and he nodded. “Yeah… that’s kind of right… I think you really are a smart one.”

“Hahaha…” Leo smiled smugly.

“Now that you know everything, I want you to keep all of this to yourself. If word spreads, people will panic, and that’s the worst-case scenario I’m expecting.”

“Don’t worry! My lips are sealed!” Leo saluted him.

“Thanks.” Shawn leaned down and lifted Aria onto his back, adjusting her weight securely.

“Well, we will meet again in the tournament final,” Shawn said.

“Tournament final?” Leo seemed confused.

“I didn’t tell you, but I am Shawn. I am also a semifinalist. And after I beat that Zenjo guy up, you will be next, so be prepared.”

“Huh? You are in the tournament? Wait!” Leo quickly used his appraisal skill as Shawn’s status reflected onto his screen.

“Do you need something?” Shawn asked, since the screen was invisible to anyone else.

“Sir Shawn, I have one thing to say… I have seen Zenjo’s match before, and I won’t lie—I have a skill that lets me see all the stats and skills of others. From what I can see, other than Agility and Intelligence, your other stats are massively lower than his.”

“I see…” Shawn thought for a moment, then smiled at him. “Well, thank you for telling me I have at least something better than him. That’s enough for me to beat that guy.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. And now, be ready for your match against your opponent. It’s already nighttime.”

“Huh? Wait! Sir Shawn… how do you…” Leo was still speaking, but as Shawn walked ahead, he vanished from Leo's vision.

Back in the celebration hall, the tension created by Zenjo had finally subsided as Celestia sat at a table with Rikka.

Rikka sat across the table nervously. “Do you think Sir Shawn found her?”

“Of course he did. I mean, whatever he is like, he is the most reliable person Aria currently has.”

“You really think so?” Rikka asked, tilting her head.

“Well, he has been with her for more than five whole years. If it were anyone else in his place, I bet they would have left her side within a few days.”

“But don’t people die for even a glance from Aria-sama?”

“Hehe… they do. But they love the Aria who stands in front of others. They don’t even know what Aria is really like.” Celestia took a sip from her teacup.

“You really know a lot about Aria-sama.”

Pffft!

“What are you saying to me? That I worry about her? You must be seeing things!” Celestia said, spraying tea out of her mouth, her hands shaking as she set the cup back down.

“Hehe…” Rikka chuckled.

Hours later, Aria’s eyes fluttered behind her blindfold as she woke up slowly.

The first thing she noticed was her pounding headache, alongside the person sitting in the chair beside her, looking at her with sarcastic eyes.

“Good morning, drunkard. Did you sleep well?”

Aria winced. “I just woke up. And please keep your voice down—my head hurts.”

Shawn stood up and brought a glass of water to her hands, which she finished slowly. Realizing she might have done something wrong, she asked in a small, broken voice, “Did… I do something embarrassing?”

“Define ‘something embarrassing.’”

Aria groaned. “That bad?”

“You fell off a balcony and landed on someone. He just saw the real Sword Saint—a drunken woman babbling nonsense.”

Well, it’s best not to tell her what happened at the party. If she knew Zenjo tried to harm me or Celestia, she might really act like a Sword Saint and fly over to Zenjo to give him her so-called divine punishment.

Aria’s face turned red. “Oh no.”

“But don’t worry, I somehow managed it, since he already started thinking someone planned to assassinate you.”

“I see… Phew.” Aria let out a sigh of relief and gave Shawn a smile. “Thank you for covering things for me. I am indebted to you again, and I’ll make sure to pay you back with interest.”

“I don’t think you’ll ever be able to pay me back. By the way, I was waiting here for you because I need a favor from you.”

“A favor?”

“Yeah… If the idea works, then there is a chance for me to defeat that Zenjo guy tomorrow.”

“Huh?” Aria tilted her head in confusion.