Chapter 12 : Give Back Her Tears!

A fire elemental from another world appeared on the field.

The flames entwined around it seemed to be its vocal organs, as it let out unintelligible roars at its opponent.

But it quickly realized that its show of force was ignored by everyone.

Both its opponent and the passers-by around them were staring intently behind it.

What’s going on?

The fire elemental’s not-so-bright brain couldn’t figure it out at once, and it turned its head, following their gazes.

Then it saw its master in the middle of the flames, doing his own thing.

The fire elemental’s anthropomorphic face couldn’t help but turn pale with shock.

“Your loyal subjects are ready to fight to the death, why has Your Majesty surrendered first?”

Enshir could no longer answer his fire elemental’s question.

He had already fainted.

Duels don’t cause real damage; at most, they just cause a bit of impact that makes one unsteady.

But the real blow that finished Enshir wasn’t physical damage; it was a wound to his spirit.

Watching Enshir collapse from the immense shock, the onlookers couldn’t help but mourn for him for a moment.

This man was defeated by a card imprinted by his own duel spirit.

This might be the first person in duel history to lose like this.

From this moment on, this person had already left his mark in history.

“Did… I really win?”

Sonia had regained control of her body.

But her face still held a trace of unreal daze.

Even after the ten alchemy points, staked according to the duel rules, were credited, she still felt as if she were in a dream.

She, who had been losing ever since the day she summoned her duel spirit, actually won?

She really won against a D-rank duelist?

“No need to doubt.”

Just then, Yide’s voice sounded.

Looking at Sonia, who was standing stunned, Yide smiled as if he had expected it.

“Go and enjoy your victory.”

“Even if it’s just for a moment, even if it’s just an insignificant match among all your future duels.”

“The victor, Sonia.”

Sonia’s eyes welled up, and her vision instantly blurred.

Mr. Yide, saying such things is… too mean…

But suddenly, Yide added another line.

“But after you enjoy it, you’ll have to run quickly.”

“Because of your efforts, your opponent, even if he’s not dead yet, has already had his name reserved in the history books.”

“When he wakes up, you might truly not be able to escape.”

Sonia: “…”

The previously blurry world instantly became clear again.

Give her tears back!

Sonia was about to turn around, but an energetic voice rushed straight towards her.

“That’s great, Sonia! You don’t have to leave Ring World City anymore!”

Tivia walked out of the crowd and pounced on Sonia.

Seeing someone coming to interrupt, Yide consciously “dived” underwater, hiding to observe the outside world.

He couldn’t help but take a couple more glances at Sonia’s friend.

This girl is truly lively, a complete opposite to Sonia’s usual timid and socially anxious demeanor.

Sonia patted her friend’s back, and after the other person let go, she looked into Tivia’s eyes, her gaze softening.

“I have to thank you too, Tivia.”

“Without your [Mana Wyrm] card, I wouldn’t have been able to beat Enshir.”

“No, I didn’t do anything, it’s all the result of your own efforts, Sonia.”

Tivia was genuinely happy for her friend.

However, a small doubt arose in her heart.

“Too?”

Did Sonia receive help from someone else?

This doubt was quickly pushed aside by the girl, because now was the time to celebrate for her friend.

But suddenly, Sonia said.

“Sorry, Tivia…”

“Um… although I’m happy you came to watch my duel, I have something else more important to do right now.”

“Huh?”

Tivia tilted her head, realizing that Sonia’s gaze was directed behind her.

Watching Enshir, who was already on his hands and knees, preparing to get up, a drop of cold sweat ran down Sonia’s cheek.

“I think I need to run away first…”

The duel that took place in the lower district was unremarkable for Ring World City, where dozens, even hundreds, of duels happen every day.

However, its influence was slowly spreading.

Sonia, as a former noble who had fallen from the upper district, already carried a certain level of notoriety.

Now, having won against a D-rank duelist, a level above her own, naturally sparked more discussion.

Moreover, a new term was coined during this duel.

Beyond that, the Mad Heart Group’s land acquisition plan being thwarted was also a rare major event in the lower district.

This incident would eventually spread throughout the entire Ring World City, becoming a topic of conversation for upper district nobles over breakfast with their families one day.

But Sonia didn’t care about the outside world’s discussions.

Because at this moment, she was cleaning.

Watching Sonia mop the floor spotlessly clean, Yide couldn’t help but sigh.

She had just experienced a long-awaited victory, yet she wasn’t carried away by it, excited to the point of losing her bearings.

Most importantly, the girl finally smiled again.

That’s good.

Though most of the time it was an inexplicable, silly grin.

“Heheheh…”

Hearing the cleaning girl giggle again, Yide coughed twice.

“Are you free to come over for a moment, Sonia?”

“Coming!”

Hearing Yide’s voice, Sonia immediately put down the mop, came to the desk, and sat down, putting on the pendant.

—Soul Possession.

“Are we going to use those ten alchemy points now, Mr. Yide?”

Looking at the pendant resting on her chest, the girl’s eyes were full of curiosity.

After her duel victory, she now had one hundred and twenty percent trust in Yide regarding cards and dueling.

But her curiosity about Yide had also grown.

Who exactly is Mr. Yide? Sonia remembered that when they discussed their deal before, Mr. Yide said he needed her help to find a way to revive him.

This meant that Mr. Yide had already died once.

And being so knowledgeable about dueling proved that Mr. Yide must have been a very powerful duelist in his lifetime.

But Sonia had never heard of any duel master named Yide.

This meant, was Mr. Yide a duelist active hundreds of years ago? Should she ask more about him? The thought of possibly being with him for a few more years, or even decades, brought a quick blush to Sonia’s face again.

Perhaps… she should find some time to look up information about Mr. Yide in the library?

Yide had no idea Sonia was thinking so much after being called over.

Seeing the fleeting blush on Sonia’s face, he thought Sonia was excited about the ten cards they were about to transmute and couldn’t help but sigh.

She has good potential to be a ruthless card-playing machine.

“I know you’re excited, but don’t rush.”

Yide used Sonia’s hands to tidy the cards she had left over from last night.

“Before we transmute, I think it’s necessary to review your strategy.”

“Review?”

“Exactly.”

Sonia couldn’t help but be puzzled: “But what is there to review? In the last duel, I was just a hanger-on for the duel’s activation.” She was very self-aware.

Yide didn’t stop working with his hands: “Of course, it’s your deck.”

“Only by thoroughly understanding your deck can you understand how to develop further.”

“And the fastest way for you to understand everything is through actual combat.”

Thud.

The sound of the deck being neatly tapped on the table rang out.

“So, let’s duel, Sonia.”