The World Is Mine For The Taking

The Sword Festival had officially kicked off, and the buzz of excitement filled the air. A dense crowd surrounded the small arena, their cheers and chatter rising like a tidal wave. The arena itself was nothing extravagant—a raised platform just large enough for the contestants to duel freely but compact enough to force intense close-quarters combat, giving the audience an enjoyable view of the spectacle.

If one contestant was pushed off the platform, they would be declared out, and the remaining fighter would be the winner. It was a straightforward rule, but effective.

I stood amidst the sea of spectators, my eyes locked on the current match. Two contestants were clashing on the platform, their swords ringing out with every collision. One looked like a seasoned adventurer, his stance solid and experienced, while the other appeared to be an ordinary swordsman—though his moves hinted he might have been an adventurer too.

Each strike they exchanged carried raw power, the sound reverberating through the crowd like thunder. The precision in their movements was captivating, their stances revealing the depth of their training. It was the kind of skill that demanded attention, and the audience was eating it up.

"Leon," Titania's voice cut through the noise as she leaned closer. "Trill and I are stepping out for a bit. It's way too hot in here with all these people crammed together. You're staying, right?"

I nodded. "Yeah, I'll stick around."

"Alright. Don't wander off," she said before turning to leave.

I watched as my two girlfriends disappeared into the crowd, leaving me alone. I couldn't blame them for needing air. The midday spring sun bore down relentlessly, and the sheer number of bodies packed into the area only amplified the heat.

A while later, as I kept my focus on the matches, a familiar voice called out to me.

"Hello, Leon~!"

I turned to see Tris approaching, her mischievous grin unmistakable. Beside her was Johanne, her usual calm demeanor intact despite Tris's playful energy.

"Are you on a date~?" Tris teased, her voice dripping with amusement.

I shrugged nonchalantly. "Something like that."

"With your two girlfriends, I'm guessing?" she pressed, clearly trying to stir something up.

I shrugged again, keeping my expression unreadable. If she wanted to guess, I'd let her run wild with her imagination.
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"Is your fight today, Leon?" Johanne asked, cutting through Tris's teasing with a direct question.

"Nah," I said, shaking my head. "Mine's on the third day."

"Mine's on the fourth," Johanne replied. "Looks like we won't be crossing swords in the preliminaries."

"Same here," I said with a smirk. "But I'm aiming for the final round."

Johanne chuckled softly. "You'll make it. You already beat me once, didn't you?"

Tris's eyes widened in genuine shock, her teasing tone evaporating. "Wait, you beat Johanne? In a swordfight?"

Her reaction wasn't surprising. Johanne was no ordinary swordsman—she was the heir to the Sword Saint, a title that carried immense weight. Her skill was unmatched, making her the strongest in the academy by far.

The thought of anyone defeating him in a straight sword duel was almost unthinkable. Sure, he could be outmatched if someone had a specific counter-ability, but Johanne's own trump card, Limit Breaker, made those odds nearly nonexistent. His ability to shatter limits gave him an edge that was almost impossible to overcome.

Tris being so shocked was completely natural.

"Leon overwhelmed me," Johanne said with a small smile.

It was a bold statement, considering it could potentially tarnish Johanne's credibility as the future Sword Saint if word got out. And if people ever discovered the truth about her being biologically a woman who was transformed into a man, her reputation might crumble entirely. Of course, such a revelation seemed unlikely now, but I couldn't help but think that one day, far into the future, Johanne might learn the truth about herself. When that day came, she'd undoubtedly start questioning everything about her identity.

But even so, Johanne confessed this to Tris without the slightest hint of shame or hesitation. Her level of trust in Tris was almost palpable.

"Wow. You must be seriously strong, Leon. Are you hiding some crazy strength from us?" Tris's teasing smile returned, but there was a glint in her eyes now, a mix of admiration and curiosity.

"It was just a fluke," I said, feigning nonchalance with a shrug. "Johanne probably wasn't giving it his all. If he had, I'd be toast."

Tris turned her sharp gaze to Johanne, her brows raised in question.

"I didn't go easy on him at all," Johanne said, her voice steady, her words cutting through any doubt like a blade.

"Hmm..." Tris narrowed her eyes, her lips curling into a sly smirk. "I don't know which one of you is lying to me, but I'll figure it out."

I had no desire to let her drag this out any further. The teasing might've been fun for her, but it was getting old for me. Time to change the subject.

"Oh, by the way," I said, reaching into my pocket with a deliberate motion. "Here it is."

I pulled out a small glass vial, its contents shimmering faintly in the sunlight.

It was the aphrodisiac Tris had asked for.

"That's the stuff," I said, holding it out to her carefully. "Be smart with it. A single drop is enough to set someone off. Too much, and it could make you or anyone else lose their mind. If you're going to use it, dilute it with wine or something. Don't overdo it unless you're ready to deal with the consequences."

Tris's eyes lit up with a wicked gleam as she grabbed the vial from my hand.

"Got it~!" she chirped, her grin spreading wide, looking every bit the mischievous devil she was.

"What's that, Tris? Leon?" Johanne asked, her gaze flicking between us, suspicion laced in her tone.

"It's a secret," Tris replied smoothly, pressing the vial close to her chest like it was some precious treasure. She turned to me and winked, her message clear: keep your mouth shut.

Johanne let out a small sigh, her shoulders relaxing. "Well, as long as you two aren't plotting anything crazy, I guess it's fine."

She didn't push further, and I could see her trying to steer the conversation to safer ground.

"By the way, Princess Titania's fight is scheduled for today. Do you know who she's up against, Leon?"

"The name didn't ring any bells," I said honestly. "Probably just a no-name adventurer or some random swordsman."

The truth was, I didn't recognize the opponent's name at all, even with the considerable information I'd gathered. Whoever they were, they clearly weren't significant enough to be on anyone's radar.

"In any case, tell the Princess I'm rooting for her. I hope she wins and comes out of it unscathed," Johanne said, her tone laced with genuine concern.

It was a fair worry. The Sword Festival might've had rules against killing, but accidents happened. And in the rare cases where someone did kill their opponent, the lack of severe consequences in these tournaments meant it wasn't completely unheard of. A single slip could turn a duel into a deadly tragedy, and Johanne's concern for Titania was completely justified.

"Yes, I'll be sure to tell her that," I replied, my tone even as I nodded at Johanne.

With that, the two newlyweds finally walked away from me, their footsteps growing fainter with each step. Watching their retreating figures, my mind wandered to Tris and her plans for that aphrodisiac. She was definitely planning to use it on Johanne, hoping it'd make his dick stand up and do the job. But with Johanne's biology being what it was—a woman altered into a man—it was entirely possible the aphrodisiac wouldn't work at all. I could only hope Tris wouldn't go overboard if it failed.

Well, she did say she wouldn't use it until the time was right, so maybe it was fine.

Probably.

As I turned my attention back to the arena, the duels continued to unfold in predictable patterns. Winners and losers came and went across the stage like waves crashing against the shore. Victors basked in their fleeting glory, thrusting their swords into the air where the sunlight caught the steel, sending flashes of light across the cheering crowd. Some, however, won through cheap tricks or unsportsmanlike behavior, earning nothing but boos and jeers from the audience.

The losers, though, were all the same—heads hung low as they left the stage, their steps heavy with defeat. A few of them let their frustrations boil over, throwing their swords to the ground in anger, their humiliation plain for everyone to see.

After what felt like an endless cycle, it was finally Titania's turn.

She stepped onto the stage, and her opponent followed close behind. My first impression was confusion. The figure approaching her looked like a boy at first glance—no, not quite. Calling her a boy would've been generous. It wasn't a boy, nor a man at all. It was a woman, unmistakably so, though she wore a man's clothing.

The contrast was striking, her appearance sparking murmurs among the spectators. The clash of feminine features and masculine attire gave her an almost otherworldly aura. But none of that mattered to Titania, who stood poised and ready, her blade steady in her grasp, her gaze sharp and unyielding. The match was about to begin.