After examination, the Left-Hand Knight was fine. Although, strictly speaking, this 'fine' meant that the physical damage he sustained was actually very limited—Maria's indiscriminate healing ability still had an effect. But what was bad was that... when he crashed into the wall, the Left-Hand Knight's ribs broke, but then healed instantly. His ribs healed while still broken...
The result was that the Left-Hand Knight had to re-break his ribs to reset them, which caused him even greater pain.
Craftsman Cat happily explained that this time the Charge Blade was filled with a sleeping potion, so for the Left-Hand Knight, this blow brought him dreams like a baby's.
After all, this weapon was originally designed to deal with massive creatures, so the dosage might have been a bit large. Although the outcome was good, the Left-Hand Knight would probably have to lie on a sickbed for an entire season.
The debut of the [Dragon Heat Engine · Blight Charge Blade] could be said to be very successful, making Craftsman Cat full of praise for Maria. It is said that even veteran hunters do not have Maria's insight when using the Charge Blade for the first time. To be able to use a Super Burst, such a unique move, on her first try with the Charge Blade, is unprecedented even in Craftsman Cat's experience. Regardless of those gamblers who lost everything by betting on the Left-Hand Knight, this was a perfect victory.
And this competition also made Maria realize that her strength was still lacking, but it didn't matter now. Her entry into the official competition was already a certainty. Her points were completely sufficient; even if she didn't win another match, she would still be guaranteed a spot in the official competition. So, it's fine to pop the champagne now!
Thump!
With a 'thump' as the champagne cork was ejected by the pressure, the golden liquid foamed out. Maria personally opened the champagne, and the first thing she did was fill Manner's glass. There was no other way; here, either people couldn't drink, or they weren't old enough, or they were forced by Noah not to drink. Only Manner could drink freely. Manner looked at his noticeably larger glass and fell into contemplation.
He had reason to believe this was Noah's small revenge for him secretly ambushing the spring.
However, Manner didn't care. His alcohol tolerance wasn't bad; he had participated in many social events at the company, so not being able to drink was clearly impossible. And today was a special occasion, so he immediately loosened his tie, raised his glass, and chugged it down, gulp after gulp. The liquor even overflowed from the corners of his mouth, flowing down his jawline and into his clothes, but he paid no mind. After finishing the liquid in his glass, he raised it high.
Noah, who had been a little mischievous, felt a bit embarrassed. She hadn't expected her uncle to be so straightforward. She awkwardly picked up her glass of juice and drank it all. Since she had taken the lead, Zofia and Maria also raised their glasses of orange juice together and drank them in one go.
"First, of course, let's celebrate Maria entering the official competition!" Zofia smacked her lips after finishing her juice. To be honest, she really wanted to drink alcohol this time, but it was because she was in such a good mood. Seeing Maria succeed definitely made her the happiest, after all, Maria could be said to have been taught by her personally. For a teacher, a student's success is the best reward. She patted Maria's shoulder with satisfaction. "You've really done me proud! It's not impossible for you to become the champion like this!"
"...Gulp, I'll try my best." Maria scratched her head. Logically speaking, the Left-Hand Knight was not someone she could have defeated. If it weren't for the Left-Hand Knight constantly holding back, and liking to trash talk to provoke her anger, plus the new weapon Sister Noah prepared for her, she probably wouldn't have won. If the Left-Hand Knight was so strong, could she really contend with those Knights with single-character titles later on?
Maria honestly felt uncertain. Indeed, this victory was too lucky. If the Left-Hand Knight had ended the fight quickly, Maria wouldn't have been able to unleash that Super Burst.
However, Knight tournaments never believe in 'what ifs'; victory is victory. Maria defeated the Left-Hand Knight and received an invitation to the official competition. Now, even if the Commercial Federation was unhappy, they probably wouldn't make a move against Maria again. And even if Noah's power was restricted, if these people operated illegally, she would be able to notice it in time. At that point, she would turn the tables.
Noah had long wanted to deal with those who constantly impeached and disgusted her, but she had never found a good reason. This time, after the Left-Hand Knight was defeated, any further actions would not be able to hide from her. She wanted to see how much these guys would be willing to spend...
After the celebration banquet, because Manner had drunk quite a lot, Noah simply let them stay over. The villa had plenty of guest rooms. When she bought this villa from the old Knight noble, she heard that this Knight noble's conduct was not very proper; most of the rooms in the house were guest rooms, specifically for the women he had physical relationships with. Of course, Noah completely renovated it after buying it, but most of the guest rooms were still preserved, though most were used to store miscellaneous items.
With a little tidying, it wouldn't be a problem even if all of Nearl Family's family moved in.
She had already planned it: when Margaret returned, the Nearl Family family, which had largely been sold off, would clearly no longer be suitable as a base. She would simply transfer her company and properties under her name to Nearl Family. Noah had already made two preparations: if she left Kazimierz safely, she would transfer these assets to Margaret; if something unexpected happened to her, her will had long ago named Margaret as the beneficiary.
Anyway, no matter what, things in Kazimierz were over. After Margaret returned and fulfilled their agreement, she definitely wouldn't stay in Kazimierz for long.
Perhaps she would go to Columbia, or Sherag, or meet friends on Rhodes Island, or travel around Terra. Anything would be fine.
Although she still held expectations for Kazimierz in her heart, she was indeed tired. If it weren't for her agreement with Margaret, she would have left Kazimierz long ago.
Now that Maria was gradually becoming independent, it was almost time for her to retire after achieving success.
Even Maria probably didn't expect that after Noah dealt with the Witch King Remnants, her first thought was that if Maria could successfully advance, she would run away once Margaret returned.
This determination to run away was indeed deeply ingrained.
---------------------------------
If you'd like to read the next 40 chapters in advance, you can support me on Patreon.
I regularly post chapter previews there, so you'll always be up-to-date and won't have to wait too long.
patreon.com/SolyuraMT
And if you enjoy the story, don't forget to give me a Power Stone. Your support really motivates me to continue translating!