89 – Qualification-2
From the moment I met him, nothing was like a dream.
“I can’t… Not go on like this.”
Not all training can be perfect and beautiful.
Even before, she was the one who continued her rough training behind his back.
It was a sword that could not be called beautiful even with empty words. Her body, which had already exceeded its limits, was shouting that further abuse would be ineffective.
Neither she nor she didn’t know when to train and when to stop.
If she didn’t know that, she wouldn’t even be able to reach this position in the first place.
However, Dana’s impatience, not reason, was moving her body.
The wounds from yesterday’s sword fight aren’t even healed yet. The therapist also told me to stay calm.
Her release of her was also based on her trust that ‘A gladiator like that would move on her own so as not to put too much strain on her body.’
“…”
Dana collapsed from exhaustion and sat on her ground. The wound that had just been healed was torn again, leaving a red mark on the ground.
From the beginning, she was overly lucky.
Finding him who fell on the ground, and being able to rescue him by chance.
With him on her back, she felt his heart pounding, and she was able to bring him to the Colosseum for a night or so.
Maybe that was enough for her.
Instead of being swept away by false accusations, she received a sincere thank you and a smile from the man.
Her actions, the work she did, the reward appropriate to her status.
“I thought that would be… The end.”
However, he did not stop.
Beyond expressing gratitude, I loved Dana.
Dana rejected his heart. If you have to listen to various excuses, it was because you were afraid.
Throwing away everything she has accomplished, a new person. She is afraid of becoming Evan’s lover.
As a gladiator, she is terrified of falling into a ‘lucky woman of low status’, leaving behind countless people who respect and love her.
Giving up everything she used to do, she’s afraid to trust Evan.
It was a relationship that should have ended like that. It was between Evan’s having to forget the woman who “Dare” To reject him and going back to South Korea.
However, even in that situation, Evan went a step further.
To embrace her, she became a direct gladiator. She brought back forgotten rules and demanded them from Daisy, and fought with her sword on equal terms with others.
“This… Can’t be done.”
And then, Dana didn’t do anything.
I just accepted his interest and trained together.
Other gladiators held competitions among themselves, and when the winner was getting the ‘opportunity to challenge Evan to sparring’, Dana casually applied for sparring in the name of teaching him, and rolled around together.
However, she did nothing for him.
There was a time when he gave a present on an important day, but it was less than what Evan gave him.
If you think about how other women are treating Selam’s men, the presents are small and nothing.
Even if he tried to offer something even more forcefully, Evan refused, so there was nothing he could do.
“…”
From noble mtl dot com
However, it wasn’t Evan’s fault. If Dana had accepted his heart right away, or had firmly rejected it, this wouldn’t have happened.
It was not enough.
Evan thought that Dana rejected his offer because she “Couldn’t give up living as a gladiator.” However, Dana wasn’t that serious about this.
I just do it because I was able to do it well. Daisy, her close older sister, only became a gladiator because she started working at the Colosseum.
However, he kept moving towards her far away.
His endless fighting spirit and hard work, fan service and self-management were already known to many people.
Dana knew better than anyone else that it wasn’t a lie or fake propaganda.
The Dalian, which was unilaterally ‘teaching’, at some point turns into an equal fight.
Whether it’s skill or spirit. He was no longer a follower watching Dana from a distance, but a competitor moving by her side.
“…No.”
Dana looked at her hand, her trembling eyes.
It was terrible. With skills like this, you won’t be able to impress anyone.
You may not lose to Evan right away. In fact, he lost to Evan, so if he could lose, it could be seen as a neat ending in its own way.
However, if you fail without even meeting Evan when the tournament starts.
Evan followed her up to the top of her colosseum, but her Dana fell off the spot.
She lay on the ground as if collapsing in an empty training ground.
Even though I know that it is time to rest, it seems that someone is shouting that I need to become stronger.
Even if you force yourself up to get stronger, your already overworked muscles refuse to follow the instructions of your brain.
Dana couldn’t wake up after all.
/////
“Are you well prepared for the next sword fight?”
“Well, for now.”
“Oh-ho-ho-ho… I’m glad I’m here!”
Holding up the fan Florence had brought from somewhere, she covered her mouth and smiled, a half mixture of modesty and frivolity.
Taking a step closer, she whispered to me in a meaningful voice.
“It’s because of Miss Dana. Isn’t it?”
“…You can’t even hide it.”
Well, even if you don’t bother looking for it, everyone you know will already know.
Her relationship with her was not broken. Strangely, he was trying to avoid me, but it wasn’t because he didn’t like me, it seemed like there was another reason.
Talking to Florence about her relationship with another woman didn’t seem like a good idea, but she was eager to grasp at the straw.
“Well, maybe it’s a sense of crisis?”
“A sense of crisis…?”
“I don’t know about anyone else, but the princess is a formidable opponent.”
“…”
Accepting someone’s heart means, in the end, hurting the other person.
“I didn’t know you’d care…”
“I didn’t know either. She’s Miss Dana, because she’s such a perfect gladiator. But, other than that, it seems like there’s no reason for Dana to be shaken.”
“The Perfect Gladiator…”
Each time, I was in her position looking up at her.
She applied for sparring from Dana to receive her guidance, trained according to her curriculum that she designed for me, and endured painful training to fight and defeat gladiators who had fought her and her official matches. Went through
But, not now.
Of course, she was still in a much higher place than me. I, who had grown up like this, didn’t think I would fight her and win.
“…”
Something was wrong.
Training together, going on dates, exchanging gifts, touching each other’s hands or something more dangerous.
She’s obviously doing something like a lover, but she’s getting close with her. Even if I thought they were friendly, it wasn’t strange.
I didn’t know about her, much to her surprise.
The best gladiator, pretty and beautiful person, kind and charming, sometimes a woman with a cute corner.
So far it may have been enough. Even with her flimsy knowledge, she had no trouble understanding her.
Just having a happy conversation, training together, and having a good time with each other was enough.
However, when Dana was shaking, I had to feel helpless.
I didn’t know her well enough to understand her, nor was I smart enough to find an alternative to her.
This was a problem.
“Florence. I’m going somewhere, can you come with me?”
“I’m always ready to follow Evan. But, I don’t think the time is right for a date…”
Normally, Florence would come after me with a smile, but now she noticed me. No, I was watching Dana’s eyes.
It was fortunate that even if they had a mind to keep the other person in check, they seemed to think of each other in the end. Fighting with my girls didn’t seem like it would make me happy no matter how much I thought about it.
“I’m sorry, but it’s not a date. I have to go to a little… A little bit dangerous place. It’s kind of like going alone.”
There were many things.
Fall in this world, meet Dana for the first time, just out of her bar.
Unsure of what to do, he was homeless and was attacked by thugs.
Run away as much as you can, fight, get saved by Dana.
See how the men in Selam are doing, and meet decent friends like Adrian among them.
Feed Logan once and become a gladiator, trying to show Dana my sincerity.
Meanwhile, I met a lot of people. Daisy, Florence, Jerry, Oksana, Iris.
And, we have come this far.
Having become much stronger than the first time, now I have become a person who is not ashamed to say ‘gladiator’ wherever I go.
However, the purpose and means must not change.
The fact that I tried to become a gladiator and refused to live a comfortable life.
In the end, I didn’t choose it because I thought it was the final goal of my life.
“I’ll be ready.”
“Thank you.”
It was fun right away, and I had no choice but to work hard to pay for the salary I was receiving.
However, we must not forget the real goal.
“I’m going to go to a bar I know…Nearby.”
Again, to recall the emotions I felt for the first time.