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“That blonde girl isn’t as scary as we thought. Besides, I’m suggesting we rally the men first. Don’t tell me you’re still afraid even if we have numbers on our side?” Ness asked, casting a disdainful glance at the flustered Brady.

“W-Who… who’s afraid? I’m only worried that your casual provocation might jeopardize our mission against the two princesses in the grand plan. Let’s not forget Mr. Card’s advice,” Brady muttered, his cheeks and the tips of his ears were red.

“Mr. Card isn’t always right. Sure, he brought us together, but has anyone seen his true face? Have you?” Ness narrowed his eyes. “Frankly, I can’t completely trust a sneaky man like him,” he added.

Brady looked like he wanted to retort but swallowed his words. Or maybe he did mutter something under his breath. Either way, Ness was not interested to know.

“Alright, let’s not dwell on this. Mr. Card is certainly very impressive, but we must make our own decisions. Ultimately, this tournament is an individual endeavor; relying too heavily on others will lead to significant losses,” Ballmer interjected, attempting to ease the tension.

He then turned to Ness and asked, “So, what made you decide to rally men to eliminate those two?”

“First, I suspect that blonde girl who claims to be Lady Erica’s lackey may not be as formidable as we presumed,” Ness began.

“She totally whooped our a̲s̲s̲e̲s̲. How can you say she’s not strong? Are you only going to start regretting after being beaten senseless?” Brady muttered defiantly.

Ness gave him an impassive look and said, “Then why don’t you tell us how that girl whoop your a̲s̲s̲, Mr. Smarty Pants?”

“Do you even need to ask? Like Ballmer, I was lying on the ground before I knew it and she kept punching me relentlessly.”

“Before you knew it… I see. So you didn’t get to put that speed you’re so proud of to good use, huh?” Ness replied, looking as though everything had gone exactly as he expected.

“Of course not! Otherwise, I wouldn’t be…” Brady suddenly paused.

Ness snorted coldly. “So, both you and Ballmer were caught off guard and overwhelmed by that blonde girl’s brute strength alone. That’s why you didn’t get to find out more about her.”

Brady persisted, “Isn’t that exactly why she’s so frightening? Her strength alone could…”

“What if that’s all she has? Why else would she handle you and Ballmer the same way? Wouldn’t it be more intimidating to show something different?” Ness interrupted.

Brady was utterly dumbfounded.

“Yes, Ness has a point,” Ballmer mused, stroking his chin in contemplation. “If that girl is truly as terrifying as she seems, how could she be a mere lackey or servant? Even if we’re no match for Princesses Luna and Estelle, we’re not exactly amateurs.”

“Indeed, based on the information at hand, it’s reasonable to assume the blonde girl hones her talents primarily in physical strength. Her speed and endurance appear lacking. This is evidenced by her strategy of using deceptive movements to catch opponents off guard. I observed her getting exhausted after pummeling Ballmer for just a few minutes, to the point she didn’t care that she was sitting on the muddy ground, even though she’s someone who carries a handkerchief on her all the time.”

Ballmer looked slightly embarrassed at the mention of being pummeled. Ness’ analysis also made him realize his defeat stemmed from overestimating his own abilities.

She was just a silly girl who had only her raw strength to rely on. Had Ballmer been a little smarter, he could have worn her out instead of getting beaten senseless by her.

“So… does that mean we don’t have to fear Lady Erica?” Ballmer asked optimistically, thinking if the blonde girl wasn’t exceptionally strong, then Lady Erica, supposedly her superior, couldn’t be either.

“No, Lady Erica might indeed be fearsome,” Ness replied solemnly, his expression grave.

“Why?” Ballmer questioned, perplexed.

“That leads me to my next point,” Ness paused, as if gathering his thoughts before continuing, “Lady Erica’s strength could potentially rival that of Princesses Luna and Estelle, or even surpass them.”

“What? That’s impossible!” Ballmer exclaimed incredulously.

Estelle and Luna were unrealistically powerful, and the idea that someone unknown could match them seemed preposterous.

The memory of their team’s defeat at Estelle’s hands lingered fresh in their minds, making the notion even harder to accept.

“Indeed, the notion seems almost too fantastical, even I was taken aback when it first crossed my mind. But upon closer examination, it’s not entirely far-fetched.”

“Isn’t this already outrageous enough? The presence of two monsters at the Martial God Tournament is frightening as it is. How much more can we handle?” Ballmer interjected, his tone skeptical.

“Calm down and hear me out.” Ness motioned for Ballmer to compose himself and be mindful of how emotions could cloud judgment.

“Let me ask you a question: why would Lady Erica claim to have eliminated Princess Estelle?”
“Probably for fame or vanity, what else?”
“But did she not consider the potential consequences of incurring Princess Estelle’s wrath?”
“Maybe she was taking a gamble? That Estelle wouldn’t find her?” Ballmer frowned, finding his own argument less convincing as he spoke.

“How likely is that? Although this little world is big, it’s not incredibly huge… Moreover, challenging Princess Estelle would be inevitable if she aims for the top spot in this tournament. Do you think Estelle will go easy on someone who used her name for fame?” Ness asked.

“But what if she isn’t aiming for the top spot?”

“Heh, why would she be collecting Holy Dragon’s Hearts like crazy if that were the case? She might as well keep just one on her and maintain a low profile for the next ten days.”

“That’s… true. I suppose she does have a certain audacity to declare herself the one who eliminated Princess Estelle.”

“It’s more than just audacity,” Ness corrected Ballmer, albeit with a hint of annoyance at his teammate’s lack of insight. He even began to entertain thoughts of teaming up with someone else, fearing he might be killed by Ballmer’s stupidity sooner or later.

“Isn’t there one more thing you’ve forgotten?”
“What’s that?”
“The fact that Princess Estelle is still missing.”
“How does Princess Estelle’s disappearance relate to this…” Ballmer trailed off as his eyes widened.

Princess Estelle had disappeared. Then, out of nowhere, Lady Erica emerged, boldly claiming that she had eliminated Princess Estelle… If these two incidents weren’t related, Ballmer would tear his own head off.

Could it be… He had never entertained that notion before Ness brought it up. Now, it was lodged in his mind like an unwavering tree.

Ness continued, “So, I have two theories. One: Lady Erica wasn’t lying. She really did eliminate Princess Estelle, and two: Erica is Princess Estelle herself.”