F-ranker Sword Saint: My Soulbound Sword is Secretly SSS-tier!-Chapter 293: Timely Promotion

"Welcome, Lady Edelweiss, Sir Omaru, to Forks & Falchions. If you’re looking to have a quick and hearty early lunch, then this is the place!"

In front of an old stone restaurant with vintage vibes on a street near Crownspire Arena, two youngsters stood in front of and listened to an older man in semi-formal attire.

"You two arrived at the perfect time. We currently have a promotion going on. For couples, a small private room will not only come with a 25% discount but also half the original room price’s worth of food!"

Daru only locked gazes with the older man, surprised but unfazed.

"Ah, but we’re no–"

Before he could finish his words, however, Iris suddenly interrupted, seemingly suppressing her embarrassment:

"W-We’ll take the promo!"

Daru’s brows rose, and he turned to look at his training partner, slightly taken aback.

Unfortunately, before he could clarify things, they were already being led to one of the small private rooms, and it was quite near the entrance, so the two of them were settled before he even had a chance.

It somehow became difficult to meet her gaze, and it was only when they were seated and were already ordering that he finally got the chance, or rather, was given the chance.

The server assigned to their room was already waiting to jot down their orders, though, and Daru thought it would be rude to make him wait for an unnecessarily longer time, so he temporarily put the matter at the back of his mind and cooperated with his early lunch companion first.

Only once they were done ordering and the server had left the room did he attempt to discuss the matter again.

"Iris, why did we accept the offer? We’re not a couple. Aren’t we cheating them like this?"

"A-Ah, you don’t have to worry too much about that. These restaurants or shops in general...they will not make any offers that would result in a loss, only less profit. I decided to take the offer because it would save us Swordcoins. N-No other strange reasons, just so you know..."

"I see..."

Daru didn’t regard himself as knowledgeable in such matters. Plus, he trusted Iris a decent deal, so if she said so, it must be true.

The training partner, meanwhile, secretly observed his reactions. Only when it seemed like he was truly fine with the arrangements was she able to finally relax.

"T-The food will take some time to arrive, so let’s make better use of our free time." Iris began with a slight stutter. "First, how are you feeling about your match with Skylar?"

Daru fell into ponderment.

He was and had always been confident of his victory in duels against someone more or less equal to him in raw physical abilities.

Still, he took the matter seriously, delving deeper into his mind and heart.

Iris didn’t bother him.

"Well, I thought hard, but I don’t see how I’ll lose. His flight ability and that seven slash counter skill...I have the Sword Skills to deal with them. Why, do you maybe know another skill or two that might pose problems?" he asked in response a few moments later.

"No...But I don’t think the main problem will come from Sword Skills. He definitely is hiding far more than what he has shown, and they will cause you problems to some degree. However, I believe it will be his shamelessness and his not stopping at anything to get what he wanted that will be very dangerous for you."

Daru’s eyes narrowed.

Indeed...he can agree with Iris on that, as mentality and focus are huge factors that can lead to defeat or victory.

If he were being entirely honest, his obsession with victory is definitely not as pure as his opponent’s.

Daru knew himself quite well.

Honor and the enjoyment of the battle itself were just as important to him as winning was, unlike Skylar, who would choose winning over anything, morals be damned.

’Hmm...makes good sense...’

Taiya, for example, might’ve been too proud to rely on consumables against an F-ranker...and that inflexibility led to his downfall.

As it turned out, his focus was still quite impure and questionable — definitely something that could become a bottleneck in the growth of his overall combat prowess in the future.

The concept of "Victory" seemed to be far deeper than he thought. Daru took note of the matter for now and tossed it at the back of his head, knowing this isn’t the time to explore himself.

The consequences of losing are too heavy.

But then, his brows rose as he suddenly came to another realization.

Consequences of Defeat...Victory...

Daru nodded to himself. He shall think about these ideas and expand on them another day.

"I see...so what do you suggest I do about his shamelessness? How can I counter that? Also, what is the extent of the danger of his shamelessness?" he asked with serious consideration.

Iris was ecstatic that they were having this conversation.

After all, she did have some doubts about Daru’s chances of winning the finals. Not because of his raw combat prowess, but because of his character.

He was way too honest and honorable for his own good. Perhaps a bit naive, too, which was why Iris feared he would fall victim to Skylar’s practicality and cold logic that gives not a hint of respect to honor.

"P-Please don’t take offense. I think you should be a bit more flexible. Don’t hesitate to use any advantage you have, because Skylar certainly wouldn’t. The Ashwind Family is and has been a hegemon in Southern Noravia, and I’m sure Skylar would have a lot of items in his inventory that he would not hesitate to use to win against you if needed. I suggest you do the same."

Daru nodded.

He had already pondered this earlier, and Iris’ words only strengthened his resolve.

He indeed should be more flexible, especially against opponents like Skylar, whom he considered dishonorable.

Perhaps that small belt bag of his was currently more dangerous than his sword?

"I see. I do agree with you, so you don’t have to worry about this. I shall consider my inventory a part of my abilities in the upcoming match."

Hearing his words, Iris breathed a sigh of relief.

This had been the thorn in her heart.

She was naturally delighted that Daru was willing to at least hear her out on this one, much less receive a promise that he would try his best to be as flexible as he could in the upcoming match.

While the results of the match were still up in the air, the chances of victory are at least as high as they could get.

"Anything else?"

Before Iris could speak of the minorities in her mind, however, the door slid open, and the energetic voice of the overly enthusiastic server resounded in the private room:

"Food for the lovely couple!"