Two vows, one tournament

After the announcement, Rider and Bianca sat together in the grand hall while everyone continued with their activities. Rider's eyes burned with determination as he sat quietly, lost in thought. Suddenly, he pushed himself up from where he had been sitting. Standing tall, he declared firmly,

"That's it—no more hiding. I've made up my mind. I'll win the upcoming tournament and become the Sword Master. That Zack guy isn't showing me up!"

Bianca clapped at Rider's sudden burst of determination, her smile bright as she encouraged him, "That's the spirit—you can do it!"

At that moment, Aingo walked in from behind them with his arms folded. His tone was cold and measured as he said, "You know, action speaks louder than words. And so far, all you're doing is talking." When Rider turned to see that it was Aingo, he frowned and avoided eye contact. "I don't want to speak to you right now," he muttered.

Aingo returned the frown and said sharply, "Stop acting like a child."

In response, Rider faced Aingo squarely and, with anger in his voice, demanded, "What are you even doing here? Aren't you supposed to be with Zack, since you know he's better than me right?"

The two men stared daggers at each other in silence while Bianca stood off to the side, clearly uncomfortable. Sensing the tension and wanting to break the atmosphere, Bianca spoke up, "Hey, um… Aingo, nice to see you. It's been a while, hasn't it?"

For a brief moment, Aingo ignored her until he finally glanced at her with a cool, sidelong look and replied, "It hasn't been long enough." With that, he began to walk out.

Bianca muttered under her breath, "That's mean," and watched as Aingo left. Suddenly, Aingo stopped in his tracks, turned back, and said, "One more thing…"

Rider sighed in tired resignation and asked, "What now?"

Aingo continued, "I won't be around until the day of the tournament because of the king's orders. I have some business with him, so the next time you see me, it'll be tomorrow. In the meantime, train hard for the tournament—and know this…I know you can do it."

Rider looked shocked while Bianca smirked as Aingo silently left the scene. A smile slowly spread across Rider's face as he turned to Bianca. "Come on, let's sign up for the tournament," he said as he reached out and took her hand. Together, they raced to the registration area.

When Rider saw the line of competitors, his heart sank at the sight of the strong, intimidating, and heavily armored opponents ahead of him. He swallowed hard and thought to himself, Damn, are these the people I'll be facing in the ring? I can't do this—I'm just a kid! And they're all grown-ups with armor and... He paused and then added silently, No, I can't make excuses. Zack is the same age as me, might be a little bit older but the point is he's entering the tournament with no fear, so I can do that too. I'm not scared.

Bianca noticed sweat beginning to form on Rider's face, and though her hand trembled slightly, she squeezed her fist reassuringly. Then, summoning her resolve, she spoke up, "Hey, Rider—I'll be entering the tournament too."

Rider's eyes widened in shock at Bianca's unexpected announcement. "No way—that would be awesome! For some reason, I don't see any other women here. You'd be the only one in the tournament. Are you sure?"

Bianca took a deep breath, her expression hardening into determination. "Yeah, I'm sure."

Rider smiled, a mix of surprise and admiration in his tone as he teased, "Wow—I never knew that you wanted to be the Sword Master."

Bianca quickly clarified, "No, no—no lady really wants that. I have my reasons for joining. Let's go then, shall we? We'll do this together. Remember, we made a promise that day when we met to stick together and get past everything, right?"

Rider's smile broadened as he nodded in agreement, and the two joined the registration line. As they advanced, the line slowly shortened. Rider sighed, collected his registration card, and stepped out of the line. When it was Bianca's turn, the person at the counter looked at her in shock and asked for verification if she was indeed joining. Bianca simply nodded, and the stunned murmurs around them grew louder. Many in the hall wondered aloud what a young lady was doing in a tournament for the Red Katana. Some even made fun, saying she should be in the kitchen instead. Although Bianca heard the jeers, she refused to let them affect her. She ignored the comments, but the situation soon worsened.

A group of men began to close in on Bianca. A large, intimidating man known as Dargal approached her face-to-face with anger. "You think this is a joke, huh? A mere lady entering a tournament of men? You should go lie down in my bed instead," Dargal spat venomously. His cronies followed him, and soon everyone around them burst into raucous laughter at Bianca's expense.

Bianca, undeterred, acted as if Dargal's presence was nothing more than background noise. However, Dargal's temper flared when he saw her dismiss him. He reached out and grabbed her roughly by the hair. Bianca cried out in pain, "You really think you can disrespect me like that, you bitch? I'll rip your head clean off your body!"

Before Bianca could even draw her sword to defend herself, Rider intervened. He stepped between Dargal and Bianca, aiming his sword at Dargal's throat. "Let her go now," Rider commanded firmly.

Dargal glared at Rider, his voice dripping with scorn as he retorted, "What did you just say, you brat?"

With seething anger, Rider pointed his sword even closer to Dargal's throat, his eyes bloodshot with fury. "She's in pain! Let her go now, or you wouldn't be able to even make it to the tournament!"

Dargal sneered, "You've got some nerve, boy." Before the altercation could escalate further, soldiers in the grand hall appeared immediately. Seeing their arrival, Dargal dropped Bianca to the ground and stumbled away, threatening, "It isn't over—you and your girl will pay!" Dargal left with his men without further incident.

Rider rushed to Bianca's side, helping her to her feet and asking if she was alright. Bianca looked up at him with a big smile and said, "You were cool back there," causing Rider's cheeks to flush red. "Stop saying stuff like that," he mumbled, though he couldn't hide his pride. Bianca burst into laughter at his response.

As the commotion died down, Rider smiled and said, "We should both train hard for the tournament tomorrow and surprise Aingo." Bianca agreed, even adding that his match would be first, so she'd support him every step of the way. Rider grinned and nodded, then suggested, "I know the perfect place." With that, Bianca grabbed his arm, and they ran out of the grand hall together.