Chapter 74
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 74
Chapter Title: An Unexpected Variable
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Waaaaaaaaah!
The massive stadium, capable of holding up to 50,000 people, vibrated with the ear-splitting cheers of the crowd.
“Third-year Knight Department, Valia Anus!”
As the referee announced his name, Valia Anus slowly rode out on his horse.
“His opponent, third-year Knight Department, Gismond Erdt!”
From the opposite side, Gismond Erdt appeared, mounted on a black steed.
*‘So that’s him.’*
Pernyan, seated in the VIP section, observed him.
Gismond Erdt.
A third-year in the academy's Knight Department.
Immediately after confirming that two of the prophesied top sixteen had been defeated yesterday, he had launched a background check on Gismond.
Until last year, he had been an unremarkable individual.
Simply being admitted to the academy meant he possessed a talent that wouldn't be looked down upon anywhere on the continent, but within the academy itself, he was average.
First-year, first semester rank: 55th. First-year, second semester rank: 53rd.
Second-year, first semester rank: 52nd.
Not particularly outstanding, nor particularly lacking—just plain average.
*‘But then, he suddenly changed.’*
Second-year, second semester rank: 49th.
For the first time, his rank broke into the forties.
Third-year, first semester rank: 22nd.
He had jumped 27 places in a single semester.
And then, after whatever happened during the break, he had defeated two Knight Department students who were objectively more skilled than him to advance to the round of 32 in the Jousting Tournament.
*‘…Does this even make sense?’*
Pernyan himself had been hiding some of his strength and had even received help from artifacts.
But Gismond Erdt was different.
*‘The Erdt Barony is nothing special.’*
Just a common, ordinary barony in the empire. A place that survived by farming on a small fief.
He didn't have the wealth to use artifacts freely like Pernyan. And there was no reason for him to have been hiding his power.
*‘What in the world?’*
What kind of person just pops up out of nowhere and makes me lose money?
He was someone never once mentioned in the Prophecy Book.
Did some latent potential suddenly explode? Or did he gulp down a whole stash of hidden elixirs?
That wasn't the only problem.
Gismond had already eliminated two of the people slated for the top sixteen.
*‘Due to the nature of a tournament bracket, the sixteen who advance to the round of 16 should never face each other before then.’*
This meant that while one of them could lose to Gismond, two of them shouldn't have.
Because that would mean the bracket itself had changed from the original.
*‘Did he not participate in the original future?’*
At this rate, the rest of the Jousting Tournament could unfold completely differently from the Prophecy Book.
“…Hah, this is infuriating.”
“Everything else has been correct. It's only two people, isn't it?”
“It's not ‘only’ two, it's a whole two.”
And no one could predict how many more those two would become.
*‘Because of the skewed bracket, two more will meet.’*
In other brackets, too, people who shouldn't have faced each other were now meeting.
“Ready.”
At the referee's command, Valia Anus and Gismond Erdt took their positions at opposite ends of the stage. They gripped their lances, glaring at each other as they settled into their stances.
“Begin!”
The signal was given.
Thud-thud-thud—
The two horses kicked off the ground.
Snorting heavily, the horses closed the distance in an instant.
Their riders aimed their lances, targeting one another.
———!
A sound like tearing air echoed through the arena. The unresolved shockwave swept through the surroundings, but a pre-cast barrier protected the spectators.
Hiiiiihing—
The horses whinnied and snorted from the powerful impact.
The students, having passed each other, turned around at the opposite ends.
Thud-thud-thud—
The momentary peace ended as the horses charged again.
Craaaack—
The second clash. Their lances collided.
The horses cried out, and the students gritted their teeth.
They passed each other and turned once more.
“This won't end on horseback.”
“It's called a Jousting Tournament, but it rarely ends with just the jousting.”
As if to prove Pernyan and Hyde right, the third clash also failed to produce a victor.
“Dismount!”
At the referee's shout, Gismond and Valia dismounted. They set down their lances and drew their swords.
If a winner isn't decided after three clashes, they dismount and compete with swordsmanship.
That was the rule of the Jousting Tournament.
“Fight!”
Sharp auras honed themselves on their swords.
Gismond's aura was brown, similar to his hair.
“Hyde, what's your assessment?”
“Valia Anus's aura is a step above in terms of refinement.”
“But Gismond Erdt has the superior quantity of aura.”
“Yes.”
It didn't require a close look.
Valia Anus's aura was sharper and more solid, whereas Gismond Erdt's was chaotic. But it was also vast and ferocious enough to cover all its flaws.
“Did he really find and gobble up some elixirs somewhere?”
For now, that was the most plausible explanation.
If so, where?
In the original history, he wouldn't have eaten them, which is why he never stood out or even participated in the tournament.
Most importantly, the Erdt family didn't seem wealthy enough for that.
*‘…Could it be demonic energy?’*
He had already witnessed how the auras of those tainted by demonic energy could surge.
While Pernyan spoke with Hyde, the two Knight Department students charged at each other.
Clang!
Sword met sword. Shattered aura scattered in all directions.
Most of the fragments were brown. Gismond's aura shrank in an instant.
But it recovered so quickly that the loss was meaningless.
As this process repeated several times, it was Valia Anus who tired first.
His sword slowed, and his aura lost its solidity. Brute force did not miss the cracks in a weakened opponent's defense.
“You monster…!”
Valia gritted his teeth.
In terms of pure swordsmanship and combat sense, he was superior. As proof, Gismond's sword hadn't touched Valia's body once. But the reverse was not true.
Although he couldn't inflict a fatal wound, Valia's strikes had hammered Gismond's armor more than ten times.
The problem, as expected, was the aura. An excessive amount of it protected Gismond's entire body.
In the end, Valia couldn't break through his opponent's aura.
Gismond, on the other hand, tore into his exhausted opponent's weak point.
———!
A translucent barrier blocked the slash aimed at Valia's chest.
The bracelet on Valia's wrist was glowing.
It was a safety artifact provided by the academy, and its activation meant…
“Match over! The winner is Gismond Erdt!”
…that the match had been decided.
“It's definitely one of the two. Elixirs or demonic energy…”
If it was elixirs, they weren't cheap ones, nor was it just one or two. He must have consumed several of the highest quality, so many that it was hard to guess the number.
The Erdt family wasn't capable of affording such things.
*‘Demonic energy is more likely. There's a high probability he's a Vile Breed.’*
But the Vile Breed weren't fools. Would they really try to start something new when the Headmaster was hell-bent on finding them?
Dammit, this is a headache.
“Tell the Golden Pillar to dig deeper into Gismond. His family, his past activities, where he got the elixirs—everything, down to the most trivial habits and speech patterns.”
“Yes, sir.”
In any case, the cause had to be something that went awry as he changed the future of the prophecy. There was no other explanation.
Pernyan stood up.
“Well, at least I made some money.”
Valia Anus was never going to make it to the top sixteen, nor was he skilled enough to warrant Pernyan's attention.
Gismond, who had defeated two students destined for the top sixteen for reasons unknown, versus Valia, who couldn't make it.
If Gismond's two victories weren't just luck, the outcome was obvious.
“Gismond's next opponent is…”
“Ruina Bercefe.”
“Then it's over.”
Pernyan was certain no further upsets would occur.
He had seen what he needed to, but Pernyan didn't leave his seat.
With the bracket itself changed, he needed to watch all the matches to judge who would make it to the top sixteen.
*‘How irritating.’*
Pernyan's gaze was not kind as he watched Gismond raise his arms and cheer.
***
Day six of the festival.
Day five of the Jousting Tournament.
Having defeated three opponents to reach the round of 32, Ruina sat in the waiting room, calmly preparing for her next match.
*‘My next opponent is…’*
“Are you well prepared?”
Just then, someone in a suit of armor sat down next to her.
His visor was down, concealing his face, but the voice was unmistakably familiar.
“…Pernyan? How?”
The competitors' waiting room was off-limits to everyone but the competitors. At least, that's what Ruina knew.
“There are ways.”
“Money certainly is useful.”
“Connections. There's no need to waste money on something like this.”
Pernyan gave a faint smile.
“But what brings you all the way to the waiting room…?”
“Do you know who your opponent is this time?”
“I do. Gismond Erdt, a third-year.”
She gave her all in every match and never made the mistake of entering a fight ignorant of her opponent.
“I heard his skills improved drastically starting last year. I thought his latent potential had just blossomed late, but seeing him in person, it seemed different.”
“Elixirs?”
“That's right.”
“I came to warn you just in case, but it's a relief you already know.”
Pernyan nodded slightly.
“Warn me?”
“Be careful.”
“Careful?”
His expression was hidden, but Pernyan's voice was utterly serious.
“That Gismond fellow, there's more than one suspicious thing about him.”
“…You don't think he's a Vile Breed, do you?”
Ruina lowered her voice, her eyes instantly turning sharp.
Knowing that the Vile Breed were infesting the academy, it was an unavoidable conclusion for Ruina.
Especially since she had seen her friend Bella's skills skyrocket after being tainted by demonic energy.
“I'm not certain. It's just a suspicion. But the possibility is high.”
Very high.
“I understand.”
“Aren't you going to ask more?”
“Competitor Ruina, you'll be entering shortly.”
Just then, an attendant called for Ruina.
Ruina picked up the helmet she had set aside.
“You may be a man who only cares about money, but you don't lie. Even if that weren't the case, I believe we've built at least this much trust.”
And I, too, desperately want to win.
“I'll do my best and return—”
Just then, as she was speaking, something popped into her mouth.
“…What is this? Chocolate?”
“A gift to ensure your victory.”
“…Thank you.”
*Clank.* Ruina lowered her visor and entered the passageway.
“Trust, huh…”
Pernyan returned to the spectators' seats.
And he watched.
“Victory, Ruina Bercefe!”
Ruina's lance, charging as one with her horse.
With a single clash, it completely shattered Gismond's aura.
With a second clash, it sent his lance flying.
The match was decided in just two passes.
“Aaaaaaaargh…! I'm dying!”
Unable to withstand the shock transmitted through his lance, Gismond clutched what looked like a broken arm and rolled on the ground.
“He's quite the drama queen. Making such a fuss over a single broken arm.”
“Indeed.”
As an academy student, it couldn't be his first time breaking an arm, yet he was causing such a scene.
*‘If I were a Vile Breed, I don't think I'd bother turning such a pathetic guy into one of my own.’*
Did he just really overdo it with elixirs? With what money?
Pernyan clicked his tongue.
In any case, Ruina had won, so the situation was good.
*‘By the way, Ruina seems even stronger than she was in the Prophecy Book...’*
He had expected Ruina to win, but he hadn't known it would be this overwhelming.
The thought crossed his mind that perhaps this time, she might actually win the whole thing.
Was it because he fed her the mandragora? Whatever the reason, there was no cause not to be pleased that an ally who would fight demons alongside him was growing stronger.
*‘…An ally? Since when did it become a given that I would fight demons?’*
Honestly, at this point, he was confident that the future where he fell into ruin after a falling out with Aint was gone. Even if he stepped back now, that worst-case scenario wouldn't come to pass.
And yet, Pernyan couldn't bring himself to wash his hands of the demon situation.
The butterfly effect.
He didn't know how the futures, twisted by his desperate struggles for survival, would unfold.
Like how the Sea Serpent that attacked the yacht hadn't been one, but two.
Like Andromalius, who was summoned unexpectedly, contrary to the Prophecy Book.
He was afraid that one of those changes might inadvertently kill Aint.
And that a world without Aint would be doomed.
Pernyan couldn't bear to let go.
*‘Just you wait. I will seize all the wealth in the world.’*
If he was going to save the world, he deserved at least that much compensation.
Pernyan gritted his teeth.
Just then, someone approached, handed Hyde a manila envelope, and disappeared.
The envelope was embossed with the crest of a shining golden pillar.
“What you wanted has arrived, sir.”
“Let me see it.”
“Yes.”
Pernyan's eyes curved as he checked the contents.
“…Well, look at this.”
“Did you find something?”
“I found it. It's called Peius Fortress, in the Peius Fief.”
The most formidable fortress in the southernmost part of the Prasia Kingdom.
*‘But this location…’*
Pernyan recalled another prophecy.
[- This is Blacksteel.]
["Blacksteel? The one with excellent magic resistance?"]
[- You're in luck. It's no match for Mithril, but it's a rather useful ore.]
A prophecy that was very close to Peius, and a profitable one at that.