27
Chapter 27
His tone was as stiff as ever, yet I felt a strange warmth.
"I'll be back."
The tension that had filled me just a moment ago melted away.
In this state of mind, I felt as if I could achieve anything.
"Trainee May?"
"I'm here!"
Did I speak too loudly?
For a moment, all eyes shifted toward me.
Some might be whispering about me, but it didn't bother me anymore.
As long as I have a clear conscience, I don't need to care.
"Could you move a bit faster?"
My opponent, Charlotte, gave me a sidelong glance.
"Sorry."
"Stop chatting and let me check your weapons."
An instructor came over to inspect our gear.
"Trainee May?"
"Yes, sir?"
"Is this single dagger your only weapon?"
The instructor acting as the referee looked puzzled.
It was understandable; both the previous trainees and Charlotte had brought bows, but I had only a dagger.
A Ranger's primary armaments are the bow and dagger.
In the field, the bow is used more frequently.
Although my skill with the bow is similar to my dagger technique, the instructor told me not to use it.
He said that in a duel against a person, unlike in a forest, a long-range weapon like a bow would only become a burden once the distance closed.
"That is correct."
"Instructor Bio told you to go with just a dagger? What does she think she can do with just one dagger?"
"A single dagger is more than enough for someone like you."
I shot back at the sarcasm, took my weapon, and stepped into the arena first.
I listened to the referee's instructions in the center of the Dueling Arena and then stepped back to create distance.
I thought my nerves were gone, but as the start approached, my hands trembled slightly.
"Go Charlotte!"
"Finish her quickly, Charlotte!"
As expected, the flood of cheers was for Charlotte alone.
But that didn't mean there wasn't a single person cheering for me.
I looked toward the instructor, and sure enough, he was watching me.
As long as there is one person who believes in me, that is enough.
Actually, it's not just one person.
Because I believe in myself, too.
A transparent barrier formed around the arena, signaling the start.
Right. Now is not the time to be nervous.
Just as the instructor said, it's time to show and prove how hard I've worked.
Bang—
The moment a small spark ignited from the instructor's hand, I surged forward.
An arrow flew toward me as if she had been waiting, but I ignored it and kept running.
'May, when closing the distance, don't run straight; run in a zigzag. At this distance, the opponent can probably fire three shots. If you maintain an irregular pattern, no one here will be able to hit you in three shots.'
As expected of the instructor.
From the first shot to the third, they all missed.
I stepped back, drew my dagger, and prepared to clash, but then I noticed something.
There are too many openings.
Was she doing that on purpose?
I minimized my movements to ensure I could react quickly to any counterattack and aimed for her left arm.
Clang—
It required almost no effort, and the recoil from the clashing daggers was ridiculously small.
'Don't worry if you can't embed mana into your weapon as you wish. Even if you lack control, the overflowing mana alone will be enough to handle the situation.'
It was exactly as the instructor had said, and a surge of confidence washed over me.
Certain that I was the stronger one, I pushed her relentlessly.
"Stop! Charlotte Claudius is disqualified! The winner is May Levi!"
I stopped at the referee's call, seeing the transparent barrier beyond a pale-faced Charlotte.
Charlotte scowled deeply and practically fled the arena.
"Impressive skill. Trainee, you may step down now."
It finally felt real, but I wasn't particularly happy.
Because there was someone else I truly wanted praise from.
****
Having stepped down from the arena, May looked at me with expectant eyes, like a puppy waiting for its owner to give it food.
Anyone could tell she was craving praise, but I had no intention of indulging her.
"This instructor is disappointed."
"What? But I won..."
'I thought you said you wouldn't be unreasonably critical! How can you say you're disappointed instead of praising the winner?'
'Because she didn't actually win.'
May's victory had simply been handed to her.
"Do you think you won because you were skilled?"
"But I did exactly what you told me to..."
Seeing her face crumble into a pout made me feel a bit sorry, but I had to be cold when giving feedback.
"Running in a zigzag at first—no, your opening move was fine. You targeted the area easiest to react to. But everything after that was a complete mess."
"I thought I was stronger, so I pushed her to prevent any chance of a counterattack. What was wrong with that?"
"Your judgment wasn't bad. In my opinion, your skill was far superior. But May, if you're stronger, does that mean you won't get hurt even if you're stabbed?"
"Ah... no, of course not."
"When you pushed her, you didn't even try to anticipate her reactions like you did in the first attack; you just rushed her blindly. Why did you even learn dagger techniques if that's the case?"
...She lowered her head deeply, appearing to be quite shocked.
Then again, it must be heartbreaking to receive nothing but harsh criticism after a victory.
"If your opponent had been better in just one of three things—stamina, mana, or speed—you would have been seriously injured."
"I'm sorry..."
"Lift your head. You aren't planning to stop after just one win, are you?"
"No, sir."
Her eyes were brimming with tears; had I crushed her spirit too much?
"Still, you did well."
Her expression, which looked as if she were about to burst into tears, instantly shifted into a shy smile.
I only gave the praise reluctantly and belatedly; was she really that happy?
'You should have just done that from the start. Why did you have to crush May's spirit?'
'I have to say what needs to be said.'
After waiting about ten minutes, the third and fourth duels ended, and May's next opponent was decided.
She won the second duel as well, naturally.
Perhaps thanks to the feedback, she didn't get as excited as she did in the first fight, and by using magic to handle her opponent calmly, she was much more stable.
It was a bit a shame she revealed her magic card so early, but she finished the fight faster and saved a lot of stamina.
I gave lots of praise to May, who had come down looking slightly nervous, fearing she was about to be scolded again.
"Now, if I win just one more time, I'll be the representative."
Just as May said, if she wins one more time, she becomes the representative, and the bet is my victory.
However, perhaps because it's the final match, the opponent is not so easy.
May's final opponent is Sophia.
The first duel was unremarkable, but the second was quite impressive.
She had managed to break her opponent's sword after about a dozen exchanges.
It wasn't an Aura manifestation like Misha and Raining, but rather a difference in the mana infused in the weapons.
Sophia had quickly restored the mana consumed with every clash, while her opponent could not.
Refilling mana while constantly clashing, without a single break, requires a great deal of skill.
Judging by her proficient mana control and lack of fatigue, she seems to possess a substantial mana pool.
Her dagger technique is also far superior to May's, which makes this a daunting match.
While May certainly has the edge in stamina and total mana, her mana control is abysmal.
I initially thought Amelia was underestimating May by accepting the bet so readily, but it was justified.
Given their current levels, May would have lost every single time if she hadn't learned from me or taken the wild ginseng.
Her written scores were poor, though...
As a practical instructor, Amelia really had a firm grasp of the students' actual abilities.
Of course, Amelia seemed quite surprised after watching May's match.
She probably hadn't expected May's skills to improve this much.
The use of magic must have been an unexpected variable as well.
"Instructor?"
"Don't get cocky; get some rest."
"Yes. I will definitely not be cocky."
"Drink this too."
When I handed her the canteen, May's face turned pale.
"If I drink this now, my condition will..."
"It's water."
She clearly thought it was a tonic.
She's been taking it for nearly a month, yet she's still not used to it?
Then again, it took me three months to get accustomed to it myself.
'How about giving her more feedback? The opponent is quite formidable.'
'I already told her not to be overconfident, and May agreed.'
That should be enough. What else is there to say?
How pathetic.
After a short break, May stepped back into the Dueling Arena.
I glanced at Amelia, who was scowling and biting her nails in nervous anticipation.
The duel began the moment the referee cast his magic.
Seeing that Sophia also left her bow behind, she clearly felt more confident with a blade.
Unlike the previous opponents, she charged in with incredible speed.
Since May had revealed her magic in the second duel, Sophia intended to leave her no room to cast.
May also lunged forward, and the two clashed.
Actually, the clash happened closer to Sophia's starting point than the center.
Looking at the distance covered, May clearly had the superior stamina, but that wasn't the deciding factor.
The gap in technique was far greater than any advantage in stamina.
May possessed more raw strength than Sophia, yet May was the one being pushed back.
Each time the blades met and sparks flew, May's expression visibly stiffened.
Despite her initial burst of speed, May had already been driven back to a third of the arena.
'Is she going to lose at this rate?'
'Don't say such unlucky things.'
I said that, but a creeping sense of anxiety began to rise within me.
Should I have pushed her harder with the mana control training?
While I was pondering, Sophia pressured May even further.
Just five more steps back, and she would hit the barrier.
Honestly, it was impressive that she had even lasted this long.
After all, May was fighting by relying on overflowing mana, while Sophia was consciously using hers to enhance her body and weapon.
The dagger's tip was already gone by about two centimeters.
It was a high-quality piece made by Parma the Dwarf, but overcoming the difference in magic power was simply too much.
It only held out this long because it was Parma's work; a regular dagger would have shattered long ago, just as it did in the second duel.
The situation was grim, but I couldn't give up.
Risking the strict image I had maintained as an instructor, I shouted at the top of my lungs.
"Go for it, May!"
Since no one else was cheering, my shout echoed thunderously through the auditorium.
Naturally, all eyes turned to me, and for a moment, even Sophia and May stopped their clashing.
The battle resumed almost immediately, but damn, was that counterproductive?
May was pushed back two more steps by Sophia's relentless offensive.
Perhaps because her concentration wavered from my unusual behavior, Sophia's dagger grazed May's left arm, and blood began to ooze.
'Now she's even injured. It's really over.'
'Shut up. Who says it's over?'
Fatigue was etched across May's face as she blocked Sophia's attacks, but I couldn't find a hint of fear or weakness in her eyes.
She took another step back, but I didn't abandon hope.
I couldn't give up before she did, especially after I promised to believe in her.
Just as I was about to shout words of encouragement again, a miracle happened.
Sophia's dagger, which had lunged forward with enough force to shatter May's weapon, was instead snapped clean in two.
"That's impossible!"
'How could she possibly...'
Not just me, but everyone in the auditorium was staring in sheer disbelief.
It wasn't simply because the weapon of Sophia, who had dominated the match, had broken.
'She failed every time during training, so how did she do it?'
'She didn't just "do" it.'
She believed.
Aura.
A blue Aura, the mark of a Sword Expert, was blooming from May's dagger.
It was far more vivid and brilliant than the light Raining and Misha had shown in the Knight Class finals.
May tried to swing the dagger forward, but an instructor quickly intervened and made her drop the weapon.
May looked bewildered by the sudden interference, but this was the correct call.
"The winner is May Levi! Therefore, Trainee May Levi will represent the Ranger Class Greeta."
Wounds caused by Aura heal slowly even with magic, which is why Aura users are never paired against non-users in duels.
Unless a blade is forged from solid Mithril, it simply cannot withstand Aura without having its own.
I glanced at Amelia, whose face had turned a deathly ashen color.
It seemed she had never imagined she would actually lose.
She left the auditorium with a stiff expression, not even noticing my gaze; she wasn't running away, was she?
"Instructor, I won!"
May's eyes were brimming with tears, her emotions clearly overwhelming her now that she had won.
"Why are you crying after winning? You did well."
'Praise makes even dragons dance, and all you say is "well done"? Isn't that too stingy?'
In my heart, I wanted to toss her in the air in celebration, but I had to consider the onlookers and the lingering misunderstandings.
Honestly, cheering for her earlier had been quite a struggle for me.
I ruffled her hair and praised her once more for her hard work.
"It's all thanks to you, Instructor."
"You know it. Go get treated immediately, or it'll leave a scar."
She nodded and replied that she would.
I also stepped out of the auditorium.
I had won the bet, but I couldn't just be happy.
The selection process was over, but the fight to clear my name was only just beginning.