Tournament Main Round (2)
Tournament Main Round (2)
The spectator stands of the First Arena.
Seated in the special section reserved for professors and other officials, Atra stared intently at the hologram floating before her eyes.
▶Lee Ha-yul: Understood (5 weeks ago)
...
▶Lee Ha-yul: Yes, I'll be back safely (4 weeks ago)
...
▶Lee Ha-yul: I'll do well in the main round! (Just now)
▶Lee Ha-yul: (Emoticon of a puppy standing on two legs and saluting) (Just now)
The hologram displayed her message history with Lee Ha-yul.
The message that had arrived just minutes ago, and the past messages scrolling up above it.
She flicked a finger. She scrolled through the older records, then returned to the most recent ones.
The shift in tone from top to bottom was palpable even through text, never mind spoken words.
If she had to describe it, a rigid manner of speaking had eased into something softer.
A small laugh escaped Atra. It wasn't an unpleasant feeling. On the contrary, it was a change she couldn't be happier about.
Compared to the past where he'd kept an elusive distance despite his appearance, she was satisfied with his current attitude of thinly veiled affection and the way he let himself be a little childish.
Nor was his conduct in training lacking. He was an adorable disciple who committed himself fully to every moment, eager to learn even a single thing more and to figure things out on his own.
What mentor wouldn't be delighted to have such a disciple? Likely none, save for those who've lost their minds.
Just as she was thinking that and chuckling to herself, a figure flopped into the empty seat beside Atra, leaning back heavily.
"Ugh... I'm dying..."
At the voice, steeped in fatigue and groaning, Atra slid a sidelong glance over.
Long, neat black hair that cascaded past the waist, and green irises between languidly half-closed eyelids.
A vast magical power discernible through presence alone, even without looking at her appearance.
It was Liana Bellus.
"Didn't you say you were too busy to observe?"
She was a person who should be running around ragged because of the midterm evaluations.
A professor of spirit arts, a field already short on personnel.
That alone would bury her in all manner of tasks, but she just so happened to be saddled with setting and grading the midterm exams in her first year as a professor—she was being swept away by a tidal wave of work.
Hadn't she been whining about how she couldn't even gulp down the liquor she loved so much because of it?
As far as Atra knew, there was no drunkard quite like Liana. With her unable to even touch alcohol for weeks, not just days, the stress had to be incredible.
"That's not why I'm not drinking."
"?"
Liana shook her head.
Atra turned her head to look at Liana.
Her eyes asked what, then, about all those texts she sent every few days whining about missing alcohol.
Liana interpreted the look and shook her head once more.
"It's not because of the midterms, it's because of Cadet Lee Ha-yul."
Atra, having faltered at the suddenly mentioned name, tilted her head.
"...Why is that?"
"What do you mean, why? You saw him that time. He convulsed just from catching the faintest trace of alcohol that had been cleaned away."
Atra scowled fiercely.
That time. The day her past self, who had learned nothing from that past tragedy, received a tremendous shock...
It made sense.
That shock had been so great that even Atra herself hadn't been able to touch a cigarette since.
It had been that much of a shock even for the Atra of back then, who had been maintaining a stance of not giving him any real affection.
If something like that happened now...
If Lee Ha-yul were to face Atra and make a face filled with disgust, retching...
'Urgh...'
Her head spun from the mere imagination. Her heart felt like it would freeze solid and then shatter into pieces with a crash.
This time, Atra might faint right alongside him...
Quitting alcohol for a while... yes, she could understand the reason.
There was a puzzling aspect, too. Or perhaps a slightly... displeased aspect?
Atra glanced sideways at Liana, who was complaining of fatigue and stretching her hands toward the sky, and spoke.
"...If it's stressing you out that much, wouldn't it be better to just drink?"
"If I drink, Cadet Lee Ha-yul will hate me, so I can't."
"Just let him hate you and drink."
"You say that so easily... Ah."
Clicking her tongue, Liana suddenly let out an exclamation as if a thought had struck her.
"When the midterms are over, I'm planning to intensively teach Cadet Lee Ha-yul spirit arts in the spare time before the break... What do you think, as his master?"
"Spirit arts..."
A peculiar hum escaped Atra. She had heard long ago that Lee Ha-yul possessed spirit affinity.
And not just at a middling level—he possessed an abnormal affinity for nearly every attribute.
It was the assertion of Liana, one of the few people to have achieved great success through spirit arts. With talent like that, it was only natural to develop it.
Was Lee Ha-yul someone with mediocre talent? He was a child with innate gifts who could readily learn and apply things even while simultaneously pursuing martial arts or magic.
Learning it was a hundred times the right choice. Atra wasn't a spirit caster, but having worked alongside spirit casters on the front lines and even faced them directly, she could guess just how helpful spirit arts would be.
It was the right move to learn it.
Clearly, it was...
"...I suppose it's a good idea for him to learn."
So why did she feel this sense of displeasure in a corner of her heart?
[The first match of the tournament main round will begin shortly.]
[Cadet Lee Ha-yul, Cadet Baek A-rin. Would both cadets please make their way onto the stage.]
Just as Atra was wearing an enigmatic expression, the announcement rang out again.
The two sat up straight and turned their eyes.
As did all the officials in the special seating. There wasn't a single person seated here who wasn't looking forward to this match.
The same was true of the ordinary spectator stands below.
Cadets and their families, looking on at classmates and juniors.
People from the industry, here to glimpse the potential of the sprouts who would lead the next generation.
Every gaze focused on the central stage. More precisely, on the passageways at either side.
* * *
After a brief wait, I walked down the passageway as the announcement directed.
Lit by dim lamps in the ceiling, the passage felt especially dark compared to the light spilling from the space connected to the stage.
My foot stepped on the boundary between light and darkness.
The moment I crossed that line drawn on the floor—
- Waaaaah!
A roar like cheering poured over my ears all at once.
This was a reaction I hadn't experienced in the preliminaries. My legs, which had nearly locked up from the unexpected response, stretched forward as naturally as I could manage.
Even as I crossed the stage, the noise that made the building thrum continued.
There was no need to operate the Observation Authority. I couldn't help but feel it using only a fraction of my senses.
Countless gazes fixed on me, made tangible by the wind buffeting my entire body.
The clamor in my ears was so loud it would cause tinnitus if I didn't regulate my hearing, and the vibrations coming through the floor suggested countless aftershocks.
The attention of a multitude of people was focused on me. Among them were classmates like me, and senior cadets whose faces I'd never even seen.
I also saw Aiden, Attila, faces I had some acquaintance with... and Ellia.
Ellia was talking with people on either side of her who I didn't recognize...
Sitting quietly on Ellia's lap was the blunt little child I had met in Sipnaha.
I had heard she was safe, but seeing her looking healthy and without any injuries gave me a small sense of relief.
Judging by the middle-aged man and woman sitting next to her, I guessed they were the family Ellia had mentioned.
Beyond them, there were people who seemed to be from the Association, others who looked like scouts from private clans, and still others whose eyes were burning with the desire to scribble down even a single extra line for an article.
The countless stares were still burdensome and just left a bad taste in my mouth.
If it had been the beginning of the semester, my heart might have plummeted.
Of course, I was somewhat accustomed to it now, so I didn't think much of it.
Long ago, the pre-battle quiet had already filled the space where unease and tension could have crept in.
Strong emotions aren't much help in a fight. They might assist in manifesting a unique ability, but not in combat itself.
- Step
While I was harmonizing my emotions just in case, the presence I had felt from the start strode boldly up onto the stage.
A standard-issue long spear held lightly, dangling from one hand.
Blue hair tied back, and a face wearing a faint smile.
The heir of the Changhae Family. The top seat of Siyoram's first-years, Baek A-rin.
Cheers rang out again the moment she appeared.
Amidst the renewed clamor that made the air thrum, Baek A-rin simply waved toward the stands with a smiling face, as if she wasn't nervous at all.
Baek A-rin stopped at the center of the stage.
She and I stood facing each other at a suitable distance.
[The first match of the tournament main round will now begin its countdown.]
[60, 59, 58...]
57—! 56—! 55—!
As the inorganic voice spread through the broadcast magic, the audience joined in, raising their voices for the count.
"Ha-yul."
Just as I was making my final checks. From the opposite side, Baek A-rin, who had been checking her own condition, abruptly spoke up.
"Don't you think just sparring like this is a bit boring?"
"?"
I tilted my head, wondering what she meant. I wasn't wearing the Confession Necklace.
At my reaction, Baek A-rin smiled softly and continued.
"You know, just a simple bet to stoke the desire to win."
'Stoke the desire to win...'
That just fighting was boring, so let's make a bet. It wasn't a strange thing to say.
Friends competing and betting on the outcome was common.
Baek A-rin's face remained in that soft smile. There wasn't a single speck of malice to be found on that entirely pleasant and gentle face.
'Manifest, Observation Authority.'
I operated the Observation Authority meticulously.
Observation (觀測).
To observe (觀察) and measure (測定) phenomena, states, trends, changes, and the like.
I narrowed the range and increased the density of the information I excavated.
I observed Baek A-rin. I observed her smiling face.
...Past the 'mask' covering her face.
I perceived the expressionless true face, on which it was hard to find even a speck of emotion.
'......'
Calling someone an ordinary person wearing a mask isn't a compliment.
It commonly refers to a schemer who hides their true feelings and feigns falsehoods on the surface.
My own perception of Baek A-rin was also that of a schemer.
She had the intelligence and wisdom to match. She also had a way to screw her enemies over without great effort, and the ability to assess the current situation and map out the future.
Baek A-rin's behavior toward me up until now... had been that of someone wearing a mask.
But at the same time, there also seemed to be a sense of sincerity.
Falsehood and truth seemed to coexist in her strangely accommodating actions toward me, and in the way she kept reaching out, wanting to get closer.
That was what truly made her confusing.
A brief moment of thought. Before I knew it, the countdown had fallen below 30.
- Nod
I nodded. At that, Baek A-rin smiled a radiant smile that seemed to brighten her surroundings.
"When it comes to bets in a duel like this, the subject matter is always the same, right? How about a simple wish ticket?"
- Nod
"Mm! Perfect!"
I nodded again. The countdown fell below 10.
9—! 8—!
Whoosh... I let out the breath that filled my lungs and prepared myself.
7—!
I steadied my posture so I could act the instant the countdown ran out.
6—!
"I'll tell you my wish in advance."
5—!
'Suddenly?'
4—!
In the meantime, Baek A-rin, who had also been steadying her posture, casually spat the words out.
3—!
"If I win..."
2—!
Drawing out her words, Baek A-rin pulled up the corners of her mouth into a grin and said.
1—!
"I'll be taking one of Ha-yul's days."
'?'
[Evaluation begin!]
A meaningful smile and tone.
The roar of the crowd following the inorganic voice that signaled the start.
A fierce blast of water shot right up to my nose.
'...!'
I turned my head. Crunch! The jet of water tore violently through the space where my face had been a moment before and slammed into the wall behind me.
Baek A-rin flicked her wrist. The water stream wavered once, then lashed out freely like a whip.
I kicked off the ground in response. By a hair's breadth, the water stream grazed my body and hammered into the innocent floor and walls.
Crack-crack-crack! The protective barrier coating the wall was carved away by the intense water pressure. Particles of mana and spell formulas scattered. The wall was left gouged with carved-out marks.
I had thought it would take a considerable amount of force to leave a mark on those walls.
"Fufu, since I gave you fair warning... naturally, I'm coming at you with full force!"
I pulled up my mana, a little dumbfounded.
Letting out a cheerful laugh at my expression, Baek A-rin gripped her spear firmly with both hands and raised it high.
The spearhead pointed downward, and her arm naturally thrust into the ground.
Thunk! The spearhead split the earth like cutting tofu. It drove in deep enough that part of the shaft was swallowed by the floor.
- Drip...
Suddenly, a droplet of water beaded on the exposed shaft. The tiny droplet ran down the shaft and seeped along the spearhead into the earth.
And then.
- Splash!
A spray of vivid blue water gushed up from the ground where the spearhead was embedded. It took only an instant for a puddle of water to form at Baek A-rin's feet.
A small puddle.
But I could feel the blatant energy that dampened my skin with moisture.
A blatant release of water energy. And the unique core that rapidly swelled its force...
'No.'
It was a motion I recognized all too well. I knew exactly what technique it was, and that knowledge only horrified me more.
- Kwa-rrrrrrr!
The puddle erupted. From the ground where the spearhead had dug in, a massive volume of water exploded out as if a waterfall were surging in reverse.
From a droplet, to a puddle.
And from a puddle, to a tidal wave that could easily swallow several people.
The unique ability, Azure Sea.
Expansion Ability.
'Tidal Wave.'
The ground beneath my feet was submerged in a dark shadow.
And then, the blue tidal wave rushed in to swallow that shadow.
* * *
[Player Correction System: Affection]
Lee Ha-yul→Baek A-rin
●●●●●○○○○○(56▷57/100)
｢Affection｣ ｢Doubt｣ ｢Confusion｣ ｢Suspicion｣ ｢Underhanded｣