A Calculated Victory
"This one moved, this one is still in place... and you said there was no sign of anyone making contact with them?"
I stared at the long list of names written on the paper.
"Yes. It seemed... they were simply enjoying their life at the Academy. There was one contact at a party, but I was told they didn't share any significant conversation—"
"Then that's enough."
I pictured the brown-haired noble lady in my mind. She was a timid girl, the type to just go with the flow.
If she ever decided to switch sides, she would never dare to make a move alone.
"Not bad."
Ruin always comes from the most frustratingly trivial and political reasons.
No matter how powerful the Demon King might be, as long as he operates on contracts, he cannot manifest in this world without a proper catalyst.
As long as dark mages making deals with archdemons do not multiply, turn on each other in fits of rage and violence, and pay prices they cannot afford, this world remains safe.
...In the game, all of this information could be seen with a single UI window.
But for someone trying to prevent that doom, I had no choice but to keep a sharp eye on the conflicts between the various factions.
There was the faction of the Armidiron Empire led by the Imperial Princess, and the gathering of dark mages led by the House of Count Erst.
Beyond them, alliances of numerous free cities and squabbles between minor kingdoms continued without end.
"For now, things should be fine."
However, it was still early. At the very least, it didn't seem like any treacherous movements would start here at the Academy.
Still, a highly volatile tension lingered in the air.
Yurisia believed she had been targeted, and she made no effort to hide her hostility toward Katarin.
Her followers also openly displayed their unbridled fury toward dark mages.
On the flip side, the dark mages and Dark Knights who followed Katarin viewed my existence with deep displeasure.
"Who else but the Empire could bring a Behemoth into the Academy?" Their suspicion was, in a way, quite logical.
They believed this entire incident was a setup, a pre-planned play set in motion from the moment I enrolled.
They thought the Empire was spinning a conspiracy to corner the dark mages and Katarin.
A massive hatred, ready to detonate at the slightest spark, was blooming. It was festering deep within the hearts of the students.
"Whew..."
Even if I managed to stop this, it would only delay the inevitable. It would buy just enough time for me and the other Academy students to grow stronger.
The world was vast. While the Academy held significant influence, even if all the students here got along perfectly, uncontrollable conflicts would eventually erupt elsewhere.
Still, that was no excuse to sit back and do nothing.
"More importantly... shouldn't you be focusing on your upcoming match?"
Kellin's point was valid.
Most of the small fry had already been dealt with. There had been a few more matches, but none of them posed any real threat to our party.
But our next opponent was Katarin Erst.
"That's exactly what I was thinking about."
"Pardon?"
"I have to make a decision. Whether I should win or lose."
Generally speaking, the higher you climb in a tournament, the better. Winning it all is even better. That much is obvious.
It boosts your reputation, which in turn gives you more leverage.
In this world, personal strength is important, but how others perceive that strength is just as crucial.
Once a conflict breaks out, even if you suppress it with raw power, the emotional rift created by defeat doesn't just disappear.
Even if I subdue a troublemaking student, they still have their respective families backing them. Individually, they might not amount to much, but if they band together, they can bring about another catastrophe.
No, the very existence of such people is the problem.
If those I crush refuse to accept reality and become obsessed with defeating me at all costs, they will eventually reach for the power of darkness.
They still wouldn't stand a chance against me, but the Demon King would grow stronger from their sacrifices. The clock ticking toward the world's destruction would advance.
"Whether you should win... What do you mean by that?"
"If I fight seriously, there's no reason I can't."
I couldn't hide my strength forever anyway.
It's a bit risky, but...
In the end, dark mages submit to the strong.
I just needed to show them proof that I was a stronger dark mage than Katarin—that they wouldn't face her retaliation even if they chose to follow me.
"Let's win."
Besides, I wasn't thrilled about the idea of Katarin staying in this tournament for too long.
She must have realized it by now. Kellin was no longer a card she could play.
If things didn't go her way, she would resort to plotting directly. Of course, Katarin was the type of woman who could spin conspiracies even after being eliminated, but minimizing her opportunities for direct intervention was still crucial.
I decided to break her right here.
"...You're putting on quite an entertaining show."
Katarin let out a faint smile.
She had expected him to survive, but she hadn't anticipated him riding such a wave of success.
He was strong. The residual dark mana lingering in the arena proved that he wasn't like the other dark mages who were all talk.
Perhaps he was a once-in-a-century genius of dark magic.
Even so... he's clumsy.
His mana control wasn't all that impressive. Even if it was considered top-tier within the Academy, a true dark mage like herself couldn't find anything special in it.
But the moment he faced her, all of his talent would become meaningless.
A dark mage had no choice but to submit to a superior dark magic.
The fact that he had maintained his sanity in front of the Behemoth was somewhat surprising, but that was all.
Everything was proceeding as scheduled. Her plans hadn't deviated in the slightest.
Kazot's plan... is acceptable enough at this level.
Directly touching the Imperial Princess was crossing the line.
Neither the House of Erst nor Katarin was ready to wage war against the Empire just yet.
However, raising the tension and displaying hostility was perfectly fine.
The dark mages were already rallying. They didn't follow Katarin simply out of fear; they followed her because she was the only one capable of stopping the tyranny of the Imperial Princess.
In the end, they will be useful someday.
The Empire was vast. To bring it down, more time and effort were required.
They, too, had bastards, abandoned nobles, and mages who had lost their homelands and sought power.
She had to empower them and help them seize greater influence within the Empire. It didn't matter if it seemed pointless for now.
Even if she failed to achieve her goal, her successors would. And if that proved impossible, her descendants would eventually tear the Empire down.
Katarin steeled her resolve.
Looking at herself in the mirror, Olivia noticed that the roots of her hair had grown slightly darker.
"Do I... need to dye it again?"
Her natural black hair was beginning to show. After contemplating for a long moment, Olivia shook her head.
She had no time to waste on such useless things. Besides, dyeing her hair blonde now was entirely pointless.
...
Her blonde hair had been a symbol of her respect for the Imperial Princess.
The paragon of knights, an exemplary leader. A royal worthy of trust and devotion.
Her desire to become someone like Yurisia had been dyed into those strands.
But that was meaningless now. She had already strayed too far.
Having reached into the darkness, Olivia could never become a knight like the Imperial Princess.
Choosing...
What was more important to her now was learning how to accept dark mana.
Though she had undoubtedly grown stronger, Olivia still felt a deep thirst for power.
It's still... not enough.
The words Katarin had spoken to her echoed in her ears.
"Because you don't desire anything yet, the demon won't grant you its power."
"You aren't even sure yourself what you are moving for, Olivia, or what you are willing to give up."
Olivia closed her eyes and stared blankly into her own heart.
There were many things she wanted. She wanted to restore her family's honor, and she wanted to remain at the Academy. Raw, unrefined desires surged within her.
But that was all they were.
She had merely been swept away. She was just caught in the wake of countless choices she had been forced to make.
No matter how hard she thought, Olivia could not figure out what her "true desire" was.
She wanted to stay at the Academy, but in truth, if a decent position opened up elsewhere, she wouldn't mind leaving.
She wished the Imperial Princess would recognize her loyalty once more, but when she thought about it, Yurisia had never actually doubted her.
She had simply decided that Olivia's loyalty was not what was needed to protect the people she cherished.
Yet, she didn't want to pledge her loyalty to Katarin either. While she was grateful to her, Katarin was someone she wanted to distance herself from as quickly as possible.
Time ticked away. No matter how much she pondered, Olivia could not grasp her true desire.
Or perhaps, she knew it all along but simply refused to admit it.