The Counter
Clang—!
Upon the stage where every spectator's gaze had gathered, blades wreathed in aura collided, and a sharp, ringing shockwave burst through the air.
The boy of the stars turned aside a lightning-fast barrage of sword strikes with almost leisurely ease — a sight so beautiful it might have been lifted from a painting. The crowd let out a collective gasp of wonder.
Across from him, the knight facing that star-blessed boy poured on strike after strike, as if determined to give him not a single moment's rest.
Clang! Shrieeeek!
The two swordsmen traded blows in a fierce, unbroken exchange. Watching the boy of the stars turn aside every attack without leaving a single opening, the spectators could no longer contain their excitement.
Admiration erupted from every corner of the arena.
Some time had passed since the Magic Tower Master had departed. I sat in the spectator stands with my arms folded, watching Luke's match, and murmured under my breath.
"He's even stronger than he was in the first round."
"I know. How does anyone grow that fast...? Every time I watch him, it still amazes me."
"His opponent looks like a capable knight in his own right, but he's slowly getting pulled into Luke Stareil's rhythm."
"That knight — Sir Conrad, was it? From his perspective, this must be enough to drive him up the wall. He can feel Luke getting stronger in real time with every exchange."
Elda, watching the match beside me, fidgeted with the hilt of her arming sword as she spoke. A duel between two highly skilled swordsmen, and her body was itching for a fight. A reaction entirely in character for a woman who lived for combat against the strong. I nodded, then turned my attention back to Luke's match and watched with care.
...Incredible.
So this was what the original protagonist looked like. I didn't let it show to Elda, but I too was considerably astonished by Luke's rate of growth.
His opponent was the knight commander of a marquis's house, his skill a shade below Elda's. He wasn't quite among the empire's top ten — but if you counted toes as well as fingers, he'd squeeze onto the list. Still, as a knight commander he had no shortage of experience, and I'd expected Luke to struggle quite a bit when the match began.
And yet, when the lid came off, Luke had been dictating the fight from start to finish.
BOOM!
"Oh. His balance is gone. The match should be over soon."
Elda narrated the moment as if she'd been born a sports commentator. Judging by the flow of things, she was right — it wouldn't be long now. I clicked my tongue as I watched Conrad try to exploit an opening in real time, only to eat a counter instead.
Ah. That's not how you do that.
This Sir Conrad had been hoping Luke would slip up. Fat chance. Young as he was, Luke was a monster of talent. He kept the pressure on with a composure so unnerving there was no room left to pray for a lucky break.
A little later, with damage accumulated and Conrad's movements slowing, Luke landed a strike of aura — and the Protective Artifact signaled the end of the match.
The match over, the crowd burst into noisy chatter. I pricked up my ears at the sound of my own name drifting past — and beside me, Elda spoke with a grave expression.
"In the end, even Sir Conrad was no match for Luke. Good grief... At this rate, even if I go all out, winning won't come easy."
"You're saying even you, last year's champion, would struggle."
"Probably. His growth really is terrifying."
"That's a good thing. He'll be joining my faction soon enough, after all."
"Ah, that's true. But you said you haven't tried to recruit him yet, right?"
"Right."
I nodded at Elda's question. Unlike in the original story, Luke still had not come under Eustia. The kidnapping that opened the plot had never taken place, and so the two of them had almost no point of contact. Even so, he and I had grown fairly close, and I intended to bring him under my command before long.
And if, by some chance, he refused to serve me?
I didn't know. I'd think about that when it happened.
While I was privately imagining a future traveling with the boy of the stars, our eyes met as he came down from the stage.
The moment I sent the Sound Transmission, Luke's eyes went round with surprise. This kid was fun to startle. Same as when I'd first shown him my Authority — his reactions were oddly satisfying.
I giggled behind my mask and raised a hand. Luke bowed his head.
Was it just my imagination? When he lifted his gaze again, the look in his eyes felt burning hot.
This brat. He really wants to go at it with me, doesn't he?
They'd cross swords again in tomorrow's semifinals, so of course his blood was running hot. After that heated stare, Luke disappeared down the corridor, and I settled in to wait for the next match — the Mage Division.
"Her Highness should be coming out soon. Her opponent is the Ninth Seat of the Magic Tower, but she'll win without much trouble, right?"
"You never know until they go at it. Complacency is dangerous."
"Hmm. How cold of you."
Elda leaned against the railing of the stands as she spoke. Cold, was I? Well, she wasn't wrong, so I simply looked down at her in silence.
"Nnh...!"
The moment our eyes met, Elda's body gave a violent shudder. I was still wondering what that reaction was about when —
The stands erupted. I shifted my gaze toward the stage, and there was Eustia, making her entrance. After the magnificent showing she'd given in the first round, the crowd was pouring out a fervent welcome. She raised a hand and waved, and the spectators roared even louder.
Moments like this, she really is the Treasure of the Empire, no question.
It wasn't a title she had asked for. Even so, Eustia was loved by the people of the empire without a shadow of a doubt — every bit as much as that name deserved.
Still, if we're ranking devotion to Eustia, I come in first.
I'll have you know I staged a comment protest over her death and even ended up transmigrated for it.
In any case, I sent a Sound Transmission to the woman preparing for her match on the stage, to cheer her on.
Eustia heard it, looked my way, and broke into a brilliant smile.
The arena thundered with the most passionate cheers of the day. A moment later, both participants donned their Protective Artifacts, and the match began.
It was over almost before it had begun. Eustia's offensive magic triggered her opponent's Protective Artifact, and the match was called.
"Heh. See? I told you."
"So you did."
"Her Highness is really fired up. At this rate, she might even take the championship."
Elda said it while looking at Eustia, who stood upon a stage buried entirely in ice. Well — Raphaela, last year's champion, wasn't competing, so it wasn't out of the question. But dwelling on her odds of winning was probably pointless. If things went according to my plan, the Mage Division finals wouldn't even be held.
I turned my gaze toward a knight in blue-white plate armor seated in one corner of the stands.
Gawain Calinant, Commander of the 2nd Imperial Knight Order — Albireo's dog. He had already advanced to the semifinals. He would likely reach the Knight Division finals without trouble.
In the original story, Albireo had planned two things through the Sword and Magic Festival: sabotage the Protective Artifact and kill Eustia, and have Gawain take the championship so he could be pitted against Friedrich and strip him of the title of Sword Saint. An ambitious scheme to cement his position in the struggle for the throne while eliminating everyone who stood in his way.
But contrary to his plans, Eustia would live. And Gawain would die by my hand in tomorrow's finals.
He, like Albireo, was not a man worth keeping alive. And they had already ignored my warning — there was no need to show mercy.
After escorting Eustia and Elda back to the lodgings, I returned to the mansion and headed for the training grounds.
The sun was sinking, painting the estate in red, and I stood alone to watch that chromatic magic the sun performed at the close of day.
Why? Even after growing this strong, a sliver of unease still lingered in a corner of my heart. The cause was my meeting with the Magic Tower Master, Bahamunt. Once things blew up tomorrow, there was no telling what that mad old man might do.
"Hoo."
I let the worry out in a sigh. No matter what fucked-up shit he pulled, I would protect it all.
With that vow, I honed a new technique until the moon rose overhead and Liliana came to fetch me.
And time passed.
The final day of the Sword and Magic Festival arrived.