Chapter 34
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 34
Chapter Title: Swordsmanship Tournament (4)
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Amid the fierce cheers from the audience stands, the dull clashes of wooden swords echoed through the air.
Finally, the announcer declared the end of the last match in the round of 16.
The finalists for the quarterfinals were announced.
A total of eight.
Naturally, Cain and I were among them.
Soon, there would be an intermission event where Rozaria—the princess of the royal family and a current student at Ariel Academy—would exchange well-wishes with each quarterfinalist and present them with flower necklaces.
Whenever a major event like this took place at the academy, they naturally pushed Rozaria, their royal figurehead, to the forefront for maximum promotion. I'd been naive.
I'd just planned to pass the preliminaries, grab my participation award, and vanish. But life never goes as planned.
"The winners of the round of 16 and our promising students, please come up to the arena!"
At the announcer's call, the waiting participants all ascended to the arena.
Rocks, Garret, Nilrock, me... Dyson, Cain.
I was in the middle of the lineup.
"Her Highness Rozaria is entering!"
The audience erupted in cheers at Rozaria's appearance from the waiting area.
The flower of the academy.
Rozaria, famed as the most pure and beautiful of the royal family's appearances.
The reaction was tremendous.
Her usual image management and people skills were impeccable—no boos or jeers from the stands.
-Thud. Thud.
Rozaria ascended the arena stairs, making eye contact with each of the eight participants as she walked.
She paused midway, smiling with her eyes.
A few of the round-of-16 winners, clearly smitten with her, blushed as they admired her beauty.
"Her Highness Rozaria will now present flowers to the round-of-16 winners!"
At the announcer's words, Rozaria took a flower necklace from the escort knight at the end and began hanging them around the participants' necks.
After each one, she seemed to offer some words of encouragement.
The recipients beamed with huge smiles, thanking her profusely.
Rozaria just smiled back with her eyes and moved to the next.
Alternating like that, she bestowed the necklaces and blessings.
And soon, it was my turn.
"......"
"......"
Rozaria stopped in front of me and said nothing.
She simply gazed into my eyes.
I'd expected as much.
After all, I'd left without a word last time.
The other participants looked back and forth between us in confusion.
A moment later, Rozaria placed the flower necklace around my neck.
As she did, she whispered in my ear.
"I'd like to talk later. Please don't run away this time."
"......"
Then, as if nothing had happened, she stepped back a few paces with that same eye smile.
Her words made me think escape wouldn't be easy this time.
It was a royal command, after all.
Running twice would be outright rude.
I wouldn't face any real punishment, but it could lead to rumors... So I decided to meet her, demand appropriate compensation, and part on decent terms.
Somehow, I'd ended up with connections to so many of Cain's heroines.
I'd tried so hard to avoid them, but life never goes as planned.
From now on, I'd handle it properly.
...Hedi excepted, of course.
I should keep my distance from her too, but we'd grown too close—I didn't want to.
I bowed my head slightly to Rozaria.
She then quietly moved to the next participant.
And just as she was about to present the flower necklace to him...
-Clang!
"......!"
A sharp metallic clash rang out as something struck a hard surface.
The sound came from the direction Rozaria had just passed.
A pale green protective shield had deployed around the caster.
The caster was Rozaria.
The necklace she wore—enchanted with a shield spell—glowed bright green.
Startled, she clutched her chest, her face pale with shock as she fell backward.
"Heh, so you had defenses like this prepared after all."
Someone had swung a real sword at Rozaria.
It was Nilrock, the round-of-16 winner she'd been about to honor.
He channeled mana into his iron real sword, blocked by the green shield.
"Sacrifice yourself as an example to those pig wizards! Princess!"
-Whoooosh...
The air grew heavy with an ominous, eerie aura.
That's when I sensed it.
The mana Nilrock poured into his sword wasn't normal.
Black magic.
It mimicked mana by consuming life force as its source.
I'd seen stories where magic-hating villains wielded black magic to rebel.
So I recognized it instantly.
"How dare you target Her Highness...! Argh!"
"Wh-what?! Gah!"
Two escort knights rushing to protect Rozaria were cut down by someone's blade.
It was another participant standing beside Nilrock.
"You think we came unprepared? Stay down there, you pigs."
"You mad bastards...!"
At that moment, the other round-of-16 winners charged to shield Rozaria.
But spies were mixed among them too—they blocked the pure winners trying to reach her with real swords.
Unlike the honest winners with wooden swords, these spies wielded hidden real blades, putting everyone at a disadvantage.
I was already rooted in place.
Rozaria's shield was melting away under Nilrock's black magic-enshrouded sword.
Terror had drained the color from her face.
I spotted her right-hand escort knight, Emil, leaping from the stands after noticing something amiss, but she was too far.
"Kid, stay put... Gah!"
I severed the throats of the spies trying to block me with aura-infused wooden swords.
Every second counted.
Rozaria's shield surface eroded further, and her legs gave out—she collapsed.
I had to stop Nilrock.
"Argh!"
"Guh!"
"Urk!"
I deftly cut down the blocking spies, advancing.
Aura on my wooden sword matched the strength of iron.
Nilrock, breaking the shield, looked panicked at my approach.
Seven steps away.
Time slowed.
Beyond him, even Cain—closest to Rozaria—was struggling against other spies.
Couldn't he use aura yet?
Bad timing. Had my presence altered the future?
I recalled Cain was supposed to save her in the story.
Right now, I was the only one who could protect her.
Time sped up again. One step left.
Realizing he couldn't finish, Nilrock abandoned the shield and turned on me.
He swung at me.
-Kaaang!
A resounding metallic clash echoed.
-Grrrind!
Our swords locked, strength against strength.
"Fuck! It was almost done—you, what the hell are you?! I never heard of a first-year reaching mid-3-star realm...!"
I ignored Nilrock and shouted to Rozaria.
"Your Highness! Run while you can!"
"Hah...!"
Snap out of her daze, Rozaria desperately reached toward me, grimacing.
A yellow magic circle bloomed from her hand.
Strength enhancement magic.
My body glowed yellow for an instant.
-Grrrind!
Our locked swords tilted toward him.
He was losing.
"Fuck! Fuuuuck! What the hell are you—?!"
"Nngh!"
His face twisted in injustice.
If he were a pure 3-star expert, I'd be in danger.
Wooden sword versus real iron.
Equal aura might snap the wood.
Even black magic couldn't shatter my aura—it mimicked mana, better for curses than direct clashes.
This way, I could take him down.
"I was saving this for the princess, but... no choice!"
"......!"
Nilrock began chanting.
Ominous black energy rose from his body.
Even I couldn't know every spell from the story.
As I tensed, wondering what it was...
He finished chanting.
Black tendrils surged toward me.
"......!"
"Hahaha! This is all your fault, you idiot!"
What...?
My body grew heavy.
A curse-type black spell?
As weight bore down, his sword rose—now I was losing.
"Your Highness!"
"Emil! Hurry and—!"
-Slash!
"Arrrgh!"
Emil arrived late, charging in and slashing Nilrock.
Blood sprayed as he fell from our clash.
"Hah... hah..."
Even dead, the caster's effect lingered—my body stayed heavy.
Not just heavy.
My Dantian was reversing flow.
Mana seeped with his black magic, causing anomalies.
This would lead to qi deviation.
Rozaria rushed over, casting purification magic, but no effect.
"It's no use... Priest! Call a priest, Emil!"
"Yes, Your Highness!"
Emil dashed out of the arena.
I stabbed my wooden sword into the ground and collapsed.
Dantian in turmoil, body heavy—melting away.
The princess kept purifying, but nothing.
She needed higher-tier magic.
I might not last.
In the distance, Cain stood dumbfounded.
...Useless bastard.
Because that dimwit didn't do his job, here I was.
This would tie me inseparably to Rozaria too.
"...Sian!"
My mind fading, I saw Hedi running over, face worried from afar.
...Second time passing out in front of her.
A bitter laugh escaped amid the crisis.
What face would she make when I woke?
If I woke at all.
I couldn't think further.
With that, I lost consciousness.