Swordsmanship Tournament (1)
The moment I opened the door, I froze in place.
“……”
“……”
While I stood there dazed, the girl seated in the chair looked at me with a puzzled expression. It was only natural. Anyone would be confused if a complete stranger walked in and just stared at them like an idiot. If she asked whether I was acting this way because it was love at first sight, I’d want to tell her it absolutely wasn’t that. Then what was the reason? It was a little hard to explain.
You know someone very well. You know roughly what they like, what tone they use, and what they prefer. But what if that someone doesn’t know you at all? …Wouldn’t that just make you a stalker? Wrong. That’s the ordinary reason, isn’t it? …Not ordinary? Quiet. Compared to my situation right now, it’s nothing more than an ordinary reason.
I’d been grinding away in 2D all this time to raise her affection. If a character I’d even dated briefly in the story suddenly appeared right in front of me in reality, what would you do? My feelings were complicated. It had only been a heroine-capture quest I’d done briefly for the quest reward, but seeing her—the girl who had been my 2D ex-girlfriend for a short while—left me unable to hide my bewilderment.
Silky, soft golden hair that looked woven from silk, bold crimson eyes, and that familiar playful expression. …It was her. The Lucy Amelia I knew. The alchemy club’s top student and one of Cain’s heroines was standing right before my eyes.
*
“…This is the magic stone.”
“Ooh!”
I changed my expression as if nothing were amiss, greeted her naturally, and handed over the stone. To think the person they’d introduced me to was Lucy… Well, she was the alchemy club’s genius, so handling complicated magic stones would be her specialty. I’d been shortsighted. …Lucy accepted the stone without suspicion, her eyes sparkling as she carefully took it in her hands.
“So this is the rumored magic stone…!”
Was it famous enough to have rumors? Lucy turned it this way and that, running her fingers over it with clear interest. Even these little gestures were exactly the same. This was the Lucy from Ariel that I knew. Meeting her cheerful, excitable personality in reality felt strangely surreal.
“It really has no attribute?!”
“Yes.”
“Could you infuse it with some mana? My mana just bounces off… Maybe it recognizes me as a foreign substance?”
“……”
Without a word, I took the stone back and held it in my hand. The faint blue glow absorbed my mana and began to shine brightly once more.
“Whoa—!”
Lucy’s eyes widened in wonder. She took the stone from me again, stared at it quietly for a while, then finally spoke.
“I’m not sure if I’ll succeed, but I’ll try processing it. No—please let me process it!”
“I’d be grateful. If you need anything, I’ll help in any way I can. Just say the word.”
“There is something! I was just thinking about it.”
Her eyes sparkled like stars, filled with excitement, as she continued without missing a beat.
“I need mana scrolls! If it keeps repelling my mana like this, I can’t process the stone… So you’ll have to bring me a mana scroll filled with Cian’s mana!”
“Mana scrolls…?”
Mana scrolls were among the more expensive types. Unlike single-use scrolls, they could store or release mana, so people carried them like backup batteries to replenish their mana in combat. I knew they cost around five gold each. The reward Hedy and I had split after taking down the Twilight Queen and the Giant Ent was thirty gold… It wasn’t impossible, but it was a bit burdensome.
Lucy seemed to notice my hesitation and spoke again.
“They’re pretty expensive, right? I figured as much, so I looked into something else… Cian, are you a swordsman by any chance?”
“Yes. Currently, anyway.”
“Hehe, perfect. Do you know about the academy’s yearly grade-level tournament next week?”
So it was already that time. The grade-level tournament held every year at Ariel Academy to determine the strongest student in each year. It consisted of two events: the swordsmanship tournament and the magic tournament. Various rare rewards were given out based on ranking. High-ranking nobles and even members of the royal family came to watch every year, so many talented individuals participated to showcase their strength and get scouted for a bright future.
But I knew the real nature of this tournament. It was a show rigged to push the protagonist, Cain. Until Cain was chosen as the hero, the event existed solely to prove his abilities. First place was practically predetermined.
Why was she asking about it, though?
“I’m aware, but… why the tournament?”
“They’re giving out participation prizes this time.”
So you got a prize just for participating.
“Is the participation prize a mana scroll, by any chance?”
“Ding dong dang! You catch on quick.”
I roughly understood. She wanted me to participate, get the mana scroll, and bring it to her.
“You’ll participate, right?”
“I have to. It’s not like I have any other choice… It wouldn’t be a bad idea to test my strength while I’m at it.”
“Hehe, first place might be tough, though. My friend is participating too!”
…She must mean Cain. He’d probably started sensing his talent with the sword around now. I didn’t want to stand out and risk him discovering my identity, so I’d have to drop out around the first or second round. The one who bullied him was the original Cian, not me… yet somehow I was the one who had to watch my step. It was ridiculous.
Wait a second. Now that I thought about it, the original Cian had hit on Lucy too, hadn’t he…?
“……”
“Huh? Why are you staring at me like that?”
“Ah, it’s nothing. Anyway, I understand. I’ll contact you again next week through Seria’s stitches. I’ll be going now.”
“Eh?”
Since our business was done, I quickly said my goodbyes and turned to leave the club room. I’d lost a ridiculous amount of weight and looked like a completely different person, but I still didn’t want to give her any reason to recognize me. If she found out, how humiliating would that situation be? It wasn’t even something I’d done, yet my heart was pounding this hard…!
Lucy looked puzzled as I tried to leave so abruptly, but I ignored it and kept walking down the hallway. Since I’d be running into her often, I decided to avoid visiting the alchemy club from now on.
***
I wasn’t particularly nervous. After all, I was planning to drop out around the middle rounds anyway. The day before the swordsmanship tournament, after finishing the preliminary registration, I went about my day as usual.
“Coco vin is sooo good! Why am I only trying this now?!”
“D-Did Lloyd finally awaken to the world of food…?!”
“Not quite that far, Bobby.”
After diligently attending lectures, I ate lunch with Lloyd, Bobby, and Louis like always. After lunch, I went to the training grounds and swung my sword before doing strength training, just like always. In the evening, I went down to the village for a jog and did some cardio, exactly as usual.
‘Hmm…?’
Come to think of it, I hadn’t seen Hedy much lately. Even when we passed each other in the lecture hall, she didn’t acknowledge me. After that time we ate sandwiches together, she seemed to be avoiding me strangely… Had I really made some kind of mistake back then? I’d have to think it over carefully once I got back to the dorm. If I’d done something wrong, I needed to apologize…
While lost in these thoughts, I was walking down the hallway with Lloyd, Bobby, and Louis late at night.
“Hey, hey! Cian! That girl over there—isn’t that her? The one you tried to get a stitch from but failed!”
“……?”
When Lloyd pointed ahead, a figure was walking toward us. To get a better look, I stared in the direction he indicated and saw a woman with soft, swaying golden hair approaching.
“Ah! Cian!”
It was Lucy. She’d spotted me and was heading our way with a friendly greeting.
“Lucy…?”
“I thought it might be you, and it really is! How’s your swordsmanship tournament practice going?”
“Uh…? Uh…?”
Bobby looked completely dumbfounded at how warmly Lucy greeted me.
“C-Cian…! You actually succeeded in hitting on her—mmph!”
This crazy bastard…! I clamped my hand over Bobby’s mouth before he could say anything else. Quick-witted Lloyd immediately understood the situation and dragged Bobby away to the back. Louis followed, leaving just Lucy and me.
“Huh…? Who were you hitting on, Cian?”
“Ah, just a same-gender friend. There’s a friend who’s skilled with the sword, so I was trying hard to get him to spar with me.”
“Aah~.”
I’d managed to improvise smoothly. Thanks to Bobby, I’d almost been exposed as the pig prince who used to hit on her.
“Well then, my friend’s waiting, so I’ll be—”
“Ah! Wait a second!”
Lucy grabbed my arm as I tried to leave.
“You did this last time too—why do you always try to leave so quickly? I have something I’m curious about!”
“Something you’re curious about…?”
“Yes. Lately there’s been a rumor going around in the noble families about someone called a hero candidate…”
I instinctively knew it was one hundred percent about me. Seriously, not just anyone could be a hero… These exaggerated rumors were only making things more embarrassing for me.
“They say this person entered an uncharted labyrinth that no one else could escape from, single-handedly defeated the labyrinth’s monster leader, and came back out. Apparently they’re around our age and attend our academy.”
“…Sounds like an incredible person.”
I played dumb, widening my eyes and pretending to be impressed.
“Right? But I heard their name is… Cian. It’s not you, is it?”
“Of course not. It must be someone with the same name. I’m not strong enough to be called a hero candidate.”
“I see… Hehe, my curiosity’s satisfied! If it had been you, my friend would’ve been in trouble…”
Even if it was me, your friend would never win. How could an extra villain possessed into the protagonist—who has every overpowered trait imaginable—possibly lose?
“If that’s all, I’ll be going now. I have things to do…”
“You’re always so busy, Cian. Okay, get home safe! Good luck in the swordsmanship tournament!”
After sending Lucy off, I returned to Lloyd, Bobby, and Louis and explained the situation. Bobby apologized, but I told him it was fine. After finishing our walk with the guys, I returned to the dorm and went to bed earlier than usual to prepare for the tournament.
*
The day of the swordsmanship tournament arrived. The preliminary matches ended in the morning, and countless applicants were eliminated. The test itself wasn’t anything special. A professor faced the long line of preliminary registrants one-on-one, testing their agility and strength, then passed or failed them based on his judgment. Honestly, with my current strength—bolstered by knowledge from my time as a veteran player—I was far stronger than the other students my age, so passing the preliminaries wasn’t difficult.
Thus, I became one of the final sixteen participants and entered the colosseum’s player waiting room inside the academy. It was a private waiting room. The faint roar of students cheering could be heard from outside. How loudly were they shouting out there? The fact that I was actually a participant still didn’t feel real. Maybe because I’d prepared so half-heartedly…
“Next up is Ariel Academy’s pride! The annual event everyone looks forward to… the grade-level swordsmanship tournament, starting right now from the round of sixteen!”
I was startled. The host’s voice, amplified by magic, echoed loudly even inside the waiting room. So it was finally beginning.
“All tournament participants, please exit the waiting room and wait at the colosseum entrance!”
At the host’s words, I slowly rose from my chair. It really was starting. …Back when I played the game, this was an event with no particularly good rewards, so I’d always skipped it no matter what. I never expected to end up participating like this. How did things turn out this way…?
A small laugh escaped me. I loosened my stiff neck and began walking toward the entrance, where the cheers were growing louder.