An Altar to the Death King
A three-tiered platform stood in the waiting room. The first level held all manner of snacks—Pepero, Choco Pies, shrimp crackers, and more. The second displayed paper flowers and cranes folded with care. The third bore a small frame containing the characters for Sawang.
"Ooh! O great Sawang!"
It resembled an altar. A ritual in which someone cried out their wishes to another. Professor Karlsen knelt before it, tears streaming down his face as he pressed his forehead to the floor, calling out the Death King's name.
"Bestow your blessing upon our students! Grant them the strength to seize first place!"
Again and again he bowed with utmost sincerity. The sight bore a striking resemblance to the "108 prostrations" practiced by a certain minority tribe in the Fan Empire—a form of self-discipline meant to sever 108 worldly afflictions. Karlsen had twisted the practice into a prayer directed at Sawang, treating the Death King as an object of faith while earnestly wishing for the children's victory.
Most people would simply call it a cult or madness.
Well, it's not a bad thing to believe in someone so desperately.
Faith. Belief. A guide. A role model. There was something undeniably admirable about placing one's trust in another and following in their footsteps—so long as that faith did not harm anyone else.
That crazy bastard.
Watching Karlsen's fervent ritual from behind, Jealousy—still in the guise of Professor Clara—slapped his own forehead and lowered his head. Having faith in private was one thing. If one insisted on performing such acts, they ought to do so where no one else could see. Instead, the lunatic was conducting his bizarre ceremony right in the middle of the waiting room reserved for professors overseeing the Academy Tournament teams.
"Ooh! O great Sawang! Bestow your magnificent protection upon our students!"
One by one, the surrounding professors edged away from him. Even Professor Frankhorn, who would normally have scolded him for damaging Benedict Academy's reputation, merely shook his head and kept his distance.
Even Pride doesn't pull stunts like this.
Pride, the infamous fanatic of the underworld, never performed rituals before photographs of Sawang. Or perhaps he did in private, but at least he never did so openly in front of others the way Karlsen was doing now. It was fortunate that the Master in the stands remained unaware. Had he witnessed this scene, even someone as indifferent as he would have been disgusted enough to leave the arena immediately, regardless of Arina's next match.
"Hmm. Oh? Huh."
While everyone else was deliberately avoiding Karlsen, a new figure approached with evident curiosity. The man was not as grotesquely obese as Gluttony, one of the Seven Deadly Sins, but he was noticeably wider than average. His cheeks jiggled as he pushed up his glasses and observed Karlsen's repeated bows toward the altar with keen interest.
Another weirdo has appeared.
Jealousy had half-expected the snacks on the first tier to have attracted some gluttonous pig. Unfortunately, the newcomer’s eyes were fixed on the third tier—on the small frame bearing the name Sawang.
"Is this some kind of folk religion? I've heard that some dark mages worship Sawang like a god, but I didn't know they actually performed rituals."
The man spoke with undisguised surprise at the new discovery. Jealousy wanted to correct him—Karlsen was simply an extreme case even among dark mages.
"Would it be all right if I joined in?"
"Ooh! Are you also a follower of Lord Sawang?"
"No, I'm a mage, so I can't go that far. If I had to choose a religion, I'd say I lean more toward the Church's god."
Even though the Elemental Kingdom currently rejected the Church's influence, it was impossible to completely erase centuries of accumulated faith in a single moment. As the saying went, even the most renowned scholars ultimately turned to God at the end of their logic. In that sense, it was hardly strange for a mage to believe in the Church.
"Still, I think it's good to hold faith in something, whatever the direction. Because the North Star exists in the sky, every adventurer in this world can reach their destination without losing their way."
"A fine sentiment. Very well. I shall specially invite you to join me in welcoming Lord Sawang."
"Thank you."
When Karlsen stepped aside, the heavyset man filled the empty space.
"Ah, my apologies for the late introduction. I am Karlsen, responsible for curse studies at Benedict Academy."
"It's a pleasure to meet you as well. I am Repli, in charge of spell theory at Sirionella Private Academy."
"Ooh, spell theory—that's the subject often called the flower of magical academia, isn't it?"
"No, it's not quite that grand. My own abilities are still quite lacking."
Repli scratched the back of his head sheepishly. His words were not exaggeration or false modesty. Depending on the outcome of this Academy Tournament, he might very well be dismissed from his position at the academy.
"I only feel sorry for the students. Especially Chris."
The reason Repli had resolved to win the tournament was for his own sake. By presenting the academy board with the achievement of victory, he hoped to secure his position as the supervising professor.
"Even though I told him I have no attachment to the professorship, he refuses to listen. It seems students don't follow a professor without real skill."
Repli let out a hearty laugh. Karlsen's eyes sparkled.
"Not at all. That simply means you have their trust. I haven't seen you teach directly, so I can't say for certain, but from this alone I can tell you're an excellent professor!"
"Thank you. You seem like the type who'd be good at giving advice, Professor."
"Of course! It's one of my specialties!"
The two got along remarkably well. Jealousy, watching their dull conversation from the side, narrowed his eyes. Regardless of how Repli actually taught, the fact that he thought Karlsen looked like someone good at counseling already explained why the board wanted to fire him. Someone with such poor judgment couldn't possibly be competent.
More importantly…
Jealousy's gaze sharpened as he observed Repli. Honestly, there was nothing overtly suspicious about the man. Yet something continued to nag at him—an inexplicable sense of déjà vu that irritated the nerves of the continent's greatest assassin. No matter how closely he watched, he could find nothing concrete, to the point where he began doubting his own instincts.
It feels as though someone is wearing another person's face and acting.
It was the same sensation as encountering another assassin on a mission while undercover. But that was impossible. If it were true, he would never have missed the distinctive movements of a fellow assassin. Even if the opponent were a superhuman like himself.
"……"
Suppressing his suspicions, Jealousy turned his attention away from the two men still bowing before the Master's altar and focused on the screen. The boat race was about to begin. The AI began its countdown, and at the starting signal, the boats lined up at the starting line surged forward in unison.
Please do your best, young lady!
Amid the spray of water droplets, Jealousy—the underworld's devoted subordinate—clenched his fists in secret as he watched Arina's wet hair appear on the screen.
＊ ＊ ＊
The boat race was the highlight of the second day of the Academy Tournament. A vast, endless ocean with no land in sight. The rules were simple: dismantle five spell puzzle gates placed along the way and reach the finish line first. The fact that such an environment could only exist in virtual reality made the competition all the more thrilling for the spectators.
"Hey! Can't you row any faster?!"
Waves churned violently as the boats raced toward the first gate. The sharp scent of seawater filled the air. While a cool breeze dried their wet hair, Marily shouted at Togun, who was rowing with all his might.
"The gap is widening! Row! Row, I said! Where did that 'just trust me' attitude from earlier go?!"
"I'm losing strength, so be quiet!"
It wasn't as though he wanted to fall behind. The fact that the gap wasn't even larger was already impressive. While the others propelled their boats with magic, Togun was matching their pace using nothing but the strength of his arms.
Fwoooosh!
At the very front, Aaron Dice unleashed flames toward the sea. Steam erupted from the boiling water, and the expanding molecules propelled Benedict Academy's Team A forward at tremendous speed.
How am I supposed to beat that with just arm strength?!
Give me something feasible! Togun, normally known for having a personality as gentle as Arina's among their peers, finally snapped in irritation.
"Hup!"
Yet even as he complained, he increased his rowing speed. The boat cut through the waves, surging ahead.
"Faster!"
"Stop making unreasonable demands!"
"Where did all that training go? Use up all your stamina at the start! Swing like your arms are about to break! Arina and I will handle the latter half somehow!"
"This is my best!"
It really felt like his arms were about to fly off. Everyone else was zooming along with fire or wind, yet his team alone had to do actual physical labor. Togun regretted ever agreeing to this role before the match started.
"Aaaagh!"
Togun screamed as he rowed while Marily continued to urge him on. Watching them from the back of the boat, Arina let out an awkward laugh. It really did seem like they were dumping all the hard work on Togun.
"Arina!"
"Huh?"
"Stop spacing out! We need to block any interference that comes our way!"
Passing through the gates and reaching the finish line—that was the only major rule of the boat race. Naturally, as a magical competition, interference with opponents was also permitted.
Right now, everyone's interference is focused on Benedict Academy's Team A.
After the first gate, the situation would change. From that point on, the real competition would begin.
"Stay on your guard! If you have any spare time, draw magic circles on the boat!"
"Y-yes!"
Overwhelmed by Marily's charismatic command—completely different from her usual gentle demeanor—Arina answered in formal speech without thinking. This was Marily in full competition mode. Arina tensed at her friend's unfamiliar intensity and began working on the boat with focused hands.
……It's here!
After constantly assigning tasks to her teammates, Marily stared ahead across the vast ocean. Her narrowed eyes finally caught sight of the first gate—a translucent spell wall floating in the air. Many of the leading boats had stopped to solve the puzzle. A smile spread across Marily's lips as she watched them.