Last Class Standing - 8
Erich's summoning, triggered by Ryutis and Later's taunts. From my perspective as the one suddenly dragged here, it was a bolt from the blue—irritating and thoroughly bothersome. I get SSR-tier treatment wherever I go, and this brat had the nerve to pull me as a one-star?
But the longer I watched, the more interesting it became. Anyone who could look at that spectacle and feel nothing would have been the real oddity.
"Block it! Block it with your body if you have to!"
"Don't dodge! If you're going to live sitting down, better to die on your feet!"
I hadn't realized Academy students were this bloodthirsty. Or maybe they had deliberately picked only the most aggressive ones from each class for a four-person free-for-all.
Either way, a vicious melee erupted. Every class threw themselves into the fray without holding back. You could see the sheer will to shatter the other guy's jaw even if it meant taking a hit yourself.
Bright future ahead.
I nodded in satisfaction. The Empire's future looked bright. This Academy cohort really did seem to be a golden generation.
Even during the practical exams I had felt like I was mining gold from a motherlode. Once again, talents worthy of recommendation letters were popping up left and right.
"The students' enthusiasm is quite something."
"We're grateful you see it that way."
I spoke lightly, and the man beside me answered at once. He was the homeroom teacher of Class 1-3—suddenly stuck on the same team as me.
His obvious tension drew a wry smile from me. This wasn't some stranger I'd bumped into on the street; he was my little brother's homeroom teacher. Having him watch me so carefully made me feel like a nightmare parent.
Not that telling him to relax would do any good. It would be no different from a division commander asking a company commander, "Am I that scary?"
"They're not coming our way, so we might as well wait."
"An excellent judgment, sir."
The automatic flattery only made me more embarrassed. Better to keep my mouth shut.
Something had gone terribly wrong.
Damn it all.
The plan had been perfect. The Academy had eighteen classes across first through third year. Four fighters per class meant seventy-two people total.
Even after subtracting the two royal princes' classes and the Audit Department Chief's, that still left a solid sixty. Sixty people thrashing around in one arena.
In the middle of that chaos, if everyone just launched reckless attacks without protecting themselves, people would drop like flies. I had even sparred as a practice partner for Prince Ryutis before. Going down naturally was something I was confident I could pull off.
These dog bastards.
Everyone had the exact same idea. All sixty of us, myself included, flopped around as if every trivial blow had been a fatal strike, desperate to be the first one out.
I ground my teeth and glared at Robert, who lay "unconscious" beside me. When our eyes met, he let out an awkward groan and rolled onto his side.
Traitor.
I had my chance. An attack that would have let me roll away theatrically the moment it landed came flying in.
I relaxed my grip with pure joy. Now I could rest easy like everyone else.
"Charles, look out!"
Then that bastard jumped in and took the hit for me. If no one had been watching, I would have kicked him and demanded to know what the hell he thought he was doing.
"Oh, if it isn't Charles!"
Damn it.
Suddenly I was the last man standing when I was never supposed to be, and every eye that had been trying to avoid becoming that person locked onto me.
"I'm honored you remember me."
"Of course I do! You were my first sparring partner! I knew you were skilled, but I never expected this much!"
Prince Ryutis let out a laugh so hearty it was almost refreshing to watch.
To me, it went past refreshing and straight into bone-chilling.
Of all people to remember…
During the practical exam I had rolled around with everything I had. I made sure it never looked like I was holding back—like a real, desperate fight. Truthfully I would have lost even at full strength, but landing a scratch on a prince mid-spar would have been the end of me.
I thought I had barely scraped through that crisis, yet he remembered my name. Worse, he hadn't just greeted me in passing; he had called it out right here in the arena.
Ordinary acting wouldn't cut it. His expectations and curiosity had ballooned; any half-hearted performance would only backfire.
What about the others…
I swept the area quickly. Unlike Ryutis, who had locked onto me, Prince Later was sizing up the Audit Department Chief's side.
Right. The Chief was far more of a threat than I was. A perfectly natural judgment.
Then, while watching the Chief, my heart nearly stopped. Our eyes met.
Oh no.
Goosebumps rose. The fact that our gazes locked the instant I looked meant the Chief had been watching me the entire time.
And those eyes… they felt like they were evaluating me. For a second I even felt like I was sinking into a swamp.
This is exactly why I tried to go down early.
If you were the last one standing, the Chief's attention was inevitable. That was obvious. So I had planned an early exit—until Robert, that traitor, ruined everything.
I forced my trembling hands still. Now that I was in the Chief's sights, I needed to escape as fast as possible.
Go down quickly.
Same goal as before, only this time the acting had to be good enough that even the Chief wouldn't find it suspicious.
The difficulty had just skyrocketed. Robert, you absolute bastard.
"You want a rematch too, don't you?"
I do not.
I nearly shook my head at Prince Ryutis's light, smiling words. What kind of lunatic would want a rematch after losing to royalty? You ought to pray in gratitude that he let you lose without incident.
But the prince's eyes were already full of expectation. He would be disappointed if I didn't charge him.
A prince who wanted me to attack, another prince who had nothing to do with me, and a monster who looked like he would audit anyone who so much as touched him.
I'm going insane.
Still, if I had to crash into one of the three, Ryutis was the least suicidal option. The other two looked completely hopeless.
"I'm coming!"
I shouted and charged toward Prince Ryutis.
I was heading into the less-hot hell.
He's pretty good. Even if he weren't an Imperial noble but one from Armein, he would have made a name for himself as an excellent knight.
Charles Olid.
A name well worth remembering.
Looking down at Charles lying on the ground with a peaceful expression, I felt satisfied. He must have been frustrated after losing the rematch as well, yet he accepted the result cleanly.
Truly outstanding. Facing a worthy opponent is always satisfying no matter the outcome—and I even won. How could I not be happy?
"A fine match."
"It was an honor."
A laugh slipped out at those words.
But this was no time to bask in satisfaction.
Now it really begins.
I turned my gaze toward Later and the instructor, who had waited politely for my bout with Charles to finish.
If they had wanted to interfere, they easily could have. A direct charge or even long-range magic would have been more than enough.
That they simply watched meant they intended to settle things one-on-one. I understood. I would have done the same if I were the spectator.
Hmm.
Honestly, my odds against Later were about fifty-fifty. Fights with mages had far too many variables. And Later's skill was nothing to sneeze at. I couldn't guarantee a win, but given my own strength I also wouldn't lose for certain.
As for the other one—
I'm confident.
Looking at the instructor put me at ease. Compared to the uncertain Later, with the instructor I was sure of myself.
Sure I would lose.
Maybe the taunt was a mistake.
I let out a hollow laugh and shifted my gaze past the instructor to Erich standing behind him.
Erich met my eyes with a look that said, What are you going to do about it? True, I had told him to summon anyone. I just never imagined he would call the instructor.
An excellent soldier.
A method no one else would have thought of—yet devastatingly effective. If Erich walked the path of a soldier, he would make an outstanding commander.
…No. Even so, this was too much. There were limits to creative tactics.
Who the hell brings the man who killed Kagan into an Academy match?
Winning is impossible.
I knew full well what a monster Kagan had been. How was I supposed to beat the man who killed that monster? I simply could not picture a future where I defeated the instructor and won the four-person battle.
Naturally, I also couldn't see a future where Later won. Luise's class was guaranteed victory in the free-for-all.
So it ends in a draw after all.
My class and Later's class had identical points. Whoever won the four-person match would take the inter-class tournament, but since both of us would lose side by side, it would end in a draw. An anticlimactic conclusion.
Still, the chance to fight the instructor itself was something to celebrate. Where else would I get an opportunity to face the Kagan-slayer? And without even having to worry about dying.
A match against a true powerhouse was always a stepping stone to higher realms.
"Instructor, may I ask for a lesson?"
"Anytime."
His casual nod drew a smile from me. Even if I lost today, I would lose in high spirits.
Then something felt off.
"You don't have a weapon?"
The instructor was bare-handed. Given how suddenly he had been dragged in, the lack of a weapon made sense—but he could have borrowed Erich's sword by now, couldn't he?
Yet the instructor simply looked me up and down for a moment and spoke flatly.
"I don't think I'll need one."
That stung the pride a little.
"My, I never realized the instructor was a hand-to-hand specialist."
"Easy enough to miss. I'm a swordsman."
Hmm.
I could feel my teammates behind me taking several more steps back.
I had a new goal: land even a single clean hit on the instructor.
"I did warn you."
If the instructor cut me down, no one would blame him. I had been the one to point out that he was unarmed first.
Of course, he was only acting this way because he was confident. So for now I would be caref—
What?
Something pitch-black suddenly filled my vision. A sensation of my collar being seized flipped the world upside down.
My feet, which had been planted on solid ground, lost their place and floated free. The view that had been fixed on the instructor spun toward something entirely different.
What on earth was—
— KRAAAAAASH!
──d…i…e…
I brushed the pieces of arena floor (or rather, what used to be the arena floor) off my shoulder.
Nothing's broken on him, good.
Fortunately only the ground had been obliterated; Ryutis himself was intact.
Yes, this was the right call. No matter how carefully I thought about it, using a weapon would have left something sliced off. The reliable, reassuring bare hands were the way to go.
And there was no need to drag it into a long fight. Prolonging it would only invite comments about teabagging a royal.
So I finished it quickly. Grabbed him by the collar and slammed him straight into the floor.
Outwardly there wasn't a single cut or burst anything. Perfect… up to that point.
Is he dead?
He wasn't moving. I couldn't tell whether he had fainted or actually died.
Surely not… right? He hadn't burst on the inside, had he?
Uneasy, I prodded the shoulder of the Ryutis who was still embedded in the floor.
"……."
Blood gushed from Ryutis's mouth in a thick surge.
And this was after I had held back as much as I possibly could.
Fuck.
I was screwed. This wasn't going to end with an apology letter.
…Still, a tiny flicker of satisfaction rose in one corner of my heart.