The Wager
Malik, who had let the information slip to Yuria, smiled faintly and spoke in a low voice.
"Before that… we should finish the ranking matches first."
"...!"
"The healing department students will be participating in this ranking tournament as well."
Malik's fist grazed Yuria's cheek. As she tilted her head to dodge with nimble grace, a bitter smile formed on his lips. Good thing I quit being a swordsman, he thought. He wasn't without talent, but—
Swish…
Whoosh!!!
Standing among seedlings brimming with talent made him painfully aware of the truth. There were far too many monsters in this world. He felt a spark of anticipation. Whatever might unfold during these ranking matches.
The second son of a prestigious swordsmanship family, sharpening his blade. Mikhail, chosen by the Holy Sword. And the one who would show the healers' rebellion. He figured there would be plenty to watch this time around.
"Not bad."
Having evaded Yuria's punch, Malik nodded with a small smile. He would need to strengthen security so the cult couldn't interfere again.
Come to think of it, that guy exists.
—Pardon? During the break?
—That's right. While we're at it, we should reward his contributions. Have him come up to the capital.
—Will he be meeting the Emperor?
—Do you want to?
—No. I have no interest in seeing an old man. A young lady, on the other hand…
—That would be grounds for lèse-majesté.
—It was a joke. Since we're calling him anyway, I thought it wouldn't hurt to have him handle security during the ranking tournament. With him around, I could sleep soundly with both legs stretched out.
Malik smiled faintly, already planning to write the letter once he returned to his office.
"Just stay down."
"What?"
Malik's fist drove straight into Yuria's abdomen. He saw no reason to hold back simply because she was a woman; that would have been disrespectful. He put just enough force behind it.
With a dull thud, Yuria's legs gave out. Malik turned away with a faint smile—
Whoosh…!
—only for her fist to graze past his hair as she regained her stance.
"Impressive."
A laugh escaped him.
"So I've got myself a reliable punching bag now."
Yuria grinned through the pain, holding her ground.
"You… hit me once."
"...Hah."
"The scholarship and meal tickets you promised…"
Clutching the spot where Malik had struck her, Yuria finally collapsed to the floor, unable to finish her sentence. The match was over.
Malik clicked his tongue and muttered to himself.
"I can't just sit still either."
Even if he had set his sword aside for now to focus on business, he couldn't let his student overtake him. With a satisfied smile, he spoke softly.
"I suppose I'll have to ask to be included in the special lectures."
A short while later, on the day the special lectures began, Malik would come to deeply regret that decision.
*
The day of the ranking tournament dawned. Tension hung over the students' faces, especially those from the healing department. Originally, their rankings had been determined solely through healing assessments, but at the senior director's discretion, they were now required to participate in the tournament as well.
It wouldn't decide everything. No one wanted to burden the fledgling healing department with an impossible trial. The existing evaluation method would remain, but the tournament would now account for thirty percent of their final ranking.
Of course, none of this concerned a dropout like me. Leaning against the railing of the massive circular arena, I fiddled with Caliburn at my waist and let out a quiet sigh.
"It's been a while since I've been here."
When I'd come to the academy to open the convenience store, I'd only stayed inside the buildings. I hadn't visited this place back then. Looking out over the old memories, I smiled faintly. I'd even fought Mikhail here.
—You cowardly bastard…! Throwing sand in my eyes!
—The world of competition is cruel by nature.
This place, filled with memories of knocking down academy sprouts like it was nothing, wasn't entirely unpleasant.
As I was lost in reminiscence, footsteps approached from behind. The elegant, refined sound told me exactly who it was without needing to turn. Only one person in my memory carried that kind of wealth in every step.
"Boss."
"...How did you guess without even looking?"
"There's a method for everything."
"...Remarkable."
Malik leaned against the railing beside me and smiled, asking how I'd been since the Holy Sword. Whether the new business was going well. If I had any promising ideas. As we caught up, he eventually brought up the young lady.
"By the way, where is Lady Olivia?"
"I couldn't bring her to the academy, so she's spending time with her family at the ducal estate."
"Hmm…"
"She's probably playing airplane with the head of the house right about now."
"Airplane…?"
"Ah."
I looked up at the clear sky and smiled. This world had no concept of airplanes.
"She's flying through the sky with flight magic."
"..."
"It's her favorite game, so the head of the house plays it with her often."
"The head of House Desmond does that?"
"Yes. Is there a problem?"
Malik let out a dry laugh and shook his head, muttering that it was nothing.
—We will now begin the final matches of the first semester!!
Hearing the announcer, I gave Malik an awkward look. This was different from the ranking tournament I remembered. Previously, it had been split between first-and-second-years and third-and-fourth-years. This time, all grades were mixed together.
"This ranking tournament seems to be run differently. Holding it right before break, mixing in healing department students and all grades… it's not the usual format."
"This time, we're treating it more like a proper tournament than a simple ranking event."
"Hmm… The students might push back pretty hard."
"That's not my problem to deal with."
"Pfft. Fair enough."
"Besides… people go crazy for money."
Before Malik could finish, the announcer's voice boomed across the arena.
—The top three students in this ranking tournament will receive full scholarships for the duration of their time at the academy, along with the right to choose one of the academy's hidden treasures! Furthermore!!! There will also be a personal scholarship from the senior director!!!!
I snorted at the announcement.
"Did you arrange that, Boss?"
"I did pressure the student council president a bit."
"Puhaha!!!"
He was a man of impressive execution. The kind who knew how to gamble big when the prize was worth it.
I teased him playfully. With stakes like that, even I felt tempted to enter. Malik laughed and shook his head.
"Don't. The kids will drop out."
—The first match is between first-year healing department student 'San' and third-year swordsmanship department student 'Bella'!
Leaning on the railing, I turned to Malik. If we were doing this, there was one thing we absolutely had to do.
"Boss."
"What is it?"
"How about we make a little bet?"
"A bet?"
Malik looked at me with interest, a smile playing on his lips.
"Sounds fun."
"How about a hundred gold if you guess the winner correctly?"
"A hundred gold… Hmm…"
Malik shook his head. A hundred gold felt too small for a wager. He suggested raising the stakes.
"Money doesn't really mean much to either of us. Instead of gold, how about this?"
"I'm basically a corpse without money, though."
"The loser introduces one of their connections."
"A connection?"
"That's right. When expanding a business, connections are the most valuable asset. I'm not asking for anything unreasonable—just an introduction."
"That might be difficult. I don't exactly have many connections."
"Nonsense."
Malik laughed, dismissing my words. Among the people he knew, no one had stranger connections than I did.
"You've got apostles and cultists, not to mention the House of Desmond. And you're saying you have none? Besides… the most important one is standing right here."
"That kind of compliment is embarrassing."
"Endure it. It's the truth."
"You really are good at saying things that make people blush, Boss."
"Thank you."
I laughed and set a clear boundary for the bet.
"The young lady is off-limits."
"I have no desire to learn more about the princess."
"I won't introduce Yuria either. I'm a greedy man."
"...I'm married to my dreams."
"Eunuch."
"Shut up."
"Puhaha!"
After our light banter, I gave my answer.
"Alright. Let's do it."
"Good."
"So, who are you picking? I'll let you go first."
Malik looked down at the arena with a serious expression. His gaze lingered on Mikhail, Hanna, and Yuria as he considered his choice. In the end, he went with the rising star.
"I'll go with Mikhail."
"That's too safe."
"Can't be helped."
"Haa… Then I…"
I glanced down at the arena and called out a name.
"I'll go with □□□."
"So you're planning to lose."
I gave Malik a vague smile as he sneered.
"Who knows."
"..."
"I don't enter fights I'm going to lose."