The Tournament Before Us
The clash was sharp and vicious, like the bite of winter wind slicing through thin air. My blade traced a spiral so tangled and erratic it looked ready to unravel at any moment, leaving behind only scattered straw that rained down in soft, whispering piles across the training field.
Yet even as the straw crumbled and settled, an uneasy twist tugged at my gut. I licked my lips absently, tilting my head as though trying to puzzle out a half-remembered dream. The metallic tang of real effort—nothing like the faint scent of crushed straw—lingered on my tongue.
My skill had undeniably grown. But the very picture I had chased, the one that once came so effortlessly, had started to slip away from me at some point along the way.
I hadn’t simply stopped being able to do what I once could. The range of what I could achieve had expanded, yet my strength had not grown in proportion. It was a strange, frustrating imbalance.
*With the tournament right around the corner and things like this…*
The unease had begun months ago, when I first noticed Ian Cedric’s trajectory curving upward with the unmistakable slope of a protagonist’s inevitable rise.
The tournament itself was a 2v2 affair. Among the Academy’s many departments, the combat-oriented ones paired up to vie for supremacy. The victors—two each from first, second, and third year—would be crowned, and the prize for the overall winners was…
*You’ll help me become the top student?*
A year-long exemption from any other academy members claiming the position of top student in that department.
I had used that very prize as an excuse to approach Lilisciana. A solemn promise wrapped in apology: that I would never again look at her with the same eyes I once had.
*With your level of skill, surely you could win without needing me?*
Lilisciana had asked, still faintly doubtful, and I had answered with quiet, unavoidable truth.
“There is no one else I can go with.”
Grace and Anna were both in non-combat departments. Grace, moreover, was required to serve as a healer on tournament day due to the Divinity Faculty.
“What about Ian Cedric? He always trained with you.”
“He already has a partner, apparently. The magic department’s second-place student, Selina Carly, according to the reports.”
I hadn’t verified it myself, but I was certain of it.
The very reason the tournament existed as a 2v2 format was to prevent any disruption to Ian and Selina’s canon actions.
And yet that very certainty had become the opening I needed to request a partner from Lilisciana.
I had spoken those words lightly to her, but I had no intention of stealing Ian and Selina’s victory. The original plot would suffer no major fracture.
Instead, Ian and Selina would claim the top spot as canonically destined, and the story would simply resume its normal track.
What I had truly set my sights on was the second-place reward.
The one mentioned in the original novel.
“After winning this tournament,” the author had written, “Selina and I became even closer than before. Thanks to the countless hours we spent practicing together, I can now read her eyes like open books.”
“There was once a duo far more intimate than ours. The ones we faced in the finals.”
“Following their defeat, the two who received the Secret Garden entry pass immediately headed there. Before long, the relationship that could never have been grew between them.”
The Secret Garden entry pass.
I had no way of knowing what mysteries had unfolded inside those walls, but it was undeniable that such an item carried significant influence over romantic bonds.
*Still…*
I gripped Baekya once more and took three measured steps forward, simultaneously etching a line into the training pile with the tip of my blade.
The path I had chosen was a straight line aimed solely at the vital points that would end a life if attacked.
*Saaak. Chwaaak!*
The faint, wind-like trajectory my sword had drawn earlier had now carved deep, savage wounds into the straw, continuing into a full, powerful slash. I bit down on my lip.
It was undeniably effective, but it was not the form I had been trying to perfect.
My wrist moved with a will entirely of its own, and a sigh slipped free.
*Haah…*
I was not jealous of Ian’s greater strength. From what I could see, he still had not crossed the threshold I had set for myself.
But my plan had been built on the assumption that I was clearly superior to him.
I would win when I wanted to win, and when I chose not to, I would let the world believe I had fallen short of my own potential.
Yet the Ian of today was stronger than he had been at the same point in the original novel.
I did not know whether he had drawn some hidden blessing from his recent mission or whether my very existence as a rival had simply pushed him to grow at an accelerated pace.
Either way, he had begun growing dramatically, and the sobering realization had dawned: I might no longer be able to afford deliberately throwing a match to remain below his radar.
But winning this tournament was the only way left to me.
Asking Anna for a temporary weakening potion was impossible.
This tournament required the use of the Academy’s standard weapons, and the use of potions or other artifacts was strictly forbidden.
The door to my private training field creaked open.
How did she always arrive exactly on time, with no deviation whatsoever?
“You’ve been here even earlier today, haven’t you? Aren’t you tired?”
“I’m in the Swordsmanship Department, remember? Compared to the princess of the magic faculty, my stamina is actually generous.”
“Still, you seem to train longer than the others in our department… Well, there’s a saying that talent needs effort to shine.”
She closed the door behind her with those words. The moment it shut, the barrier sealed automatically.
I had already added her to the authorized entry list beforehand. Of course.
“The Student Council is truly something. Everything is so convenient these days.”
I couldn’t help but nod.
Even though it was my private training field, Lilisciana had her own assigned space as well. Non-members were restricted to the public arena, where they could only train in pairs.
For anyone preparing to steal the top spot—especially with the added pressure of not risking plot exposure—the structure left little choice but to train under watchful eyes.
In short, it was a zero-sum game.
“Still, this public field isn’t even ten times as big as ours.”
“I don’t care. I hate it when people watch and call it showing off like some jester.”
I had no reply. The bitter taste lingered.
A moment later, Lily tossed me a water flask that looked far too expensive for the budget of a mere student.
“Here. The one watching you is probably overheating. Drink while you rest. We’ve got three hours to spare—take your time.”
“Thank you.”
“Don’t be so stiff about it. You don’t have to lower your head that much. Makes me feel like the one being burdened, Berry.”
She called my name without the slightest hesitation now, the way someone used to close friends would.
At first, when we began training together, she had treated me with a faint wariness. But that had faded quickly.
With my relentless mental discipline—chewing my own tongue to keep my emotions hidden—she had finally granted me the distance I needed.
Thanks to the information Grace had provided, I had realized what was truly required of me now: slowly, steadily, chipping away at the fiancé’s share of the stakes.
If the person weren’t around at all, there was no way to raise affinity any higher.
So instead of forcing a dramatic heroine-rescue event, the most reliable path was to simply stay by her side, pretending indifference, pretending detachment, until genuine closeness blossomed.
“I’ve been thinking… Selina Carly seems like a tough opponent too. She might even be able to match me soon.”
“…Did the author double your chances or something?”
“Hm?”
“Oh, nothing. Just muttering to myself. Still… the magic department’s second-place is now at a level that could stand against the princess?”
Lilisciana nodded, lips pressed tight in an obvious sign of displeasure.
It was her habit whenever something irked her.
“If we slip up even slightly, we might actually lose. Rumors are already spreading that the top students of the Sword and Magic departments have gathered here.”
As though the composure of a noble daughter forbade defeat, Lilisciana had begun to burn with competitive fire—toward both the original protagonist and the main heroine.
*If she senses that I’ve deliberately planned to throw this match, I’m done for.*
The sudden, inappropriate mix of thoughts stirred guilt in me, and I found myself voicing the unbidden concern aloud.
“Even so, we can’t lose. The two top students are right here.”
I smiled as I spoke.
If both Ian and Selina had grown stronger than the novel had predicted, a single opening had appeared for me to exploit.
But the smile I offered to Lilisciana appeared to her like a promise of victory, so she returned one just as bright.
“You’ve been saying some pretty pleasing things lately, Berry.”
The sweetness of that smile—unfamiliar for so long—filled me with such warmth that I drifted off to sleep that night without a single worry.