Chapter 78
Chapter 78
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 78
Chapter Title: An Unsatisfying Victory
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The morning preliminary tournament matches had all wrapped up, and the afternoon second round concluded without a hitch as well.
By longstanding tradition, the top cadet who advanced through the first round became the number one seed and proceeded directly to the finals. The two cadets who made it through the second round would then face off against them in a three-way battle.
That was why no one batted an eye at Rain coming home late, even though his family had frantically searched for him...
─Wow, in the end, it’s Miss Christa and Kaden in the finals.
─But that first-round match... what the hell was up with Warden and Karain? No way it was match-fixing or something.
The chatter of those wrapping up their day brushed past his ears like the wind.
“Young master?”
Lost deep in thought, Rain didn’t hear a thing.
‘Valensidis... what the hell are you?’
Her healing ability outstripped Sammy’s by several times over; the poison in his left arm had already completely cleared up.
“Young master.”
A faint tingling sensation lingered, but this was impressive enough. And yet, she was a guy—or so he seemed. Who the hell had taught him witchcraft?
“Young master!”
The shout piercing his ear made him jump, and when he turned, there stood the muscle-bound giant Logan, looking slightly miffed.
“What’re you thinking so hard about?”
“Oh, sorry. Did you call me?”
They exchanged awkward stares at the response, until Logan scratched the back of his head with a sigh.
“What’d you think of today’s matches?”
“Today’s matches?”
“The one between Miss Christa and Lilian! It ended so ridiculously!”
Christa and Lilian’s match?
Oh, right...
He’d seen Christa pull out that golem thing before leaving the city with Ribarden. He’d totally forgotten amid the chaos.
“What happened? I missed it ‘cause of student council stuff.”
Logan’s expression darkened slightly at the question. He glanced up at the night sky before speaking haltingly.
“Well...”
* * *
The showdown everyone had been hyped for—between Rivendel’s Karain clan and the great magic house of Warden—ended in the most absurd way possible, in the blink of an eye.
“...?”
“...?”
“...?”
The fired-up crowd fell into stunned silence, doubting their own eyes. Had they missed something? Was this for real?
Lilian had clearly summoned Rivendel’s divine beast, the Flame Python, in response to the threat of the Sandstone Monstrosity.
The spirit’s flames took on the form of an imugi, manifesting in the mortal world to protect its summoner and annihilate all enemies.
And just as the long-awaited clash between the Sandstone Monstrosity and the divine beast was about to unfold—
─You know, you actually respect your father, don’t you?
For the past two months, the voice that had tormented Lilian suddenly resurfaced in her mind.
─You’re doing exactly what that bastard Datan did. Trampling everything around you for your own goals.
And was it coincidence?
Just then, in the corner of her vision, she caught sight of Datan Karain smirking, utterly convinced of Lilian’s victory.
‘I... I...!’
She couldn’t pinpoint exactly why. A tangle of complex reasons... Right at the moment the Flame Python’s karmic flames wrapped around the Sandstone Monstrosity.
Srrrrk—!
Even though it was constructed within an illusionary barrier, the core of that intense heat—which had made the stands swelter and drenched every spectator in sweat—vanished.
“—...?”
In the moment of collective bewilderment, no one’s eyes widened more than Christa Warden’s own.
Grooooowl—!
Was it a mistake? The Sandstone Golem, faithfully executing its master’s attack command, landed a direct hit on Lilian Karain...
The blow sent Lilian flying straight through the air, slamming violently into the arena’s outer wall at the far end before finally crumpling to the ground.
“...?”
“...?”
“...?”
A heavy silence blanketed the arena.
Not just the regular spectators—even the top mages reigning from on high, like Marhena, Madelia, Kyle, and Elin—could only blink in confusion.
Kasena Page glanced up at Madelia, wondering if she’d missed something due to her own shortcomings.
“Mom, what was that? Did that bitch win?”
Madelia didn’t answer. Instead, Professor Kyle, who’d snapped out of it fastest, raised his hand high.
[The winner of the final first-round preliminary match... is Christa Warden!]
Unlike the explosive opening match, no cheers or applause erupted from the stands. Everyone just tilted their heads.
No one could accept the result.
“What the hell?”
“Mana exhaustion?”
“You kidding? That’s Lilian Karain we’re talking about! The girl who’s handled 5-star summons since she was a kid!”
And the one who refused to accept the outcome more than anyone—even more than Datan Karain, who’d shot to his feet screaming that the barrier must be glitched—was Christa Warden herself.
“...What the hell are you trying to pull?”
Then the Sandstone Golem lumbered forward across the Dragon Hole Field, reaching out toward the unconscious Lilian.
“What the hell are you doing?!”
What she wanted was victory.
The top spot, plain and simple.
But not an obvious win like this. Not a handout from anyone’s pity. She wanted to seize it with her own power. Through her efforts alone.
So she could tell others later. Pass it down to future generations.
That she had no talent. None at all, which was why she’d worked so damn hard.
“You kidding me? Get up! Who’d be happy with a win like this? Get up!”
Marhena, the chief professor, reined in her fury.
“Inflict any harm on your opponent after the match is decided, and you won’t just lose—you’ll be deemed unfit to be a mage and expelled. That what you want? Huh?”
Expelled...?
Christa glanced between Marhena and Lilian, then finally bit her lip, lowered her head, and dispelled the Sandstone Golem.
Assistants soon rushed out as match officials, loading Lilian onto a stretcher.
“So... it’s over?”
“Yep. Warden wins.”
“But a win like that’s gotta leave a sour taste, even for the winner.”
Christa trudged out of the arena like the loser, her steps heavy. Then, in the next moment, she unleashed a raw scream toward the sky.
The victory lust with nowhere to go. The efforts honed just for today...
“Miss...”
Gertrude watched her retreating figure with worry, then hurried after her, feeling she had to offer some comfort.
Someone grabbed Gertrude’s shoulder. Christa’s mentor, Professor Carolline.
Their eyes met, and Carolline shook her head with a wry smile.
“She needs time to think alone. Best to just wait it out.”
“But Professor...”
“Worried her condition’s shot? No way. You know how strong Christa is.”
Yeah, how strong she was.
From the moment they’d met, she’d been relentlessly strong. From that very first encounter, the girl who’d made Carolline resolve herself.
No matter what, she’d make this child the greatest mage there was.
* * *
The Flame Python vanishing out of nowhere, causing Lilian to lose... Yeah, that was weird. But why’s he asking me?
“So, uh... did you maybe do something, young master?”
Ah, now it clicked. Like midterms, when the Flame Python disappeared, so he thinks I interfered?
‘But that’s weird.’
Back then, and in his match with Nora, no one recognized the Bell Quirius he’d used as his trump card.
Wait, Nora figured it out?
Then maybe she told Logan, her fellow Eight Great Academies student. But I really had nothing to do with this one.
“Nah, I didn’t do anything. Like I said, I didn’t even watch.”
“Not today. Midterms. Ever since then, Lilian’s been off...”
Yeah, back then I did erase the Flame Python myself. Was that such a shock?
Or... was it that question I asked? It was just pure curiosity.
Ugh, my head’s killing me with Valensidis already. But Logan said cautiously.
“Say, young master... if it’s not too much trouble, could you maybe help Lilian out?”
“Me? How?”
“Well... You know I was pretty wild myself, but after you said that, I realized something important and changed.”
Early in the semester, Logan had trusted only his own strength, flaunted it, and looked down on the other cadets. But after hearing those words from Rain, his mindset shifted.
─We enemies or something? Aren’t we all comrades exploring the discipline of magic together?
There are no enemies at school. Just fellow students pursuing magic... Logan pleaded earnestly.
“I can’t stand seeing Lilian like this right now.”
“...”
“Could you say something similar to her? I’d do it, but I suck at words unless it’s about muscles...”
A sigh escaped him, more like a groan.
What a pain. Seriously.
If it were anyone else—if he hadn’t just taken down Ribarden and had that weird chat with Valensidis—he’d have shut it down flat.
But this was Logan asking. That changed everything.
‘He helped out big time during workouts...’
Above all, wasn’t he the MVP in getting Kasena walking again? Teaching her the academy’s secret footwork technique with total sincerity.
“Fine, got it. So where’s that redhead now?”
“You’ll do it? Umhahhat! Knew I could count on you, young master! That’s when we in the academy shout, ‘I knew it!’”
Logan’s eyes sparkled as he pumped his fists excitedly.
“Knew it, young master~!!!”
His innocent reaction made things awkward, so Rain averted his gaze and sighed theatrically.
“Knew what? It’s just a whim. Got it? Tell me where he is. I’ll wrap this up quick and crash.”
* * *
Looking back, no day had felt heavier-legged than the one he left the mage tower.
“...”
Lin kept glancing back at the shabby little tower receding over the horizon, and Rista gave a wistful smile.
“You really like your mage tower friends, huh.”
“Don’t.”
“Looks like you do.”
“No! They’re all hopeless. Just worried. Nothing works right without me.”
Rista burst out laughing. Puhaha.
He asked why, but she just laughed harder, not answering for a while. Finally, she placed a hand on his head and beamed.
“Lin, that’s exactly what liking them means.”
Only then could he admit it even to himself—the feelings he’d never expressed.
He’d liked that mage tower.
The days spent there, the people he met, every bit of daily life in his hometown.
“Don’t like it. Even if I did, it wouldn’t mean anything. I’m a bitch, remember? Orphan, bad luck, all that.”
“But everyone seemed to like you just fine.”
“...”
“Wanna know why?”
Rista said people can’t choose their past, but they can choose their future. They make it themselves.
Meeting Lin’s shaken eyes, she pushed the boy forward like shoving him into the future.
“What happened today is part of the future you worked hard to create. You can be proud of it.”
So what if he was an orphan.
So what if his past was miserable.
That just left room to fill the future with happiness.
Over five years of journeying, protecting Rista’s life, Lin reflected on his own and came to that realization.
‘If I hadn’t been an orphan, I might never have met the dean lady. Then I might not have traveled with Rista...’
The past is decided by the gods, but the future is chosen by humans. The thought bloomed in his mind, became conviction, and took deep root in the boy’s heart.
That small conviction made him deploy a barrier for his comrades in the final battle. That small conviction led him to death in their place.
Without a shred of hesitation or regret in that choice.