chapter_0216

I had suspected as much from the very first spar. It wasn’t just the initial attack, but even when she was fully prepared for the counter, the speed at which he moved was beyond perception, and a single tap on the back of her head had knocked her out. That was definitely not a matter of luck.

When you considered the various rumors circulating among the nobility, the Crown Prince’s unusual affection for him, and Priscilla’s clingy behavior, it was easy to piece things together.

There were rumors that he had declared at the entrance ceremony that he would dominate and rank first for all three years, trampling the other students underfoot.

That the Sword Saint had come to the Academy and knelt, begging to take him as her disciple, with tears in her eyes.

That the Bellium Academy had offered to let him graduate early after just one semester of his first year.

There might have been some exaggeration in the rumors surrounding Mira Crate, but there was definitely some truth to them. At least, that was what Eichenhart believed.

But…

-Paaaang!

How much of it was true, and how much was exaggerated?

‘What the hell is this?!’

Eichenhart was stunned as her rapier was deflected by a mere bare hand. Despite the dozens of exchanges, not a single attack had landed. Mira Crate skillfully deflected the rapier and even countered from time to time.

‘Is this for real?!’

Eichenhart’s confidence wavered as she realized that her initial assessment might have been wrong.

It was true that he had gathered an elite group around him, including the daughter of the Agnes ducal family, the only Saint in the Empire, the Knight of Light chosen by the Holy Sword, the Sword Saint’s disciple, and even the Crown Prince.

It was also true that the heads of the magic towers and archmages had been mobilized to help create the artificial dungeon for this festival.

And it was no exaggeration that the mages were infatuated with Mira Crate, as a magician from the Renitus ducal family had personally confirmed it.

“Kyaaaaat!”

Fear had a detrimental effect, as Eichenhart found herself airborne before crashing to the ground.

A small crater had formed in the spot where the fist had grazed her leg, deep enough to fit half of her calf.

Despite the incredible power behind the attack, the magical tool on her wrist remained silent. It was absurd that such a powerful attack, using only a fraction of her strength, was still below the 1% threshold.

‘What kind of monster are you?!’

Eichenhart felt her strength draining away. As the top student of Laila Academy for three years, she had a keen sense of how far behind she was.

Her hand trembled as she held the rapier. The physical disparity between them felt more pronounced. Although she had altered his physique with an artifact to conceal his identity, that wasn’t the issue.

The problem was that despite her boast to the Knight of Light, she couldn’t think of a way to win.

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.

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After I had knocked her back with a slightly off-target punch, Eichenhart seemed to have lost her fighting spirit. There was no point in prolonging the fight any further.

I infused my fist with mana. Eichenhart flinched at the sight, and her movements became hesitant. Realizing his mistake, he closed her eyes briefly.

I stepped forward and, instead of throwing a punch, gave her a light tap on the back of her head, just like before.

“…”

Eichenhart, who had been bracing for impact with her neck tucked in, slowly opened one eye and then the other. Her bewildered gaze fell on me.

“Aren’t you going to… do more?”

“There’s no point since you’ve already lost.”

Eichenhart finally dropped her rapier. The pointed tip of the blade faced the ground. She looked up, perhaps having thought of something.

“Then, will you let us go…?”

“Ah, I can’t do that.”

“Huh?”

Her mouth hung open slightly as she uttered a confused sound. She must have imagined an ending similar to the free sparring session scheduled for tomorrow, where they would part ways after confirming each other’s strength.

Unfortunately, given my role, that wasn’t an option.

I expanded the range of my detection magic to its limit. I could sense her teammates, who had fled to a distance, hesitating to go any further. Whether it was a unilateral decision or an agreed-upon strategy, they hadn’t run too far. Perhaps they were wary of being picked off one by one, but if they had chosen to stay together, they could have maintained their lead in the rankings.

A magic circle appeared on my left hand, and mana rapidly flowed out, causing the numbers on the magical tool to change, though they were still far from reaching the 1% threshold.

I clenched my fist. It was like a bolt from the blue, and a thunderous explosion resounded.

-Kwaaaaaang!

“Oh…”

Eichenhart’s team’s score dropped by 10% at once, nine times in a row, sending them straight to the bottom of the rankings. The warning sound of their score deduction blared, and their faces turned pale as they saw their new ranking.

“Congratulations.”

“……Thank you.”

Despite the setback, Eichenhart’s team still managed to secure first place. She accepted the award with a dazed expression, and her teammates looked no better. Chairman Erestika smiled gently at them.

“That’s why I added a suggestion to the rules I put in the magical tool, didn’t I? It’s best to wake up the final boss as late as possible.”

“Yeah…”

Eichenhart responded absentmindedly, and my name was removed from the free sparring list for the day after tomorrow due to Eichenhart’s strong insistence. The other participants, who had witnessed my strength during the mock spar the day before, also agreed, and I nodded, feeling that it would be unfair.

Thus, I was exempted from the sparring list due to “personal circumstances” vouched for by Valetta, a Grand Mage. Leona took my place.

“Let’s go! Let’s have some fun!”

After Tuesday’s main event, we fully enjoyed the festival starting Wednesday. Rosalia urged me to get ready early in the morning, saying that it had been a long time since she could enjoy something so purely.

I quietly followed her. Those seven years that she had spent without me were probably included in the phrase “long time.”

“I didn’t know that you were such a playboy, Mr. Mira, that you would change your appearance to have fun.”

“……I have no choice.”

“I know. It was a rare joke.”

Latina formed a V with her fingers. Both Rosalia and Latina had changed their appearances with the Necklace of Transformation and cast perception-inhibiting magic. They had done so to ensure that no one would remember seeing them like this.

“It’s unnecessary to worry about whether it’s day or night. We can go anywhere with this method.”

“That’s true.”

“Here, here! Both of you, hurry up!”

We decided the order by drawing lots. Wednesday was Rosalia and Latina, Thursday was Priscilla and Elysier, Friday was Leona and Laura, and Saturday was Nike and Erestika.

Rosalia boasted that she had the right to shoulder-to-shoulder with a woman, so I couldn’t refute her. To be honest, the situation was so absurd that I couldn’t even argue.

Well, aside from the teasing, they had thought about it a lot over the past seven years, and I had seen how hard it was for them to live without me, so I nodded in agreement.

“I want to try this next.”

“Then, I want to try that!”

Rosalia, who had always been incredibly optimistic, and Latina, who had never had the opportunity to enjoy a festival in her previous world or on Earth, made a perfect combination.

The two of them wandered around the Academy all day from morning to evening without getting tired. Rosalia was one thing, but Latina usually wasn’t the type to laugh so much.

“Today was fun!”

“Yes. It was very fun.”

I silently marveled at their stamina as the two chatted away, carrying a large number of souvenirs they had bought, received, or won as prizes.

“Ho ho, it seems you had a great time. I trust that you will accompany us with the same enthusiasm tomorrow.”

“……”

Priscilla and Elysier, who were next in line, burned with a strange competitive spirit at the sight.

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Unfortunately, their enthusiasm was short-lived as the Eternal Guild’s emergency contact network was activated, and they had to return to Earth due to an urgent matter.

“……I’ll go and see first.”

“Of course.”

Priscilla, whose mouth had dropped open at the mention of the emergency, and Elysier, who kept fiddling with the sword at her waist, finally calmed down when I agreed to go with them.

If it hadn’t been for me, they might have really torn the person who activated the emergency contact network to shreds, soul and all.

“What’s the matter?”

“An S-grade gate has appeared in Busan.”

As soon as the secretary finished speaking, Priscilla and Elysier’s expressions soured, so he quickly continued his explanation along with the prepared materials.

“……This is the extent of the information.”

When the explanation was over, we couldn’t help but look at the screen again, confirming the appearance of the “human-shaped boss” that had emerged from the S-grade gate.

‘Why is the Sword Saint there?’

The human-shaped boss that had come out of the S-grade gate looked strikingly similar to the Sword Saint.