episode_0031

As soon as the door opened, I froze in place.

“….”

“….”

She looked puzzled as I spaced out in my seat.

Naturally.

If someone you’ve just met is staring at you in a daze, it’s only natural to be confused.

If she were to ask why I was acting this way, why I was so captivated at first sight, I would want to tell her that it’s definitely not what she thinks.

Then why exactly am I like this?

It’s a bit difficult to explain.

You know someone very well.

You have a rough idea of what that someone likes, how they speak, and what they prefer.

But what if that someone doesn’t know you?

…Isn’t that just being a stalker?

No, it’s not. It’s for reasons beyond the ordinary.

…Beyond the ordinary?

Quiet.

Compared to my current situation, it’s merely a common reason.

Having interacted with her in 2D all this time to build up her favorability, and suddenly having a character you’ve somewhat dated in-game standing right in front of you! How would you react?

My emotions are complicated.

Though it was just a heroine conquest quest I briefly pursued for the rewards, seeing her, who used to be my 2D ex-girlfriend, left me feeling bewildered.

With her silky golden hair that seemed made of silk, bold red eyes, and that mischievous familiar expression.

…She was right. I know her.

Lucy Amelia.

Set as the Alchemy Department’s top student, one of Cain’s heroines, Lucy Amelia was right in front of my eyes.

*

“…This is the gemstone.”

“Wow!”

She casually changed her expression as if it were nothing and handed me the gemstone.

To think that Lucy was the one introducing me…

Well, being an alchemy genius, she must be an expert in complex gemstones. I underestimated her.

Without any doubt, Lucy received the gemstone and cautiously held it in her hand, her eyes sparkling.

“This is the rumored gemstone…!”

Is it that famous?

Lucy looked here and there, examining the gemstone with interest.

Every action she took was just like Ariel’s heroine Lucy that I knew.

Encountering her confident and affable personality in real life gave me a strange feeling.

“Is it truly non-elemental?!”

“Yes.”

“Could you infuse some mana into it? My mana seems to repel… Is it being recognized as foreign material?”

“….”

I silently took back the gemstone from her and held it in my hand.

As I did, the faint blue light began absorbing my mana and started shining brightly again.

“Wow!”

Lucy, with an amazed look, opened her eyes wide.

After receiving the gemstone back from me, she gazed at it quietly for a while before speaking.

“I’m not sure if it will work, but I’ll try processing it. No, please let me process it!”

“I appreciate it. If you need anything, feel free to ask, I’ll help however I can.”

“I do! Actually, I have something in mind.”

Her eyes sparkled with interest, as if waiting for me to continue.

“I need a Mana Scroll! When I try to infuse mana, the gemstone won’t process properly… You need to bring a Mana Scroll filled with Cyan Sea Mana!”

“A Mana Scroll…?”

Mana Scrolls are among the more expensive scrolls.

They aren’t disposable; they can store or extract mana, acting as auxiliary batteries for replenishing mana during battles…

They cost around 5 gold per scroll.

The amount I earned from defeating the Twilight Queen and Giant Ent and splitting with Hedy was 30 gold…

It wasn’t unaffordable, but it did make me hesitate a bit.

Seemingly noticing my hesitation, Lucy spoke again.

“It’s quite expensive, isn’t it? I anticipated that, so I found something else… Are you a swordsman by any chance?”

“Yes. Currently, I am.”

“Hehe, perfect. Do you happen to know that the Ariel Grade Tournament is taking place next week?”

Already at this time of year.

The annual grade tournament hosted by Ariel Academy.

A competition held each year to determine the strongest student in each grade.

Consists of swordsmanship and magic tournaments.

Various rare rewards are given based on rankings.

Many talents participate to showcase their abilities and potentially be scouted by high-ranking nobles or royal figures who come to watch every year.

But I know the truth behind this competition.

It’s a show to push Cain forward.

It’s just a process for Cain to prove his abilities until he’s recognized as a hero. The first place is practically predetermined.

But why ask me about this?

“I know, but… why the tournament?”

“They say there are participation prizes this time.”

So they give prizes just for participating.

“Are the participation prizes magic scrolls?”

“Ding dong! You catch on quickly.”

I roughly understand now.

Just participate, get a magic scroll, and then bring it back.

“You’ll participate, right?”

“I have to. Well, there’s no other way… It wouldn’t hurt to test my strength while I’m at it.”

“Hehe, winning first place will probably be tough. Even my friend is participating in this tournament!”

…He must be talking about Cain.

By now, he should have realized his talent with the sword.

I shouldn’t stand out too much and risk revealing myself to Cain. I should lose gracefully in the first or second round.

I was the original owner before the possession… I don’t understand why I have to be cautious.

Wait a minute. Didn’t the previous owner also approach Lucy before the possession?

“……”

“Huh? Why are you staring at me like that?”

“Oh, no. Anyway, I understand now. I’ll contact you again through Seria’s Stitch next week. Goodbye for now.”

“Huh?”

With the matter settled, I quickly said goodbye and left the club room.

Even though I’ve lost weight drastically and might not be recognizable, I still didn’t want to take any chances.

It’s so nerve-wracking even though I didn’t do anything wrong…!

Lucy seemed puzzled as I hurriedly left, but I ignored her and continued down the hallway.

I should avoid entering the alchemy club in the future since I might run into Lucy often.

***

I wasn’t particularly nervous.

I’ll just do enough to withdraw around the middle of the competition anyway.

The day before the swordsmanship tournament.

After completing the preliminary registration, I acted as usual without any noticeable changes.

“This Coco Bang is so delicious! Why am I trying it only now?!”

“Wow, has Lloyd finally opened his eyes to the world of food?!”

“It’s not that amazing, Bobi.”

After diligently attending classes, I had lunch with Lloyd, Bobi, and Louis as usual.

After lunch, I went to the training ground to swing my sword before strength training, just like any other day.

In the evening, I jogged to the village for cardio exercise.

I behaved just like any other day.

‘Hmm…?’

Come to think of it, I haven’t seen Heddy much lately.

Even when we cross paths in the classroom, she acts like she doesn’t know me.

And after we ate sandwiches last time, it seems like she’s been avoiding me…?

Did I make a mistake back then? I need to think carefully once I get back to the dormitory. If I did something wrong, I should apologize….

Lost in thought, I was walking down the corridor with Lloyd, Bobi, and Louis late at night.

“Hey, hey! Cyan! Isn’t that him? The one who asked you for a Stitch to seduce someone but failed!”

“…?”

As Lloyd pointed ahead, a figure was approaching us.

To get a better look, I stared in the direction Lloyd indicated, and I saw a woman with flowing blonde hair walking towards us.

“Ah! Sian?”

It was Lucy.

Pretending not to know, Lucy was approaching our direction.

“Lucy…?”

“I thought it was Sian, and it really is Sian! How’s the practice for the swordsmanship competition going?”

“Uh…? Uh…?”

Bobby seemed bewildered as she greeted Lucy warmly, as if it made no sense.

“S-Sian…! You succeeded in wooing her…!”

This crazy guy…!

I cut off Bobby, who was about to continue speaking.

Quick-witted Lloyd understood the situation and swiftly led Bobby away to the back.

With that, Louis followed them, leaving Lucy and me alone.

“Huh…? Who is Sian wooing?”

“Oh, it’s just about a friend of the same sex. I heard he’s skilled in swordsmanship, so I asked him for a friendly match.”

“I see.”

I improvised skillfully.

I almost revealed the fact that I had been pursuing her because of Bobby, the pig-headed Confucius.

“Well, my friend is waiting, so I should get going…”

“Wait a moment!”

Lucy grabbed my arm as I turned to leave.

“You always seem to be in a hurry! There’s something I’m curious about regarding you, Sian!”

“Curious…?”

“Yes. There’s a rumor in the family these days about a promising young hero being called the hope of the warriors… He supposedly entered an unexplored labyrinth where no one else came out, defeated the leader of the labyrinth, and came back alone… He seems to be around our age and attends our academy.”

“…Quite an impressive person.”

I widened my eyes in feigned interest and empathy.

“That’s right. But his name is… Sian, I believe. Could it be you?”

“No way. It must be someone with the same name. I’m not that strong to be called a promising hero.”

“I see… Haha, my curiosity is satisfied now! If you were that person, I would have worried about my friend…”

Even if that were true, your friend could never win.

How can I defeat as the protagonist, stripped of all distant chicken elements, possessed by an extra villain?

“If you’re done, I’ll take my leave now. I have things to do…”

“Sian, you always seem busy. Yes, take care! Good luck with the swordsmanship competition!”

With that, I bid farewell to Lucy and went back to explain the situation to Lloyd, Bobby, and Louis.

Bobby apologized to me, but I reassured her and finished the walk with my friends before returning to the dormitory.

And to prepare for the competition, I went to bed earlier than usual.

*

On the day of the swordsmanship competition.

After the morning preliminaries ended, numerous participants left.

The test was nothing special.

One professor tested agility and strength against the long line of preliminary registrants 1:1 and then… based on his judgment, let the participants pass.

Honestly, with my knowledge from the old days, I had used some tricks to become stronger than my peers, so passing the preliminaries wasn’t too difficult.

That’s how I became one of the final 16 participants,

and entered the Colosseum player waiting room within the academy.

It was a private waiting room.

Faint cheers from students outside could be heard faintly in the waiting room.

How loud are they shouting over there?

I still couldn’t quite grasp the fact that I was a participant. Did I prepare too hastily…?

“Next up, Arielle Academy’s pride! The annual event! Right now… the grade-level swordsmanship tournament begins! Starting from the round of 16!”

I was taken aback.

The announcer’s voice echoed loudly into the waiting room.

It’s about to start now.

“Tournament participants, please come out of the waiting room and wait at the entrance of the Colosseum!”

Host, I slowly rose from my seat.

It feels like the real beginning.

…Back when I used to play games, there was an event that I would skip even if it meant death because there weren’t any special rewards.

I never expected to participate in something like this.

How did I end up like this by chance?

A dry chuckle escaped me.

Loosening my tense neck, I walked towards the entrance where the sound of excitement was gradually getting closer.