A Chance to Atone (2)

“The Imperial Ranking Tournament Round of 16 will begin in two hours. Spectators who have not yet entered the arena, please check your spectator seat admission ticket and then enter the arena… “

A monotonous announcement flows out.

Ranked playoff main event.

Spectators from all over the world begin to flock to the Imperial Arena to watch the promising young men who have overcome fierce competition.

And in the midst of the crowd, the gold that had become clouded by the burden of learning the truth it had never known met the black that began to shine again, different from itself.

“You came.”

“… Yeah. I heard you made it to the round of 16. Congratulations. “

Nora, a disciple of the Black Tower Lord. And Ellis Portward, the daughter of the former knight commander of the Kingdom of Frisia.

The two people, who have shared many similarities and received similar blessings since childhood and have recently been living with the same mistakes, just happened to meet each other while passing by the audience.

“This is nothing to celebrate. And the next game is… You know what I mean?”

“Yeah. I heard it was a match between Raul and Daejeon. That… “

“That’s right. And I win.”

Nora’s expression, which cut off Ellis’ words, was slightly different from when they last met in the back alley.

At that time, it was a cold expression and voice that seemed to have turned its back on the world, obsessed with ‘some purpose,’ but now, it was an expression and voice that seemed to be looking forward with determination for a purpose.

“By any chance… “

“If you’re thinking of asking if I met Rudis, yes. I did.”

“!”

Ellis, who saw and felt the change in her, tried to open her lips with difficulty, but Nora, who knew that she had already walked this path, lightly shut her mouth with a dry and monotonous tone.

The reason is that if anything irresponsible comes out of her mouth, he will definitely get angry at her here.

“Well, then… !”

“I’ll tell you in advance, don’t try to go through me. I gave you a hint for free, since you didn’t make any effort in the place where ‘that’ disappeared. I think that alone… gave you enough opportunities. “

I want to meet Rudis. I want to meet her and ask for forgiveness. Or I want to ask her the truth.

Whatever it was, Ellis must have felt the same way, wanting to know the real reason he acted that way at the Academy.

But you shouldn’t try to achieve it through yourself, who is in the same situation as you, through someone else who has tried really hard.

In Nora’s view, Ellis was as blessed as she was, but she didn’t work as hard as she did.

So, I think that at the very least, I have to find him and check everything with my own hands and feet.

The heavy burden of atonement should not have been easily accomplished through me, and as it was now, through Raul.

The reason she was able to come to the Empire, even though her right hand was still bandaged due to an injury, is because she knows that it is Raoul, a fellow sinner. I think so even more.

“… … “

“Don’t frown like that, I’m not really angry… No, that’s right. You and I, and Raoul and Albert, committed the same sin. That’s why you’re angry because your expression is like mine before. So, as an apology for getting angry right away, I’ll tell you one more thing. The commander of the knights is next to Rudis… Your mother. “

“Ugh… “

“If I’ve given you this far, I think I’ve really told you everything. Now, it’s really your turn.”

Four criminals who drove Rudis away without even understanding his true intentions and accused him of crimes he didn’t know about.

You have an advantage that the rest of us don’t have.

Because the only person who could protect him from our foolish sins was your mother.

Now that I’ve told you this much, the only thing left to do is for you to do it yourself.

Nora, who thought so, passed by Ellis, who lowered her head without saying a word.

“Raul had to win… He said we could only meet if we advanced to the finals… “

Ellis’s voice, which seemed to be grasping at straws, did not reach the black man’s sister-in-law.

*

“Ladies and gentlemen, you’ve waited a long time! The round of 16 is now here! The long-awaited…!!”

As the atmosphere in the arena gradually heats up with the host’s hearty and refreshing voice.

Unlike before, the atmosphere in the arena was cold due to the two players who had already entered the stage.

“Nora, this is the first time we’ve had a formal duel like this since the Kingdom Rankings… “

“If you think it’s the same as ‘back then’, you’ll get a big nosebleed.”

To her academy classmate’s lively greeting, Nora responded with an even colder voice than she had in the arena corridor just a moment ago.

It was natural. Because neither Raoul nor Albert showed any remorse or darkening even though they had heard the hint he had given.

In other words, they were still looking for problems in Rudis. Nora’s response had to be colder than anyone else’s.

“… I think I met Rudis while watching the survival show, did you hear something?”

“Oh. But it doesn’t have anything to do with you.”

In fact, there are many things that matter, but I have nothing to say to you who show no signs of doubt or reflection on your own actions.

Nora, who had such intentions, naturally raised her right arm as she listened to the commentator’s words.

“You didn’t bring your magic book today, did you?”

-Slurp.

And Raoul, who thought that this was her preparation for an attack, immediately drew his sword, increasing the tension a little more.

All of the opponents I had faced so far were strong, but it was clear that none of them were as strong as the Nora before me.

The spirit, determination, and magic that I felt from her were definitely stronger than anyone I had ever met in this arena.

“Uh. If I use Rudis’s magic book here, ‘you’ will think that you were overwhelmed by the power of Rudis added to my power, not mine. So I’m going to destroy you with my own hands.”

“Nora, it’s no use being hostile to me like that. I still think of you as a close friend from the Academy… “

“Sorry to interrupt, but I plan on dropping out of the Royal Academy after this ranking competition is over.”

“Huh… ?”

-Keeing!!

As soon as the announcer finishes speaking, the stadium’s signature audience count begins, and Nora’s hand turns black and begins to glow.

But it was clear that there was no life there, and there was no guardhouse, so Raoul could only stare blankly at his hands, mulling over her words.

“”””2!!””””

“There’s more for me to learn there… I’ve lost my new goal. Because I’ve found the path I really need to take.”

“”””1!!!””””

“Okay, wait a minute. What is that…? Could it be that Rudis is saying something strange…!!”

When she suddenly announced that she would drop out of the academy, Raoul opened his eyes wide and shouted at her for being late, but what brought him back was Nora’s actions right after the count was over.

-widely.

“Concentrate. Otherwise, it won’t be a proper ‘discipline’.”

A long staff as long as a person’s torso appears in her glowing black hand, and she begins aiming at Raoul’s head.

-Kwa⎯⎯⎯!!

The explosion that immediately followed emitted a darkness of utter disconnection that erased the audience’s passionate voices as if they had never existed in the first place.

*

‘Huh? That’s… Muyeong’s cane? Why is that in Nora’s hand?’

Watching the duel between Raoul and Nora from the audience, I was speechless for a different reason than the audience.

Because the wand she took out was in the latter half of the story.

Because it was a black magic tool of artifact level, above national treasure level, created by Nora based on the magic book she had studied.

-Kwaaang!!

“Ugh!!”

“… … “

A black light filled with overwhelming violence shoots out, and Raul, startled, throws his body with all his might and rolls on the ground.

Yeah, if you were going to block that with Auror, that would have been the end of it. Good job.

Completely unscripted, no casting.

The pinnacle of magic that can only be achieved by reaching the rank of wizard that all magicians desire.

Before reaching the rank of a wizard, Nora first enters the battlefield with a magical tool she creates.

The reason was to take revenge on the demons who killed his master, and it was a gamble to defeat an enemy he could never defeat with his own strength.

-I don’t care if I lose all my magic, I don’t care if I lose all my magical power. Just let me get revenge, please. I don’t care if I can’t become a wizard… To defeat the demons who killed my benefactor, my master!!

The catalyst for transcendence left behind by the master, and the book of black magic that he studied while attending the academy.

[The Staff of Muyeong], which was created by putting together those two and the rank of a magician equivalent to his own level 7.

It was nothing more than a ‘weapon’ that simply converted black magic into destructive magic bullets.

And while he was driving the demons with that, the staff that he had created by risking his own and his master’s legacy for only revenge collapsed first, and in the midst of the crisis, he gained enlightenment and reached the true level 8… the rank of a black magician.

-Kwaaang!!

“Ugh!!”

But even though the staff she was using now was exactly like the illustration I had seen in the novel, she was using some kind of ridiculous technique on Raoul.

-Kakakakak!!

“!!”

The sword of darkness, a magic that I know well and use as my specialty, rather than the light of destruction, is activated without warning and strikes Raul’s body as if it is going to tear it apart.

In addition, there is the Spear of Darkness and the Black Hand.

Nora waved her staff around calmly as if all level 1 magic was chantable without a second thought, and Raoul literally rolled around like dust on the ground in front of Nora’s absurd power.

‘What the heck is that…’

Nora’s trait combinations and levels remain unchanged from before.

Black Magic Level 3. Nothing else has been added.

The only thing that was added to the status was ‘Rudis’s sister’.

And yet, Nora, as if she had just lost her master, was expressionless and indifferent, no, with a hint of anger, tormenting Raoul with her magic spells.

-Kwaaang!!

“Ugh!”

I could end it now.

If that light of destruction had reached Raul, he would not have been able to endure it and would have been blown out of the stadium.

The blue aura-filled sword that had been swung countless times in an attempt to defend itself was rippling as if it would go out at any moment, and the two legs that had been standing proudly on the arena were also trembling as if they would collapse at any moment.

But instead of finishing off Raoul, Nora is ‘pretending’ to catch her breath while pointing at her cane.

‘Why on earth? No, when was it made? How did it come to be made? And why do you bother Raul? Was that his taste?’

Could it be because of the magic book I made in advance, thinking that it would be equipment that would appear in the story anyway?

No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t help but think that there was no other reason, but could it be that the current Nora had interpreted the magic book and reached for that staff?

I couldn’t understand the sub heroine’s absurd growth rate and started collecting hooks like crazy.

And, I’m watching the game with such concentration.

-Seriously.

‘…Huh? Looking at me now…’

-Seriously.

‘me?’

-Nod.

While Nora was pretending to catch her breath and giving Raoul time to get up, she turned her head very slightly and blinked at me, and I unconsciously scolded myself and moved my mouth in return, and she nodded, moving her chin slightly as if she really meant to be the only one who knew.

What, what? Me? What do you want me to do? Huh? Uh… Is this it?

-Huh?

-Nod.

-Kwaaah!!

“Kyaaak!!”

Not understanding her intentions, I waved my hand roughly to indicate that the harassment should end, as I thought she was still expecting some kind of answer.

Nora responded with a nod like the first time and shot a slightly weak light of destruction at Raul’s face, sending him flying out of the stadium.

Oh, I didn’t mean to tell you to do that.

“S, the winner!! Nora, the disciple of the Black Tower Lord of the Kingdom of Frisia!!!”

The one-sided match, one-sided violence, and the overwhelming magic and magical tools of Nora’s tired actions made even the announcer stutter and declare, and the entire stadium fell silent.

Yeah, we’re black magicians.

When a black magician achieves an overwhelming victory with such a destructive appearance, it is only natural that the audience becomes anxious…

“”””Waaa …

“Everyone, please shout louder!! Today, the era of the new ‘wizard’ has arrived here!!! As expected! The wizard’s apprentice is different from the start~ Hoo!!!”

uh?

The host’s completely unexpected interpretation, the audience’s enormous cheers as they misunderstood and accepted it, and above all, the sight of Nora swinging her magic wildly with no casting, made everyone look like she had reached the rank of a ‘magician’.

No way, is this what Nora is after?

-V.

“… Phew.”

I really don’t know what’s going on, but when I see her smiling cutely at me and making a small V sign with her fingers, I can’t help but give her a thumbs up reflex.

But, can the main character fall here? Hey, I don’t know.

Let whatever happens be.