Ch.31Chapter 31: Entrance Exam (8)

From somewhere, Lisa hands out leather pouches filled with air to her friends, creating noise by slapping them repeatedly.

“Kyaaaaa! Valt, Valt, Valt!”

Seems like she’s had some experience cheering before.

The cheering enthusiasm is already hot, even before the match has started.

Unfortunately, Lisa, Arias, and Lati couldn’t advance to the finals and tasted the bitter cup of defeat.

Lisa lost to Taryen Jeph in the third round, Arias to Yuria Lykant in the fourth, and Lati to Solpin in the fifth.

“That brutish dragonkin… my back still stings like crazy…”

“And that beastkin… though it’s my own lack that’s to blame…”

Regardless of their complaints, Lisa’s excited cheering continues.

Bang bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

“Hand.some! Ge.rung.tu! Kyaaaaa!”

Arias and Lati look at Lisa with strange expressions.

Still, finding Lisa amusing, Lati puts her arm around Lisa’s shoulders and joins in the cheering, sprinkling sparkling fairy dust everywhere.

“Oooh!! Valt! Gerungtu! Oooh!! Valt! Gerungtu! Oooh!! Valt! Gerungtu! O!re-ore!! Kyaaaaa!”

What a perfectly matched pair—the fairy princess and the noble lady.

Arias shakes his head with an expression that says he can’t stop them.

Though they’re in the waiting room and shouldn’t be audible outside, Valt’s keen ears faintly catch the sound of Lisa and the others chanting his name.

It must be because their cheering is so noisy.

Valt doesn’t mind having cute friends cheering for him from nearby.

“Big bro Valt!! Show us the power of those muscles!!”

Victor is being adorable too.

Robin, who was in the waiting room, speaks to Valt.

“There’s not a single easy opponent here.”

Though his words sound worried as he looks around, as befitting a disciple of the Bow God, his expression shows he’s thrilled.

“Right, they’re all strong contenders in the finals.”

While Valt is conversing with Robin.

A notification sound he hasn’t heard in a long time rings out.

Ding!!

【Main Quest: Let’s Learn Magic – Entrance Exam.】

<Description>

You’ve safely arrived at the Academy! But to properly learn magic at the Academy, it’s important to catch the professors’ attention! You’ve advanced to the tournament finals! Show us how far you can go!

<Completion Condition>

Achieve good results in the Grovint Academy entrance exam tournament.

<Reward>

Tiered rewards based on ranking.

It’s actually a main quest.

‘Hmm… tiered rewards, huh.’

Valt’s motivation surges even more.

Before the finals begin,

Befitting such a grand event, the Emperor himself makes an appearance.

Buuuuuuu-

With the sound of trumpets focusing everyone’s attention, the announcer’s voice echoes.

[Long live the Halkin Empire! The Sun of the Halkin Empire! Long live His Majesty Emperor Gehrt von Halkin!!]

Then the Emperor appears in the center of the arena with majestic strides.

He has a sturdy build, about 180cm tall.

Bright short blonde hair like Elias. And a well-groomed, handsome beard.

A gleaming crown and red cape.

And his golden armor, said to be made of Luphenium, the metal of the gods.

They say that armor alone could buy a small kingdom.

As the Emperor himself is a 9th-tier powerhouse, an incredible aura emanates from his body.

Tuhwak!

The Emperor seems to have slightly released his power to focus everyone’s attention.

‘Amazing! So that’s a 9th-tier Grand Master!’

This is Valt’s first time seeing a 9th-tier Grand Master.

In terms of tiers, the difference between 7th, 8th, and 9th might seem small, but there’s an enormous gap between a 7th-tier Expert and an 8th-tier Master.

The 8th-tier Sword Master, a realm only the chosen can reach.

And the 9th-tier Grand Master, which cannot be attained without achieving enlightenment that establishes one’s own identity beyond that realm.

Those called the strongest number only about ten across the entire continent.

Of those, four positions are held by the Seven Heroes, and one of the remaining six is occupied by the Halkin Empire’s Emperor.

The arena, which was uncontrollably noisy until just now, falls silent as if cold water had been poured over it when the Emperor appears.

The Emperor looks around at the people and opens his mouth.

[Listen! Citizens of the great Halkin Empire!!]

A majestic, resonant voice that makes hearts tremble.

He seems to be using aura to amplify his voice.

[I am in good spirits today!! The gathering of the next generation of all races in one place, which I have so earnestly wished for, has become reality!]

Not even a breath can be heard.

[I will not speak long! I pray that all races living on this continent will live peacefully from this day forward!!]

The Emperor’s voice grows even louder.

[The tournament finals!! I shall watch personally and bestow a special reward upon the victor! Everyone, enjoy!! Let the finals tournament begin from this moment!!]

And the Emperor thrusts his fist toward the sky.

Tuhwaaak!!

The golden aura, said to be exclusive to the Halkin Empire’s direct imperial family, shoots up into the sky above the arena with tremendous thickness.

Tsuperpung!!

It disappears after hitting the barrier in the air, perhaps with its power adjusted for spectacle.

But as a ceremonial salvo announcing the start, it is perfect.

As the Emperor’s brief and concise speech ends, cheers loud enough to shake the air are heard.

“Wooooaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!”

Immediately after, the tournament bracket is magically projected in enormous size in the air above the arena.

Looking at the tournament bracket, the situation is quite interesting.

Valt’s first match is the first of the round of 16, while Airin’s is the last.

If they both keep winning, Valt and Airin will face each other in the finals.

Airin feels disappointed inside.

She would certainly face Valt in the finals if she made it there, but she confirmed that Valt’s semifinal opponent would be Solpin.

‘That’s too bad. Well, the dragonkin isn’t so bad either.’

And Valt’s first opponent.

Incredibly, it’s the Imperial Princess.

‘Hmm… is this okay?’

Everyone who had faced the Princess seemed to lose without showing their true abilities, afraid of hurting Elias.

After all, she’s the Emperor’s beloved youngest daughter, so people became intimidated.

Thanks to that, the Princess advanced to the finals without really showing her skills.

‘The Princess is a bit burdensome, but I can’t give up on the quest.’

While Valt is thinking this.

The Emperor suddenly appears in the waiting room where the 16 participants are gathered.

“Hahaha, here you are! The future of the continent!”

Even the strongest Airin shrinks back when seeing the Emperor in person.

‘Is this possible… similar to Master… no, even stronger?’

Though Airin, at the 7th tier, can’t properly gauge the Emperor’s level, she gets that feeling.

Of course, there are differences in strength even among Grand Masters.

Emperor Gehrt is not at all inferior compared to the Seven Heroes.

Even the prickly dragonkin Solpin keeps his mouth shut in the face of the Emperor’s majesty.

“Splendid! Truly splendid! All different races gathered in one place! Shouldn’t we take a magical projection of this!?”

The Emperor casually suggests taking a picture.

“Come, come! Everyone gather around!!”

Amusingly, the Emperor stands in the middle of all 16 new entrants and asks his accompanying magician to take a projection.

“I-I’ll take it, Your Majesty!”

“Mm!”

Tspat!

The crystal ball held by the magician glows, capturing everyone including the Emperor.

After confirming this, the Emperor laughs heartily.

“Hahaha, truly magnificent. Let’s see, Airin Silveron?”

Called out, Airin steps forward before the Emperor.

“I am honored to meet the great Sun of the Empire. I am Airin Silveron, Your Imperial Majesty.”

Airin shows better manners than expected.

Though the Sword Saint belongs to no faction, she lives in imperial territory.

By that logic, Airin is also a citizen of the Empire.

“Hmm! Truly 7th tier. But still somewhat immature. You haven’t reached a perfect 7th tier. If I were to evaluate, I’d say you’re at tier 6.5.”

The Emperor’s assessment was accurate.

Airin has certainly completed the 7th-tier aura within her body.

But there’s a reason the Emperor evaluates her this way.

“Your body hasn’t been developed enough to properly utilize the aura. If you use 7th-tier aura for too long, you’ll break down.”

That was it.

No matter how much aura protects the body, the strain on the physical form cannot be completely eliminated.

Airin is a heaven-sent genius in aura manipulation.

With that genius-level aura control, she was supporting even her muscle movements to endure, but anything beyond the 7th tier would be slightly too much.

“The Sword Saint’s swordsmanship is faster than anything. But being light-bodied alone doesn’t make you faster.”

The Emperor says exactly the same thing as her master.

But Airin really hated muscle training. Why bother with the troublesome task of training the body when aura could be used instead?

That might have stagnated Airin’s growth.

After evaluating Airin, the Emperor now looks at Solpin.

“Solpin Drakan. Indeed… a dragonkin. Flawless. If you learned a weapon art that suits your hands, you’d be the strongest here.”

“I’ll… consider it.”

The Emperor rates Solpin even higher than Airin.

Thus, the Emperor speaks to each person one by one, offering advice that would entice any warrior.

And there’s one person prostrating himself on the floor, not getting up.

Abel, the only commoner.

“Stand up.”

Is it because he’s a commoner? The Emperor’s tone becomes slightly stern.

At the Emperor’s words, Abel stands up, trembling.

“I-I am h-h-honored to m-m-meet the S-Sun of the E-Empire…!”

The Emperor examines such an Abel carefully.

“The greeting is done. Hmm…? 6th tier… What on earth is the thinking… Your master must have explained well, but I have many eyes and ears here. Understand?”

It seems to be a conversation only the Emperor and Abel know about.

“I-I keep it in mind, Your Majesty!”

The people there were curious about what this commoner was all about, but they dared not question the Emperor.

Finally, the Emperor looks at Valt.

“Valt Gerungtu?”

“Yes, Your Imperial Majesty.”

Respectful words but a dignified attitude.

An enormous physique that can hardly be considered human.

The Emperor had met Kwan directly, but this one’s build is no less impressive compared to Kwan.

“Indeed, Gerungtu, what an incredible physique. Don’t kill my daughter. Please go easy.”

At the Emperor’s words, Elias interrupts.

“Father!!”

The Emperor laughs at Elias’s outcry.

“Hahaha, it’s a joke. A joke. Do your best as a warrior. I have nothing special to tell you, except to trust your body more.”

The Emperor probably knows Valt’s strength better than anyone here.

After all, the Emperor has had unofficial matches with Kwan.

He must have also been informed that Valt can convert physical power into magical power to produce effects close to the 7th tier.

The Emperor’s request to go easy is half-serious.

“I will do so.”

At Valt’s concise answer, the Emperor smiles awkwardly.

‘Hehe, my daughter is in trouble.’

But as Emperor, he can’t show such feelings.

“Good. Then I wish you all the best!”

Thud!

The door to the waiting room closes, and the Emperor who came like a storm leaves.

As if they’d been waiting, someone shouts at Valt.

“Hey! Barbarian!”

Turning his head, it’s the Imperial Princess as expected.

Elias glares at Valt with narrowed eyes.

“Just try to go easy on me!? You know it won’t be fun, right?”

It seems the Princess doesn’t know what kind of person Valt is.

“Haha, that won’t happen.”

Only then does Elias grin and say:

“Good! It won’t be easy to beat me! Do your best, okay?”

“Will do.”

After taking a short rest while waiting, the announcer’s voice they’ve been waiting for is heard.

[Thank you for your patience! The Grovint Academy finals tournament! We will now begin the first match! Contestants! Enter the arena!]