Ch.64EP.18 – Ghoul vs. Ghoul? (2)
by fnovelpia
“Ah, this isn’t right…”
Unexpectedly, on the last day of the semester evaluation, he trembled as he was called to be the first to take the stage.
But the die had already been cast, and this was an irreversible trial.
“Let’s do this, I can do it.”
He gritted his teeth as if hypnotizing himself.
Then he fingered the two silver coins tucked in his breast pocket.
Two silver coins given to him by someone he respected—a blessing that had recently become like a talisman to him.
Bear #11.
No, Barry Copes of the Swordsmanship Department, first year, shook off his fear with the reassuring presence of the silver coins and swung his spear.
Whoosh!
Thud!!
[GRR?]
“Hah!”
But it didn’t have much effect on the rock monster, and Barry Copes hastily dodged.
He had learned to exhaustion at Vulcan how to deal with opponents larger than himself.
For hunting, evasive maneuvers were crucial.
‘How many wild boars have I caught! I can do this!’
…Ah, come to think of it, not that many.
Almost all were caught in group hunts or by the instructor.
As Barry was reflecting that he shouldn’t be too confident…
[GRRR!!]
Suddenly the rock monster charged at him, irritated.
“Hnngh!!”
Barry Copes focused the “force” in his legs and kicked off the ground.
Not to attack his opponent, but solely to avoid the monster’s strike.
One might ask why dodge when he could attack.
CRASH!!
“Ugh!?”
This is why he had to dodge.
The spot where the rock monster—no, the rock troll—had passed through was completely torn up.
The heaviness from its massive body and its reckless charge, not caring if its own body broke apart.
If he had tried to confront it head-on instead of dodging, he would have been twisted into jerky.
“Whew…”
But Barry didn’t despair.
In the past, he wouldn’t have been able to face such a monster with his legs trembling.
A rock troll, even if not a real troll, was a monster that ordinary humans couldn’t stand against.
But what about now?
‘I can still dodge, I can fight back!’
Happily, he was actually fighting.
So Barry wasn’t disappointed, and he got into position, preparing to dodge again.
…Though he wasn’t despairing…
‘…This monster is truly absurd, this troll.’
Crack!
[GRRR!!]
It was inevitable to be shocked at the sight of the regenerating creature.
The rock troll had crashed into the wall due to its powerful charge, but its shattered body was gradually reforming.
Befitting an artificial monster created with troll blood, it had a certain regenerative ability.
It was terrifying.
‘They made this test for us to pass? Does the Academy have any conscience?!’
Barry was astounded by the ridiculous difficulty of the test.
“Barry! Do better!”
“Do your best, your best!”
“Show some grit, Barry.”
“That thing needs to be sent back to Vulcan.”
“…Hey, you might as well insult his parents.”
“Ah, that was a bit harsh.”
The cheers of 17 classmates reached him.
Classmates were still classmates—though mixed with harsh words, they were still cheering.
“Senior, you can do it!”
…And even the goddess of victory representing the Bears was cheering.
‘I’ll win, no matter what-!’
Barry Copes charged at the rock troll again to repay his classmates’ encouragement.
Bravely-!
-And watching Barry Copes’ display of bravery, three people gave their honest assessment.
“He’s lost.”
“He’s lost indeed.”
“He can’t win against that.”
The Swordsmanship Department trio.
The three who had somehow earned that nickname predicted the outcome with certainty as they watched Barry Copes charge.
“S-Senior is going to lose?”
It was Levi Jeanne d’Arc’s question, and Arno de Ophen nodded as if it were obvious.
“If he had waited for an opportunity and thrown a ‘spear technique’ at the right moment, he might have had a chance, but fighting like this will only drain his stamina. It’s unfortunate that our colleague Barry lacks composure now and is fighting emotionally, unable to move strategically. If he had a broader perspective, he could have put up a good fight.”
From the beginning, the Bears’ skill level wasn’t enough to defeat a rock troll.
Even with destructive techniques like the spear technique, they were at a disadvantage against an opponent with such superior regenerative abilities.
What was needed wasn’t a one-time measure, but continuous attacks.
For the Bears who only had one-shot techniques at their disposal, defeat was inevitable.
Sure enough.
CRASH!
“GAAAH!?”
Barry Copes used all his strength to unleash his spear technique, piercing the rock troll’s shoulder, but unfortunately, the rock troll charged forward, not caring about its damaged shoulder.
Barry tried to swing his sword again, but his stamina was already depleted, and the rock troll didn’t miss the opportunity.
[GRR!!]
With a thud, it slammed into Barry Copes.
It was over.
Everyone looked at Barry Copes with pale faces and shook their heads.
A crushing defeat from start to finish.
It was truly unfortunate.
“Stupid guy, he should have practiced swinging his sword more instead of studying for debates.”
“Well, at least his debate scores are decent, so he won’t get expelled.”
“Ah, that’s true.”
His classmates gave harsh assessments of his defeat, but they too felt bitter.
Knowing Barry’s efforts and realizing they might suffer similar defeats themselves left a sour taste in their mouths.
They were already worried about how badly they might fail.
…But unlike their cold assessments, the audience…
“Wow, how can someone charge at such a monster?”
“So brave! That’s the Swordsmanship Department for you! Worthy of aspiring knights.”
“I heard that person is a commoner?”
“…A commoner wounded a rock troll? What’s going on? Is that troll defective…?”
Admiration.
It was pure admiration.
While his classmates saw it as a miserable defeat, to the general audience, he appeared as an incredibly brave warrior.
It would be strange not to admire such courage—charging at a monster, essentially like attacking a giant with nothing but a club.
Moreover, for such a crushing defeat, Barry Copes’ performance was good.
Like a bullfighter, he dodged the rock troll’s violent attacks, struck appropriately, and even managed to wound it, putting up what seemed (to ordinary eyes) like a close fight. The audience gave enthusiastic applause for Barry Copes’ skill and passion.
Pendragon was a kingdom of knights that valued combat and bravery.
This meant they weren’t so rigid as to give harsh evaluations of the spirit he had shown.
“So they value the content of the duel more than the result? The kingdom has many customs I don’t understand.”
“It’s a culture created by the late king. A warrior who fights admirably deserves generous respect.”
“…What a romantic fellow.”
As flower petals drifted through the Colosseum and everyone was applauding, Levi Jeanne d’Arc said:
“Excuse me, is no one worried about Senior?”
[……Ah.]
The only normal girl raised the obvious concern about why no one was worried about Barry’s fate after being hit by the rock troll, and only then did his classmates rush to check on him.
…A futile display of camaraderie.
* * *
Fortunately, Barry Copes wasn’t dead.
“It hurts like hell…”
“You’re exaggerating.”
“Do broken arms and legs look like exaggeration to you?”
Though not dead, he had indeed suffered tremendous injuries.
Yet strangely, he only felt pain without seeming to have any serious problems.
Even though he should have had a concussion from such injuries, fortunately in this Colosseum…
“Thank goodness for holy magic, really.”
“At least we won’t die.”
Holy magic.
A mystery that only priests following the monotheistic <Light of Radiance> could perform with their divine power.
And that mysterious power permeated the entire Colosseum, ensuring that even those with severe injuries wouldn’t die.
Barry Copes’ injuries, having occurred within the realm of holy magic, would recover before long.
Truly a safe combat space where there was no risk of death or serious injury.
It was a miracle demonstrating the existence of God.
And one warrior from a mystical race was deeply impressed by this.
“Kunta wants holy magic! If we have this, no one in our tribe will get hurt!”
The barbarian warrior, whose tribe constantly suffered from monster attacks, sparkled with excitement at experiencing the wonder of holy magic.
Like a child who had found a toy he desperately wanted.
However, Arno had to break his innocent expectations.
“I wouldn’t recommend it.”
“Why not?”
“It doesn’t work on real monsters.”
“…Huh?”
“It’s fine for controlled artificial monsters like these, but when real monsters rampage, holy magic is easily torn apart. Right now it works well because we’re in a safe environment with real-time management, but otherwise…”
“Plus, despite being useless, it requires substantial sacrifices. If your tribe installed this, you’d probably have to live on porridge for the rest of your lives.”
“……Kunta doesn’t like holy magic anymore.”
Kunta was disappointed.
He thought he had found a good solution, but it wasn’t the case at all.
Just as he was about to slump down…
“Don’t be disappointed, look up. Our department’s greatest prospect is about to swing his sword properly.”
“……Whoa!”
The barbarian immediately perked up and his eyes shone.
Though holy magic was disappointing…
“-I am Roen Dmitri de Lionel. I swear by the dragon, the lion, and the fairy that I will conduct an honorable duel.”
This man would not disappoint him.
Shing!
The young lion drew his sword.
*
*
*
An endless procession of carriages.
And not just any carriages, but luxurious ones lined up one after another.
Carriages of vain nobles and wealthy merchant unions.
Even carriages bearing the mark of the Guild Alliance, which, though not luxurious, couldn’t be ignored.
People had gathered to impress the princess during the War Game before, but this wasn’t like that hasty gathering of random individuals.
These were important figures who rarely moved from their positions.
After the semester evaluation, academy cadets would have a week-long break, which might explain why many parents came in person to pick up their children.
No matter how high-ranking a noble or the head of a major merchant group, a parent was still a parent.
However, their motivation for coming wasn’t purely out of parental love.
“Count Jeremy, it’s been so long!”
“Head of the Aisol Trading Company? Ho, does your child attend here too?”
“Haha, he enrolled this year.”
“You should have told me earlier.”
“How could I bother such a busy person with trivial matters?”
“Aren’t you the busy one?”
“Not at all!”
“Hohoho!”
Pretext.
It provided a good excuse for powerful figures who were difficult to meet or in awkward relationships to “accidentally” encounter each other, making it worth the trip to the academy.
Thus, for various power struggles and interests, carriages gathered at the academy gates, and crowds flowed toward the Colosseum marking the grand finale of the semester evaluation.
Each hiding their own objectives, malice, and true intentions.
Meanwhile, observing these people…
“-Just a bunch of filthy pigs gathered here.”
Someone was making a contemptuous assessment.
In the flow of the crowd.
A man in priestly robes frowned and spat out merciless contempt.
The frown seemed habitual, given the deep wrinkles between his brows.
The man’s scornful gaze was directed at a gathering of influential figures, and he looked ready to take action, but…
“By that standard, aren’t we pigs too?”
“…I won’t deny it, but don’t make me dwell on it.”
“Hehe, sorry, boss.”
“You rascal.”
The man calmed down at his colleague’s retort.
Yes, now is the time to be patient…
The man muttered quietly to himself, and his colleague playfully raised the corner of his mouth.
“Even if you don’t act, those who need to be slaughtered will be slaughtered. Our preparations were thorough.”
“Are you certain?”
“If high-level users or skilled individuals were involved, I’d be concerned, but that’s not the case, is it? Today’s list doesn’t seem to include any skilled individuals.”
“That’s true.”
“So let’s just enjoy the show. Isn’t this a fun festival, haha!”
“It’s not a festival but a semester evaluation period. Speak properly. The cadets are working hard with their lives at stake.”
“Come on, I’m hearing some strange things.”
He shrugged his shoulders.
What the man was saying now was very strange.
After all…
“From someone who plans to kill all those hardworking cadets.”
It was odd for him to speak so normally when he had no intention of letting anyone gathered here today live.
But the man was confident.
“Kill? Don’t say such things.”
Click.
“It’s not death but a glorious blessing. What greater honor could there be? I’m sure they’ll be satisfied.”
The man quietly made the sign of the cross while holding a crucifix.
“I’m incredibly envious.”
Sincerely expressing his envy for the lambs about to become sacrifices.
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