episode_0007

I’m pretending not to care, but…

It’s awkward to be stared at so blatantly.

I was sitting alone in the empty seat just a few minutes ago.

But I’ve been feeling the gazes of two women from behind me for a while now.

It felt like they were boring a hole into the back of my head with their intense stares.

I knew one of them was a Dark Mage from before, but to think the other one was too.

It’s rare for two people, both so pretty, to be staring at me like this.

Even the people around us are looking at me now!

What a bolt from the blue.

Fine, if it’s Sara, I’ll accept it.

She declared revenge on me for some big mistake I made in the past. But is this how you usually go about it?

Anyway, as for Lena?

She’s a beautiful woman I’ve seen in restaurants and alleys, with whom I have no connection, or even if there is, it’s minimal.

Why is she staring at me so intensely like this?

Wait.

If she saw me in the alley, she would only know me, right? Could she have seen something?

There was a possibility.

Despite the distance, the place where I stood wasn’t that dark.

So if she looked closely, she could have seen my face.

Yet she didn’t call out my name.

When I saw her in the restaurant, she seemed to recognize me.

There could be many reasons for that.

Whether she remembered me from when we were young, or it was just because of the rumors about me being a vagabond, etc.

One thing is for sure, I’m famous. Not in a good way, of course.

The fact that she didn’t call out my name means she didn’t see me.

So it can be assumed that it was either mere curiosity or suspicion.

Curiosity about why a vagabond like me didn’t get angry when she spilled pasta on her clothes.

Or suspicion about whether the pickpocket she saw resembled me.

Of course, if I had to choose, the former would be much better.

I decided to leave it at the fact that I wasn’t caught. There’s no need to ask.

Still, I can’t get used to this intense gaze.

Time passed quickly.

From the moment the students were called for the first round to the moment the ninth round was about to begin.

I was never called.

It would be nice if the tenth round started with fewer people watching, but all I could think about was not having to face those two.

How can there still be strong people who haven’t been called?

Is the balance completely off?

Even if it’s random, isn’t it better to distribute the strong ones more flexibly?

Please.

Please.

“Robert Gourick.”

One person for now.

“Cecilia Ollett.”

Two people, okay.

“Kadira Jurma.”

Three, three people… that’s possible.

Three students with abnormal strength entered the arena.

The others who continued to be called looked strong as well.

The balance seems right. Please don’t call me…

“Sara Hilita.”

Please don’t call her! If you do, she’ll die!

I looked at Sara, who was sitting behind me.

Her intense aura seemed to be saying, “Hurry up and call my name.” My ears perked up at her voice.

“And lastly.”

Please! Spare at least one person!

“Lena Iris.”

She… she survived…!

While I breathed a sigh of relief, the person next to me looked displeased.

As I turned my gaze away as if to escape from the muttering, disappointed expression, Lena stood there.

I didn’t want to meet her gaze, but she looked surprised as our eyes met.

Uh…

Should I greet her? No, it’s better to keep my distance as much as possible here.

I should just pretend I didn’t see her.

However, as if my worries were unnecessary, Lena was the one to speak to me first.

“Did you see me last time?”

“Ah… yeah.”

“I was a bit embarrassed last time, so I was worried about it.”

“Oh, don’t worry about it.”

Lina gave a fresh smile and entered the arena.

When did she say that? In the restaurant? In the alley?

I don’t know.

But her tone made me feel like she wouldn’t reveal me as a pickpocket. But.

Why doesn’t this intense gaze disappear?

Honestly, I think I can get angry too.

I have to take the exam soon, but it was a bit too much to attack me so blatantly.

I don’t know what I did wrong.

“No matter how much you want revenge, do it in moderation…!”

I saw Sara entering the arena with my own eyes. Then, what about this gaze…

I was holding back, but I could have held back a little longer.

Men and women alike were staring at me with intense gazes.

The reason was simple.

Because Lina and Sara were looking at me.

Otherwise, it would be hard to explain. I thought they had left already…

But they were still here.

If a man known as a good-for-nothing is surrounded by beautiful women and receives such intense gazes, he will surely be jealous.

But!

This is not that kind of situation! Well, it wasn’t a gaze of affection either.

One was looking at me as if he wanted to kill me, and the other was just looking out of curiosity.

I didn’t do anything wrong.

I feel wronged!

But I can’t say that.

As I was expressing my dissatisfaction.

In a short time, the dropouts began to appear due to the rising heat.

The people who were staring at me also immediately turned their gaze to the arena.

My prediction was correct.

The three I saw had skills beyond imagination.

The man named Robert cut down his opponent without any gaps.

Cecilia possessed a magical power that no one could match.

And that woman, Kadira.

She entered the fight without any hesitation.

It seemed like she was enjoying the fight.

One of the disadvantages of such people is that their weaknesses are always visible.

But.

Not that woman.

I could see her concentrating while enjoying the fight. I shouldn’t get close to her.

The fight quickly reached its climax.

The hesitant magician among the swordsmen was at a disadvantage in the fight.

In the end, Cecilia fell under Kadira’s relentless attack.

Following that atmosphere, Sara, who fought with Robert, fell, and Kadira aimed for Lina.

Now, only two novices were left in the arena.

A strong aura emanated from both of them. It was enough to rival a sword master.

‘Could it be… another sword master? Or…’

The Sword Saint?

The moment I uttered that name.

Robert rushed towards Lina at a fast speed.

It was a close fight, but it was clear that Lina was being pushed back.

The more she was pushed back, the more certain I became.

‘No matter how strong a sword master is.’

Lina’s sword flew high, unable to deflect Robert’s final attack.

He didn’t miss the opportunity and immediately aimed his sword at her throat.

“The winner is Robert Gourick!”

As the match ended, one by one, as if indicating that the important match was over, people left the arena.

Of course, there was nothing left to see now, so leaving was natural.

The next match probably won’t be as interesting as this one.

There are no strong players or famous ones. Of course, I was there too.

As the fighters finished their fights and came up, they were also picking up their belongings.

Everyone is getting ready to leave, why aren’t you going?

Sara, who was sitting in her original seat, just bowed her head without saying a word.

The atmosphere grew heavy, so I quickly grabbed my bag to keep my distance. And then.

“Lord Avantche, please come up quickly. It would be nice.”

I shouldn’t show a bad impression here again.

I quickly climbed up to the stadium.

“Then let’s start right away!”

As the game started, all the players raised their weapons.

I also took out the sword I had by my side.

Clang.

I felt something caught in the sheath.

Surprised, I turned around, but I didn’t see anything.

Oh right, my bag.

I realized just now that I was carrying the bag because I was so surprised.

No, do examiners not check for this kind of thing?

I wanted to put down the uncomfortable bag, but I was already noticed by the other players.

“Attack the fool first!!”

“He’s just a useless guy anyway!!”

“Kill him!! How dare he touch our Lady Lina!!!”

Intense hostility.

I quickly adjusted my stance, but it was already too late. Danger…!

“Get lost, you bastard!!”

I swept away the players rushing towards me with a swing of my greatsword.

I felt the pressure all the way to the back.

Compared to the first boss I fought, he was smaller in stature, but his heavy build was incomparable to an ordinary person.

“T-Thank you…”

As I opened my mouth to thank him.

“It’s Ad Riovent!!”

“I thought that guy was on our side.”

‘Huh?’

– Since Lord Doyeon disciplined Lord Ad Riovent of the old noble family after that incident, there has been no contact.

The butler’s words passed through my mind.

Why did he help me?

A word from Ad that answered that question was heard.

“He’s my prey… I’ll kill anyone who gets in my way.”

Ah… damn, I should have just let the others eliminate him.

Thud!

While I was distracted, Ad’s greatsword fell from above.

I quickly dodged the attack and ran away.

Fortunately, due to my experience fighting with my body and large weapons, it was relatively easy to anticipate the attacks.

However, I still had to parry the attacks with my sword whenever they came flying at me.

Each time, a brutal vibration was transmitted through my fingertips.

The other players all looked reluctant to die, huddling in the corners. Don’t they want to cooperate with me either!

Thud! Thud! Thud!

I don’t know how many people hate me.

But I never thought I would meet two of them in one day!