Farce

My face feels itchy, and it’s been bothering me for a while now. It’s probably because I got my makeup done early this morning for the opening of the final triathlon. It feels like something’s covering my skin. It’s a strange experience, so I can’t help but be bothered by it.

There’s a temporary staircase set up in the middle of the arena. I can hear a hollow *tung-tung* sound whenever someone steps on it, which makes me worry if it’s safe. Well, there are plenty of mages around, so they’ll probably handle it if it collapses.

I slumped down on the high staircase leading to the ceiling and yawned widely. Ellie, who was sitting one step below me, glanced back at me and mimicked my yawn with a bored expression.

As befitting the final event hosted by the Imperial Family, we’re having a meticulous rehearsal, so we’ve been suffering since morning. Still, we’re the lucky ones, just sitting on the stairs and posing. When I look at the other academy participants below, acting like they’re burning with the will to climb these stairs, I can’t help but feel satisfied with my current situation.

“What’s your mischief for today?”

Unable to bear the boredom, Ellie turned to me completely and asked. I scratched my chin at the sudden question, looking like I didn’t know.

“I think I’ll know when the match starts. It changes depending on the situation.”

If Eunice had prepared well for the final match, I wouldn’t even need Ellie’s help. Eunice, who is known as a strategist who reads the game, would have devised a wonderful scheme to dethrone the champion. As I was thinking that, Ellie put her chin on my knee without caring about the gazes of others. She was just like a stray cat that has no wariness of people. Suddenly appearing and shamelessly inspecting my thigh is the same.

Ellie’s lack of distance made me feel uncomfortable, as I felt the gazes of my seniors sitting above me piercing the back of my head. That gaze probably included Roel, Ellie’s boyfriend and my hyung-nim. I don’t think he was hiding his expression, but Ellie, who usually acts so perceptive, just pouted her lips cutely as if she didn’t know anything.

“I’m listening to Ross’s words, you know.”

Her obsidian eyes gleam. She looks like she wants something. I thought about pretending to be oblivious like Ellie, but… it was difficult to ignore Ellie’s gaze as she occupied my lap. I really wanted to get her off quickly.

I asked with a sighing voice.

“…Should I buy you some snacks or something?”

When I gave her a look that asked if that would satisfy her, Ellie leaned her upper body towards me with a bright smile. I reflexively moved my leg back slightly at the soft, squishy sensation on my shin.

“Really? Can I pick them out myself?”

It seemed like she was misunderstanding my intention of wanting her to eat and leave, so I quickly corrected her.

“…I meant I would buy them for you.”

“Looks like you know what I like?”

I was speechless at Ellie’s playful smile. Based on my experience that it’s best not to talk in these situations, I firmly closed my mouth and looked elsewhere. But Ellie, acting like a stray cat, rubbed her body against my leg, so I had no choice but to lower my gaze again.

Ellie, who met my gaze, pouted her lower lip with a seductive expression and whined.

“Why aren’t you answering?”

There were many options to answer that question. Among the various options, such as that I noticed you were deceiving me and that I was very uncomfortable being with you, the option I chose after much deliberation was to avoid answering.

“You haven’t forgotten that I don’t have any memories of the past, have you?”

As I whispered softly, Ellie opened her mouth slightly as if she had just remembered, then pressed her chin firmly on my knee. Ellie, who lowered her eyes for a moment as if thinking about something, asked with her black eyes, which stood out even more thanks to her snow-white skin.

“Don’t you want to get your memories back?”

“I don’t have the nasty hobby of deliberately recalling depressing memories yet.”

Ellie chuckled at my sarcasm, licking her lips with her tongue.

“The memories you had with me wouldn’t be depressing, would they?”

I barely swallowed the words, ‘As if,’ that were about to come out reflexively. Ellie still doesn’t know that I’ve noticed her lies. The Geas related to Ellie is a lie detector exclusively for Ellie. If Ellie finds out about my Geas… it would be like falling into an inescapable swamp.

Before I could give a late answer, the voice of the staff in charge of the rehearsal came from below.

“The audience is starting to enter. Everyone, please prepare!”

As the staff said that and raised their hand to signal, the staff waved their staffs to cover the arena with curtains.

Ellie, who had a disappointed expression, glanced slightly at Roel and waved her hand slightly before turning her body and getting back into position. When I glanced at Roel over my shoulder, Roel, who met my gaze, said with his lips.

―Hwaiting!

I didn’t answer because of the strange feeling and turned my head. Now the farce is coming to an end. I yawned and waited for the curtains to be drawn.

***

Beyond the murmuring, the inside of the arena was noisy enough to be called chaotic. The fact that Transcendence Academy, which had low odds of winning, was only 220 points behind second-place Elassium Academy meant that people’s attention was even more focused on this triathlon.

In the final team match, points could be earned in all sorts of ways, and conversely, points could be lost. That meant that an upset could definitely happen. It was only natural that the continent’s gamblers, who smelled the sweet scent of an upset, would gather.

As the lights that illuminated the inside of the arena, where families who came to cheer on the participants, academy students, gamblers, lovers, and thieves had gathered, went out, the murmuring gradually subsided.

*Doong-! Doong-! Doong-!*

The sound of drums being played somewhere filled the arena. The curtains covering the arena were drawn, and at the same time, the yellow lights symbolizing Elassium gently descended into a corner of the arena.

The eight Elassium participants, with their arms crossed, all raised their heads and stared at the invisible air. The audience, following their gaze, discovered Arcadia Academy, which was revealed as the green lights turned on.

The eight Arcadia participants, beating their chests to the beat of the drums, similarly raised their heads and looked elsewhere. Following their gaze as the drumming became faster and faster, Muzeion, in the place where the red lights had descended, raised one hand and pointed somewhere.

*Doongdoong-! Doong-!*

The gazes of the three academies converge on one place. The drumming became faster and faster, raising people’s expectations. The center of the arena. Along with the gazes of all the spectators, the stage lights illuminated the endless staircase.

The drumming disappeared. And all the spectators cheered for the champion who had appeared. The champion sat on the stairs, waiting for the challengers in an arrogant and haughty pose. The appearance of Transcendence Academy, looking down on the other academies from above, caused cheers to erupt like thunder in the arena.

The three academies turned their backs to the audience and met the gaze of the champion on the stairs. Splendid magic fireworks covered the arena. The cheers of the audience soared at the sight of the participants from each academy gathering below the stairs and the Transcendence participants rising to greet them.

Without anyone saying who would go first, cheers supporting each academy began to burst out here and there in the arena.

– Muzeion of the East!!! Show them, Muzeion!

– The best academy! Elassium!!!

– Ar, Ar, Arcadia!!!

– Show them, Champion!!! Transcendence!!!

As the lights illuminating the arena went out one by one and darkened again, the cheers gradually lost their strength and disappeared. After the voice of a man who shouted Elassium until the end, silence returned again.

A melody that sounded like someone was humming filled the arena. As the audience unknowingly listened to the sound, the students of Transcendence Academy, who were sitting in their seats, suddenly stood up as if they had received a signal. The spectators sitting next to them sent bewildered glances, but the Transcendence students’ gazes were fixed only on the stage.

While the spectators who still hadn’t grasped the situation were staring at the students who had stood up with blank faces, the song of the Transcendence students began, following the melody that someone was humming. Countless voices merged into one song.

Welcome to Transcendence.

This is an academy where swords and magic coexist.

The cradle of those who defend the empire and fight against evil.

The tomb of those who put fate first and don’t look back.

Let’s cover malice with justice.

A place where wisdom and knowledge become one.

A place where people grow regardless of means and methods under the condition of equality.

The order of this place! Is the order of the world!

Let’s deny limitations and dream of transcendence.

Transcendence!!!

As the chanting of the school song, a privilege of the champion academy, ended, the voice of caster Ien echoed throughout the arena along with the huge applause of the audience that shook the arena.

《The 31st! Imperial Family-hosted Triathlon… The final team match! Starting now!》