The main tournament matches for the Martial Arts Competition aren’t held inside the Academy, but rather at a large stadium rented externally, and they’re conducted publicly.
Students and professors affiliated with Valhalla Academy are, of course, allowed to watch, and outsiders can also purchase tickets to spectate the Martial Arts Competition.
The tournament runs from Monday to Friday, a total of five days.
The round of 32 is held over Monday and Tuesday; Wednesday is the round of 16; Thursday hosts the quarterfinals and semifinals.
And on Friday, the third-place match and the final take place.
…But what’s important right now isn’t the tournament schedule, but the match brackets!
Currently, I’m sitting in the participant-only section, which is the seat closest to the stage.
Because of that, I could see the tournament bracket displayed on the Aether scoreboard set up beside the stage very clearly.
Since today’s matches are scheduled for first, second, and third years in order, the bracket currently visible is for the first years.
‘Hmm… Even looking at it again, it seems hopeless!’
That was the only feeling I could have.
And it’s not just me who’s doomed.
“If the bracket stays like this, Karbaldr, I’ll be facing you in the second round, won’t I?”
As you might guess from the tone, that line came from Reysir Daudabina.
Which means, even if I win my first match in the main tournament, I’m scheduled to lose in the very next round.
I already felt deflated.
‘Well, if I just make it to the second round, that’s making it into the round of 16, which was my goal anyway…’
But there’s a big difference between holding out hope and having none at all.
Moreover, I didn’t even get a real fight in the preliminaries, and in the second round, it’s obvious I’ll lose to Reysir.
In the end, that means the only chance I’ll have to face an unfamiliar opponent in this tournament is the first round of the main tournament. That was set in stone.
‘I entered the tournament to gain various experiences, but…’
Still, since the Martial Arts Competition allows the use of Aether for offensive purposes,
I wonder if the vibe will be quite different from the usual sparring, even against a familiar opponent.
Besides, if it’s Reysir, he’ll probably use this as an opportunity to teach me, so thinking positively, it might actually be a good thing.
At the moment those thoughts crossed my mind,
I realized I had started taking my interactions with the main character far too much for granted.
While I was feeling a belated sense of embarrassment, Reysir, of all people, chose that moment to confirm that my character interpretation was accurate.
“Karbaldr, you have to win your first round, okay?”
“That’s none of your business.”
“How can it not be my business, with the bracket like that?”
“…Hmph.”
With nothing left to say, today I once again used my tsundere persona to end the conversation.
As soon as our exchange ended, Liolikin Tremmler quickly spoke up.
“Um, um, will I and Vigdis also, um, meet in the, the second round…?”
“Right? How did the brackets end up like this?”
I mentioned earlier that I wasn’t the only one with bad luck for the bracket, but honestly, in terms of just how bad things got, these two had it much worse.
The fact that my would-be aide candidate from the preliminaries is Liolikin’s first-round opponent doesn’t even count as a problem.
Because Vigdis’s first main tournament match is against a character fated to be the runner-up.
‘Vigdis will be eliminated in the first round. Even if Liolikin somehow manages to pass the first round, he’ll be doomed to lose in the second…’
Liolikin had three wins in the preliminaries, but two of those were from opponents forfeiting, so he only really defeated one person.
In that sense, the most unlucky among us is actually Liolikin.
Even if Vigdis loses in the first round, she won’t lose her Karbaldr ticket, but Liolikin will have his rights revoked the moment he loses in the second round.
“Uh, as you know, I, um, have to defeat two more people from now on…”
“You don’t need to worry.”
“R-really…?!”
“Yes. Even if I lose, I won’t hold a grudge, so if we meet in the second round, let’s both do our best and not go easy on each other!”
“……”
Liolikin probably started the conversation hoping Vigdis would go easy on him if they met in the second round.
But Vigdis, recalling Liolikin’s preliminary match, seems to have taken it as a declaration that he wouldn’t go easy on her.
Vigdis won’t make it to the second round anyway, so match-fixing isn’t even possible.
But there’s no way Liolikin could know that at this point.
He looked at Vigdis with a resentful gaze, while Vigdis looked genuinely confused, not understanding why.
“Let’s talk about that after you make it through the first round.”
Reysir, who first brought up the second round, now shamelessly turned the conversation in that direction.
I couldn’t help but think he was one to talk, but I didn’t say it out loud. I didn’t want to nitpick the main character’s words, and besides, he wasn’t finished talking yet.
“Liolikin. Your first opponent is the guy who begged Karbaldr to take him as a subordinate if he could reach the finals, remember?”
“Gasp…! No wonder… The, the name on the, the bracket looked familiar.”
“If you lose in the first round, your current spot will become his.”
No, that’s not true.
Even if that extra beats Liolikin, he’ll meet the predetermined runner-up in the next round and drop out anyway.
I thought this to myself, but kept silent.
According to the original story, that runner-up candidate is currently hiding his true power.
Even though he’s trained with the sword for years, he hasn’t taken any swordsmanship lectures yet, just so he can surprise everyone at the Martial Arts Competition with his skills.
But I can’t exactly act like I know anything about his true abilities, can I?
‘Besides, Reysir is probably trying to fire up the usually timid Liolikin, to draw out his true abilities by provoking his desperation and fighting spirit!’
Knowing that, I couldn’t step in to ruin it.
Even if Liolikin achieving the condition I set is now practically impossible,
At least if he defeats his first main tournament opponent, he’ll gain a sliver of self-efficacy.
Others won’t be able to call him a coward anymore.
‘Whether I keep Liolikin as an aide or not, I’ll think about it later. There’s no guarantee he’ll even win the first round!’
And I wasn’t guaranteed to make it to the second round either.
There could still be a pushover among the main tournament participants, but the odds of that being my first opponent were extremely low.
Just as I was trying to forget about having to face Reysir in the next round,
- Boom, pa-bang! Boom, boom!
The sound of fireworks exploded loudly.
Looks like the tournament is about to begin.
‘When I read it in the novel, I wondered if anyone could even see fireworks in the morning… but since it’s winter, the sky is still dim at this hour, so they’re more visible than I thought.’
Yor, seeing fireworks for the first time, seemed absolutely delighted, purring and meowing with joy.
If I left him alone, he’d probably fly right into the fireworks.
So, I hugged Yor tightly to keep him in check.
‘But isn’t it only natural to dote on a cute being when it’s in your arms?’
I have both the right and the duty to seek healing by petting my baby dragon as much as I want.
Maintaining a blank expression for the sake of character consistency, I did my best as the master of a magical beast and as a healing-story protagonist.
While I was at it, the voice of the professional announcer, who had apparently been invited from outside, resounded throughout the stadium via the Aether speakers.
“Everyone’s been waiting, right? I have too! The time for the tournament to begin is finally here, so let’s all celebrate! Hahaha!!”
Even from that one sentence, I could tell he was a smooth talker.
The announcer got a laugh out of the audience and then,
Explained the sequence of events, important points for spectators to keep in mind, how to order food, and the location of the restrooms.
“Alright~! Now, let’s really begin! The students who will mark the opening of this festival that so many have been looking forward to are—!”
…It would be a waste of our brain capacity to introduce all the extras’ names here.
I’ll just skip the next lines of the announcer and the extras’ fierce exchanges.
But since I should at least share some impressions about the main tournament—
“The atmosphere is different from the preliminaries. They use Aether abilities skillfully while swinging their weapons… Everyone’s so good, I’m losing confidence…”
“I, I should have defeated three in the preliminaries… but two forfeited by chance…! It’s definitely because they were jealous that I was by Karbaldr’s side. Yes, that must be it…! Such bad kids…!”
—I’ll just include Vigdis and Liolikin’s lines here.
Ignoring Liolikin’s forced logic, even just from Vigdis’s words you can tell: all the pushovers were filtered out during the preliminaries.
The students remaining had clearly not only hired private tutors before even entering the Academy, but also had plenty of sparring experience.
‘After all, even Reysir grew up training with the knights of Hailga’s family.’
Kids who grew up in even better environments must be on another level.
Besides, this possessed body’s Aether abilities don’t even include a single directly offensive skill.
‘The only way I can win is by making the most of the whip, an unfamiliar weapon for everyone, and striking at their blind spots.’
As I watched the main tournament participants’ abilities, I was genuinely grateful for the first time that my main weapon was a whip.
If I’d used a common weapon like a sword, I probably wouldn’t even be able to calculate the odds like this.
‘With so little experience and skill, if my opponent fully understood my weapon’s properties, I’d have no choice but to just lose, right?’
There’s a reason why even the potential-monster Vigdis struggled in the preliminaries.
Maybe Vigdis wouldn’t have been able to make it past the first round’s wall, even if she hadn’t faced the destined runner-up.
Of all the students who’ve entered the arena so far, there hasn’t been a single one with less experience or skill than her.
When Vigdis said she lacked confidence, it was probably because she already sensed her own defeat.
“Wow~! Even though they’re only first-years, everyone’s incredibly skilled!! As expected of Valhalla Academy! The students’ level is truly impressive!!”
The smooth-talking announcer gushed praise into the Aether mic.
I’d bet anything he says the same thing when he’s called to other academies’ tournaments.
That way, they’ll call him back again next time.
“I’m looking forward to the next match too!!”
The moment the announcer began his lines again, I’m sure some of you already guessed—
It was time for one of us to take the stage.
“Um… th-then, I’ll go now…!”
Liolikin stood up, taking off his coat with a determined look.