Chapter 103: Victory Behind the Armor

It looked as if Liolikin would leap straight from the spectator seats onto the stage.

But Liolikin simply stood there, armed, looking down at us sitting below.

What he wanted was obvious.

“Do your best…!”

“Make sure you win.”

Vigdis gave the usual words of encouragement.

On the other hand… No, “on the other hand” isn’t the right phrase to use here.

What Reysir said was also a common word of encouragement.

Still, since Reysir had been quite dissatisfied with Liolikin lately, the phrase “on the other hand” naturally sprang to mind.

Of all the possible cheers, why insist that he must win?

Liolikin’s expression was instantly filled with emotion at that unexpected remark.

‘If only he wouldn’t keep looking at me with that expectant gaze, wearing that face…!

If I’d known, I should have just said, “Go or don’t, do as you like!” the moment Liolikin got up.

If I said that now, his motivation—which had finally risen—would crash right back down.

“…If you come back with a win, I’ll give you at least one word of praise.”

“Myaung mya.”

With a nonchalant face and an arrogant tone, I managed to say that.

And Yor—whatever he was trying to say—somehow sounded extremely haughty.

‘Could he be copying the way I act when playing my possessed body?’

‘Am I giving a bad influence to this adorable baby dragon? While I was caught in a whirl of such complicated feelings, Liolikin simply looked absolutely delighted, the corners of his lips rising in a silly grin.’

“More importantly, the announcer’s calling your name—shouldn’t you not be lingering here, LF?”

“Ah! Y-yes, I-I’ll be right back for real this time!”

Liolikin hurriedly dashed toward the stage.

I watched his back for a moment, then turned my gaze to the one who’d spoken those unexpected words earlier.

“Reysir. Do you truly want Liolikin to win?”

“Was what I said really that unexpected? Enough for you to question it?”

Actually, not really.

I know just how affectionate Reysir is.

Vigdis and I did have a few sparring matches with Liolikin, but truly, it was only a few times.

Liolikin can’t attack. That’s why we couldn’t really build up proper experience.

So Reysir pretty much took it upon himself to train Liolikin.

‘I heard he even called Liolikin to the personal training room on weekday evenings?’

He’s spent a lot of time with Liolikin, and seen his hard work up close.

Of course a softhearted person like Reysir would open up to him.

‘Even after coming to that conclusion, I still asked…! It’s because Reysir isn’t a character I created, so I can’t be sure. Did he truly accept Liolikin into his own circle?’

‘Or does he simply dislike the extra who tried to use me, and wants Liolikin to keep him from making the finals?’

‘This protagonist, though brimming with kindness at heart, has that calculating side you’d expect from a modern webnovel lead!’

My inner monologue dragged on, but in reality, hardly any time passed—thanks to Mental Acceleration activating by chance.

So, before Liolikin even stepped onto the stage, I got an answer from Reysir.

“Yes, it was unexpected. Didn’t you find him unpleasant before?”

“I did, in the past.”

“And not anymore, I see.”

“Yeah. Liolikin now genuinely wants to be one of your people.”

That’s strange.

Liolikin’s character growth event should have ended in failure, so how did he come to truly want to follow me?

‘Could it be that Reysir, hoping to draw out Liolikin’s loyalty, nudged him a bit?’

‘A substitute character growth event? Just what did this novel’s protagonist say to a former villain’s underling?’

Too taken aback, I could only blink, unable to figure out how to respond.

Seeing my reaction as if he expected it, Reysir smiled faintly and went on.

“And Liolikin’s so timid he can’t show his full strength, but his abilities themselves are actually pretty good. If he can overcome his fear, he’ll be a reliable ally.”

No way.

‘Did he already manage to read Liolikin’s stats and skill list?’

‘Is that why he decided Liolikin was suitable as my bodyguard?’

Those doubts popped up, but they weren’t the sort I could ask directly.

“Does that clear up your questions?”

Not at all.

I still couldn’t tell for sure whether the protagonist had truly brought Liolikin into his circle or not—if anything, I now had even more questions.

But since they were all things I couldn’t openly ask about,

“…More or less.”

As I tried to force out a positive answer, my voice came out grumpy.

But for some reason, Reysir just put on his usual annoying smile, as if he’d interpreted it some other way.

“Why are you smiling like that?”

“Just thinking you really are quite shy.”

“Why would I have anything to be embarrassed about at this moment…?”

“Because you’re flustered that Liolikin now truly follows you, and pleased that I care about you and think about you in various ways?”

As always, it was a perfect misunderstanding.

I only ended up wasting more words for nothing.

And in the meantime, Liolikin’s match had already begun.

“If you’re just going to spout nonsense, just keep your mouth shut.”

At my words, Reysir opened his mouth and laughed aloud.

No doubt he was misunderstanding again, thinking I was embarrassed.

That misunderstanding really did embarrass me this time, but I ignored it and turned my eyes to the stage.

‘If my life as a possessor were unfolding as a first-person novel, I’d be obliged to narrate what I saw.’

So I watched Liolikin’s battle carefully, observing every detail.

I’d missed the very start of the match, but it was still only the early stages of the fight.

‘I don’t recall seeing that Extrac during Liolikin’s qualifiers—how did he manage to avoid being taken out in one blow?’

Previously, the author hinted that they were watching Karvaldr’s companions closely when mentioning Reysir.

So they must’ve gotten info about Liolikin being a coward.

But it seems they weren’t careless enough to allow a surprise attack.

‘Judging by that surprised look, he’s realized that Liolikin’s skill isn’t something to be taken lightly!’

Thanks to Mental Acceleration activating, reading the unmoving Extrac’s expression was easy.

‘Luck alone won’t win this. He’ll have to rely on his own ability to beat his opponent.’

I could have kept analyzing Liolikin and his opponent, regulating the flow of Aether to slow my thoughts a bit.

That way, I could break down their every move and observe them in detail.

But I didn’t do that.

‘That would just use up too much mental energy. If it were after my own match, maybe, but for now I should save it.’

Slowing my thoughts down, unless I force it, is no real burden—but it’s not like it’s nothing.

Use it often or for too long, and the fatigue piles up.

So I tightly gripped the Sky-Blue Aether, not letting it escape the core.

Doing this prevented Mental Acceleration from activating.

‘Since I have to keep consciously controlling the Aether, it’d be tough to maintain this state all the time, but a few minutes is nothing!’

Now that I’d finished updating the explanation about the Mental Acceleration skill, let’s return to narrating Liolikin’s match.

His opponent was taking the match very seriously.

Deep grass-green eyes gleamed as they searched for openings in Liolikin’s guard, and Aether of the same color blazed, wrapping around the blade of their sword.

‘A grass-green flaming sword… As expected of Extrac, his Aether color and ability don’t match!’

Still, it’s a threatening skill, so Liolikin had also activated an Aether Attribute ability.

At some point, ivory Aether had formed armor around his massive frame.

The skill was called [Armor of Protection].

As the name implies, it creates a suit of armor to protect the user—perfectly fitting for someone as timid as Liolikin.

Since the setting says that Aether, when filtered for its Attribute and compressed, gains physical force, anyone can imitate something similar.

But Liolikin’s Attribute is defense-based and the skill is fully realized, so the efficiency is on a whole different level.

He doesn’t even need to compress it to get superior defense, saving Aether.

Once activated, the skill maintains itself and even repairs automatically, consuming just the right amount of Aether—no need to focus to keep it up.

Even wearing such power, Liolikin wasn’t ignoring the opponent’s attacks to counterattack.

He simply blocked or deflected blows with a shield and mace enveloped in ivory Aether.

As far as I know, the energy around his shield and mace is also the effect of [Armor of Protection], not just compressed Aether.

Anyway, while he knows the Aether armor will protect him,

He’s still too scared to take the flaming blade with his body, so he reflexively defends.

‘But since there’s no time limit from the finals on, it’s not a bad strategy!’

If Liolikin had only focused on defense, I’d have frowned, but whenever he saw a chance, he at least tried to attack, even if he failed.

So his refusal to recklessly charge in, trusting in [Armor of Protection], seemed rather prudent.

Unless you’re surrounded by enemies and need to break through,

A tank who overestimates their own defense and neglects to guard won’t last long, and will just put their allies in danger.

“It wasn’t that long ago that he just stood there taking Reysir’s attacks…”

“He’s grown a lot, hasn’t he?”

Without realizing it, my thoughts slipped out as a mutter, and Reysir finished the sentence as he pleased.

Nodding in agreement wouldn’t suit Karvald Austri’s personality.

So instead I snorted, “Hmph!” and ignored him—but Reysir only grinned wider, clearly amused by my reaction.

…Let’s just ignore him!

Liolikin swung his mace to attack.

His movements were awkward and he was using too much force, so when his opponent dodged, his massive frame wobbled.

Extrac lunged, thrusting his sword at the gap in [Armor of Protection]’s joints.

It was a scene that had already repeated several times, so there was no sense of danger.

Liolikin twisted his body ever so slightly.

That alone made Extrac’s attack miss, scratching only the ivory surface of the armor.

Liolikin quickly regained his balance and this time tried to shove his opponent with his shield.

As Extrac hurriedly pulled back his sword and retreated, anxiety flickered across his face.

Neither had landed a hit, but since Liolikin wore a defensive skill and was physically much stronger,

Extrac must have realized that if Liolikin ever stopped blocking and just charged in, his defeat would be certain.

‘He must be thinking he needs to finish the match while Liolikin is still afraid of his sword.’

Extrac closed the distance again, trying to angle for Liolikin’s side so he could attack around the shield.

He kept swinging his sword furiously.

At a glance, it looked like Extrac was driving Liolikin back.

But his sword and the grass-green flames it bore were blocked every time by ivory Aether, failing to cut or burn anything.

In truth, it was anxiety pushing Extrac to the limit.

And mistakes happen in those moments—serious ones.

When Liolikin deflected his sword with the shield, Extrac’s footwork faltered.

So Extrac couldn’t dodge the mace hurtling toward him.

He hurriedly drew up his Aether to shield himself, but it was futile.

The thin veil of Aether broke instantly, and Liolikin’s mace struck him square in the torso.

Thus, the victor and loser were decided.

Extrac was slammed to the floor, half-flying, coughing up blood and writhing in pain.

It was clear to anyone that he wasn’t in any condition to stand up and fight again.

The match ended with Liolikin declared the winner, and a healer-looking figure rushed onto the stage.