“Uh… well… th-thank you for your hard work…?”
“I heard somewhere… that the best way to win is without fighting. In that sense… yes, that was truly a perfect match.”
“I-I’m so jealous…!”
Already feeling unsettled, I returned to my original seat only to be bombarded with words that sounded more like teasing than congratulations.
Compared to the praise showered upon the Original Protagonist at the start of the last chapter, my mood sank even further.
Perhaps sensing my displeasure, Reysir Daudabina quickly changed the topic.
“By the way, I saw you having quite a long conversation with the person next to you while waiting earlier. What were you talking about?”
As far as I remember, the conversation wasn’t that long.
Most of it was the other person talking to himself. I only said three sentences in total. But since “long” is a relative term, I decided not to nitpick. If I picked a fight over that, this conversation would just drag on.
“He was showing off his confidence, saying that I wouldn’t regret taking him in, so I told him I’d consider it if he made it to the finals.”
“If he went straight to saying something like that, it’s obvious he’s trying to use you. Are you really thinking of keeping him by your side?!”
“Well… if he has the skills to make it to the finals, wouldn’t he be more useful than someone else?”
Saying so, I glanced at Liolikin Tremmler out of the corner of my eye.
Reysir Daudabina seemed at a loss for words to refute and let his words trail off.
Liolikin Tremmler, who was singled out, must have sensed the danger, as his face turned pale.
“St-still, y-you can’t just abandon me… right…?”
“Talk about that after you’ve achieved the conditions I set.”
“Y-yes, including the preliminaries, if I win just three times… you won’t a-abandon me, right…? P-promise?”
“……?”
I tilted my head at Liolikin Tremmler’s words, feeling a bit confused.
It seemed there was a miscommunication somewhere.
So, to prevent any complaints later, I set out to correct it right away.
G||?”
“The condition I set wasn’t three wins, but to take down three opponents.”
“Eh…? Isn’t that the same thing…?”
“I used the phrase ‘take down’ in a literal, physical sense, not figuratively.”
“0——-“”
Liolikin Tremmler stood there in a daze, blinking blankly.
He didn’t want to understand what I was saying, so he simply shut his brain down.
If that’s the case, I had no choice but to explain directly and hammer the meaning into his head.
“Unless your opponent’s body actually falls to the ground, even if you win the match, it won’t count towards the condition. I won’t count it.”
“H-how is that fair…? Even Karvald-nim… didn’t t-take down a s-single person…!”
“How could I use someone as my guard who can barely do what I can? Obviously, you need to be able to do what I can’t… No, wait, it’s not like I only advanced because I was lacking in skill and got a win by default, is it?!”
As I spoke, a sense of injustice flared up inside me.
Except for that student who tried to join me with ambition, the rest were all useless.
If I had actually fought, the odds of me taking down my opponent were extremely high. Especially the earth-attribute deadweight; if he hadn’t run off midway, I definitely would have taken him down.
So why was I being treated like someone who made it to the finals for free, as if I had no skill? I just couldn’t understand it.
“Anyway, I’ve made the condition clear. If you don’t have the confidence to take down someone stronger in the next rounds, at least charge in before your opponent can surrender. I set this condition to see if you even had that kind of guts.”
“Y-yes, yes sir….”
Only after hearing my explanation did he seem to realize the purpose of his participation in the tournament.
Or maybe he just realized that complaining wouldn’t get me to relax the condition and would only make me angry.
Liolikin Tremmler bowed his head in defeat.
“Um… by the way, are you all planning to stay here?”
As the conversation between me and Liolikin Tremmler ended, Vigdis Shalbrady quietly spoke up.
She was asking if we’d stay to watch the rest of the preliminaries, or go do something else.
‘The original plan was to observe as many participants as possible and gather data…’
I recalled the matches I had watched and even participated in.
There was no need to hesitate in changing my mind.
“I’ll head back now. There are so many who don’t even have the basics, there’s no point in watching any longer.”
“Yeah, exactly. Even when someone skilled shows up, they win before they can even show what they’re capable of, so it’s boring.”
Reysir Daudabina chimed in, agreeing with me.
Given the pitiful skill level of the participants so far, it was natural for us to share the same opinion.
But Reysir Daudabina’s behavior as he said that was quite irritating.
“…Why are you patting my back while saying that?”
“Isn’t it for the very reason you’re thinking of right now?”
He meant it as comfort because he saw I was upset.
Even though he said something so blunt, it somehow made me feel like my skills were being acknowledged, and I couldn’t help but feel a bit better.
I shouldn’t let myself get swayed by this.
“Useless gestures.”
With that, I was the first to leave, stepping out of the auditorium where the preliminary rounds were still in full swing.
And the next morning.
I found myself returning once again to the same auditorium where another round of lackluster preliminaries was underway.
I had to see with my own eyes whether Liolikin Tremmler would actually take down his opponents physically.
Since it had only been mentioned once a couple of chapters back, I’ll mention it again for those who forgot—Liolikin Tremmler was in Group 15.
Given that, I could have just come later in the afternoon, so why did I come in the morning?
Because Vigdis Shalbrady was assigned to Group 9.
‘If I don’t show up when my fiancée is competing in the preliminaries, but I show up for a guy like Liolikin, that would look really weird, wouldn’t it…?’
I needed to keep up appearances of being in a good relationship.
So, as her (soon-to-be former) fiancée, I was here to play my public role.
That was my reason.
“Reysir, why are you here again?”
“To cheer for my friend, of course! Why are you even asking?”
“……”
“Some people want to come and support their friends, but can’t because they’re not participants in the tournament. Those who actually can come shouldn’t skip it, right?”
He was clearly referring to Hale.
From his words, it was clear both Reysir Daudabina and Hale truly cared about Vigdis Shalbrady and wanted to support her growth.
“Thank you so much…!”
Vigdis Shalbrady’s eyes sparkled as she looked at Reysir Daudabina.
She seemed genuinely touched.
Or perhaps her unrequited love for the Original Protagonist was already beginning.
“Thank you too, Yor. Kar came to watch as my fiancée, but… Actually, because of that, K-kar… rather, even more…….”
“There’s no need to explain every little reason, is there?”
“Ah! Th-that’s true…?!”
Surprised, she reacted awkwardly and gave an embarrassed smile.
For a moment, I almost laughed at how carelessly she acted, as if she’d accidentally spill the secret about the engagement breakup at any moment.
Thankfully, Liolikin Tremmler cut in, or I might have actually laughed out loud.
“U-um, is there n-nothing for me…? I’m in group fifteen, so I could’ve come later… but I still came….”
“Now that you mention it, that’s true! Thank you too, Liolikin.”
“Th-then, when my m-match starts later… will you be there…?”
“Of course.”
Relieved by the ready answer, Liolikin Tremmler looked at ease.
Reysir Daudabina and I would definitely watch his match, if only to confirm whether he met the ‘condition.’
But maybe he wanted confirmation from Vigdis Shalbrady as well, since he wasn’t sure about her.
‘In the end, it’s the same people who watched the start of yesterday’s preliminaries sticking around until Liolikin Tremmler finishes his matches, huh…?’
Honestly.
If it weren’t for the clear scene transition (***) and mention of ‘the next day,’ it’d be easy to misunderstand that the preliminaries were all held in one day.
“It’s time! We’ll continue with the preliminary matches, starting from Group 9!”
The same professor as yesterday was leading the main event.
Through the microphone, the names of the Group 9 participants, including Vigdis Shalbrady, echoed throughout the auditorium.
“I’ll be back soon…!”
“Good luck! You can do it!”
“F-fighting…!”
Reysir Daudabina and Liolikin Tremmler each said a word to the nervous-looking Vigdis Shalbrady.
Since I was here acting as her fiancé in front of everyone, I figured I should say something too.
“Do your best out there.”
“Nyan-nyan-nyaa~!”
With both Yor and I adding our support, the tension on Vigdis Shalbrady’s face seemed to ease a little.
I guessed Yor’s cuteness melted her nerves as well as her heart.
“I-I’ll really do my best!”
With a confident voice, Vigdis Shalbrady answered and dashed toward the arena.
There was nothing else to see, so I found myself absentmindedly watching her retreating figure.
“Oh…! So you do give proper encouragement to your fiancée, huh?”
“I-I can cheer too, you know…”
Those voices reached my ears.
Not knowing how to react, I just snorted, “Hmph!” and ignored them.
Fortunately, the Original Protagonist didn’t pester me today.
That was because Vigdis Shalbrady went straight onto the field without delay.
With her sword drawn, Vigdis Shalbrady stared at her opponent with calm, sharp eyes, as if she had never been nervous at all.
Her opponent, who stood across from her, was also a swordsman, but he was tense all over, not just in his expression.
The way his hand gripped the sword too tightly told me the outcome was all but decided.
Sure enough, Vigdis Shalbrady took her first win with ease.
After other students finished their matches, Vigdis Shalbrady went up to the arena once more.
Maybe it’s because the sword is such a common weapon, so it’s easy to give extras in the background.
Her second opponent was also wielding a sword.
Unlike the first, though, this one showed composure in both expression and movement.
‘That student must have been training with a sword for a long time.’
His gaze at Vigdis Shalbrady seemed, at a glance, almost disdainful.
But once the match started, his face showed a hint of surprise.
With a look that seemed to say “Not bad,” he exchanged blows with Vigdis Shalbrady nonstop for five minutes.
But this was less because their skills were equal, and more because he didn’t finish it on purpose.
In the end, the decision went to her opponent.
With one win and one loss, Vigdis Shalbrady then experienced a draw in her third match.
She still had a shot at the finals, but it wasn’t a strong record.
‘It’s the kind of situation that would make anyone anxious… I wonder if she’ll be okay?’
Contrary to my worries, Vigdis Shalbrady never lost her pace.
In her final match, she kept her cool, clashing blades with her opponent.
In the end, Vigdis Shalbrady advanced to the finals list with 2 wins, 1 draw, and 1 loss.