Chapter 223

An event that countless people had been looking forward to, the duels and melees, has just begun today.

The main event, the melee, is set to take place on the last day, and today is for the duels. So, I was thinking of just relaxing.

Honestly, watching the duels wouldn’t really benefit me much, and once it’s over, it’s way better to just hang out in the dormitory.

“No way, you can’t miss this! Watching the duels is a rare opportunity!”

“You can also improve your improvisation skills!”

But then, Rod dragged me along. And I mean literally dragged me.

At first, when Grace had asked me to go watch, I refused. I just wanted to rest.

But not long after Grace left, none other than Rod came to find me. And he even brought Rize along.

The Sword Saint and the Saint came looking for me, and what could an average Academy student like me do? I could only whine and get pulled along.

“I want to go out.”

“You can’t. You’ll just be sitting alone in the dorm with nothing to do.”

“I want to go out.”

“Stop sulking like a spoiled cat and be quiet.”

They even seated me in the VVIP section, where only the Chancellor and high-ranking officials are allowed to sit.

I had sat there during the duels last semester, but that was by accident. It turned out to be quite the attention grabber.

Getting seated there twice? That’s just them saying, “Don’t mess with him; he has a special place here.”

And with Rize next to me? There’s no way I wouldn’t attract attention.

‘At least I can see a lot from here.’

Since it was Rod’s exclusive spot, I could closely observe not just the dueling arena but also the audience.

The audience was arranged by nation as before, and my acquaintances, including Grace, sat in the student section.

Kara and Danyerin were also in the same boat. I heard students weren’t allowed in VIP seating due to regulations.

‘That’s Gloria over there; she must be from the Matra Empire, and Kronos is from the Granada Empire…’

This time, however, I needed to pay attention not to the Matra Empire or the Granada Empire, but to the Eastern Empire.

The reason it’s the East and not the Hwan Empire is that the faces of each country are present. They really stood out.

The seating arrangement suggests a strained relationship between the Hwan Empire and the other allied nations.

‘They’re outright showing that there’s discord.’

From the Hwan Empire’s perspective, it’s infuriating, while for the other nations, it’s popcorn-worthy entertainment.

The Eastern Empire’s power was akin to the Soviet Union on Earth, and they were split apart on their own accord.

But that’s only natural, given the sheer mischief of the Hwan Empire, which would make anyone utterly sick of it.

So much so that the people of these alliances were on the verge of revolt. This era has repercussions even on the common folk?

Even the Soviet Union managed to hold its alliances together until its self-destruction. But the Hwan Empire couldn’t even manage that.

‘After the melee, they’ll likely attempt to assassinate Danyerin, and Lee Yeon-joo might join in on it too.’

Looking at it this way, Danyerin is really pitiful. There’s no one around her to protect her.

Lee Yeon-joo wanting to assassinate Danyerin is quite simple: she’s the princess of the Hwan Empire.

No denying the symbolism there, but the information is so lacking that it just leads to innocent casualties.

‘I have to stop that…’

Even if Danyerin is in the room next to me, I can’t relax. She could be ambushed at any time.

Especially Lee Yeon-joo. I can’t predict where she’ll pop up, so I need to keep a close watch.

‘By the way…’

I turned my gaze to the dueling arena. Currently, someone from our class is dueling someone from another class.

The theme of the dueling arena is a vast, open plain. With nothing there, it’s purely about skill.

‘It’s just okay.’

But maybe because I’ve been dueling with Rod for a while, it felt a bit dull for some reason.

They definitely had solid basics, but there was a lack of any unique intensity. Of course, that could be down to Rod’s skills.

If a basic strike cuts through space like that but lacks intensity, that’s strange. I think my standards have gotten too high.

“By the way, I heard you’ve taken on a disciple?”

Just as I was quietly watching, Rod turned to Rize and asked.

He was probably referring to Erica, and Rize seemed to have understood, nodding along.

“More like a sister. I’m just guiding her on the right path.”

“I hear there are rumors she can transform, just like you…”

“You’d be better off seeing it for yourself. It’s going to be interesting during this melee.”

So she really can transform? If not, there’s no way her meager assets would grow so large.

But more importantly, it’s about technique. Even if she reinforces her muscles with divine power, it means nothing if she lacks substance.

“Is it all mostly fighting for you? That makes me curious.”

“No, I’ve only taught her for self-defense; her technical skills are still lacking. After all, she’s not a knight, just a priest.”

Just as I suspected. No matter how much she accepted the power of Chaos, if she can’t use it appropriately, it’s meaningless.

Erica, who had no techniques at first, is unlikely to surpass Luna and Kara in just a month. If she does, it’s a problem in itself.

“But I’m continuing to teach her fighting techniques. She has talent and is learning pretty well.”

“I’m really curious about her fighting style. Since she’s your sister, she must be a follower of Chaos.”

I heard that even after accepting Chaos, she still supports from the back lines. So, that makes it hard to imagine.

A muscle-bound body should be on the front lines, while supporting from the back feels somewhat unnatural. I guess I need to see it for myself.

“Oh right, wasn’t that student originally a follower of Gaia?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“If a follower of Gaia becomes a follower of Chaos, I believe they won’t be able to use their powers. You’re kind of in that situation, aren’t you?”

“Ah…”

Rod’s question left Rize momentarily speechless. She seemed to be lost in thought.

But it was the first time hearing that Rize was initially a follower of Life. Was that mentioned in Soul World?

‘Or maybe, the impact was just that large, and that’s why I forgot it.’

Her character was so strong that she might have forgotten about her past. Now, anyone could see Rize as a follower of Chaos.

As Rize was deep in thought, she finally spoke up, hinting at having forgotten since it was so long ago.

“That said… I’m not sure. The God of Chaos is quite capricious, so maybe my sister is an exception. Just look at Sivar; he’s using lightning, right?”

Hmm. That’s true.

“…?”

Wait a minute. When did I ever tell Rize whether I could use lightning or not?

I was a bit puzzled, but shrugged it off, thinking Rod must have told her. They seem close, so they probably chat about all sorts of things.

Beep beep beep!

At that moment, a loud announcement echoed throughout the arena. It was the signal that the duel had ended.

I shifted my focus to the dueling arena, only to witness an amusing scene. No one was standing.

Only the bodies of those who had fallen remain. A rare stalemate.

“I should head out first.”

“Huh? Already?”

“Yeah, I remembered I have something to do.”

As the match concluded, Rize was the first to leave. Seems like she really has something on her plate.

Just as she was about to walk out, she suddenly turned to me with an idea.

“Oh, Sivar?”

“Yeah?”

“If you want, I’d like to duel with you after the melee. Is that possible?”

For some reason, it came across to me like this:

[I’m going to wipe the floor with you.]

That’s probably not just a whim.