Chapter 28

It’s been a week.

Since that day in the square, I’ve been on a nonstop rollercoaster of busy days.

The incident where Haidiera, Seldienne, and Senior Perjena clashed over training rights ended up with everyone reluctantly agreeing to give me some training time.

Each of them had their own grievances, but they decided to split the training days equally among themselves.

The resulting schedule looked like this:

Monday and Thursday were for Haidiera.

Tuesday and Friday were for Seldienne.

Wednesday and Saturday were for Senior Perjena.

Sunday would have a comprehensive training session under the supervision of all three.

So I started a grueling routine of intensive training from after school to late at night every day without a break.

This was a harsh training regimen, one that could leave anyone trailing behind under normal circumstances, but without Tirisia by my side, I found myself able to push myself with a calm mind.

In the past, I had been anxious to earn the right to stay by her side, but now I could discard all that scattered thinking and focus solely on proving myself.

Additionally, the time I had previously dedicated to Tirisia and our time together could now be used entirely for my own growth, which was a huge help.

Of course, that wasn’t the only difference from before.

Unlike in the past, when I had only Tirisia to lean on, I now had more people who were cheering me on and putting their hopes in me.

Each had different intentions, but they all supported me.

Honestly, I understood too well why those three wanted me to become stronger.

So the only way to repay that trust was to silently immerse myself in growth.

This wasn’t for Tirisia.

It wasn’t to make her look back at me again either.

This was for myself.

For those who believe in me. For those who trust me. For those who don’t.

Proving my worth before them all wasn’t something to be ashamed of, so I fully embraced the pain I felt right now and pushed myself to my limits.

Thus, the training that would open a new future for the commoner Erto was steadily underway.

One unexpected detail was that someone was there, constantly watching over me.

The one who always followed me after school to cheer me on.

Tirisia Bruerd.

For some reason, she kept a close watch on my changes.

No, it seemed like she was watching over everyone, not just me.

Perhaps it was because there hadn’t been a day we returned home together since training began.

Thinking about the reduced time for just the two of us, she accompanied me to the training platform every day, checking on me for a brief moment before leaving.

I couldn’t quite grasp the meaning behind that behavior.

Was it remorse as my ex-lover who betrayed me in the worst way,

Or was it friendship from a childhood friend who decided to remain as we were?

Or if that wasn’t the case, was it simple curiosity as a fellow magician about a friend’s growth?

I didn’t know what thoughts she had inside, but she was persistently making her presence known beside me.

None of the others who trained me said anything about Tirisia’s actions, simply watching her from a distance as she observed for 30 minutes to an hour before heading back.

Except for one time when Haidiera spoke to Tirisia.

Haidiera had asked the constant spectator if she was willing to teach me as well.

But Tirisia shook her head with a look of regret.

The reason for the refusal wasn’t that she had cheated on me, leading to our breakup.

This had been clear even before we became lovers, during our childhood friendship.

Tirisia was too much of a genius to take on the role of teacher.

Her instinctive command of magic and swordsmanship flowed through her without anyone being able to imitate it.

Her view of the world was so different that she couldn’t possibly understand the ordinary level of commoners.

How could someone who answers ‘by instinct’ to the question of how to use advanced magic multi-casting teach anyone?

So, even in our childhood and after becoming lovers, Tirisia had half-given up on teaching me.

Therefore, it was entirely my responsibility to bridge the vast gap between us.

That had been the case in the past.

Now, however, I had people to hold my hand and push me forward.

The reason to aim for Tirisia had disappeared, but that meant I was no longer limited by that goal.

I wanted to grow stronger. Continuously, endlessly.

To become someone recognized by everyone as an excellent person.

I believed that only this path would fill the huge hole in my heart with happiness.

And so—

As another month passed in the midst of unbroken training days,

The Academy’s talent evaluation and martial arts tournament began.

*

The martial arts tournament was simply the biggest duel competition involving everyone in the Academy.

A single-elimination tournament that determined results solely based on skill, without regard to grade.

During the tournament, board members and faculty members served as judges, and even students not on stage filled the audience seats, creating a festival-like atmosphere.

Showing off one’s magic and swordsmanship skills in front of all those gathered was considered the most prestigious thing for Academy students.

The evaluations earned in the tournament had a major impact on future career paths, making it a place where a magician truly had to pour everything into proving themselves.

As it was the Academy’s largest annual event, students’ attention towards the martial arts tournament went without saying, but this year, the entire city was focused on it as it garnered excitement even from outside the Academy.

The reason was obvious; the great aristocrat Bruerd family had produced an exceptionally talented genius magician.

Tirisia’s power was such that even her instructors were left astounded.

The martial arts tournament served as an opportunity to see if there were indeed talents within the current generation of the Academy who could challenge her.

While Tirisia shone uniquely, the Academy was home to a cohort of talent-rich students, dubbed the ‘Golden Generation’, like never before.

There was Seldienne from the noble Elconja family, who could be compared to the Bruerd family.

And Senior Perjena, known as a mutant for surpassing the limits of a commoner.

Moreover, the chairman’s only son, Kerg Durakal, who was shrouded in secrecy, was also a student of this Academy, though his exact abilities remained undisclosed.

Besides these, numerous noble and commoner students were seen as precious stones destined to lead the next generation of magic society, preparing themselves to seize the bright future by participating in the martial arts tournament.

And I, the commoner Erto, aimed to break into the final five of this competition against those talented magicians.

Specific numbers were suggested by Senior Perjena, but they struck me as bold yet suitably ambitious enough for a goal.

“Hey, make sure you do well enough to brag about teaching you, will you?”

My senior, who was abstaining from this tournament due to the aftereffects of an accident, encouraged me with a pat on the back.

“I—I don’t intend to stand out too much, but… you, Erto, ought to show everything you’ve built up so far. I’ll be watching closely and cheering for you!”

The seemingly indifferent Haidiera appeared more interested in my results than her own.

“Oh—hohoho! This is where your kindness ends for the loser commoner! Though it’s true you’ve changed from before, if you face this Elconja, I’ll surely smash you with all my strength! Until then, take care!”

Seldienne, who offered to help out of some twisted sense of pity for a dumped commoner, laughed loudly and returned to the nobles without any hesitation.

And Tirisia—

“I’ll be waiting. Erto.”

She hinted that she would be waiting in the highest place for me.

“Yeah, I’ll definitely make it.”

I also wished to see her face in this competition,

And took my first step into the fight for proof.

*

After a few preliminary rounds, the number of surviving students in the martial arts tournament had narrowed down to about 40.

From here on, those winning would be recognized as powerful forces within the Academy, earning significant merit for their future career paths.

Now, competing among the upper 10 percent of students, the real fight indeed began, and that sentiment was shared by everyone watching the tournament.

And they gazed at me, still standing on the stage, with looks of confusion.

“What? That guy… how did he survive?”

“He seems really different from before, doesn’t he?”

“After breaking up with Bruerd, did he grow a spine?”

“How dare a commoner take such a spot without knowing their place…”

The audience’s overwhelming gaze was filled with surprise, dissatisfaction, and doubt.

The expressions said it all; they couldn’t fathom how I was still there.

How could a pathetic commoner, once ranked in the three-digit range, step into the upper 10 percent?

Those who had watched my earlier matches hadn’t yet resolved that question.

Because the matches ended too suddenly, often in a single blow.

To the people, it seemed far more plausible that I was simply coasting along on luck than that I had genuinely grown strong.

Here stood an insignificant commoner with nowhere near the ability to be among the powerful.

Surely, those thoughts crossed their minds.

“Well, it’s over for you now.”

“This time you’ve got a real opponent.”

“I saw him; he always lost in the practice duels.”

“It’s time for the weak to step aside, and let the real ones take the stage.”

Just before the match, such whispers floated around among the students filling the stage’s audience seats.

Their confidence was simple.

Standing on the other side, facing me in the vast arena, was a girl with cherry blossom-colored twin tails.

Lady Rafisle—Rusika Rafisle was my opponent for this round.