〈 Chapter 119: Graduation Tournament (4) 〉

*

The venue for the graduation tournament was unusually the Duel Arena outside of the Trials.

This was because, with the contract with the Magic Tower, the Trials could be interfered with from the outside, making it unsuitable for a completely fair battle.

Thus, standing in the middle of the Duel Arena was truly Elsie herself.

‘Finally, the graduation tournament…’

She turned her head and looked around.

She saw countless heroes sitting in the audience seats surrounding her.

Most of them were active heroes, and it was her first time fighting one-on-one in front of so many people.

‘It would be a lie if I said I wasn’t nervous.’

I wonder how Allen would handle this.

Sometimes he seemed to transcend nervousness.

But I guess we’ll find out in his tournament a bit later.

For now, her own tournament was the priority.

‘Of course, I’m nervous, but…’

She spotted a familiar face among the audience.

A girl with red hair, or rather, she might not be a girl anymore.

Regardless, it was her mentor, Miss Gwen.

‘You haven’t changed at all.’

She had already heard about Gwen’s precociousness, but seeing her again after a long time was indeed nostalgic.

Her youthful yet somehow mature expression was something she carried.

With a poker face, she surely must be quite invested in her student’s tournament.

‘Then, I must show her what I can do.’

Gwen had said before.

No matter how much one learns by rolling around, there are limits.

So, going to the Hero Academy to directly clash with promising candidates from around the world and building connections was essential.

‘That was undoubtedly correct to some extent.’

Though primarily, it came down to one person’s role.

[Then I will begin the tournament after counting to three.］

At that moment, a voice amplified by magic echoed through the Duel Arena.

Elsie turned one last time to look at the person she had scouted.

‘It’s been a long time since I’ve seen that figure from the outside.’

While it might seem dull at a glance, he also appeared somewhat composed with his blonde hair.

His face had grown noticeably manly, yet he still retained the slenderness of a youth.

‘Should I really call him a hero?’

This didn’t just mean that he had the title of hero.

Countless others called heroes were seated around him.

Yet among them, he was the only one truly worthy of the title “hero.”

‘Then I must strive to become a hero’s companion too.’

Her opponent was several ranks higher than her among the candidates.

Even if she gave it her all, the chances of winning were slim.

But…

[Three, Two…］

She gripped her sword.

Nervousness could no longer hold her back.

‘I mean, how much stronger can he be compared to Allen?’

[One, Begin!］

*

The duel for Elsie began.

The sound of swords clashing echoed through the Duel Arena.

Gwen and Ludmilla watched with bated breath.

They weren’t alone in holding their breath.

As soon as the duel began, most of the heroes in the audience momentarily focused on the competition.

But it was just a fleeting moment; soon their attention drifted away.

“What’s up with this? The weight class difference is too much!”

“Isn’t that the guy who rode in on the backs of his teammates during the first semester mock battle?”

Before they knew it, the area was once again buzzing with various conversations.

Of course…

“The opponent is quite strong.”

Elsie’s opponent was strong enough for even Gwen to acknowledge.

Of course, it wasn’t in the sense that Gwen herself would find it challenging; it was more about the Elsie she remembered standing against this opponent.

“Definitely, winning seems difficult.”

Ludmilla also remembered this opponent.

Though she was in the archery class, she had heard much about some promising candidates in the swordsmanship class.

And he wasn’t just at a level that was difficult to beat.

‘He’s from the Steel Clan, wasn’t he?’

A clan imbued with an extremely rare form of magic.

Not the common types like light, flame, or darkness, but magic that wielded steel.

Of course, the stronger they were, the longer they had to live with steel in hand, leading to certain limitations.

However, if someone met those conditions and also possessed swordsmanship talent, their power would exceed imagination.

‘It’s quite literally unreal.’

He didn’t just infuse magic into his sword; he wielded the sword with magic.

This allowed him to move the sword with an otherworldly finesse, precisely as if he were controlling his own body.

Moreover, the force behind the sword was formidable enough with the added magic.

‘It seems he hasn’t fully mastered the sword yet, though.’

It was hard to consider that as the full might of a Steel Clan member’s mastery.

She had learned what it meant to fully wield a sword when she witnessed the battle of the high-ranking hero Hugo in the past.

He wielded a greatsword as easily as one would a one-handed sword, which was, frankly, surreal.

‘But what’s important is…’

Even not fully mastering the sword, he was still pushing Elsie back.

His strange swordsmanship, like a whirling typhoon.

Thanks to this, Elsie had yet to show any signs of mounting a counterattack.

“Hmm…”

Of course, at present, Elsie was miraculously withstanding the attacks.

But at this rate, the outcome seemed obvious.

Then perhaps it would be realistic to ask Gwen a question.

“Gwen, are you really going to choose that guy as your successor?”

It wasn’t that Elsie was weak.

Rather, she wanted to point out that, even just the Steel Clan candidate was already stronger, wasn’t he?

Gwen’s swordsmanship was acknowledged by everyone, so she wouldn’t refuse the position.

Only the crazy Allen Pleuk had turned it down.

“Well…”

However, Gwen’s response was indifferent.

It was a bit unexpected.

Ludmilla thought Gwen was like herself, a picky style when it came to choosing disciples.

“Is there a relationship between the candidate Elsie and you?”

If that’s the case, the only thing to suspect was this.

Whether there was any relationship between them, regardless of talent.

And Gwen affirmed that.

“Well, that was part of the reason I took him as my disciple. He was recommended to me by none other than Allen.”

However, the following statement was something Ludmilla hadn’t anticipated.

“That guy recommended him?”

“Yeah, he sent me a kid who was frail and didn’t know a thing about swordsmanship.”

Saying this, she looked at Elsie.

Elsie had already been battered and was on the verge of falling apart after failing several defenses.

On the other hand, her opponent was completely unharmed.

“Honestly, I was a bit skeptical, but it was Allen’s recommendation, so I accepted him. But…”

At that moment, Elsie successfully defended but was pushed back by the sheer power of the impact.

She tried to regain her balance in the air, but the wall of the arena was already close.

With a pained shout, she collided with the wall.

“Do you think that kid can get back up?”

That surely inflicted major damage to her body.

But even so, if she could get back up, the duel could resume at any time.

As long as she didn’t die, there were excellent support mages standing by, ready to treat her.

Yet…

“Usually, they wouldn’t get up.”

She had already felt the weight class difference deeply.

Moreover, standing would surely be painful due to her injuries.

Typically, one wouldn’t think of fighting again in such a situation.

“But she’s getting back up.”

Yet, Elsie rose again from that position.

And she readied her sword once more.

Even in a situation where her will could be crushed, the spirit in her eyes was denser than ever.

“Then it’s time to see how much I’ve grown.”

*

Phew…

She wasn’t laughing or anything.

She had simply spat out the clump of blood that had been blocking her throat.

Only then did she catch her breath.

‘Am I finally reaching my limit?’

It hurt.

It felt as if her entire body was being ripped apart.

But this pain was not unfamiliar.

‘I’ve danced on the brink of death countless times.’

While fleeing the Leim Kingdom, she had come close to death several times.

Had Allen not saved her back then, she would surely have died.

But now she was undeniably alive.

‘But losing here wouldn’t be a huge problem, would it?’

That’s what she had already discussed with Allen.

What was important in this graduation tournament was Yusera’s relic, and her own role as Gwen’s successor had already been decided, so there was no need to feel burdened.

So, in other words, she could afford to lose.

‘No, perhaps I was told that it might be better to lose.’

If she utilized her optical modulation ability, she might have a chance.

However, that was a strategic weapon meant for future operations.

So, she had to refrain from using it in front of so many people as much as possible.

‘Yet…’

Losing and giving up were two different stories.

There was no rule that she had to give up just because she couldn’t use her optical modulation ability.

And her heart was certainly not close to giving up.

‘I don’t really want to give up.’

If she gave up here, it would be terribly embarrassing.

To Miss Gwen, to Allen.

And… to herself.

‘Someone who wants to reclaim the kingdom can’t kneel down here.’

Allen had always said, almost as a habit.

‘Prove it.’

Not giving up and proving it held value in itself.

So now, she wanted to borrow those words and make them her own.

‘I will prove that your choice and my goal are not in vain.’

Before she knew it, she was standing up and raised her sword.

Getting up was something she was already accustomed to, so it wasn’t difficult.

However, what she had to do next was a bit harder.

‘This is going to be a tough proof to offer.’

The moment she got up, her opponent charged at her.

He was already in position to swing his sword.

‘No, that position is just for show.’

His sword moved freely.

So he could easily strike without assuming such a position.

‘In that case…’

The timing would likely be just a bit earlier than that.

Of course, knowing that didn’t mean she could defend against the strength behind the sword.

Even so… there was a weakness. Rather, it was closer to her advantage.

‘If it’s a freely moving sword, I’ve encountered that enough already.’

The power of the wind that Allen wielded.

At first glance, his movements might seem similar.

But…

‘It’s different.’

Subtly different.

Because of that difference, Elsie had only been at the receiving end of his unpredictable attacks until now.

But now, she felt she was beginning to understand the essence of that difference.

‘That is…’

She turned her body and angled her sword.

As a result, her opponent’s sword slid off hers.

‘Compared to Allen’s swordsmanship, this is still clumsy.’

At first, she had struggled to distinguish between ‘good’ and ‘clumsy.’

Probably because she was accustomed to battling against Allen.

But now, she could tell apart ‘good’ from ‘clumsy.’

‘Now there’s only one thing left…’

She just had to make use of it.

“Che!”

The opponent, whose attack had gone astray, attempted to retrieve his sword using magic.

Usually, when an attack misses, the duel would end then and there.

But, not for him.

He was capable of drawing back his sword and counterattacking.

‘But I’ve faced that a lot already.’

As she learned from that, his attempts ceased to work.

So, the unaltered movements of the man were within predictable limits.

Yet, predicting it didn’t guarantee victory.

‘If I interfere with his action of retrieving the sword, I would only end up missing the chance for a counterattack.’

By missing the opportunity, he would reorganize himself, and even if he was clumsy compared to Allen, he would only grow stronger.

Enduring that in her current state would be tough.

‘Somehow, I must end this now.’

The sword was solely for counterattacking.

She shouldn’t use the sword.

Then…

Chomp!

What she chose instead was her teeth.

Literally, she bit down on her opponent’s arm.

“What the hell…”

And amidst her opponent’s shock, she thrust her sword.

‘I won.’

Even though there was an especially foul taste of blood in her mouth.

‘Is this proof enough?’

She turned her head to look at the audience.

*

‘Knowing his personality, I figured he wouldn’t give up…’

That’s why she told him not to give up but to say it was okay to lose.

‘But to think he would actually win.’

Well, considering his family was massacred by the knights he trusted, and having survived countless brushes with death, it was understandable.

She had known about his fierce spirit already, but the recent improvement in her relationship with him had made her partially forget.

‘Later, I’ll have to thank the God of Connection.’

I couldn’t imagine what would have happened if I hadn’t come to my senses.

I’m sincerely relieved.

‘By the way…’

Though he had already gathered quite a bit of attention, a different type of gaze began to feel more pronounced from just now.

I turned to look in the direction from which that gaze was coming.

And there, I saw a familiar face.

‘Gwen?’

No, the gaze was coming from the one next to her.

‘Ludmilla?’

Ludmilla too was suspecting me already.

But it didn’t matter.

Because soon, I was planning to deceive all of them, starting with Ludmilla.

‘It’s time to start.’

I stood up as I watched Elsie, who had received treatment from the support mage, stand up glowing with vigor.

It was time to commence what I had prepared.

*