Chapter 79

Chapter 79: Tournament Preliminary Round (1)

A private room at the popular restaurant, Wild Hunt.

Karin and I, having ordered a late dinner, sat facing each other and began an in-depth question-and-answer session.

“Smiling Mask?”

“Yeah. When I said I wasn’t making any contract or anything, she just smashed my bow out of nowhere.”

“And the Curse of Silence?”

“I came to my senses and she was already behind me before I even knew what kind of magic it was. I thought I was done for, but nothing happened, so I wondered what it was. Then I looked into it and was shocked. I really thought something terrible was going to happen back then.”

Karin was a Dark Elf.

Because she was a Dark Elf, her own race had treated her as a Problem Child from birth, and she had been exiled from the Great Forest at fifteen and forced to stand on her own.

Perhaps because her life had been so harsh, her nerves seemed just as strong. 

Even though anyone else would already be trembling with anxiety over something like this, she spoke about it without hesitation.

“Smiling Mask…….”

‘Smiling Mask’ was a member of Abyss.

I had also met Smiling Mask through the Artifact, so her testimony was highly credible.

“Let’s tell the Headmaster or the Professors quickly. This is dangerous, isn’t it?”

On top of that, seeing how actively she wanted to report it, I did not think she was lying.

Of course, Karin’s opinion was reasonable, but that was not what I wanted.

The fact that I had undone the ‘Curse of Silence’ placed on Karin was clearly a new branching point different from the previous timeline.

If that fact was revealed now, the chances that the future I knew would change significantly would rise.

“If you say that, I think your life will actually be in danger.”

“Danger?”

“This is someone who appeared openly inside an Artificial Rift managed by Saengterminum and disappeared without a trace. But what if Saengterminum suddenly finds out about Smiling Mask? How do we know what Smiling Mask will do once she realizes that?”

“…Ah.”

There were more than one or two people in Abyss.

Since they were already moving as an organization, it was not exactly wrong either.

“We don’t know if it’s one person or a group, and they’re wearing masks, so we don’t know who they are. If you report it, won’t their side immediately think your curse has been broken? Are you confident you can deal with what comes after?”

“That… does make sense.”

Karin accepted what I said, but I felt a little pricked by my conscience.

‘No matter what, Abyss probably won’t try to kill you.’

Dark Elves were rare among rare species.

From the perspective of Abyss, which worshipped Black Magic and demons, there was no better recruitment target.

If they were going to kill her, they would have killed her the moment she refused inside the Artificial Rift.

“So for now, we’re watching the situation, right? I think you’re right.”

“If Smiling Mask or someone using Demonic Aura appears again, tell me right away.”

“Why?”

Because if you fall into ‘Abyss,’ I’ll have to kill you.

…It was not like I could say that.

“Because I’m worried my friend might be in danger?”

“…….”

Karin went blank for a moment, then covered her mouth.

“Pfft! What was that?”

Tch. Saying something that does not suit my age is work in itself.

“Got it. Got it. If something like that happens, I’ll tell you. I also got my curse undone thanks to you.”

Still, this much was a usable gain.

Slide.

Lucia, wearing a server uniform, opened the door while carrying the food we had ordered.

“Your meal is here.”

Soon, as Lucia looked back and forth between Karin’s face and mine, her eyes turned cold.

For some reason, her tail also stood stiff.

“You seem to be enjoying yourself? The tournament is almost here, and you are flirting with a classmate?”

“What are you talking about? I’m here to strengthen camaraderie with a teammate and comrade-in-arms.”

“Ah, is that so?”

Look at that glare.

Did she still hate me? 

I thought it was about time her wariness started to loosen a little.

In fact, what I said was not completely wrong either.

“The tournament starts the morning two days from now, right?”

“That’s right. Since every first-year Magic Department student made one team each, there are a lot of teams, so there are preliminary rounds too… They said it’ll be held over several days.”

I needed to do well in the tournament too, if only to find the member of Abyss.

***

Time passed, and it was morning two days later.

The spectator seats of the arena, where the Tournament Preliminary Round was in full swing, were crowded with students and visitors who had come to watch the matches.

The Magic Department Professors hosting the event sat in the faculty seats with the best view of the arena, watching the matches while discussing the synergistic effects the magic cast by the students had in battles between teammates.

“Teams 16, 21, 43, and 53. We have confirmed that all of your bands have fallen off. All of you are eliminated.”

“Team 21 lost, but I would say it was close. If their magic casting had been just a little faster, a different team might have advanced.”

“Everyone worked hard. Team 32, the victors, we will see you in the next match.”

Waaaaaaaah!

Each first-year Magic Department student had formed one team, and the organizers randomly selected five teams at a time like this and sent them into the arena.

The purpose of this preliminary round was for students to protect their bands in the arena and select which teams would advance to the main tournament by having the last remaining student pass together with their teammates.

At the highest point of the faculty seats sat two male Professors and one female Professor. 

They were currently the most influential Magic Department Professors.

The Professor in charge of Magical Engineering, Potrick McGunnerf.

The Professor in charge of Shamanic Magic, Orwell Hamilton.

The Professor in charge of Elemental Magic, Veroniel.

After conveying victory and defeat through the amplification magic installed on the table, the Professors flipped through the files beside them.

The files distributed to the Magic Department Professors contained the names and departments of the first-year Magic Department students participating in the tournament, the names and grades of the teammates they had recruited, and the profiles obtained while conducting classes.

“Mmmmmm…….”

“So this actually happened?”

“So it seems.”

Originally, the three Professors were supposed to analyze and discuss the teams formed by the first-year students overall, but this time, they kept their words sparse and stared holes into the file.

“I still cannot believe it even while looking at it. To think a team like this would be formed.”

Professor Potrick raised and lowered the glasses he was wearing.

<Team 44: Karin, Lloyd, Damon.>

“Hmm… Their team number is not exactly good, is it?”

Professor Veroniel, an Elf, wore a subtle expression.

The team numbers were also randomly assigned for convenience, so it was not something worth paying too much attention to. 

Still, the number 4 was not generally considered a good number.

“Black Magic Department, Grade 2, Lloyd Desmond…….”

Professor Orwell stroked his mustache.

“Holy Magic Department, Grade 3, Damon David…….”

Professor Veroniel narrowed her eyes.

“A Black Magic Department student and a Holy Magic Department student. How did they manage to form a team with each other?”

Whoooosh Tap.

Levia, who had appeared at some point, landed in the faculty seats and continued speaking.

“It’s unexpected, but there’s no reason it can’t happen, right?”

The Magic Department Professors tried to rise from their seats at the appearance of the academy’s head, but Levia waved her hand and stopped them.

“I just stopped by for a bit to watch. Do what you need to do.”

After exchanging light greetings with the Magic Department Professors, Levia sat in the highest seat.

Levia looked around the arena.

‘…Since it’s a Magic Department tournament, quite a few Elves did come?’

They were an extremely small number, not even one percent of the audience, but considering that the Elf race itself was small in number, even that was a lot.

Since many Elves were enrolled in the Magic Department, it made sense that the Elves would be interested enough to come watch.

As Levia carefully examined the faces of the Elves, her gaze soon fixed on one person.

‘Hmm… I didn’t expect that girl to come too.’

Levia lightly glanced at the Elf girl sitting with the other Elves in the audience, then lowered her gaze to the arena below.

She could see the fifteen students participating in this match leaving the waiting room and putting on impact-absorbing bands.

Professor Potrick and Professor Veroniel, who were seated in front, placed their hands on the crystal ball enchanted with amplification magic.

“The teams coming out this time are Teams 12, 20, 22, 39, and 44.”

“Even if this is only the preliminary round, elimination means it ends there. Everyone, please do your best with your teammates so you have no regrets.”

If judged by each person’s combat ability alone, the most likely candidate to pass the preliminary round was naturally Team 44, but—

“Hmm… I do not think it will be that easy for Team 44 to pass.”

At Professor Veroniel’s assessment, Orwell and Potrick also nodded.

“Likely so. The other students also know Team 44’s ability is outstanding.”

“All the teams will focus their attacks on Team 44 the moment the match begins.”

And that was not all.

“Black Magic and Holy Magic should be mutually opposed……. I wonder whether they can coordinate well?”

“This is not individual combat, but team combat. It has not been long since they formed their team either. Their abilities will surely hold one another back.”

“I can only say they were short-sighted.”

Normally, Levia would have agreed with the Professors’ commentary, but—

Pfft.

As far as she was concerned, she could not help but let the corners of her mouth rise slightly.

Because these Professors did not know one fact.

Damon was actually Aron Bayonel, a direct line of the Dark Empire’s Four Great Houses.

And he was a Black Mage who could skillfully handle every branch of Black Magic.

“Who knows…….”

Levia rested her chin in her hand and looked down at the arena with interest.

“Maybe things are different if he’s overflowing with talent in Holy Power?”

Hummm…….

She admired the faint cross shape shining on the back of Damon’s hand.

***

Each team, including mine, attached bands to our right wrists and climbed into the arena under the referee’s guidance.

Beside me, Karin and Lloyd, who were on my team, stood side by side.

“Wow, even looking at it again, this is a great team number.”

The corners of my mouth naturally curved after confirming our team number.

To think the randomly assigned number would be 44. 

I could hardly believe we were this lucky.

I did not believe in gods, but it felt like the strange sensation of being blessed by one.

“I agree. This is good fortune.”

Seeing Lloyd and me both raise the corners of our mouths, Karin expressed her confusion.

“I can understand Lloyd, but why are you happy?”

“Hm?”

“…Now that I think about it, that is true. You are not from the Dark Empire, are you?”

Lloyd and Karin looked at me with subtle gazes.

Damn, was I too obvious?

Others might not, but people from the Dark Empire like me actually liked the number 4.

I cleared my throat lightly.

“Well, what can I say? I thought of it as warding off bad luck. It doesn’t really mean anything.”

After giving a suitable excuse, I looked around.

‘By the way… the scale of this tournament really is huge.’

The arena was wide, of course, and through the Magic Devices installed above it, every corner of the arena was being displayed in large screens before the audience’s eyes.

“It is rather serious.”

Lloyd was also looking around with interest.

In our previous timeline, since Lloyd and I were Black Mages, we had not been asked to participate in many events held by other departments like this.

Flash.

[30]

[29]

[28]

A number made of mana appeared in the center of the arena and began shrinking by the second.

The match would begin the moment that number reached 0.