Chapter 160

【 Tournament Finals 】

The All-Academy Representative Tournament.

It was a match where students representing each academy came forth to compete.

The representatives could wield any weapon they wished and fight in any manner they desired.

Because of that, I had to face opponents of all kinds.

“Just die already!”

“I’m not quite ready to die yet.”

“Guh?!”

After dodging the axe-wielding girl’s strike, I struck her abdomen hard with the hilt of Mistcatcher.

Then, I lightly slashed her leg.

She immediately dropped to her knees, and I placed my sword over her shoulder.

“Can I take this as my victory?”

“…Gideon Kyrgram. I’ve heard plenty about you. The hero who defeated every monster that escaped from Lysquare Academy’s monster enclosure, and single-handedly subdued the Lava Golem that plagued Muktaba. The white-haired swordsman famed for his extreme defensive style.”

“…A little exaggerated, but mostly correct.”

“You really are extremely defensive. It’s like hitting a wall. And I’m using an axe—how do you block all my attacks? You shouldn’t be able to parry something like this with a sword.”

“I’ve blocked heavier blows before.”

I chuckled faintly and sheathed my sword.

Then, I offered her my hand.

“Anyway, it’s my win, right?”

“Yeah, you won… Make sure you win the whole thing, will you? That way, at least I can say I lost to the champion.”

“Sure, I’ll do my best to win.”

She smiled as she took my hand and stood up.

The matches so far had gone smoothly.

Well… smooth, but not easy.

Some opponents used magic, others wielded bows.

‘Those who used bows were easy once I closed the distance, but getting close wasn’t easy.’

For the archers, I could simply deflect every arrow and approach with ease.

But for the magicians who used all kinds of spells—it took time.

Their attacks came from all directions, and they teleported around, making it hard to reach them.

‘Still, I’m a swordsman who uses quite a variety of powers myself.’

In any case, I somehow managed to beat the magician too, though it took a while.

And the girl I just defeated was my semifinal opponent.

Which meant… I had just won the semifinals.

‘Now… only the finals remain.’

After the match ended and I left the arena, I slumped into a chair in the waiting room.

‘Finally the last one, huh?’

After about an hour of rest, I’d have to go fight the final match of this academy tournament.

Truly the final event of the Empire’s grand festival.

And my opponent in that match was… of course, Eisen.

‘Naturally.’

During the swordsmanship tournament, Eisen used only swordsmanship—except when he faced Sara.

Other than that, even in the finals, he defeated every opponent using only his rapier.

‘Even in the all-academy tournament… he’s only used swordsmanship.’

It didn’t matter if his opponent was a swordsman, magician, or archer.

Eisen defeated them all with his rapier alone and advanced to the finals early on.

“…Can I really win against him?”

I had watched all of Eisen’s matches.

His swordsmanship was nothing short of perfect.

Disciplined yet refined.

His elegant movements toyed even with the audience.

I wasn’t sure if my defensive swordsmanship could truly withstand his attacks.

‘And there’s the matter of his fire… and lava. Especially the lava—that wasn’t something I expected.’

It wouldn’t be an easy fight.

But still, it was a fight I had to take.

Because of the promise I made with Eisen… I had to win.

Only by defeating him could I obtain the information I sought.

“…Haah, enough. I shouldn’t overthink this.”

What I needed to do was simple.

Win.

All I had to focus on was winning.

And that decisive battle would take place in about an hour.

‘Might as well go see him.’

After sorting my thoughts, I stood up.

“How’s Lady Sara doing?”

“Still not good.”

“…I see.”

At Luke’s reply, I glanced toward the inside of the hospital room.

Inside, Sara sat blankly on the bed—staring at her right arm, now blackened and wrapped in bandages.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t come watch your match today. Someone had to stay here as her guardian.”

“I understand. It’s the right thing to do.”

“Thanks. But… haah, I really don’t get it. No matter how you look at it, someone from the Isrinbloom Ducal Family should’ve come by now. How can no one from her family even come to check on her?”

Luke looked genuinely frustrated.

At that, Lisa—who had come with me—spoke up.

“Lord Dilug’s behavior is definitely strange. My mother contacted me yesterday and said she suspects something’s wrong with him too.”

“That makes sense. I met Lord Dilug yesterday myself, and anyone who knows him would’ve found his demeanor suspicious.”

Luke sighed quietly, then turned to me again.

“The finals are soon, right? You’ll be facing Eisen.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Gideon, I know I was the one who encouraged you to enter, but… if you want, you can forfeit. You don’t have to go out there and face Eisen.”

“But if I forfeit, Lysquare Academy will take second place, won’t it?”

I smiled faintly.

“I checked the scores on the way here. Muktaba Academy is just barely ahead right now. If I win the all-academy tournament…”

“Gideon.”

This time, Lisa—standing beside me—spoke.

She took my hand, her eyes more serious than ever.

“You don’t need to push yourself to face Eisen for something like that. It’s okay if you don’t win. What matters is that you don’t get hurt.”

“But…”

“If anyone dares to insult you for forfeiting, tell me. I’ll deal with their family mysel—”

“Noona. Lisa Noona.”

“Uh, y-yes?”

I cupped both her cheeks with my hands.

She looked startled.

“It’s okay, Noona. Don’t worry. For your sake, I’ll make sure I don’t get hurt.”

“…You really promise not to get hurt?”

“If it gets dangerous, I’ll surrender right away. But at least… at least once, I want to face Lord Eisen head-on.”

“But do you really think Eisen will stop if you surrender? Even yesterday, when Sara tried to forfeit, he kept fighting.”

“Well… I have my ways.”

I turned toward Luke.

“Instructor, if I declare surrender, can you intervene immediately?”

“Of course. I’ll be watching closely to make sure what happened yesterday doesn’t repeat. I’ll step in right away.”

“Thank you. Alright… that’s fine then, right, Noona?”

“…If you’re in danger, I’ll intervene myself. Just know that.”

“Got it, Noona. Got it.”

I gave Lisa a light hug.

Then I looked back at Luke once more.

“But Instructor, if you come to watch the finals, what about Lady Sara…”

“I’ll ask another instructor to stay with her for a while.”

“That’ll work, then.”

I nodded and turned my gaze toward the inside of the hospital room.

Sara was still staring blankly at her right arm, her expression empty and lifeless.

“…It seems the shock wasn’t just physical but also mental.”

“The real problem is Sara’s mental state. Her arm… well, I think there might be a way to fix that somehow. But her mind… it seems completely shattered.”

“Because of her family?”

“Yes. She keeps mumbling that she’s become a useless, abandoned existence.”

Indeed, Sara looked more defeated than I had ever seen her.

That noble pride of hers seemed utterly broken.

It honestly worried me.

Like Luke said, there would surely be a way to heal her arm.

If all else failed, I could pour Elixirs on it myself—though people might question where I got them.

But the wounds of the heart… those weren’t something that could be healed with such means.

As I was watching Sara through the hospital window, filled with concern—

“…Huh?”

Sara suddenly lifted her head and looked out the window.

Then, her eyes met mine.

She raised her left arm and pointed at me, then motioned for me to come inside.

“Looks like she has something to say to you.”

“May I go in?”

“Yes, go ahead.”

I nodded and stepped into the room.

It wasn’t particularly large—just a modest single room.

“…Will you sit beside me for a bit?”

It was the first time in a while that I had heard Sara’s voice.

Though it was the same voice as always, there was no strength in it, and her throat sounded hoarse.

“Yes, of course.”

I took a seat next to her.

Sara stared at me silently for a while before speaking in a faint voice.

“You’ve made it to… the finals, right?”

“Yes. I’ll be heading there soon.”

“And Eisen oppa… he’s in the finals too?”

“Yes, that’s right. I’ll be facing him soon.”

“I figured as much.”

Sara fell silent again after saying that.

Then, after a brief pause, she spoke timidly.

“Gideon… do you think of me as a friend?”

“…If Lady Sara thinks of me that way… then yes, I do.”

“…I see.”

For a very brief moment, Sara smiled faintly.

Though soon after, her face returned to that same desolate expression.

“Then, Gideon… as your friend, can I ask you for a favor? It’s a selfish… and childish request.”

“What kind of favor?”

“When you face Eisen oppa…”

“Everything’s going well, Eisen. Thanks to how perfectly you displayed that power during the Swordsmanship Tournament, people are showing great interest in our family.”

“But it’s not all good attention. I might’ve been too harsh… on my sister, Sara.”

“No, I think you did the right thing. Because of that cold-hearted act, people are praising our family even more. They’re saying the Isrinbloom Family’s ruthlessness is exactly what the Empire needs right now.”

Rage smiled with satisfaction.

“Well, it’s true that His Majesty the Emperor is far too lenient these days. Other nations are starting to climb over us without knowing their place.”

“……”

“Whether it was your intention or not, that display of Isrinbloom’s mercilessness—even toward a weak family member—will serve us well in gaining people’s support and faith.”

Eisen’s face remained expressionless.

Then, he rose from his seat.

“The finals are starting soon. I’ll get going. I just need to use that power freely again, right?”

“Yes. Show them how strong you—and we—truly are. Don’t hold back, not even a little.”

“Of course. I wasn’t planning to go easy anyway.”

Eisen left the waiting room alone and made his way toward the arena.

There, at the entrance, he spotted Gideon waiting.

“I’m not late, am I?”

“No. You came right on time. Once our names are called…”

Before Gideon could even finish his sentence, the announcer’s voice rang out from the arena.

“Now! Let us welcome the two representatives who will decorate the grand finale of the Academy Tournament!”

At those words, Eisen and Gideon began to move.

They entered the arena together and walked toward the center—met with thunderous applause and cheers from the crowd.

But despite all that overwhelming attention, both stood calm and composed.

At least, outwardly.

In truth, both of them were deeply tense inside.

“Both contestants, please take your positions… yes, draw your weapons. I’ll now explain the rules. During the match, both of you may…”

As the referee went through the customary explanation, the two swordsmen took their stances.

Eisen assumed the opening stance of the Isrinbloom Family’s swordsmanship.

Gideon held his sword close to his body, minimizing his target area as much as possible.

‘That stance… Sara used it too. So Gideon really was the originator of that style.’

Eisen had heard about Gideon’s defensive swordsmanship and had experienced a rough version of it through Sara.

Facing the original master of that technique made him tense as he prepared himself.

“Alright, both of you, get ready! The match will begin in five seconds. Five, four, three…”

“Hm?”

Eisen was suddenly caught off guard.

Right before the match began—

Gideon abruptly changed his stance.

From a defensive form to suddenly…

‘That’s… our family’s—’

The exact same stance as Eisen’s.

Before Eisen could even process what was happening—

“…Two, one. Begin!”

The moment the referee shouted, Gideon charged straight at Eisen.

He displayed the elegant and intricate swordsmanship of the Isrinbloom Family.

And not just the swordsmanship—

Whoosh―!

Flames erupted around Gideon.

Just like the true swordsmanship of the Isrinbloom Family.

“What are you… doing right now…”

Eisen barely managed to parry Gideon’s rapid strikes, still looking stunned.

“You’re using our family’s swordsmanship against me…?”

“I’m only granting a friend’s request.”

“…What?”

“My friend’s… very childish request.”

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