Chapter 42: Turnover – 3
……
Huh?
Ian was more agitated than he had ever been, incomparable even to when he was hit by magic.
“W-What the…”
“To think you’ve been seeing your lawful wife’s younger sister. I heard it’s been over two years since that affair began.”
“Shut up! What nonsense are you spouting?!”
“I believe her na was Mary. Does your wife know about this?”
“I told you to shut up.”
“Shall I tell you sothing amusing? She probably already knows.”
Ian’s cheeks twitched violently.
He exhaled sharply through his nose and opened his mouth.
“What do you an by that…?”
“The information ca from your wife in the first place.”
“……!”
“It seems she’s hoping for the rumors to spread and drag your na through the mud. You’ve been negligent with your household, haven’t you?”
“Urgh…”
“So, as she wishes, once this ga ends, I intend to report your scandal to His Majesty. Shouldn’t you try to stop ?”
It was a perfect provocation.
Ian trembled as he drew his sword.
However, the distance between him and Arlia was far too great for him to attack.
If he wanted to strike, he’d have to leave the throne.
His eyes were bloodshot with rage, yet in the end, he sheathed his sword again.
“Splendid… truly splendid, Your Highness.”
“……”
“Even Your Highness has learned to wag your tongue recklessly. Seems your companion’s manner rubbed off on you.”
“Mason is no servant. He’s my comrade.”
“It appears I have one more reason to eliminate Your Highness myself.”
Grinding his teeth, he sat back behind the throne.
Arlia let out a small sigh.
“What a pity.”
“Still, I didn’t expect Your Highness to be so well-inford about rumors.”
“I rely haven’t forgotten what I’ve heard. I’ve no hobby of seeking gossip deliberately.”
“I see. Well then, good work. Do try again if you co up with another good provocation.”
Ti went on like that.
At first, we had 18 hours, but that sense of ease slowly faded.
15 hours.
10 hours.
7 hours.
3 hours.
We tried every trick to lure Ian out, but he held his position with iron will and patience.
When only one hour remained, we steadied our hearts and prepared for the next turnover.
At that mont—
A flash of lightning shot through my mind.
The shock made the others’ voices sound distant.
“Should we… write our wills or sothing?”
“Don’t say such things. You’re younger than my daughter, girl.”
“Oh? Ah, sorry…”
“Perhaps we should just redistribute the teams and join his side. It’d hurt our pride, but still.”
“They said all twenty must agree. That bastard Ian would never consent to a redistribution.”
I muttered absentmindedly.
“Do you all rember?”
“Huh? Rember what?”
“The sudden quest… No, the ti with The Light of Despair, Kanesella.”
“What part of it exactly?”
“When I brought Miss Diana Ma, who could deactivate the Core.”
Everyone tilted their heads in confusion.
Arlia didn’t seem to understand, but she calmly replied nonetheless.
“Of course I rember. We knocked her out and carried her.”
“And when it was all over, we sent her back. Alone.”
“……”
“There was no need for the orb’s owner to move together. It was possible to transport only the person the owner designated.”
Their mouths dropped open.
Aina hurriedly spoke.
“B-But that was only possible because Miss Diana was right in front of you, wasn’t it?”
“No one knows how close the target must be for teleportation. We never tested it.”
I suddenly stood up.
Then took a few steps toward the throne.
At the sa ti, I clenched the bead in my hand and said,
“I want to send Ian de Trosse to the entrance of the Audience Chamber, in front of the main gate.”
……
No response.
I took a few steps closer.
“I want to send Ian de Trosse to the entrance of the Audience Chamber, in front of the main gate.”
Still no reaction.
I walked two more steps and repeated the sa incantation.
No response.
I boldly advanced five more steps and spoke again.
Still nothing.
“Mason! You’re too close. It’s dangerous.”
“Old man, hurry, cast a protection spell on Mason!”
“It’s already activated. Don’t worry.”
Ignoring the murmurs, I kept moving toward the throne.
Finally, I reached the distance where he had once sliced a gold coin in half.
“You’d better stop right there.”
“……”
“On second thought, no—co closer. I may not be able to split your head in two because of this wretched magic, but I’d love to blast you far away.”
You’re the one who’s going to fly.
Exactly on the boundary line—
I gripped the bead tightly and muttered,
“I want to send Ian de Trosse to the entrance of the Audience Chamber, in front of the main gate.”
“What nonsense are you—”
And the next mont—
His voice began to fade.
“You’re really doing i—”
And the rest ca from the other side—
Far off, from the entrance of the Audience Chamber, right in front of the gate.
“Huh? Wh-What the—”
“Why are you popping out of hiding, you idiot! Don’t you know the rules?”
Suddenly, Magireta appeared out of thin air.
Ian blinked rapidly, stamring excuses.
“W-Wait! I didn’t co out by choice!”
“I’m not killing you by choice either, so be understanding.”
“Wait! Wait—!”
“Haha. Just kidding. I am killing you by choice!”
Cough!
Ian spewed blood.
I couldn’t tell what Magireta had done.
His face turned ashen—
And after vomiting dark blood once more, he collapsed onto the floor.
We could only stare, mouths agape, at what had happened in re seconds.
Even I, who had carried out the plan, was speechless.
Magireta smiled sweetly.
“Well, go on then. It seems almost over, so I’ll just watch from here.”
She floated leisurely in midair, lying on her stomach and gazing down at us.
I then walked toward the mbers of the hiding team.
“Uh… it’s over?”
“Never thought such a move was possible.”
“The range of the teleportation bead was wider than expected. About the sa as Ian’s sword reach… roughly within a 5-ter radius.”
“Anyway, thank goodness. If we’d had to switch turns, things would’ve gotten troubleso.”
The faces of the other ordinary participants gradually brightened as well.
One of them asked,
“S-So now, we just have to touch anyone hiding behind the throne and shout ‘Found you,’ right?”
“Yes. That should end the ga.”
“Then let’s just—”
Just then—
“Wait a mont!”
Soone stood up abruptly from behind the throne.
He spoke with a slightly whistling tone—four or five of his teeth were missing.
‘Ah, the man Ian slapped earlier.’
His face was pale, but his voice didn’t tremble as much as expected.
“We’ve lost. We won’t resist, so please co and tag us.”
“……”
“However, I’d like to ask just one last favor.”
He glared at Ian’s fallen corpse in the distance, eyes full of rage.
“Could you bring that bastard’s body over to us? We can’t move until the ga ends.”
“Why such a request?”
“Damn it. I just need to vent. To release the frustration of being treated like filth under that bastard.”
Berseum stroked his mustache and asked,
“You an to mutilate the corpse?”
“Yes. Otherwise, I don’t think I could rest easy.”
“There’s no need for that. He’s already dead.”
“Teacher, you don’t know what kind of treatnt we got from that guy during the six hours we were hiding.”
He ground his teeth—though with a few missing, perhaps he should’ve treasured the rest.
“I won’t go into details. Just please grant us this one last request. Everyone on our team agrees.”
“What’s your na?”
“Font. Font Ron.”
“I see, Mr. Font. Pouring anger on a corpse is fine, but I have a better suggestion.”
I spoke in a calm, gentle tone.
“For all of you to walk out of here alive.”
The crowd fell silent.
Aina spoke in disbelief.
“Mason, don’t give them false hope.”
“It’s not false hope.”
“What are you talking about? Did you forget rule number seven? This ga ensures one of the two teams gets completely eliminated.”
The team that finds more participants than the opposing team passes; the other team is eliminated.
Of course, Aina was right.
But during the six-hour break after the turnover, I’d been thinking about one of the loopholes in the rules.
Or rather—perhaps a trap.
I had asked Magireta about the condition for first place in this ga back then, but she hadn’t answered.
I hadn’t asked about the reward—I asked about the condition. So why couldn’t she say it?
That was what gave the idea.
“We can redistribute the teams.”
“What?”
“If we redistribute the teams and make it 19 versus 1, it’ll work. That one will, of course, be Ian—the dead one.”
Everyone tilted their heads in confusion.
Arlia cautiously raised her hand.
“Yes, Your Highness. You don’t have to raise your hand.”
“I’ll ask one thing at a ti. Doesn’t it make no sense to divide into 19 versus 1?”
“Why not?”
“Well… it should be 10 versus 10.”
“Where does it say that in the rules?”
“Hmm. Rule number one?”
You must form teams within 10 minutes. There will be two teams.
I shook my head.
“Rule one only says to form teams within 10 minutes, and that there must be two teams.”
“……”
“It never says they must be ten against ten. Magireta also never said that.”
“……!”
“Since there were twenty of us, we naturally assud the teams had to be ten versus ten—for fairness, to avoid any advantage or disadvantage.”
But looking strictly at the rules, there was no need for it to be ten against ten.
It could be twelve versus eight, or fifteen versus five.
Even nineteen versus one.
Then Aina carefully asked,
“S-Still, Ian’s already been eliminated, hasn’t he?”
“……”
“Having an eliminated person on the opposing team doesn’t make sense, right? Magireta wouldn’t allow it.”
“Aina, think carefully about the notices on the bulletin board from the past quests.”
“……?”
“For the first to third quests, every notice said, ‘If you do not do X or Y, you will be eliminated.’ But what does rule number five say this ti?”
……However, if you leave your hiding spot after six hours, you will die.
It says die.
Not be eliminated.
“We’ve always thought elimination equals death. Because everyone eliminated so far has died.”
“……”
“But the two are entirely different concepts. If they were the sa, this would be the first ti since this hellish ga began that the bulletin board specifically used the word ‘die.’”
“Ah…”
“Ian is dead, yes—but he’s rely dead. He hasn’t been eliminated. Ian is still a participant.”
After explaining up to that point, I took a deep breath.
Then I shouted loudly toward Magireta.
“I’m right, aren’t I, big sis?”
“Well~ I always trust my little brother, but it seems the others don’t.”
“Then I’ll have to show proof.”
“Proof?”
“I request a team redistribution. Please display the small bulletin board with the handprint you showed before.”
Magireta smirked.
Then snapped her fingers.
Snap!
“Huh?”
“Th-This is…”
“If we place our palms here, it ans we agree to the redistribution.”
Small bulletin boards appeared before each of us.
In front of . In front of Arlia.
In front of Aina and Berseum.
And—
“Look over there.”
Even in front of Ian’s corpse.
Everyone gaped.
Step, step.
I walked toward Ian and said,
“If Ian were truly eliminated, no board would’ve appeared. But since he’s rely dead, it did. Do you believe now?”
“……”
“Let’s redistribute the teams. Everyone, place your palms on your boards.”
Everyone hurried to press their hands against the boards in front of them.
I did the sa.
And finally—
Tap.
I lifted Ian’s arm and pressed his palm against his board.
Then Magireta spoke.
“Alright. Since everyone agrees, I’ll redistribute the teams.”
“……”
“Sa as before. The ti limit is ten minutes. Divide into two teams. Since everyone’s gathered here anyway, let’s do it right now.”
I left Ian’s body and returned to the group.
Then I called out to those still hiding behind the throne—the forr hiding team.
“Co down here. We all need to gather together.”
“Th-Thank you so much.”
“Sniff… We’re alive thanks to you, Sir Mason.”
“To think you’d save us even after all the trouble we caused you earlier…”
“You’re like a saint, Sir Mason—a true saint.”
That’s not it.
I glanced up at Magireta.
She smiled, as if she understood my gaze.
I smiled back and thought to myself—
‘Because this is how I can fulfill the condition for first place.’
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