“Gah, guh!”
Cyrus hit the ground hard from a single blow.
The mont he felt the tip of the practice longsword dig into his stomach, he dropped to his knees.
It was an instinctive reflex, a response to the sharp pain.
'I barely saw him...'
From the perspective of a knight, trained in close combat, not catching even a glimpse of the opponent's movent was alarming.
...This was more serious than he thought.
What if this were a real fight?
If the opponent's blade had been sharp?
Death would have followed instantaneously.
And his team would have been wiped out.
Even more so, considering Theo's strike was with a longsword.
What if Neike had unleashed that strike with his much longer spear?
'Damn it.'
He had been utterly defeated.
By him.
─The highly anticipated Elinia Academy Festival [Martial Arts Competition]! The victor of the final match in the round of 64 is Theo Lyn Waldeurk from the Hero Departnt!
The announcer's voice barely registered in his ears.
Cyrus looked up at Theo with a sour expression.
He was as impassive as before the match began, as if this had been no contest at all.
“......”
Theo extended his hand to him in silence.
He flinched.
Was it the feeling of powerlessness that had been branded into him for the past five minutes?
Cyrus trembled and looked up at him again.
“......”
Sure enough, he was still extending his hand.
'Damn it. You're not even fazed, are you?'
His face grew hot.
Had he been the victor, he would have been rampaging across the field, roaring triumphantly.
His composure was enough to invoke fear.
“......Ha.”
Right.
This was a complete defeat, both in skill and spirit.
Sohow, his heart felt lighter.
Cyrus grasped Theo's hand and got to his feet.
Clap, clap, clap, clap─
The audience burst into applause.
After the match, Theo took a mont to share so pointers on technique with Cyrus.
"When you make a thrust, your shoulders are too tense. Try to relax them a bit."
"And at the sa ti, if you raise your heels slightly, it will add acceleration and make the strike stronger."
It was brief advice, but it struck a chord with Cyrus, who had been confined to the dorms training alone after his defeat in the Knight Departnt's 2v2 tournant.
He nodded as if enlightened and quickly exited the arena.
Cyrus might be cast as a third-rate villain in this story, yet he's still a top-ranking talent, placed 12th in the Knight Departnt.
More importantly, he's the type to translate thought into productive action.
Theo found him quite likable for that reason.
By investing just under a minute of his ti, Theo potentially strengthened an ally for unforeseen future challenges.
Not a bad move.
Who knows?
Today's investnt might yield favorable returns during a crisis like the Academy's destruction.
There was an additional benefit.
Theo felt the unseen experience points for the [Weapon User] and [Sword Beginner] traits accumulating.
Since acquiring the [Weapon User] trait a few days ago, he had observed only the techniques of Neike.
Yet, witnessing Cyrus's flawed techniques also provided many insights.
Pleased, he had ended up offering advice.
"Hmm."
Theo's expression soured as he inspected the round of 32 tournant bracket hovering in the center of the arena.
'The matchups really are at the discretion of the organizers. It's quite blatant.'
[Tarkan vs. Grendor]
[Kazim vs. Kurok]
Every orc and lizardman who had advanced to the top 32 were pitted against each other, without exception.
The showdown between Noctar and Shagarod seed to have influenced the draw heavily.
'They're obsessed with the spectacle. And my luck in the draw is the worst.'
Theo inwardly cursed.
It was as unfavorable as facing Irene, one of the tournant's favorites.
[Theo Lyn Waldeurk vs. Alice Carrol]
Theo's opponent in the top 32 was Alice.
His match was the very last of the round of 32.
'There's plenty of ti.'
His opponent was the formidable one who had defeated Jacob.
With almost no data available and no experience against an archer, Theo knew he needed to prepare thoroughly.
Not only for the quest but for the sake of his reputation, he couldn't afford to lose in the round of 32.
He needed to recharge the mana in his [Magic Cartridge].
"......"
Having returned to the stands, Theo glanced at Seria sitting next to him.
As if she had eyes on the back of her head, she imdiately turned to et his gaze.
Theo murmured as low as he could.
"Would you mind coming with for a mont, Seria? There’s sothing I need to discuss."
"......Heh, sure."
She responded in an equally subdued voice.
Theo nodded, rose from his seat, and carefully made his way out of the stands.
Tap, tap.
A short while later, Seria followed him, her movents just as cautious.
However.
"......?"
Irene, who had co back late from the restroom, tilted her head in puzzlent.
Theo and Seria were both absent from their seats.
Suddenly, she rembered Seria's sly smile, the one she had shown when she brazenly challenged her, Theo's fiancée.
At the sa ti, Seria’s imposing physicality ca to mind.
It was exceptional.
Even among the many physically gifted students in the Knight Departnt, there was none to match her.
Boom, boom—
Thunder roared in her head.
'......Could it be?'
With her face turning beet red, Irene hurried out of the stands.
Since the martial arts tournant was in full swing, the café near the knight departnt was quiet.
Seria and I chose one café to enter.
No words were necessary between us.
"Good work."
"Haa, haa, haa... It's tiring when it's been a while."
After receiving a mana charge from Seria in the café's restroom, I returned to the martial arts tournant's spectator seats.
Naturally, an appropriate alibi was essential.
I distributed drinks I had bought at the café to the others.
Their beverage preferences were well-known to , having been ntioned countless tis in the ga.
"Let's all have a drink."
One by one.
"Uh. Thank you, Theo."
Aisha had an iced aricano.
She normally liked caral macchiato, but she was currently cutting back in preparation for a special performance tomorrow.
It seed like the right choice.
"Hehe, Theo. I'll enjoy this. How did you know I liked it?"
Siena got an aloe juice.
"Wow~ I like the caffeine. Sweet stuff really gets my head spinning."
Eshild was handed a café mocha.
"Thanks, Theo. ...Hmm. It's bland but has a pretty good texture."
For Andrew, a plain yogurt shake.
"Mm! As soon as I take a sip, I feel energy surging through my body."
Julia got an energy drink.
"......Thanks."
For Woohee, orange juice.
"Thank you, young master. I'll enjoy it."
Amy was given a chocolate latte.
"......"
Irene had an iced café latte.
......She was the only one who looked up at blankly, without a word of thanks.
"......"
What's going on?
Has her tastes changed?
The typically spaced out expression on Irene's face was gone.
Her eyes were calm and quiet.
They sohow resembled mine.
Regardless, I continued watching the martial arts tournant.
The round of 32 was nearing its end.
Irene and Julia had both won, advancing to the round of 16.
My turn was coming up soon so I had better start preparing.
I stood up from my seat.
"I'll be back."
Everyone wished well on my return.
......Everyone except Irene.
What's wrong with her?
She should be in a good mood after her sweeping victory in the previous match.
For now, I'll head to the waiting room and run so combat simulations.
Alice is not an opponent to be underestimated.
I have to be fully prepared.
The final match of the top 32.
Theo and Alice stood facing each other atop the arena, poised for battle.
The duel of the hour: Elinia Academy’s most talked-about individual against the creator of the tournant's most stunning upset.
Alice was even more notable as the only person from the Exploration Departnt to make it to the top 32, drawing much attention from the spectators.
The crowd murmured among themselves.
"No matter Alice’s victory over Jacob, Theo is still the favorite to win, right?"
"I'm not so sure. Everyone says Theo is unexpectedly strong, but he has never faced an archer before. And Alice, she’s not ordinary.
She even deliberately entered the knight's range during the prelims, just like she did with Jacob."
"Hmm... But Theo isn’t just brawn, he’s got brains, too. He’s the youngest to ever attend academic seminars."
"One, two, three. Go Theo! You're amazing!"
"Kyaa~ He looked over here! ...He's really handso."
"One, two, three. Go Alice!"
"Alice! You are the Exploration Departnt's sole hope!"
Theo’s expression remained as calm as ever, but Alice was different.
She locked eyes with Theo and her lips curved into a slight grin.
Her eyes then curved like crescent moons.
"I've always wanted to et you, Theo."
Alice's blue eyes shone brightly.
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