The commentator’s astonished exclamation echoed in the arena as the blast kicked up a thick cloud of dust. The crowd burst into commotion. The last thing they saw was Sain’s lance grinding against Cain’s sword. After the dust cleared, the outcome became clear.
“Th-There’s one person standing. It’s... It’s Cain!”
He was standing in a completely different place than when the blast had occurred; the shockwave had presumably sent him reeling. His uniform was badly torn, and he was panting heavily.
“And lying flat on the ground over there is Sain! Which means... the winner of this match is Cain Theresia!”
The substitute pendant Sain was wearing had been shattered. The result was clear. As announced by the commentator, Cain was the victor. The audience erupted in deafening cheers, their excitement reaching a fever pitch. Almost every single one of them had come expecting to see Cain make short work of his unfortunate opponent. What they were treated to was a nail-biter of a match that came down to the wire. As a spectacle, it was unexpectedly riveting and deeply satisfying to behold.
“I’ve never seen Cain have so much trouble in a match, but in the end, he still managed to clinch it! With this victory, he has secured himself a spot in the grand finals!”
“No.” Cain spoke in a level voice as he contradicted the commentators. “This match left me completely exhausted. Recovering in time for the next one is impossible... I’m dropping out.”
Only after a long period of stunned silence was his decision acknowledged by the tournament staff.
Sain woke up to the ceiling of the school infirmary. The sight alone was enough for him to understand what had happened. He sat up on his bed and looked at the clock. Only an hour had passed since the beginning of the semifinals.
“So, in the end, I guess I still lost.”
“It was close.”
Only then did he realize he wasn’t alone in the room. He turned to find Alicia sitting nearby.
“Well, I mean, I guess it depends on how hard he was trying, so I can’t say for sure,” she amended.
“Yeah...”
Alicia was right. Had Cain really been fighting at full power during that match? The deep grudge he harbored against the holy knight imparted an emotional significance to the match that had clearly affected his mental state. Furthermore, he’d just done another one of his one-man-army stunts against a horde of Chaos the previous day, which must have left him weary and battered. It seemed unlikely that a single night was enough for him to make a full recovery.
“...I think he did give it everything he’s got for that last spell, though,” mused Marni.
“It sure did seem like it,” agreed Melia. “That holy sword thing looked like it packed some serious punch.”
Sain nodded and let out a breathy “Yeah” as the door to the room opened.
“Excuse me. Coming in,” said Cain as he walked in and looked directly at Sain. “I see you’re awake. And appear to be fine.”
“Yeah, I guess...” he said before remembering how their match had ended. “What about you? Are you okay?”
Their spells had caused one hell of an explosion.
“Far from it. I didn’t pass out, but I sure feel like I’m about to any second. I won’t be swinging any more swords today.”
He wasn’t kidding; exhaustion was written clearly on his face. That, however, begged the question of why he’d drag his exhausted self all the way here to see Sain. The answer came in the form of him approaching Melia.
“Sorry.”
Sain watched with a puzzled frown as the student council president lowered his head.
“In an attempt to justify what I’ve become, I disregarded your way of life,” said Cain. “It was reprehensible of me to do so, and I take back everything I said.”
Her brows rose briefly in surprise, but she quickly accepted his apology.
“...It’s fine. I got a little too worked up too.”
Next, he turned to Alicia.
“Alicia Remia.”
“Y-Yes? What?”
“I believe I’ve spoken some hurtful words to you as well.”
He was probably talking about the time when they’d run into him in the Origin Spire three months ago.
“I disparaged your inability to use light magic, going so far as to call you a disgrace to the clan, only for you to reappear before me as a proud attendant of the holy knight. In dismissing your efforts as the futile pursuit of a dream beyond your reach, I have merely proven myself to have no eye for talent. For that, I apologize.”
“O-Okay already. That was three months ago, geez... And could you please stop it with all the apologizing? It’s creeping me out. Just be your usual cocky self, okay?” said Alicia as she fiddled uncomfortably with her hair.
Her response drew a smile from him and a soft whisper of “I see.” The truth was that neither Sain nor any of the girls actually felt much lasting anger at Cain. Were he a fundamentally bad person, they would have found it much harder to forgive him, but he was honest and straightforward almost to a fault. In addition, any friction they’d experienced between them was arguably a consequence of his past, which was tragic enough to warrant some understanding on their part.
“Sain, you said that you’re going to save the goddess from her own loneliness. How exactly do you intend to do that?” asked Cain, continuing a topic that had been left unfinished during the match.
“By becoming a god.”
“...Becoming a god?”
“That’s right. After becoming the dark knight, I intend to eventually succeed Shartegallia. The goddess wants to live the same lifetime as someone else. The only way for me to grant her wish is to become her equal.”
After a short pause, Cain broke out in a fit of laughter.
“Haha... Hahahaha! Seriously? Your goal... is to become a god ?”
His amusement persisted, but there was nothing derisive in his chortle. Rather, it came from honest astonishment, and there was a warmness to it that both lightened the mood in the room and shattered the image of the wintry president.
Alicia let out a breath that she seemed to have been holding onto for a long time.
“Geez, and here I was worried you’d be at each other’s throats again...” she muttered. “What happened to the whole I-hate-the-holy-knight-with-a-burning-hatred thing?”
“...I still do,” he answered, though his tone sounded lighter than usual. “But I’ve come to the realization that directing said hatred at our resident nutcase is both misguided and an exercise in futility.”
“Resident nutcase?!” exclaimed Sain in indignation.