“Mere seconds after the match began, Sain knocked Noel out with a lightning-fast spell! What a decisive victory that was!”
“I’d say this is an example of a sneak attack going brilliantly well. Noel didn’t even have a chance to show what he could do. It was certainly an effective tactic. Hit them hard, hit them fast, and seal the deal before they can react. Sain definitely deserves credit for the way he took such swift and decisive action in the opening seconds of the match.”
“He sure hit him hard and fast, but... what did he hit him with ? Was it... dark magic? Like, is it just me or have I never seen that spell before?”
“I don’t think it’s you. I’ve never seen anything like it either. It’s... possible he just used a very rare spell that’s not taught in school.”
“Wow! Maybe he’s going to be the dark horse of this tournament!”
Sain, meanwhile, made no attempt to celebrate his victory. He simply stood there in the ring, still as a statue. His classmates, who’d been watching him from the spectator seats, began talking nervously amongst themselves.
“Y-Yo, did you see that? What just happened?”
“That has to be a fluke, right? I mean, we’re talking about that loser...”
“B-But... could you have dodged that thing?”
The match’s outcome was received quite differently from person to person. Those unfamiliar with Sain found it surprising at best. To those who saw him on a daily basis, however, the result was absolutely mind-blowing. In fact, the mind that was most blown probably belonged to Sain himself, who stared with wide-eyed wonder at Noel, his hand pressed painfully to his head as he left the arena with the assistance of staff. Eventually, Sain collected himself and made his way toward the stands. Along the way, Marni approached him with small, even steps.
“See? I told you so.” She sounded pleased. “You might not realize it... but you’ve steadily gotten stronger in these past months. At this point, you’re not going to have much trouble against the average student.”
Sain’s victory was clear proof of his strength, but he’d won in such an unexpected manner that the audience hadn’t managed to process the implications yet. Sooner or later, though, they’d clue in.
“Huh... Haha... Hahaha...”
The numbness finally faded, and triumph welled up from inside him, bursting out in the form of a long bout of laughter.
“Mwahahahahaha! The omens finally ring true! I am indeed the one chosen by darkne— Ow!”
“Simmer down.”
He grimaced and nursed the spot on his shin that Marni kicked.
“That spell was always best suited for surprise attacks. It’s brutally effective against people who haven’t seen it before... so don’t expect it to be so effective next time.”
“G-Good point.”
He took a moment to appreciate her insight. It made him glad to have her as his mentor. Her sober tone also had the effect of cooling his head, which had been a tad feverish from the victory, and allowed him to do a bit of reflecting.
It all felt so surreal. He remembered how things had been when he first sealed away his holy knight powers. Back then, every enemy had felt like a massive hurdle to overcome. When he’d just arrived at the school, he wasn’t sure if he could even take down a goblin by himself. Now, he’d improved enough to defeat an upperclassman without breaking a sweat. His progress was so smooth that it was almost scary. He felt like the protagonist of a story.
“In any case, congratulations on winning your first match,” said Alicia as she walked up behind Marni. “To be honest... back when school just started, I really didn’t think you’d become this strong.”
“Yeah... neither did I. All that tutoring must have paid off. I’m lucky to have met such a good mentor.”
Sain’s compliment elicited a faint blush from Marni.
“Oh, wait a minute! I have to go watch Maid—”
“I’m back.”
He was just about to dash off to spectate Melia’s match when the person in question showed up behind him. He stared at her in confusion.
“Wait, what? What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be at your match?”
“I was.”
“...Huh? Didn’t it just start?”
“Mmhm.”
“...Oh. I see. No mercy, huh?”
“Nope.”
Unlike Sain’s instant victory, which was the result of a healthy dose of beginner’s luck, Melia’s came from pure skill. Judging by the pristine state of her clothes, she probably just went in, curb-stomped her opponent in the blink of an eye, and casually strolled out of the arena.
“Well, anyway, at least we both advanced to our second matches.”
“I’m looking forward to the two of us going head to head, Master Sain.”
“...Th-There are still plenty of matches before that. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Besides, there’s still a chance that you don’t make it all the way through the brackets, right?”
Even he didn’t believe that last part. In fact, he was already starting to dread the professional asskicking he was going to receive.
“If you two run into each other, it’ll be in the semifinals, I think?” asked Alicia.
“According to what it says here, yes.”
Melia unfolded a piece of paper and showed it to her. Drawn on it were the tournament brackets. She regarded the diagram with interest before frowning at a particular column.
“Wait... Doesn’t this mean your third match might be against Cain?”
Melia’s expression sobered.
“It certainly does... and chances are, it will be.”
“Yeah... Hm?” Alicia lifted an eyebrow. “But your second match is—”
“Yo, Sain!”
Before she could finish her sentence, someone shouted in their direction. They turned to see a familiar sight: two red-headed twins. Rayde, the older of the pair, let out a hearty laugh, while his sister Yuria, standing half a pace behind him, tipped her head in a polite nod.
“Hey, it’s the Eldises,” said Sain, greeting his foes-turned-friends. Ever since they’d met in mock mortal combat during the field studies, their relationship had taken a more amicable turn. Despite being in different classes, he’d meet the twins every so often and enjoy a quick chat.
“Ah, how could we forget,” said Melia. “Of course they’d be here, too.”
“You bet we are. And we’re both through our first match. Looks like you both won yours too, huh? Now, that makes me happy.” Rayde grinned with teeth. “It looks like there’ll be some people who’ll actually make me work for my wins.”
Alicia rolled her eyes at that.
“Says the ones who lost to us in the field exercises.”
“Hah, it’s one-on-one now, so don’t get too cocky. Sure, we lost to you last time, but that was because of your teamwork. I’m more of a solo type. Same goes for Yuria. This time, things’ll be different,” declared the older Eldis with the confidence of someone who absolutely believed what he was saying. Then, in a sudden reversal of his usual defiant attitude, he turned to Marni and spoke with a slight stammer. “By the way... D-Did you, uh, enter the tournament?”
Marni, who hadn’t been expecting anyone to talk to her, was caught by surprise. It took her a few seconds to respond.
“...That’s none of your business.”
“Oof... B-But, I guess you’re right...”
Rayde visibly wilted. For someone who had been making fun of Marni at every turn during her hermit days in the library tower, that was a rather unexpected reaction. It almost seemed like he wanted to establish some kind of rapport with Marni. Sain, who’d noticed a change in Rayde’s attitude toward Marni since the field exercises, simply figured he’d spent some time reflecting on how badly he’d treated Marni before, and that this was his way of showing repentance.
“Don’t take it personally. Miss Grim is simply reserved by nature. She is a lady of few words,” said Sain.
He was trying to make things a little less awkward between the two, but he only earned himself a glare from Marni.
“...I can speak for myself, thank you very much. And I meant what I said.”
The conversation came to an abrupt end, and the silence became increasingly awkward until it was broken by Yuria.
“Pardon me, um, Sir Sain?”
He almost jumped at the way she addressed him, thinking for a moment that his cover was blown, but it quickly occurred to him that she’d always had this slightly formal style of speech. It was a quirk of hers, he supposed. Still, it felt weird to be called Sir by someone other than the headmaster.
“U-Um, I, uh...”
She stammered nervously, as though trying to muster the courage to speak, before blurting out, “L-Long time no see!”
“Uh, yeah? It’s been a while, I guess,” he answered with a puzzled look.
“A-As you may already be aware, should we both proceed smoothly through our brackets, we will face each other in our third match.”
He was indeed aware, so he nodded and gestured for her to continue.
“So, um... I’d just like to say... I’m rooting for you! So you’d better keep winning until then!” she exclaimed with her finger pointed at him in what was probably meant to be a gesture of challenge, if not for her intensely reddened cheeks.
A few seconds later, she pressed her palms to her face as though trying to hide behind them. Then, finding them inadequate, she quickly shuffled back behind her brother. The whole sequence left Sain utterly flummoxed.
Everyone else, though, was more than aware of what was going on.
“Maaaaster Saaaain?”
“Ow! Ow!” He flinched at a sharp sensation of pain in his side.
“It looks like you reeled another one in, doesn’t it?” Melia said with her signature I’m-going-to-murder-you smile. She dug her fingers into the soft flesh below his armpit.
“Gah! Stop pinching me, Maid!”
Marni turned to Alicia and whispered in her ear.
“Hey, Alicia. Is Sain... actually sort of a girl magnet?”
“What?! U-Um, good question... Maybe?”
It was a tricky question to answer for Alicia, who happened to be feeling the attraction. Sain was undoubtedly an oddball, which should have made him an unlikely target of affection, but admitting that had some uncomfortable implications. After all, she’d fallen for him; what did that make her? At the same time, she wasn’t quite ready to concede that he was a ladies’ man. Thoroughly flustered by the question, she failed to produce a reply for Marni, who studied her and nodded.
“It’s okay. I don’t blame you,” Marni said with her usual unreadable expression. Then, she looked down at her feet and added in a slightly embarrassed tone, “I can definitely see why people fall for him.”
That got a response from Alicia.
“You what?! ”