Book 4 Chapter 4
Episode 78
If all the main tournament matches had concluded in the morning, then the second round also finished without a hitch in the afternoon.
It was customary for the top student, from ancient times, to advance to the chief decision match as the first seed if they passed the first round, and then engage in a three-way battle with the two students who passed the second round.
That’s why no one questioned Rain’s late return home, even though his family had frantically searched for him…
—Wow, so Lady Christa and Kayden made it to the final match after all.
—But speaking of the first round, what on earth was going on with Warden and Karain? It couldn’t have been match-fixing.
The chatter of those who had finished their day's work brushed past his ears like the wind.
“Young Master?”
Rain, walking deep in thought, didn’t hear anything.
‘Valencidis, what is your true identity…?’
His healing abilities were several times better than Sammy’s; the poison in his left arm had completely disappeared.
“Young Master.”
There was still a tingling sensation, but even so, wasn't this an incredible level? But he was a man, so who taught him witch magic?
“Young Master!”
A sudden shout pierced his ears, and Rain startled, looking to his side to see the muscular giant Logan standing there with a slightly pouting face.
“What are you thinking so deeply about?”
“Oh, sorry, did you call me?”
They stared at each other awkwardly in response, then Logan scratched the back of his head with a sigh.
“What do you think of today’s match?”
“Today’s match?”
“I’m talking about the match between Lady Christa and Lillian! It ended ridiculously, didn’t it!”
Christa and Lillian’s match?
Ah, right…
He had watched until Christa summoned that golem thing, then left the city with Rivadin. He’d been so preoccupied that he forgot.
“What happened with that? I couldn’t watch it because of some student council business.”
At his question, Logan’s expression seemed to darken slightly. Logan glanced at the night sky and spoke with difficulty.
“That was…”
***
Everyone’s eagerly anticipated match between the Karain clan of Rivendell and the Warden family, masters of magic, ended absurdly in an instant.
“…?”
“…?”
“…?”
The heated audience doubted their eyes and fell into silence. Did I miss something? Is this right?
Lillian, under the threat of the Sandstone Golem, clearly summoned the divine beast of Rivendell, the Flame Serpent (炎蟒).
The divine flame, taking the form of an imugi, manifested in the mortal world, encircling and protecting its summoner, annihilating all enemies.
And at that very moment, when everyone eagerly awaited the clash with the Sandstone Golem.
– You know, aren’t you actually respecting your father?
For two months, the voice that had tormented Lillian suddenly resurfaced in her mind.
– You’re doing exactly what that Dadan fellow did. Trampling everything around you for your own goals.
And was it a coincidence?
That at that moment, Dadan Karain’s face, smirking confidently of Lillian’s victory, caught the corner of her eye.
‘I, I…!’
She couldn't pinpoint the exact reason. Due to an endlessly complex mix of reasons… at the very moment the Flame Serpent was engulfing the Sandstone Golem with infernal flames.
*Shhwwwwoooosh—!*
Despite being constructed with an illusionary barrier, the core of the heat, which had exerted immense warmth even on the spectators' stands, making everyone drenched in sweat, vanished.
“---?”
In that moment of everyone’s bewilderment, the one whose eyes widened more than anyone else was Christa Warden herself.
*Goo-ooo-ooong—!*
Was it a mistake? The Sandstone Golem, faithfully executing its caster’s attack command, struck Lillian Karain directly…
Blasted straight through the air by the direct hit, Lillian crashed violently into the outer wall at the far end of the arena before finally stopping and slumping to the ground.
“…?”
“…?”
“…?”
An intense silence fell over the arena.
Not just the ordinary spectators, but even the pinnacle mages—Marhena, Madelia, Kyle, Elin, and others—could only blink their eyes for a moment.
Kasena Page looked up at Madelia, wondering if she had missed something due to her inadequacy.
“Mom, what? Did that ugly one win?”
The answer came not from Madelia, but from Professor Kyle, who regained his composure faster than anyone. He raised his hand high.
[The winner of the first main round, the final match, is… Christa Warden!]
Unlike the first match, which was more intense than any other, no cheers or applause erupted from the stands. Everyone simply tilted their heads.
Because no one could accept the outcome of the match.
“What was that?”
“Magic exhaustion?”
“Are you kidding? That’s Lillian Karain. The vessel who has handled a 5-star summon since childhood!”
And the person who couldn't accept this victory or defeat more than anyone else wasn't Dadan Karain, who was now standing up and shouting that the illusionary barrier must have been wrong, but Christa Warden.
“…What do you think you’re doing right now.”
Then the Sandstone Golem moved its massive body, reaching out across the Dragon’s Blood Arena towards the unconscious Lillian.
“What do you think you’re doing?!”
What she wanted was victory.
What she clearly wanted was the top position.
But she didn't want an obvious victory. Nor a position given out of goodwill. She wanted to achieve it with her own strength. Solely through her own effort.
Because she wanted to tell others later, because she wanted to pass it down to future generations.
She had no talent. Because she had none, she had lived so diligently.
“Are you kidding me? Get up! Who would be happy with a victory like this? Get up!”
It was Chief Professor Marhena who reined in her anger.
“If you inflict harm on your opponent in a match that’s already over, you will not only be declared defeated but also judged to lack the qualities of a mage and be expelled. Are you still willing to do that? Huh?”
Expulsion…?
Christa, glancing alternately at Marhena and Lillian, eventually dropped her head, bit her lip, and made the Sandstone Golem disappear.
Assistant instructors from the match committee soon rushed over and carried Lillian onto a stretcher.
“So, it’s over?”
“Yeah, pretty much. Warden won.”
“But with a victory like this, even the winner must feel uneasy.”
Like a loser, Christa walked out of the arena with heavy steps, then the next moment she cried out desperately to the sky.
The end of her competitive spirit that had nowhere to go, the end of her efforts honed just for today…
“My Lady…”
Gertrude looked at her retreating figure worriedly, then, as if realizing she needed to offer some comfort, she scurried after her.
Someone held Gertrude’s shoulder. It was Christa’s teacher, Professor Caroline.
Their eyes met, and Caroline gave a wry smile, lightly shaking her head.
“She needs time to think by herself. In times like these, you just have to wait for her.”
“But Professor…”
“Are you worried that Christa’s condition will be ruined like this? There’s no way. Christa is such a strong child.”
Yes, how strong she was.
From the first moment they met, she was a child strong enough to bring tears to one’s eyes. From the first moment they met, she was the child who made Caroline determined.
That no matter what, she would definitely make this child the best mage.
***
The Flame Serpent suddenly disappeared, and Lillian lost… it was certainly strange. But why is he asking me, I don’t know.
“So, I was wondering, Young Master, did you perhaps do something?”
Ah, now I’m starting to get it. He thinks I interfered because the Flame Serpent disappeared, just like during the midterm exam?
‘But that’s strange.’
Back then, or during the match with Nora, no one recognized Bel Quirius, which I used as a decisive blow.
No, did Nora recognize it?
Then she might have told Logan, who is also a disciple of the Eight Great Schools. But about this matter, I truly know nothing.
“No, I didn’t do anything. As I said earlier, I had other business, so I couldn’t even watch the match.”
“Not today, but during the midterm exam. Lillian’s condition has been strange ever since then, sir…”
At that time, I did directly make the Flame Serpent disappear with my own hands. Was it that much of a shock?
Or was it… was there a problem with the question I asked then? It was just a question out of pure curiosity.
Ugh, my head is already aching because of Valencidis, I’m not going to think about it. But Logan spoke cautiously.
“Young Master, if you don’t mind, couldn’t you perhaps help Lillian a little?”
“Me? What could I do?”
“Well… as you know, I used to be quite reckless, but after you told me those words a while ago, I realized something important and changed, sir.”
At the beginning of the semester, Logan believed in his strength and abilities, showed them off, and looked down on other students. But after hearing those words from Rain, his mindset changed.
- Are we enemies? Aren’t we colleagues exploring the field of magic together?
There are no enemies at school. Everyone is just a fellow student exploring magic together… Logan said in an earnest voice.
“The way Lily is now, it’s too pitiful, I just can’t bear to watch.”
“…”
“Couldn’t you say something similar to Lily? Even if I wanted to, if it’s not related to muscles, I’m just so bad with words…”
Ugh, a sigh close to a groan escaped him.
It’s so annoying, really.
If it were anyone else’s request, even if he hadn’t just defeated Rivadin and had that strange conversation with Valencidis, he would have flat-out refused.
But if it was Logan’s request, the story changed 180 degrees.
‘He helped me generously during my training…’
More than anything, wasn’t he the biggest contributor to getting Kasena to walk? Even going so far as to diligently teach her the art of "Jujeok-sul," which could be called a secret technique of their school.
“Alright, I get it. So, where is that red-headed kid now?”
“You’re going to help? Umhahaha! As expected, Young Master is the best! In our school, we shout ‘I knew you would!’ at times like this!”
Logan’s eyes sparkled, and he happily waved his fists around.
“As expected, Young Master, I knew you would~!!!”
Seeing such an innocent reaction, he felt rather abashed, so he subtly averted his gaze and let out a feigned sigh.
“What ‘knew you would’? It’s just a whim. Got it? Just tell me where she is. I’ll deal with it quickly and get some sleep.”
***
Looking back, there had never been a day when his legs felt heavier than the day he left the magic tower.
“…”
As Lin kept looking back at the old, humble magic tower repeatedly receding on the horizon, Rista smiled faintly.
“You really like your friends at the magic tower.”
“I don’t like them.”
“You seem to like them, though?”
“No! They’re all just idiots, so I’m just worried. Nothing runs properly without me.”
Then Rista burst out laughing.
Lin asked why she was laughing, but she only laughed more, not answering for a long time, until finally, she placed a hand on Lin’s head and smiled dazzlingly.
“Lin, that’s what liking means.”
Only then did he clearly understand his own feelings, which he couldn't even be honest with himself about, and therefore had never expressed.
I liked that magic tower.
I liked the days spent in that magic tower, the people I met, all the daily life that happened in my hometown.
“I don’t like it. Even if I like it, it means nothing. I’m an eyesore. They said I had bad luck because I was an orphan.”
“But everyone seemed to like Lin just now?”
“…”
“Do you know why?”
Rista said.
That people originally cannot choose their past, but the future is different. The future is something you create yourself.
Facing Lin’s trembling eyes, Rista pushed the boy’s back forward, as if propelling him into the future.
“What happened today can be said to be a part of the future you diligently created. You can be proud of it.”
So what if he was an orphan?
So what if his past was a bit miserable?
Then the future ahead of him only had happy things left to fill it with.
Watching Rista’s life during their five-year journey, Lin looked back at his own life and came to such thoughts.
‘If I hadn’t been an orphan, I might not have met the dean lady. If that were the case, I might not have been able to travel with Rista…’
The past is determined by the gods, but the future is chosen directly by humans. The thought that bloomed in his mind became a conviction, and that conviction took deep root in the boy's heart.
That small conviction made the boy erect a barrier for his comrades in the final battle, and that small conviction led him to death in place of his friends.
Without a single moment of hesitation or regret in that choice.