There are twenty-two first years in the Royal Class.
Twenty-one, if you exclude Bertus.
Throw in Olivia Lanze, Redina, and Saviolin Turner, and that’s twenty-four.
Of course, Olivia thought it was embarrassing to be included, so she patted me on the shoulder for a job well done and left.
I didn’t forget to thank her for coming.
Despite the fact that she and Ellen had a terrible relationship, she stuck by her and cheered me on. And so did Ellen.
Even though she always made me feel like my head was going to explode, I was grateful to Olivia.
“Take care of yourself. Winning is great and all, but don’t get hurt. That’s all I ask of you.”
“Yeah.”
After Olivia left, while leading a large group of twenty-three people, Charlotte and I wandered the streets.
There were musicians playing, people performing, and the streets were alive with activity.
B-10, the musically gifted Lanian Sessor, borrowed an instrument from one of the street musicians and played it so perfectly that passersby stopped and applauded.
I don’t know how long it’s been since we’ve been milling around doing this and that.
I couldn’t remember.
Of course, there was no time to play until late into the night. Although we gathered, ate, and wandered around for a while, everyone still had work to do, so we split into two groups: those who went back to their dorms and those who stayed on the streets.
Charlotte decided to hang out a bit longer with some of the girls from Class B and Turner.
Going back were me, Ludwig, and Scarlett, who had finals tomorrow. And the musically gifted Lanian Sessor.
And then there were the Magic Research Society members and Harriet.
Before I knew it, Ellen was walking beside me.
When she yelled out earlier, I thought my heart was going to drop out of my throat, but now she was back to her normal self.
“Is your body okay?”
“Do you want me to answer honestly or lie and tell you not to worry?”
Ellen glared at me for my bullshit.
It’s strange to see her lips pout for the first time in a long time.
“It’s honestly not a problem.”
In the end, it’s not a serious injury, but a nagging feeling that could make a difference at a crucial moment.
It’s not really a big deal, Richard Haulman never actually had a chance of beating me because he kept using the same tactic.
“Don’t get hurt. And don’t push yourself.”
“I will.”
Ellen and Olivia ultimately said the same thing.
Harriet was walking some distance away, chatting with the members of the Magical Research Society.
They seemed to have gotten their act together to support Harriet’s participation in the Open Tournament.
Louis Ancton in particular seemed to be thinking hard.
I wonder what they’ve accomplished so far, though it was probably something I wouldn’t understand.
Will Harriet win?
I think it’s probably going to be difficult.
But the fact that she’s already in the main event of the Open Tournament is already a huge accomplishment. It’s possible that she got lucky with her matchups, but luck goes hand in hand with skill.
As if sensing my gaze, Harriet, who had been talking intently as we walked, looked at me and cocked her head.
“What?”
“Nothing, just good luck.”
“Isn’t that what you need to hear right now?”
Right.
There’s still some time left in the Open Tournament, but the first year tournament finals are tomorrow. She takes a moment to laugh at the absurdity of my words.
“I’ll be good.”
Harriet gave me a warm smile.
I’ve never seen her smile like that before.
“I mean, you do well, too.”
Not everyone is rooting for me, not everyone wants me to win.
But there are people who do.
I started out just doing it for the achievement points, but somehow it’s gotten away from that.
I now wanted to win, even if there was no reward.
As soon as I got back to the dorm, Ellen, Liana, and Cliffman scurried off to get ready for Miss and Mister Temple.
Olivia didn’t look that busy, but what the hell were they doing?
Harriet, who was obviously busier, had gone to the Magical Research Society Lab instead of the dormitories.
The three idiots and Heinrich had apparently stayed behind to enjoy the festivities, and Class B was almost empty except for the two finalists.
The main events were over, of course, but there was still plenty of daylight left.
“It’s kind of depressing.”
I had just come out of my room after I changed into my sweatpants when Ludwig, who was sitting in the lobby of the dorm, spoke to me.
“…Did I enter the wrong dorm somehow? Did I confuse left and right…? No, but it was my room though?”
What are you doing here?
Of course, I guess it doesn’t matter since there wasn’t any rivalry between Class A and Class B. Ludwig stood up from his seat.
“I’m feeling a little anxious.”
“Anxious?”
“Honestly, no matter how much I think about it, Gladen seems to be stronger than me.”
Ludwig didn’t look scared. But there was anxiety lurking in his expression.
“So, do you think you could practice with me? Scarlett said she’s taking the day off.”
“Hmmm….”
Ludwig was a stubborn guy, and I hadn’t interacted with him much. I didn’t want to affect the main character as much as I might have with another character.
But I couldn’t avoid him forever.
“Yeah. I didn’t have any plans anyway.”
There was no reason to refuse, since all injuries could be healed by the priest on duty if I didn’t use Magic Body Strengthening.
-Kang! Kaang! Kagak!
“Haa… Haah….”
“Huh.”
Ludwig took a short, deep breath and scratched his head.
“I can’t do this.”
I didn’t use Magic Body Strengthening, just Self-Suggestion.
We sparred about ten times, and the result was my victory.
The rank of Self-Suggestion is A. It was obviously advanced as far as supernatural abilities go.
As a derivative of the more powerful Word Magic, there should have been limitations to it. But in the end, a supernatural ability was a supernatural ability, and it was enough to give me a decisive advantage against Ludwig.
The conclusion was clear.
If Ludwig managed to reach the finals, I would win. I wouldn’t even need to use Magic Body Strengthening.
“Fuck… I’m tired… I can’t do it anymore…”
But even though I’m the one who won, I’m the one who got tired.
This guy, whose stamina had reached over S rank, kept losing in the duel itself, but my stamina was the one running out.
I was the one who won, but it didn’t feel like it.
“Let’s take a break.”
“Whoa… Okay.”
My stamina wasn’t weak, but Ludwig’s was monstrous, so we had a practice duel with no restrictions.
Since it was a festival, the dormitory was empty, and the only people who came in the training room in the first place were Cliffman and Ellen.
We had a lot of time, so we clashed swords for hours on end, and while I was exhausted, even Ludwig was sweating profusely.
I was about to call it quits when I realized I’d had enough.
“I’m going to lose, aren’t I?”
Ludwig muttered as he hung his training sword on its rack.
It’s not that he’s being pessimistic..
It’s just that he knows in his gut that he doesn’t have a chance against Gladen Amorelle.
He knew he’d lose, but he still wouldn’t give up. That’s the kind of guy Ludwig was.
I looked at Ludwig, wiping the sweat from my brow with the towel I’ve hung on the chair.
“I guess.”
I’m not going to deny it.
Gladen Amorelle is strong. Stronger than Ludwig, stronger than Scarlett, stronger than me. I could only match her with the help of my various powers and abilities.
But first, I needed to get through the quarterfinals against Scarlett unscathed.
Ludwig opened the window of the training hall.
A cold winter breeze blew in, but it didn’t feel too bad since we were both covered in sweat.
“Reinhardt, I have a question.”
Ludwig said, his back to me as he looked out the window.
It’s the first serious expression I’ve ever seen on his face.
“What is it?”
“You’ve been fighting even when you know you’re going to lose, haven’t you?”
“… I have.”
“But you won them all.”
Ludwig stared out into the darkness of Temple, with festive lights shining under a cold night..
I was involved in a lot of strange events.. I’ve fought battles I knew I couldn’t win, but I’ve won them all anyway.
In just one year, everyone had come to acknowledge that the lowest ranked urchin was the strongest contender for the first-year tournament.
An egg that was smashed against a rock, but somehow breaking it every time.
That was me.
“How do you do it?”
Ludwig seemed to want to know the secret.
He wasn’t curious about supernatural abilities, magical enhancements, or fortunate coincidences. Nor was he asking about my skills.
“You have to believe.”
“Believe?”
“Yeah.”
I didn’t have a detailed answer to give him, but I told him about my supernatural ability, which Ludwig already knew.
Self-Suggestion.
“Even though losing seems inevitable. You believe you’re going to win anyway.”
“I’m going to win?”
“Yes.”
I hung my sword on the rack on the wall, leaned back on it, and crossed my arms.
“You may lose, but if you give it your all and believe, you’ll win. “
“But what if I still lost?”
“Why does it matter?”
The outcome doesn’t matter.
“I’m going to lose, but I’m going to do my best,” was a ready-made excuse for defeat. “But I tried, so I’ll do better next time.” Isn’t that just giving yourself an out?
I’ve been in that mindset for a while, since returning from the Darklands.
I can’t say that I still don’t feel that way. But I know what’s best.
You have to believe in possibility, even when it doesn’t seem possible. Only then, when you see that possibility, you can grab it.
To say that you will lose, but that you’ll try your best anyway, wasn’t an expression of modesty. It was just cold comfort.
My supernatural ability was akin to a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Rather than saying that I worked hard, I declare that I will win.
Not by judging the past, but by shaping the future.
That’s what made me who I am today.
“Rather than prepare such an excuse, I thought it would be better to believe that I would win anyway, because, well, that’s all there is to it.”
Of course, Ludwig wasn’t a supernatural ability user. Even if he took my words at face value, it wouldn’t change anything.
“Excuses, huh… Yeah, that’s it. I’m… So that’s what you did. It wasn’t enough to say that you tried hard… Yeah.”
Ludwig closed the window and turned away.
He would lose.
But even though he wouldn’t win against Gladen Amorelle.
“I’ll see you in the finals. Reinhardt.”
Ludwig said it plainly.
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