Chapter 74

After hearing about an excellent training method from Ms. Leia, I dedicated myself to manipulating the 'Darkness' every day from then on.

Unlike my usual reckless sword swinging, training with the clear goal of 'manipulating darkness' was a bit fresh and enjoyable.

During the day, I attended classes at the academy.

After school, I participated in the kendo club activities.

At night, I practiced swordsmanship with Reia and Rose.

Even while living such a basic daily life, I always kept the 'Darkness' in mind.

As these fulfilling days passed one by one, the day of the Sword King Festival finally arrived.

"---Well, Reia, I'm off."

It was 7:00 in the morning.

After finishing my morning preparations, I said this to Reia at the front door.

"Yeah, be careful. I'll be cheering for you from the audience, so make sure to find me, okay?"

"Ah, got it."

The participants in the Sword King Festival needed to arrive at the venue a bit early, so I had to leave the dormitory first.

"See you, Allen."

"Yeah, I'm off."

With Reia waving her small right hand to see me off, I headed straight for the student council room.

We were planning to have a brief strategy meeting before the Sword King Festival and then head to the venue together with all the participants.

Upon arriving at the student council room, I knocked lightly and slowly opened the door after receiving permission to enter.

"---President, Senpai Ririm, Senpai Felis, good morning."

"Good morning, Allen-kun."

"Good morning, Allen-kun! It's a perfect day for the Sword King Festival today!"

"...Good morning."

The president with a gentle smile.

As usual, the energetic Senpai Ririm.

And Senpai Felis, who is weak in the morning and still half-asleep.

Each of them greeted me in their own way.

"Alright---since Allen-kun is here, let's start the strategy meeting, shall we?"

"Sure! By the way, my top recommendation is 'Go all out!'!"

"If possible, I'd like to keep it short... *yawn*..."

As I chuckled at the usual Senpai Ririm and Senpai Felis,

"Ah, before that... Allen-kun, there's something I haven't shown you yet. ---Here, this is our list of participants."

The president handed me a sheet of paper.

"Thank you."

On it were the names of the five representatives of the Thousand Blades Academy and the order in which they would fight.

Lead: Allen Roadel.

Second: Ririm Tsorine.

Third: Felis Magdalot.

Fourth: Shi Arcstria.

Captain: Sebas Chandler.

"...Sebas Chandler?"

There was one name I didn't know, and it was even registered as the 'Captain'.

"---Sebas Chandler is our vice president."

In response to my mutter, the president sighed.

"Huh...? Did they find the vice president?"

As I recall, the vice president went to the sacred Roneria Empire, a country with a travel ban, to search for the Blood Diamond. And that was supposedly just as a 'punishment game'.

"No, they're still missing..."

"...So, that means..."

"Yes... Unfortunately, the captain's match will be a forfeit..."

The president continued with a gloomy face.

"But the person I asked to take over as a substitute, the head of the discipline committee, refused, saying they weren't interested... In terms of skill, the only person who can be trusted with the 'Captain' or 'Fourth' position is Sebas... So, 'since we're going to have an empty slot anyway, I decided to take a chance and register him...'"

"I see..."

Indeed, the number of people who can be trusted with the 'Captain' or 'Fourth' position, which involves the strongest swordsmen from each school, is limited. A sword fight is a serious matter. If we send someone with mediocre skills, it could lead to a tragic outcome.

(But, on the other hand... The head of the discipline committee and the vice president Sebas Chandler must be recognized by the president as skilled swordsmen...)

If I get the chance, I'd like to spar with them once...

As I was thinking this,

"---So, our strategy is to 'Go all out!' It's not like we have any other choice!"

The president slammed her hand on the table and said this with enthusiasm.

"Wow! That's great, Shi! We're on the same page!"

Senpai Ririm strongly agreed with the president's 'aggressive strategy'.

Satisfied, she nodded and began to explain the very simple strategy.

"The strategy is very simple. As you can see, I've stepped down from the 'Captain' position. The intention, of course, is to secure the 'Fourth' match! So, Allen-kun, Felis, and Ririm, you three need to secure 'two wins'! We aim to end the match early before it gets to the captain's match!"

"I'll do my best...!"

"Leave it to me! I'll nail it!"

"...I'll try my best, at least."

After receiving our responses, we followed the president, who was marching forward with high spirits, to the venue of the Sword King Festival.

■

The Sword King Festival is a swordsmanship competition in which all the high school swordsmanship academies participate---the most highly anticipated swordsmanship festival in the country.

The academies are divided into groups A to H and compete in the preliminary rounds. Only the top two schools from each group advance to the main tournament.

Naturally, such a large-scale festival cannot be completed in one day. The Sword King Festival is held over three days. The first day is for the preliminaries, the second day for the main tournament, and the third day for the finals.

"---Here we are. This is the A Group preliminary venue, the Aurest National Coliseum."

The president pointed to the massive circular coliseum in front of us.

"This is a magnificent building...!"

It was about the size of the 'Grand Coliseum' in Vestaria, but this one was made of steel and concrete, giving it a modern look.

"---Let's get the registration done quickly. We need to get used to the 'atmosphere' inside."

The president said this and quickly headed to the registration tent.

After a brief registration, we entered the Aurest National Coliseum. As we walked down the long stone-paved path, we saw a large number of swordsmen.

(Wow...!)

Wherever I looked, there were only swordsmen. The overwhelming atmosphere and pressure almost made me feel dizzy.

Perhaps it could be described as 'getting dizzy from the crowd'...

Having grown up in Goza Village, where there were far more livestock than people, I wasn't particularly good with crowds.

But, I had to get used to it.

I took a few deep breaths to calm myself down.

Then, the opening ceremony of the Sword King Festival, conducted by the organizing committee, began. An elderly man on the stage gave a brief greeting and explained the rules.

Five selected students from each school would take the positions of Lead, Second, Third, Fourth, and Captain. The side that wins three matches first is the winner. To promote the development of younger students, each school must have at least one first-year student as the Lead. Only swords are allowed in the matches; no other equipment is permitted.

The rules were simple and straightforward, with no particularly unusual aspects.

Finally, the elderly man on the stage said,

"---Now, I will reveal today's tournament schedule."

The moment he said this, a large screen behind him displayed the tournament schedule.

(Thousand Blades Academy... Let's see...)

As I stared at the tournament schedule, I found the name 'Thousand Blades Academy' on the left side. It seemed that we, the Thousand Blades Academy, would be the first to fight today.

(Our first opponent is... 'Werewolf Academy'...)

I hadn't heard of this name before...

As I was thinking this,

"Ugh... Our first match is against the 'Werewolves'... I don't like it..."

Senpai Ririm made a face.

"Senpai Ririm, do you know the Werewolf Academy?"

"It's a fairly well-known academy... They've participated in the main tournament for the past two years. But, that's not the point... They're a bit of a rough academy, and I personally don't like them much..."

"I see..."

As we were talking, a clear female voice echoed through the coliseum.

"---Alright, let's start the first preliminary match! Please prepare, students from the Thousand Blades Academy and the Werewolf Academy! Everyone else, please leave the stage!"

It seemed that the first match was about to start soon.

Then,

"Good luck, Allen-kun!"

"You can do it! Put your heart into it!"

"I'll be cheering for you from the sidelines..."

The seniors patted me on the back and encouraged me.

"Yes! I'll do my best!"

With this, I prepared myself mentally for the 'Lead' match against the Werewolf Academy that was about to begin.