Chapter 82

After brilliantly winning the vanguard battle, I dragged my heavy body off the stage.

Then,

"Amazing, Allen-kun...! I never thought you'd defeat that 'Prodigy' Ildra Luxmaria...!"

"You did great! You're on par with me, aren't you!?"

"No, no matter how you look at it, you're way above us..."

The excited student council members hurried over.

"Thank you. It was a tough battle, but I managed to win."

As we were having this conversation, the president suddenly remembered something and put her hand to her mouth.

"Oh, I'm sorry... We should treat your injuries before anything else..."

Just as she was about to head towards the infirmary,

"...No, there's no need for that."

Lilim-senpai said, staring intently at my body.

"Both of you, take a good look at Allen-kun's body. —The wounds are already closing, aren't they?"

"‘Huh?’"

The three of us exclaimed simultaneously.

"There's no way... It's a lie...!?"

"Already starting to heal...!?"

"Really...?"

The deep sword wound on my chest was almost completely closed.

The bleeding had stopped entirely, as if it had been inflicted days ago.

"Allen-kun... Are you really human...?"

"Those physical abilities and this recovery rate—aren't you completely non-human...?"

"Rather, it would be more convincing to call you non-human..."

"Ahaha... Please don't joke. I look like a normal human, don't I?"

As I said this with a wry smile,

"Hmm... Still, you have a great body..."

"Let's see... Wow! What firm and well-built muscles! You must have trained hard to get this far!"

"...The feel is pretty good, too."

The presidents said this as they ran their slender fingers over my chest and abs.

"Senpai... It tickles...!"

As I tried to suppress my laughter,

"—Well! Now that the intense vanguard battle has concluded, let's move on to the next battle, the second vanguard!"

Ildra was carried to the infirmary, and the commentator loudly announced the resumption of the Sword King Festival.

At the same time, the audience, who had been warmed up by the previous battle, erupted in excitement.

"Alright—Next is my turn! I won't let the momentum Allen-kun created go to waste!"

"Good luck, Lilim-senpai!"

"Lilim, I won't accept a loss!"

"It's a big responsibility..."

Encouraged by our cheers,

"Hehe... Leave it to me!"

She thrust her thumb up at us and headed to the second vanguard battle with a determined expression.

■

After that, the second vanguard and middle battles were held in succession...

Lilim-senpai and Felis-senpai both lost.

The layers of White Lily Girls' Academy were deep, and the swordsmen assigned to the second vanguard and middle positions were incredibly skilled.

Thus, the vice-captain battle began.

The president fought a splendid battle worthy of the name 'Arcstria' and secured a well-deserved victory.

This brought the score to two wins and two losses.

The outcome of the match was now decided by the captain battle.

However,

(Up to this point...)

The crucial 'captain'—the vice president, Sebastian Chandler—was not here.

Sebastian had left for the Holy Roneria Empire and had been missing ever since.

Therefore, we had to decide the match before it reached the captain battle.

"Alright, then—let's proceed to the 'Captain Battle' between Thousand Blades Academy and White Lily Girls' Academy!"

The commentator announced the start of the captain battle.

"The captain of Thousand Blades Academy—Sebastian Chandler! According to the information at hand—Sebastian is the vice president of Thousand Blades Academy! Furthermore, his skills are said to surpass those of the formidable Shi Arcstria, who just fought an intense battle!"

The grand introduction of Sebastian was read out, but...

Naturally, no one appeared on the stage.

An eerie silence enveloped the venue.

"...Oh? Sebastian Chandler, please come up to the stage!"

The commentator announced again, but only the echo of his clear voice filled the air.

"President... This is..."

"Yes, we have no choice but to forfeit..."

Just as she was about to call the Sword King Festival organizing committee on behalf of Thousand Blades Academy, a small jet passed high above the stage.

Then,

"Uuuuuuuuuuuh!?"

A man in tattered clothes plummeted at an incredible speed.

(What!? Is he jumping? At that height, he won't survive...!)

The falling speed increased rapidly due to gravity,

"Ha...!?"

The mysterious man crashed into the stone pavement with his entire body, creating a large crater in the center of the stage.

The venue fell silent in shock.

Then,

"...Phew, that was close. I didn't expect the parachute to fail... I almost got injured..."

The mysterious man stood up as if nothing had happened and brushed the sand off his clothes.

(What kind of person is this...!?)

He had fallen from a height of several hundred meters—unscathed.

His toughness reminded me of Ms. Reia and No. 18 from the summer camp.

As I stared at his body, I was shocked.

(That black coat... Is he from the Black Organization...!?)

He was wearing the black coat that members of the Black Organization typically wore.

(Damn, is his target Reia...!?)

Just as I was about to draw my sword,

"—Sebastian!? Why are you coming from the sky!?"

The president, covering her mouth with both hands and wide-eyed, exclaimed.

Following her,

"You're late, Sebastian! I thought you were dead!"

"Four months of being missing is not a joke..."

Lilim-senpai and Felis-senpai spoke with a somewhat familiar air.

(This is the vice president, Sebastian...!?)

Sebastian Chandler.

Straight, dyed brown hair.

A gentle and kind face.

He was almost as tall as me and, for some reason, was wearing the black coat of the Black Organization.

"Yes, what a lucky day...! I never expected to land right where my beloved president is...! Could this be... fate!?"

Sebastian, ignoring Lilim-senpai and Felis-senpai, knelt before the president.

...He seemed to be quite a peculiar person.

"You're late! Where were you loitering!?"

The president, like an older sister, questioned him.

"I'm sorry...! I managed to swim and sneak into the country, but I couldn't find anything, and I was attacked by a group of weak people in black coats, which delayed my return... It was a disgrace as your knight..."

Sebastian clenched his teeth and punched the stage in frustration.

It seemed he was in love with the president.

"Uh-huh, I understand the situation... But don't just become my knight without permission?"

However, she didn't seem to have any romantic interest in him and deflected his passionate feelings.

"Then... did you find it?"

"Yes, of course! Please take a look!"

Sebastian took out two fist-sized minerals from his pocket.

"The Blood Diamond, a super rare mineral found only deep underground in the Holy Roneria Empire!"

(I can't believe he actually brought it back...!)

As I was shocked, the president smiled broadly.

"Wow, they're beautiful...! Thank you, Sebastian...!"

"Such kind words...!"

Sebastian, receiving the president's gratitude, looked very happy.

(He's clearly being played, but if he's happy, that's fine...?)

As I thought this,

"Alright... Sebastian, it's your turn! Defeat the captain of White Lily Girls' Academy!"

The president gave a rather difficult order.

"My turn...? I don't understand, but if that's what the president wants—let's defeat that captain!"

Saying this, Sebastian drew a sword from his waist with great enthusiasm.

It was visibly rusted and looked very unreliable.

Then,

"What an impressive entrance! Has there ever been such a striking entrance in the history of the Sword King Festival!?"

The commentator, unaware of the situation, hyped up the audience.

It seemed the previous scene was interpreted as a 'performance.'

"The opponent for Sebastian, the captain of White Lily Girls' Academy—Lily Gonzales! Her style is the Kongou-ryu, known for its overwhelming destructive power! She is likely the strongest in terms of physical strength in this generation!"

A female student slowly ascended the stage after being introduced.

(She's huge...!)

Lily Gonzales.

A bear-like massive body, a bit smaller than Ms. Pola.

Short, cropped blonde hair.

A deep, fierce face.

Her clear eyes were filled with strong confidence.

It was immediately apparent that she was an exceptional swordsman.

"Are both sides ready? —Begin!"

As soon as the match started, Lily activated her soul armor.

"Let's go—<Void Collision>!"

A giant sword over two meters long appeared, slicing through the empty space.

"Kongou-ryu—Rock-Crushing Slash!"

In an instant, Lily closed the distance and delivered a powerful strike from above.

However,

"—Too slow."

Her soul armor shattered under Sebastian's single strike.

"What...?"

At the same time, Lily slowly lost consciousness.

(So fast...!)

Sebastian's 'single strike' was a rapid series of attacks.

(Twenty, no... over thirty...!)

Not only did he destroy the soul armor, but he also delivered a strike that knocked out Lily's consciousness.

(...Strong)

In pure swordsmanship, he was indeed superior to even the president.

"Lily Gonzales is unable to fight! The winner is Sebastian Chandler!"

The commentator loudly declared the result, and the venue erupted in shock.

In the midst of this,

"By the way, President—Who is he? He looks like one of our students..."

Sebastian, who had ended the match in an instant, asked the president while looking at my uniform.

"...Oh, it's rare for you to be interested in others. Can I ask why?"

"It's just... A superhuman 'non-human' is wearing our uniform, so it's natural to be curious. ...But, where did you find him? He's just a massive block of power—such a 'monster' is not something you see every day."

Sebastian said this, casting a gaze filled with fear and caution at me.

(Non-human... monster...?)

I was called something outrageous before even introducing myself...