Chapter 46

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The venue was in an uproar. No one had expected the two top contenders to end up in a draw and be carried to the infirmary. I hurried over to accompany Zahh and Safina, who were being placed on stretchers.

"Zahh! Safina!"

I called out to them as I approached the stretchers, but neither of them showed any signs of waking up. The thought that this might be due to magical exhaustion made me shudder with fear.

"Hurry up,"

The staff member called out, and I stepped back as they lifted the stretchers again. The teachers and staff members started walking towards the infirmary. I watched them go and followed behind. Given the frequent use expected in the arena, a makeshift infirmary had been set up nearby, and it was common for injured participants to be taken there first. Zahh and Safina were no exception and were carried into the room. The wooden door opened, and they were taken inside, and I watched until the door closed in front of me.

"I hope they'll be okay..."

Not knowing what magical exhaustion entailed, I was extremely worried. I couldn't help but think the worst, that they might not wake up, and I clasped my hands together in front of my chest as if in prayer.

"They'll be fine. They're just sleeping. They'll wake up naturally once their magic recovers."

Magilka, concerned about my worry, reassured me.

"Yeah, it might take some time, but I don't think it's life-threatening."

Karis-senpai, perhaps feeling responsible for teaching us magic, had also come with us. Then, the door that had been closed opened, and a teacher came out.

"Teacher, how are they?"

I hurried over to him and asked about the situation.

"Yes, they're fine. Safina doesn't have any significant external injuries, and Zahh has some cracks in his ribs and left arm, but they're within the range that can be healed with recovery magic, so there's no problem."

Relieved by the teacher's smile, I let out a sigh and began to relax.

"However, I can't do anything about magical exhaustion with my recovery magic. They probably won't wake up today, so I'm going to discuss the situation with the event supervisors."

With that, the teacher left us and walked back to the venue. As I calmed down and began to process the situation, I realized something very concerning and started to sweat.

(Hold on... Does this mean that the second semifinal match will essentially be the final match? Seriously?)

Understanding the current situation, I was tempted to stay here and hope the next match would be ignored. I looked around nervously, checking if anyone was coming to call me. Fortunately, no one from the venue was in sight.

Perhaps noticing my suspicious behavior, Tütte opened her mouth as if she had realized something.

"By the way, Miss, you're still here, huh—"

I covered Tütte's mouth to stop her from saying what I feared and pulled her aside, whispering to her.

"Got it? I'm staying here as a student worried about her friend. Hopefully, this will result in a forfeit."

"Miss, at this point, whether you win or lose, it won't make much of a difference."

"No, it does. I really want to lose!"

I was half-determined to wish for my own defeat. Everything had been so frustrating up to this point that I couldn't feel satisfied unless I lost. I was in a state where I couldn't let go of my frustration unless I lost.

"So, Tütte, go back to the venue and quietly observe what happens."

"Alright... I understand."

Though still unsure, Tütte returned to the venue, and I mentally pumped my fist.

A few minutes later, Tütte rushed over to me, who was pretending to be calm and with everyone else.

"O-Oh, Miss, it's terrible!"

She called out to me loudly, and the people around us noticed me and looked at me in surprise.

"What? Ah, Miss Mary, why are you here? What about the match?"

"That's not important right now. Tütte, why are you back?"

Ignoring Magilka's surprise, I protested as Tütte approached, but she only shook her head, her face pale.

(I have a bad feeling. Whenever Tütte ends up in this kind of situation, it usually means things are going badly for me.)

I didn't want to hear any more, but Tütte, oblivious to my feelings, started explaining what was happening at the venue.

"It's terrible, Miss. The opponent in the semifinal has declared a forfeit, saying the match wouldn't be fair and that the difference in strength is obvious."

"What?"

I responded with a startled voice to Tütte's news.

"Also, they were deeply moved by your spirit, worrying about your friends and giving up a win and the glory in front of you, and they were passionately speaking about it in the venue."

"What...?"

I was shocked to hear that my actions, unknown to me, had been romanticized. According to Tütte, there were hardly any objections in the venue, and the romanticization had even spread to the event supervisors.

"So, what happened? Surely the teachers didn't accept the forfeit..."

My voice trembled as I asked, though I didn't want to know.

"Unanimously, the teachers accepted the forfeit. The venue is now applauding the opponent as they leave."

Tütte's words made everything go dark before my eyes. The shock of everything not going my way was too much for my fragile mental state, and I gave up, throwing my consciousness away in a fit of despair.

Looking back, that was the worst decision. If I had gone to the venue and protested, the situation might not have progressed, but I fainted and lost that chance.

By the time I came to, it was too late. I had been recorded in the school's history as the unprecedented student who won without fighting.

Thus, the martial arts tournament for this year's freshmen ended in a chaotic manner. As a side note, the shock was so great that I stayed in my room for about two weeks after regaining consciousness at home, skipping school.

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