Chapter 72

Thank you for reporting the typo and your thoughts!

When I arrived at the venue, the VIP seats were completely covered in black, squishy things.

The floor was entirely covered in black, squishy things.

It was so thick that it almost looked like a long-pile carpet.

"Whoa, stop! It's a massive infestation of squishy things! (Whoa, stop! Squishy things are overgrowing!)"

"……I can't see them, but I understand."

The Pope responded, staring at the floor with a look of disgust.

"Even I can sense such a large mass."

Tailsmya, the Chief, said, covering her mouth.

It's really gross, isn't it?

"What do we do? Can I purify it? (What do we do? Can I purify it?)"

"Can you eliminate such a massive curse all at once? I can help too, if you need it?"

"Purification is fine, but the backlash is troublesome. (Purification is fine, but the backlash is troublesome.)"

"I see, then can I ask you? It's fine to eliminate it all at once."

"Sure thing."

I created another barrier outside the existing one to encircle the squishy things and then rained holy magic down on them.

As soon as I surrounded the squishy things with the barrier, everyone could see them, and some people were making "eww" faces.

The squishy things disappeared as soon as they touched the holy magic rain.

"………Wow, I've heard stories, but I didn't realize you had such power."

The Pope sighed in amazement.

The king has been petting me the whole time.

When I took my seat, which was now clean, the athletes were just about to take the stage.

The first match was between a lady I didn't know and a third-year senior who was extremely nervous. Both engaged in a fierce magical duel, but the lady failed to counter the senior's magic, and it hit her skirt, tearing it to shreds, causing her to surrender. She looked very regretful, but the embarrassment was too much.

The second match was between Jus and Eliza.

The bell rang, and the match began.

Physiologically, women tend to have stronger barriers than men, but Jus, influenced by us, has been living with a barrier up all the time, so his barrier is as strong as Eliza's.

Moreover, Eliza can't use both a barrier and offensive magic simultaneously, so she is on the defensive.

Jus, who is physiologically stronger in offensive magic, has a clear advantage since he can use both a barrier and offensive magic.

Jus won by breaking Eliza's barrier with a barrage of magic while maintaining his own.

Eliza looked very regretful, but she shook hands and greeted him, so it seemed okay.

The Prime Minister and Ingrid looked even more regretful than Eliza, which was quite amusing.

The third match was between Digree and a lady.

The bell rang, and the match began.

Digree is generally gentle with girls, so he seemed reluctant to fight.

In contrast, the lady was firing various types of magic orbs non-stop.

However, all of them were blocked by Digree's barrier.

Suddenly, the lady stopped and fell over.

It turned out that Digree had cast a sleep spell on her from behind without anyone noticing.

The lady was sleeping soundly in the middle of the stage.

It was a bit surreal that he won without either of them getting hurt.

The fourth match was between Arshain and a lady.

The bell rang, and the match began.

Arshain started with a mid-level magic spear while maintaining a barrier.

The lady could barely defend herself with her barrier.

Despite her efforts, she couldn't withstand the mid-level magic for long and had to keep reinforcing her barrier.

Arshain's magic grazed her during the brief moment she was reinforcing her barrier, causing her to lose by stepping out of bounds.

They shook hands, and the match ended.

The fifth match was between Yugram and the nervous third-year senior.

The bell rang, and the match began.

The senior attacked first, firing magic continuously to prevent Yugram from counterattacking.

However, Yugram's barrier, though weak, was a counter-barrier.

All of the senior's magic was reflected back, resulting in a self-inflicted explosion.

The senior fainted and was carried away.

After a short break, the final match began.

A five-person simultaneous battle.

The finalists took the stage, bowed outward, then faced each other.

The bell rang, and the match began.

Everyone put up barriers and seemed to be observing the situation, but the senior moved to the center of the stage.

From there, it was unclear what magic he used, but Jus and Digree, who were not quick enough to put up barriers, were knocked out and removed from the battle.

With Arshain and Yugram left, the senior was taken down a few minutes later, apparently hit by Yugram's counter-barrier.

The senior was carried off the stage.

Arshain and Yugram faced each other again.

Both maintained barriers while casting magic.

Arshain used magic orbs and, probably, paralysis magic.

Yugram was firing magic spears non-stop.

A crack appeared in Arshain's barrier, and he hastily reinforced it with a half-circle barrier that only protected the front.

The front barrier was twice as strong as before.

While defending against the magic spears, Arshain also fired magic orbs. The intense magical exchange thrilled the audience.

When the smoke from the colliding magic cleared, Yugram's magic orb hit Arshain from behind.

Arshain tried to react but, out of habit, tried to cut it with his sword, resulting in a hit to his side, rendering him unable to continue.

Yugram won.

The audience erupted in cheers.

Arshain was carried away, and the expressionless Yugram stood in the center of the stage.

The bell rang, and the match ended.

Amidst the excitement, something hit my barrier with a faint "clunk."

It was immediately countered, so I couldn't tell what it was, but it was an attack.

I tried to report it to the king, but the cheers drowned out my voice.

The king had to go on stage for the award ceremony, but if he was the target, would he be attacked again on stage?

I could cast a barrier from a distance, but it wouldn't have a counter-effect, which was frustrating.

I decided to stay as close as possible to the king, so I followed him, even being carried, to the entrance of the venue, where I cast a barrier and took a guard position.

When the king went on stage, the audience erupted in cheers.

It was reassuring to see how popular the king was.

The cheers were so loud that I couldn't hear what the king was saying to Yugram. When the king raised Yugram's hand high, the cheers grew even louder.

Yugram remained expressionless as usual.

There were more "clunks" amidst the cheers, and I saw several arrows at the king's feet.

The king seemed to notice but continued to walk off the stage with Yugram, acting as if nothing had happened.

———BOOM BOOM BOOM———

The magic tournament concluded.

We went to the room where the king and Yugram had lunch.

I asked the staff to bring Arshain and the others.

In the room, the Pope, the Prime Minister, and Tailsmya Chief were already there, drinking tea prepared by Duran.

After a short break, Arshain and the others, who had finished their treatment, arrived.

Once everyone was seated and settled,

"Father, is something wrong?"

"Yes, I was attacked several times this morning. The last one was aimed at me, but it may not have been just me. I want to discuss how to respond."

"………Um, is it okay for us to hear this, I mean, for us to hear this?"

Dugree, standing next to Jus, asked hesitantly.

"Yes, you are often with Arshain, so it's better for you to be aware to avoid being caught in the crossfire."

"Y-Yes."

Jus and Dugree's responses overlapped.

"Still, curses and poisoned arrows, the analysis of the poison isn't complete, but the curse reflected by Keta's barrier was a type that gradually progresses like a disease."

Tailsmya Chief said, and the Prime Minister responded,

"So, it's not an immediate threat to life?"

"Probably. The attacker is likely planning something while the target gradually weakens."

"Then, wouldn't it be easier to narrow down the suspects?"

The Pope's suggestion made the Prime Minister frown and fall silent.

"Without knowing the attacker's goal, it's hard to say. Also, the curse's range suggests it wasn't aimed solely at the king."

Tailsmya Chief added,

"Exactly. If it was only the king, there would be no need to spread the curse over such a wide area. The king's seat is always the same."

"But the king was on stage, so he was a target."

"True, but it could also be a diversion to hide the real target. The poisoned arrows, not the curse, were aimed at the king."

"………For now, we can only be vigilant. We need to be cautious of everyone in the VIP seats."

Since the attacker's goal is unknown, everyone in the VIP seats needs to be on guard.

Arshain, who is always with me, and as a prince, is also a potential target.

"Of course, we will also monitor any suspicious movements among the nobles."

With that, the meeting seemed to be over, but the Pope said,

"………Keta, I have a request."

He called out with a serious face.

"What is it?"

"Could you prepare a curse-breaking magic orb for everyone here? The attacker is unknown, so we don't know when we might be targeted. If we have a way to counteract the curse, we can avoid the worst-case scenario."

"That's a good point. If we are prepared, we might even be able to deceive the enemy. Keta, I also ask you."

The king asked me too.

"Sure, Duran, please bring me some water."

I called out, and Duran immediately brought a glass of water.

"Three more."

"Keta, can't you use magic to create the water?"

The Pope asked from close range.

This guy has weird personal space.

"Magic water loses its potency over time and is hard to mix with other magic. (Magic water loses its potency over time and is hard to mix with other magic.)"

"Ah, that's true. The magic power leaks out even if it's wrapped in a barrier. It's better to mix the holy magic directly into plain water to avoid the magic repelling each other."

Tailsmya Chief, who was also close, added.

The Pope is interested in the curse-breaking, and Tailsmya Chief is fascinated by the magic itself.

They both pushed the king aside to get closer.

I poured holy magic into the water Duran provided and mixed it, making it look like it had glitter in it, though it probably tasted bad. But if it glowed, it worked.

I wrapped it in a barrier to make it bite-sized and completed it.

I made about twenty in total and distributed them to everyone.

"If you're cursed, eat one. If there are a lot of squishy things, put up a barrier and smash it on the ground. (If you're cursed, eat one. If there are a lot of squishy things, put up a barrier and smash it on the ground.)"

I explained.

The two people next to me tried to make the orbs themselves, so I don't know if they were listening.

After the meeting, everyone petted and praised me as we left the room.

After that, we went to the dining hall, had a meal, and went to sleep.