Chapter 49

I cleaned up the large amount of mud I had created, and as a result, the subsequent matches were postponed until the next day.

The boos from the audience were intense, and I felt a bit apologetic.

The next day.

I was sitting in the audience, looking down at the stage alone.

Amu and Iifa were not there. Since I didn't have a match, I had left them at the inn.

Today, there was also Kail's third match.

While Amu was one thing, it would be too cruel to let Iifa see any more of these matches.

As for the crucial match.

Mabel was winning effortlessly against a large spear user.

Reynus' match, on the other hand, seemed to have been forfeited by the opponent. They must have assessed the skill gap. There's no point in challenging a battle you can't win.

Then.

Kail was standing on the stage.

"..."

However, the opponent did not appear at all.

The host had stopped talking, and the audience was getting irritated.

Perhaps they had fled in fear. In this atmosphere, Kail stood alone on the stage, his face devoid of emotion.

Hmm, it looks like this match will be canceled after Reynus'...

"Seika Rampley"

Suddenly, a voice called out from the side.

I turned to see Mabel standing there.

She wasn't carrying her two-handed sword, having left it somewhere.

Her cool demeanor didn't seem like someone who had just finished a match.

I smiled at her.

"Hey, congratulations. You did well to advance. But I won't lose in the semifinals tomorrow."

"Resign."

Mabel said this briefly.

After a short silence, I asked back.

"Why?"

"This isn't the kind of tournament you think it is."

"Even if I don't know what kind of tournament you're referring to, I don't like it. If you want to advance to the finals, you should fight fairly."

"I know you're strong."

At Mabel's words, I fell silent.

The girl continued.

"Stronger than any opponent you've faced so far. So, you might not be able to hold back."

"..."

"I can't afford to lose. Please, don't you want to live?"

I remained silent for a while, then lifted the corners of my mouth and said.

"No."

"..."

"If you don't have confidence in beating me, just say so. But I won't give in."

"...Don't joke around. You..."

At that moment, the host's voice echoed throughout the arena.

"Ladies and gentlemen, after deliberation, it seems that Zagan has been disqualified. Therefore... Kail, you win by default! You have advanced to the semifinals!"

The audience erupted in boos.

It's understandable. They paid for tickets, and two matches were canceled.

Kail turned and left the stage.

I glanced to the side.

Mabel was watching him with a relieved expression.

What is it?

She had mentioned holding back, so maybe she didn't want the matches to turn into life-or-death struggles... but it's a bit unsettling.

Mabel, noticing my gaze, said in a flustered manner.

"Anyway, resign. I don't understand why the academy sent someone like you..."

"Seika?"

At the familiar voice, I turned around.

Sure enough, there was Amu.

She looked surprised.

"I didn't expect to find you in this crowd... Oh, there's a new student too."

She looked at Mabel, who smiled slyly.

"You won your third match, didn't you? Not bad. But she's pretty strong too, you know?"

Mabel glared at Amu, then turned and left without a word.

As she disappeared into the crowd, I thought.

She must have been ordered to win, right?

By the academy, and perhaps even higher up.

"Seika-sama..."

Yuki whispered in my ear.

"About what you just said... You don't really plan to beat that girl, do you?"

"No."

I whispered in response.

As planned, I intend to lose to Mabel. I don't want to interfere with her mission.

I refused to resign because I wanted to test my skills a bit.

I'm interested in her fighting style. I want to see more of her techniques.

And once I'm satisfied, I'll just pretend to be pushed off the stage.

"Seika?"

"What?!"

Startled, I replied, and Amu said with a half-lidded gaze.

"What are you spacing out for? Hey, what match is this? The crowd is getting restless."

"Ah... Actually, the second knight and the evil eye user won by default. Today, only Mabel's match was held."

"Really? Oh well..."

Amu muttered, sounding disappointed.

"By the way, why are you here? You were supposed to be at the inn."

"I was worried about the matches. I sneaked out, leaving Iifa behind. I felt bad making her come along."

"I see. It's a shame you came all this way."

"Well, it's fine. Let's go back. Tomorrow is your and the new student's semifinal..."

At that moment.

The host's voice echoed again throughout the arena.

"Ladies and gentlemen, good news! Since both Reynus and Kail won by default in their third matches, it has been decided to hold their semifinal match today!"

The crowd's murmurs grew louder, and cheers could be heard here and there.

The schedule was supposed to be the semifinals and finals tomorrow, but the organizers probably decided that two canceled matches in one day would be bad for business. Yesterday, my actions also caused other matches to be postponed.

"...You're lucky. If you hadn't come today, you wouldn't have seen this match."

Amu muttered, looking down at the stage.

It's a pity for those who planned to come tomorrow, but being able to see this semifinal in detail is a blessing for me.

"The next is the entry of the handsome magic knight with four attributes, Reynus Kayburn!!"

Amid cheers, a slender knight in light metal armor ascended the stage, waving his hand.

The opponent is Kail, yet he's not resigning.

Does he have a strategy to counter the evil eye?

"Next... the tournament's executioner! The evil eye swordsman, Kail!!"

The ghostly boy quietly ascended the stage, his right hand holding a drawn sword, just like in previous matches.

The audience naturally fell silent.

"Both are hot topics in this tournament, but what kind of battle will they put on!? The first semifinal match... begins!!"

With the host's voice, a whistle sounded.

The boy raised his face, his red left eye staring at the young knight.

However.

Before the evil eye could take effect, Reynus had already started his incantation.

"The light that shines is white! Spirits of compassion and protection, grant me the light to resist the gaze of death—Bestow Intermediate Evil Eye Resistance"

As the incantation ended, the knight's body was momentarily covered in a faint light.

Amu gasped in surprise next to me.

"An evil eye resistance support spell!? That knight can use light attributes too!?"

While being glared at by Kail's evil eye, the five-attribute user Reynus calmly drew his sword and swung it.

"Haha! What do you think, boy? Your eyes are useless now, right? Will you surrender? Or do you want to have a sword duel with me?"

Reynus raised his voice cheerfully.

Kail didn't respond.

Instead, he took a step forward.

One step, then another.

Holding his drawn sword loosely, Kail quietly closed the distance to his opponent, unaffected by the evil eye.

His face showed no emotion.

He advanced like a ghost.

Reynus, seemingly intimidated, pointed the tip of his staff-sword at him.

"Fireball!"

The fireball shot at the boy.

Kail didn't resist, taking the attack.

"...Huh?"

The boy emerged from the flames.

His skin, hair, and clothes showed no signs of burning.

"Tch, Fireball! Fireball!"

More fireballs were launched.

Kail continued to advance without even flinching, taking no damage.

Amu muttered next to me.

"...What is that? Is the charm working?"

"No... If it were, it would have already self-destructed with sound and light."

"But he's being hit by so many spells?"

"That's a spell that reacts to damage... So..."

Kail is taking almost no damage from the fireballs.

"What are you, anyway...! Wind Spear! Ice Spear! Rock Bullet!"

Reynus unleashed a wind blade, ice spear, and rock bullet.

Kail took all of them.

The wind blade struck his body, the ice and rock shattered upon impact.

Despite numerous spells, Kail showed no reaction.

He advanced unscathed, his footsteps leaving unnaturally deep marks on the ground.

Resisting physical attacks and even burning, with such strong durability affecting his clothes and hair.

There's only one method that could achieve this.

The same gravity magic as Mabel.

"What's going on!? Kail is completely immune to magic! He seemed to be in a big bind with his evil eye sealed, but he had a huge ace up his sleeve!"

"Wait, what's happening!?"

Excited, Amu tugged at my sleeve, and I explained.

"It's the same as with Mabel. Dark attribute magic can manipulate the gravitational pull of objects toward the star, but this value is also linked to how difficult it is to move or stop. Mabel increased the power of her weapons, but phenomena like destruction and burning are essentially physical movements on a microscopic scale. By making the structure heavy enough to withstand it, you can increase its strength. The human body can surprisingly support its own weight for short periods, and with the right spell, even greater weights can be... "

"...???"

Seeing Amu's blank expression, I reluctantly changed my explanation.

"Um... A house made of straw is more likely to be blown away by the wind than one made of bricks. The heavier it is, the harder it is to break."

"I kind of get it, but I don't really... Can I do that too?"

"If you try hard enough, probably..."

At that moment, the commentator shouted.

"Oh, Reynus is trying something new! Can he turn the tide!?"

"Damn...!"

Reynus suddenly thrust his staff-sword into the ground and began chanting.

The earth began to deform, and stone golems rose from it.

They were smaller than humans but numerous. More golems kept emerging from the stage's soil.

Amu said, surprised.

"Creating so many golems here! That knight is quite something..."

Reynus looked exhausted, but he had a smile on his face.

"You seem pretty tough. But can you handle golems with just that...!"

The golems began to advance in unison.

Indeed, if they could overwhelm him in numbers, they might be able to immobilize him.

Kail stopped for the first time.

Then, something strange happened.

The boy's shadow began to wriggle.

It formed a circle for a moment, and then numerous thin, thorn-like shadows shot out. They extended rapidly, rushing toward the golems.

The shadows, which had been crawling on the ground, suddenly rose like snakes, piercing the golems' bodies with their sharp tips. The golems, immobilized in mid-air, were quickly neutralized.

"Dark attribute shadow magic... So Kail, the evil eye user, can use regular magic too."

Amu muttered, perhaps having learned about it in class.

Kail's shadow magic was now approaching Reynus himself.

Sharp shadows emerged from the ground, launching a fierce assault.

But the young knight dodged them with graceful movements.

It seemed the golems were decoys from the start. With such fluid movements, Reynus quickly closed the distance to Kail.

He raised his sword to strike the boy, who was now within range.

I thought it was a good move.

Kail's body, likely made super heavy by magic, would probably deflect even a sword. But if he stopped short, he could win by the judge's decision.

The only remaining slim chance.

However—Reynus' movements stopped.

The young knight, sword raised, was frozen in shock.

The audience was also murmuring.

He could have won by thrusting his sword, but he didn't move.

No—He couldn't move.

Looking closely at the stage, one of Kail's shadows had entered Reynus' shadow.

That's... a curse.

It probably redefined the opponent's shadow as part of the main body, immobilizing them by piercing the shadow. Similar to nailing a straw doll.

The boy raised his face to look at the taller knight.

There was no emotion, not even a hint of malice.

Kail raised his drawn sword.

The audience, sensing the impending death, began to stir.

At that moment—

The match-ending whistle sounded.

"Oh, the judge has made a decision! The winner—Kail, the evil eye swordsman! He has advanced to the finals!"

The boy, who had raised his sword, unexpectedly lowered it obediently.

He turned and left the stage without a word.

As his shadow returned to him, Reynus collapsed as if his legs had given out.

It was a rare match, but the audience was unusually quiet.

They were probably overwhelmed.

By the content of the match or by Kail's indomitable aura.

The host's voice echoed through the arena.

"An incredible match! The remaining semifinal and the final will be held tomorrow! Don't miss the conclusion of the inaugural Imperial Capital Comprehensive Martial Arts Tournament!"