Chapter 54

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have kept you waiting for far too long! The moment we have all been waiting for, the final match of the inaugural Imperial Capital Comprehensive Martial Arts Tournament, is finally here!"

The announcer's voice echoed throughout the venue.

"The first of the valiant warriors to grace us with their presence in this prestigious final is—Lamproug's name is not just for show! This young man, with depths yet to be revealed, just how many tricks does he have up his sleeve? The prodigy of the Imperial Magic Academy, Seika Lamproug!"

Amidst the rising cheers, I ascended the stage.

Despite the extensive damage I had caused earlier in the morning, the stage was now pristine.

It must have been a matter of show business, as any further delay would not have been allowed. The emergency repairs, though only temporary, seemed to be sufficient for now.

"Next, the second contestant is—unusual, unique, and the most unconventional swordsman of all! What is he? Where did they find such a one? The hidden ace of the Lugroak Trading Company, the killer with the evil eye, Kyle!"

A boy with gray hair appeared on the stage, ascending the stairs.

In his right hand, he held a sword, its blade drawn. His eyes, one a different color from the other, were half-open. The ghostly aura around him remained unchanged.

It was unclear if he even recognized my presence.

"Hello."

I greeted Kyle with a smile.

"Sorry, but she's not your sister. Mabel lost to me in the semi-finals."

"Mabel...?"

The boy murmured in a surprisingly high voice.

"Mabel, Mabel... Ah,"

He slightly widened his eyes and then said,

"That's a problem... It's not according to plan. Is that girl still alive?"

"Yes."

"I see. That's good."

Kyle said in a dreamy voice.

"In that case, I can properly kill her."

I exhaled and said,

"She's your sister, you know."

"Yes, the last of my comrades, a dear family member."

Kyle stated without any emotion.

"I am told to kill the people I love."

"...I understand your situation, but I still can't comprehend it."

I asked.

"Why do you live? Isn't it to be happy? Does killing your dear sister contribute to achieving that goal? I don't think they would deprive you of logical thinking through surgery just to use you as a soldier."

"What does it mean to live for happiness?"

"..."

"What is happiness? To live, to carry on life to the next day. That's what it meant to me, and to everyone in the training facility. Becoming stronger, following the stronger ones, all for that purpose. I was the strongest, so I got the surgery. But the company is stronger than me, so I still follow them. To live. Is there something wrong with that?"

"...To live, you would sacrifice your dear family?"

"Yes. Happiness is to live. Family, after all, is just another person."

"You weren't always like this. Have you forgotten that?"

"Of course, I remember. But now, this feels right."

"That's not good. Mabel will be sad."

"...I don't understand."

Kyle asked me in a weightless voice.

"Neither you nor Mabel have anything to do with me. Why have you been interfering in our affairs?"

"Why...? It's obvious, isn't it?"

I smiled and said,

"Because I don't like it. Take care of your only sister. You follow the strong, right? Then after losing this match, why don't you apologize to Mabel?"

"...I still don't understand."

Kyle slightly rattled the sword in his right hand.

"Why would I lose to you?"

"The moment of truth has arrived! The final match of the inaugural Imperial Capital Comprehensive Martial Arts Tournament—begin!"

The whistle blew.

Kyle's eyes widened.

But before his evil eye could take effect,

I had already opened the door.

"Summon—Nightscreen of the Shrine Maiden"

The dense fog drawn from the phase quickly enveloped the arena.

"Oh, this must be Seika's magic! We can't see the stage at all!"

"This...?"

"It's no use trying to rely on your eyes."

I smiled, facing the blurred figure of Kyle in the fog.

The Nightscreen of the Shrine Maiden is a fog demon captured in the mountains of Ezo.

This demon confuses those who enter the mountains, leading them to disaster, and hinders the cognitive abilities of those it engulfs. Its effects include disorientation and the inability to recognize faces, which would be particularly troublesome for a curse user who relies on visual magic.

Of course, I summoned it to hide from the audience's eyes.

His level of evil eye seems resistible, though.

A creaking sound.

Kyle took a step forward.

With each step, the footprints he left were unnaturally deep.

"Hmm."

"Fire and Earth—Will-o'-the-Wisp Technique"

A pale blue fireball struck Kyle, but the boy showed no reaction. The phosphorescent flames that burst around him didn't even ignite his clothes.

It seems he is under the influence of a gravity spell, making him quite heavy.

"Then how about this?"

"Wood and Metal—Mercury Vine Binding Technique"

Dark vines erupted from beneath Kyle's feet.

The heavy, mercury-laden vines wrapped around the boy, who offered no resistance, and began to bind him.

For a moment, I thought it was over.

But then,

The shadow of Kyle, which had been blurred by the fog, suddenly darkened and began to wriggle.

The shadow crawled up the boy's body.

In the next instant, it tore the binding vines from the inside.

The shadow that fell back to the ground branched out and rushed towards me.

The tips of the shadows reared up, trying to pierce me.

But that was as far as they got. The shadows couldn't penetrate the barrier and vanished—.

And then,

As if the exchange had never happened,

Kyle took another step forward in silence.

There was no emotion in his eyes.

I sighed.

It's lonely when there's no reaction at all.

Kyle must have lost all the excitement, tension, and fear of battle.

Well, let's go with the original plan.

I took out a human-shaped talisman and opened the door to the phase.

"Summon—Minotaur"

A figure emerged from the distortion in space—a demon with a bull's head.

A muscular, black-skinned body. The bull's head, towering above, had sharp horns and a fierce expression that seemed to hate the world.

I asked Kyle,

"Is a soldier who has lost his emotions truly perfect?"

Dragging a thick golden club, the Minotaur took a step towards Kyle.

The boy stopped in his tracks.

"Minotaur...?"

Kyle murmured emptily.

The shadows at his feet wriggled and attacked the Minotaur.

The Minotaur did nothing.

Yet the shadows couldn't penetrate it. They were blocked by something invisible and only crawled over its black surface.

"..."

"I don't think feeling fear is a bad thing."

The Minotaur took another step towards the boy.

At that moment, Kyle took a large step forward for the first time.

He raised his one-handed sword and swung at the Minotaur.

The sword, likely made heavy by a gravity spell, was formidable.

But.

The Minotaur, with just a swing of its arm,

Smashed the sword to pieces.

In the fog, I sensed Kyle's sharp intake of breath.

It was the first sign of slight unease he had shown in the tournament.

The Minotaur raised its club casually.

"Did you feel nothing when you saw that?"

Then the club swung horizontally—knocking Kyle flying.

The boy rolled off the stage and lay still.

It was a display of overwhelming power, with no real exchange of blows.

"That's a different league from you. Gravity spells and shadow magic won't work on him."

I looked at the fallen Kyle and murmured,

"If you still had fear, you wouldn't have challenged such a reckless battle."

****

As the Minotaur lumbered back, I said to it,

"Hey, did you hold back?"

The bull's head nodded silently.

Still as uncommunicative as ever.

The Minotaur is one of the more powerful demons I have, though not as strong as the Dragon. It's easy to handle, and I used it frequently in my previous life. It did a good job this time. By the way, its face is scary, but it's not angry.

After sending the Minotaur back to the phase, I ran to Kyle, who was lying on his back.

He seemed unconscious, but he was breathing. He didn't seem to have any serious injuries.

"Are you really going to let him live?"

Yuki's voice made me nod.

"Well, yeah. Is it too lenient?"

"It is. But... Yuki thinks this is for the best."

Now, what to do next.

First, I'll sneak him out... After that, it's up to him. If he insists on returning to the company, I can't stop him.

But if he wants freedom... it's certainly possible. With Kyle's strength, he could join an adventurer group or become a guard for a caravan, living a hidden life.

Emotions can also return.

Like how a blind person becomes more sensitive to sound, the human body tries to compensate for lost functions. If he lives a normal life where emotions are required, his brain might adapt to fill the gap.

But first things first.

Let's start by letting him see Mabel—

"Seika-sama!!"

Yuki's sharp voice startled me.

From Kyle's head, black patterns radiated out, spreading over his face and body.

This... is a curse mark!?

"!"

I immediately summoned a human-shaped talisman and cast a barrier.

The pattern's spread stopped and gradually faded away.

But my relief was short-lived—Kyle's body began to shake violently.

I widened my eyes. The barrier should be effective. So... the damage must have been inflicted on his body before the curse activated.

But... I can't determine the exact damage. There's no time to prepare a substitute talisman now.

It's too late.

"...Mabel... tell her..."

Kyle's eyes were slightly open.

He whispered hoarsely,

"...Tell her... to apologize... for me..."

And I heard the boy's last words.

"..."

Kyle's body went limp.

He wasn't breathing. The light had gone out of his heterochromatic eyes.

The swordsman with the evil eye was dead.

"Seika-sama, this..."

Yuki whispered in shock.

I had a good idea of the curse's nature.

It was likely placed by the Lugroak Trading Company during the surgery.

To prevent him from being captured and revealing information, or to keep the details of the surgery secret.

A curse to seal his mouth upon defeat.

"...By a curse..."

My voice was tinged with curse power.

I summoned all the human-shaped talismans I had scattered around.

"To outsmart me with a curse... What a bold move..."

The talismans arranged themselves around Kyle's body.

They were connected by lines of curse power, forming a secret magic circle.

"Om Apakaroti Padartha Samuddishati Adhunik Ishthaka—"

I chanted the mantra, formed the seals with my hands, and constructed the spell.

To curse someone is to dig two holes.

I won't let the one who cast this curse die easily.

I'll make them prepare for the lives of everyone within a few yards and all their direct blood relatives.

But first, it's my turn.

It's fine. I can still make it.

He just died.

By referencing the soul structure from the most recent timestamp, I can read it and that will be enough.

Yes.

In my previous life, when I was the strongest.

For me, this is nothing.

Reviving the dead—

"!! No, Seika-sama! That's going too far!!"

Yuki's urgent voice made me stop.

Yuki continued pleading.

"Didn't you say it was dangerous? Have you forgotten why you were reincarnated!?"

"..."

"Please reconsider! Is this person so important to you that you would go to such lengths!?"

"..."

I—lowered my hands, which had been forming the seals.

The talismans scattered around me.

The lines of curse power broke, and the magic circle collapsed.

I stood silently in front of the boy's body.

"..."

Yuki's concerned voice echoed.

"I understand how you feel."

"I know, Yuki. I know that Seika-sama is the kindest person of all—"