RATH 78
TL: Eevee

10. We came, we saw, we won (3)

#4 Their story: A certain participant’s story.

“It, it can’t be.”

The numbers that were recorded on the scoreboard in front of me couldn’t possibly be real.

But not matter how many times I rubbed my eyes, the numbers on the scoreboard didn’t change.

[Arucia: 0pt]
[Marcis: 0pt]
[Yugrasia: 5pt]
[Mercaria: 0pt]

Over the week that the four academies competed against each other during the imperial festival, there were a total of 30 events.

Depending on the event, there are some that can take the entire day, whereas others could end in just under an hour.

And the majority of the events on the first day were of the type that ended quickly, and likewise, the number of points they offered were not very high, either.

And today’s event in particular, were all individual events that were worth the least amount of points, so each victory was worth only 1 point.

Because the events leading into the final days were worth 5 points, sometimes up to ten, you couldn’t afford to be complacent, so it was always a tight contest all the way to the end. It was too early to give up yet.

But, even so.

On the other hand, if someone began winning overwhelmingly from the beginning, then even if you won on the final day, you still couldn’t win.

Because even if you took 10 points from 0 by winning on the final day, if the opponents already had 11 points then everything was already over.

And let me repeat this, but there were five events today. And they were individual events worth the fewest amount of points.

“Is this illusion magic?”

But no matter how many more times I blinked the [Yugrasia 5pt] did not change.

Very well. I must admit it.

Today, in all five events, Yugrasia, the school deemed the weakest, won everything.

And overwhelmingly so!

“Pres… it’s okay! 5 points today, that’s nothing, right?”

Even as the other members of the student council tried to cheer me and my flabbergasted face up, I still couldn’t say anything.

“We’re Arucia, right?”
“Yeah! Arucia! The strongest of the Four Great Academies!”

Although the female members said with bright expressions.

“But… Rail, the strongest of all of us got destroyed that easily?”
“That’s…” Everyone else fell into silence.

We wouldn’t be so troubled if this was a team event that was unfavourable to Arucia.

We might even have had excuses if we had a draw filled with nothing but the strongest fighters to defeat to proceed.

But, none of these applied to today’s matches.

No, on the contrary, you could say that we were actually quite lucky.

An event that was the most favourable to Arucia, a 1:1 duel in a narrow arena.

And even with our tournament draw, aside from one match, no one else could be thought of as a worthy opponent until we won.

But.

“Reil was defeated in Round 1, and no one else lasted past Round 3.”
“Plus, three of the semifinalists were…”

Each academy sent out a total of ten people.

Even Mercaria sent out people that could fight reasonably well, and I heard the standard of the matches were higher than last year as well.

But, the whole story changed when you looked at the draw for the semifinals.

“Three Yugrasia, one Marcis.”

And even that one Marcis student was defeated in his semifinal, and in the end the finals were fought out between two Yugrasia students.

“Admit it, we were routed.”

These were the results even with our favourite event.

And what about the other events?

All of them could be said to be a one-sided whitewash, no, a slaughter by Yugrasia.

“But, but Lady Aris didn’t use summoning, and she only used her spear!”
“Yeah, Lady Aris who was already talented simply went over to Yugrasia.”
“If only Lady Aris had come to Arucis!”

Do these idiots have any idea what they’re saying.

No, seeing the majority of them were second years in their first time on the student council, they wouldn’t understand.

“Are you all a bunch of idiots? Are you missing your heads?”

The moment I was about to tell them the truth, the one who said something before me was the vice-president Arietta.

“Is losing to a summoner with a spear something to be proud of? And the furthest we managed to get to was just Round 3. But Yugrasia alone sent 3 people to the semifinal, and they fought the final between each other.”
“That’s…”
“If you were an ordinary student, I won’t care if that’s what you think. I wouldn’t care if that was what you would have thought last year! But right now, you are members of Arucia’s student council. We need to understand why we lost, and make it so that our students can win instead.

“Arietta…”

The person that would want to beat Yugrasia the most out of all of us would be Arietta herself.

Did that asshole Nerkia even know just what she was fighting for this imperial festival.

Even though we normally fought each other quite often, when you considered Arietta’s situation that pissed me off even more against Nerkia.

“Are you alright?”
“Mm… For now.”

At Arietta’s shout, the new members of the student council immediately turned their gazes downwards, and the fourth year members who were familiar with this by now began to console the other students.

“You’re still playing the villain as always.”
“Well, it’s what I’ve always been doing after all. It’s a role I’ve inherited from my sunbae after all.”
“What about just telling Nerkia? It’s not a bad deal for him either. He’s the one that’s got the most to gain from all this as well, isn’t he?”
“No… the promise I made with father wasn’t something like that.”

She’s still as stubborn as ever.

And I suppose that was the exact reason why she was a figure of respect for countless Arucis girls, as well as one of fear.

“And besides… Nerkia’s also doing his best to win in the imperial festival. I can’t make him give up just like that.”

Damn it, her completely different appearance to her normal cool personality was so damn cute.

To the point I just didn’t understand why, why the hell was she lovers with someone like Nerkia!

“Nerkia is incredible. Even when he first enrolled, he could have gone to Marcis, but not for the school he was going to attend, but purely for his own education, he chose to go to Yugrasia, and he even created a miracle like this!”

Was this what you called a maiden in love.

I couldn’t see any trace of her normal self as she fervently heaped on the praise, as she showed me a side of her I’d never seen once in the two years we’d been on the student council together.

Although the fact the reason why she was showing me this was because of the Yugrasia student council president Nerkia, was so, so much of a waste.

“Haa… seriously, you girls are really living it the hard way.”
“No, we’re all doing this because we want it. So, it’s alright.”

As I looked at Arietta smile happily I thought of another girl that made that very same smile.

Someone who could in future aim for the title of president, or vice-president.

A girl whose personality was the complete opposite of Arietta’s, a girl who could not earn respect, but was loved instead.

“Alright then… tomorrow, we’ll definitely make a comeback.”

Although the thought of an asshole who monopolised the love of girls like them having a happy end did make me resentful, right now as the student council president of Arucis, I had a duty to ensure that Arucia won the imperial festival.

“Yep, I believe in you, Pres!”

And the next day.

[Arucia: 0pt]
[Marcis: 0pt]
[Yugrasia: 12pt]
[Mercaria: 0pt]

The gap only widened.

#5 Their story: Aris ril Letia’s story.

[Ahhhhh! Unbelievable! To think these two contestants would meet in the first round!]
[Lady Aris, this has become an incredibly troublesome situation for her!]
“How noisy.”

The first day of the imperial festival, the duel arena of the 1v1 matches, one of five events to be played out today.

Since it was only Day 1, we would only get one point even if we won, but even so we couldn’t give it up.

Because our goal, was a total victory with not a single defeat.

[Lady Aris, one of the best swordsmen from even the famous family, the Letia Marquisate!]
[Yes indeed, even from an early age we heard that Young Lady Letia was touted as a future female knight that would eventually become the successor of Sir Reia.]
[But her luck was just simply too pitiful with her opponent. This might as well be the final on our hands right here!]

And so, Pres sent out me, who was our best chance at winning this event.

[Lady Aris’s opponent is the strongest of Arucia, the empire’s academy of the sword!]
[The talent said to be the closest to becoming a swordsmaster in the empire, no, the entire continent!]
[Yes indeed, Lady Aris’s opponent is none other than that Mereldra rel Rail!]
[The key to this match is just how Lady Aris will deal with this formidable opponent!]

There were numerous watchable shows in the imperial festival other than just us, and so because of that, the analyst casters had a tendency to overexaggerate things to earn their keep.

Just like this.

[Incredible. To think we could watch such a high level contest from the very first match!]
[Not just here, Rail is a swordsman who could even aim for the top positions of the swordsmanship contest that many of the greatest swordsmen in the empire compete at.]
[But his enemy is the Letia House’s Black She-wolf! If you make light of her claws, even Rail can get quite a bloody nose!]

The annoying, and seemingly endlessly repetitive analysis kept on going and going.

And having said that, a she-wolf, just what the hell are they saying.

Are they already coming up with a nickname for me?

In that case I will very bluntly reject that. What the hell is a she-wolf, a she-wolf.

I just want to hurry up with this match, and stop listening to the endless drivel from those mouths but there’s still some time to the match.

As I unsatisfyingly swung my feet back and forth, I heard the goddess’s voice.

-Hey Aris, is that boy over there actually the strongest they have in Arucia, the academy they call the best in the empire?
-Yes, apparently he is.

His force that I could see from all the way over there, was definitely incomparable to normal students.

-Those kinds of kids, we’ve got them everywhere in our academy, don’t we? Is that actually their strongest?

The goddess was sincere in asking me that question.

Well, of course. Because that boy supposedly the strongest in Arucia, was about the level of an average student in our academy!

-We… we… just to fight ag…ainst a school that runs on and on that… something like that’s their strongest…. Sob… just… against just that… sniffle…

And in the end, our goddess burst out in sorrowful tears.

-Goddess… Nicerwin that fu… I mean, Professor even thought of the possibility that the other schools would form an alliance against us.
-Sob… but still, even still! Sob… there was no reason for us to feel that much pain!
-That’s… true.

That, just that, is their strongest.

Even if all of Arucia’s students were at that level, even our first years could probably beat them all if they tried their hardest.

Because no matter how close they were to becoming a swordsmaster, they were still not an actual swordsmaster.

No matter how close it may seem, the thing you might never attain ’til the day you die, is the peak that is a swordsmaster.

As to who was the closest to that realm, only the gods in charge of that realm would know.

[And here we go!]
[Finally, this event’s greatest match is about to begin!]
[We make a cautious prediction, that this match might take a bit of time!]
[If anyone needs to go to the bathroom, hurry now!]
“Lady Letia, it is an honour to be able to fight you.”
“Yes.”

To my opponent who greeted me first through the noise of the casters, I bowed my head slightly in greetings.

“Lady Aris. Do you know that there are more upsets in this event than the imperial swordsmanship contest?”
“Yes. Unlike the swordsmanship contest which runs for the entire length of the imperial festival, and allows for proper rest, all of this event’s matches end in a single day.”
“That is the case. Even though it is possible to recover, a full recovery is impossible. And so, you must fight saving your strength for the opponent you will fight next.”

Before I stepped onto the battlefield for this event, Professor Nicerwin had said.

‘You do not have to be concerned with injuries, Miss Aris.’

And the following words were from the creature right beside him.

‘Yep yup! I can totes heal ya easy peasy, so don’t worry!’

The silver devil had said, raising her two fists into the air.

Meaning, injuries, meant death.

“But, seeing as Lady Aris is my opponent, I will fight with you with everything I have as a swordsman!”
“Imperial festival 1v1 duel, Match 1, Aris ril Letia vs Mereldra rel Rail, match begin.”

With those words, the match started.

“My goal is to fight strong opponents, and become a swordsmaster. I hope you will do your best to help me attain that goal!”

As he said so, what gathered around his blade was a blue-coloured sword ki.

And seeing that, I summoned the goddess’s spear.

“Spear?”

And my opponent looked at my spear with bewildered eyes.

“Yes, it is the weapon of my contracted goddess, Athena.”
“A divine weapon… is it?”
“No, it’s just a spear.”

The goddess’s divine weapon was a shield. Although the spear was sturdy, it didn’t have any special powers to be worth calling a divine weapon.

“Wasn’t Lady Aris’s signature weapon a sword?”
“I have begun using a spear since I enrolled into Yugrasia.”

It had been half a year since I began using a spear, that I could summon anytime I needed, and fight against the silver devil from range.

Even if my skills were somewhat lacking compared to my main weapon, the sword, using a spear was still better in order to avoid that pain.

“Are you, looking down on me?”

But it seemed that my opponent was getting angry at my words. Why?”
“I am not.”
“Lady Aris is a swordsman! And a master of twin swords at that!”

I was.

“Have you given up already? Having enrolled in the perpetual third place Yugrasia, have you given up as well, Lady Aris?”

Oh my, now what nonsense is this.

“Then you’re, actually disa…ppoint…?”

It seemed that the nonsense, no, the bullshit would keep on coming.

Night study, ‘plans’, I’ve already heard enough bullshit in the academy over the past half year, I can’t listen to any more of it in the imperial festival, too.

And so, I will have him shut his mouth.

“Spear aura?”

The thing that shone as if it burned on the tip of my spear was most definitely spear aura.

As I spun around my spear that shone red and took a stance, I smiled at my opponent.

“Get hit by a snowball. If you want to become a swordsmaster.”
“Eh?”

To my opponent who couldn’t understand, I very kindly gave him another answer.

“Or, enroll into Yugrasia.”

And with those words, five strikes.

That was all it took for Arucia’s strongest to fall to my spear.