RATH 89
TL: Eevee

11. Not a myth, but a legend (2)

I stared blankly at the broadcast.

On the screen was Nerkia, emitting a massive fighting aura after annihilating Arucia like some classic fantasy novel protagonist.

Shortly afterwards, the event was declared over, and the commentators that had stayed silent the entire time begin praising Nerkia, exclaiming how incredible he was.

No, he actually is incredible.

He defeated a hundred Arucia students all by himself, after all.

But one of the commentators that had been heaping on the praise for Nerkia, soon raised a different topic.

[But, what could that summon of Professor Nicerwin possibly be that not even that Nerkia exclaimed he could never defeat?]
[I’m curious of that as well. Something that not even a swordsmaster, god-class summoners, a Spirit King and thousands of summons could defeat all together!]

“I’m facked.”
“Yap, owner f*cked.”

I’d at least said it relatively cleanly, but the metal bat went and said what I wanted to say anyway.

Yep, I’m f*cked.

“Owner, want me ta call over the stuco pres?”
“No, should I just head over and stomp on him myself?”
“Wiing, ya really pissed off right now, owner?”
“Of course.”

I’m saying it again, but this is the middle of the imperial capital.

Normally, giant stadiums like these are built outside the inner walls, even if they’re events sponsored by the imperial family, but one of the previous emperors constructed numerous giant stadiums near the imperial palace on the grounds that he couldn’t be bothered moving very far, resulting in an insane situation where stadiums were built inside the inner walls.

The story that when his advisors tried to convince him against the idea at the time, he said “if there is a shortage of places for people to live because of the stadiums, we can just make the capital bigger!” and so he increased the size of the capital by over double what it was previously, was a legend that wasn’t actually a legend.

As you’d expect from the ancestor of the current emperor and the princess, he was well and truly insane.

Either way, thanks to that lunatic, to escape from this place, you need to get through a giant castle wall that hadn’t ever been subject to enemy attack.

And in a place like that, thanks to that damn student council president, I have all the aggro well and truly locked down onto me.

I’d been doing well avoiding the spotlight so far, and after Aris became a swordsmaster she’d been drawing all the attention onto her!

And thanks to their heroics this time round, all the attention would have been firmly focused onto Aris and the stuco pres, but this little brat sold out the metal bat.

That sounds hella scary even to me.

What, someone that can win against a swordsmaster and a god-class summoner, a Spirit King and a thousand students all on their own?

I sound bloody strong?!

“Not you, me! I’m the weally stronk one here, not owner!”
“Yes, you’re the strong one. You’re the strongest that equally beats the crap out of both gods and devils! Problem being that title’s stuck to the person carrying around said strongest, i.e. me!”

Now all the nobles in the capital are going to come clamoring to see me.

And among those people who want a look at me, there’s definitely going to be someone who knew the person named Ast.

No matter how wide the capital is, and how plain I look, it’s impossible that a noble living in the imperial court could ever forget a face that served by the side of the princess unless that noble happened to be Sir Reia.

Of course, the majority of them would just think that they were very similar.

Even as they think maybe, just maybe, they will think that they look similar.

But the moment any of them think ‘could it be?’ and report to the princess, she will definitely come over to confirm the report.

“And the moment ya found out, owner’s gonna get locky locky!”
“And therefore, I’m bailing out for now!”

I wondered whether I should stomp on that damn student council president before running away, but the moment I get caught by one person, an endless hell will begin.

If I say greetings to one person, then when it’s over another’s going to come over and say their greetings, and once they’re done another will come over…

Since I was already familiar with that to death from my time in the imperial court, I decided to punish the student council president later, and for now, pack my bags and get a disguise on ASAP!

“I wish to see Professor Nicerwin!”
“I am Viscount Rellius. I wish to meet Professor Nicerwin!”
“My master, Count Kellate wishes to meet with Professor Nicerwin.”
“Is this Yugrasia where Professor Nicerwin is?!”

At the voices coming from the teachers’ tents some way away from where I was right now, I realised that the nobles moved a lot quicker than they used to in the past, and I too, quickly made my getaway.

“Bring, bring Professor Nicerwin!”
“Professor Nicerwin is not here, Professor Nicerwin is in a different tent from ours!”
“That way, that way, please keep order!”

I felt sorry for the panicking teachers, but all this was Nerkia’s fault!

And while deeply resenting Nerkia, I did my best to run away.

#2 Their story; Ria el Nermia’s story.

“I am Arucia’s student council president, Kiir de Reirase.”
“I am Marcis’s Ria el Nermia.”

The person that reached his hand out first in greetings was the Arucia student council president.

Just last year, no, just before the beginning of this imperial festival even, Arucia had been screaming that Marcis was their bitter enemy, but right now, they were an embarrassment to their name, much like Marcis was.

“I’ll keep it simple. Do you wish to make an alliance with us for the remainder of the tournament?”
“Yes.”

Both the Arucia student council president and I had already reached the point of no return.

[Arucia: 0pt]
[Marcis: 7pt]
[Yugrasia: 74pt]
[Mercaria: 0pt]

In the end, I lost to Aris and the rest of Yugrasia’s attack’s, and Arucia’s key forces were also decimated by Yugrasia’s student council president alone.

And by the time we came to, all of today’s events were won by Yugrasia.

The events of Day 5, worth 10 points each, were supposed to be the moment where we made a comeback, but it only ended up creating an inclosable gap instead.

Before we reached this point, we analyzed the battle between Arucia and Yugrasia’s student council president.

After watching the match, none of us thought we couldn’t win against him.

But that didn’t mean that we thought we could.

All the events from this point onwards were team events.

With summoners like that backing up a vanguard like Aris, there was no way we could win against that.

To be honest, I had trouble just fighting against Hermes’s summoner that fought beside Aris today.

“On the most important final day, if Arucia and Marcis works together, even Yugrasia couldn’t beat us both.”
“No, we must win.”
“Yes…”

This is our last resort.

My opinions were representative of Marcis, and as for Arucia who couldn’t even touch a single person in their defeat today, finally abandoned all vestiges of their pride and formed an alliance.

If we happened to lose to Yugrasia even in this scenario, the two academies’ reputations would hit rock bottom.

“And, another. I wish to form an alliance with Mercaria as well.”
“Mercaria?”
“Yes.”

Although their fighting abilities were the worst, in terms of numbers alone, they outnumbered all three of the other academies.

“That’s true. But…”
“Yes, there must be a price to pay accordingly.”

Even though they fought against us as one of the Four Great Academies, Mercaria’s fighting potential is very low.

Because the majority of their students were commoners, and they mostly studied topics related to civil service for the empire, they had no need to fight.

Because of that, they had given up on the imperial festival, but they hadn’t given up on their profits.

Using their matches, knowledge, and numbers as capital, they participated in the imperial festival for their own profits.

“It seems we’ll make quite a loss.”
“It can’t be helped. We’re in a situation where we have no choice but to become victorious.”

The number of points on offer in today’s matches were extremely out of the ordinary.

Normally 10 point events only appeared from Day 6 and onwards, but this time, 10 point events appeared from Day 5.

This was probably a move by the organizers to give the other schools a chance of a comeback.

But that opportunity turned into a situation where it was became impossible to make a comeback, and at this rate, the imperial festival could be decided with over a 100 point difference.

A 100 point difference? That basically put Arucia and Marcis in the dust.

If Marcis, that had been constantly fighting for the 1st, 2nd spots crashed like this at the time I arrived, no matter how little I had to do with it, my evaluation crashes as well.

And even though I’m a first year, I was a member of the student council under stupendously good conditions!

I would be a vice-president next year at the very least!

To think that the Marcis I would have to lead then would be dead in the water!

I do not want to have to understand the sentiments of a captain of a sinking ship.

“It is better to take the losses now. If we keep losing to Yugrasia like this, Arucia and Marcis will be in the gutter for the next four years at least.”

So, don’t be stingy because you’re graduating this year, and spend everything. Because I still have another 3 years ahead of me!

…which I didn’t say as Marcis’s representative and for the sake of my pride as a noble.

“Very well.”

But perhaps my feelings were communicated, the Arucia student council president nodded shortly afterwards.

Thank goodness. Had he refused I would have applied all sorts of psychological pressure and threats I learned how to use from the instructor, but this saves me the bother.

“Because we will also negotiate with Mercaria, it will not be too great a price to pay.”
“That is true. Mercaria too, will not want Yugrasia’s runaway victory to continue like this.”

There must be a demand in order for a supply to be necessary.

Mercaria too, will have the number of goods they can sell decrease if Yugrasia’s overwhelming rampage continues, so they probably won’t ask for too high a price.

“Then I will return and report to Arucia’s high-ranking students.”
“I too, will report to the high-ranking noble students of Marcis.”

What Mercaria wants is not money.

What they want is their future.

As the majority of them are commoners, what they want for their future is the backing of high-ranking nobles.

A guaranteed backing, complete with contracts!

“I hope you will move on this matter as quickly as possible. I want to have their cooperation by tomorrow.”
“Yes, I understand.”

With those words, the Arucia student president quickly moved left his seat.

There was nothing good to come of other people knowing that we had met each other.

“But having said that… do we even have a chance tomorrow?”

The fact that the student council president had moved, meant that Yugrasia’s student council, who had by and large kept themselves quiet up till now, had begun to make their move.

Last year, even though Yugrasia’s average skill level was far below the other schools, their student council at least didn’t lose out to the other schools.

If they began to make a move, being even stronger than they were last year, could I stop them?

All by myself?

“Why is there absolutely no one usable in our academy…”

Everyone was just so damn weak.

If they didn’t have the skills, they should at least have decent mental fortitude, but that student council president of ours fainted when he saw the massive points differential, and that so-called vice-president started inciting the other imperial faction students that this was all the president’s fault, at a time where we didn’t have enough power even if we all came together.

“I’m sick of this…”

I was sick of it. Far, far too sick of it all.

Back when I was in Howling, never would I have thought I would ever miss that place.

But, why is it that when I experienced ordinary student life like other people, did my memories of that time come back to me?

Ah, of course it didn’t mean that I wanted to return.

But at least… I couldn’t help but think that if I had just one person like No.1 or No.1000, things might have been a tiny bit easier for me.

That was it.

It was just a passing thought.

There was no way that either of them could be here.

Because them not being here was the normal thing to be!

“Did you… arrive just now?”

The student council president was saying something with a fearful expression for some reason, but I had no spare thoughts to spare for him.

“I am a Marcis student, Haeel Reia.”

The person bowing her head in front of me was someone who I spent just over a year with together.

Someone who I’d been missing just a few seconds ago!

“N, number!”

I was about to address her with a familiar name, but No.1000 cut in before I could finish.

“My name is Haeel Reia.”
“H, huh?”
“My. Name. Is. Haeel. Reia.”
“Hmm, Haeel Reia… wait no! What the heck are you doing here?”
“…Haeel Reia is a Marcis student… maybe?”
“What the heck is that supposed to mean!”

No.1000 tilted her head slightly before sending the student council president outside, leaving just the two of us together in the room.

And…

“The reason I’m here…”
“Reason…”

It was a situation where I reflexively gulped in anticipation.

I already knew that No.1000 was working for that person called the Imperial Princess.

So the reason that No.1000 was here… it couldn’t be!

“For this month’s, food bill?”
“That can’t be rriiiiiiiiiiiiiggghhhhhthttt!”

Even at my enraged words, No.1000 made an expression as if she couldn’t understand just like she used to back then, and it wasn’t for another two hours until I finally got the answer I wanted out of her.