'Nothing special so far.'
Hailey, the Chief Administrator of the guild ‘Ataraxia,’ crossed her arms and thought this from the audience seats.
It was an understandable reaction, as the talents she wanted to see—Neike, Aisha, Andrew, Eshild, Max, Noctar, Seria, and Theo—mostly belonging to the hero department, hadn't fought yet.
'But they'll soon show themselves.'
Starting from the round of 128, the 2v2 tournament that she had been waiting for would finally begin.
With that thought in mind, Hailey took a sip of coffee and stretched, scanning the audience.
'That man is the vice-commander of the Blue Falcon Knights. That woman is the Chief Administrator of the Rustica Guild...'
They were all familiar faces.
As they were her competition, she knew their appearances very well.
While surveying the audience, her eyes stopped at one place.
'Who is that man?'
A sharp-faced man, resting his chin on his hand, was glaring at the arena.
She had never seen him before.
However, his aura was not to be taken lightly.
'A person of that caliber shouldn't be unknown to me...'
Thinking this, Hailey stared at the sharp-faced man for quite some time, unaware that his true identity was Maitri, one of the thirteen main executives of ‘Turning White.’
The Knight Department's 2v2 tournament had finally begun.
I calmly observed the waiting room.
A student taking deep breaths to calm himself; another wearing a pleased expression, thinking that making it to the top 128 was a miracle in itself; and some who seemed completely at ease, relaxing comfortably.
'It's only just beginning.'
Though this was the 'real' beginning, it was not 'the' beginning.
The round of 128 and up were fought 1v1, but they didn't attract much attention.
Since there were time constraints, there was no particular commentary from the announcers' seats, and three matches were conducted simultaneously.
It was worlds apart from the practical skills evaluation held three weeks ago for the first-year students of the Hero Department, where every match had been broadcast.
This reflected the longstanding bias within the academy towards the heroes, a notion that they were superior to others.
Well, at least the rules were similar.
No, they were exactly the same.
The time limit was five minutes, and only practice weapons could be used.
Riding mounts were not allowed, and of course, wearing and using artifacts was prohibited.
During the practical skills evaluation, it didn't matter, but now it was a bit of a problem.
Without [Amplification Orb], my strength would diminish drastically.
[Amplification Orb] not only enhances traits and magic but also boosts the power of [Overload].
To increase the chances of victory even slightly, it was obviously essential.
So I considered it an investment and opened the shop window to purchase an item for the first time in a while.
●Camouflage Scroll [Grade: Rare]
: When used, camouflages the target item & artifact.
If the camouflaged item & artifact move a certain distance, the camouflage state is released. [More details]
In simple terms, the camouflage state prevents the item or artifact from being detected by artifact detectors.
Since the [Amplification Orb] is neither a weapon nor armor, there's no need for it to move a certain distance.
I can just keep it inside my pocket as I do now.
Depending on its usage, this effect can be highly useful. However, it comes with a cost.
Its price is a whole one shop gold coin, and its duration is a mere three hours.
‘Haah, it can't be helped.’
The [Amplification Orb] is very helpful to me.
'I should think of it as an investment to get five shop gold coins.'
Without the [Amplification Orb], I would likely lose not only to Neike's team but also to Aisha & Julia's team.
As I was lost in thought,
"Theo, are you nervous by any chance?"
Irene, who was sitting next to me, looked up at me with a sly smile, as if she found the idea surprising.
"Why would I be? I was just reviewing our strategies for each team."
"Heeh, I see. Even though I said we should win earlier, don't pressure yourself too much. We might lose, especially since there are many teams with top-ranking Hero Department students. You're growing fast anyway, so even if we lose, don't be too upset."
"······That won't happen, Rin. I intend to win no matter what. We will not lose."
I spoke with sincere conviction.
I invested as much as a precious shop gold coin.
And products purchased from the shop are non-refundable.
But it wasn't a reckless decision. I invested because I saw potential.
I will win this tournament, earn five shop gold coins, and at the same time, improve my reputation.
I'll need to recruit an Aide soon to work with me for over three years.
Reputation is important.
Irene seemed to understand my thoughts and just chuckled.
"That's right, such an attitude is indeed fitting for the successor of the esteemed Waldeurk family. But don't overdo it. Honestly, Theo, I'm excited just participating in this tournament with you."
"Is that so."
I responded indifferently.
I don't feel the excitement she's talking about.
Though my appearance is that of a 16-year-old teenager, my mind is not.
Unlike young students, I've lost the youthful emotions and romanticism long ago.
If a goal is set, I must run towards it without hesitation.
My goal right now is victory.
Irene wore a lonely expression.
"······ I guess I'm the only one excited. I kind of thought this was a da······ate, but it seems you didn’t."
Irene looked as crestfallen as a fire Pokémon who had lost its tail flame.
I turned my head, frowning.
'A date? What's she talking about!'
This is a tournament.
If we don't win, I'll be losing the gold coins.
But encouraging team members is also an important element in this 2v2 tournament.
"······No, I'm excited too."
"Really?"
Irene's eyes widened as she stared at me.
I nodded faintly.
"Yes."
"······It doesn't seem like it."
Irene narrowed her eyes.
Suddenly, a flashback of past situations flashed through my mind.
Yes, this was similar to situations I'd experienced several times with Aisha.
But a fitting response did not come to mind.
I blurted out whatever came to my head.
"Wow, I'm excited."
“Tsk, fine. Heh."
Irene smiled again, as if regaining her lost tail flame.
"······."
It seems to have worked, but it was baffling.
‘She got me.’
A woman's heart is truly incomprehensible.
If only it had an answer like a math problem, how wonderful it would be.
With these thoughts, I looked again at the large poster on the waiting room wall.
[Knight Department 2v2 Tournament Round of 128 Teams List]
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[Neike & Cyrus - Hero Department 1st & Knight Department 12th]
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[Noctar & Gulrik - Hero Department 71st & Knight Department 199th]
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[Theo & Irene - Hero Department 181st & Knight Department 1st]
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[Aisha & Julia - Hero Department 6th & Knight Department 3rd]
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[Max & Locon - Hero Department 53rd & Knight Department 11th]
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[Andrew & Sally - Hero Department 9th Place & Knight Department 117th Place]
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[Travis & Jacob - Hero Department 188th Place & Knight Department 48th Place]
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[Jamie & Seria - Knight Department 8th Place & Magic Department 1st Place]
There were many names to take note of.
It seems the academy's bias towards the Hero Department was showing again: even though the tournament was hosted by the Knight Department, the names of the Hero Department students were listed first.
'They've put the Magic Department's name at the back, how pathetic.'
Just like in the original game, Seria is also participating.
Seria, one of the main heroines in the original game and the top student in the Magic Department, is powerful.
She's not in the Hero Department, but she can compete with most of the top-tier students there.
'Hmm... The top four teams must be Neike's team, Aisha's team, Andrew's team, and Seria's team.'
Excluding the insurmountable Neike, they all have unique characteristics.
Cyrus, who is on the same team as Neike, is ranked 12th in the Knight Department, but he's no different from Theo in the original game, a third-rate villain.
But he's good at appealing to emotions.
Neike finds it hard to say no.
Perhaps Cyrus begged to be on the same team.
Originally, Neike would have partnered with Irene, but now she is on the same team as me.
Aisha's team has good synergy.
In the original game, the combination of archer and warrior was referred to as 'rice soup,' a reliable choice in most situations.
'Next is Andrew's team.'
I heard that Andrew was participating in the tournament, but I didn't know he would be on the same team as Sally.
It's an incredibly unbalanced combination.
Sally.
With her naive innocence and eye-catching smile, she's not a heroine in the original game but was quite popular.
Some users of the original game even clamored to have Sally included among the main heroines like Irene, Aisha, and Piel.
It's really strange.
How did Sally end up on a team with Andrew?
...I'm curious.
I want to ask about it, bad.
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