Chapter 74

Waaaaaaaah!

The roars of the crowd shook the colossal stadium, capable of holding up to fifty thousand spectators.

“Third year of the Knight Department, Valia Anus!”

Called by the judge, Valia Anus appeared mounted on his horse, advancing with solemn steps.

“His opponent, third year of the Knight Department, Gismond Ert!”

On the opposite end, Gismond Ert emerged riding an imposing black steed.

‘That’s the guy.’

Fernan, seated in the VIP section, watched him closely. Gismond Ert, a third-year student of the Knight Department.

The night before, after confirming the unexpected defeat of two of the round of 32 who should have advanced, Fernan had thoroughly investigated this man.

Up until last year, he had been a complete nobody.

Entering the Academy was already proof of enough talent anywhere on the continent, but within the Academy, he had been just average.

First year, first semester: rank 55.

First year, second semester: rank 53.

Second year, first semester: rank 52.

Neither exceptional nor terrible. Average.

‘And then suddenly he changed.’

Second year, second semester: rank 49. It was the first time his ranking crossed the barrier of the forties.

Third year, first semester: rank 22.

In a single semester, he had jumped twenty-seven positions.

And now, after the vacation, he had managed to defeat two knights clearly superior to him and slip into the top 32 of the jousting tournament.

‘…How the hell do you explain this?’

Fernan had hidden part of his true level and also relied on magical artifacts.

But Gismond Ert did not.

‘The Ert family is insignificant.’

A simple baron lineage, one among thousands. A small farmland and nothing more.

They had neither the wealth nor the reason to hide power.

‘Then what the hell is this?’

Where did this guy come from, the one now making me lose money?

The book of prophecies had never mentioned him. Did a latent talent suddenly explode? Or did he swallow a mountain of secret elixirs?

And it wasn’t just that.

He had already eliminated two who should have been guaranteed to reach the round of 16.

‘In a tournament, the 16 who reach the round of 16 should never meet earlier in the bracket.’

That Gismond had beaten one was possible. But two—that meant the bracket itself had changed.

‘In the original timeline, did he not even participate?’

If so, the entire tournament could diverge from the prophecy.

“…Tch, damn it.”

“At least the other predictions hold. Only two were wrong, right?” Hyde commented.

“Only two? Two is already too many!”

And no one could guarantee it would stop at two.

‘With this bracket altered, two more could fall.’

The judge raised his voice.

“Prepare!”

Valia Anus and Gismond Ert stood at opposite ends. They took up their lances and fixed their gaze on one another.

“Begin!”

Thud thud thud—!

The horses pounded the earth, charging thunderously.

The air filled with the harsh snorts of the beasts as their riders lowered their lances.

Claang!

A rending crash resounded across the stadium. The shockwave expanded, but the protective barriers already in place shielded the crowd.

Neighhh!

The horses neighed, unsettled by the impact. Both contenders turned and prepared for the second charge.

Thud thud thud—!

Claaang!

Another brutal collision. The horses screamed, the knights endured, and again they turned.

“I have the feeling this won’t be decided on horseback.”

“Right. Even if it’s called jousting, it rarely ends with just the lances.”

Just as Fernan and Hyde muttered, the third charge produced no victor.

“Dismount!” ordered the judge.

Both dismounted, dropped their lances, and drew their swords.

That was the rule—if after three clashes there was no result, it was settled with swordsmanship.

“Fight!”

The swords gleamed, imbued with aura. Gismond’s aura was brown, like his hair.

“Hyde, what do you think?”

“Valia Anus’s aura is more refined.”

“But Gismond Ert’s is far more abundant.”

“Yes.”

No further examination was needed.

Valia’s aura was sharp and solid; Gismond’s chaotic. But the sheer volume made up for the difference.

“Did he gorge on elixirs?”

That seemed the most plausible explanation. But from where? In the original story, he never used them—he hadn’t even participated in the tournament.

And the Ert family didn’t have the money for such luxuries.

‘…Corrupt magic?’

He had already seen how the corrupted had their aura artificially amplified.

While Fernan and Hyde spoke, the fighters clashed.

Claaang!

Sword against sword. Shards of aura burst in every direction. Most were brown.

Gismond’s aura waned, then regenerated instantly.

That cycle repeated several times, and in the end, it was Valia who began to tire. His movements slowed, his aura dulled.

Gismond, with brute force, found the opening.

Claang!

Gismond’s sword struck straight at Valia’s chest, and a flash stopped it.

The bracelet on Valia’s wrist had activated the safety barrier the Academy gave to all participants.

“End of the match! The winner is Gismond Ert!”

The judge proclaimed it officially.

“It’s one of two things—first-rate elixirs in absurd quantities, or corrupt magic.”

If it was elixirs, they weren’t cheap or common. No one in the Ert family could afford them.

Most likely it was the second—that he was corrupted.

But the corrupted weren’t fools. Would they really take such a risk now, when the rector had everyone hunting them?

Damn it. What a headache.

“Order the Golden Pillar to investigate Gismond thoroughly. His family, his movements, where he got the elixirs—even his most trivial habits.”

“Understood.”

Either way, the change had occurred because the future itself had been altered. There was no other explanation.

Fernan stood up.

“At least today I made money.”

Valia was never going to reach the round of 16, nor was he worth Fernan’s interest. Gismond, on the other hand, had defeated two who were destined to get there.

If those victories weren’t mere luck, the outcome was inevitable.

“Who will be his next opponent?”

“Luina Bercheff.”

“Then it ends there.”

Fernan was convinced there would be no more surprises.

Even so, he remained in his seat. With the bracket altered, he had to observe every match to assess who would truly reach the round of 16.

‘Damn bastard…’

While Gismond raised his arms and received cheers, Fernan’s eyes stared at him coldly.

***

Festival, day 6.

Jousting tournament, day 5.

After defeating three opponents and reaching the top 32, Luina was in the waiting room, calmly preparing for her next match.

‘My next opponent is…’

“Getting ready?”

Someone in armor sat down beside her. Though the visor hid his face, the voice was unmistakable.

“…Fernan? How did you get in here?”

The waiting room was off-limits to anyone who wasn’t a competitor. At least, that’s what she knew.

“There are always ways.”

“Money opens many doors.”

“More like connections. Something like this isn’t worth wasting money on.”

Fernan gave a faint smile.

“So what brings you all the way to the waiting room?”

“Do you know who your opponent is?”

“Yes. The third-year senior, Gismond Ert.”

She always gave her best and never went into a match without learning about her opponent.

“I heard his level suddenly rose since last year. I thought it was a late awakening of his potential, but seeing him in person, it’s different.”

“Elixirs.”

“Exactly.”

“I came to warn you in case you didn’t know, but it seems you already do.”

“Warn me?”

“Be careful.”

“Be careful?”

Though she couldn’t see his face, Fernan’s voice was unusually serious.

“That Gismond… too many things about him are suspicious.”

“…Could he be corrupted?”

Luina’s eyes sharpened instantly.

She already knew there were corrupted infiltrated in the Academy. And after seeing her friend Bella tainted by miasma and gaining a sudden surge of power, she couldn’t help but think it.

“I’m not sure. Just suspicions. But the likelihood is high.”

And quite high.

“Understood.”

“You won’t ask more?”

“Luina Bercheff, it’s your turn to enter.”

An assistant called her. Luina took her helmet.

“Even if he’s a man who only thinks of money, he isn’t someone who lies. And besides, I think I already have enough reason to trust you.”

She also longed for victory with all her heart.

“I’ll give it my all and come back…”

At that moment, something dropped into her mouth.

“…This is… chocolate?”

“A gift. Make sure you win.”

“…Thank you.”

Clank. Luina lowered her helmet visor and walked down the hallway.

“Trust, huh…?”

Fernan returned to his seat in the stands.

And he saw it.

“The winner, Luina Bercheff!”

Luina’s lance, charging in unison with her steed, shattered Gismond’s aura in a single strike.

On the second clash, she disarmed him completely.

The match was decided in just two exchanges.

“Gyaaaaahhh! I’m dyingggg!”

Unable to withstand the countershock transmitted through the lance, Gismond rolled on the ground, clutching his broken arm.

“What a fuss. It’s just a fracture.”

“Exactly.”

As if it were the first time a student had been injured in combat.

‘If he really was corrupted, I wouldn’t picture him as someone so pathetic.’

Had it really just been an overdose of elixirs? With what money?

“Tch.”

Fernan clicked his tongue.

Either way, Luina had won—and that was what mattered.

‘Though I think she’s even stronger now than in the prophecy.’

He had known she would win, but not so overwhelmingly. Perhaps this time she could truly be the champion.

Was it because of the mandrake? Whatever the reason, having an even stronger ally against the demons was something to be grateful for.

‘An ally, huh… since when did I assume fighting demons was my business?’

By now, he was certain that the future where he turned against Aint and fell into ruin would never come. Even if he stepped aside, that fate wouldn’t happen.

But even so, Fernan couldn’t let go of the matter of demons.

The butterfly effect.

With all the changes he had caused to survive, the future was unpredictable.

Like when the Sea Serpent that attacked his yacht turned out to be not one, but two. Or when Andromalius appeared suddenly, altering what the book had said.

He feared that kind of change could end up costing Aint his life.

And if Aint fell, the entire world would fall with him.

That’s why he couldn’t let it go.

‘You’ll see. I’ll make all the gold in the world mine.’

If he saved the world, that would be the rightful payment.

Fernan clenched his teeth tightly.

At that moment, someone approached Hyde and handed him an envelope sealed with the golden emblem of the Pillar.

“Sir, here is what you requested.”

“Give it to me.”

“Yes.”

Fernan opened it and smiled as he read the contents.

“…Well, well.”

“What did you find?”

“I found it. It’s called Phaeios Fortress, in the territory of Phaeios.”

It was a fortress at the southernmost end of the Kingdom of Frazia.

‘That location is…’

Fernan recalled another prophecy.

[– This is black obsidian.

“Black obsidian? The one resistant to magic?”

– You’re lucky. It’s not like mithril, but it’s very useful.]

It was very close to Phaeios. And it was a good business opportunity.