Chapter 340: Tradition of the Inter-Academy Tournament (3)

We lost.

I repeat.

Joaquin lost, in crushing defeat.

***

The chariot carrying Abel and Ji Changhyuk didn’t even make it halfway around before their tail was caught.

The metal spheres dangling at the back were left helpless before the kiss of Parsy’s wolves.

Parsy’s wolves licked the metal balls with delight. Apparently, they were made of something that appealed to canines.

Maybe that was a catalyst to motivate them further.

But from the perspective of the defeated, it was a total humiliation.

In front of thousands in the stadium and hundreds of millions watching at home, Abel and Ji Changhyuk’s chariot was penetrated from behind.

The entire coliseum burst into laughter once the first suppressed giggle escaped.

『Victory to Parsy in the sophomore face-off!』

Abel lowered his head with force and clenched his fists; Ji Changhyuk, completely resigned.

The climax was when Parsy’s chariot passed by calmly, like a general returning after victory. To top it off, their team began tossing violets at them.

“Tch, you’d think they won a war. They didn’t even participate!”

Murmured Ryozo, clicking her tongue as she shoved a jelly bar into her mouth.

“If the chariot was that fast, then the professors were incompetent. Even with 120 years of experience, at that speed, they shouldn’t have a teaching license, should they?”

“…The headmistress might be right, but from another perspective, this is a very fitting competition for the purpose of the exchange…”

The voice from behind made Ryozo glance sideways. It was Victoria.

Her shoulders were slightly drooped, her gaze lowered. Her pupils reflected worry.

In a subdued voice, Victoria moved her lips.

“What’s being highlighted here aren’t the professors, but the students. I think that’s what the organizer intended to express.”

“…”

Ryozo slowly chewed her jelly. Her jaw moved stiffly and her Adam’s apple dropped hard. Then she responded.

“Your Highness was right. I wasn’t being objective.”

“I didn’t mean to blame you. It’s just that…”

Princess Victoria glanced at me briefly, then quickly averted her gaze like someone caught red-handed.

Abel and Ji Changhyuk had become a joke. For now, it was just them, but soon the whole world would know the real target of criticism wasn’t Abel—it was Ji Changhyuk.

Victoria must have sensed that soon, it would be her turn too.

Victoria was an excellent student. She could even compete with the Golden Generation. The problem was her partner.

‘Why did I get stuck with him?’

That’s why she was seriously considering Knox’s “Crow’s Blessing transfer.” Without matching my energy, the chariot wouldn’t even budge.

That much was obvious.

“It’s not that–”

Ryozo tried to speak, but stopped when she felt my hand on her shoulder and saw me shake my head.

She blinked briefly, getting my point. Then, she clicked her tongue and turned back to the arena.

I also turned my eyes back there after sneaking a glance at Victoria.

“The princess is more fragile than I imagined. What does the instructor in charge think of her protégé, Her Highness Princess Victoria?”

Ryozo murmured in a low voice while looking straight ahead. Fortunately, the crowd’s noise drowned her out.

“It’s not that she’s fragile,” I corrected.

“She just has low self-esteem.”

“The princess?”

“Surprised?”

“Well… no. I guess it can happen.”

‘I felt it during training. She’s not how she appears in public.’

Her sharp attitude is a defense mechanism. Others might not notice, but I did.

I glanced sideways.

Due to the intense training from the Absolute Archer Kojima, Ryozo also had a harsh personality for a while.

Her words always carried thorns, and she seemed disinterested in everything.

Even so, she always got the best grades, both in theory and practice.

If she had truly wanted to defy Kojima, she just had to stop studying.

‘But she wanted to be acknowledged.’

Even if she hated her bloodline and her father, Ryozo sought his approval. That’s typical in adolescence—rebelling like that.

‘Victoria isn’t that different.’

By the way, I know nothing about royal lineage. “The Blessing of the Family” doesn’t go into that, and as a commoner, I had no contact with royalty.

It’s like that old rule from wuxia novels the emperor shouldn’t meddle in martial affairs.

To maintain “verisimilitude,” writers invented such rules. And it seems something similar applies here.

‘I don’t know the royals well, but it’s clear Victoria isn’t treated with respect.’

Being born into nobility doesn’t mean everything is good. And now, the clearest proof of that was approaching.

Step… step…

Abel walked up with a completely distorted face.

Her steps were as unsteady as a zombie’s.

“Well done…”

Don’t say it, Leon.

“…”

Good call. At least you’ve got sense.

Plop.

Abel dropped into his seat with a weight that nearly collapsed it.

Ji Changhyuk followed, as if bound by an invisible leash.

Though their reasons were different, neither could shake off the shock of defeat.

“It’s fine.”

Abel shook his mint-green hair. It gave off a fresh scent, like grass.

“Sometimes, you lose.”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry…”

“I told you, Ji Changhyuk.”

Abel smiled sweetly and patted Ji Changhyuk’s head.

“We did our best. If we look at it objectively, it wasn’t your fault. It was my mistake for not adjusting our pace, even knowing the rules. Still, we almost made half a lap!”

“B-But…”

“Don’t cry. Be a man.”

Abel smiled so much, his eyes almost looked teary.

“Heavenly Sword, you…”

“Hmm?”

I couldn’t take it anymore and brought my curved index finger to her cheek.

I wiped away a small, shining droplet.

“Huh?”

Abel brushed his thumb across his face and looked up with a bitter expression.

“Why am I… crying?”

Abel, you’re the true winner.

‘You held back your desire for victory for your disciple.’

As your husband, I couldn’t be prouder.

***

「The sophomore match turned out to be an unexpected twist! Who would’ve imagined Joaquin would fall so easily to Parsy, who lost the flag war?!」

Joaquin’s victory had seemed like a given. But with this upset, the crowd’s excitement surged. Thanks to the so-called “underdog effect,” the cheers split evenly.

The chants supporting Parsy grew louder. Ratings were surely spiking. Although Abel’s face looked like he was chewing shit…

「This is getting more and more thrilling! Let’s move right to the next showdown!」

「First-year chariot race, let’s gooooo!」

“I’m going to avenge them.”

As always, past or present, Leon calmed us with his flawless, serene tone.

“Let’s go, Rina.”

Chaerina stood to follow Leon. Just before turning her back to us, she cast me a cold, distant look.

— Remember this. If things keep going this way, these cheers will soon become the cries of the dead.

“What I hate most is being told what to do. I’ll decide how to act, so you focus on doing your job.”

— I don’t understand. Why do you cling to this world?

‘Because I’m a stubborn fool, what other reason?’

—…

Black hair and black eyes. As if the world lost all color except for us. That strange sense of resonance shattered the moment Chaerina took her first step.

Her black braid swayed gently.

Frowning, Ryozo asked in confusion,

“Hey, I’ve always wondered… Geom-Ma, why are you so hostile toward your cousin? I mean, I know you don’t get along, but do you really have to snarl at each other like that?”

A question slightly out of place. But I already had an excuse ready.

“You know how rough my cadet days were. At the start of my first year, I even went hungry.”

“Yeah. You said spicy pork cost 50,000 won and you couldn’t even afford that. Though with today’s inflation, that’s like a convenience store bento.”

“…Haha.”

Her sense of money is as out of touch as ever.

“Anyway… our family wasn’t rich, but we were doing okay. Until my dad ruined everything by signing as a guarantor.”

“No way…?”

I shrugged like it was no big deal.

“Unfortunately, yes.”

Not entirely a lie.

I simply borrowed the stained past of my previous life.

My biological father in that life also wrecked our family with a guarantee. He turned into a violent monster. With no way out, he chose me as his outlet.

“Damn, I didn’t know that.”

“Even if it’s between adults, things like that leave a mark when you’re a teen. That’s why I act a bit cold with Rina.”

“Yeah… makes sense.”

Ryozo leaned closer. Her warmth wrapped around my left arm.

And Abel, not wanting to be outdone, quickly clung to my right arm. A whistle sounded somewhere. To them, I must’ve looked like fate’s spoiled child.

They have no idea the days I’ve lived through.

Not long after, the bell rang for the start of the first-year chariot race.

「The winner of the first-year chariot race is…!」

The result came quickly.

「The Joaquin Academy!」

The competition, which had been close, suddenly tilted in favor of Leon and Chaerina. Probably thanks to Leon’s blood effect.

Leon is a nephilim, a hybrid of angel and demon. He must’ve trained to balance both forces.

And he’d gotten advice from both the archangel Metatron and Meian Poison.

‘His main goal was to master Balmung completely.’

And the secondary goal, to conceal his angelic and demonic blood until needed. Few knew about Leon’s lineage.

His efforts paid off.

Leon reached the point where he could suppress his presence at critical times.

It was similar to the Crow’s Blessing, but with a different nuance.

Crunch, crunch.

Abel bit his nails. Maybe he felt he’d lost not just to Parsy, but also to Leon. With that much salt in the wound, it was only natural to grind his teeth. Leon and Chaerina returned.

We offered words of encouragement. Even Abel did so, albeit begrudgingly.

「Finally, finaaally! The moment has come!」

The presenter gave us no time to breathe. To keep the pace, he announced the next participants.

The crowd responded with enthusiasm. They had waited a long time for this moment.

Thud, thud, thud, thud.

As Victoria and I made our way to the field, the audience stomped the ground. The vibration could be felt even through our soles.

The climax hit as we reached the field. The roar was like a stampede of buffalo.

Sky, earth, and skin all trembled. The pressure seemed to flatten the ground.

Wooooaaaaaah!

The presenter, too, was hyped as he guided the event. With all eyes on her, Victoria climbed onto the chariot first. As I got on, she waved to the crowd with her porcelain face. Many men melted.

I stood beside her. Parsy’s chariot aligned with ours.

The noise faded. The air between Victoria and me felt rougher than sand, and tense.

‘How awkward.’

Even so, as the adult, I had to cheer her on.

The wheel-tracked ground sloped toward her pale face.

“I know saying this now might be extra pressure… but there’s something I wanted to say, Princess.”

“…”

She looked at me with fearful eyes, like a kitten in the rain.

I held the reins with one hand and scratched my face with the other.

“I’m not a great teacher. That’s just how I am. But, Princess, you managed to learn a lot from me.”

“……”

“That makes me proud. And the fact that my first—and probably only—direct student was you, is an honor.”

“….”

Her golden eyelashes were dusted, sparkling. Victoria blinked it off.

“It was an honor for me too. Not just today, every moment with yo—”

I smiled silently.

“I hope you can still say that even if we lose.”

“You said Joaquin wouldn’t lose to Parsy.”

She gripped the reins tightly.

“And that’s how it’ll be.”

Then it happened.

A deafening siren rang in our ears.

Beeeeeeep!

Parsy’s chariot took off. Victoria’s hair billowed in the wind.

They had raced twice already, but their wolves showed no signs of fatigue.

Victoria whipped the reins repeatedly.

The lash echoed like a ripple from her to the chariot’s end.

But.

The wolves didn’t budge. After several failed attempts, they yawned.

Not surprising—the Joaquin wolves were more worn out than Parsy’s.

“Wait.”

I placed a hand on Victoria’s shoulder and stepped back. She handed me the reins without protest.

I said just two words.

“Run.”

It was a warning.

“My sword doesn’t discriminate between beasts.”

At that moment, Sköll and Hati’s faces twisted like enraged demons. I focused every ounce of killing intent I could muster on them.

“Growllll!”

As they growled, I flipped back my coat, revealing the sashimi I had on me.

Just the sight of it made the wolves perk up.

Tense, Sköll and Hati dug at the ground with their paws.

In real time, their plump bodies slimmed down, and our chariot wheels began to spin.