Chapter 341: Tradition of the Inter-Academy Tournament (4)

Not just the audience, even the president of the association, Sung Yuchang, couldn’t hide his astonishment.

Everyone was shocked because not even for a second had such an idea crossed their minds.

The “Sköll and Hati” race had originally been conceived as a test to measure synchronization between master and disciple.

‘When I first heard it… I thought Saint Yu Sein’s proposal was just a blatant attempt to mock the Heavenly Sword.’

But… what the hell?

The chariot carrying Heavenly Sword and Victoria was moving.

It wasn’t exactly a smooth ride, but the two wolves were pulling the chariot with all their might, panting as if their lives depended on it.

What once looked like bears were now slowly slimming down, regaining their form as wild wolves.

To survive. To avoid being sacrificed by the Heavenly Sword.

Sköll and Hati summoned every last drop of energy to desperately move their paws.

It looked like their legs might snap at any moment.

The irreverent scene brought about a brief silence.

Of course, it didn’t last long.

***

“Yeeeeees! I trusted you, Heavenly Sword! I knew you’d show us something different!”

“Exactly! Running like crazy isn’t the only exciting thing! This is what I wanted! This is what I wanteeeeed!!”

The air was buzzing with intensity.

As the atmosphere heated up around him, Sung Yuchang glanced at Speedweapon, who was sitting beside him, and seeing him smiling, he spoke.

“Did you know Heavenly Sword was going to do this?”

“Of course not. Talking privately about a test is a clear violation of the rules. As you know well, Mr. President, I’m not that kind of person.”

“Hmm… I suppose you’re right. I only asked because you look too calm.”

“Haha.”

Speedweapon shrugged and laughed.

“I guess the difference in perspective is inevitable. You’ve been with the President for quite a while, but your reaction is completely different from mine.”

“Nothing I can do. A bureaucrat like me can’t go around being friends with Heavenly Sword like you.”

“I didn’t mean it that way.”

Speedweapon firmly shook his head, his expression hardening.

The relaxed look vanished from his face.

He fixed his serious gaze on the war chariot carrying Kang Geom-Ma and spoke.

“Everyone sees the President as someone transcendental, an existence beyond human. But he’s not like that. He’s simpler than he seems. If I were like what everyone says he is, I’d do whatever I wanted without thinking of the consequences. Because there’d be nothing to fear.”

…Doesn’t Heavenly Sword already do that?

But Sung Yuchang understood what Speedweapon meant and listened in silence.

“The President, Kang Geom-Ma, doesn’t just charge forward. He’s the strongest in the world, yet he has a surprisingly broad perspective. He pretends otherwise, but he’s always looking out for those around him.”

“I agree.”

Sung Yuchang absentmindedly toyed with the fingers of his prosthetic arm.

Even after the Joaquin disaster, all he had lost from nearly dying were an arm and a leg. That was thanks to Heavenly Sword saving him.

“For someone that strong, looking after others requires strategies that normal people wouldn’t even think of. And this moment is a perfect example of that.”

“You mean… mistreating the wolves?”

“Haha, President, you’re always so straightforward.”

Speedweapon smiled. He returned his focus to the race and murmured in a low voice.

“One day, I should be by your side too. Damn it right now, I envy the princess beside him.”

Ten years ago, on the day the Demonic Siren appeared, Kang Geom-Ma turned his back on his squad.

And it wasn’t a negative metaphor—it was literal. In a moment of crisis, he moved forward.

And he didn’t even think about how to eliminate the enemy.

He only thought about how to protect his own.

That’s why no one fit the title of “hero” better than Kang Geom-Ma.

‘You’re different from me.’

At that moment, his gaze met that of a golden-haired youth in the royal gallery.

He shone so brightly it was as if he were covered in gold dust, standing out among the crowd.

‘Isn’t that right, Leon?’

Leon captivated people with his humanity. But his view of Kang Geom-Ma wasn’t so different from Speedweapon’s.

Leon always tried to make the best decision in critical situations.

The opposite of Kang Geom-Ma, who focused on preventing the worst.

‘Back then maybe even earlier, the President was already looking in a different direction than the rest of us.’

As if he had come from another world.

A man shaped by an existence that loved only this world among the infinite threads of the universe.

The President was different.

And even so, Speedweapon longed to share his vision.

He clenched his jaw tightly.

To him, Kang Geom-Ma was an invaluable friend and the ideal hero he had always admired.

***

We barely managed to catch up to Parsy’s war chariot. A 20-meter gap was still something we could close.

If the wolves pushed just a bit more.

“Kyekyekyeng!”

“Kerrrrrk…”

Their howls pierced my eardrums like toothpicks.

I know it’s shameless to say it myself, but the wolves were giving it their all. They had nothing left to squeeze out.

‘The difference between Victoria and me…’

If the princess had a blessing that could read thoughts, she might’ve gotten hurt, so I’d better not say anything.

“(Please, save us.)”

“(We’re going to die like this!)”

Those two lumps of iron, the Sun and the Moon, weighed at least several dozen tons. Judging by their appearance, these wolves were beasts brought from Gehenna.

But even so, completing a lap pulling that weight was impossible.

If they could manage it, I’d give them Churu until they burst.

Well, isn’t Churu for cats? I’ve never raised one. Whatever.

We had to accept the situation as it was. This improvised fix would only last a lap.

In the end, either I or Victoria—or maybe both—would have to make up the power gap to win.

At the very least, I had to say I was doing my part. Compressing my power inward wasn’t as easy as it sounded.

‘If it were easy, I’d have fixed my personal messes already!’

I was applying pressure from above, but it was like juice splattering everywhere. Like trying to clean and making more of a mess. If I let go, we’d lose.

If I tried to contain it, it overwhelmed me. There was no clear answer for now.

I must’ve tugged the reins accidentally. Sköll and Hati crashed into an invisible wall—my grip strength—and the chariot jolted violently like it had hit a pothole.

I glanced sideways in guilt. Victoria waved her hand as if to say it was okay.

Though dripping in sweat, she only looked straight ahead. It seemed like she was trying to find her own way to overcome this.

「Parsy’s chariot has completed its first lap!」

「But Joaquin’s is not far behind! Oh, oh, just now Joaquin’s chariot completes its first lap as well.」

「Mmm, but the wolves seem completely exhausted.」

「Ladies and gentlemen! Now it truly begins! Stay tuned to the channel! Keep your eyes on it!」

I ignored the outdated, cringey phrasing and focused on our current situation.

Thick dust blanketed our vision, which, confusingly, turned out to be a bit of help.

Keep a cool head. We were both seeking our own solutions. But suddenly, I realized that wasn’t right.

Even if only temporarily, I was Victoria’s master. But the problem was that I wasn’t good at teaching.

‘What can I do?’

Think, Kang Geom-Ma.

Rrrrraaaaaarrrrrrrr.

The sound of the wheels grated on us like a storm. Annoying, but unavoidable. Just an excuse.

After all, Parsy was enduring it too.

“Princess Victoria.”

She quickly looked up. I chose my words carefully before speaking. Even if it meant getting a mouthful of sand, I had to say it.

‘I, a useless teacher, the only thing I can do is…’

It’s motivating.

“I don’t think our goal is to close the power gap right now. I doubt Yu Sein, who proposed this event, made it that simple.”

Yu Sein had hidden riddles in every trial at this academy.

It wasn’t just about winning or losing. Losing this ridiculous event didn’t really matter.

Well, I won’t lose, but that’s not the point.

With dry lips, I spoke while pushing Sköll and Hati to their limit.

“Power isn’t just physical strength.”

“Then…”

“This is just my own take, but I divide my power into three mind, body, and armament.”

I felt a little guilty. I had basically quoted the descriptions from the Blessing of the Sword God as if they were my own thoughts.

A silent apology to Yu Sein, who had configured my interface.

“Mind… body… and armament…”

“Let’s try elimination. Can we close the physical gap right now?”

She shook her head.

“As for armament, though it’s ambiguous here, let’s assume the chariot is our weapon. Then we’re almost on equal footing—or at least not far behind.”

“Kekekekeng!”

A bark sounded ahead and the chariot suddenly sped up.

Sköll and Hati, offended by my words, bolted as if to prove their worth.

Unplanned, but a welcome result. It wouldn’t last long, but we had quickly entered striking distance.

“W-what? Why are they speeding up!?” Edward panicked.

In these kinds of races or games, item RNG is everything. Who could he blame for a bad roll?

Wuaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

“Run, puppies! Run faster!”

“Me too! I wanna be Kang Geom-Ma’s dog! Treat me rough like that too!”

The crowd’s cheers, which had almost faded, came roaring back. We also bought ourselves some time.

Back to the main point.

“What we have left is the ‘mind.’ The only thing we can enhance right now is the mind. Wipe away whatever you can’t overcome immediately, Victoria.”

“How do you raise your mental strength just like that?”

“The process of figuring that out is part of mental strength too. That’s what I’d say if this were a motivational seminar, but given the situation, I’ll give you a tip.”

This is just my personal experience.

“My childhood had a lot of ups and downs. To be honest, I nearly went astray. My mind was unstable.”

My eyes traced the past.

The dust around me shifted like a screen, displaying scenes from my youth.

“That’s when I met my teacher—someone venerable to me. He beat me up and threatened me. But I learned. Not just about swords and stuff, but… ‘I can change too. Depending on who I meet. If I meet good people, I can become someone good.’”

“……”

“And when I enrolled at Joaquin Academy, that idea became a conviction. When I was about to fall apart, it was my friends and the instructors who grounded me. It was all thanks to those relationships.”

I smiled faintly and turned my head.

“I don’t know what kind of life you’ve had, princess, but I’m sure you’ve had meaningful or special encounters. Even if you didn’t meet them, people who inspired you. Think of them.”

“Meaningful encounters…”

“And even though I’ve only lived ten years more than you, I feel like coincidences don’t exist.”

The pages of my memories flipped one by one. In all of them, I was always with someone. There was no longer a trace of the child who wandered alone in his past life.

“To me, coincidences… are connections.”

I said to Victoria.

“Princess…”

And to myself.

“Thanks to those encounters, my mind is stronger than it was yesterday. So you should do the same.”

“Kang Geom-Ma…”

Victoria took a determined step. I handed her the reins and gave her my seat.

Then something strange happened.

As soon as she took the reins, the chariot accelerated. The unsteady rhythm of Sköll and Hati also stabilized.

That could only mean one thing.

“Thank you.”

Our connection had strengthened. As a result, the burden on Sköll and Hati lightened.

They had been forced to run one and a half laps around a field larger than a stadium, so with that load eased, they howled with joy.

Catching up to Parsy was just a matter of time.

“…Don’t call me princess. Just Victoria. That’s enough.”

“I’ll do that.”

“And also, stop speaking formally.”

“That… I’ll try, depending on the situation.”

At that moment, the dust before us cleared. And with it, my memories flowed too.

But I didn’t feel sad. Because there were my friends, my family.

The people who made me strong.

They are the blessing I’ve received.

They are the light of Kang Geom-Ma.