Chapter 1: A Bad Feeling
Several days had passed since I emerged victorious from the intense ranking match with Ophelia.
The aftermath of the fight left me with an overwhelming sense of fatigue, but lectures continued as usual. Today, like every other day, I dragged my heavy as lead body toward the classroom where the lecture would be held.
“Hey, Rourke… are you okay?”
“Oh, Gareth. Honestly, I’m still exhausted.”
“If you’re that tired, you should just skip class.”
Gareth gave me a wry smile as he said this, noticing my worn-out expression. It was true that many students took a break from lectures after a ranking match. Someone like me, who attended lectures the very next day without a break, was probably rare.
“Well, yeah, but I feel like I shouldn’t skip.”
“Taking a break now and then is the secret to a good academy life.”
Gareth had a point.
If I were to be honest, I couldn’t confidently say that attending lectures in this state was meaningful.
I probably didn’t even understand half of the lecture content, but I still couldn’t bring myself to skip. And so, here I was, dragging myself to the academy once again.
“By the way, how’s your hand?”
“Ah, Minnea treated it. She’s amazing, as expected. It’s completely fine now.”
Gareth asked about the condition of my hand, which had been injured during the ranking match. I showed him my hand, now completely healed without a single scar.
Minnea Florence. She was the best healer in the academy and the head of the Health Committee. Thanks to her direct treatment, the wound on my hand had healed perfectly.
“That’s great to hear. Speaking of which, Rourke, where did you go after the ranking match and the infirmary?”
“Ah, I was pretty exhausted, so I went straight home after getting treated.”
To be honest, I had been putting on a brave face at the time, but I had used so much spiritual energy that I was completely drained. I had reached my limit.
“After that, Lily was looking for you.”
“Ah, I’ll apologize later. Our lectures overlap anyway.”
I imagined Lily puffing out her cheeks in a pout and smiled wryly as I spoke. Come to think of it, I still hadn’t thanked her for helping me with the strategy for defeating the Juggernaut. This would be a good opportunity.
“Ah, Rourke-senpai!”
“Oh, Leia. Good morning.”
As I was thinking about this, I heard my name being called. Turning my gaze, I saw a familiar junior approaching from down the hallway, her beautiful silver braid swaying as she walked.
“Congratulations on the other day.”
“You watched? Thank you.”
“Yes, I watched carefully. It was amazing.”
Leia looked at me with eyes full of admiration.
Personally, I didn’t think it was a particularly impressive match—I was just desperately swinging my sword and summoning golems to try to take down the Dreadnought, only to find that they barely did any damage. But still, being praised felt good.
“By the way, Rourke, you used those golems really well. I was surprised.”
“Yes. I was honestly shocked when senpai summoned them instead of a contracted spirit.”
“Well, that was more of a one-time trick.”
While it certainly caught the opponent off guard at first and disrupted their movements, that was about it.
If Gareth and Leia were to face me now, they’d easily handle the golems. It was just a little trick, and I probably wouldn’t use it again.
“But isn’t it enough to use it once? You don’t face the same opponent multiple times in a ranking match, right?”
“…That’s true, but…”
The thing is, unlike you guys, I don’t have a contracted spirit, so I can’t consistently demonstrate my full strength. Plus, I’ve been facing strong opponents lately, so I have to come up with a new strategy every time, which is exhausting.
I couldn’t say this out loud, but Gareth, who knew the situation, seemed to understand my feelings from my expression and gave me a wry smile.
On the other hand, Leia, who didn’t know anything, tilted her head in confusion at my reaction.
“By the way, senpai, does not summoning a contracted spirit in that match mean you’re planning to keep it a secret until the Grand Spirit Martial Festival?”
“No, it’s not like that… In fact, I’m not even sure if I’ll participate in the Grand Spirit Martial Festival—”
“Wait, you’re not planning to participate?!”
Before I could finish my sentence, Leia suddenly closed in on me, her tone shifting dramatically.
The intense pressure she exuded made me instinctively take a step back.
“It’s the stage that all spirit users aspire to, the pinnacle of our craft!”
“Y-yes, of course, I’m fully aware of that.”
The heat from Leia’s leaking spiritual energy made my skin tingle, and before I knew it, I was using polite language with my junior.
“Are you seriously considering not participating, even with that level of strength?”
“Well, it’s not that… I mean…”
Her eyes bore into me as if to say she wouldn’t tolerate any lies. I broke into a cold sweat, trying to come up with an excuse, when fortunately, the pre-bell rang throughout the academy.
“Ah, sorry! I’ve got a lecture, so let’s talk later! Gareth, let’s go!”
“Yeah, yeah.”
“Wait, senpai!”
Seizing the opportunity, I used the lecture as an excuse and, dragging Gareth along, ran away from Leia. I could hear her calling out to stop me from behind, but with our bodies enhanced by spiritual energy, we quickly escaped to a distance where she was no longer visible.
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“Phew, that was close.”
“Still, I’ve said it before, but I think you’re going to be forced to participate, Rourke.”
As I caught my breath after escaping from Leia, Gareth dropped an ominous comment. That couldn’t be.
“No way. I’m pretty sure I marked ‘not participating’ on that Grand Spirit Martial Festival survey they handed out earlier. They wouldn’t force someone who doesn’t want to participate, right?”
“Well, that’s true… but I don’t think it’s decided solely by that survey.”
“It’s a survey from the student council. This academy respects students’ autonomy, so they can’t ignore it, right?”
Besides, the current student council president is Misha Romus, the princess. She’d take her citizens’ wishes into account… or so I thought, but looking back, I don’t recall her ever really listening to my opinions.
I was starting to get scared.
“…Well, think about it. Even if I don’t participate, Misha and the third- and fourth-year students like Trallus and the disciplinary committee head will probably participate, so it’s fine, right?”
“Hmm.”
Gareth didn’t seem convinced, but from my perspective, if they were participating, they’d easily be able to aim for victory.
So, I shouldn’t have to participate… right?
“I wonder if it’ll go that smoothly.”
“Come on, let’s hurry. We’re already late.”
I pretended not to hear Gareth’s muttered comment and, running a little late, we entered the lecture hall.
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While Rourke and the others were attending their lecture,
In the student council room. Sena Thiedor, the student council secretary, was reading the compiled results of the survey with a look of despair on her face.
She wanted to go home immediately.
After finishing her report, Sena strongly wished for this in her heart, but at the same time, she understood from the survey results that it was an impossible dream.
“…May I ask one more time?”
The voice that broke the silence in the student council room was tinged with a hint of anger, and it echoed loudly, making the atmosphere in the room grow tense.
The owner of the voice, the princess of the country and the student council president, Misha Romus, smiled darkly as Sena trembled in fear. But staying silent wasn’t an option.
Sena suppressed her rising fear and turned her gaze back to the compiled results of the Grand Spirit Martial Festival participation survey in her hands, reporting its contents once more.
“Yes. Fourth place… Sir Vowbalt, not participating. Third place… Sir Trallus, not participating. Second place… Sir Areas, not participating… have been selected.”
“…………”
Misha’s face froze in an unnatural smile upon hearing Sena’s report.
No one in the room, including Sena, could guess what emotions were swirling within her.
No, it wasn’t just Misha. The other student council members had also been in disbelief when they first heard the report. The top four spirit users in the academy, whose overwhelming strength set them apart, were all choosing not to participate—except for Misha. How could such a ridiculous situation exist?
“…By the way, did they give any reasons?”
“Y-yes. Sir Vowbalt said he wanted to prioritize his duties as the disciplinary committee head. Sir Trallus said he wasn’t interested, and Sir Areas said he lacked confidence…”
One of the student council members asked, hoping that the reasons might make the situation more understandable, but it only made the atmosphere heavier.
Sena looked at the comments from the three who had declined and thought to herself, What is wrong with these people?
The Grand Spirit Martial Festival, held only once every two years, was a prestigious event where young spirit users competed to determine the strongest. What did they think of this honorable festival?
Vowbalt’s reasoning was somewhat understandable, given his responsibilities as the disciplinary committee head, but still, many students wished to participate but couldn’t due to their lack of strength. Were the three of them really that uninterested in the Grand Spirit Martial Festival?
“…………”
“…Um, President?”
Sena timidly called out to Misha, who hadn’t responded for a while. Suddenly, a massive amount of spiritual energy leaked from Misha, causing a crack to form in the ground. Sena barely managed to suppress a scream and took a small step back.
“Sena.”
“Y-yes, President?”
“I’ll take that survey and the compiled results for now.”
“Eh… Y-yes, as you wish.”
Sena, confused by the sudden instruction, silently complies and hands over the documents in her hand, overwhelmed by the intense pressure radiating from Misha, who smiles gently before her.
“Afterward, I will call each of the three of them individually for a meeting. I want to confirm directly with them the reasons for their non-participation in the Grand Spirit Martial Festival.”
“Y-yes.”
“Then, Lenny, I’d like you to speak with Loxley-Vowbalt first. Please arrange it for later.”
“W-wait, me?”
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