"Stop! Enough!"
Upon hearing Tolman's voice from behind, I released the grip on the opponent's throat.
The defeated opponent collapsed to the ground, his face bruised and battered.
"Ugh."
Even though he was a knight school student, it was only natural for him to be disoriented after taking a blow to the jaw without any prior preparation.
If he had been on guard, channeling mana in advance, the situation might have been different. But who would have expected a mage to approach and throw punches first?
'A brilliant tactical move, striking the weak point.'
...I tried to express it with effort.
I absolutely don't have a penchant for provocation.
"Student Adrias Cromwell."
Approaching me with a strange gaze, Tolman spoke.
He examined the fallen Aslan and said, "I clearly instructed you to stop attacking the defenseless opponent before the match began, didn't I?"
"Professor, I also have something to say regarding that matter."
"What is it?"
"As you can see, I am a mage, and my opponent is a knight school student. I did my best to strike him without underestimating him, only to defend myself. If I hadn't launched a desperate attack against my approaching opponent, I would have been the one getting hit."
It made no sense for a knight and a mage to engage in hand-to-hand combat.
Of course, there are some exceptions, but they are not common, especially when someone like Tolman is present.
Tolman sighed and nodded his head.
"You have a point. I accept your defense."
He then turned to the assistant who served as the referee.
"The winner is Adrias Cromwell."
"Yes, Professor."
Shortly after, Aslan was taken to the infirmary for treatment.
I quickly obtained the schedule for the next match from the assistant and descended from the arena.
Honestly, if Aslan had handled the situation a bit more calmly, the match could have been prolonged, but it's just a hypothetical assumption.
'It was an easy win.'
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"Wow... What is that?"
Lucia's voice sounded a bit dumbfounded, but Vivianne could understand her.
To be honest, even Vivianne wondered what she was seeing.
"That's a mage, right?"
"Yeah, Adrias is a mage."
"Not that, I mean, is that really a mage throwing punches like that?"
Vivianne was well aware of Adrias's true abilities, so she never thought he would lose.
However, she never expected him to win in such a way.
What was even more bizarre was that Adrias' movements, as reflected in her eyes, were anything but ordinary.
'His body movements are concise and agile, just like a swordsman's...'
Soon after, Vivianne witnessed Tolman intervening and confirming Adrias as the winner.
"Adrias-senpai, I've never seen you like that before. Where are you going?"
"I have to prepare now."
"Huh? Oh, you're participating in the tournament?"
"Yeah, I just came to watch for a moment."
"I'll cheer for you."
"Thanks."
Although it started with Vivianne coincidentally sitting next to Lucia while Adrias was lying in the hospital bed, a mysterious bond seemed to have formed between the two.
'I won't lose either.'
Vivianne put her fists together, leaving Lucia, who was cheering for her, behind. She wanted to become someone who wouldn't be ashamed in front of Adrias.
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.
The following second round was even more exhilarating. I faced a fourth-year student from the Mage Division, and I successfully evaded all of the opponent's spells while unleashing a barrage of rock spears with my mana talent, ultimately causing my opponent to surrender.
In this way, after going through several matches, I surprisingly advanced to the main tournament without facing any particularly challenging opponents. In fact, in my last match, my opponent withdrew due to an injury sustained in a previous match, resulting in an easy victory.
"I'm actually worried because I've been incredibly lucky," I thought to herself. I was anxious because things were going too smoothly. Throughout my life, I had rarely experienced things going well just because of luck. Therefore, this unexpected stroke of good fortune felt strange.
Regardless, I had won by default and quickly returned to the dormitory. I only had the weekend left before the real stage would begin on Monday.
Although simply advancing to the main tournament as a student from the Mage Division was already an achievement worth celebrating, I had decided to take this opportunity to showcase my true abilities.
'I'll aim for the championship, even if there are sword users among my opponents.'
Coincidentally, my first opponent in the main tournament was Dianne Alven.
She was the perfect opponent to demonstrate my skills against.
Originally, Dianne was expected to be the runner-up in this tournament. But now that they were going to face each other, their futures were bound to change.
"Hmm?"
I arrived in my room and noticed a piece of paper lying on the floor. It seemed like someone had slipped it through the crack in the door. Iwas taken aback by the unexpected letter.
"Did Amy send this?" I wondered.
I sat down on the chair, holding the letter in my hands. As I tore it open, I realized it wasn't from Amy at all. The content was completely unexpected.
'It's been a while, my dear. How have you been?'
The sender's name was not written, but I could infer from the tone that it was Morne Dwalski, whom I had met before.
'What's going on all of a sudden?' I murmured.
I couldn't fathom how the letter had been delivered to my room, but it made me uneasy. If people found out about my association with Morne, it would lead me down a dangerous path.
'I understand that you must be surprised by this sudden letter. I apologize for leaving a message without any prior notice. I simply wanted to share some good news.'
As I continued reading the letter, it felt as if the words were predicting my thoughts.
'By the way, I have good news for you. This weekend, there will be an auction in the harbor city of Muriel. According to the secret information I obtained, a map containing information about a Dragon Lair will be unveiled at this auction.'
Dragon Lair.
I felt a slight tinge of excitement, but I already knew about two Dragon Lairs. The only regret was that the places I knew were not accessible at the moment.
'If it were a place I didn't know, I would definitely be tempted.'
The auction in Muriel was already on my radar. Not only Muriel, but I had memorized the schedules and items of most reputable auction houses.
However, now I am in the past, just before the start of the game. There could be auctions and items that I didn't know about.
The only puzzling aspect was why Morne was informing me about this information. I couldn't see through his intentions, so I couldn't easily accept it.
'Only knowing that our father was his disciple, I don't know anything else. Did our father hold him in high regard?'
I couldn't figure out the reason why he treated me so well.
I continued reading the letter.
'This information is likely unknown even to the auctioneer. They may mistake it for an ordinary booklet. If you're interested, participate in the auction that starts at 10:44 PM on Saturday. I have described how to attend below. Also, if you show the symbol drawn separately below to the auction house staff, they will recognize it and not ask you for money. So, don't worry about money.'
I felt overwhelmed by Morne's excessive kindness, as if he wanted to provide everything from A to Z.
Next time I see him, I should ask for a reason. Why does he treats me so well?
'Why is he giving everything up without taking care of himself?'
Although I considered the possibility of a trap, it was worth taking the risk and participating. It was an auction schedule I didn't know about, and there could be items I had missed.
Besides, it was the weekend before the main rounds of the tournament, so there was no reason not to go quickly and come back quickly.
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Muriel, the harbor city, was a bustling port with numerous ships coming and going, living up to its reputation as a harbor city. It wasn't originally a large city, but it naturally developed due to its high population flow.
As a famous place, there was a direct train from the capital that took only five hours, considering the distance.
'There are so many people.'
I hadn't expected to visit so early.
Normally, I planned to attend the auction in Muriel next year.
'Muriel has two auctions.'
One was the auction held in the sunlight, the Golden Gala.
The other was the auction I was targeting, the Money Flowing Night at the auction house in the entertainment district.
The commonality between the two auctions was that you had to be invited to attend.
And they were both held on the same day.
So, since I didn't receive an invitation, I couldn't attend the Golden Gala, which was regrettable.
The city, with the sea clearly visible, was full of vitality.
On a lively weekend, I decided to take a look around before heading somewhere. However, before I could go anywhere, I unexpectedly came face to face with someone.
"Hey! Adrias, no, Sir Cromwell!"
Even his flowing black hair looked handsome. He was a man dressed lightly in a simple chest protector and leather armor, and he greeted me with a warm smile.
"Well, I never expected to run into you in a place like this. How many years has it been?"
He was Carlos Alben, Dianne Alben's older brother and the eldest son of the Alben family. If I say that it was all because of him that I learned about the existence of terrorists, it wouldn't be an exaggeration, but I wondered if he knew that.
As Carlos hadn't seen me since I became a Count, he felt awkward to use formal language, but it was actually more burdensome for me.
"Carlos hyungnim, you can just speak comfortably. If anything, I feel burdened."
"No, no. That wouldn't do. I am also the eldest son of the Alben family and have received the honor of a knight. How can I casually address Sir Cromwell, who holds a higher rank than me?"
He had a mischievous expression as he subtly teased me with his words. I ended up bowing my head and properly greeted him.
"Anyway, it's nice to see you after such a long time. I never expected to meet you in a place like this."
"That's right. Did you come here for something specific?"
"Yes. But I had an appointment at night, so I had some free time."
"That's great! No, I mean, that's great. Then let's go there together."
Carlos pointed his finger towards the building where the Golden Gala was held.
So, he came to the auction house. And it was fortunate that he not only met me but also invited me to join him.
As the eldest son of the Alben family, he probably had an invitation card. I was curious about it, and now I had the opportunity to enter together with him.
"I won't decline."
"Let's go right away!"
There was no problem entering the auction house. As expected, he had the invitation card, and I was able to enter without any restrictions as his companion.
'Just as I expected from the Alben family.'
The place I was guided to was an individual room reserved for VIPs. It was located on the second floor, and since it was a room, I couldn't see who the other participants on the second floor were.
As I looked ahead, I saw a glass window that allowed me to observe the tightly packed seats on the first floor. The auction was already well underway, and the VIP room had a separate tablet installed, providing detailed explanations of the auction items.
There seemed to be a lot of items prepared for the coded symbols, but just in case, I decided to carefully observe each item as they were presented.
"If you find something you like, let me know," Carlos said to me as I checked the tablet.
Could it be that he's even willing to buy it for me?
Half jokingly, half seriously, I asked, "Are you offering to buy it for me?"
"Of course," he replied.
As I stared blankly at Carlos, who answered so readily, he continued speaking.
"I should at least do that much for the savior of my life."