Blood burst from Hosan's body.
Along with it, Nickel's Indolence came to an end.
"Cough."
Nickel lost his strength and fell in front of Hosan, who was bleeding profusely.
'It's not over until it's over.'
I moved with a body still steaming from the heat, aiming to finish off Hosan.
Although his body was mangled, he was not so weak that he couldn't even wield a knife, as he was ready enough to prepare a feast.
"Heh heh heh. Cough."
"What's so funny? Can't believe you didn't even think you would die?"
As I spoke mockingly, Hosan, who seemed like he could die any moment, nodded his head.
"Indeed, it's true. But someday, I will die, puhuk, heh."
Looking at Hosan, who seemed to be unable to forget his words, I stabbed him through the heart without further ado.
Hosan faced death with a smiling face, his eyes wide open.
"It's not satisfying if you die with that expression."
Now, even I don't know.
When I thought it was over, the tension was released, and I couldn't muster any strength in my body.
"All this fuss over something insignificant."
Seeing the smiling Hosan, I couldn't help but feel self-disgust for what I fought for in the first place.
Still, it's confirmation that my skills have grown.
Well, damn it, if I confirm my skills once more, my body might not hold up.
Unable to support my body with diminishing strength, I collapsed onto the ground.
The sky was obscenely beautiful.
"You all did well."
I dismissed the undead and slowly closed my freezing eyes.
Even though I knew that I would lose consciousness if my eyes closed, I couldn't endure any longer.
"You all did well too."
As my eyes closed and darkness embraced me.
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.
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Boom! Boom!
Loud firecrackers exploded.
Today was the day of the main event of the Spring Tournament.
For the Academy students, it was a more meaningful event than the year-end festival.
"I wonder who will be the winner this time."
"Most likely one of the graduating classes from the Knight Department. Who was it? Todelon and Dazam, those seniors, are considered strong contenders."
"Hey, didn't you miss the preliminary rounds?"
"Yeah, so?"
"In this tournament, it's possible that the winner could come from the Magic Department for the first time in 12 years."
"What? Ah! Could it be Dianne Alven?"
The conversation buzzed with anticipation for the tournament, which was about to unfold.
While Serena was watching passersby and enjoying the conversation, she raised an eyebrow upon hearing their words.
Until now, Serena had been using her adaptation to the academy as an excuse to focus on her training and had missed the preliminary rounds of the tournament.
Dianne Alven, huh...'
Dianne Alven, a pillar of the Empire and a prominent noble family known for their magical prowess. Serena had heard the name frequently enough to be familiar with it.
'But still, it seems difficult for her to defeat Todelon senior.'
Naturally, mages were expected to have powerful firepower. However, the true value of a mage's magic manifested when they were protected by someone else.
In one-on-one battles like the tournament, knights had the advantage over mages.
Recalling the various seniors she had encountered during her training in the past few days, Serena couldn't imagine a scene where a mage could win.
'Honestly, I feel like I could win too. Of course, I've never actually fought, though.'
From the Aura Runner to the Aura User, Aura Expert, and even Aura Master, excluding the officially recognized Aura Master, which was a level attained only by few in the Empire, the classifications were simply informal distinctions made among knights for simplicity's sake.
Serena's current level was Aura User. However, even within the same level, there was a wide range of skill levels. Each person had varying amounts of mana and different ways of utilizing it. In addition, factors such as physical abilities, combat sense, and swordsmanship also played a role, making it difficult to determine a clear ranking.
In fact, among the freshmen, only Louis Artman was recognized as an Expert.
"Sorry, kept you waiting?"
As soon as Serena thought that a tiger would come if she mentioned it, he arrived.
Not only Serena but also Louis had missed the qualifying matches due to their daily training, so they had decided to watch only the main event together.
"I'm here too!"
"I guess we should go watch together!"
Just when Serena thought it would only be Louis, he came with a group of other people.
It was half expected, but Serena couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed that she missed the chance to watch the tournament alone with Louis.
"It's fine if you guys are here. Let's go quickly."
But there was nothing she could do.
The moment anyone saw the radiance of Louis, they were blinded by it. They were either enchanted by the light or resentful of how dazzling it was.
'Most people are like that, and sometimes they gather with resentment, like Chris.'
While thinking, as they entered the main arena, Serena noticed the numerous spectators.
She wondered if there had always been this many people in the academy.
"Hey! Look over there! It's Gilbert, the commander of the Crimson Lion Knights!"
"Do you see him first? Right next to him is Mietra Dode, the vice commander of the Royal Knights!"
"But he's still a vice commander!"
"Hey, are you saying that being the commander of a single knight order is the same as the vice commander of the Royal Knights?"
"Single knight order, you say! Do you even know that the Crimson Lion Knights are ranked in the top few in the country?"
The seats in the distinguished guest section were filled with prominent figures.
Aside from the individuals mentioned by Serena's group, there were also famous mages, high-ranking noble family heads, and leaders of various organizations seeking talented individuals, engaging in conversations with one another.
Seeing that scene, Louis and his companions felt a sense of burning in their chests.
Everyone carried a sense of resonance and a desire for recognition in their hearts.
The opportunity to showcase their skills in front of these famous individuals filled Serena and her group with excitement, as if their adrenaline was about to burst.
"It's a pity that freshmen can't participate."
Someone muttered, expressing the sentiments of the group.
They momentarily paused their conversation and found a place to sit, barely managing to secure their seats.
"Serena."
"Yes?"
"Who do you think will win this tournament?"
"Well, honestly, I couldn't say for sure since I missed the preliminaries, but I think Todelon senior might win. Oh, by the way, other people were mentioning Dianne Alven earlier. It seems like she's a strong contender."
"Dianne Alven. She might have a good chance."
"You know her?"
"Of course, who doesn't? I also had a magical field trip once. I saw her back then, and she was quite remarkable."
Louis's gaze shifted toward the interior of the arena, then he pointed to one side.
"And luckily, this match is Dianne's. We'll get to see her skills up close."
"Who's her opponent?"
"They haven't arrived yet. It's almost starting time."
"Do you know the person?"
One of the students who came together with them responded to Serena's question.
"I remember he was also a mage. Adrias Cromwell, was it?"
"Adrias Cromwell."
Louis murmured the name with a suddenly tense expression.
Serena playfully spoke in response to Louis's reaction.
"Good. We'll be able to see the skill of Adrias, whom our esteemed leader praised as being so strong."
"What? Louis said that?"
At that moment, another spectacular magical fireworks display erupted, signaling the start of the tournament.
"It begins!"
The attention of everyone was focused on the main event of the tournament, about to unfold.
.
.
.
.
In the distinguished guest section, prominent figures from the continent were gathered.
What was even more astonishing was that more people would visit on the day of the finals.
Among the distinguished guest seats, sitting in a relatively high position, Bart casually received the greetings offered to him and looked at his daughter.
"She's grown up so much without me noticing. Time flies."
At that moment, Azik Natan, the head of the Matop family, who was sitting in the front row, approached Bart.
"I envy you. Just participating in the main event as a mage is already remarkable. Your daughter is a strong contender for the championship, so I hope my son, who is only half as good as Lord Rodren's daughter, can follow in her footsteps. Haha."
"Indeed, she's my daughter, but she's remarkable. Dianne will become a great mage surpassing me."
"Oh? I see. But to catch up to Lord Rodren, who is already such a renowned archmage, it would take a lot of time. Of course, I don't have a father who can surpass my own child. Hahaha."
"No, Dianne will catch up to me in about ten years. Maybe even sooner."
"Um..."
Azik smiled and nodded, trying to maintain his composure in the face of Bart's extraordinary confidence.
Then, he expressed his curiosity about Dianne's opponent on the other side.
"It's almost time, but her opponent hasn't shown up yet. Let me see... Adrias Cromwell? I haven't heard that name before. Oh? A mage? It seems that mages have made quite a showing in the finals this year."
"Hmm..."
Bart didn't bother to answer and casually glanced at the arena with an indifferent expression.
However, deep down, he wondered why Adrius hadn't appeared yet.
"Did he give up?"
Based on what he had seen of Adrias recently, he didn't seem like the type to give up easily if he lost a fight.
If that wasn't the case, then perhaps he was late in his preparations.
But facing Dianne, it was natural to be nervous.
"I think he might be afraid of Lord Rodren's daughter... Honestly, if they are both mages, do you think he can truly showcase his skills against Lord Rodren's daughter?"
Another man who was standing nearby joined the conversation.
It was Hoyard, the royal court mage of the neighboring kingdom of Bertrand, who was sitting next to Azik.
As a graduate of the Rodren Academy, he had made a name for himself as a mage.
"That might be possible! Considering the opponent, it seems quite likely."
"Even just making it to the finals as a mage student is already remarkable. It's a shame if he's not declining but instead choosing to abstain from the match. Everyone here is busy, and it's a waste of time."
Bart overheard the conversation between Azik and Hoyard and let out a sigh, observing Dianne who was waiting with an enigmatic expression.
Dianne exuded an aura of an elite mage, fully prepared to face any opponent.
'But Adrias was mysterious too.'
A peculiar mana storage without boundaries between heart and body.
Furthermore, choosing a sword from his own warehouse.
Considering that, there must have been some hidden move.
Of course, Bart never thought that his daughter would lose, but it didn't make sense for Adrias, who had a hidden move, to abstain.
'No, on the contrary, he might abstain to conceal his true abilities.'
If that was the case, he couldn't be an ordinary guy.
Allowing himself to be kept waiting, and above all, making Dianne wait, deserved punishment.
"Thank you all for waiting! The 58th Spring Tournament's main event will now begin!"
Bang! Bang!
With the announcer's words, the tournament's start was announced.
But still, Adrias Cromwell hadn't taken his seat.
"Before we begin, we will have a speech from the headmaster of the Rodren Academy and renowned scholar, Deos Canian."
If the speech wasn't over soon, there wouldn't be enough time.
And of all times, Deos was known to have an incredibly short speech time.
"Well, what else needs to be said? I hope you all unleash your skills that you've honed for a year. That's all."
The headmaster, with his long white beard and a benevolent appearance, ended his speech with a hearty laugh.
As the expected short speech came to an end, the announcer finally called out the participants of the first match.
"In the blue corner, a genius mage who inherits the talents of the Great Duke Alben! Dianne Alben!"
"Wow!"
The response from the audience was tremendous, to the point where it drowned out the announcer's voice.
It was a response that truly showcased Dianne Alben's popularity.
From a young age, her appearance and talents had made her famous, so it was natural for the crowd to react in such a way.
"In the red corner! A mage who has risen to fame as a potion prodigy by creating the Everlast Potion! Adrias Cromwell!"
The announcer shouted loudly, but there was no one in the red corner.
Even in the audience, people were perplexed, and a slight commotion ensued. The announcer struggled to regain control.
"Adrias Cromwell! Are you here? If you don't show up within three minutes, it will be considered a forfeit, and the winner will be Dianne Alben."
As the announcer finished speaking, a chorus of boos erupted from the audience.
To those who came to watch the match, a forfeit was an uninteresting outcome.
Dianne frowned as she thought about Adrias, who hadn't shown up.
'Could he be scared and ran away?'
If that were the case, it would lower her opinion of him, especially after she had recently regarded him so highly.
Even in a losing match, Dianne was relentlessly harsh toward those who didn't give their best.
'But he didn't seem like that during the final evaluation.'
Time passed, and the announcer, who couldn't delay any longer, opened his mouth once again.
"Now, three minutes have passed. It seems that Adrias Cromwell won't be participating. Therefore, the winner is..."
"Just a moment!"
Dianne's sudden voice interrupted the announcer's words.
Dianne pointed her finger at the announcer, catching his attention.
Following her finger, everyone's gaze turned to the spot where Adrias, gasping for breath as if he had run there, was appearing.
"I apologize for being late."
Upon seeing Adrias, the audience, the announcer, and Dienne herself were left speechless.
He looked as if he had just returned from a battlefield, with his clothes torn in various places and his body covered in wounds.
Especially the severe injury on his cheek gave him a rugged appearance, but Adrias calmly took a deep breath and spoke as if it didn't faze him at all.
"Shall we begin?"