The super-duper fun holiday eventually ended, and school resumed. Not that I was complaining. I hadn't done much during the holiday. In fact, I'd been bored out of my mind most of the time.
The only noteworthy thing that had happened recently was receiving a thank-you letter—along with a hefty amount of gold and silver—from the Lutein Kingdom. Oh yeah, and the entire royal family had shown up at the academy to thank me, which outed the fact that I'd gone to their kingdom to Layla.
You really can't hide your crimes forever...
Anyway, I'd reflected on my actions, as Layla requested.
One... Two... Three... All right, that's enough reflection. I'll probably do it again anyway, but yeah.
I was the type who tended to conveniently forget stuff that didn't go my way.
Bullying monsters was one of my only joys in this world. If that was taken away from me, I'd seriously risk dying of boredom.
With the summer holiday out of the way, the next big event, as I'd mentioned before, was the first martial tournament of the year.
During the first martial tournament, students would only face people of the same grade. During the second one, though, contestants were mixed.
Students would compete against their peers twice a year—six times in total during their three years of education. Kuon no Sanka only covered a one-year period, though, so you only had to worry about two of them.
Unlike most events, the martial tournaments were played like fights. Your results would depend on how well you'd trained little Verner beforehand.
Most players lost to Marie—an incredibly tough girl—and finished second. The only way to beat her in your first run was to give up on romance altogether and spend at least ninety percent of your free time on training. That was just how strong Marie was.
For some reason, when she joined your party she magically became weaker than Verner, though. That's just how those games are, I guess.
Needless to say, Marie was also a dateable heroine. She was a kuudere with shoulder-length blue hair and was super popular among the players. Everyone loves a good ice queen character, right?
Regardless of how the main character fared at the tournament, one of the witch's underlings would appear right after to try to assassinate the saint. The ensuing fight wasn't very hard. Even if your Verner wasn't all that great, you wouldn't struggle to defeat the mini-boss.
On top of that, Marie always stepped in to help. Even with a low-leveled Verner, it was almost impossible to lose.
Anyway, on top of being weak, the mini-boss was a complete idiot. It would try to attack Ellize instead of Eterna.
(If you were wondering why Ellize was at the academy, she'd been invited to watch the tournament as a special guest.)
At that point in the story, almost no one knew that Ellize was a fake. Verner and his friends naturally stepped in to protect her to follow their duty as knights-to-be.
Most players had probably wished they could've let Ellize die instead of helping her—I know I certainly had—but the game didn't give us a choice. A lot of us—including me, naturally—had tried to purposefully lose the fight to bypass that, but even if Verner and his group lost, Layla would finish the mini-boss before it reached Ellize. On top of that, losing meant that Marie would hate your guts and never show up again, making it impossible to romance her, so it was kind of pointless.
Anyway, I was certain that I'd be the target of the attack this time around too.
I wasn't too worried, though. The mini-boss wasn't even an archmonster. He wouldn't be able to leave a scratch on me no matter what.
I'll just beat him into a pulp the moment he comes out, save us all the trouble.
I was hoping it would be a little fun at least, like radio calisthenics. Actually, it wasn't fair to compare the two—at least radio calisthenics was good for your health.
The only issue was that when the mini-boss showed up, a few knights would jump in to stop him and end up instantly killed. This world really wasn't nice to nameless extras.
Layla's voice roused me from my thoughts. "Lady Ellize, the tournament will start soon."
Already? Then let's go!
The contenders were all much too weak to impress me, and I didn't care much about the results, but at least it would be a decent way to kill some time.
I remembered enjoying combat sports and martial arts matches back when I was still a man.
While this tournament was called a "martial tournament," using swords and magic was A-OK. And since the matches weren't scripted, it'd definitely be entertaining.
Given that I was the saint, I was always invited to watch these tournaments. In fact, I'd watched most of them ever since I was ten years old. But I digress.
I followed Layla to the school's sports ground. An arena had been built there especially for the occasion.
A square arena had been made out of stones, measuring around thirty meters on each side, and slightly elevated so the audience had to look up to see the fighters. A fence surrounded the arena, and chairs were lined up all around it. It was somewhat similar to a pro wrestling ring, actually.
Anyway, there were also little towers which boasted luxurious seats behind the regular chairs. That was where I would sit. I wasn't too fond of that spot, though. VIP seats were supposed to be on the first row, right? Why was I placed so far away?
Are you dumb? Do you all hate me, huh? Is that it? Lemme in the front row, I wanna see!!!
I tried to make a scene to get a first-row seat, but the headmaster—a forty-year-old geezer—adamantly refused.
"I apologize, Lady Ellize. As you know, your security is the most important thing. We cannot run the risk of you getting hurt if a student performs a spell badly or throws a sword in the wrong direction. Please watch the competition from a safe distance."
By the way, the headmaster used to be the head of the former saint's guard, and he was well-regarded by most people. The truth, however, was that he was a traitor who secretly communicated with the witch. He ended up being one of the bosses of the game, so I always kept an eye on him.
He was called Dias Dias—first name, Dias, last name, Dias. Yeah. If he'd been Japanese, he might've been called Yamada Yamada.
Why aren't there any respectable men in this academy? First Supple Ment, then him...
The tournament finally started and...it was kinda entertaining, I guess.
If I were to describe it from the point of view of someone from my original world, I'd say it was amazing. The students performed all kinds of ridiculous moves and blasted magic spells everywhere. They looked more like anime characters than like humans. But as someone who'd lived in this world for quite some time now...meh. They all kinda sucked.
The only people I ever saw training or fighting on a regular basis were elite guards—like Layla—so I guess it wasn't really fair of me to compare them to students, but, I don't know...watching them fight reminded me how good Layla really actually was.
Actually, she was already pretty damn amazing when she was a student. She'd dominated every tournament she'd taken part in back then. She was a beast.
Who's the idiot who decided to nickname such an amazing girl Scotterbrain, huh? Anyway, what do you think of their performance, Miss Scotterbrain?
"You're asking for my opinion? There are quite a few impressive students this year. I can't get too complacent or they'll catch up to me in no time."
Oh? For real? Well, I guess they're still better than those klutzes from the Lutein Kingdom.
"Verner, Aina Fox, John, and Marie Jett, in particular, are diamonds in the rough. Verner still lacks technique, but his foundation is remarkable. Aina Fox doesn't use flashy moves, but she's put in the work. Her basics are well-polished. I wouldn't expect anything else from a descendant of the Fox family, naturally. As for John...he served as a soldier, didn't he? His experience shines through, and he has a good mindset when it comes to combat. Finally, Marie Jett is quite proficient both in swordplay and magic. Her technique is already on par with most knights, even though she doesn't have the strength to match it yet. She's a strong contender this year. To be honest, I think she might win."
Layla had just raised four names: Verner, our MC; Marie, the strongest fighter; Aina Fox, whom I'll admit I'd completely forgotten about since she still hadn't tried to assassinate me; and, uh...the other guy, whose name I'd already forgotten.
So what's-his-face was strong, huh?
I was a bit saddened that Eterna's name hadn't come up. I guess that's just how it was, though. She was pretty much invincible, but since she hadn't awakened her saintly powers, she wasn't all that strong yet.
The tournament went by in the blink of an eye. Before I knew it, it was already time for the semifinals. As Layla had expected, Verner, Marie, Aina, and random dude remained.
What a discerning eye.
The first semifinal match had the two heroines face off. Marie had shoulder-length blue hair, while Aina wore her long red hair in pigtails. On top of that, the former specialized in ice magic, while the latter used fire spells. They contrasted in every way.
"I've seen your matches. You're pretty good. You might have had a shot at winning... If I wasn't here, that is," Aina declared.
Marie didn't answer.
"I'm not like you lot! I can't afford to lose here. My father's honor is on the line. It wouldn't do to disgrace a member of the saint's guard, would it?"
"I guess not?"
Oh no, ladies and gentleman, that sounds like trouble! Aina suddenly raises a flag! Is the red-haired contestant courting defeat? Everyone knows that babbling about your life before a battle and looking down on your opponent always leads to a crushing loooss! A terrible mistake on her part. A terrible mistake, indeed!
Anyway, Marie predictably ended up winning the fight, but she was a little downtrodden because Aina had refused to shake her hand.
It was then time for Verner and random dude to compete. It was a close call, but Verner eventually triumphed over his opponent.
The final would be Verner vs. Marie.
Getting that far on the first playthrough was pretty much expected. That last fight was where most players stumbled, though. Defeating Marie on the first run was quite a challenge—she'd crushed me when I'd tried.
You could actually beat her by cheating a little—basically through TASing and using a ridiculous weapon that looked like a daikon radish. That stuff was impossible if you played normally, though.
The Verner from this world would most likely lose.
From your second run onward, you'd be stronger thanks to the experience you'd gained and techniques you'd learned in your previous playthroughs. Unfortunately, it didn't seem like this Verner had inherited anything.
In order to win without cheating, and without your previous runs helping you, you really had to devote all your free time to training. Obviously, that meant ignoring both the heroines and every single event, but—
Wait a minute... Verner is doing ridiculous shit like that!
The commentator's voice echoed in the arena. "The victor has finally been decided! Congratulations, Verner!"
He really did win.
He'd managed to win solely thanks to his physical strength. He'd wielded a huge claymore, and even when Marie had immobilized him with her ice, he'd pulled through and freed himself by using his dark powers and muscles.
What the hell? He really didn't do anything else but train?
I supposed not. In a normal run, he would've been chummy with at least five or six girls by now, but I'd never seen any girls—besides Eterna—even speak to him.
Fiora, you say? She doesn't count, she's not even in the game. And she doesn't seem interested in Verner anyway. If anything, she looks closer to random dude—god knows why. Anyway, Verner... Bro... What are you doing? You're gonna end up with the bodybuilding♂ ending, I swear.
You need to start hitting on your girl! Actually, you can even try dating two or three at the same time! It doesn't matter, so get to activating Casanova mode, will you? Aren't you ashamed of yourself?! How can you call yourself a dating sim protagonist?!
Marie and Verner were still standing in the ring. They seemed to be praising each other's martial skills, but he clearly hadn't raised any flags. They were just chatting like two martial artists exchanging pointers—no flirting at all.
It should've been the perfect timing to start a relationship with her, but nooo!
Whatever.
Now that the tournament was over, it wouldn't be long before the villain made its appearance.
Five, four, three, two, one, and...here he comes!
A giant suddenly fell from the sky, landing right in the middle of the ring and shattering it.
"Where is...the saint? Kill...saint. I...kill... Witch...praise...me."
As expected, the mini-boss sounded like a total moron.
By the way, his name was Pochi. He was a four-meter-tall werewolf. Basically, he had the head of a wolf and the body of a human—only covered in thick, black fur. Actually, to be completely accurate, Pochi had initially been a dog. He'd only started looking more like a wolf during the process to make him into an archmonster, so perhaps calling him a weredog was more accurate.
As long as he kept his mouth shut and didn't try to do anything, he actually looked pretty strong. Unfortunately, that was all ruined by the fact that he was a complete idiot.
Just like the monkey I'd bulli—uh, fought—before, Pochi here had gone through the archmonster creation process and had emerged victor of the bloodbath.
The thing was...he was too dumb to become an archmonster. A dog was loyal to his master no matter what. That was a good quality in theory, but the only thing that ran through Pochi's head was getting pets from the witch. Naturally, he couldn't create elaborate plans, lead armies, or think of anything that would benefit the witch in the long run.
Ever heard of puppies that had been encouraged to play bite by their masters because they thought it was cute, only for them to keep the habit even after they'd grown into large dogs? Well, Pochi was just like that.
In short, the witch was terrible at training dogs and it showed. She'd tried to dump her useless mongrel into the archmonster process so he'd become food for another servant, but it had backfired, and she'd found herself stuck with that idiot.
On top of lacking the brains, he wasn't nearly as strong as the monkey from last time. He was barely stronger than a regular monster.
If you looked closely, there were scars all over his body. Most had been left by the witch herself when she'd punished him, but a few had been caused by other monsters. Pochi was basically a punching bag for them. He wasn't useful for much else anyway.
Even after all that, Pochi still wanted nothing more than to be praised by his master, which had prompted him to arbitrarily attack the saint.
In the game, all his appearance had accomplished was strengthening the player's suspicions that the witch might be hiding out in the school.
Poor witch. She was stuck with such an eager, but totally useless, subordinate.
Anyway, the small fry spotted me and approached me in long strides.
"Saint... Kill... I...get pets... I...not trash."
Dumb dog. Like hell you can kill me. Know your place, small fry.
I'd already strengthened my body with magic. He could come at me as hard as he wanted, he wouldn't leave a scratch on me.
Actually, I also put up my usual barrier, so if you attack me you'll probably die on the spot.
I remained seated in my chair to show everyone I wasn't scared at all and looked down at the dog.
Aww... He looks kinda pitiful, though.
"Stop... Don't...look at me...that way! Don't pity me!" Mister Small Fry erupted, lunging at me with his fist raised.
Layla reached for her sword, but there was no need. As soon as he slammed his fist into my barrier, he'd die. The end.
"Lady Ellize!"
Right before Pochi's fist could reach me, though, Verner jumped in and mercilessly struck the dog's face with his sword.
Pochi faltered, but his face was perfectly fine.
H-Hey, Verner! That's a training sword! It doesn't cut! Even if you're fighting a weakling, it's not gonna do much!
"Don't...bother me!!!" the weredog roared, swinging at Verner.
Marie froze his arm before it could reach the protagonist with a well-timed spell. Eterna, Fiora, random dude, and Four-Eyed Pervert also jumped in to help Verner.
"Everyone!"
"Don't try to act cool all on your own!"
"Let's protect the saint together!"
"Did you forget I was here too?"
It was all fine and dandy seeing them get excited over protecting me, but...
Umm... I don't need you guys to protect me, you know? I'm more than qualified enough to handle myself. Actually, Pochi here would already be dead if you hadn't stepped in.
I was getting seriously pissed at being treated like a weakling who needed their protection.
Should I just step up and destroy him anyway? It might be a bit awkward, but is that my problem? You know what? I'll just go for it. Let's go! Light magi—
"Lady Ellize, please wait!" Layla stopped me. "Could you leave it to them this time?"
What? Scotterbrain, what're you on about?
"They're trying to do their duty as knights. I know you could defeat that monster without anyone's help, but I hope you'll allow them to show you their determination instead. I have a strong feeling we shouldn't take this moment away from them. This fight will surely become a defining step for them."
This is all in your head, Scotterbrain. They won't even get any exp or stat boosts out of this. As a player, I didn't even want to finish this fight.
It wasn't often my dear Scotterbrain asked me for favors, though, so I'd listen for once and sit back.
That being said, I was a bit worried about Verner. He was trying to fight a monster with a training sword.
In the game, it wasn't really an issue. You also had a training sword in hand, but the system gave it the stats of whatever weapon you'd had equipped before the tournament. Reality wasn't as convenient, though.
I decided the least I could do was send a better weapon his way.
Earth magic, yeah!
I messed a little with the component—or whatever—of the earth and created a sword made of a sturdy, yet light, alloy.
Here you go, Verner! I kinda winged this, so no need to give it back!
"Thank you, Lady Ellize! I know I can do it now!"
Image here:
With his new sword in hand, Verner hacked at Pochi with everything he had. Doing good!I was pretty impressed with his performance. For some reason, Layla started looking at me funny.
What's up? Something wrong?
"No... It's nothing."
You're a bit of a weirdo sometimes, Scotterbrain.
Anyway, the fight was as good as over. Verner and his friends had emerged victorious, and the useless mutt was on the floor.
"Witch... I...do my best...for you. I...do better...so...give hugs..."
That sounds pretty unlikely. You're a bit too big for her to hug.
Was I being too mean? I liked small cute dogs and all, but I was kinda scared of large dogs. Actually, I hated them. Shiba Inus were the biggest I could tolerate—anything bigger was a major no-no.
While I was thinking of the dogs I liked or hated, Pochi dragged his body my way and started whimpering, pushing his head into my hands.
Hmm... I'm not your beloved witch, you know?
Surprisingly enough, his fur felt nice and soft against my hands. Maybe big dogs weren't all that bad either.
"Lady Ellize... This monster is..."
Layla looked confused. She was probably wondering why Pochi was so damn weak.
I explained to everyone that this poor dog had failed to become an archmonster. I even disclosed that he was originally a good boy that hadn't wanted anything but pets. It would've been a little shady for me to know that stuff, though, so I pretended it was just a hunch.
"Witch..." Pochi whined.
You're still awake? Come on, take a little nap. No one will get mad, it's all right.
Actually, if it stayed up, I was a bit scared it'd suddenly notice I wasn't the witch at all and try to bite me.
So please fall asleep quickly. Please. Good night, Pochi.
The overly large puppy quieted down.
Everyone's staring, so I should probably stop petting him soon, right?
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