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Chapter 292

Including Olivia Lanche, Rudina, and Sabioleen Tana, there were twenty-three of us.

Of course, Olivia seemed to think that being a part of this group was just a bit too much for her, so she patted my shoulder, congratulated me, and left.

I didn’t forget to thank Olivia for coming.

Despite her terrible relationship with Ellen, she had steadfastly supported me from the sidelines. Ellen had done the same.

Regardless of whatever headache-inducing tension she brought me, I was grateful to Olivia.

“Take care of yourself. Winning is great, but don’t get hurt. That’s all I want,” Olivia said.

“Yes.”

After Olivia left, Charlotte and I led the large group of twenty-two people through the bustling streets.

The streets were full of life, with street musicians performing and entertainers putting on shows.

Lanian Sesor, B-10, who had a talent for music, borrowed an instrument from a street musician and performed a far more perfect rendition of the same song, causing passersby to stop and applaud.

It had been so long since we had all roamed around together and enjoyed ourselves.

I could barely remember the last time.

Of course, we didn’t have time to play until late at night. Everyone had their own things to do, so after gathering for a meal and wandering around for a while, we split into two groups, those returning to the dormitory and those still staying out.

Charlotte seemed intent on staying out longer with some of the B-Class kids, and Sabioleen Tana accompanied her.

Those returning to the dormitory included me, Ludwig, Scarlett, and Lanian Sesor, as well as Harriet and the other members of the Magic Research Club.

Before I knew it, Ellen was walking beside me.

When she had suddenly shouted earlier on, she had startled me so much I thought my heart would stop. Now, she was back to her usual calm demeanor.

“Are you okay?” she asked.

“Do you want the honest answer, or should I lie and say not to worry?” I responded.

Ellen glared at me for my nonsense.

Seeing Ellen pouting for the first time in a while felt strange.

“If I’m being completely honest, I’m fine.”

I was slightly off my best condition but it wasn’t a serious injury. However, this could create a sense of unease that might make a crucial difference at a critical moment.

In fact, small things like that could be very important. Richard Haulman had been pushed back by a slight difference as well, and never managed to beat me because of that.

“Don’t get hurt. And don’t overdo it,” Ellen said.

“Of course.”

Ellen and Olivia ended up saying the same thing.

Harriet was walking slightly further ahead, chatting with the members of the Magic Research Club.

It seemed they were racking their brains, thinking up plans on how to support Harriet’s participation in the Open Tournament.

Louis Ankton, in particular, appeared to be deep in thought.

‘Have they come up with something?’

If they had, I wasn’t aware of it.

‘Can Harriet win?’

It would surely be difficult.

However, just making it to the finals of the Open Tournament was already an incredible achievement. Luck might have played a part, but luck also required skill to back it up.

Perhaps sensing my gaze, Harriet, who had been deeply engrossed in conversation while walking, looked at me and tilted her head.

“... What?”

“... Nothing, just do your best.”

“... Isn’t that what you should be hearing right now?”

‘True.’

There was still some time until the Open Tournament, but my tournament finals were the next day.

“I will,” she said, giving me a warm smile.

It was the first time I had seen her smile like that.

“So, you do your best too,” she continued.

Not everyone was cheering for me, and not everyone wanted me to win.

But there were people who did.

I had entered this just for the Achievement Points at first, but somehow, it had become less about that original goal.

Now, I wanted to win, even if there was no special reward.

***

As soon as we returned to the dormitory, Ellen, Riana, and Cliffman quickly disappeared somewhere, saying they needed to prepare for the Miss and Mister Temple contest.

But Olivia didn’t seem that busy, so what were they doing that made them so busy?

Harriet, who should have been even busier, had gone to the Magic Research Club mansion instead of the dormitory.

The hopeless trio and Heinrich had stayed out to enjoy the festival, and so had most of Class B, except for the semifinalists.

It was a festival, after all. Although I had already had my fun, there was still plenty of daylight left.

“It’s oddly quiet.”

I had just changed into my training clothes and went back out when Ludwig, who was sitting in the dormitory lobby, spoke to me.

“... I didn’t accidentally walk into the Class B dormitory, did I? I don’t think I’ve forgotten how to tell my left from my right yet,” I said.

‘What are you doing here?’

Of course, with the lines between Class A and Class B now blurred, it didn’t really matter. Ludwig stood up from his seat.

“I’m just... feeling a bit uneasy,” Ludwig said.

“Uneasy?”

“Honestly, no matter how I think about it, Gladen seems stronger than me.”

There was no fear or anxiety in Ludwig’s expression, but perhaps that unease was lurking beneath the surface.

“Could you practice with me for a bit? Scarlett said she wanted to rest today.”

“Hmm...”

Ludwig was an affable guy, but I hadn’t gotten particularly close to him. I didn’t want to influence the protagonist too much.

But I couldn’t avoid him forever.

“Sure, I don’t have anything else to do anyway.”

As long as I didn’t use Mana Reinforcement, any injuries could be treated by the on-duty priest, so there was no reason to refuse.

***

Clang! Clang! Clack!

“Huff... Huff...”

“Whew.”

Ludwig took a deep breath and scratched his head.

“No matter what, I can’t seem to win,” he said.

I hadn’t used Mana Reinforcement, only Self-Deception.

We sparred about ten times, and I won every match.

My Self-Deception was at rank A, and it was clearly a high-level supernatural power.

Since the higher-tier ability, Incantation, had branched off from it, there had to be clear limits to Self-Deception. But in the end, a supernatural power was still a supernatural power, and this significantly enhanced superpower I had was enough to handle Ludwig.

The conclusion was clear.

If Ludwig made it to the finals, I would undoubtedly win. I wouldn’t even need Mana Reinforcement.

“Damn it... I’m the tired one here, you know...”

Even though I had won again, I was the one who was exhausted.

Ludwig’s stamina was ranked S or higher, and so despite him losing the sparring matches, my stamina was the one that was running out.

‘What is this? I won, but it feels like I lost.’

“Let’s take a break.”

I puffed out my cheeks. “Okay.”

My stamina wasn’t poor, but Ludwig’s stamina was monstrous, so we paced ourselves by taking breaks between sparring sessions.

The dormitory was empty because of the festival, and since we were in the Class A training grounds, even if someone came, it would only be Cliffman or Ellen.

We had plenty of time, and so we clashed swords for hours, and while I was exhausted, even Ludwig slowly began to sweat.

Soon, the sun began to set and our stamina reached their limit, and we were about to call it a day.

“I’m going to lose, aren’t I?” Ludwig murmured as he placed his training sword back on the rack.

It wasn’t a sign of weakness. He was simply acknowledging the reality that he saw no chance of victory against Gladen Amorel.

Even knowing he would lose, he would not give up. That was the kind of person Ludwig was.

I looked at Ludwig and wiped my sweat with a towel hanging on a chair.

“Probably.”

I had no intention of denying it.

Gladen Amorel’s skill surpassed Ludwig’s, and even Scarlett’s and mine. I could only face him because of my supernatural power and Mana Reinforcement.

Of course, that was assuming I would be able to sail through the semifinal against Scarlett first.

Ludwig opened the windows of the training grounds.

The cold winter wind rushed in, but it felt refreshing after sweating so much.

“Reinhart, I have a question,” Ludwig asked as he looked out the window, his back to me.

It was the first time I had seen the usually bright and cheerful Ludwig so serious.

“What is it?”

“You’ve fought knowing you would lose, haven’t you?”

“... Yeah.”

“But you’ve won every time.”

Ludwig stared out at the Temple beyond the dormitory, shrouded in the winter night and the lights of the festival.

I had been the protagonist of several very strange events. I had faced battles I had known I couldn’t win, yet I had won them all.

Someone with F-rank combat ability had, in just one year, become the most formidable contender in the first-year tournament, recognized by everyone.

I was an egg that always broke the rock it was thrown against.

“How do you think that’s possible?”

Ludwig seemed curious about my secret.

He wasn’t asking about my supernatural power, Mana Reinforcement, or the many coincidences that surrounded these events. He wasn’t questioning what cheats I had.

“You have to believe,” I said.

“Believe?”

“Yeah.”

In the end, I had nothing more to say, so I talked about my supernatural power. Ludwig knew about it, of course.

Self-Deception...

“You have to believe, even if you know you’ll lose, even if you can’t help but lose. You still have to believe.”

“Believe you can win?”

“Yeah.”

I placed my training sword back on the rack and leaned against it, crossing my arms.

“Instead of thinking, ‘I’ll do my best even if I lose,’ you have to believe, ‘I’ll win. No matter what, I will win.’”

“What if you still lose?”

“So what?”

The result didn’t matter.

“Saying ‘I’ll do my best even if I lose’ is like preparing an excuse for failure. ‘I tried my best, but I’ll do better next time.’ It’s like creating a way for yourself to escape in advance.”

Since returning from the Dark Land, I had lived with that mindset for a while.

I couldn’t say that I was entirely free of such thoughts. But I knew what the best course of action was.

Even in moments where there seemed to be no possibility, you had to believe in the possibility. Only then could you seize upon whatever small sliver of a chance appeared, if it appeared.

Saying “I’ll do my best even if I lose” wasn’t Self-Deception; it was self-consolation.

That was not what my ability was about; it was about Self-Deception.

It had to be described in the future tense. It was not “I tried my best”, in the past tense, but “I will win.”

Not judging the past, but shaping the future.

That’s how I had built myself up so far.

“Instead of preparing an excuse to escape, it’s better to believe, ‘I’m going to win no matter what.’ That’s all there is to it.”

Of course, Ludwig wasn’t a superhuman. Even if he accepted what I said, nothing would change.

“Escaping... Yeah, so that’s what it was. Saying ‘I tried my best’ wasn’t enough... I see.”

Ludwig closed the window and turned his head.

He would lose.

He wouldn’t be able to defeat Gladen Amorel.

“See you in the finals, Reinhart.”

Regardless, Ludwig still said that.