Chapter 295 [Illustration]

The moment Reinhart used Mana Reinforcement, the outcome was already decided even before our swords clashed.

Reinhart’s body was engulfed in the blue flames of mana, and Scarlett lost her grip on her sword as it was instantly knocked away.

Clang!

Reinhart had disarmed his opponent with a swift and decisive blow of his own weapon.

Most martial arts were designed to be used against opponents of similar caliber. A fight between someone who has reached the superhuman level and someone who hadn’t was not a matter of skill but of sheer difference in class. It was impossible for the latter to win.

The loss of a weapon counted as being incapacitated in combat.

—Th-The... The third bout goes to Reinhart!

The announcer’s cry ended the third bout.

“What the heck is going on?”

Olivia did not understand what had happened. She didn’t know that Reinhart needed the aid of Self-Deception to use Mana Reinforcement.

To her, it just looked like Reinhart had been deliberately not using Mana Reinforcement until that moment.

Only Ellen and Scarlett knew the truth.

In the audience, Ellen was the only one who knew exactly what a huge step Reinhart had achieved in such a brief moment.

She clenched her fist unconsciously.

‘Reinhart...’

she thought.

Reinhart had advanced to the next level. There was no way anyone else around her knew it, but Ellen understood all too well how significant such an advancement was.

Ellen was so overjoyed that she could barely contain herself from jumping up and running to Reinhart. Despite Ellen’s excitement and the audience’s bewilderment, the match continued.

The score was now 2-1 in Scarlett’s favor.

Even though Reinhart had succeeded in using Mana Reinforcement without the aid of his supernatural power, the ability itself was still a double-edged sword.

There were two bouts remaining, and he had to defeat Scarlett in both of them with only the aid of Mana Reinforcement.

If he managed to do that, though, would he be able to compete properly in the finals?

Though he had overcome the immediate crisis, the uncertainty of winning the championship remained.

—The fourth bout is about to begin...

Scarlett and Reinhart were facing each other when Scarlett suddenly raised her hand.

—Yes, is there something...? Ah.

The announcer’s startled voice echoed through the stadium.

—Scarlett from the Royal Class First year has... forfeited the match.

Forfeit...

The unexpected announcement left not only the audience but also Reinhart in great confusion.

***

I was in the waiting room.

“Reinhart, you need to win the tournament. I can’t afford to let you exhaust yourself further here.”

That was what Scarlett had said that before forfeiting the match.

She seemed satisfied.

Scarlett had wanted to see me persevere without giving up. She wanted to see what my reaction would be when my most powerful tool, my supernatural power.

Scarlett had hoped I would somehow overcome it. She had always seen me demonstrate a way to overcome whatever was in my way, and that was what she’d hoped for this time as well.

I had somehow responded to this passive coercion.

That had been Scarlett’s purpose from the beginning.

The moment I’d succeeded in using Mana Reinforcement without the aid of my supernatural power and subdued her, Scarlett stopped testing me.

If the match had continued, the outcome would have been uncertain.

For a brief moment and in that short time, I had activated Mana Reinforcement without the aid of my supernatural power.

In that brief moment, a strange pain and shot through my entire body, as though my muscles were being slowly pulled apart, leaving a tingling in my fingertips.

I could not use Mana Reinforcement for long even with the aid of Self-Deception, and using it without any aid had put even more strain on my body.

Scarlett could have beaten me. However, she had conceded after seeing the result she’d been hoping for.

In the end, Scarlett had entered the tournament to push me one step further.

That was why she had fought with all her strength, something that was not possible in practice duels, but could be done in this stadium.

The audience was buzzing, but I eventually returned to the waiting room, and Scarlett left after telling me to make sure I won.

The look she had given me made me feel responsible in an uncomfortable way, as though I was being forced to meet expectations. If I were an ordinary person, or the usual Reinhart, I would have told her to stop talking nonsense.

But I felt indebted to Scarlett in many ways, and so I couldn’t say anything.

Ludwig and Gladen Amorel had left to prepare for their next match, so I was the only one in the waiting room allocated to the first-year students, and I had the spectator area to myself.

I would be able to use Self-Deception against whichever opponent was up next. Scarlett, my most unexpected and formidable adverary, had forfeited after seeing the change she had hoped for in me.

Ellen was probably the only one in the audience who knew what had happened.

She had nagged me endlessly to improve my control over Mana Reinforcement, and I had struggled for what felt like an eternity.

This time, though, I had succeeded in using Mana Reinforcement without the aid of my supernatural power.

‘Will she praise me fo rit?’

I felt like a kid who had done something good and was desperate for the teacher’s praise.

‘Well, Ellen is kind of my teacher, so it’s not that different, is it?’

Anyway, while sitting in the now-empty waiting room, I continued to use Self-Deception to restore my deteriorated condition while waiting for the semifinal match that would determine my final opponent to begin.

I wondered how much time had passed.

—The second match of the first-year tournament semifinals is about to begin!

Ludwig and Gladen Amorel were stepping into the arena.

In the original story, Ludwig was unable to defeat Gladen Amorel in a single bout.

For reference, Ellen wouldn’t lose a single bout to Gladen Amorel.

However, Ludwig had grown stronger than he had been at this point in the original story.

Even so, I didn’t think he would be able to win. At this point, Gladen Amorel was the third-strongest after Ellen and me. If he mastered Mana Reinforcement, he would immediately surpass me. Scarlett was a special case, so she was an exception.

Willpower alone couldn’t become strength.

When my Self-Deception had been neutralized, I keenly felt the absence of my power within my body.

That was how accustomed I had become to my supernatural power.

That made me realize once again how absurd it was to draw strength from mere belief, which could not conceivably affect the external world.

However, I decided not to say that Ludwig would lose.

Ludwig’s face appeared on the screen.

Ludwig, who always wore a slight smile that went with his good-natured and friendly manner, had a cold and hardened expression on his face.

It was a look I had never seen before.

***

Gladen Amorel...

He was the top student of Orbis Class, 1-A, with skills that were on par with those of the Royal Class. He had been a strong future prospect for the Orbis Class.

“You can do it. You can defeat those Royal Class guys. Just keep doing what you’re doing. No, do it even better.”

Those were the words had been drilled into him.

He had always completed the tasks given to him—the things he had to do—more perfectly than anyone else.

He had believed that the ambition imposed upon him from outside was something he had to endure, but he realized it was hell and escaped from it.

At last, Gladen Amorel found laughter and ease.

Having realized there was no reason to live a forced life, Gladen Amorel became kinder and more gentle to others.

He no longer felt as though he was being constantly pursued by someone.

But that didn’t mean he had become lazy. If anything, he felt that his skills had improved because he could focus on his own desired training in a more relaxed state.

He had recognized the satisfaction that came from voluntary training.

Therefore, while Gladen Amorel’s personality had changed, his skills hadn’t regressed. In fact, it wouldn’t be wrong to say they had advanced further.

The one who never smiled had found his smile again.

However, his opponent, Royal Class B-11 Ludwig, had no smile on his face now. He seemed to have found some sort of inner resolve, as if he had built a wall behind him and believed that everything would end if he touched it.

Ludwig, who had lost his smile, pointed his sword at Gladen Amorel.

The two, having switched roles, were now pointing their swords at each other.

Gladen Amorel spoke to Ludwig.

“It looks like you’ve made up your mind.”

“...”

After a moment of silence, Ludwig, his face still hard, spoke to Gladen Amorel.

“I am the lowest-ranking student of the Royal Class. My talent was just enough to get me into the Royal Class, but it’s considered the most insignificant talent there.”

“... What is your talent?”

“Stamina.”

Normally, he would scratch his head and laugh foolishly, but Ludwig spoke with a serious and calm expression.

“However, in Class A, there was a friend with infinite potential. A friend who had managed to get in without any talent at all. There was a lot of talk in Class B as well. They said that he should have been B-11. Of course, I didn’t think so.

“The important thing is, that friend really had nothing. Not even a small advantage like Stamina, like I do.

“Though that friend might have been weak, he was never cowardly. It wasn’t seen as a good thing, but he never backed down from all the adversities he faced. Even when he fell—no matter how many times he fell—he always got back up. He could have given up. He should have given up. But in those moments, he always got back up.”

Gladen Amorel seemed to understand who Ludwig was talking about.

“But I am the opposite,” Ludwig continued.

“I believed that if I worked hard and gave it my best, I would still be able to stand shoulder to shoulder with my classmates who have great talents, even though I was behind. I believed that.

“I lived with the mindset of a loser.”

Always promising himself that the future would be better...

Ludwig had never truly believed in his current self.

‘I can’t beat him yet. I am still lacking compared to him. So, let’s work hard. Even if I fall behind now, I will be able to stand beside them someday. For now, though, it can’t be helped.’

That had been his mindset.

“That friend, though... he always faced challenges head-on, despite knowing he couldn’t win. He faced them, was beaten down and got hurt, believing he could win even though he couldn’t. He’s spent this past year attempting foolish and reckless things.

“Now, I am much weaker than that friend.

“For sure, I was originally stronger than that friend. But while I was justifying my many shortcomings with the thought that I was working hard, that friend surpassed me and went far beyond me.

“While I was hiding behind the excuse that I was working hard, that friend was challenging and facing impossible tasks, believing they could be done.

“Yes. I admire Reinhart. Catching up and closing this distance that has already been established—that is what I think I have to do from now on.

“It might not be possible, but I believe I have to make it possible. That’s what I’ve decided. Reinhart said that you have to at least believe.

“I will no longer hide behind the excuse that I’m working hard. Because it is that though that keeps me the way I am.”

Ludwig raised his sword and looked Gladen Amorel in the eye.

The Ludwig who used to accept reality and resign himself to his position under the guise of effort and perseverance, the lowest-ranking studnet of Class B, was no more.

He was changing.

He no longer comforted himself with the thought that he was working hard.

Not to work hard, but to do well.

Not to do his best, but to win.

“So.”

He had discarded the self that scratched the back of his head and said that he would do better next time whenever he did not do well.

Willpower alone could not become strength.

But there was one person in this world who knew the truth of this world.

Willpower could not become strength, but Ludwig was the protagonist of this world.

It was the core of causality.

A protagonist, by nature, can turn willpower into strength.

Ludwig was such a protagonist.

“I will. Defeat. You,” Ludwig declared.

The world was always on his side.

***

‘What the hell is that guy?’

I couldn’t believe my eyes.

3-0. The results of the semi-final.

Ludwig had achieved a complete victory.

They had been engaged in a long conversation at first, but once the duel started, the situation unfolded completely differently from what I had expected.

Ludwig overwhelmed Gladen Amorel with sheer force of swordsmanship.

He didn’t use Mana Reinforcement, nor did he use any supernatural power.

Ludwig, with just the strength in his body, neutralized every strike Gladen Amorel tried and countered them.

It was an overwhelming difference in physical prowess.

What should have been possible only with Mana Reinforcement, Ludwig had achieved with his body alone.

The spectators were staring blankly at Ludwig, who had utterly defeated Gladen Amorel with his monstrous strength.

—

Waaaahhh!

Those who didn’t know the intricacies of swordsmanship were excited about the overwhelming and incredible fight as a spectacle, but I was dumbfounded.

The speed and reaction time he had shown were impossible without Mana Reinforcement.

I didn’t know what he had done, but Ludwig had changed.

If he was this strong without Mana Reinforcement, he would become even more of a monster when he mastered it.

I could tell that my words the previous day had sparked something in Ludwig.

Willpower alone could not become strength—except for me, with the powers of Self-Deception and Incantation.

As I watched Ludwig, his expression still hard, standing tall amidst the cheers of the crowd, I realized what I had overlooked.

At that moment, the strongest person in the world was Sabioleen Tana, and the next strongest was Ellen.

Another candidate for the title of strongest was Olivia Lanche, who should have died but had survived.

There was the greatest talent in magical history, Harriet de Saint-Ouen.

And then myself, who had recorded tremendous growth in just one year with the talent of infinite potential.

What did any of that matter?

—

Waaaaah!

In the end, Ludwig was the protagonist.

The protagonist could turn willpower into strength. He could convert anger, sorrow, revenge, and desire into unbelievable power. If there was no reason for it, then the world would create one, lending strength to Ludwig’s wishes.

He would always gain the strength and fortune he needed.

The power I possessed, Self-Deception, was ultimately a knock-off version of the power Ludwig had.

The power to turn willpower into strength originally belonged to Ludwig.

This world had been made for its protagonist, and Ludwig would have everything he needed.

Ludwig glanced up. More precisely, he was looking at one of the viewing galleries.

I looked down at Ludwig through the window, and Ludwig looked up at me.

“...”

“...”

The guy who said he would meet me in the finals was indeed coming to meet me in the finals.

***

Nothing had gone as planned.

Believing that I could easily achieve the ten-thousand Achievement Point challenge had been foolish from the start; nothing was easy.

I had struggled against Scarlett, whom I hadn’t given much consideration to, and my defeat had seemed imminent until her forfeit allowed me to advance to the finals.

Gladen Amorel had been overwhelmingly defeated by Ludwig.

Ludwig, who previously clung to the belief that he could eventually catch up if he worked hard enough, had abandoned his weakness.

The situation had diverged so drastically from the original story that everything it contained had become meaningless. It was impossible to predict anything else.

Ludwig hadn’t awakened Mana Reinforcement, nor was he using a supernatural power.

He was simply the protagonist.

With that one advantage, Ludwig had gained immense strength.

After a brief period of rest, the stage for the finals was set.

I wasn’t in peak physical condition, but it wasn’t so terrible.

If I used Self-Deception, I could face Ludwig head-on, and if I used Mana Reinforcement, I could overwhelm him.

However, whether I could do that over three bouts was uncertain.

If I didn’t pace myself properly, I would face the embarrassing situation of losing not to Ludwig, but failing because I was unable to keep up my physical condition.

—The grand finals are about to begin! A clash between Royal Class A and B!

They were avoiding calling it a match between the lowest numbers of both classes.

Ludwig and I faced each other while the announcer gave a lengthy speech. His face, which was so often adorned with a foolish smile, was now stone.

Finally, this was an expression I could respect.

Ludwig, who had lacked any modicum of seriousness before, had now become serious.

“Seems like it had some effect, huh?”

“... It seems so.”

Ludwig seemed to find it hard to believe what had happened to him. He looked at me intently.

“Will I be able to catch up to you?”

“You still haven’t learned, have you, kid?” Holding my sword, I smiled at Ludwig. “Believe that you can catch up. No, believe that you can trample over me and stand above me.”

“Hah... Oh yeah. That’s right. That’s how it should be.” Ludwig smiled at me, but it wasn’t his usual awkward smile. “But it’s strange. Reinhart, you’re strong, but there are many people stronger than you...”

Ludwig sighed, gripping his sword.

“At some point... it stopped working,” he said.

“What did?” I asked.

“The thought of me beating you.” The smile disappeared from Ludwig’s face again. “I can’t seem to imagine it anymore.”

As I listened to Ludwig’s words and saw his expression, I sympathized with him. After all, there was only one person I regarded in that way as well.

The one watching me from the audience.

There were many people stronger and more skilled than her.

But I couldn’t imagine myself beating Ellen Artorius. Ellen always seems to look down at me from a much higher place as she taught me swordsmanship.

In the original story, Ellen was the one that gave Ludwig this feeling.

She existed as an insurmountable wall, someone he always had to look up to.

It seemed I had taken over the role of looking up at Ellen.

“You’ve grown so strong so quickly that no matter how hard I try to catch up, you always seem so far ahead.”

Ellen had entered the Royal Class with tremendous strength, but I had started from a point lower than Ludwig and surpassed him by a great margin.

Naturally, Ludwig’s focus had shifted from Ellen to me.

He couldn’t help but wonder why he couldn’t become like Reinhart.

To Ludwig, I was the wall, not Ellen, and so he made reaching me his goal.

An insurmountable wall... For Ludwig, I was now that wall instead of Ellen.

I had taken Ellen’s place In the original story.

—The grand finals of the first-year tournament begins right now!

The eternal rival and object of admiration for the protagonist...

Was that my role in this world?

“It might seem impossible, but I’ll believe in it anyway,” Ludwig said as he took a deep breath. “That I can beat you.”

I faced Ludwig, gripping my own sword tightly.

There was only one thing I had taught Ludwig. To not prepare excuses for defeat, but to make a resolution for victory.

It wasn’t much, but that was something I had taught him.

And that was my specialty.

“No,” I said.

“You cannot beat me,” I continued.

“I will...” Ludwig said, looking at me.

“I will...” I replied, meeting his gaze.

And then, facing each other, we spoke simultaneously.

“Defeat you.”

Krrung!

My body was enveloped in blue mana, and Ludwig charged at me with a determined step.

Clang!

The moment our swords clashed, they shattered as if it had been preordained.