Chapter 37
In the end, the Inter-Academy Tournament concluded on such an ambiguous note.
The only consolation was that I strongly expressed my frustration to Professor Cassis Sinclair the entire time as we left the Dungeon.
At one point, he even said, “I understand your point, and I’ll bring it up in the faculty meeting, so stop.”
Seriously, how could they arbitrarily suspend a competition without notifying the participants?
We didn’t know, so of course, we kept going to the end.
We even reached the finish line.
Honestly, we deserve first place for that.
“But you know, it’s clear the two of you resemble each other, probably because you’re family.”
“Huh? What do you mean by that?!”
“…”
It turned out that Professor Cassis Sinclair was Elaine Sinclair’s older brother.
Now it made sense why no other professors came running, but he rushed here alone—it was because of his sister.
The saying “blood is thicker than water” proved itself true once again.
Professor Cassis ignored my comment, but Elaine immediately reacted.
“Why? Your hair color’s similar, and your demeanor’s kind of alike too.”
“Absolutely not!”
“Why? Don’t like being compared to your brother?”
“No, no! That’s not it at all…!”
I hadn’t intended to tease her, but her flustered response made me keep going without realizing it.
Her reactions were just too entertaining.
While Professor Cassis pretended to ignore me, Elaine’s face turned red as she anxiously glanced at him.
By the time I had teased her enough to make her look thoroughly embarrassed, we finally exited the Dungeon.
“Everyone, step outside.”
“Finally…!”
Emily Franz was the first to rush out.
What had been bright daylight during the second test had turned dark outside.
Still, the fresh air outside was much better than the stuffy atmosphere inside the Dungeon.
“Oh, you’re out.”
“Huh… You’re still here?”
As we exited, we saw the third-years we’d encountered inside the Dungeon.
“Yeah, they said we had to wait and leave together…”
“Oh! Then, seniors, help us out here. You agree we deserve first place, right?”
Seeing the third-years reminded me of our earlier conversation, so I brought it up immediately.
Even the third-years had indirectly acknowledged it before.
They had effectively been eliminated and told us, “You guys take first place.”
“Huh?”
“No, the professor said the tournament was suspended earlier and that he’s not sure about the results…”
“Sigh. Didn’t I already say I’d heard your argument? That’s enough.”
“Oh, but still, if the third-years say it instead of me—”
“That’s enough.”
Smack.
I wanted to push the point further, but when the professor spoke with a stern expression, I let it drop.
Fine, I’ve said enough; they’ll probably advocate for us during the faculty meeting or whatever it is.
“Professor Cassis, what about the Undead inside?”
“There were two Death Knights. According to the students, one was mounted, but the horse wasn’t there.”
“A horse…?”
“Yes. At least for now…”
Professor Cassis trailed off as he glanced around at us.
“We’ll discuss the details tomorrow. For now, you’ve all worked hard, so it’s best to send the students back.”
“Ah, of course.”
And so, without seeing the “Quest Clear” notification, the Inter-Academy Tournament came to an end.
“At least I caught Greenie.”
Ultimately, the only thing I gained for sure was Greenie.
“Damn it. I didn’t expect things to play out like this. Who the hell intervened?”
I’d thought I’d be able to use magic after today, but no.
I’d have to ask Addy to investigate and find out who interfered with my plans.
***
***
“First, let’s hear your explanation.”
Gulp.
“Y-yes. So…”
Nigel swallowed hard before he managed to open his mouth.
It had been a long time since he’d seen the Elder this furious.
It was the kind of anger that became calm and collected once it reached its peak.
Keeping his head bowed, Nigel began his report about the events that had transpired.
In truth, it wasn’t much of a report—just a rehash of the situation.
This was the plan, but the students turned out to be stronger than expected, and it failed.
No one could have predicted that a student would defeat not only the ghouls but also the Death Knight.
And not just any Death Knight—the Green-Flamed Death Knight.
“Is it over?”
“…Yes.”
Nigel refrained from saying more.
He knew all too well that Randgar Bayel hated needless excuses.
“That student is indeed strong.”
Randgar began speaking in a low tone.
The sudden appearance of the Undead in the Inter-Academy Tournament—he was already aware of it.
After all, the incident occurred under his supervision as one of the Elders of the Nameless Organization.
The mana disruption barrier inside the Dungeon was also Randgar’s creation.
It was a barrier carefully crafted by Randgar, a specialist in barrier magic.
No Academy professor could dismantle it in such a short time.
“However, no matter how strong, a student is still a student—especially a first-year.”
Gulp.
Nigel knelt on one knee, his head lowered as he listened silently to Randgar’s words.
Everything Randgar said was true.
Even if an unexpected opponent displayed extraordinary skills, one should have prepared for such contingencies.
‘How was I supposed to know they’d be that strong? Damn it.’
Of course, Nigel felt wronged.
He had only followed the plan.
Deploy the Death Knight against the strongest third-years, skeletons for the second-years, and ghouls for the first-years.
He had even thought the task would be easier than expected, given the smaller-than-usual number of participants in the tournament.
“Still… the opponent did exhibit extraordinary strength.”
‘Oh, thank god.’
Nigel felt a glimmer of hope from Randgar’s words.
The softened tone and acknowledgment of the situation seemed to suggest leniency.
It felt like Randgar might even overlook his failure, understanding the exceptional circumstances.
Gulp.
Nigel swallowed nervously, feeling a small sense of relief.
“Yes, that could happen. This student, Ryu, doesn’t seem like an ordinary student. To be that strong… he reeks of suspicion.”
“You’re absolutely right! Logically spea— Hmph.”
Nigel instinctively agreed with Randgar’s words but immediately clamped his hand over his mouth.
“…”
“S-sorry.”
“Even so.”
Randgar’s demeanor shifted again.
Nigel tensed, waiting for his next words.0
“Losing the Green-Flamed Death Knight is entirely your fault, isn’t it?”
“…”
Nigel couldn’t answer.
While the earlier events were unpredictable, what came after wasn’t.
Driven by frustration and anger over his failed plan, Nigel had summoned the Green-Flamed Death Knight.
Despite being explicitly instructed otherwise.
The order was clear: “Other Undead are fine, but it’s not yet time to reveal the higher-level Undead to the world.”
The failure of the plan was unfortunate, but he was told to accept it and wait for the next opportunity.
However, Nigel, blinded by rage, had ignored the order.
The only fortunate thing was that he had cut off the live broadcast in time.
“I’m sorry.”
Nigel dropped his other knee to the floor and prostrated himself completely.
It was all he could do.
The Green-Flamed Death Knight.
It was supposed to be a trump card revealed only after it was fully tamed, for a future operation.
But he had not only revealed it prematurely—he had lost it.
The fleeting hope that he might avoid responsibility completely vanished.
This was no small mistake; it was enough to warrant immediate death from the Elder.
“Sigh. Fine. I’ll give you a chance to redeem yourself.”
“What kind of…”
“Before the second plan is executed, summon it again.”
“…Pardon?”
“The Green-Flamed Death Knight. Or something of equal caliber. If you fail to prepare, use your life as the cost to perform the summoning ritual. For a dark mage of your skill, I’m sure the results wouldn’t be terrible.”
Gulp.
Nigel could feel the sincerity in Randgar’s calm voice.
To say such words so coldly—it wasn’t a threat; it was a promise.
Nigel knew far too well that Randgar’s words weren’t empty.
“Y-yes, I understand!”
“Good. You may leave.”
Boom.
Nigel disappeared in the same prostrated position, vanishing from Randgar’s sight.
Randgar stared at the spot Nigel had occupied for a moment before turning to look out the window.
The moonlight shone gently on the dark night, its faint glow filling the room.
“Nothing seems to be going right lately.”
Randgar muttered quietly.
It had all started with the theft of the Hourglass.
The unexpected intervention of the Black Shadow Corps had thrown everything into disarray.
Since then, nothing had gone as planned.
Despite tracking the Black Shadow Corps to recover the Hourglass, no meaningful progress had been made.
And there likely wouldn’t be any in the near future.
To make matters worse, the carefully orchestrated plan for the tournament had failed entirely.
All because of a single student.
Sigh.
Compared to losing the Hourglass, the failure of this plan wasn’t as devastating.
Besides, Randgar himself had been overly ambitious.
The timing had seemed perfect, with the tournament moved up unexpectedly.
Driven by urgency after losing the Hourglass, Randgar had initiated the plan earlier than intended.
It was a risky endeavor, and Randgar had accepted the possibility of failure.
If it succeeded, it would have been a massive win. If it failed, he could accept the loss and plan for the next opportunity.
‘That reckless idiot.’
If Nigel hadn’t acted on his own and lost the Green-Flamed Death Knight…
‘But to think a single student managed to handle it.’
Randgar tried to suppress his anger as his thoughts turned to Ryu.
From the moment he cut down the ghouls and defeated the Death Knight, Ryu had seemed unusual.
But to take down even the Green-Flamed Death Knight…
‘I’ll have to meet him in person.’
Randgar felt it necessary to meet Ryu himself.
A commoner, not a noble. And with a defiant personality.
‘Let’s see if he can be brought into the organization.’
Randgar was already considering recruiting Ryu, provided the conditions were right.
—
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