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Chapter 59
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Thud-!
A massive hammer struck the troll’s head.
Its head burst open, and brain matter and blood splattered across the ground.
“Go this way!”
“Ugh… Okay!”
Dwena, the owner of the hammer, extended her hand, guiding her partner to a safe spot.
“Hurry up and run!”
“This is the best I can do…! I’m losing strength because of the bracelet….”
A bracelet with a yellow jewel embedded in it was clasped around her partner’s wrist.
It was one of the relics from this tournament, an artifact engraved with the ‘Curse of Frailty.’
‘Damn it! Finding the relic early wasn’t a stroke of luck after all!’
When they stumbled upon the relic, it had seemed like a fortunate discovery.
But after carrying it for just a short while, they realized it.
This was an item that would only bring more harm the longer it was held.
“Huff… Huff…”
Even with just a slight increase in speed, sweat poured down her partner’s forehead.
Their legs trembled, looking as if they might collapse at any moment.
The curse’s intensity seemed quite severe.
‘Should we… abandon the relic?’
Dwena knew it was the right choice but couldn’t easily decide.
After all, how many people could toss away their gold bars on a sinking ship?
‘It’s not like we can just hide it somewhere.’
The size and layout of the Gathering Demonic Forest were completely alien compared to the outside world.
If they hid it blindly in some secluded place without a map or marker, retrieving it later would be almost impossible.
Leaving traces, on the other hand, would make it easy for other teams to discover.
It was truly a situation of being stuck between a rock and a hard place.
“Grr…!”
Finally making up her mind, Dwena spoke to her partner.
“We’re leaving it.”
“…Huh?”
“Drop the relic and move.”
“What?! Wh-what are you talking about? You know what the winning condition of this tournament is!”
“So, are you saying we should continue with you in this state? If another team catches us and forces us to retire, then we’re completely done for!”
“That… That’s…”
Her partner hesitated, stammering.
“It’s smarter to hand the relic over to one of the more likely teams to win and then ambush them when they’re weak.”
“Is… that so?”
“Yes. To be honest, the two of us aren’t contenders for the championship in this tournament.”
Dwena’s partner was a senior who barely managed to stay in the upper ranks.
That kind of performance at Polaris was impressive in itself.
‘Compared to the others.’
But even so, it was hard not to feel small in comparison.
On top of that, the rest of the student council members had entered this tournament, and among them, Elma, the vice president, and Fernia, the president, were renowned for their exceptional skills.
And then there was…
‘That bastard…!’
The monstrous first-year who ranked at the top of their grade had also joined the tournament.
In terms of pure skill, he was an opponent they’d struggle to even land a clean hit on.
Given such a vast difference in abilities, if weaker players wanted to win…
“We need to move strategically.”
“…Wow. You’re smarter than you look.”
“…….”
Everyone always judged her by her appearance.
“I’ll leave the relic here—”
At that moment—
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Spikes of rock suddenly shot toward them from the distance.
“-!”
Moving purely on instinct, Dwena swung her hammer wide, shattering the spikes completely.
Crash!
“Ugh-!”
“Who’s there?!”
Quickly hiding behind Dwena, her partner drew a sword.
Dwena growled fiercely, glaring in the direction the attack had come from.
“Oh? You managed to block all that?”
“Jane Rune…!”
Jane Rune smirked as she leapt toward their direction in a single bound.
“Impressive. This year’s first-years have quite a few exceptional kids, huh?”
“Hmph.”
“Aw, don’t be so cold. I was complimenting you; can’t you react a little?”
Jane pouted, pretending to be upset.
But Dwena wasn’t fazed and rapidly scanned her surroundings.
‘The Disciplinary Leader’s partner must be…’
The Holy Maiden, Lienna.
As Dwena widened her field of view, she caught a glimpse of pink hair peeking out from behind a tree.
‘I see.’
She understood the situation at once.
“You have a relic too.”
“Oh? What makes you think that?”
“If you didn’t, there’d be no reason for the Holy Maiden to be hiding like that.”
“Pfft!”
Jane burst out laughing.
“That’s such a weak assumption. Isn’t it common sense to place support types in the rear?”
“That might apply to ordinary support types.”
Dwena knew all too well about Lienna’s “skills.”
For that reason, she also knew there was no need to exclude her from combat.
‘But if they went out of their way to hide her, then…’
It meant Lienna was likely affected by the curse and unable to fight effectively.
“Well, you’re not wrong. We do have a relic. And so do you.”
Jane pointed her finger at the bracelet.
“That thing—we’re taking it.”
As she began to coat her sword in Qi, preparing for battle—
“Wait!”
Click!
Dwena unclasped the bracelet from her partner’s wrist and handed it over.
“Take it.”
“…Huh?”
“I said, take it. This is what you wanted, isn’t it?”
“Well… That’s true, but…”
“Then take it. I’d prefer to avoid unnecessary fighting.”
Jane tilted her head with a bewildered expression.
She hadn’t expected things to be this easy.
“You’re surprisingly wise for how you look.”
“…….”
Dwena took a deep breath to calm her rising irritation.
“There’s no point in wasting energy fighting you here. I’ll just give it to you.”
“Hm~ Alright.”
Dwena tossed the bracelet.
Jane caught it lightly and licked her lips as she examined it.
“It’s genuine. The curse is properly applied, too.”
“…Of course. I have no intention of deceiving you.”
“Pfft! Well then, take care~!”
Jane turned around and leapt back in the direction she had come from.
When she handed the bracelet to Lienna, the Holy Maiden silently placed it on her wrist.
“…Hah. That felt kind of empty.”
“It’s actually a good thing.”
Dwena encouraged her partner.
While it was disappointing to hand over such a rare find to someone else so easily, the fatigue from the curse would only build up over time.
The longer they held onto it, the closer they’d edge toward destruction.
“Now that the shackle is gone, we can move faster—”
“Oh, right.”
Just as they thought they had averted the crisis, Jane’s voice, now tinged with mana, echoed ominously.
“What the…!”
Dwena hurriedly scanned ahead.
“She’s gone!”
The carefree figure of Jane walking away had vanished without a trace.
“I’m not the type to leave loose ends behind.”
“Damn it! Get ready to attack!”
“What are you talking about?! Attack who?!”
The voice came from above.
“You seem pretty strong. If I leave you alone, you’ll be a problem later on.”
“—There!”
“Exactly.”
Perched on the high branches of a tree, Jane looked down at them and said,
“So I’ll deal with you here.”
She swung her sword.
“Magic Sword Style”
“Mana Sword”
A torrent of mana blades rained down like a storm.
Rumble—!
Dwena bit her lip.
‘She never intended to let us go from the start!’
Carrying a relic put them at a disadvantage.
Jane must have been aware of this.
So she planned to eliminate every team she encountered.
If she left them all incapacitated, no one would be able to take the relic from her.
“This way, I win!”
Jane shouted confidently.
“Grrr!”
Dwena exhaled sharply and lifted her hammer.
Sizzle!
A green aura wrapped around her sturdy body.
The aura intertwined with her hammer like vines.
“Grass Style”
“Raaahh—!”
As Dwena swung her vine-wrapped hammer, the mana blades shattered all at once.
Dwena assumed a combat stance and gave an order to her partner.
“Go! Target the Holy Maiden!”
“What?!”
“We’re stealing their relics now!”
There was no point in running—they would chase them down and crush them to the end.
It was wiser to use Lienna as a hostage, whether to bargain for the relic or for a chance to turn the tide.
“But…!”
“Don’t worry. I’ll handle the Disciplinary Leader!”
The gap in skill was vast, as immense as that of the top first-year student.
But if all she needed to do was buy time, she could hold her own.
‘No matter how great the Holy Maiden is!’
With two curses weighing her down, the odds were fair enough.
“Go!”
“Got it!”
Tap, tap, tap!
Her partner sprinted quickly in Lienna’s direction.
***
“This is…”
“Pretty intense…”
“Wow… That’s the Divine Oracle Holy Maiden for you.”
The murmurs among the spectators grew louder.
“What an incredible battle! Right, Professor Karen?”
“Hmm~ It exceeded my expectations. Not bad~.”
Clona tried hard to suppress her gaping mouth.
-……
The screen transmitted the scene in silence.
On it was—
“Ugh… Hrk…”
—Dwena and her partner lying unconscious, passed out.
Around them was the utterly devastated forest.
Amid the wreckage, faint remnants of divine power lingered.
The sacred energy that healed, strengthened, and protected others had turned into a force of sheer destruction.
“I’d heard stories, but seeing it in person is even more entertaining.”
Karen uncrossed her arms and rested her chin on the back of her hand.
“Ah… I’m looking forward to it…”
“Oh! Professor Karen’s expectations! Are you already betting on the team with two relics to win?!”
“Huh? Of course not.”
Karen shook her head with a serious expression.
“What I’m anticipating is…”
Her prized pupil, the man whose leash she held, and the one who could shatter that Holy Maiden in an instant.
“Someone else entirely.”
Lan Black.
It was him.
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