Chapter 146
“Are we moving today?”
“Yeah, we’re heading to the stadium in advance.”
Luke nodded at my question.
“We’ll leave after lunch. The participants, the instructors, the staff, and even the students going as spectators—all of us will depart together. So, get ready beforehand.”
“My preparations are already done. I packed everything yesterday.”
Three days before the opening ceremony of the Inter-Academy Tournament.
I happened to run into Luke early in the morning and was chatting with him.
“We’re traveling by carriage, right?”
“Yeah. Our academy’s close to the Capital, so there’s no need to use large-scale Teleportation Magic.”
“That makes sense. By the way, the stadium where the tournament will be held… it’s called the Benetic Stadium, right?”
“Yeah. It’s the largest stadium in the Empire. Its name comes from the late Emperor who built it.”
Benetic Stadium—it was a place I knew well.
I had visited it several times when playing the game, back when I’d sent my character to compete in the tournament.
“Not every student of Lysquare Academy is going, right?”
“No. Aside from the competitors, the audience, and the cheering students... most won’t be going. So for those not interested in the tournament, these two weeks will feel like a short vacation.”
“I see.”
Well, I more or less knew that already.
The players, the spectators, the cheer squads—
Most of the students going as spectators probably weren’t that interested in the matches themselves.
As I had said before, the Inter-Academy Tournament was a place of networking and social gathering for noble students.
A place to form new connections and prepare in advance for their future careers in politics and society after graduation.
That was what the tournament meant to noble students.
“The tournament lasts two weeks. I heard it’s basically like a festival.”
“Yeah. In a way, it’s a festival hosted by the Empire every year. The whole atmosphere feels like one.”
“And I’m fighting on the last day of that festival, right?”
Seeing my slightly uneasy expression, Luke laughed as he replied.
“That’s right. The Grand Representative Match is on the final day. If you make it to the finals... you’ll be the one to conclude the whole tournament.”
“That sounds… quite burdensome.”
I let out a small, dry laugh.
If I reached the finals, there was a very high chance I’d face Eisen.
It wouldn’t be an easy match at all.
“Ah, come to think of it, Gideon, did you hear anything from Lisa?”
“…What do you mean?”
“Oh, nothing? That’s surprising. Hmm… but again, maybe there’s no reason to take you there. No, wait, knowing Lady Leila and her brother’s personalities, they probably would’ve invited you.”
Luke muttered to himself for a moment, then shook his head.
“Never mind. Forget it. If they plan to take you, Lisa will probably tell you later.”
“Yes, understood. Anyway, you said we’ll have a short class this morning, then depart after lunch, right?”
“Exactly. So be ready in advance.”
“Wow, the stadium’s huge.”
“It’s the biggest one in the Empire. Its sheer size is incredible.”
Lisa nodded as she walked beside me, holding my hand.
“Wanna take a look around?”
“Yeah, let’s go. It’s good to familiarize myself with where I’ll be fighting.”
Time passed, and the members of Lysquare Academy finally arrived at Benetic Stadium, where the Inter-Academy Tournament would be held.
After moving our luggage to the nearby lodgings, everyone was now enjoying some free time.
Most students had gone to explore the Capital, while Lisa and I came to visit the stadium.
“For a structure that’s been around for hundreds of years, it’s in good shape.”
“I heard it’s been continuously maintained with magic.”
“Well, it’s definitely worth the effort.”
Nodding, I walked inside the stadium with Lisa.
We looked around the stands that could easily seat ten thousand spectators, then made our way to the center of the field.
“Just plain dirt ground.”
“Yeah. Nothing special at first glance.”
Just as I’d seen and felt in the game, this stadium was utterly standard.
So standard that there was no room for unpredictable variables.
That meant any battle fought here would depend purely on each fighter’s true skill.
“Where did you say you’ll be sitting?”
“Right in the front row over there. Your seat’s right next to mine.”
“Then should we go over there now? Might as well try sitting in advance…”
We kept wandering around, casually continuing our date.
If not for an unexpected encounter, that’s exactly what we would’ve done.
“Well, look who it is. To think I’d run into the next Head of House Balmuth here. What a coincidence.”
Two men suddenly appeared in the arena.
Both had black hair… and strangely familiar faces.
The moment I saw them, I recognized who they were—and so did Lisa.
“Rage. It’s been a while.”
“It’s been a while, Lisa. How have you been?”
“I’ve been well, thank you.”
The man standing at the front of the two—
I immediately recognized him from the game.
‘Rage Isrinbloom.’
The eldest son of the Isrinbloom Family and its heir apparent.
Sara’s eldest brother.
“And that white-haired one holding your hand… ah, I see. You must be the famous Gideon Kyrgram.”
“It’s an honor to meet you, Lord Rage.”
I bowed my head politely.
At first glance, he looked like a genuinely pleasant man.
But having played through Rage’s story in the game, I knew better.
That this man—Rage Isrinbloom—was like a volcano in human form.
“My father was right; you’re very polite. Come to think of it, didn’t you meet him a few months ago?”
“Yes. I met him in Muktaba a few months back.”
“Right, you helped subdue that Lava Golem. I really appreciate that. Honestly, I thought it’d never be taken down. Thanks to you, development in southern Muktaba has resumed.”
“I’m glad I could help.”
“Haha, anyway, I’ve heard about you from my father—and from Sara as well.”
“…Is that so?”
I responded a beat late at the mention of Sara’s name.
But Rage didn’t seem to mind.
“I heard you’ve never lost to Sara. Is that true?”
“Yes. I haven’t lost to Lady Sara yet.”
“Impressive. Our Sara might be weak compared to other members of the Isrinbloom Family, but objectively speaking, she’s quite skilled. For you to never lose to her means you must be quite exceptional.”
“I was just lucky.”
“Lucky? Hahaha, maybe so.”
Rage chuckled and placed his hand on the shoulder of the man standing beside him.
“Then I suppose you’ll need that luck again—if you plan to defeat my brother.”
“Yes, I’m already praying for it.”
I looked at the man next to him.
He resembled Sara quite a bit.
Though his frame was relatively lean, his body was clearly toned with well-trained muscles.
“Ah, I haven’t greeted you properly yet. It’s an honor to meet you, Lord Eisen.”
“……”
Eisen didn’t respond.
But that was more or less what I’d expected.
Even in the game, he wasn’t one for conversation.
‘Still, that’s strange. I’m sure he at least acknowledged greetings before. Why’s he ignoring me now?’
I kept looking at him for a while, but Eisen remained silent, unmoving.
Just as I was about to speak again, Rage spoke first.
“Gideon, I heard you’ll be representing your academy in the Grand Match. Do you think you can beat Eisen? Even with luck, that seems difficult.”
“I just intend to do my best at every moment.”
Rage flinched slightly, then smiled faintly.
“Good answer. A very good answer… By the way, do you happen to know where Sara is?”
“Lady Sara is—”
“Sara should be with Jason right now.”
Lisa stepped in and answered in my stead.
“I saw her heading toward the weapon shop earlier.”
“Hmph, so she’s at least pretending to prepare? Not that it’ll make her any stronger.”
Rage muttered with a faint laugh, then turned his gaze back to Lisa and me.
“Well then, we’ll be on our way. Gideon, do your best… and make sure my little brother enjoys himself.”
“Yes, understood. Then… please take care on your way.”
“No need for that. We’ll be seeing each other again tonight anyway.”
“…Excuse me? We’ll meet again tonight?”
I tilted my head at Rage’s words.
And in response, Rage tilted his own head as well.
“What? You didn’t get the message? Lisa, what’s going on? You must’ve received the invitation, right?”
“…I did. I did, but…”
Lisa glanced at me with a worried look.
“Gideon, did you perhaps receive or hear anything from my mother?”
“Hmm… I don’t think so?”
“…Haaa… she really is something else.”
Lisa sighed deeply and looked back at Rage.
“I’ll take care of it.”
“Yeah, I trust you. You’ll handle it well. Anyway, make sure you don’t forget to come. It’s an invitation from the Imperial Family, after all.”
“…Noona, wait. The Imperial Family? What are you talking about?”
“Well… to explain from the beginning…”
“Mother! You’re a Duchess! One of only three in this entire Empire! How could a Duchess forget a document sent personally by His Majesty the Emperor?”
“Well, I was… planning to send it, but then I… kind of forgot. The day I received that invitation, your father seduced me so passionately that I—”
“Do you even hear yourself right now?!”
A few minutes earlier, Lisa and I had met Kafka at a park near the Imperial Palace.
And the moment Lisa saw her, she began scolding her relentlessly.
“If that’s how it was, you should’ve handed me the invitation right away! How could you forget again?”
“Well, I mean… but didn’t you think to ask Gideon about it? The invitation arrived two weeks ago…”
“I thought he didn’t want to talk about it because he was uncomfortable! But today I found out he didn’t even know about it!”
Kafka scratched her head awkwardly under Lisa’s sharp glare.
“Ah, if only you’d asked once, this wouldn’t have—”
“This wouldn’t have happened if you had just delivered the invitation on time, Mother!”
Lisa raised her voice, uncharacteristically frustrated.
And for once, Kafka had no defense—she simply stood there, unable to say a word to her daughter.
“So, Noona, just to make sure I understand… every year during the tournament, the Imperial Palace sends invitations to the three ducal families, right?”
“…Yes. The Dukes and their families have to appear at the opening ceremony anyway, so since they’re all gathered, His Majesty hosts a dinner with them every year.”
“I think I’ve heard about that. The Duke and one or two of their children get invited as well, right?”
As I recalled, that was something I’d read in the game’s lore compendium.
But what puzzled me was this—
“I was invited to that dinner? Why?”
“There could be several reasons. You did receive an award from the Imperial Palace last semester, and… Lady Layla might have spoken about you to His Majesty, which piqued his interest.”
“Hmm, fair enough…”
“But officially, the Palace invited you as… my fiancé.”
“…What?”
It took me a moment to process Lisa’s words.
But regardless of my stunned silence, she continued speaking.
“When we get there, just introduce yourself as my fiancé.”
“But we’re not… engaged yet.”
“We will be soon anyway. Don’t worry about the details.”
Lisa smiled faintly at me.
And I couldn’t help but return the smile.
“Well, if you say so… Then the Palace didn’t send the invitation to me directly…”
“They asked my mother to deliver it to you.”
Lisa sighed and glared at her mother.
“They thought you might feel pressured if it came directly from the Palace. So they asked my mother—someone you’re close with—to deliver it two weeks ago. Two whole weeks ago.”
“Uh… dear, you don’t have to look at me like that…”
“Haa… fine. I suppose people can forget things.”
Lisa sighed heavily, and I gave an awkward laugh.
“Then, Noona, should I go change into something proper? I brought the formal suit I bought last time, just in case…”
“No need, Gideon.”
“…Lord Jason?”
“Jason?”
Suddenly—quite literally out of nowhere—Jason appeared between Lisa and me.
Without making a sound, he approached us, holding a neatly folded suit in his hand.
“I wasn’t eavesdropping, but I happened to overhear, so I quickly got this nearby. You can wear it straight to the Imperial Palace.”
“Th-thank you, Lord Jason. But, um, since when were you…”
“Jason! It’s been so long!”
Kafka greeted him warmly.
Jason smiled and bowed lightly.
“It’s been a while, Lady Kafka. I just heard everything. You forgot to deliver the invitation personally requested by His Majesty the Emperor?”
“No, I—well, yes, but how much of our conversation did you hear…?”
“Since the moment Lisa started scolding you? So, basically from the beginning. My father and I were on top of the nearby building.”
“…Wait. You and your father?”
At Jason’s words, Kafka quickly looked around.
“Andrew, where is that brat—”
“Right here.”
“Kyaaa! Hey! When did you get behind me?!”
“You’d think you’d stop being surprised by now.”
The green-haired man who suddenly appeared behind Kafka—
He quite literally materialized out of thin air.
Neither Lisa nor I noticed him approach at all.
“You really are something. Even with your friendship with His Majesty, how could you forget something like that?”
“It—it happens!”
“I don’t think it should.”
After letting out a dry laugh, the man turned toward Lisa and me.
“Lisa, it’s been a while. And… you must be Gideon.”
“It’s an honor to meet you, Duke Hawkbat.”
“No, the honor’s mine, truly.”
Jason’s father and the current Head of House Hawkbat—Andrew Hawkbat.
He accepted my greeting with a smile and quickly looked me over from head to toe, as if assessing me.
Judging by his gaze, he was trying to extract as much information about me as possible.
‘Well… that’s exactly what I’d expect from the head of House Hawkbat.’
I couldn’t help but let out a small, inward laugh at Andrew’s sharp eyes.