*****
NOVELASIUS
- TL: the guild
- Discord: https://discord.gg/GBKEa55867
- Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/topasius
Thank you for your continued support of this series. As we’ve recently taken over the translation, there may be minor errors or inconsistencies in this chapter. We’re committed to delivering the best possible experience, so if you spot anything that doesn’t seem right, please let us know on our Discord server. Your feedback helps us improve and ensures the quality of future translations.
ENJOY~ PYUUN~
*****
Perfect Plan (2)
Time flew by, and it was already Friday.
“Whooooooaaaahhh!”
The exams were over.
All around, there were cries of relief as the students finished their classes for the year. The smiles on their faces weren’t just because the official classes were ending.
Even though exams were done, there were still mandatory missions and assignments to complete before winter break.
But that didn’t dampen the excitement for the upcoming festival.
Just like the Festival… No, even bigger, Mercabah Academy would open its gates to the public.
Parents coming to see their children, tourists, citizens of the city—all were part of a nationwide event.
In other words, this is when the tight security will loosen.
Considering the events that would unfold during the Harvest Festival, I’d be very busy. But I was already prepared.
Will things be okay if I follow the plan from the last round?
I had my doubts. The current situation was far different from before.
Still, preparations had to be made. Even if I didn’t know how the butterfly effect would play out, this was the turning point. The best cards were ready.
Anyway, with exams over, everyone was heading home quickly. Even the residents of the special dormitory were all returning.
Remembering what Josephine Clara had told me earlier, everyone began gathering in the sunroom. Marie Dunarev waved her hand.
“Korin! Over here…! There’s a seat open!”
Marie patted the spot next to her on the couch, signaling for me to sit beside her. As usual, I was about to sit next to her when…
“…”
I could feel someone’s gaze on my back. It was Hua Ran. Ignoring it, I took my seat, but Hua Ran followed and sat right beside me.
Cough, cough…
I was now unintentionally flanked by two beautiful girls. But seeing the two of them silently glaring at each other made sweat drip down my back.
“You’re already showing such a lovely sight.”
The dormitory’s overseer, Josephine Clara, clicked her tongue as she entered the sunroom.
“Please, save me.”
“This is your karma. Endure it.”
Josephine adjusted her glasses with her fingers and coldly left me to my fate. I had no choice but to endure this uncomfortable situation until Ren and Ron arrived.
“Everyone’s here now.”
“Hmm? What about Princess Estelle?”
Besides Ren and Ron, the other residents of this dormitory were the two princesses.
Miruam is in the royal capital, but Estelle Hadatha El Rath was taking exams today, too.
“Estelle said she’s submitting her tournament application and will join us later. We don’t need to wait for her.”
It seemed everyone had gathered. Josephine Clara began speaking to the dormitory residents.
“From today, we’ll begin preparing for the Harvest Festival, and the preliminary rounds for the tournament will also be held.”
“Normally, I wouldn’t make such distinctions, but due to recent events, the topic of demons is hot.”
“Everyone here, except for Korin Lork, is feared by society as what they call ‘demons.’ Unfortunately, that’s the reality.”
“As you know, Hua Ran and Marie Dunarev were under strict surveillance last year, to the point where they were restricted from leaving the campus.”
“Now, you’re free to move around and participate in any events you wish…”
“But, as you know, the Harvest Festival will bring in a lot of civilians. It’s a festive atmosphere, but incidents are bound to happen. People from all walks of life will gather, and some may have prejudices or ill intentions, so please avoid unnecessary conflicts.”
The speech was long, but the core message was simple: Don’t cause trouble. It was like being warned not to pick fights with civilians before going on military leave.
“Well then…”
Seeing that she had said everything she had prepared, Josephine Clara gracefully concluded her speech.
“I hope you all enjoy and have a wonderful Harvest Festival. That’s all.”
The Harvest Festival.
With this, the 2nd-year episode of The Legend of Arhan would come to an end.
It’s a festival for everyone to enjoy, but for me, it’s a high-stakes event where I can’t afford to let my guard down until the very end.
Only after this is all over will I be able to take a proper rest in the coming winter.
Starting today, I’ll also be preparing in earnest.
The Hunting Tournament, Auction, Cooking Contest, Magic Exhibition, and Mock Trial. I’ve also checked out other competitions, but many overlap in timing, so it’s tough.
The Cross-Dressing Contest is a last-minute event that’s unpopular… No, it feels like I’m setting myself up for failure again.
Why does it feel like something’s going to go wrong? My perfect plans always seem to slip up in the strangest places.
“Wow, it’s almost time for the Harvest Festival. How about you, Korin? It’s your first time experiencing it at Mercabah, right?”
“That’s right.”
Marie didn’t plan to participate in any events other than the Lady of Autumn competition and intended to just enjoy the festival. Well, usually, there are far more spectators than participants.
“There are friends of ours competing in the tournament, so I’ll have to go and cheer them on.”
“Really? Shall we go together?”
“Sure. Oh, by the way…”
Just in case… I mean, not that I’m going to do it, but…
“Senior, what would you think if I entered the Cross-Dressing Contest?”
“Gasp…!”
Marie’s mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water, clearly taken aback by my sudden question.
“Uh, well…! I understand! P-People can have strange hobbies, right? Yeah, that’s possible! J-Just don’t go doing… you know… weird things with other guys, okay? That’s a sin! You can’t do that!”
“Why are you saying gross things like that?”
“Whew… What a relief. Um, if Korin were to cross-dress… Hmm, I think I could understand!”
Hmm, it seems like people from the south, like Marie, have more conservative views.
It’s actually a pretty fun competition, though.
And so, the days passed, and the preliminaries for the tournament began.
There are many events at the Harvest Festival, but the highlight is undoubtedly the tournament, which requires preliminary rounds.
There are a lot of participants, and it’s considered one of the main attractions, so they have to whittle down the numbers until they have the final 32.
“Korin, are you going to watch the tournament? Here, I made these myself.”
“Oh~ Potato chips.”
Marie handed me a bag of homemade potato chips. As I took a bite, the salty, crispy flavor spread through my mouth.
“I’m busy, but I’ll definitely check it out. A lot of our people are participating.”
Alicia, Dorron, Kranel, Yuel, Ren and Ron, Rashid, Germain… Even just reaching the finals guarantees some pretty sweet rewards, so about half of the student body is participating.
“That’s true. As the vice-captain, I should go and support them too!”
She said, giving me a sly look. I caught on quickly.
“Shall we go together?”
“Sure! I’ve even packed some snacks for us!”
Marie showed off her favorite basket, filled to the brim with treats. She was well-prepared.
The tournament arena was in the heart of the Academy, at what they called the Colosseum.
It was a familiar location, having been used for midterm and final exams, as well as various other events.
“The preliminaries have eight rounds, right? Two for each grade.”
“Yeah, I participated in the preliminaries during my first year.”
“That must have been quite a sight. Did you win?”
“Hehe, I came in second in my group!”
“First place went to Beazeker, I assume?”
“Yep. He’s really strong in chaotic battles.”
Beazeker.
He’s one of the key named characters in the player’s 3rd-year episode.
Coincidentally, I had met some of his half-giant kin during the Tower of Magic subjugation.
Well, in the previous round, I was pretty close with him. He even introduced me to his little sister.
For the record, I got knocked out in the preliminaries in my 2nd year, finishing 15th in Group B.
Back then, I was already a near 1st-class guardian, but that preliminary round was brutal.
As Marie and I were about to enter the arena, a familiar sound of footsteps was followed by a cheerful voice that almost tore through the air.
“Korin~~!”
From behind, I was engulfed in a hug. Estelle Hadatha El Rath clung to me tightly, leaving no space between us, as something soft pressed against my back.
“I told you not to do this in public.”
“Hehe! Did you come to cheer for me?”
“A little bit of both.”
Estelle smiled brightly and rubbed her cheek against mine. From around us, people were already muttering, “That bastard,” under their breath.
“Korin… Do you like this?”
“Cough…”
Marie’s icy voice made me quickly break free from Estelle’s back hug. Estelle looked back and forth between me and Marie.
“Marie, you’re not entering the tournament, right?”
She smiled, though her eyes carried a hint of challenge.
“Watch me win today, okay?”
With that, Estelle turned and left.
“…”
Marie remained silent, as if holding back something. It felt like a volcano about to erupt… Or was that just my imagination?
…
…
…
The preliminaries were held in eight rounds.
Two for each grade, with about 100 participants per match.
“Alicia and Kranel are in the 2nd-year Group A!”
I recognized many of the names in the 2nd-year preliminaries.
Alicia, Yuel, Dorron, Kranel, Jaeger. As I had secured most of the talented students for Guardians, they were all part of my group.
They were the top contenders in the 2nd year and had a good chance of making it to the finals…
“Hmm~ Alicia might take 1st place in the preliminaries?”
“Who knows?”
Apart from me, Alicia was the strongest in the 2nd year. In close combat, only Dorron and I could match her.
“She might get knocked out early. At least Kranel has a high chance of getting eliminated within 10 seconds.”
“…Yeah, you’re right.”
Marie agreed. She had some experience, having participated in the tournament preliminaries during her first year.
I also knew what it was like from my own experience in the 2nd year. Only those who’ve been through it can understand.
“Second-year Group A participants, please enter the arena.”
At the announcer’s cue, the 2nd-year students began pouring into the arena. Over 110 students gathered in the ring.
But that wasn’t all. With 220 participants in total, they had to split them into two groups. After all, there’s only so much space in the arena.
“Oh~ There’s Alicia and Kranel. Both of you, good luck!”
It looked like Dorron and Yuel weren’t in the same group. Alicia stood out in the arena, and when she saw me, she waved.
“Oh, this isn’t the time to be distracted.”
“…Yeah.”
Marie and I shared the same thought as we looked at Alicia, who was smiling innocently.
The atmosphere in the arena was clearly focused on one person.
The Harvest Festival Tournament, unlike the Festival’s inter-academy exchange, prioritized efficiency and time management.
With so many other events happening, they couldn’t afford to spend all their energy on just one.
So, apart from the finals, which started at the round of 32, the preliminaries had a “let’s get this over with quickly” vibe.
In other words, they threw over a hundred participants into the ring and had them fight in a battle royale.
If you were knocked out, you were eliminated. If you stepped out of the arena, you were eliminated.
For each grade, only eight would advance to the finals. With 220 2nd-year students split into two groups of 110, only four from each match would advance to the finals.
The criteria were simple: the last four standing.
So, with 110 students in the ring, what do you think happens?
The answer is simple.
“Let’s get her!”
“Smash her before she summons the golem!”
“Huh…?”
They gang up on you.
It’s a very rational and expected move.
Kranel was the first to be eliminated.
It was a brutal, almost unfair elimination.
Before the match started, Alicia had made up her mind.
In this tournament, she would win in style and bring Korin Lork the victory prize.
Estelle said she would be participating, right?
She didn’t want to lose. Korin had asked her. So she had to win.
Of course, they wouldn’t meet until the finals. Alicia was confident she would breeze through the preliminaries, so she wasn’t too worried.
Luckily, Dorron is in a different preliminary group! I know how to beat Kranel! That super golem can’t be used without Yuel, so I can definitely win!
That’s what she thought.
“Get Alicia first!”
“Everyone gang up on her!”
“Eeeeek…! Stop chasing me! Why are you all after me?”
The tournament preliminaries were a battle royale, where over 100 students were crammed into an arena, and only four would advance.
In other words, you just had to be one of the last four standing to make it to the finals.
But most of the participants were 3rd or 4th-class Guardians. They knew they had no chance of beating the high-ranking Guardians in a one-on-one fight in the finals.
Exactly.
The only chance to take down a high-ranking Guardian was during the preliminaries. Everyone naturally understood this.
If I take down Alicia Arden…
If I eliminate Kranel Luden…
I might be the one to make it to the finals.
A similar atmosphere would likely play out in the other groups, so fewer high-ranking Guardians would make it to the finals than expected.
They had become public enemies.
“This is really too much!”
So Alicia spent the entire preliminary round running for her life, barely managing to place in the top four.
“Heeeee… Heeeeee…! That was terrifying…”
In the last round, Korin was eliminated due to a similar situation, but Alicia was better at running away than he was.
…
…
…
After surviving the shocking and terrifying preliminaries, Alicia became a spectator, watching the next rounds.
“This next match is for the 3rd-year Group B! All participants, please step into the arena!”
3rd-year Group B. Among the participants, one stood out the most.
“Hello, everyone~”
Despite the wary gazes from all around, Estelle stood confidently in the arena.
Her noble status was usually something people revered, but once she stepped into the arena, things changed.
Not much was known about the power of the Saintess.
She was someone who prayed rather than fought.
A woman closest to God, performing miracles to heal the sick and purify the land.
Is she strong? Probably? I’ve heard she’s strong. That’s the extent of the conversation.
Beazeker is in Group A…
And Marie isn’t here, so Estelle might be the strongest among the 3rd-years.
Well, let’s just take her down first.
The tournament wasn’t just about the grand prize; even reaching the finals offered substantial rewards.
Blinded by the thought of those prizes, the 3rd-year participants didn’t care that they were up against a Saintess.
“I’m sorry, Your Holiness, but this is just business.”
Even before the match started, everyone’s gaze was fixed on Estelle. During Alicia’s match, about 50 students had rushed at her as soon as the match began.
It was a similar situation for the Saintess. No matter how strong she was, handling over 50 opponents at once was no easy task.
Unless you were someone like Korin, with a solar flare-level area attack, or had Hua Ran’s overwhelming defense.
“I thought I might get hurt, so I didn’t bring any weapons.”
“Get ready!”
“Let’s see if you can last 10 seconds.”
“Begin!”
At that moment, a radiant energy enveloped Estelle’s hand.
“The Lord does not give us trials we cannot bear.”
As the 3rd-years charged at her, they didn’t realize that with every word of Estelle’s prayer, the words she directed at herself, the energy around her grew.
“The trials I bring, however, may be just a bit… beyond what you can endure.”
Her fingers curled, forming a fist. It was a simple, natural action. But it compressed the very air around it.
“This is not the will of the Lord but my own.”
As her fist struck the ground──
■■■■■■■■■■■────!!
The world fell silent.
“What the…”
“…What the hell…?”
The audience was engulfed in silence.
The overwhelming destructive force, the massive explosion that erupted, filled the arena with a cloud of dust.
A moment later, as the dust began to clear, the sight within the arena was devastating.
“What the hell is that?”
“No way, what the hell just happened…?”
It was as if a grand spell had been unleashed, completely destroying the arena. There was no need for ring-outs or knockouts.
The participants, who had been packed together and charging at each other, had met their end along with the arena.
Alicia, who had sharp eyesight, could see Estelle standing amidst the devastation, scratching her head and sticking out her tongue.
“Amen~”
Can I really win against that?
It doesn’t seem like I can.
*****
NOVELASIUS
- TL: the guild
- Discord: https://discord.gg/GBKEa55867
- Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/topasius
*****
Comment