Chapter 56: The Final Match (Part 1)

‘…Now you understand, Sos, right? Actually, Dia’s family situation isn’t as good as you think—it’s even quite bad. Her father has a terrible temper and doesn’t like her at all… Only her mother treats her well, but…’
‘From what we know, Dia’s father used to be an excellent lord, but for some reason, he started gambling and drinking every day, neglecting his duties. We tried to ask casually about why, but Dia didn’t say anything. She must have had some concerns, or maybe she just didn’t want to talk about it…’
‘Dia’s hometown? Do you know the Jelbart region? There’s a small town called Asi there—that’s her hometown. We went there when we were in the second grade… I really couldn’t believe it back then…’
‘…Since then, Dia has become reluctant to go home. She prefers to stay in Vando during the year-end holidays to prepare for the next year’s studies rather than returning. Last holiday, she went to Professor Hodde’s village with you guys, right?’
‘…Sos, if possible, I hope you can persuade her… I feel that if it’s you, she might at least listen… Hehe, don’t get it wrong—I’m not saying anything special. I just feel like you seem special to Dia… Hehe, maybe she likes you, junior Sos… Hehe…’
‘Alright, no more jokes… It’s not necessarily love—it’s a very special, complicated feeling… Um, I can’t put it into words. You should ask her when you get the chance. Oh, and don’t tell her I told you, or she’ll get angry… Hehe, good. Well, goodbye! Give my regards to your friends, especially that talkative Allen… Hehe…’
So that’s how it is… Dia…
Lying back on the dormitory sofa, Jiang Zhe sighed softly. Before Lilith told him, there were many things he didn’t know at all—nothing at all.
He remembered when Dia told him she wanted to become an Imperial Royal Mage. At first, Jiang Zhe had been skeptical, but who could have imagined how much pain and sorrow lay behind those words?
It wasn’t her true goal… It wasn’t what she really desired…

Becoming an imperial royal mage would grant her a noble title and a substantial amount of gold coins for magical research, which would not only support her family but also help repay some of the debts… the debts owed by her father, that nominal lord…
Dia…
“Hey, buddy!” Just as Jiang Zhe was lost in his memories, someone gave him a firm pat on the shoulder. Startled, he turned around to see Allen looking at him with a puzzled expression.
“What’s up, buddy? I called you a few times—why such a big reaction?”
“Oh,” Jiang Zhe smiled and yawned, then said softly, “Are you ready? Allen, you’re in the third match, right?”
“Ready? Heh!” With a strange smile, Allen sat down on the sofa and said fiercely, “Yeah, I’ve been preparing all night! Hmph! That idiot son of the Flores family—I’ve wanted to teach him a lesson for ages…”
“Don’t underestimate him!” Scott came out of the inner room carrying a small tray with three cups of black tea. Handing one to Jiang Zhe, he said gravely, “Vincent Flores is quite strong. If you’re not careful, you’ll lose!”
“I’ll lose?” Taking the tea from Scott, Allen widened his eyes in amusement. “I’d lose to that guy? Heh! Today, I’ll show you what a battle mage is!”
“Calm down a bit!” Scott shook his head helplessly, walked over to the window, and pulled back the curtains. He said solemnly, “From what I know, Vincent is the youngest son of the Flores family and also the most talented. Aside from his arrogance and irritability, he’s indeed a tough opponent…”
“No matter how tough, he still lost to Thors, right? A crushing defeat!” Allen said dismissively.
“Thors is different,” Scott said unexpectedly in jest. “How many people in the world have Thors’ extraordinary talent? Being able to continuously restore stamina and magic—can humans do that?”
Jiang Zhe looked at Scott gloomily and said, “Hey, Scott, if you want to call me a monster, just say it directly…”

“Hehe, that’s exactly what he meant,” said Allen with a smile, holding a teacup in one hand and resting his other arm on Jiang Zhe’s shoulder. “Speaking of which, we won yesterday’s match so brilliantly! I bet that’s enough to make Vincent regret it all night. And today, I’ll tease him a bit more, huh!” He paused for a moment, then added with a mischievous look, “That brat dared to be more arrogant than me—I really need to teach him a lesson!”
Glancing at Allen’s angry expression, Scott shook his head speechlessly before sitting down on the sofa in front of Jiang Zhe. Hesitantly, he said, “By the way, Thors… I heard you talked with Senior Lilith for a while yesterday?”
“Yeah, yeah, right. I almost forgot about it,” Allen said, quickly setting down his teacup on the table. “Um… did Senior Lilith mention me?”
“Yes, of course,” Jiang Zhe replied with a smile at Allen’s anxious look. “She even asked me to say hello to you both, especially you, Allen. She said she has no interest in boys younger than her…”
“Wait, wait, is that true? Are you lying to me?” He studied Jiang Zhe carefully for a while, then touched his chin and murmured, “So Senior Lilith likes that type… That makes things tricky now…”
Scott clearly couldn’t stand it any longer. Shaking his head silently, he changed the subject and asked Jiang Zhe, “Did you talk about Senior Dia? I heard from Lai… Lailira.”
“Mm, yes,” Jiang Zhe nodded. After hesitating for a moment, he said cautiously, “I didn’t hear everything clearly. I’ll ask her when she gets back, if I get the chance…”
“…” Scott glanced up at Jiang Zhe. Seeing that he didn’t seem willing to go into details, he stopped asking. He took a small sip of his black tea and nodded. “Hmm, fair enough. After all, you’re more familiar with Senior Dia… So, Thors, what about Ravia? If I remember correctly, today’s thirteenth match is between you and Ravia, right…”
“Don’t hurt her!” Allen interjected jokingly.
“Shut up!” Scott frowned and glared at Allen, making him look embarrassed. Scott blew on the steam from his tea and said seriously, “Thors, have you thought about how to approach this match? Should you just go through the motions or give it your all…”

“Give it your all?” Scott glanced at him in surprise as Allen said oddly, “Hey, buddy, hurting a girl isn’t something we should say, especially a pretty girl… Well, though Ravia has a bit of a bad temper, she’s still a pretty girl. What if—”
“What if what?” Scott glared at Allen fiercely, then turned to Jiang Zhe and said, “As a close friend, I’m warning you. I heard from Lai… Lailira that Ravia has always wanted to fight you again. She’s worked very hard to keep up with you. Finally, she’s gotten her chance to fight you once more. But if you… Sos, ignore Allen’s outdated nonsense. His words won’t work on Ravia. If you hold back in the match, she’ll hate you for life!”
“…” Jiang Zhe glanced at Scott hesitantly and asked, “You noticed that?”
“Heh,” Scott smiled lightly, took a sip of his black tea, and said calmly, “Not really. I’m just reminding you, Sos. In a battle between magicians, the most important thing isn’t to win—it’s to respect your opponent! You need to respect Ravia’s hard work… Give it your all!” He paused briefly, then added with a smirk, “Don’t be like that idiot. Underestimating your opponent is a stupid move!”
“That idiot?” Allen, who had been listening from the side, raised his eyebrows and tilted his head at Scott. “Hey, buddy, I feel like you’re talking about me…”
Scott nodded nonchalantly. “That’s right. I’m talking about you!”
Staring at Scott in disbelief for a long time, Allen finally snapped out of it and pointed at him angrily. “You! You bastard, Scott! I… Wait, and those outdated words you just said… What do you mean ‘outdated’?”
Scott blew on his hot tea without even lifting his head and said calmly, “Don’t you understand the literal meaning?”
“You… Hey, Scott, what’s outdated about it? You bastard, explain it to me!”
Shaking his head in amusement, Scott sneered lightly, “It’s from knight novels from over a decade ago. It’s fine if you enjoy reading them, but don’t come and affect me and Sos, okay? Please!”
“You… You actually insult my knight novels? You bastard, Scott! I want to duel you!”
“No problem, as long as you can meet me in the finals…”

“Hmph, that’s extremely simple,” Allen said with a mock fierce glare at Scott, chuckling. “Back then, I’d kick you out of the competition right in front of everyone…”
“Oh?” Scott glanced at Allen in surprise and sneered, “I hope you really do it!”
“Hehe, just wait, you jerk!”
As they were arguing, there was suddenly a knock at the door.
“Hm? Are it Ravia and the others?” Scott wondered, about to get up to open the door, but saw Allen stand up and walk toward it, saying, “You better stay seated. Rest well these next few days, so when I kick you off the field, you won’t have any excuses!”
“Stupid!” Scott said calmly, smiling at Allen’s back, “Losing is losing, winning is winning. What excuse do you think I’d need? But… if I win, I hope you won’t have any excuses either!”
“Of course not, you jerk!” Allen snapped as he opened the door. Then, upon seeing the person outside, he froze in surprise and asked, “Who… who are you looking for?”
“Oh, hello, esteemed Mage Sir,” said a man who appeared to be in his forties standing outside. He glanced inside the room, bowed in a noble manner, and politely asked, “May I ask if His Highness O’Neill is here?”
“O’Neill? His Highness?” Allen tilted his head, thinking for a while before turning to stare at Scott blankly.
Scott glanced at the man outside, his eyes showing disgust, though it wasn’t really directed at him.
“Did he send you? Hmph… I said I don’t want to see him!”
The man stepped forward quickly, bowed solemnly, and said with a lowered head, “This isn’t our first meeting, is it? Hello, Your Highness…”
“Shut up! Hammer, only those with a title are entitled to be called ‘Your Highness’… Even if I inherit a title in the future, it will only be that of Count!”
“Well…” Hammer looked at Scott awkwardly and whispered, “Your Highness, there’s actually a big misunderstanding between you and your father, the Duke… The Duke has always hoped that you would…”
“Hope? Hmph!” With a cold sneer, Scott slammed his teacup onto the long table and said slowly, “Go back and tell him I absolutely don’t want to see him! If he shows up in front of me, I’m afraid I might kill him! Get out now that you’ve heard me!”

“This…” Hammer hesitated for a moment, took out a letter from the inner pocket of his coat, and said in a low voice, “The Duke merely wants me to deliver this letter to Your Highness…”
“Hammer, I’ve said I’m not some highness!” Scott said coldly, frowning as he glanced at him. “Take this letter back with you too! I don’t want to see it…”
“Really, Your Highness, you won’t read it?” Hammer looked up at Scott and said softly, “It’s about Galic…”
“Galic…” The anger on Scott’s face was instantly replaced by surprise. He stared at Hammer in confusion and frowned, “Galic? Grandfather?”
“Yes, Your Highness!” Hammer nodded and turned to look at Jiang Zhe and Allen, his expression seeming somewhat hesitant.
“Go ahead. They’re my best friends; there’s nothing you can’t say!”
“Yes, Your Highness. First, congratulations on finally finding two friends…”
“Stop wasting time!”
“Yes, yes.” After a brief pause, Hammer thought for a moment and said softly, “Your Highness must be aware of the rebellion in Jacforestbu, right?”
“I’ll say it again—I’m not some highness!” Scott slammed the table. His gaze suddenly shifted to Jiang Zhe and Allen. Taking a deep breath to calm himself, he said, “I’ve heard about the rebellion in Jacforestbu. The Sassen Imperial City even sent a royal knight army of three thousand men…”
“Yes, Your Highness. But for some reason, the rebels also learned of the royal knights’ arrival in Jacforestbu… The royal knights haven’t reached their destination yet, but the rebellion has spread to other neighboring areas. Even Galic has been affected… And it seems there’s an unusual force hidden among the rebels. This is the letter the Duke asked me to give to you…” With that, he handed the letter to Scott.
Scott stared at Hammer for a long time before finally taking the letter.
“Alright, I understand. If there’s nothing else, you may go.”
“Yes, Your Highness.” Hammer bowed slightly and was about to leave when he turned back hesitantly and said, “Forgive my intrusion, but actually, between Your Highness and the Duke…”
“Get out!”
“…Yes!”
Watching the man named Hammer leave the room silently, Jiang Zhe and Allen exchanged a glance and carefully said to Scott, “Scott, was he sent by you… by your father?”

“He’s not my father!” Scott seemed extremely agitated, growling in a low voice. Realizing his outburst, he apologized, “I’m sorry, Thors… Yes, though I hate to admit it, there are things I can’t change just by wishing it…” As he spoke, he opened the letter in his hands, glanced at it briefly, and his expression instantly changed.
“What’s wrong?” Allen asked, puzzled, walking over to Scott. “Did something happen?”
“Nothing… nothing at all!” As Allen looked around, Scott quickly put away the letter.
By the time Jiang Zhe and the others arrived at the competition venue, the first match of the finals had already ended.
“What are you guys doing?” Ravia frowned as she looked at the three who had just arrived. “Allen, it’s your turn next! Are you ready?”
“I know, I know,” Allen said, scratching his head nonchalantly with a smirk. “It’s just that idiot from the Flores family. There’s no need to prepare!”
With a hint of concern, Lisa said, “Underestimating your opponent can lead to failure, Allen!”
Immediately, Allen’s expression changed. He gave a slight bow and said solemnly, “Don’t worry, Lisa. I’ll definitely win in the end and give it to you as a gift…”
“Giggle…”
“Hmph! Stop acting so smug!” Ravia snapped, glancing at Allen. “Win in the end? Hm?” Then she turned to Jiang Zhe and whispered, “Thors, don’t forget our agreement—it has to be a real fight!”
“Yes…” Jiang Zhe replied silently.
“Hey, what do you mean by that? Did you prepare properly yesterday?”
“Yesterday?”
“You… you didn’t just sleep all night, did you?”
“Uh…”
“Idiot, are you really underestimating me that much?”
“Well, you know I get sleepy easily. If I don’t sleep well at night, how can I have energy during the day?”
After studying Jiang Zhe’s eyes for a while, Ravia smiled slightly and said, “I’ll believe you for now.” She paused then, acting nonchalant, “Did you leave early yesterday because of something?”
“Ah… yes…”
“Oh…”

During this time, Lelira also wanted to say a few words to Scott, but sadly, ever since he saw that letter, Scott seemed in a bad mood, standing silently beside the arena with deep thoughts. Lelira really wanted to ask, but after thinking for a while, her cleverness kept her from expressing her doubts aloud.

After what seemed like a long while, the professor acting as the referee raised his hand and shouted, “The second match of the first round of the finals is over! The winner is Baldwin Kitchin, a sixth-year student from the Mill Academy!” He paused, glanced at the match list in his hand, and then shouted again, “The third match of the first round of the finals: Allen, a second-year student from the Riox Academy, versus Vincent Flores, also a second-year student from the Riox Academy! Please have the two contestants enter the arena immediately!”

“Allen, Allen, it’s your turn!” Lisa said softly, pulling at Allen’s robe sleeve. “You can’t lose!”

“Don’t worry, Lisa!” Allen replied gently, turning to smile at his companion. Amidst applause, cheers, and taunts, he stepped onto the arena.

“Oh,” Allen said with a smirk after glancing at his opponent entering from the other side. “Isn’t that Vincent… Huh? I thought you’d already been eliminated? Could it be the professors made a mistake? Wronged the list?”

“…” Today, Vincent seemed less arrogant than yesterday. Hearing Allen’s taunts, he glared resentfully at Jiang Zhe standing below and muttered, “Stupid guy, don’t you know there’s also a losers’ round? Hmph! My strength has been recognized by the professors, that’s why they’re giving me another chance… a chance to wash away my shame!”

“So there’s a losers’ round too,” Allen said with a laugh before suddenly changing his expression to mock him. “What’s there to be proud of in being a loser? By the way, those fireballs yesterday were pretty good, right? Hehe!”

“…Damn it!” Vincent’s face turned red from Allen’s insults, and he trembled with anger. He really wished he could crush that jerk with a boulder.

Just then, Allen’s smile vanished instantly. He ripped off his magic robe with his right hand, revealing the knight armor underneath, leaving everyone present stunned.

“Wow…”

“Is… is that knight armor?”

“Did this kid really come to the competition wearing knight armor? That’s absurd!”

“Hey, what about that giant sword? Is he planning to use that sword in the competition?”

“Haha, is this kid crazy? Hey! Kid, this is a mage competition venue, not a knight duel!”
“Interesting, really interesting!”
Even the professor acting as the referee was confused; clearly, he had never seen anything like this—a student from a magic academy wearing heavy knight armor and carrying a huge knight sword to compete… This was the Riox Academy, not an arena!
“Student… oh, Allen,” the referee professor pointed at Allen’s knight sword at his waist and said with a strange expression, “These are…”
“That’s right, professor,” Allen said with a smile, pointing at his armor and then at his knight sword at his waist. “These are my auxiliary tools. I think students are allowed to use tools in the competition, right?”
“Uh… it’s allowed…,” the professor tilted his head for a long time but couldn’t see any connection between the knight gear and magic tools. After hesitating for a while, he waved his hand and said, “Alright, alright, but remember, you must not seriously injure your opponent, otherwise it will be counted as a loss!”
“Yes, professor, I remember…”
“Hmm… then… the first round, third match of the finals, begin!”
As soon as the referee professor finished speaking, Allen simply held the seemingly heavy knight sword with his right hand. Then, his right hand stopped, and with a clang, the huge knight sword plunged deep into the ground.
“Come on!” Allen winked at Vincent, removed his smile, and said seriously, “Summon that boulder, and then… I’ll destroy it completely, along with your ridiculous pride!”
“Damn it…” Vincent glared at Allen through gritted teeth, barely suppressing his anger. “What right do you have to order me, you stupid son of a country bumpkin!” With that, he waved his right hand holding the magic wand, and two clouds of white smoke appeared in front of him. Before anyone could react, two Galefang Wolves rushed out of the smoke and lunged at Allen viciously.
“You really have a terrible personality…” Allen scratched his head seemingly helplessly, not picking up the knight sword, allowing the two Galefang Wolves to approach him.
“Roar!” One of the Galefang Wolves growled and bit hard into Allen’s left arm, but soon, the students present noticed that something was wrong with that wolf.

“What’s the matter, little guy? Bite! Go ahead and bite—are your sharp teeth just for show?” Amid a series of mocking remarks, Allen firmly grabbed the head of the Windfang Wolf with his right hand, tearing it off his body before hurling it at another Windfang Wolf that was charging at him.
“Bang!”
To everyone’s astonishment, the two Windfang Wolves that collided violently exploded into a cloud of smoke and disappeared…
“Wow!”
“This kid…”
Glancing at the shocked Vincent, Allen clenched his right hand, which was wearing iron gloves, and said mockingly, “What’s the problem? Surprised? Or do you think those two little dogs can hurt me? Stop laughing! I’m telling you again, Vincent—summon that Giant Rock Beast!”
“Allen is so cool…” Lisa said, covering her mouth and seeming very happy.
“Heh, yes, Lisa…” Lelira replied, then turned to look at Scott, her eyes showing concern. She could tell that Scott was in a terrible mood.
Indeed, as Lelira had guessed, Scott wasn’t in a good mood—thanks to that letter…
Galic…
Even Galic had been affected by the Jacforestbu rebellion?
How could that be? That was Galic! An important military region in the northeast of the empire!
How could Galic, with its 50,000 regular imperial troops, also be affected by the Jacforestbu rebellion? Such a thing shouldn’t happen…
What exactly had happened in Jacforestbu to cause such a large-scale rebellion?
Subconsciously, Scott felt an ominous premonition.
Meanwhile, in the northern part of the empire, in the Brownhill region bordering Jacforestbu…
Once prosperous, Brownhill was now in a state of chaos. The reason was that Casimir Sakison, the lord of Brownhill who had gone to the border to inspect the rebels, was killed by an arrow shot from somewhere unknown—just like the lord of Jacforestbu…
The rebellion escalated again…
As if under some evil curse, the local troops of Brownhill fought against the Jacforestbu rebels, and blood stained the land…
While these two groups were fighting, a strange man dressed in dark green archer attire stood at a distance, quietly observing, occasionally using his giant bow to kill the commanders of Brownhill’s troops…

It’s incredible—whenever he draws his bowstring, one commander in Brownhill’s army is inevitably struck in the heart by an arrow. It’s as if he never misses a shot…
He is Argus’s new companion, the legendary demon god who can ignite wars—Karl Lelarkin!
“That should be enough, Brownhill…” Watching the distant battles, Lelarkin’s cold face showed no change as he gently put down his massive bow, slung it over his back, and silently left this land filled with slaughter.
“Next is… Gallek!”