Nakahara Ryuji's POV:
"I'm so excited!" I muttered eagerly as I walked towards the stage.
Right before the 2nd round I had gotten miss Su to promise me she would do one thing for me when I won this tournament.
The Kaguya alchemy tournament consists of three rounds. The 1st round is a contest to see who can make the most pills. Anyone with a good memory could pass this round as even common grade pills are accepted. The only real requirement to pass this round is to make at least 10 different types of pills.
The 2nd round is where the numbers really start to get cut down. You need to be able to make the specific unique or legendary pill they have chosen, and your place will be decided by the pill's quality. This year it was a legendary grade pill, so it's not surprising most ended up being disqualified.
Then we have the 3rd and final round, where you have to make the most difficult pill you can, or in other words, the person with the highest grade pill wins. However, with me, miss Su, and that other woman who passed, being grand alchemists, it is most likely going to end in a draw. When that happens, the winner of the tournament is usually decided by the previous rounds.
With those being the rules, it is easy to see that I will be the winner of this tournament. Miss Su may have won the 2nd round, but due to a fluke she ended up in 9th place in the 1st round. The other woman who is looking at me weirdly, never won a single round so far. Meanwhile, I got 1st place in the 1st round and 2nd place in the 2nd round, which means my victory is practically guaranteed.
"Hm? Where is miss Su? Is she running late?" I pondered.
The finals were about to start, yet I couldn't see her anywhere.
"EHEM! WE APOLOGIZE FOR THE DELAY! AN ERROR HAD OCCURRED DURING THE EVALUATION OF A CONTESTANT DUE TO FAULTY EQUIPMENT! AFTER THOROUGH INVESTIGATIONS, EVIDENCE OF CONTESTANT SU'S TAMPERING WITH TOURNAMENT EQUIPMENT WAS DISCOVERED! AS SUCH, HER PARTICIPATION HAS BEEN WITHDRAWN AND SHE HAS BEEN SENTENCED TO INCARCERATION AS A WARNING TO OTHERS!" The official announced.
"What?!"
I was shocked and confused by the news. I had just come to terms with miss Su being the better grand alchemist, but now they are telling me she only won because she cheated.
"I can't believe she would really do such a thing." I muttered.
As much as I hate the idea of miss Su playing dirty, it makes way too much sense to deny. It's not just the 2nd round, but also in the 1st she pulled out something incredible I never even thought was possible. She must have been so desperate to escape the Dark Empire that she had to resort to this in order to win.
'*sigh* Lad, you really are far too trusting of others!'
'What do you mean?'
'Light cannot exist without darkness! Where there is good there is also evil, for without Yin there can be no Yang!'
'What?' I replied, as my master started speaking gibberish again.
'It's a metaphor, you dimwit! I am saying not to take everything people tell you at face value!'
'So, do you mean they are lying?'
'Yes!'
'What reason would they have for such a thing?'
'I'd imagine it's because of greed and jealousy!'
'Huh?'
'Modesty is a virtue for a reason! Too much of anything is dangerous! She may have been a one-of-a-kind talent, but by flaunting it with no restraint she attracted the attention of those who wished to take advantage of that very talent! She is being held prisoner, not because she broke any laws or rules, but because they wish to take advantage of her talents and pass her achievements off as their own!'
'But they can't do that! The 2nd moon is a fair and just country! There is no way the royal family will stand for this injustice!' I said.
'Again, you are too naïve!'
'Huh?!'
'Calling any nation 'fair' or 'just' is nothing but a bold-faced lie! For as long as man has dreams and desires, there shall always be conflicts of interests! A country can only afford to be as righteous as its surroundings will allow it to be, and the 2nd moon is no exception! It is surely facing immense pressure from both this and the 3rd continent!'
'But this is a neutral country! Not even the Dark Empire dares to make an enemy of the 2nd moon!'
'And how do you suppose that came to be? The world is constantly changing! Techniques, weapons, medicine, cultivation methods and so much more are constantly evolving! If they stood idly by while the rest of the world continued to grow stronger, it would only be a matter of time before they were overtaken by another nation! To not fall behind the tides of change, they plunder from others under false pretenses! That is the true nature behind these Kaguya-festivals!'
'What are you trying to say?'
'I am saying that what they are doing to that lass, is nothing new! In order to remain free from the influence of other nations like the Dark Empire, this two-faced country has been and will defend itself with the power made from the blood, sweat and tears of the talents it has crushed in secret!'
'But that's not fair! It's not right!'
'Few things in this world are! That is the sad reality we live in!'
"Then I'll have to make it right! I'll grow stronger than anyone else and change th-!"
"HELLO EVERYBODY! IT'S YOU'RE FAVORITE MAGICAL ALCHEMIST HERE TO TELL YOU! I'M BACK IN THE RING!!!"
Interrupting my vow to change the world for the better, came miss Su, who we were just told was in jail.
"W-WHAT?!" The announcer and judges shouted in astonishment.