Is she still behind me? Good.
I got tickets to the competition thanks to Cornelia and now I'm watching it with Julian. I didn't expect Pearl to be sitting behind me though. But I pretend that I didn't know at all.
It's good that Julian was so interested in the matches. That's how I could explain and analyze the match for him and Pearl ended up listening to it. It's fine if she's stupid. But she's not someone who will turn evil one day so she should get stronger.
Well, not like she will take everything I explained into her heart. She's not a combatant. Just a support. But with this, she should know that I'm responsible for the growths of three girls in her class. Cornelia, Melly, and Anne.
Though Anne ended up facing Melly. Neither of them were expected to reach this far because honestly, there were other students with greater talents. But that's just it. Talents and nothing more.
Anne ended up losing because she lacked experience and Melly was faster than she expected. Of course she's fast. I taught her with simple explanation that running is kicking the ground many times. She became so fast in just a week of training. Not even her classmates expected her to be that fast. I could see it from their reaction.
Julian is still interested in getting stronger so I told him a bit of how he can get stronger. I think Pearl is taking note behind me.
At one point, Lola who is her friend, came by and asked her to change seat knowing that I sit in front of her. But Pearl decided to stay and listen. It's good that at least among those four initial party members in the game one of them shows great interest in getting stronger. I really need powerful people to be more powerful.
Lola left and Pearl stayed to listen to my explanation for Julian. As for other people near us, I think because I keep talking they move to different seats which make no one is sitting near us.
So, Anne who just lost the match is entering the audience seat and sits next to me after she finds me.
"I can't believe that I lost. It was a close match. I was pretty sure I could win," Anne says.
"No. Miro said that there's only one way for you to win because Melly has all the advantages except for reach. He said the result is obvious before the match started. It's also because he trained Melly more than you because he knows how to kick more than to use a spear," Julian says innocently.
"What?! You should learn about spear more then!" Anne complained.
"I did train with a spear a bit. But just improving one thing that I'm not talented in took so much effort I don't want to worry about other things. A sword is good enough for me," I say.
Of course spear has its own advantages. But I have gotten used to swinging my long sword it's annoying if I have to pick another weapon. I don't even want to change to a one-handed sword. This is good enough for me.
Anne's head then comes closer to me and she's whispering me something.
"Do you know that Pearl is behind you and she's been trying to listen to everything you're talking about with Julian? I can see it even while I'm fighting in the ring. I'm worried if she's going to do something stupid," she says.
Well, that's understandable. After what happened, it's not wrong to assume that she's thinking of doing something to me. But I know that's not the case.
"I'm not saying anything wrong. Just explaining and analyzing the match for Julian. She's just listening. It doesn't matter," I say.
Anne doesn't know yet what my plan is. To make many people stronger so they can face the demons. So it's understandable that she's worried.
We watch the next match until it's time for the last match for the quarter-final. It's Cornelia against Gillian. I know Gillian. He's in the game.
In fact, this event is also in the game. It's before the match and the two are talking to each other while on the ring. We can't hear them from here but I know what they're talking.
"Cornelia. If I win here, I want you to go out with me."
"I refuse that deal."
"You can't. I will insist that you have a date with me."
"Fine. But when you lose, you will have to scrap the idea of you going out with me forever. If you can't agree with it, then there's no deal. It can't be a deal if only you say what you want to do. And I want to make it clear that this deal is official. If by any chance you try to get closer to me next time after I win, I'm going to make your life a living hell."
"When you win? It's as if you're going to win this. I have watched how you use magic. I have been watching you for seven months. There's no way I will lose."
That should be what they're talking about. And Anne even said that it's obvious how Gillian is interested in Cornelia but Cornelia always refused his attempt to get closer.
He's actually quite a powerful mage. He's talented in earth magic. And maybe because he believed that Cornelia can only use fire magic, he won't lose because creating Earth Wall using his magic will be enough protection. But that's wrong.
In the game, Cornelia one-shotted him. One powerful magic. Breaking through his Earth Wall and defeating him.
Well, that's in the game. And some changes happened in this life so Cornelia didn't beat him in one hit.
In the game, even after the deal, Gillian didn't stop pursuing her. That annoyed Cornelia because he's an aristocrat in his country.
But she only learned that he's a noble later in the future. Not now. So she doesn't know it yet and right now, she believes that defeating him completely to put him in his place is enough.
Maybe I should have told her. Because instead of one powerful shot with magic, she releases dozens weaker ones.
It took many Fireballs to break through Gillian's barrier but only a few to defeat him afterward. Even so, she didn't end it there. She continuously shoots Fireball at him because he annoyed her so much.
Even the referee is speechless while Gillian can't even speak. She purposely shoots magic to his head, his mouth to be precise, to make sure he won't surrender so early using weaker version of Fireball magic.
Why is she so ferocious today? Maybe it's my fault. I think it's my fault. It is my fault.
In this reality, I'm the biggest influence to her life. Not anyone else. But me. And I'm not exactly a good person.
"Ah, she turns evil," says the shocked girl sitting behind me.
Yup. It must be my fault. Let's stop this before he's truly dead.
"Your brother is watching!" I shouted loud enough for her to hear it in the middle of the ring.
And she finally stops to the disappointment of Julian. Why is he so barbaric as well? I don't think this one is my fault. I never taught him or told him about cruelty.
Cornelia then looks our way and finally the referee notices it and claimed her as the winner of this match. And the referee quickly called the medics to get Gillian out of the ring.
"How bad of an annoyance was he to her?" I ask Anne.
"He's even waiting in front of the girls' restroom and bothered everyone coming in or out the restroom," Anne says.
"I think he deserved it," I say.
That's just plain creepy. A stalker behavior. If after this he's still stalking her, maybe I should… nah, she'll take care of this on her own. I'll just tell her that Gillian is a character in the game who always stalked her. I'll also tell her that he's the son of a rather powerful noble of a certain country called Vassel…
Wait, he's a noble in my home country? I hope he won't be hostile to me out of nowhere just because I'm close with Cornelia.
Well, I'll just hope that this match was enough for him to be afraid of Cornelia. She's already many times stronger than she should be in the game.
With this, Melly and Cornelia reach the semifinal. Though they won't face each other in the semifinal. But if they won their next match, they will meet in the final.
Only if they win though. Their next match will be quite difficult for both of them.
Melly will face Owen. The huge heavy knight with the talent of heavy-lifting. Able to wear heavy armor as if they're nothing.
And Cornelia, she will be facing Roland. The original protagonist in both the novel and the game.
It should be a difficult battle for Cornelia. In the game, she lost against him. But that's in the game.
Now, I can't even imagine her losing against Roland. I have watched all his matches today and as expected of a genius, he keeps growing.
But Cornelia is different than in the game. I don't think it will be a quick battle but this will still be a fun match to watch.
The other match will be fun as well because in the game, the final was between Roland and Owen. It will be interesting when neither of them reach the final.