Chapter 140: I Have a Dream
"Raishin Akabane, step forward."
"Yes!"
On the stage, the headmaster, a man with an elegant beard and a strong, healthy physique, spoke with a resonant voice that echoed through the cold lecture hall.
Upon being summoned, Raishin, supported by Yaya, slowly walked to the front of the stage. His right arm was in a sling, a crutch was tucked under his left, and his head and neck were wrapped tightly in bandages, a pitiful sight.
Below the stage, over a hundred students in formal attire were watching him. Although the expressions of a few were a mixture of jealousy and disgust, the vast majority held goodwill, and not a single one looked down on the freshman who had defeated Felix (No. 4), one of the top thirteen.
This was an investiture ceremony specially held for him, and almost all the participants of the Night Party had been gathered. Everyone present knew that this was to build momentum for the new candidate.
Below the stage.
In an inconspicuous corner in the first row, Charlotte and Kobayashi sat together, not drawing anyone's attention. Even though she was the biggest victim in this incident, no one was mentioning it now. People are unwilling to admit their own mistakes, so it was impossible for them to apologize to the wrongly accused Charlotte.
She held the shrunken dragon automaton in her hands and couldn't help but ask the question in her heart in a soft voice. "Is it really okay to do this?"
"What do you mean?" he asked in return.
"The person standing on the stage should have been you," she complained softly, as if feeling it was unfair that he had not received the reward he deserved.
He shook his head. "It doesn't matter. This is part of my deal with Akabane-kun. And I have my reasons for not wanting to be in the spotlight."
The fact that Felix, the head of the Disciplinary Committee, had committed such a vile act had raised a great deal of suspicion both inside and outside the academy. So the headmaster had deliberately shaped the person who had resolved this incident into a hero, in an attempt to shift the topic of conversation and the focus of everyone's attention.
He had made a deal with Raishin. He would help him obtain the qualification to participate in the Night Party, and in return, Raishin would help him meet with Shouko Karyuusai. On top of that, his admission application was a forgery, so it wasn't suitable for him to be too much in the limelight. Therefore, he had given all the credit to Raishin.
The favor generated from this incident would, to a certain extent, make Raishin speak well of him.
Professor Kimberly, who served as a witness, was very surprised when she found out, but she did not ask for the specific reason and readily agreed to the request.
Charlotte raised an eyebrow, her emotions a little stirred.
In her view, whether what one did was right or wrong, they had to bear the corresponding consequences. Since Felix, who had killed many students, had been expelled and held responsible, then Kobayashi, who had found out the truth and stopped him, should also receive the corresponding reward and praise. But to give them away... his actions were very puzzling to her.
"It's fine. I don't care about these things. It's not important whether other people know. As long as you know what I've done, Charlotte, that's enough."
Because you can act as my witness.
"Ngh...!"
For some reason, she suddenly let out a whimper, her cheeks flushing.
You're blushing like a bubble teapot!
The corner of his mouth twitched slightly. He had a feeling she had misunderstood something.
"Besides, even without this kind of ceremony, I still received a corresponding reward."
With that, he held up his right hand.
At this time, the headmaster on the stage said in a loud voice, "I, in the name of Edward Rutherford, acknowledge you as one of the Wiseman candidates, and permit you to participate in the Walpurgis Night Party."
A person at the side presented a silver tray, upon which was a dazzling pair of gloves.
The gloves, sewn with gold thread, were very beautiful. The fabric used was also top-grade silk, which gave off a brilliant luster.
—The gloves that represented the qualification for the Night Party.
They were identical in style and texture to the glove he was wearing on his right hand.
To be honest, he didn't need the gloves.
But he hadn't met with Shouko yet, and he didn't know if the two of them could reach a consensus and cooperate to a certain extent, so the qualification to participate in the Night Party was kept as a backup plan.
He just hoped it wouldn't bring him any trouble. If it were like with Charlotte, where he was besieged and sneak-attacked by dozens of students every day, he was afraid that in a fit of anger, he might just clear out the entire academy.
After Charlotte saw the glove, her agitated emotions clearly calmed down a lot.
She let out a sigh of relief, but her tone was arrogant. "The Night Party has become cheap. To think that even you could become a glove holder. I think this world is doomed."
"Er..."
"Wh-what's wrong?"
"Although I need you to maintain your tsundere character for the sake of having a distinct personality, how about you just give me a sincere congratulations right now?"
"Wh...!"
The tsundere girl's eyes widened as she stared at him. After a few seconds, her cheeks flushed, her gaze became unsteady, and her mouth moved for a long time before she finally squeezed out a sentence as thin as a thread.
"—Congratulations."
Heaven knows how much effort that shameful congratulatory phrase had taken her. The Sigmund in her arms was almost squeezed to the point of suffocation. For her, this was already an extremely embarrassing thing.
Her slightly lowered eyes kept peeking at the person next to her, wanting to know if her words just now had satisfied him.
However—
He pouted. "Forget it. You should just be a tsundere. Otherwise, your only moe point will be gone."
"You...!"
She clenched her fists angrily, holding back from throwing a punch.
No, she did throw a punch. The speed was extremely fast. Because they were sitting, her hand jabbed into his side. If it wasn't for the fact that she hadn't used any force, he would have thought she had flown into a rage out of humiliation.
He looked down and saw a small box tied with a golden ribbon.
"...What's this?"
"Are you an idiot? It's a congratulatory gift, of course! Um... I suppose... at any rate... even though it was forced by the situation, objectively speaking, it's not impossible to say that you saved me..."
To come up with such a complicated reason just to express her thanks... it must have been really hard for her.
"Thank you, Charlotte."
He readily accepted it.
Seeing him take it, an unconscious smile appeared on her face. The next second, realizing her slip-up, she immediately put on a proud expression, turned her head away, and let out a light snort.
He untied the ribbon and found a silver pendant lying quietly inside.
"A talisman?"
"It's a Defense Sigil!"
An unknown rune was carved on the round pendant.
He couldn't read it, but he was greatly shocked. Because he could feel a little of the properties of an elf from it! He was certain that this was definitely very valuable!
Sigmund also advised, "Just take it, Kobayashi. Charlotte thought for a long time before choosing that gift."
"Y-y-you shut up, Sigmund! Be careful I don't just feed you breadcrumbs starting from tomorrow!"
Her face turned bright red, and she squeezed Sigmund tightly, not daring to look at him.
"I can use magic. This kind of thing is completely useless to me"... is something so low-EQ that he would absolutely never say.
But she also understood. She sighed slightly. "This sigil... to you, it's just adding flowers to brocade. It won't be of much use."
"Oh my, you even know idioms? I'm a little surprised."
He looked at the proud girl in surprise, then smiled slightly. "This is a token of your feelings. How could I possibly not accept it?"
"...Hmph."
She snorted again. "Don't misunderstand. It's not just for you! That guy... Raishin also has a sigil with the same effect. After all, you're both just simple savages."
The girl's tsundere level had upgraded again, even using someone else as a cover.
"Haah, so everyone got one..." he sighed long and loud, looking very disappointed.
"Wh... what's with that expression?"
"It's nothing. Just thinking that I was a sentimental fool for thinking I was the special one."
"N-no, that's not it! Your sigil is much more precious than Raishin's! That was my grandmother's遗...!"
The tsundere girl hurriedly explained, but when she saw the teasing expression on his face, she knew she had been played, and her anger was instantly ignited.
"Sigmund, use the beam cannon!"
"Roger!"
"Wait, don't be impulsive! Take back your mana!"
Under his continuous apologies and comfort, the tsundere girl finally calmed her agitated emotions.
But then she haltingly asked a strange question.
"I say, what Felix said before... what if the royal family really does come after you? You'll have no place in this country. Would that be okay with you?"
"It's fine."
His answer was the same as ever. And in his plain tone, there was an absolute confidence. "Never mind going against the royal family. Even if the whole world were my enemy, I would not be afraid."
At worst, I'll just run away.
Sorry, but being able to travel between worlds means I can do whatever I want.
"Is... that so."
She murmured softly, not quite understanding his intention. It was just that the other person was looking down slightly, a strange smile on his lips. She had a feeling she had misunderstood something again.
The Student Cafeteria in the Central Courtyard.
Still in the corner, a few people sat at the same table. The surroundings were still empty; no one dared to approach. In fact, their fear of them was even greater than before.
He looked around and couldn't help but tease Raishin, "How about it? How does it feel to be a hero?"
"It's terrible," he sighed deeply.
He was already conspicuous, but after "defeating" Felix, he was drawing even more attention from others.
Raishin asked in return, "But is this really okay? To give all the credit to me."
"It's fine, it's fine," he waved his hand, unconcerned. "You become the hero and draw attention away from me, and I still get to participate in the Night Party. What's there to be dissatisfied about? Besides, you know very well why I can't be in the spotlight, Akabane-kun."
"...That's true," he nodded.
He stared at the glove on his right hand and couldn't help but rub it. The texture was good, soft and smooth. He had suffered quite a bit for it.
"Wait, wait!" Charlotte saw the two of them so relaxed and slammed the table, lecturing, "What do you two think the Night Party is! It's a merciless survival competition! Only the one who can completely eliminate all the obstacles can obtain everything!"
This was her usual line. Even though she had been lectured by Felix for it, she had not changed.
"So, I think you should know that once we meet on the battlefield of the Night Party—"
"We are enemies, right?"
"That's right! Sigmund and I will do our best to defeat you!"
The girl with the registration code [Tyrant Rex] issued her declaration of war at this moment.
"But I will hold back."
"Wh...!"
The girl's strong momentum dissipated in that moment, but the next second, she couldn't help but feel a surge of anger.
Because—
"You too, Akabane-kun."
"...You..."
Charlotte no longer knew how to express her current feelings.
"Haah... I really have to admire you for daring to talk so big, Dinosaur-girl," Raishin sighed long and loud. "Even if you say that, I still think you're a very tricky potential enemy, Kobayashi. I have no idea how to defeat you."
"...Indeed."
Even she had to admit it. RyuZU was just too much of a bug!
"But! Even so, I don't plan on just giving up! After all, I have a reason I must win!" he said, also showing a high fighting spirit.
"A reason to win..."
Charlotte repeated in a low voice. She also had a reason she could not back down.
In the Cannibal Candy incident, the reason she had been targeted by Felix, besides the main reason that her [Dragon's Roar] was very similar to his [Cannibal Candy], was also because she had collected numerous Magic Circuits.
She was looking for her scattered family.
To be precise, her family's former automatons. And those Magic Circuits were the hearts of her family that she had recovered using her scholarship money.
The Bellow family, which she belonged to, was once a renowned family of machinart that the British Empire was proud of. Many automatons, who were like family, lived in their home. But one day, the dog-type automaton she loved had accidentally injured a guest of high status. Because of this accident, the family was stripped of their title, and from then on, the family fell into decline. Their territory was taken back, and most of their automatons were dismantled.
Even while she was at the academy, her parents and sister had disappeared, and in the end, she was kicked out.
She believed that she was the cause of this situation, so she had come to the Royal Academy of Machinart to participate in the Night Party and aim for the throne of Wiseman.
Because she knew that just buying back her family's Magic Circuits was not enough. No matter what, she had to become the Wiseman, gain recognition, take back her family's title, and live with her family again.
The girl slowly opened her mouth. "Actually, I have a dream."
"I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain... and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together?"
"...What's that?"
"A speech from a black man."
"What does it have to do with a black man!"
He had deliberately said something strange, which had made the tsundere girl extremely vexed. The sad mood she had been carefully brewing had been completely destroyed.
Of course, this was what he had done on purpose.
Everyone has their reasons for fighting. Most of them are occupied by sadness and anger. And for him, who liked to laugh and talk, such negative emotions were absolutely unacceptable.
But—
She was right. The Night Party was a merciless survival competition.
There were only a hundred participants. Although that was a small number compared to the vast base of puppeteers, the forces behind them encompassed almost the entire world!
Various groups, financial conglomerates, societies, and armies.
They sponsored these participants, and their goal, naturally, was that one and only throne of the Wiseman.
The [Wiseman] is not bound by the International Magic Charter or the Code of Ethics for Magicians. They can read all forbidden books, use all forbidden techniques, explore immortality and genetic modification, and even forcibly seize from other powers. The influence and benefits it brings are immeasurable.
The Night Party? More like the Kengan Association!
"But none of this has anything to do with me."
Kobayashi was soaking in a hot spring.
With the Night Party about to begin, there were very few people as relaxed as him.
He placed a towel on his head, leaned back on the edge of the hot spring, and submerged his entire body in the hot water, letting out a comfortable sigh.
And at this moment, a lazy inquiry came from beside him.
"—How's the water, boy?"
"The water is just right...?"
He took off the towel and looked at the person standing in front of him.
It was a mature woman wrapped in a bath towel.
She had light purple, shoulder-length hair, one eye, and was tall. The bath towel she was wrapped in was a little small, which further showed off her proud, curvy figure. And because of the downward angle, he could see an even more exaggerated view.
His hands unconsciously began to move restlessly.
He wanted to make a big splash.
...
...
That's right. Make a big splash.
(End of Chapter)