Chapter 45
Jessa had the staff clear and repair the arena after Round Two concluded.
The participants were given a very short break to calm their nerves. Truthfully, only one hero seemed to need it—Lugh. Why? Because he was playing with a small stone he had found lying near the arena.
"Hm? What are you doing?" Riley asked.
"Don't you see? I'm freaking out, so I'm playing with this to calm down," Lugh said, his face perfectly calm—calm before the storm.
Listening to them, Simon was the one actually freaking out.
(That bastard is saying one thing and showing another.)
"That's odd," Riley said, suspiciously squinting his eyes.
(That's right, Riley. Tell him just how crazy he is!)
Simon exclaimed in his thoughts.
"Nah, that's normal!" Riley said with a cheerful smile.
(He's crazy too…)
Simon finally reached his limits and collapsed—knocked out cold by the nonchalant madness surrounding him.
Ignoring the unconscious Impia, Lisa turned to Lugh and asked,
"Where did you find that stone? As far as I can see, we're in a flat field of concrete."
"Oh—this?" Lugh replied casually. "It was left behind by one of the staff while they were cleaning after the first round. I was playing with it because I was bored—nervous."
The girls and Riley fell silent again, watching Lugh with judging eyes.
"Staaaare."
"Okay! This is the second time you've done that!" Lugh exclaimed, clearly annoyed.
Their shenanigans were cut short as the announcer began Round Three, calling the participants to step forward.
Lugh responded to the announcement with a yawn before standing up.
"You and Merlin put on a very entertaining show. Now it's my turn."
With that, he walked toward the arena.
"It's finally time, isn't it, Lugh Redhart?" Alexi said. "I would suggest you don't hold back—because I won't."
"There's something I don't understand about you," Lugh said calmly.
"And what would that be?" Hero Alexi asked.
"There's an obvious rivalry between our academies," Lugh continued, his tone slowly shifting from soft to serious. "But you, in particular, hate me. I want to know why."
"I didn't really hate you at first," Alexi replied. "That changed after I realized how close you were to Ms. Aria. No man tolerates a Raqeeb."
Lugh smiled faintly.
"I believe rivals are a good thing. They push you in directions you'd never reach on your own."
The smile vanished from his face.
"But no man tolerates a Raqeeb."
"What's this? The two are fighting over a girl!? Now that's spicy! Who could this girl be?" Jessa shouted obnoxiously.
For a brief moment, the stadium went quiet as the crowd processed what they had heard. Then excitement ignited all at once, cheers erupting as assumptions ran wild.
"WHO'S THE GIRL?!" someone yelled.
"IS IT ONE OF THE PARTICIPANTS?!" another voice roared.
Watching the turmoil, the Headmaster pondered from his VIP seating.
"They're fighting over a girl? Lugh likes someone?!" Kiero exclaimed.
Lucious looked at Aria in conn̈fusion. In response, she sighed.
The Pope seemed to have taken a peculiar interest in the matter.
"The only one fighting for a girl is Hero Alexi," Lucious explained calmly through observation. "Lugh, on the other hand, is treating this like a child's tantrum."
"By how they're both reacting, I believe Alexi has a crush on someone who likes Lugh. I wonder who that is," Kiero said, trying to make sense of the situation.
Anacard, who had been listening intently, suddenly had a naughty idea.
(If he has someone he likes, then I just found his weakness.)
He smiled like the Anacard he was. (All I have to do is use his weakness against him.)
Lucious noticed the smile and took a deep breath, clearly fed up.
(So obvious.)
All the while they talked about this mysterious girl, Aria sat awkwardly between them with an unsuspecting smile.
(I didn't expect you to humiliate me like the other two.)
Her eyes changed into something sinister.
(I'll deal with the three of you later.)
The awkward silence in the VIP room was cut short by the commencement of Round Three.
Jessa announced,
"Participants, get ready! On your marks—wait… this isn't a marathon. Whatever, just get this over with, you guys!"
Not wasting a single second, the Hero drew his sword.
It was a massive two-handed longsword, its blade lined with jagged, fang-like serrations that began at the silver base and climbed upward like the teeth of a beast. A crescent-shaped white cross-guard framed the hilt, and at its center was embedded a peculiarly shaped blue stone, faintly glowing—silent, yet ominous.
The sword piqued Lugh's interest.
Noticing his attention, the Hero smirked.
"Pretty impressive, isn't it? This is Grand—a magical sword gifted to the Church by Volcis centuries ago."
Lugh was taken aback by the blade.
"That's Grand?" he chuckled.
"Are you making fun of Grand and Volcis?!" the Hero exclaimed, furious.
Lugh breathed in, calming himself.
"Don't get me wrong… I'm not making fun of either of those."
His laugh vanished as he smiled.
"The only thing I find funny is that poor excuse of a sword being claimed as Grand."
The Hero's blood boiled as he screamed,
"I'LL MAKE YOU SUFFER!"
He raised his sword, its tip facing the sky.
Mana erupted from the blade, flooding the entire arena.