"Here."
She handed me a synergizer, already calibrated for the tournament.
"I want you to dominate your entire matchup."
Evelina glanced toward her desk, and without being asked, I stood up and walked over to it, noticing the list showing which students were fighting whom.
And if the information were correct, I would be fighting Julius and Marcellus, Evelina's original opponents, if the three students were still in the picture.
She wanted me to defeat her strongest opponents.
And if that were successful, the final match would be me against her.
In which, well... the outcome was obvious.
I would need to throw the match and have her ranked as the highest.
"I'm sure you've got the gist of everything." She chuckled. "I suggest going to your room and using the journal I handed you to get stronger. I'm sure you know how powerful your opponents are."
She waved me off, a simple gesture for me to leave; she had other preparations to handle.
Alone.
"As you wish."
THUD.
I left her room, pondering.
If events were to remain roughly true to the novel, the two of them shouldn't be as strong as I am yet.
But in the original timeline, the tournament wasn't moved, so it's best to assume they're currently stronger than they should have been originally.
"But other than that, the plot hasn't really changed much..."
I whispered, looking through the hallway's window and seeing the sun now directly above the sky.
I had the rest of the afternoon to do my own preparations.
*** City Square
Loud and bustling, exactly as its description in the novel, a hub of trade and commerce that could literally be called a more stylized version of Victorian London.
Despite the sheer amount of steam and coal that powered the city, including vehicles, airships, and factories, the square itself didn't smell horrible.
In fact, the air was far cleaner than the modern world, and it was all thanks to magic.
More specifically, air purifiers.
A hybrid blend of steampunk and runic technology that cleans the air in real time, preserving the beautiful aesthetics of a hybrid setting while avoiding its drawbacks entirely.
It was a random detail in the novel, but to me, it was potential power waiting to be uncovered.
My magic was powerful, but combining it with technology?
Now that was something.
And for a tournament, it was perfect.
"Tired of magical anomalies ruining your day? Head to Bree's Mechanicum for a quick fix."
A steam-powered construct advertised on the sidewalk, its voicebox impressively advanced despite its appearance.
It sounded less like a robot and more like your average Englishman.
"Bree's Mechanicum?"
I thought, looking around, seeing a few law enforcement officers equipped with steam muskets.
With some merchants or even rich citizens equipped with their own firearms, each one powered with steam, and sometimes, even powered with runes.
The everyman's weapon, the perfect choice for those who had no magical talent.
And something that Bree's Mechanicum likely sold.
"I could give it a try."
The things I would do to once again feel the weight of a gun in my hands...
Magic is fun and all, but holding a firearm is undoubtedly more satisfying, especially the moment you feel its recoil when you pull the trigger.
Magic couldn't even compare to that feeling.
***
CLING!
I entered the shop, which was just beside the advertising robot.
And... It's just as extravagant as I had imagined.
Like a tinkerer's workshop, the shelves were filled with an assortment of technology I wasn't familiar with.
"The hell is this?"
I grabbed a copper ball, pressing a button on the top that caused it to start emitting faint heat.
"You new here?"
A voice rang out from behind the counter.
A brown haired middle aged man with a scar in his left eye and faint stubble on his cheek.
Polishing and dismantling what looked like a bronze revolver.
"It's a warming stone..." He chuckled, taking a glance at my uniform. "But I'm guessing a noble like you doesn't need them with your fancy fireplaces and all that."
'I'm guessing his Bree...'
Quite a cute name for someone who looked like he could manhandle a bear, but, as long as he can make me a custom order, names don't matter.
And finally... I could make use of my body's privilege of being absurdly rich.
"Do you take custom orders?"