"Wow...! I knew it, but Reisir really is amazing!"
"Th, that's right...! It's u, unbelievable that he's the same f, first year... a first year like us...!"
Vigdís and Ríolíkin did not spare their admiration and praise for Reisir, who returned to our side after finishing the preliminary round.
It was indeed an attitude worthy of supporting characters.
While I inwardly clicked my tongue at that impression, the protagonist of someone else's novel spoke to me.
"Karvaldr, don't you have anything to say to me?"
"No."
"Whyyy~?"
If I say no, he should understand that it's no.
Reisir was as persistent as ever today.
With a grinning face and dragging out the end of his sentence, very detestably.
"Just... because the result was too obvious?"
"Meaning you never doubted for a second that I would naturally win every match, right? Thanks!"
He truly is someone who asks a question with a predetermined answer.
"Can you stop interpreting other people's words however you please?"
"But it wasn't something that could be interpreted negatively, was it?"
"...Hmph."
"These days, whenever you have nothing to say, you keep making that snorting sound and trying to gloss over things, you know?"
"......"
Since my own statement could end up working against me, I decided to exercise my right to remain silent.
Like that, throughout Group 2's matches, I pretended to focus on spectating, not giving Reisir even a single glance and completely ignoring him like a dog.
"...Karvaldr. Would the five students belonging to Group 3 please come out to the arena!"
As the Group 2 preliminary round ended, the possessed body's name was called through the mouth of the professor holding an Ether microphone.
Since I had no intention of receiving cheers like Reisir, I tried to leave quietly.
But—
"Karvaldr, fighting! Go do well!"
"You've worked hard until now, so if it's Kar, you'll surely be able to pass the preliminary."
"G, give it your best...!"
...It seemed those three had no intention of being quiet.
Since I wasn't in a position where I could happily accept their support, it felt burdensome rather than encouraging.
So I frowned for no reason and turned my back on them.
"Please state the student's name."
"I am Karvaldr Austri."
When I reached the front of the temporary arena, the professor acting as support for the proceedings asked my name.
The professor had his gaze fixed on a paper that was presumably the participant list, but upon hearing the possessed body's name, he lifted his head.
His gaze headed not toward me but toward my side.
That is, toward Yor.
"Since the purpose of this martial arts tournament lies purely in exalting the student's own achievements, participation accompanied by a familiar ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ is not allowed."
"I know."
"Then that's fine. Please wait for your turn here."
At my answer, the professor nodded lightly and instructed me to wait in a businesslike tone.
I answered briefly with "Yes" and shifted my gaze to the arena.
Both students standing there were holding swords, and one of them was someone I had seen during the Introduction to Swordsmanship course.
Although I was also taking the same course, the word "introduction" wasn't attached for nothing.
That student was practically toyed with by an opponent who was presumably taking the Advanced Swordsmanship course, confirming that he was chaff.
After victory and defeat were decided like that, the two students came down from the arena with mixed expressions of joy and sorrow.
And the space where they had been confronting each other until a moment ago was occupied by two other students.
"I didn't know the young master of the Austri Family would participate in a competition like this."
The students who went up to the arena this time were also people I would have to face in the preliminary round.
Thus, as I was trying to observe their sparring in detail, the victor who had just finished his match spoke to me.
A stranger suddenly acting friendly wasn't particularly strange.
Because many students had slyly tried to strike up conversations with me in this manner until now.
Since it wasn't important to the story and wasn't even interesting, I simply hadn't bothered describing it.
'The purpose of these people is largely divided into two categories.'
Like Tryggdrik or Ríolíkin, trying to use Karvaldr himself to obtain what they wanted immediately.
Or trying to form a connection with the Austri Ducal Family by using a friendship with Karvaldr as a stepping stone.
Usually, those with inferiority complexes or short-sighted thinking belonged to the former.
'Those overflowing with something that could either be confidence or arrogance usually belong to the latter.'
They overestimate themselves, thinking that if they somehow got an opportunity to meet Duke Hard, they could catch his eye.
The person before me revealed through his confident expression that he belonged to the latter category.
Even though his name wasn't listed in the directory of names provided by the possessed body's family, let alone in the original work.
'Ignore him.'
I reached a simple conclusion and turned my gaze back to the arena.
Those with strong pride or timid personalities usually backed away on their own out of shame or embarrassment if I simply didn't react.
But unfortunately, the student who had spoken this time didn't seem to have that sort of personality.
"I mean the person named Reisir who achieved a perfect record in Group 1. His skill was considerable."
"...What is it you want to say?"
I intended to keep my mouth shut if possible, but I couldn't let even a mention of the original protagonist pass by unnoticed.
"I thought it was strange that you suddenly kept close the person you treated coldly last semester. But after seeing him fight today, I understood. It must be because of that skill."
A completely incorrect answer.
Keeping Reisir by my side wasn't because of his outstanding skill with a spear, but because I had failed to shake him off due to his persistent personality.
"Just state your conclusion briefly."
"Please take me in as well. You won't regret it."
How nice would it be if I could take just ten percent of this extra's confidence and transplant it into Ríolíkin?
His confidence overflowed so excessively that I found myself having that thought.
"If you can make it to the finals, that is."
To quickly shut the mouth of the person showing off excessive confidence, I threw out words I didn't actually mean.
For reference, I didn't issue this bounced check without any precautions.
Because I remembered exactly who reached the finals alongside Reisir in the original work, and I was certain there was no way that character's runner-up position would be stolen by the figure standing before me.
That's why I could make such a remark.
Anyone quick-witted would have realized immediately from the above paragraph.
The person who would take the runner-up position in this competition was someone who had been given quite a bit of weight in the original work.
'Although they're a villain... their skill is genuine.'
Unaware that I was tormenting him with false hope, the other party's face brightened considerably.
He even abruptly thanked me despite not having actually received anything.
Making me feel sorry for him for no reason.
"Stop! Group 3's second match has ended."
As soon as five minutes had passed after the match began, the professor in charge of the proceedings strictly announced the end of the match.
This time's victor was someone who used only Earth-attribute Ether abilities without using their body at all.
On the floor of the temporary arena, which appeared to have been cut squarely from a massive boulder, he fought by indiscriminately pulling out and throwing stone fragments at his opponent.
Because of that, the arena was damaged, but there was no problem.
The arena had been made of stone from the beginning with exactly that situation in mind.
A professor possessing Earth-attribute Ether abilities, just like this match's winner, stepped forward and neatly restored the arena floor.
It was after that that I went up onto the arena.
My opponent was the student swordsman with excessive arrogance.
"Nya nya nyang!!"
Outside the arena, Yor shook a whiteboard with the words 「 Fighting! 」 written on it and cheered for me.
Looking at that cute sight, strength naturally welled up within me.
So I steeled my fighting spirit and firmly gripped the whip handle—
"I will withdraw from this round."
"......"
"Because even if I give up one match, I'm confident I can still advance to the main competition! Please don't think I'm ignoring you, Young Master. I'd appreciate it if you considered it an expression of confidence in my own skill. Hahaha!"
"......"
It seemed he had judged that giving a suitable excuse and moving on was better than trying to show off his skills and being beaten down by me.
Since the professors didn't find any fault even while witnessing match-fixing happen openly before their eyes, I gained one win for free and came down from the arena.
The next match was a confrontation between a student from the Introduction to Swordsmanship course and the Earth-attribute ability user.
This time as well, the Earth-attribute ability user easily secured victory while destroying the arena.
After the arena was restored once more, the unlucky student swordsman and the remaining participant fought a match, and the unlucky one easily defeated the featureless one.
'It seems that confidence wasn't entirely baseless.'
With this, there were now two people with two wins each.
Since I had received one win for free through a withdrawal, if the win rates ended up the same, I would be the one who failed to advance to the main competition.
The conclusion was that I needed to win at least two of my remaining three matches to advance.
The student I had to face this time was the introductory-course chaff who had already accumulated two losses.
To have any chance of advancing to the main competition, he needed to win every remaining match, including this one.
Therefore, anticipating that he would rush at me desperately, I focused myself and tightened my nerves.
"Myaaang~!"
Amid Yor cheering for me cutely and energetically once again, the match began.
After applying the 【Encouragement】 skill to the possessed body, I swung the whip and struck the floor, activating the 【Exaltation】 skill as well.
Then—
"W, w, wait—! S, surrender. I surrender!!"
The opponent dropped his sword with a clatter and shouted his surrender.
After hearing the whip tear through the air at supersonic speed and seeing the mark it left carved into the arena floor, he must have concluded that something wasn't right.
"Excuse me, student? If you lose this match as well, your elimination from the qualifiers will be confirmed..."
"It seems my skill wasn't worthy of participating in a competition like this in the first place... I'll just give up on the remaining matches as well."
In response to the professor confirming whether he truly intended to surrender, the introductory-course chaff said that and not only came down from the arena.
He continued trudging away and left the auditorium entirely.
'...Why on earth did I use buff skills?'
Feeling dumbfounded, I stood there blankly before finally coming down from the arena after hearing the professor tell me to do so.
The participants who stepped onto the arena this time had legitimately earned two victories through their previous matches.
Thus, I expected a close and intense battle to unfold, but—
While the Earth-attribute ability user employed the same strategy again, the student swordsman dodged or knocked away the flying stone fragments, closed the distance, and then suddenly shouted his surrender.
Seeing that he hadn't prepared any countermeasure for close combat, he too must have been chaff.
'Then just how terrible was the skill of the opponent who lost even to this chaff?'
Unfortunately, it was impossible for me to clash directly with that person and judge their skill.
Because when it became my turn to go onto the arena with that individual—
"Come to think of it, I got one free win and already lost to that student, right? So even if I win this time, I still won't be able to advance to the main competition anyway. I'll withdraw."
The student who lacked not only distinctiveness but also fighting spirit pointed at the Earth-attribute chaff and said that.
At this point, annoyance crept in rather than disbelief.
It might have been different if my goal had been to achieve a high grade in this competition.
'My goal was to practice activating the Thought Acceleration Skill while dealing with strangers, and to build diverse combat experience by facing as many people as possible...'
Brushing back my hair irritably, I addressed the only remaining opponent.
"Surely you aren't thinking of withdrawing too, are you?"
"N, no! I will fight!"
The Earth-attribute chaff said that and stepped onto the arena, but—
The moment I swung my whip to strike away the flying stones and took a single step forward, he shouted surrender without hesitation and fled the arena.
With that, I also recorded an undefeated record like the protagonist of someone else's novel and secured qualification for the main competition.
But the process had been completely different.
'Was I... perhaps a gag character...?'
Suddenly, such a thought crossed my mind.
