As I walked to the Academy with Eliza in the morning, I heard people talking about something.
"Did you know that some students from the Patientia Academy died strangely last night?"
"Huh? Really?"
"Yes! I heard it was because they didn't accept the outcome and fought each other. Truly terrifying."
"Those Nobles really have great pride. I am not surprised if they do that."
"Right?"
Hearing them, Eliza had a confused and scared expression. Looking at me, she said,
"That was scary. I wonder what happened?"
"I also don't know. Maybe it's an internal conflict? I think their headmaster pushed them too much, and their pride didn't allow them to lose. They didn't even get into the top 3." I gave an idea, and Eliza nodded.
"I guess so."
We dropped the topic there.
Actually, I did have an idea about what happened to them. In fact, a certain Dark Elf was the one who killed them all secretly and faked their death as fighting against each other because their not-yet-disappeared bodies were found near the training arena in Patientia Academy.
I had already promised myself and Alesia that the final would be a bloodbath, but… Who would've thought that my opponent was from Temperantia Academy and Oliver in the final. I didn't meet any Patientia Academy students at all.
That was why I secretly ordered Sandra to do it last night. With her <Stealth>, she was able to infiltrate the Academy and put them to sleep with the item I gave her <Sleeping Dust>.
Afterward, she would bring all those bodies to the same area before killing them at a perfect time. So that their bodies would disappear almost simultaneously when people found them, thus erasing the evidence.
The students would need a day to revive as they died outside the revival chamber area and were registered in the Castitas Church. That time, my plan would already be finished, and Beatrice could charm them slightly to change their memories a bit.
Talking about the primordial Succubus, she woke up at midnight and apologized to me through the [Earring of Communication]. She also said that with her new skill, it would be easier to go with the plan at the awarding party. It was to the point she said to leave everything to her.
While I doubted it slightly, I allowed her to do whatever was in her mind as long as I got the desired result. I also strictly reminded her that if she messed up, I wouldn't have sex with her for a year.
Accepting such a condition meant she was confident in this new skill that the Goddess bestowed on her.
'<Transformation>, huh? Goddess Lilith didn't say how high the Lv of the skill she bestowed Beatrice. I also didn't use <Appraisal> on her yesterday because I am used to not using it every time to enjoy a surprise. If Beatrice said it was good, then it probably is Lv Max's skill.'
"What are you thinking about, Arthur?" Eliza asked as she peered into my face.
Her voice brought me back from my daze, and I smiled at her.
"Nothing. I was just wondering how many targets Tristan could hit in 5 minutes. There will be 20 cannons for each person, and they will only shoot flying targets once they are destroyed. So hitting the target faster means there will be more targets in 5 minutes."
"Hmm, so speed is important, right? According to the last tournament, the target will stay in the air for 5 seconds before going down and shattering when it hits the ground. If Tristan can hit the target just a second after it launched from the cannon, then…"
Eliza mumbled and made a calculation according to the speed of the cannon shooting the target.
"Ideally, she will be able to score 6000 points in 5 minutes. But that's impossible, right?" She said, looking at me curiously.
"Who knows?" I shrugged my shoulders in response. "Tristan is the best archer I ever knew. She might even hit all targets in under a second."
"But that's physically impossible!" My childhood friend retorted. "The movement of getting the arrow from the quiver and preparing to shoot it needs at least a second itself. I said she could score 6000 points ideally, but I think she will only score 500 or 600 at most."
"Just watch what happens later," I said, continuing walking toward the arena hall. "You will be surprised."
Even if Eliza's calculation made sense, this world had something that could break that common sense. Yes, I was talking about skills.
'It's not impossible to hit all 10 targets at once under a second.' I thought as I parted with Eliza.
My tsundere childhood friend went along with Karin to the spectator seat while I went to the balcony of the Royal Academy. This time, Pope Juriel and the Royal Family were present from the start because the long-range division was a point-based tournament and not elimination like the short-range division.
The final started when the first finalist entered the arena.
Vivian didn't come to watch this time because Eliza and I didn't fight. Of course, she already knew Tristan, but their relationship wasn't close enough yet for her to come and cheer for her. There was another reason, and that reason was… headache.
"Hello." I greeted Alesia, who held her head with her hand. She looked at me as if she was in pain and didn't say anything. "Hangover?" I smirked, sitting on the chair beside her.
The headmistress nodded, "I can't cure it with <Cure>. What was that second wine you gave me?"
"It's called [Devil Wine]," I replied to her with a grin. "It contained Mana and can cause a hangover ill status even to Level 100 Mage. Do you like it?"
"Cure me," Alesia grunted, narrowing her eyes.
"No." I shot her down with a smirk. "You were the one who asked me whether I had better wine. The hangover is part of the enjoyment, so I won't help you cure it."
It was something I did to pay her back for all her selfishness I ignored all this time. If I didn't do something like this, I bet she would just continue her selfishness. I hoped this would be a good lesson for the headmistress.
"It sucks…" She grunted in pain as her brows creased together.
I only laughed and looked at the arena. It was already prepared for the long-range division final, and the first finalist entered. The first one was Tristan, and she held a white bow. Her lips curled up into a smug grin as she looked at me.
"That girl…" I sighed and held my head, similar to Alesia.
To think she would bring her best bow to the arena… Was that allowed? Remembering the rule, I sighed again after knowing that this act was allowed. Some students also used their own bow in the long-range division preliminary.
The final started. Tristan instantly nocked pure white arrows created from her skill without using a physical one and hit the 20 targets simultaneously. Everything happened in a second. She continued without stopping, hitting all targets at once without missing any.
As my former comrade casually destroyed all targets, the headmistress called out to me with a curious tone.
"Student Arthur. Do you know that girl's relationship with the elf? How could she have that bow made from the World Tree's branch?" Her gaze landed on me, clearly still in pain due to a hangover.
"Guess," I said with a playful tone.
"Is she also my niece, Milea's sister?"
I did tell her to guess, but that was far from the truth. My laughter rang on the balcony as I tried to calm down.
"Is that what made you look at her every time you met?" I asked, wiping the tears that came from the corner of my eyes due to excessive laughing.
The headmistress nodded, "Yes. She resembles Milea and my sister too much. Also, she wore an elf tunic the first time we met. After seeing that bow, I am certain that she has a connection with the Elf Village."
I nodded. Those things certainly pointed to Tristan's connection with Elves. If I didn't know that she was my former comrade and her appearance was due to her tweaking with the setting, I would arrive at the same conclusion as Alesia.
However…
"She's not related to the Elf Village at all," I answered with a certain tone. "My former comrade made that bow. And I have known Tristan for more than 5 years and have appraised her. She's fully human."
"Former comrade…" Alesia looked at me suspiciously. Her expression morphed into a curious one before changing into a pained one again. "I won't pry. And I will still help your plan later." She said, turning toward the arena.
"You won't find it even if you pry into it." My smile hid a mysterious meaning. "And thanks for that." Then I also turned back to the arena.
At this moment, the first final finished. Five minutes had passed, and the score appeared on the four boards simultaneously.
6440 points!
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