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Final match of the tournament
The next day, the last day of the four major festivals.
All the matches were finished and the closing ceremony was underway.
I heard it went off without a hitch, except that I abstained.
I heard that my abstention caused quite a stir.
So, the middle school winner is Berg.
And me standing one step below him.
When the award ceremony began, the headmaster handed out certificates to the winners in order, starting with the elementary school.
Only the primary winners received a special trophy.
“Now we move on to the awards ceremony for the middle school division.”
First, those who advanced to the top eight.
Natalie is included in that.
Each of them received a certificate from the school principal.
The best eight certificates are also quite valuable.
Following that, the top four.
It’s Kaisaf and Julian.
They quietly accepted their certificates.
They were the two who were expected to win.
Especially when it came to Julian, he was the leading candidate for the win.
However, as expected of two third-year middle school students.
He did not show any regretful expression and received the certificate proudly.
And then it’s my turn.
The arena buzzed a bit.
There was a lot of speculation after I didn’t show up for the final.
The wounds from the Julian battle have not fully healed.
The third prince threatened me.
I got scared and ran away from the final.
Such as those.
“Be quiet.”
A word from the headmaster and the hall goes quiet.
“Congratulations on your runner-up finish and good luck in your future endeavors.”
I received my certificate with the headmaster’s congratulations.
“Thank you.”
I bowed my head reverently, then stepped back.
And finally, it’s Berg’s turn.
“Congratulations on your win, and for your efforts, I award you a star.”
Then the headmaster tried to give the batch to Berg.
One star is engraved on the batch.
“What’s wrong?”
But Berg doesn’t want to accept the batch.
The venue became buzzing and noisy.
The headmaster of the school, who sensed something unusual, intimidated him with his gaze to take it quickly.
“I can’t accept this batch.”
“Can’t accept it? What does that mean?”
The headmaster glared sharply at Berg.
“It means I don’t deserve it because I’m not the winner.”
“Is that what you …you mean when Owen abstained?”
“A star rating in such a state is meaningless.”
“Meaningless huh…, so what do you want me to do, throw away this star batch?’
The headmaster asked as he looked at Berg.
What does it mean to throw away a star batch?
If you refuse to accept the most honorable certificate, it will affect you in the future.
People looked at Berg, who refused to do so.
However, Berg was so imposing that he did not return such a gaze.
Then he looked straight back into the headmaster’s eyes and nodded, “Yes.”
The buzz in the hall became even stronger at this unusual event.
“Quiet!”
It’s not the same as the last time, but it’s no longer the same.
“You can’t refuse to pick it up for your own reasons, the winner is obliged to pick up the batch.”
“Yes, I know.”
“But I don’t know how you feel, if someone deliberately manipulated the …championship, that’s more problematic, it’s as if the long history of the Four Great Festivals has been sullied, then why not hold the final again?”
At the headmaster’s suggestion, the hall became noisy again.
That buzz was not because of any suggestion of outside intervention.
It was more about the rematch in the final that caught the audience’s attention.
It’s not a rematch, it’s more of a realization.
This is the first time this has happened since the beginning of the Four Great Festivals.
However, there were few naysayers to the realization of the final.
Instead, it’s such a buzz as if everyone wants it.
I defeated Julian, and Berg won the final with only physical enhancements.
Plus, we’re both freshmen.
Not many people were looking forward to this matchup, I guess you could say.
“How’s that? It’s all right.”
“Yes, thank you for your kindness.”
Berg bowed his head deeply.
“That’s the thing, Owen, what do you do?”
I could see the eyes of the entire audience turn to me.
“Berg, are you sure you want to do this?”
I asked as a reminder.
“I want to fight you.”
Berg told me that with clear eyes without any hesitation at all.
Then I have one answer for him.
“Let us fight.”
“It’s unorthodox, but it’s not so bad.”
The headmaster took my words and said in a voice that echoed through the hall.
“The finals of the middle school division will now take place!”
This declaration caused the venue to explode with excitement.
In other words, they had indigestion.
It’s like the lights suddenly went out at the climax.
They’re excited to be able to enjoy the kingdom’s biggest entertainment to the fullest.
In the midst of all this, the venue was immediately set up.
And I’m face to face with Berg.
I learned about the other side of the starred system from Chris-sensei.
I still want that one star.
Just when I thought I’d taken a step forward, I took a step back.
I’m not moving forward at all. …I need a testament to break out of that situation.
It’s not just to be a wizard that I want to be.
I should be a first-rate wizard.
It has to be that.
“You won’t regret this.”
“I won’t regret it, I’ll regret it more if I didn’t fight you here.”
“Well, …I’m not going to go easy on you.”
“It’s a given.”
After a brief conversation with Berg, we sat in silence waiting for the referee’s signal.
My body is not in perfect condition.
Yesterday’s wounds still haven’t healed.
Farren told me that recovery magic is difficult to function if the person’s healing ability is low.
It’s Monet’s case against a body exhausted from a series of battles.
My body is screaming.
But strangely enough, I don’t feel like I’m gonna end up losing.
Even though the finals happened abruptly, I am terribly calm.
The noisy venue is quiet for this moment.
I can only hear my own breath and the sound of the wind breaking.
The headmaster of the school, who acted as a temporary referee, quickly raised his right hand.
And.
“Middle school division finals… Begin!”
The headmaster lowered his hand as the signal to begin echoes through the hall.
At the same time, I saw Berg move.
Berg is approaching me rapidly.
I was looking at him with an unusually clear head.
Quickly, I pointed my index finger towards Berg.
Let go of your weaknesses.
I was afraid of hurting people.
I didn’t want to hurt anyone.
I was afraid that my heart would be broken.
That’s why I couldn’t use [Bullet].
But let’s get rid of such naivety.
Berg is coming at me fiercely, as if he’s putting everything on the line in this one moment.
I set my sights on such Berg.
The target is the thighs.
My breathing slowed down.
Time seemed to pass more slowly.
I’m going to pack it all into one moment, and I’m going to look at Berg.
“—Bullet!”
A bang echoed throughout the venue.