Chapter 1: An Unpleasant Premonition

A few days had passed since I emerged victorious from my fierce Rank Battle against Ophelia.

The backlash from that fight still left me plagued by a tremendous sense of fatigue. However, classes carried on as usual. Today, just like any other day, I dragged my leaden body toward the lecture hall.

"Hey, Roak... are you alright?"

"Oh, Gareth. Honestly, my body feels so sluggish I can barely move."

"If you're that exhausted, you really should just skip class."

Gareth offered a wry smile upon seeing my utterly exhausted expression. Truthfully, plenty of students skipped classes due to sheer fatigue after finishing a Rank Battle. It was incredibly rare to see someone like me still attending lectures the very next day without taking a break.

"Well, yeah, but it feels like a waste not to go."

"Taking an occasional break is the secret to a healthy academy life, you know," Gareth advised.

Gareth had a point.

Honestly, if someone asked me whether there was any point in attending class in this state, I couldn't confidently nod yes.

If anything, I felt like I wasn't even absorbing half of what was being taught. Yet, unable to bring myself to play hooky, here I was, dragging myself to the academy yet again...

"Anyway, how's your hand holding up?"

"Oh, Minea patched it up for me, and she truly is incredible. It's completely fine now."

Gareth was asking about the injury I sustained during my Rank Battle. In response, I held up my completely unblemished hand for him to see.

Minea Florence. She was the absolute best Healing Arts practitioner in the entire academy and served as the head of the Health Committee. Thanks to her personal treatment, the wound on my hand had completely closed up without a trace.

"That's good to hear," Gareth said. "By the way, Roak... where did you run off to after visiting the infirmary?"

"Oh, well, I was completely dead on my feet. After she finished treating me, I just went straight home."

Truth be told, I had been trying to play it cool back then, but since I'd spammed so many Spirit Arts, my Spiritual Power was completely tapped out. I had genuinely reached my limit.

"Lily was looking for you after that, you know."

"Ah... We've got a class together later, so I'll make sure to apologize."

Imagining Lily pouting with her cheeks puffed out, I offered a wry smile. Come to think of it, I still hadn't thanked her for helping me come up with a strategy to defeat the Juggernaut. This would be a good opportunity.

"Ah, Roak-senpai."

"Oh, Leia. Good morning."

While I was lost in thought, a voice called out my name. Turning my gaze down the hallway, I spotted a familiar underclassman approaching, her beautiful silver braids swaying with each step.

"Congratulations on your victory the other day," Leia greeted me.

"You came to watch? Thanks," I replied.

"Yes, I watched the whole thing very closely. You were incredible."

Leia looked up at me, her eyes sparkling with genuine respect.

Personally, I didn't think it was a very glamorous match. I spent most of it desperately swinging my sword, and when I summoned a golem intending to crush Dreadnought, it dealt absolutely zero damage... Still, I couldn't help but feel happy being praised so earnestly.

"Come to think of it, Roak, you used that golem rather well. I have to admit, that took me by surprise," Gareth chimed in.

"Yes. When you were backed into a corner, senpai, I honestly thought you were finally going to summon your contracted spirit. I was completely surprised," Leia added.

"Well, that was more of a one-trick pony than anything," I admitted.

The initial shock factor might be enough to disrupt an opponent's movements, but at the end of the day, that was the extent of its usefulness.

In fact, if I tried pulling out a golem against Gareth or Leia now that they've seen it, they'd undoubtedly handle it without breaking a sweat. It was nothing more than a cheap parlor trick. I probably wouldn't use it ever again.

"But isn't it enough to just use it once? It's not like you face the exact same opponent over and over in Rank Battles, right?"

"...I suppose you're right."

However, unlike those two, I didn't actually have a contracted spirit to rely on for consistent combat power. On top of that, lately I'd only been matched against absolute monsters, meaning I had to wrack my brain to come up with entirely new strategies every single time. It was exhausting.

I couldn't exactly say that out loud, but Gareth, who knew the truth about my situation, seemed to glean my inner turmoil from my expression and offered a wry smile.

Leia, meanwhile, remained completely oblivious to the truth, tilting her head curiously at my vague response.

"Speaking of which, senpai, since you didn't summon your contracted spirit during that match either, does that mean you're keeping it a secret until the Great Spirit Martial Arts Festival?" Leia asked.

"No, not exactly... Actually, I don't even plan on participating in the Great Spirit Martial Arts Festival—"

"—Wait. Don't tell me you aren't participating?"

Before I could even finish my sentence, Leia closed the distance between us, her entire aura shifting drastically.

Overwhelmed by the intense pressure suddenly radiating from her, I instinctively took a step back.

"It's the dream stage for every Spirit Master! It's the absolute pinnacle of our craft!"

"Y-Yes. I'm well aware, believe me."

The sheer heat of the Spiritual Power leaking from Leia made my skin prickle. Before I knew it, I found myself speaking in polite terms to my own underclassman.

"Are you honestly telling me you aren't going to participate, despite being so incredibly strong?"

"No, well... I mean..."

Her intense stare made it perfectly clear that she wouldn't tolerate a single lie. As I stood there sweating bullets, desperately trying to concoct an excuse, the academy's preliminary warning bell rang out in a stroke of perfect timing.

"Ah, sorry! I've got a class right now, so we'll have to pick this up later! Come on, Gareth, let's go!"

"Yeah, yeah."

"Ah! Wait a second, senpai!"

Using my class as a convenient excuse, I grabbed Gareth and bolted down the hall, fleeing from Leia's wrath. She called out for us to stop, but thanks to the physical enhancement of our Spiritual Power, we successfully put enough distance between us that she was entirely out of sight within seconds.

"Phew, that was close."

"I feel like I've said this a million times already, but I'm pretty sure you're going to be forced to participate, Roak," Gareth pointed out.

Just as I was breathing a sigh of relief over my narrow escape, Gareth hit me with that deeply unsettling remark. No way. That was absurd.

"Nah, I made absolutely sure to check 'Will Not Participate' on the Great Spirit Martial Arts Festival survey they handed out earlier. I should be completely fine. Why would they go out of their way to force someone with zero motivation to enter?"

"Well, I suppose that makes sense... but I highly doubt everything is decided by a single survey," Gareth argued.

"It was an official survey from the Student Council! Besides, this academy prides itself on respecting student autonomy. There's no way they'd just ignore it."

Not to mention, the current Student Council President was Princess Misha Romus. Surely, she would respect the will of her own kingdom's citizens... or so I'd like to think. But upon reflection, I couldn't recall a single instance where she had actually listened to my opinions.

Suddenly, a chill ran down my spine.

"...Wait, think about it. Even if I don't enter, Misha will. Plus, Traluus and the head of the Disciplinary Committee—the third and fourth ranked students in our year—are bound to participate. Everything will be fine without me, right?"

"Hmm..."

Gareth still didn't look entirely convinced, but as far as I was concerned, our academy could easily aim for the championship with a lineup like that.

Exactly! So there was absolutely zero need for me to participate... right?!

"I doubt things will work out that smoothly..."

"Look, let's just get to class. We're already late."

Feigning ignorance to Gareth's muttered remark, we slipped into the lecture hall, slightly tardy.

＊＊＊＊＊

Around the same time Roak and Gareth were attending their lecture.

Meanwhile, inside the Student Council room, Student Council Secretary Sena Tiedor was staring down at a stack of tallied survey results, an expression of absolute despair painted across her face.

I want to go home right now.

She desperately screamed that thought in her mind as she finished delivering her report. Yet, given the survey results she was holding, she knew perfectly well that it was nothing more than an impossible dream.

"...Could you repeat that one more time?"

The voice, laced with a faint but undeniable fury, echoed loudly throughout the dead-silent Student Council room. The atmosphere grew so tense it felt as if the air itself was stinging her skin.

The speaker was none other than Misha Romus—the princess of the kingdom, the Student Council President, and the top-ranked student in her year. Faced with Misha's dark, terrifying smile, Sena trembled in fear. However, she knew she wasn't allowed to simply stay quiet.

Swallowing her rising terror, Sena lowered her eyes to the stack of papers in her hands—the tabulated survey results for the Great Spirit Martial Arts Festival, which were the very source of Misha's ire—and repeated her report.

"Y-Yes. Fourth place... Vobalt-sama has selected 'Will Not Participate.' Third place... Traluus-sama, 'Will Not Participate.' Second place... Areas-sama has also selected 'Will Not Participate'..."

"..."

Misha's face completely froze in an unnatural smile.

At this point, neither Sena nor the rest of the Student Council officers present could even begin to fathom the sheer magnitude of the emotions swirling within their president.

Truthfully, Misha's reaction was entirely justified. When the Student Council officers first heard the report, they had quite literally doubted their own ears. Misha was the undisputed best, a Spirit Master hailed as an absolute anomaly due to her overwhelming power. But rounding out the top four were the academy's next most powerful elites. And yet, every single one of them aside from Misha had flat-out refused to enter. Was this some kind of sick joke?

"...B-By the way, did they happen to list any reasons?"

"Y-Yes. Vobalt-sama stated that he 'wishes to prioritize his duties as the head of the Disciplinary Committee.' Traluus-sama wrote that he 'has no interest.' And Areas-sama simply wrote 'I have no confidence'..."

One of the other officers had asked, hoping that hearing their excuses might make the bitter pill easier to swallow. Unfortunately, it only made the atmosphere in the room even heavier.

Staring at the written comments of the three top rankers, Sena honestly found herself wondering what on earth was wrong with these people.

The Great Spirit Martial Arts Festival was an incredibly prestigious tournament held only once every two years to determine the absolute strongest among the young Spirit Masters. Did they think this was some kind of joke?

She could somewhat understand Vobalt prioritizing his duties as the head of the Disciplinary Committee—he was responsible for maintaining order within the academy, after all. But even so! So many students dreamed of participating, only to shed bitter tears because they lacked the necessary strength. And yet, these three geniuses couldn't care less?!

"..."

"...U-Um, President?"

When Sena timidly called out to the unresponsive Misha, an absolutely massive wave of Spiritual Power suddenly erupted from the princess. The sheer pressure caused a visible crack to snake across the floor. Sena slapped her hands over her mouth to muffle her own terrified squeak, slowly backing away.

"Sena," Misha said.

"Y-Yes, President."

"I'll be taking those survey forms and the tally sheet."

"E-Eh... Y-Yes, certainly."

Confused by the sudden instruction, Sena hesitated for a moment. But faced with Misha's terrifyingly sweet smile and the oppressive pressure still rolling off her in waves, she silently complied and handed the documents over.

"Also, please summon those three individually for interviews at a later date. I intend to ask them directly about their reasons for refusing to participate in the Great Spirit Martial Arts Festival."

"U-Understood."

"In that case, Lenny. I'd like to hear from Loxley Vobalt first. Please summon him."

"E-Eh? Y-You want me to do it?"

Lenny Bancle, another Student Council officer who had been quietly observing the situation from the corner of the room, gaped in sheer astonishment. He clearly hadn't expected to be singled out.

"Is there a problem?"

"N-No, not a problem, exactly... It's just..."

His target was the head of the Disciplinary Committee, a man infamous for being terrifying. There was no guarantee he would come quietly, and if Lenny somehow managed to get on his bad side, there was no telling what would happen to him.

"I can count on you, yes?"

"...Yes."

But knowing better than to defy Misha, the absolute ruler of the Student Council, Lenny hung his head and accepted his orders with a look of utter despair.

"I'll issue instructions regarding the others shortly. Please take care of it. Now then, the Headmaster requested my presence, so if you'll excuse me."

"..."

The moment Misha stepped out of the room, Sena and Lenny locked eyes, their faces practically devoid of life.

"We really have it rough, don't we?" Sena muttered.

"My nightmare is just beginning..." Lenny groaned. "Do you think I'll make it back alive?"

Feeling Sena's sympathetic gaze, Lenny let out a heavy sigh. Delivering a simple message to the head of the Disciplinary Committee was a dreadful task in and of itself.

"But seriously, what is wrong with those three? Are they really that uninterested in the Great Spirit Martial Arts Festival?"

"Don't ask me. If anything, that's what I'd like to know. I never in a million years imagined all three of them would refuse to participate," Sena replied.

Roak Areas's refusal was particularly terrifying to report. Misha had personally witnessed his Rank Battle the other day and clearly had high expectations for him. Unsurprisingly, the news seemed to have thoroughly pissed her off.

"More importantly, what does Roak even mean when he says he 'lacks confidence'? Lacks confidence in what?! The guy managed to claim the number two spot in our year without even revealing his contracted spirit! What the hell is he talking about?!" Lenny exasperatedly exclaimed.

"Like I said, I don't know. If you've got complaints, go take them up with him directly."

And so, the two officers spent the next while complaining about the three absolute problem children who had brought all this unnecessary extra work down on their heads. At the end of it all, they both heaved another heavy sigh.

"...?!"

"What's wrong?"

Just as the lecture ended and we were getting up from our seats, a sudden, violent shiver ran down my spine. Gareth tilted his head in confusion at my reaction.

"Nothing, I just... suddenly got a really bad chill."

"Catching a cold?"

"No, I don't think it's that... What is this? I just got a really bad feeling..."

I muttered, tilting my own head in total confusion. Where the hell did that chill come from?

"Well, it's probably just your imagination, isn't it?"

"...Yeah, you're probably right."

I racked my brain for a moment, but couldn't think of anything in particular that would trigger something like that. Deciding to take Gareth's word for it and chalk it up to my imagination, I left the classroom.

It wouldn't be until a few days later that I realized just how horribly right that bad feeling had been.

＊＊＊＊＊

"Speaking of which, rumors are flying around the academy lately that Chairman Loxley and Traluus were summoned by the Student Council," Gareth mentioned casually.

It was during lunch in the cafeteria. Gareth, Lily, and I were eating together when Gareth suddenly recalled a rumor currently circulating among the student body.

"Those two? Why?"

"No idea. I don't know the reason either."

Now, Traluus was a bit of a problem child. It made perfect sense for him to get summoned. The head of the Disciplinary Committee, however... I couldn't even begin to guess why he'd be called in. Actually, considering his personality, I suppose you could lump him into the 'problem child' category too, but he was generally a guy who understood his boundaries.

"Given the timing, I bet it's about the Great Spirit Martial Arts Festival," Lily suggested.

"That's definitely the most likely possibility," Gareth agreed.

Lily chimed in with her own opinion, and Gareth nodded in complete agreement.

Honestly, when you thought about the connection between those two, it was the only natural conclusion to draw.

"Wait. If I haven't been summoned... does that mean my survey actually got approved?" I asked, a spark of hope igniting in my chest.

If those two got called in and I didn't, didn't that basically mean the Student Council had decided I wasn't needed since they had Traluus and Loxley? I hadn't expected much from that simple survey, but surprisingly, checking that box actually worked!

"I wouldn't get my hopes up if I were you," Gareth warned. "Besides, you've been winning all your Rank Battles and maintaining excellent grades."

"Does that actually have anything to do with the Great Spirit Martial Arts Festival?" I asked.

Rank Battles were just standard practical exams used for grading. Why was he bringing them up in a conversation about the Great Spirit Martial Arts Festival?

"Roak, you really haven't been checking the bulletin boards, have you? This year, the Great Spirit Martial Arts Festival participants are also being evaluated based on their performance in the Rank Battles."

"Wait, seriously?"

"Yeah. That's exactly why Misha's been coming to spectate matches more often lately. And even when she can't make it, there's always at least one Student Council officer present to evaluate the fights."

I had noticed Misha attending a lot more Rank Battles recently, but I had absolutely no idea there was an ulterior motive behind it...

"Because of that, everyone seems to be taking the Rank Battles far more seriously this term," Gareth noted.

"Ah, I see. That explains why everyone has been making such a huge deal out of every single win or loss..."

Thinking back on it, that first-year student I helped out had seemed incredibly devastated after losing just one match. Even for a debut battle, his reaction had seemed extreme at the time. But if a ticket to the Great Spirit Martial Arts Festival was on the line, it all made perfect sense.

"Well, apparently they aren't judging strictly based on wins and losses. They're heavily evaluating the actual content of the battles themselves, so the final result isn't everything."

"Our Princess is really going all out, huh..."

Just hearing about the selection process was enough to tell me how seriously Misha was taking the upcoming Great Spirit Martial Arts Festival. Honestly, considering how swamped the Student Council was with their regular duties, just making time to observe the Rank Battles must have been a massive undertaking.

"Well, Yutrea Academy's track record at the tournament hasn't exactly been stellar lately. Now that she's Student Council President, she's probably desperate to turn things around," Gareth explained.

"Wait, is our academy really doing that poorly?"

"Yeah. I don't think we've even managed to crack the top eight in the last few tournaments, let alone the top three."

"Seriously...?"

Yutrea Academy was the absolute premier institution for cultivating Spirit Masters in the Romus Kingdom. Because of that reputation, I had naturally assumed we completely dominated the competition. But apparently, our track record at the Great Spirit Martial Arts Festival was downright abysmal.

"They were already panicking that a continued losing streak would severely damage the academy's reputation. And then, our incredibly talented generation enrolled. So naturally, they're going all out to win," Gareth concluded.

"Wow, talk about the worst possible timing to enroll..." I muttered.

Of all the times to enter the academy, it just had to be during a massive slump. I genuinely felt like the unluckiest person alive. Was I just born under a bad star?

"Actually, I'd say it's the perfect timing. Honestly, you're probably the only person in our entire year complaining about this."

"No way, I'm sure—Wait. Maybe I am."

I started to argue back, but quickly caught myself. When I thought about it, if I actually had a contracted spirit, I'd probably be dying to participate too. Even Lily was nodding along to Gareth's words right beside me. My mindset was definitely in the overwhelming minority here.

"Yeah. Any normal person would enter," Lily agreed.

"Definitely."

"...Yeah, you guys are probably right."

Anyone with the necessary skills would naturally want to compete. There were practically zero downsides and endless benefits. Thinking about it logically, I really was the only person in the entire school who would ever willingly decline a spot on the roster.

"Why are you so against participating anyway, Roak?" Lily suddenly asked.

"No, well, it's just..."

Faced with Lily's purely innocent question, my mind went completely blank. I couldn't come up with a decent excuse to save my life. Gareth knew the truth about my circumstances, but there was no way I could just casually dump the whole honest truth on Lily.

"He probably just thinks it's a hassle. I bet he's going to say he already has his hands full with regular classes and Rank Battles," Gareth interrupted.

"Shut it. I give it my all during every single class and Rank Battle."

While I had been internally panicking, Gareth tossed me a lifeline disguised as a teasing remark. I gratefully grabbed hold of it and smoothly sidestepped the question.

"...Hmm."

Lily stared at me in absolute silence for a long moment. Finally, despite an expression that clearly said she didn't believe a word of it, she offered a small nod. Grabbing her empty tray, she stood up from the table.

Gareth let out a small sigh as he watched her small back disappear into the crowd.

"...Don't you think it's time you told Lily the truth about your spirit? I highly doubt she'd judge you or treat you any differently."

"...Yeah. Honestly, I think so too. But..."

"I'm not saying you need to force yourself," Gareth gently reassured me. "You should only tell her when you're truly ready."

"..."

But what if I told her and she was completely creeped out? What if she looked at me with disgust? What if she started avoiding me altogether...?

It was strange. Whenever I pictured telling her the truth, my mind instantly gravitated toward the absolute worst-case scenarios. I knew Lily's personality better than that. I knew the chances of her actually rejecting me were practically zero. But even that fraction of a percent of doubt was enough to paralyze me with fear.

"Besides," Gareth chuckled, "it's honestly terrifying how well you've managed to hide the truth up until now."

"No kidding. I'm honestly still surprised myself."

Thanks to the support of an understanding mentor and great friends, I had miraculously managed to make it to my second year in one piece. Honestly, I was fully expecting to get expelled back in my first year. You really never knew how life was going to turn out.

Though as a result of hiding the truth, I had accidentally spawned a massive, completely unmanageable misunderstanding among the rest of the student body.

"Areas-sama, do you have a moment?"

"Huh? Oh, yes. Wait, you're the Student Council Secretary..."

I turned around to find a girl standing directly behind me. It was Sena Tiedor, the Student Council Secretary.

"Can I help you with something?"

"I apologize for the sudden request, but would it be possible for you to stop by the Student Council room after classes today?" she asked politely.

"Today? To the Student Council room?"

"Yes. If today is inconvenient for you, another day is perfectly fine. What do you say?"

"..."

I slowly shifted my gaze from Sena over to Gareth. He offered a knowing shrug, his expression practically screaming, "I told you so."

"...No, today is fine."

"Thank you very much. We'll be expecting you after classes end."

Sena bowed politely before turning on her heel and walking out of the cafeteria. Watching her retreat, I muttered softly.

"Did I forget to submit some application form or something?"

"It's almost definitely about the Great Spirit Martial Arts Festival, you idiot."

—Yeah, figured.

I sat there in the crowded cafeteria and quietly looked up at the heavens.

ToC