Chapter 27 – The Night Before the Decisive Battle

I dedicated nearly all my spare time to training…
Time flew by and it’s now the eve of the showdown.

“Come on, stay still.”

“Ouch”

I have Justina treating the wounds from training.
Unfortunately the infirmary is closed at the current hour. There’s a basic medical room in the dormitory just in case but…
I haven’t used it as I would have a hard time explaining how I got injured.

“I’m sorry Alto. I wish I could use healing magic but…i’ve never had injuries worse then scratches, so I’m not good at healing magic.”

“Justina, you don’t have to worry. It’s my fault for not doing better.”

“Nah Alto. You’re doing just fine.”

Justina smiles warmly at me.

After finishing the treatment, she affectionately pats my head with a grin.

“Good job, Good job.”

“Ummm… what are you doing? ”

“I’m praising Alto because he successfully endured through the training.”

“I’m not a kid, though…”

“Ummm…. I mean, I wanted to give you praise in my own way, so I just…it’s not that I’m treating you like a kid – I’m sorry.”

“If that’s the case, well…”

In fact, it felt somewhat reassuring.

“I really think you’re amazing. Facing a horde of rampaging monsters… that kind of training, one wrong step, and it could have been disastrous. But Alto, you managed to overcome it properly. I don’t think an ordinary person could do it, honestly.”

“It’s because Justina was there for me. And Gran and Ginny provided support too. So, I could give it my all without worrying about what comes next.”

“Honestly, Alto, you’re too modest. I think you can afford to be a bit more proud, you know?”

“Even if you say that…”

This is who I am. I can’t suddenly change right now.

“I ended up with quite a few injuries, but… now, I’m fully prepared, right?”

“Yeah.”

Over these two days, I did all that I could.

I also feel a reasonable sense of accomplishment.

Now… all that’s left is to give it my all against Jas tomorrow.

“How confident are you?”

“Confidence, huh? When it comes to that, it’s hard to say.”

While his personality may be twisted, Jas’s abilities are undeniable. He didn’t rank fifth in the academy for no reason.

On the other hand, I managed to squeeze into eleventh place…

I relied solely on my physical abilities, and my combat skills were lacking.

I’ve been training rigorously for the past few days, but…

I wonder if I’ve improved enough to match Jas?

That’s unclear, and there’s a lot I can’t say about it.

However…

“I’ll win.”

My win rate is unknown, and I can’t say anything for sure.

I can’t say it, but… I deliberately said it.

“Justina, Gran, Ginny… They all helped me. They’ve supported me so much. I can’t afford to lose after everything they’ve done for me. That’s why… I’ll win.”

“…”

“Justina?”

Justina seemed lost in thought. Her reaction was somewhat familiar.

She absentmindedly waved her hand in front of her face and then suddenly snapped back to reality.

“Ah… S-sorry. I got lost in thought because Alto said something so cool.”

“I didn’t say anything particularly cool…”

“You did. Right now, Alto, you might be the coolest you’ve ever been.”

“Is that so?”

“This is troublesome, really troublesome.”

I wonder what’s so troublesome?

When I asked…

“When we’re together like this, I keep discovering Alto’s cool sides day by day. Every time, I start liking you more and more. Uh, if this continues, my feelings for Alto might explode.”

“Haha… Well, then, I’ll have to show you some uncool sides to let off steam.”

“Umm… I can’t even imagine Alto having uncool sides. Even if you were to lose, I think I’d be charmed by how hard you fought.”

About Justina’s affection for me reaching its limit.

I’m not that great of a person to deserve such affection…

No, I should avoid such thoughts.

My feelings are still unclear, but…

I want to become strong to be worthy of Justina.

I want to become a better person.

Not looking back, but with such a forward-looking attitude…

I want to keep walking forward from now on.

“Justina.”

“Yeah?”

“I… will win.”

“Yeah!”

---

On the eve of the decisive battle, Jas ran through the academy grounds, warming up his body.

It was an adjustment for the upcoming day.

While Jas bullied Alto and saw him only as a toy…

That didn’t mean he underestimated him.

Thanks to Justina’s help, Alto had defeated Cedric.

If he treated Alto as beneath him like Cedric, he might face the same fate.

And there was the recent exam.

Alto had achieved a remarkable feat, leaping from an unranked position to eleventh place, thanks to his incredible physical abilities.

Jas couldn’t afford to underestimate him.

Jas gradually slowed down and came to a stop.

“Well… there’s no doubt about my victory.”

Jas was confident of his victory.

Certainly, Alto’s physical abilities were formidable.

However, he relied solely on brute force and lacked any real combat skills.

He was like a charging boar, unable to do anything except rush toward his prey.

There was no need to engage in a direct contest of strength.

With the right tactics, winning would be easy.

However, Alto was likely aware of his weaknesses.

In the past few days, he had probably been training to improve his combat skills.

But such skills didn’t develop overnight.

In that regard, Jas was different.

He had received exceptional education from a young age and had accumulated extensive experience.

What he had built up was beyond Alto’s reach.

“Even if it somehow reaches me, the result won’t change. Estennia, you’re foolish and naive. You’re only thinking about fighting… I’ll show you that such an attitude won’t make you my equal.”

“Oh, you have a sinister look on your face.”

“!?”

Suddenly, a third voice sounded.

Jas turned around in surprise, and there was a figure in a black robe, blending into the darkness of the night.

“What, it’s you… don’t startle me.”

“Sorry. I came to check on things since tomorrow is the big day… Hmmm. It seems there’s no issue with your condition.”

“Well, there’s no doubt I’ll win. There’s no way someone like Estennia can defeat me, a commoner.”

“Is that so? You’ve certainly been quite helpful. Your plan was interesting and effective, and your preparations were swift. But perhaps you should tell me who you are now.”

“Don’t worry about me. I’m just an ordinary citizen who wants to support you.”

“It’s hard to believe an ordinary citizen like you would be of any use… Well, I won’t be rude. If you’re helping me, I’ll provide you with a suitable reward. Is there anything you desire?”

“No, there’s nothing like that.”

“Hmm?”

Now, Jas hesitated.

The man in the black robe… judging from his voice, he was likely a man. He was cooperating without seeking any rewards, displaying an attitude of goodwill.

Normally, that was unthinkable. People usually had some ulterior motive.

Jas himself acted based on calculated self-interest in almost all of his actions.

“For me, cooperating with you is what’s necessary. By doing so, I can achieve my goal.”

“Hmm. What’s your goal, then? If you truly want to build a trustworthy relationship, answer me.”

“If you wish, I will tell you.”

The man in the black robe said with a cheerful voice.

“My goal is… the elimination of Justina Eltzerk and the humiliation of the Divine Dragon Bahamut.”

“Oh… you’re aiming quite high. Do you really think you can make enemies out of that Divine Dragon and win?”

“That’s part of the plan, and… I have a trump card.”

The man in the black robe smiled as he revealed the dark, glowing sphere.