The main event of the Hero Selection Tournament over two days went smoothly without any peculiar incidents.
Rudell, who was on a winning streak, faced off against an elf ranger who came out of the forest.
After a tense battle lasting over ten minutes, Rudell managed to barely defeat him and secured his ticket to the semifinals.
“Phew… that was close.”
“Still, you were amazing, right? That last bluff really paid off. If it hadn’t, we’d be in big trouble!”
With minor injuries all over his body, Rudell came down from the arena, and Leje spoke with a bright expression.
Even though the participants’ overall level was low, there were still quite a few formidable opponents mixed in.
The elf ranger Rudell just fought was one of those types.
“I have a whole new perspective on Spirit Magic. I didn’t realize it could be that dangerous when combined with battle…”
The elf ranger, wielding the wind spirit, was soaring in the sky while attacking.
The fire spirit summoned fiery projectiles that pierced through Rudell’s defenses, and the earth spirit constantly tripped him up, limiting his mobility.
Thanks to the water spirit healing his small wounds, Rudell had to fight with all his might.
“Isn’t that easily solvable? You know, that shadow magic that goes pabapak!”
“Sure, it could make things easier, but… as you know, that’s exactly the type of magic that draws the Inquisition’s attention.”
At a glance, Shadow Magic wasn’t all that different from the blood magic of vampires.
Of course, digging deeper, they were fundamentally different types of magic—vampire blood magic based on necromancy, and shadow magic simply manipulating shadows—but only a few well-versed in magic would know this.
It was best to avoid getting tangled up in troublesome matters altogether.
“Besides, it also loses potency in sunlight.”
“That magic’s more inconvenient than I thought. I thought it was a cure-all.”
“I’ve said it countless times, but there’s no such thing as an all-purpose magic in this world.”
With a faint smile towards Leje, Rudell made his way to the resting area on one side of the arena and sat down.
“Could you heal me, please?”
“Of course.”
After asking the priest waiting in the resting area, he approached Rudell and began to pray quietly.
At that moment, a faint light enveloped Rudell, and his minor wounds started to heal in an instant.
“I can’t help but think that real all-purpose magic is divine magic.”
Healing, buffs, and even attack spells.
Divine magic could handle all situations with just one spell.
Sure, it wasn’t easy to become a priest, but considering that becoming a magician wasn’t easy either, that was hardly a drawback.
[Finally, the last match of the quarterfinals! The winner gets the honor of wielding the Holy Sword!!]
The qualification to wield the Holy Sword was granted once they reached the semifinals.
From Rudell’s perspective, having been forced to participate by the Pope, he had almost achieved his goal.
However, the reason Rudell was keeping an eye on this match was different.
[This match features the talk of the town, the wandering swordsman! And their opponent is the Grand Khan Imajig from the desert tribe Barbaroi, who has overcome numerous competitors!!]
As the priest announced, two figures entered the arena.
One was a mysterious figure cloaked in robes.
The other was a huge man showing off a physique worthy of a bodybuilding competition.
“…”
“Still worried?”
Rudell’s gaze was fixed on the wandering swordsman.
Noticing his intense focus, Leje asked him.
“Yeah.”
Surprisingly, the Hero Selection Tournament didn’t pry into the participants’ pasts that much.
As long as you had something to prove your identity, anyone could participate.
No matter how strong or morally upright someone was, the choice ultimately lay with the Holy Sword.
In fact, among the fallen heroes of the past, there were nobles from kingdoms that fell due to rebellion or people with unsavory pasts who had to hide their identities, making it a natural occurrence.
Being chosen by the Holy Sword meant being recognized by the gods.
Whatever their past, the very fact that the gods chose them gave legitimacy to the selected ones.
“I just have a bad feeling…”
For some reason, Rudell couldn’t shake off his unease about Imajig.
Was it just his imagination, or was there something he had overlooked?
At this moment, Rudell couldn’t place his suspicions.
“Don’t worry too much; no matter how crazy they are, the Yustania Kingdom is filled with the strongest from across the continent. Anything they might do would be suppressed in an instant?”
“That would be nice, but…”
Leje tried to ease Rudell’s worries, but he still couldn’t hide his anxieties.
It was undeniable that Yustania, the headquarters for all churches, was one of the safest places on the continent, but that only applied when dealing with rational beings.
However, the opponent was the Church of the Eaters of Death—a fanatic group that discarded reason and logic.
They aimed to spread even more death, indifferent to their own fates.
Expecting common sense from such fanatics was a tall order.
Haa…
In fact, there was another reason for Rudell’s anxiety.
That reason was none other than Carvel.
According to the original story, he was certainly the final boss of this episode.
Yet, Rudell had yet to find any trace of him.
Unlike the shoddy actions of the church he had seen so far, Carvel’s movements were flawless.
On top of that, being a High Priest, Rudell had no way to reveal his misdeeds.
In other words, it was possible that they could be infiltrated throughout the Holy Kingdom under Carvel’s influence.
To put it bluntly: who would know that the wandering swordsman right in front of him was a church member?
[Now, let’s start the match for the last ticket to the semifinals!!]
– Deeeeeeeng!!
At that moment, with the priest’s signal, the match began…
And at the same time, the two people in the arena charged at each other, engaging in a fierce duel.
In mere seconds, dozens of sword strikes were exchanged, while priests around them focused on maintaining the barrier to prevent it from breaking.
“That’s incredible…”
“Right? I feel like I want to jump in and fight right now.”
As they watched the spectacle, Rudell and Leje let out short exclamations.
Thus, after several minutes of back and forth…
“Ah, that person made a mistake.”
With Leje’s words, Imajig was caught in a feint and lost his footing.
Seizing that opportunity, the wandering swordsman swung up with their sword, producing a sharp metallic ching! sound as Imajig’s weapon flew into the air.
A moment later, the sword fell to the ground with a thud! and lodged itself into the earth.
“I concede…”
[Winner! The wandering swordsman!!]
As Imajig knelt down, having lost the will to fight, the priest from Antaine shouted loudly.
[The final four have been determined!! The Imperial Knight Commander Pahelbel Brant! The noble Leje El Lagrind and Rudellheit Weinstein of the Kingdom! Lastly, the unaffiliated wandering swordsman!!]
As cheers erupted from the audience, the Antaine priest grabbed a magical tool and continued speaking.
[The semifinals will be held shortly after we determine who will receive the Holy Sword, so everyone, please don’t leave your seats! See you soon!!]
After bowing to the audience, the priest from Antaine left the arena, and Rudell and Leje also rose from their seats.
“Rudellheit Weinstein! Leje El Lagrind! Where are you two?”
At that moment, a staff member, presumably a prince, approached Rudell and Leje in the resting area and shouted.
Rudell and Leje stood up, and the priest came over to them.
“A ceremony for the selection of the Holy Sword will be held soon, so both of you please come this way…”
“Got it.”
“I’m excited! Right?”
“Well, it’s obvious you’ll be chosen.”
Rudell replied without any notable excitement.
“You always say that. We won’t know until we see the results.”
“Yeah, yeah. Clearly, it’s going to happen.”
He thought he had already seen the future.
With that thought in mind, Rudell followed the priest as they walked.
“…”
And not far away, a pair of eyes were watching the two of them.
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