The woman was clearly no ordinary person. Though concealed by her robe, the way she moved to pull out her money pouch and the glimpse of her wrist revealed that she was quite skilled with a blade. Jesant put down his beer mug and approached.
“Wow, someone here is ready to gamble their life. Impressive! Cash, jewels, and accessories, that’s no joke. Got any land deeds?”
“Will you accept them?”
Jesant flinched at the cold gaze of the woman. If she were truly willing to accept land deeds, she was serious about this.
Of course, he would accept.
This was lawless territory.
If it could be turned into cash, everything was on the table, but this was a bit too much.
“No, lady. This is enough. With Aios Battle Soccer, the odds are already four times. If it bursts, we’ll be broke!”
Even if she wagered more than this, he couldn’t pay her back. Understanding his implication, the woman nodded but didn’t withdraw her bet.
Seeing this, Jesant beamed and received a bottle of alcohol from the bartender.
“Let’s all toast for this lady! Yeah, this is how we live life! Care for a sip?”
Jesant expected her to refuse, but the lady eagerly accepted the bottle and gulped it down.
“Wow, this lady can drink! Incredible! Not thinking of finding a husband here today? How about me?”
“Get lost.”
“Awesome! Awesome! I fell for you today!”
The lady, annoyed, just sat at the bar table, continuously taking sips of her drink. The alcohol seemed strong, yet her composure remained firm after several swigs.
‘What is this girl doing?’
Wagering a fortune that could shake the gambling den, and still sipping calmly?
Jesant noticed some thugs and gambling addicts lurking around, so he sat beside her protectively.
These fools might mess with her and ruin everything.
“What’s with all that drinking, lady? You seem like you wouldn’t touch alcohol.”
Jesant asked with his sweet talk usually reserved for flirting, but she didn’t even glance his way when she replied.
“I’m under stress from work lately. My charge has been acting a bit strange.”
“Work? Charge?”
She probably wouldn’t divulge anything more. Jesant stroked his chin, pondering, then offered her his drink.
“I’m Jesant! Kind of a famous name, you know?”
Thinking they were just introducing themselves, the lady glanced at him and knocked her bottle against his.
“I’m Bertia.”
*
Pales and Aios.
The traditional competition battle was regrettably tilted too far to consider it a rivalry.
Aios Academy had been losing for a staggering 13 years.
Though Pales accepted commoners if they had talent, they were exclusive to noble children and offered subtle privileges to powerful families.
With the fate already sealed, the students didn’t bother trying hard and naturally fell behind.
Although it was gradually changing due to the dean’s newfound clarity.
“Ah, lost again!”
Tana beside him stomped her feet and cried out. The fourth years suffered a complete defeat in tug-of-war. They had undeniably been wiped out today.
The third years brought back momentum from winning the Golden Ball competition, only for the fourth years to immediately hand it over.
The second and third years were still putting up a fight, but overall, the continuing losses for Aios were apparent.
Still, there were those who stood out.
As the relay race commenced, Sen, holding the baton, surged ahead swiftly. Being a mana-enabled event, a soft blue glow emanated from her body.
“Is it because she’s small? She’s so nimble.”
Sen was participating in both Mana Volleyball and the relay race. Last year, she pretended to be an ordinary student with the Chokugen Faction, but that was no longer necessary.
She widened the gap in an instant.
Continuing the upper hand, our last runner was a sturdy, blonde hunk.
Ares Helias.
“Arees!”
“Run! Run!”
“My man is the best!”
Was the last leg Arni Duratan?
Regardless, Ares received the baton and took off, giving off an explosive aura. It seemed he was also drawing on the power of Helios’ mark, cleverly pretending it was mana.
Finally, Ares crossed the finish line with a round difference.
He was likely the most monitored by Pales, as an ace who transferred in third year had appeared out of nowhere.
Wiping his sweat, he looked just like a protagonist from a comic.
“Haa, that was tough.”
At that moment, Eve, who had been cheering for the relay, came over, panting. Surrounding male students were glancing at her in her cheerleader outfit, with even those from Pales far away staring.
Tana gave a thumbs up.
“Great job, Eve! You crushed the cheerleading!”
“Huh? I totally messed up the choreography.”
“Doesn’t matter since it’s about physicality. Everything boils down to strength.”
Tana, fist clenched, proclaimed the truth, looking a bit ridiculous, but honestly, she wasn’t wrong.
What other female students had physiques like Eve’s? Even if she messed up the choreography, most likely, they were watching something other than that.
“I don’t get what you mean. The squad leader just praised me.”
“Well, good is good.”
Handing her a cold water bottle, Eve smiled widely and relaxed, which was quite cute.
Probably after today’s competition, both Aios and Pales students would try to talk to Eve.
But Tana would thoroughly block them.
At that moment, Rin approached from the stairs.
“Daniel, they say it’s almost time to prepare?”
“What’s there to prepare already? Isn’t today the final match of Battle Soccer?”
“Right, but the soccer club team leader wants everyone to practice.”
Rin was serving as a moderator. She volunteered for extra service points, I heard.
Glancing at the time, for Battle Soccer to start, it had to be evening, yet why were they preparing already? It was only 3 o’clock. The sun was shining high.
“If we practice from now, doesn’t that mean we’ll be exhausted during the actual game? Don’t talk nonsense, tell them to rest.”
“Hmm, I’ll say that for now.”
Rin walked off briskly. This match and that match, the dean was driving everyone crazy to participate.
“Is the soccer club captain a fourth-year?”
“Yeah, they’re losing now, so it seems like they want at least one win in Battle Soccer.”
Too much enthusiasm can lead to frustration.
They should at least be aware of that.
“I’ll cheer for Daniel!”
Sweating profusely, what cheering? Handing her a few more towels she brought earlier.
“Forget that, wipe your sweat and go cheer for the others.”
“Hey, I want to cheer for Daniel.”
With her hands moving playfully as if cheering, Eve giggled. Her adorable manner made me smirk.
“Cheering is meant to lift the spirits of those who struggle.”
“Right?”
“I’m not struggling.”
*
“Please, please, please, please.”
In the center where Aios Academy’s and Pales Academy’s seats met, the deans of Aios and Pales were sitting together.
Behind them, other professors stood as guards, subtly keeping watch over each other.
Thanks to the third years’ efforts, Aios was no longer facing a complete defeat, but it still fell behind.
And now.
Only the 80-minute match of Battle Soccer remained, marking the end of the first day of the two-day competition.
Excluding the large-scale battle, this was the game that resulted in the most injuries and conflicts. Yet, it still had the highest overall score.
The dean pressed down firmly with his hand resting on his thigh. Noting this, the Pales dean scoffed and asked.
“Are you nervous?”
A blatant provocation.
A childish tension for two elderly figures. Usually, Aios’ dean would keep a composed demeanor, yet he kept his eyes fixed on the players waiting in the dugout.
The neglected Pales dean couldn’t hide his irritation but still ignored Aios’ gaze.
“Well then, you’ve had dinner. The highlight of the first day!”
“Battle Soccer, where mana manipulation and any combat actions among players are allowed, is about to start!”
The student in charge of the event, who had looked a bit tired, now forced himself to raise the tension, seeing it as the final game of the day.
The spectators cheered as they greeted the entering players.
‘Please! Please! Please!’
The Aios dean almost stared his eyes out.
Among the substitute players, Daniel McLean, with a broken right hand, walked out with a dull expression.
“Hah, that player is competing in Battle Soccer with a broken hand? Shouldn’t someone stop him?”
The Pales dean genuinely worried, but the Aios dean beamed with joy and shouted.
“We won!”
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