༺ Last Class Standing (9) ༻
It was important to know when to quickly give up on a battle with no chance of winning. Distinguishing between what was difficult and what was impossible was one of the most crucial life skills.
That was why I gave up as soon as the announcement mentioned the advisor’s name. The odds might be fifty-fifty against Rutis, but against the advisor, they were zero. Not close to zero, but absolutely zero.
‘With this lineup, it’s hopeless.’
It wouldn’t be enough even if my team combined with Rutis’s and the eight of us attacked all at once. How could a hastily assembled team of eight from the academy possibly stand against the killer of Kagan?
In the past, the United Kingdom of Yuben had collected information on Kagan and concluded that confronting Kagan would require the full might of the royal mage corps just to achieve a stalemate. That conclusion was also the best-case scenario from highly optimistic simulations.
Several conditions were adjusted to reach this stalemate: if Kagan was alone without leading an army, if the intel about him was exaggerated, and assuming Kagan’s defense was only that of a normal superhuman. Only with all these limits did it seem like a fair fight.
And yet, Rutis seemed intent on taking on the advisor.
‘He’s out of his mind.’
I couldn’t help but click my tongue at this irrational behavior. Surely he wasn’t trying to actually win, right? He must have just felt excited at the prospect of facing a strong opponent.
This is why I couldn’t understand swordsmen. There should be a limit to how strong your opponent was; what was the point if the gap was too wide?
I should immediately surrender once Rutis falls. It might hurt my pride, but I was already fleeing from the throne, anyway. In a way, this was better.
Boom—!
That decision was wise.
‘This is insane.’
The distance between the advisor and Rutis was significant, a gap a trained knight would need several seconds to close.
Yet, the advisor appeared in front of Rutis in an instant and slammed him into the ground, creating a shockwave that almost shattered the entirety of the arena’s floor.
‘It wasn’t just any floor.’
I inadvertently looked down at the floor. This was the empire’s top educational institution; even the most minor facility wouldn’t be poorly maintained.
Moreover, this academy was built on the legacy of Apels, which was historically the wealthiest on the continent. I had heard that the arena was made of a material so durable that not even the sharpest sword or the strongest magic could scratch it.
I looked up again to see where Rutis was lying down. The floor around him was shattered, with only stone fragments rolling around.
‘…Is he alive?’
I was seriously concerned. If the impact was enough to shatter the floor, then it couldn’t have been minor.
“I surrender.”
I sheathed my wand and raised my hands. The advisor had rushed over with speed I couldn’t even see. Any hesitation, and I might end up lying next to Rutis before I get the chance to surrender.
I’d rather not. Unlike Rutis, I haven’t trained my body much. If Rutis ended up like that, I would surely die instantly.
— The final winner of the four-person event is 1st year class 3!
The announcement came simultaneously with my surrender.
***
What’s the big deal about life? Everything will work out somehow, right?
‘Damn it.’
Not really. There was indeed a big deal, and it seemed like it wouldn’t work out by itself.
Lather’s quick surrender, the announcement that followed immediately, and the healers rushing over.
Seeing this, I realized that my attempt to escape reality had failed. No matter how I thought about it, I was in deep trouble.
“Ah, oppa! Is Rutis okay?”
Louise ran over in a panic, her face pale.
It was an unprecedented situation where someone she knew had pushed another to the brink of death. She must’ve been unsure of how to react.
“He’s fine. Even if he’s hurt, he’ll recover quickly with a good healer.”
This was true. Coughing up blood? In a world where limbs could be severed and reattached, that wasn’t a big deal at all. A few healing spells, and he’d be up and heading home in no time.
The real issue was that I caused a royal to bleed.
‘Damn it.’
No matter how hard I tried to think, all that came to mind was ‘damn.’
There were excuses to be made. It was an academy event, a competition where swords and magic flew freely, and injuries could happen. Rutis also wasn’t the type to get angry over something like this.
But even considering all three of them, probation would be the minimum consequence. Even if Rutis were to defend me, saying, ‘I’m fine, though,’ my probation was pretty much guaranteed.
“Hyung, that was too much.”
‘That bastard.’
Erich’s comment as he ambled over made my hand twitch. He might have ended up lying next to Rutis if he weren’t my brother.
However, I couldn’t bring myself to curse him out. I also thought I had gone too far.
‘I should have just given him a flick on the forehead.’
That alone would have been enough to make him roll around happily.
Sighing, I accidentally made eye contact with Sir Villar, who was in the stands.
Shock, resentment, and faint envy were mixed in Villar’s eyes.
‘Honestly, it was satisfying.’
I’m screwed, but at least I was happy for a second…
***
The inter-class competition ended with Lather’s class lifting the victory trophy.
Although the victory in the four-person event went to me, causing Rutis’s and Lather’s classes to tie, a joint victory wasn’t an option. And so, they said that ‘since Rutis’s class fell before Lather’s class, Lather’s class wins.’
It must feel unjust for Rutis, who had been knocked unconscious from the first blow. However, second place was still commendable. He shouldn’t be discouraged.
“They said he recovered without any issues.”
“That’s a relief.”
“Yes, it’s very fortunate.”
Though it seemed that I was the one who was going to suffer.
The principal led me directly to his office after the inter-class competition awards ceremony and closing speech. Although I felt like a delinquent then, I felt more of an assaulter at this moment…
I quietly lowered my gaze as the principal set down the communication crystal, clutching his forehead as if he had a headache. In this situation, I was nothing more than a traitorous bastard with no right to speak.
“I’ll trust only you, Executive Manager.”
I remembered what the principal had said before I went down to the arena, leaving me even more speechless.
‘I didn’t expect it to end in one hit.’
Still, it felt somewhat unfair. Of course I had been cautious. Who would go so far as to make a royal bleed, regardless of any accumulated grievances?
But regardless of my intentions, this was the outcome. The sin of not controlling my strength was indeed grave.
“…I understand that the Executive Manager was in a difficult position.”
The principal broke the silence.
“Had we shown leniency in that situation, it might have actually offended them more.”
I nodded involuntarily at those words. The kingdom of Armein was a land of knights. Being part of its royal family would naturally mean that Rutis would be the embodiment of their competitiveness and pride.
Fighting with bare hands could be seen as a skilled person showing mercy to a less skilled person, but showing open leniency or deliberately losing? He would have seen it as an insult, which would have been more problematic.
“He told me that injuries during the match were natural and that he didn’t care.”
The subject wasn’t specified, but it was clear. Rutis must’ve woken up and had given a pardon.
Speaking of pardon made me feel like a real criminal. Well, I was, in a sense.
“Fortunately, Armein’s side has no intention of making a big issue out of it. They’ll only report that he was examined by a healer after the match.”
Seeing the principal look relieved suggested that the matter had been resolved. From Armein’s perspective, reporting that the prince under their protection had bled would probably be terrifying.
They probably coordinated with the other two countries and reported back to their own country in the most vague and minimal way possible.
“However, the academy plans to report the truth to the Ministry of Education. Please understand.”
“Of course. I apologize for causing a disturbance.”
I bowed my head at the principal’s words. Though he mentioned asking for my understanding, the principal had already shown me the utmost consideration.
He did his best to ensure that the incident didn’t escalate into a diplomatic issue by keeping it within the academy. It would be unconscionable to ask him not to report it to the higher-ups.
Afterward, I was able to leave the principal’s office only after expressing my gratitude and apologies numerous times.
‘I’m doomed.’
Armein managed to prevent the situation from escalating, avoiding the label ‘Escorts who failed to protect their charge.’ Villar would likely be able to come out of this without much damage.
However, I couldn’t escape my responsibility. Someone had to be held accountable for Rutis’s injury.
It seemed like my communication crystal would be glowing soon…
***
A day passed, and it felt as if my blood had turned to ice.
It seemed that the Ministry of Education was stunned upon hearing about the sudden assault on a royal. After all, this wasn’t something that should take a whole day to address.
‘What a life.’
I had been on my toes yesterday, expecting to be summoned immediately. If I was summoned to the capital this time, then my probation was certain. I might not be able to return to the academy for a while, so I had to do what needed to be done.
First, I visited Rutis to apologize and check on him.
“Since I asked for your guidance, an injury is only natural, isn’t it? Please, let’s do it again next time!”
Naturally, he said something terrible. I couldn’t even tell him off because of my guilt.
Then, I showed my face to the club members.
“Oppa, don’t worry too much since Rutis is okay.”
“It’s his own fault. If he had surrendered like me, then this wouldn’t have happened.”
They comforted me first. Perhaps they held some affection for me after all this time. I felt somewhat moved.
My last visit was to Marghetta, but I couldn’t bring myself to speak after seeing her distant look.
Her expression was like that of a mother who just caught her trusted son stealing from her purse. It was as if she had never imagined that I could cause such a major incident.
“Carl. No matter what happens, I’m on your side.”
Seeing her smile gently while saying those words made my heart ache. I’m the criminal, so please blame me instead.
I sighed and turned my gaze to the communication crystal. This criminal now had to embark on a long journey.
[ Come to the capital immediately. ]
Just one day after the legendary assault incident, a direct message from the Crown Prince arrived.
Was it just my imagination, or did the Crown Prince’s curt message relay just how angry he was?
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