Master 49

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“After a fierce battle, we finally have a winner!”  

After a long and intense duel, the head of the academic department, who had been commentating on the situation, received my signal and declared the match over in a loud voice.  

“Overcoming Charlie’s relentless barrage, Robin advances to the next round!”  

As he said, Charlie, who had been widening the distance while continuously chanting spells until the last moment, ultimately failed to cover the opening that appeared in an instant and was subdued by Robin, collapsing to the ground.  

“To think we’d have such an intense match right from the start! The students competing in the next round must feel quite pressured. By the way, the defeated student, Charlie, is actually the head of the club I run—”  

“Professor Felix. Let’s stop there.”  

“…Ah, my apologies.”  

Even after the match had ended, the academic department head continued speaking in his commentator tone, only to be warned by the dean beside him.  

As he awkwardly lowered the microphone, Lady Meredia, who had been watching me with a look of disdain, muttered in a low voice.  

“You seem quite excited, which doesn’t suit your appearance.”  

“Huff, huff…”  

“For the record, that applies to you as well, Whitney Lingard.”  

I had been catching my breath after continuously giving orders to the two students, but when the remark unexpectedly targeted me, I forced a smile and opened my mouth.  

“…What do you think of my analysis?”  

“Well, I must admit, it was certainly impressive.”  

“Haha, thank you—”  

“That is, up until you got one or two early predictions right.”  

As expected, Lady Meredia was not someone who could be brushed off with light words like Princess Katarina or Hestia.  

“Do you really not find it strange that every single detail of the match played out exactly as you predicted?”  

“……”

“What kind of trick did you pull? I didn’t sense any magic being used.”  

As she said this, Meredia’s gemstone-like eyes shimmered slightly as she looked at me.  

“Could it be that my supposedly ordinary fiancé is actually an SSS-rank tactical genius?”  

“Ha.”  

“…That was a joke, Lady.”  

I attempted a meaningless joke to buy myself some time, though my mind was already on the verge of overloading.  

“You do realize that doppelgänger creation is illegal, don’t you?”  

“Gasp.”  

“Where are the real students?”  

Despite my desperate attempt to divert the topic, Lady Meredia had already grasped the general situation.  

“Are you planning to report this to the Holy Kingdom?”  

“Sigh.”  

Now that I had no other options, I had no choice but to appeal to her emotions, putting on the most pitiful expression I could muster as I cautiously probed for her response.  

“You need to tell me the truth if you want my help with the cleanup.”  

“Ah, as expected of you, Lady.”  

Fortunately, after glaring at me coldly, Lady Meredia let out a sigh and decided to become my accomplice.  

“…I’ve buried a lot of bodies before.”  

“I-I haven’t killed anyone, though.”  

“……”  

“It’s true. By now, my maid should be taking good care of them.”  

I couldn’t tell whether her words were a joke or serious, but in any case, I was grateful.  

“You know, if I were my old self, I would have already cut your throat by now.”  

“……”

“So be grateful. I’m actually quite generous with my people.”  

Hmm, should I be thankful for that?  

“By the way, I’ve always wondered—how do you constantly pull off feats beyond imagination?”  

“…Me?”  

“You’re personally creating a hero and awakening the saint. I don’t know whether to call it reckless or calculated.”  

As I scratched my head and observed Meredia’s expression, I finally grasped the gravity of the situation.  

…This is turning into a bigger problem than I expected.  

For now, I’ve avoided the immediate threat of the selection tournament being suspended, but at this rate, I’m directly interfering in the competition.  

That means the hero selection might not proceed as it was originally supposed to.  

‘The moment I interfere, doesn’t that mean the original fate has already been distorted?’  

In the original story, one of the top three winners of the selection tournament was chosen by the saint.  

But what if that fate is twisted due to the influence of the doppelgänger I created?  

In the worst case, even if the saint comes into contact with the winners, nothing might happen—a catastrophic failure.  

‘At this point, I have no choice but to minimize my influence on the selection tournament.’  

That means I need to ensure that Robin, who just won, and Hayden, who is set to compete, are eliminated as soon as possible.  

At the very least, I’m certain that a doppelgänger cannot become the hero.  

So increasing the chances of legitimate participants being chosen as heroes is the best course of action.  

“Alright, let’s move on to the second match!”  

With those thoughts in mind, I was about to take a moment to catch my breath before my next evaluation.  

“Third-year student Hayden versus—brace yourselves—first-year student Lady Cecil Lingard!”  

“…Oh no.”  

The moment I heard the matchup for the second match, I let out a deep sigh.  

“This time… there’s no helping it.”  

It was one thing for Hayden, my doppelgänger, to be called up right away, but for his opponent to be her of all people…  

“You’re planning to eliminate your sister no matter what, aren’t you?”  

“…Was it that obvious?”  

“I’ve never seen your emotions show this clearly on your face before.”  

As I steeled myself with determination, I heard Lady Meredia chuckling beside me.  

“I never realized I was such a selfish person.”  

“Indeed. Family is the greatest threat in this world. If it were me, I would have cut off the problem at the root from the start.”  

“Haha…”  

Well, for Meredia, family was nothing more than competitors—enemies who would go so far as to threaten each other’s lives.  

But for me, it was different.  

To me, family was…  

“…So precious that I can’t bear to let them walk a thorny path?”  

I clenched my hands tightly, swallowing the words I wanted to say.  

But then, hearing an unexpected voice from beside me, I widened my eyes and turned my head.  

“Saintess?”  

“For the first time, I can see you clearly now, Whitney Lingard.”  

Lady Hestia, who had been quietly standing in her seat, now looked directly at me and spoke in a firm voice.  

“I apologize for misunderstanding you all this time.”  

“….?”  

“And don’t listen to what others say.”  

There was no trace of the timid demeanor I had seen in her over the past few weeks.  

Rather, she now seemed more like the saint I had always known in the game—a steadfast ally and a force for good.  

“…What did you just say?”  

Meredia narrowed her eyes coldly, as if she had sensed something off or simply disliked Hestia contradicting her.  

“Shouldn’t we start the match now?”  

“Hah.”  

But to my surprise, Hestia met her gaze head-on and simply urged the match to begin.  

‘Why is she suddenly acting like this…?’  

Of course, it was a good thing that the saint was behaving like one.  

“You look troubled.”  

But her sudden change was so unexpected that I couldn’t help but look at her in confusion.  

Then, she slowly turned her gaze toward me and gave a gentle smile.  

“Are you unsure of the path ahead?”  

“Uh…”  

“Don’t worry. Just do what you want to do.”  

For a brief moment, her eyes seemed to glow white.  

“…After all, this is a path you’ve already walked once before, isn’t it?”  

Startled, I hesitated for a moment, but soon, a thought flashed through my mind.  

With that, I decided to focus on the match for now.

“Both sides, prepare yourselves.”  

‘It seems certain that the hero is somewhere nearby.’  

I took hope in the fact that the way Hestia was acting now was incredibly similar to the prologue of the original game.  

“Begin.”  

‘At the very least, fate has not yet been twisted.’  

And so, the second match began.  

***  

—BOOOOM!  

A tremendous impact shook the arena, sending up a massive cloud of dust that covered the battlefield.  

“Oh, wow.”  

“Wait, is that kid really a first-year?”  

“This selection tournament is no joke…”  

As the dust finally settled, the audience, who had expected an easy victory for Hayden, began murmuring in astonishment.  

“Urgh…”  

To everyone’s surprise, Cecil, despite enduring a shockwave powerful enough to shake the entire arena, was locked in a sword clash with Hayden, engaging in a test of strength.  

‘…This is insane.’  

However, contrary to what it looked like, Cecil, who was pushing against Hayden’s blade, was already feeling an overwhelming sense of despair from facing the massive wall that stood before her.  

‘I’ve struck my sword against his so many times, yet not only have I failed to land a decisive hit, but even holding my ground is a struggle…’  

Unlike Hayden, who still had the leisure to attack at his own pace, blood was already beginning to pool at the corner of Cecil’s lips.  

‘It’s like he sees through my every move.’  

Cecil’s fighting style was built on high offensive power and decisiveness, but she lacked the endurance to withstand prolonged attacks.  

That was why she had gone all out at the beginning, aiming for a swift victory with overwhelming force.  

But the problem was the technique Hayden was using—his own unique sword aura.  

‘At this rate… I’ll lose without even landing a proper strike.’  

Hayden had mastered a technique called Vibrating Blade, an ability that could transmit tremors through anything it touched, even the ground and air.  

For Cecil, who had no choice but to block his attacks directly, it was a nightmare—each parry still inflicted damage on her.  

Creating distance and responding with magic wasn’t a viable option either.  

Even though Cecil was a prodigy with talent in both swordsmanship and magic, Hayden, a third-year known for his extreme balance in both disciplines, was an opponent who could counter anything she tried.  

To put it bluntly, Hayden was the complete and superior version of Cecil, who still lacked experience.  

‘If only I had mastered my own sword aura…’  

Her only hope was to awaken her own sword aura, but despite dedicating herself to intense training right up until the day before the selection tournament, she had been unable to manifest it.  

—Zzzzzzzzt…  

Now, locked in a battle of attrition, Cecil gritted her teeth as she heard a sinister metallic hum from Hayden’s vibrating blade, bracing herself for impact.  

—BOOM!  

But no matter how prepared she was, there was no way to fully withstand an impact so powerful it felt like it shook the entire space around her.  

“Cough…!”  

The shockwave sent Cecil flying backward.  

She barely managed to plant her feet on the ground, but moments later, blood sprayed from her lips.  

‘There won’t be a next time.’  

At that moment, a realization sank deep into her subconscious—her next move would be her last chance.  

—Vwooooom…  

As if responding to her will, an incomplete yet faint sword aura began to flicker around her blade, drawing gasps and cheers from the audience.  

“A first-year using sword aura? Who is that girl?”  

“…The Lingard family is truly blessed with talent.”  

“So that was just a warm-up? The real battle starts now…”  

However, unlike the excited audience, who saw this as the rise of an unexpected dark horse, Cecil herself knew the truth.  

“…”  

Just standing upright was becoming increasingly difficult—this was nothing more than her final desperate struggle.  

‘…Is there any point in this?’  

She gripped her sword tightly in frustration, forcing herself to stand despite the odds.  

But then, she saw Hayden standing in the distance, already cloaked in his complete and refined sword aura, staring at her with an impassive expression.  

‘Even if I use this unfinished sword aura, it won’t change anything…’  

Her hands, wrapped tightly around the hilt of her sword, began to tremble uncontrollably at the thought.  

“Cecil Lingard.”  

A cold voice cut through her thoughts—it was Lady Meredia.  

“Are you still in a condition to continue the match?”  

“…Ugh.”  

Cecil briefly turned her head toward the judges’ panel before clenching her teeth and tightening her grip on her trembling hands.  

“It would be wise not to push yourself too far.”  

Unlike Meredia, who spoke as if the match was already decided, what truly ignited Cecil’s determination was the sight of Whitney Lingard quietly preparing to step forward and heal her.  

“I… am fine.”  

“Hmm.”  

Hearing Cecil’s quiet yet firm response, Meredia narrowed her eyes and, after a brief pause, spoke again.  

“…Both sides, resume the match.”  

And then, a tense silence fell over the arena.  

‘Even if I end up losing here…’  

In that silence, Cecil gathered every ounce of strength left within her and poured it into her blade, her eyes burning with determination as she prepared for one final attack.  

‘I will give it my all.’  

Her gaze was fixed on Hayden, but in truth, the words she wanted to say were meant for someone else.  

Someone sitting at the judges’ panel beside her.  

“So that no one will ever look down on me again!!!”  

With a deep, ragged breath, Cecil shouted her resolve and raised her sword high.  

—Shiiiing…  

At the same time, Hayden lifted his own sword in response.  

—BOOOOOM!  

A shockwave unlike anything before erupted, shaking the entire arena as an enormous cloud of dust blanketed the battlefield.  

***  

“…Ah.”  

Even the judges’ panel and the audience seats trembled as if struck by an earthquake.  

Seeing the devastating impact and swirling dust before me, I unconsciously stood up, letting out a sigh.  

“And now you act surprised, even though this was your doing?”  

“…Don’t worry too much. From what I can see, your sister doesn’t seem like the type to be defeated by just that.”  

Lady Meredia, who had grabbed my arm, tried to reassure me.  

But that wasn’t why I had stood up.  

“Well, she’s probably injured, but if she couldn’t handle at least this much, she shouldn’t have entered the selection tournament in the first place.”  

“…That’s not the issue.”  

The reason I stood up wasn’t because I was worried about my sister.  

It was because the mana that had been steadily draining from me with every command I gave had suddenly returned all at once.  

“…Huh. Now this is unexpected.”  

Hearing my words, Meredia tilted her head slightly and briefly let her gemstone-like eyes glimmer before letting out a small chuckle.  

Judging by her reaction, it seemed like my suspicions were correct.  

—Ssshhh…  

At that moment, the dust cloud that had filled the arena slowly began to settle, drawing everyone’s attention toward the outcome of the clash.  

“My goodness.”  

“Haha, now this is an upset.”  

“This is unbelievable…”  

As everyone stared in shock, struggling to process what they were seeing, the head of the academic department finally found his voice, though it wavered with disbelief.  

“T-The winner of the second match is…”  

The one still standing, breathing heavily as she looked down at her kneeling opponent, who had dropped his sword—  

“…Cecil Lingard.”  

It was not Hayden, my main character and doppelgänger.  

It was my younger sister, Cecil.  

—Thud…  

And the moment the announcement was made, she collapsed on the spot, unconscious.  

Thunderous cheers erupted across the stadium.  

But inside the arena, I alone could not share in their excitement.  

“My sister… is a hero candidate?”  

A cold realization hit me like a hammer.  

“…This can’t be happening.”  

The worst possible scenario—the one I had dreaded most—had just unfolded before my eyes.

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