I’ll Live My Second Life! - Chapter 96

“I-impossible……”

Carneggs stared at the results of the match dumbfounded.

“That Rizil lost……?”

Rizil who had been sent flying by Gorms, was as he was, not moving after he had collapsed.

And the referee had announced Gorms’ victory.

He couldn’t believe it……

Percil, Rizil, and Luca were the boys who stood in the limelight among the members that Carneggs had chosen this year.

Their achievements as well as their abilities were a cut above the rest, the three who were called as the strongest even among their generation.

Even in the results from last year, Rizil was among the best four, and Luca was the runner-up, but the opponents who lost to them were the same. Their abilities were on par with each other.

However, Luca was brought down by his opponent’s absurd strategy, and although that had turned into a win due to a foul, Rizil has really been defeated by Gorms.

Gorms……

There were rumors that he was strong, but he was a competitor he did not pick up because there were no actual results for him in any tournaments. There have also been cases where the form had been bad with no opponents to win against……

When Carneggs saw him at the finals of the apprentice knights’ examination, he had judged him to be a competitor with bad movements and only power.

However, watching today’s match, it was as if he was a different person.

To be exact, dealing with his opponent’s attacks, defending, picking at the flustered Rizil’s opening and in one breath going onto the offensive, making the best use of his power and finishing him off in one strike.

His basic strength probably did not differ much from Rizil’s. Gorms was better in terms of power, but in terms of speed and skills, it should be Rizil who was better.

And yet, by looking at only the results, it was a complete victory.

Among the three figureheads, Percil, Rizil, and Luca, one had ended up being defeated.

Before he knew it, it had become 2 wins, 1 draw, and 1 loss. By looking at only the score, they were almost on par with each other. No, since the competition will be decided by the results of the generals’ match, it can already be said that they were completely on par with each other. (TN: To refresh your memory, the competitors in the last match of group competitions like karate, judo, kendo, etc… are called generals. It has been mentioned by Estellion some chapters ago, when the lineups had been decided. I’ll mention the lineups in the foot notes.)

“Why…… Just why……!”

He recalled the nightmare that was that defeat.

It has been nothing but bad luck since then. His promotion was also not going well, and every day, even if he went out with a girl, he would soon break up with her. There were even things he drowned himself in drink over.

For the sake of revenge, he had single-mindedly supported the Eastern Dormitory, but even though they won the first year, in the second year, and in the third year, the differences between them were shrunk, and they ended up definitely losing in one place or another.

That’s why this year, even if a bit forcefully, he was supposed to have gathered the best members there is.

And yet…… And yet it was only the first year and they have already ended up coming to the generals’ match without the competition being decided.

“Even though it wasn’t supposed to be like this……! Just why……!”

Carneggs trembled at the thought of a possible defeat.

This battle was a match they had been guaranteed to win.

First of all, the number of champion members over there was 2, over here it was 5. They would face off against the members other than the champions, and with just that seize 3 victories.

Even if something didn’t go as planned there, among the champions, 3 were members counted on as the top of their generation.

Therefore, even if it came to a fight between fellow champions, they would still win. That was what he had estimated.

However, Rizil had lost.

The next match.

Doug was an unknown variable.

The disciple of Zeynes, who served as the fencing instructor for the royal family, and who was once said to be the strongest swordsman throughout the country. So he had claimed when he joined, but he had no actual achievements.

However, he had picked him just in case.

When he had joined, he faced him against Luca to test him and see, but Doug had defeated him in an instant, and he thought that his judgment was correct.

He never thought that he would all of a sudden wish to transfer to the Northern Dormitory, and still put a request to the personnel department to change dormitories no matter how many times Carneggs withdrew it, then finally get his request approved by the personnel affairs and transfer away.

Percil and Doug, even Carneggs had no idea which of them was superior.

This match of generals was the one he most had no guarantee of winning among the matchups……

“No……, it should be alright. Percil was the champion of the Orstollian Youth Swordsmanship Competition for three consecutive years. His achievements stand out even among those three! I-i-it’s alright!”

His face pale, Carneggs muttered as if to deceive his fear of the defeat that might come to be.

“That’s right! We’ll win! If it’s these members, then we should definitely win! And then I’ll be able to shake off that nightmare of being defeated for three consecutive years! I’ll be living a rosy life from now on!

Go! Go ahead! Percil! Defeat that guy from the Northern Dormitory and…… Huh? Percil?”

Carneggs tried to give instructions to head over to the match, but his figure was already no longer within the seats of the Eastern Dormitory. Looking around, he saw Percil’s figure already heading over to the match arena, without even a single word to Carneggs.

“We’ve finally come to the generals’ match……”

Said the boys of the Northern Dormitory, with expressions nervous about the approaching settlement.

Doug had already been sent off by everybody with claps on the back, and was slowly walking over to the place of the match.

“Hey, between Doug and Percil, who actually is stronger……?”

“T-to be honest, I have no idea……”

That was a question that the boys wanted to know the answer to regardless of the victory or defeat of the North and East.

The one who had won in all of the matches that they had participated in, the one who is expected to be the strongest of their generation, Percil.

The one who had been accepted from a young age as a disciple by Zeynes, once said to be the strongest master of sword of the kingdom, the one who has been admitted into knights corps with great fanfare, Doug.

Those two who never had the opportunity to fight before, even while it was rumored that most likely one of them was the strongest of them all.

There was also the objective of the Eastern Dormitory as a reason for that.

The Eastern Dormitory, who have made defeating the Northern Dormitory their primary goal, had seen no meaning in making Doug and Percil fight.

That had been evident even in the contents of their training.

In the Eastern Dormitory, when Doug had been still there, they fundamentally rarely conducted mock battles between fellow champions. That was because, among their opponents, the Northern Dormitory, the only champion at the time had been Gorms.

Nonetheless, it seemed that Doug had sensed Percil’s strength.

“That guy, Percil, is he really that strong?”

“Yeah, he’s the defense-style contestant said to be most likely the strongest in our generation.”

Remie answered the question of Gorms, who wasn’t that knowledgeable about the state of affairs around here.

“Of course, he could fight as an all-rounder who excel in attacks and counterattacks, but in any case his defensive skills are amazing. He definitely wouldn’t lose. That’s why it feels like he will end up winning.”

“It’s like he’s the exact opposite of Doug, huh.”

To the boys who were aspiring to be the swords of their generation, the match that was about to commence was a match that had their absolute attention.

The match that decided the strongest of their generation.

And also the match that settled matters between the Northern Dormitory and the Eastern Dormitory.

Everyone gulped and watched.

A dark skinned youth with platinum blonde hair, and a black-haired youth wearing glasses faced each other at the center of the stadium.

One had a serious expression on, while the other, rather than to say serious, had an expressionless face.

Doug might be slightly shorter. However, it wasn’t as if Percil too was all that tall.

The two who were more or less the same height assumed their stances with their wooden swords and faced each other.

The match to decide the winner of this Northern-Eastern Swordsmanship Competition is finally beginning.