WeTried Translations

Translator: Coughing Baby

Editor: Coughing Baby

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

Chapter 80: Win.

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Grandia Academy's midterms.

Just like in the modern world, it was only natural for students to be ground down during exam season.

Especially since this was a place where the continent's greatest elites gathered, competition between cadets was bound to be fierce.

The library lights staying on all night was a given, while blades and magic flew across the training grounds twenty-four hours a day.

The wails of suffering students could be heard all over the academy.

"Magic back-calculation... The formulas are insanely complicated."

"Does it make any sense to test us on a thousand years of continental history all at once...?"

"My stats just won't go up! Damn it, I have to manage it before the practical exam...!"

"I hope the matchups go easy on me for this practical."

The students threw themselves into their studies.

The academic fervor hanging over campus felt hotter than the early summer air.

'Should I start gathering them?'

I couldn't just sit around doing nothing either.

I had my finishing move ready, but there was one more thing I needed to prepare.

Teammates.

"I heard this practical is a team event?"

"Was the event called Capture the Flag...?"

"We need to recruit our teammates carefully, then."

"Having one fast person on the team would be reassuring..."

"Fuck... We get to form our own teams? What the hell am I supposed to do when I don't have any friends?!"

This practical was unusual in that it wasn't a one-on-one spar.

Three-person teams.

Three students would form a single group.

Those groups would compete in three-versus-three matches.

It was a format that could assess not only the cadets' individual abilities, but also their teamwork.

'The event is... Capture the Flag.'

Just as it had been in the original story.

Capture the Flag was an arcade mode commonly found in all sorts of games.

The rules and format did not stray far from the classic version.

Protect your team's flag and steal the opposing team's flag.

Since everyone needed to divide up their roles, each teammate's ability would matter in this practical as well.

'First, I need to form a team.'

I had to gather members.

The other side would have formidable teammates too.

'Rin probably wouldn't care who her teammates were...'

She wasn't the type to care whether her teammates were strong or weak.

She would probably see them as people whose presence changed nothing.

Still, all kinds of talent would surely flock to her despite being treated that way.

Geniuses attracted admiration.

'I should keep that in mind.'

Of course.

I already had a lineup in mind.

'One reliable defender, one fast sprinter...'

Someone to protect our flag in the rear, and someone to snatch the opposing team's flag at the front.

As it happened, people for both roles immediately came to mind.

I smiled brightly and made my proposal.

"So, I'd like to ask you two to be on my team."

"......"

"......"

Purple and yellow eyes.

The two girls silently looked at me.

They were Ranne, Class A's second-ranked student, and Caitlin, the top-ranked student in Class B.

"Of course!"

Ranne broke the brief silence.

Her eyes sparkled.

"I never thought Lord Viktor would need me!"

"I've always needed you, Miss Ranne."

"Mm! I'm glad to hear you say so."

Ranne readily accepted my request.

"Are you not my savior, my lord? I am simply pleased to have a chance to repay your kindness, even in this small way."

"That's a relief. If Miss Ranne joins us, we won't need to worry about defending our flag."

"I'm not quite that capable, but I'll do my best!"

"Haha, I'll make sure I live up to your trust as well."

Ha ha, ho ho.

A warm, friendly exchange.

"Hah."

Caitlin, on the other hand, had her brow tightly furrowed.

She irritably swept back her yellow hair.

A sigh slipped from between her lips.

"Fuck, I was wondering what you'd called me over for..."

"Miss Caitlin."

"I don't want to do it, so don't drag me into this."

"Oh... I thought you'd naturally accept."

"Give me a fucking break. You want us to get crushed by that monster bitch, then become a laughingstock in front of the whole school together?"

It was an extremely cynical response.

Her voice was twice as sharp as usual.

"Fuck off. I'm not doing it."

"I don't intend to lose, though."

"How?"

"Hm?"

"How the hell are you going to beat that monster bitch?"

Why was she so irritated?

After considering it for a moment, I recalled something about Caitlin.

'Come to think of it... Caitlin once got utterly destroyed by Rin.'

Had that memory stayed with her like trauma?

Caitlin seemed uncomfortable even hearing Rin's name.

She took a deep breath, then spoke in a quieter voice.

"I heard everyone on that team is going to be from Class A. You think you're going to beat a team made entirely of Class A students with this lineup? A team personally led by Rin Glacia? With a Class B deadweight tied around your ankle?"

The Class B deadweight.

She was referring to herself.

"Don't be reckless. Just refuse the match. It's not a ranking match, so you can refuse, right? If you refuse, the faculty won't force the matchup on you. Besides, I heard you still haven't properly responded to that challenge."

"She left before I had the chance to answer."

"What a vicious bitch."

Something about the girl's demeanor was different.

Something sticky seemed to be dripping from inside her.

It felt like blood, or perhaps tears.

"Anyway, I'm not interested. If you want to do it, do it without me."

"But I really need you, Miss Caitlin."

"What did you think I was saying just now?"

"I heard you, and I'm asking anyway."

"Hah... So what, you're determined to drag me in by force?"

"It wouldn't really be by force. I think it would be a good proposal for you too, Miss Caitlin."

"What?"

Caitlin furrowed her brow as if asking what I meant.

I made my offer.

"Let's do this. If our team loses this match, I'll settle our previous wager."

"......What?"

"I mean I'll get rid of the Slave Bet."

"Not if you win, but if you lose...?"

"That's right. As you said earlier, if we lose this match, it means I forced you into this and made you a laughingstock before the entire school. As an apology for that, I'll settle the Slave Bet from last time."

"What if I deliberately lose? I could just half-ass the match, couldn't I?"

"That would be entirely your choice, Miss Caitlin."

"......"

It was a confident answer.

Caitlin looked as if she couldn't make sense of what she had just heard.

She frowned, as though checking whether she had understood correctly.

"Do you want to lose or something?"

"No. I intend to win."

"Listening to your offer, you sound like some bastard who's desperate to lose."

"What do you think? It doesn't seem like you'd lose anything, does it?"

"......"

"Come on, accept already. Even without conditions like this, if I ordered you to join, you'd have no choice but to participate, right? Wouldn't it feel cleaner to join voluntarily instead?"

"......Fuck."

Caitlin eventually accepted the proposal.

She continued grumbling under her breath.

"Go get your asses handed to you by that monster bitch. Hell, maybe I'll lose on purpose..."

She muttered to herself.

I let out a quiet chuckle behind my mask.

'As if.'

Anyone else, maybe, but her?

Caitlin, who hated losing more than anything in the world?

She might not realize it herself, but she was someone who could never do that.

"...Why me, though?"

"Who can say?"

Hehe.

I laughed lightly.

"Because I hold your abilities in very high regard, Miss Caitlin."

"......"

"You don't look like you believe me at all."

"Don't pretend you're acknowledging me."

Her reply was biting.

She looked more irritated by those words than when I had imitated Pikachu.

Caitlin rubbed a hand over her face several times before speaking.

"...Fine. I'll do it, okay?"

"That was the answer I was waiting for."

Tap.

I placed my hand on top of the girl's head.

Then, as I always did, I stroked her hair.

Perhaps Caitlin lacked the energy to resist. She quietly accepted my touch.

'Well, either way, that settles it.'

The dream team I had envisioned.

This was the moment the best team to defeat Class A's top student came together.

* * *

Meanwhile, rumors began to spread throughout the academy.

Humans were creatures who sought gossip in any environment.

Even with exam season right around the corner, no, because of that, students sought gossip about others even more eagerly.

"You know the topic everyone's been talking about lately."

"Ah, the one about Class A's top student facing off against Class E's top student?"

"Facing off? Class E's top student still hasn't given an answer, apparently."

The subject of discussion was Viktor.

More specifically, the fact that he still hadn't answered the challenge Rin had issued him.

"If he still hasn't answered... that means he'll refuse, right?"

"Of course he will. Honestly, who would accept that?"

"No matter how well he's been doing, facing Lady Glacia in a match is..."

"It's understandable if he gets scared when it's Lady Glacia."

Viktor would refuse the challenge.

That was how most cadets saw it.

No matter how successful he had been, they thought he would have no choice but to tuck his tail between his legs before a true genius.

"Still... what did he do to get on Lady Glacia's bad side?"

"Probably got in her way. Class E's top student has been acting pretty cocky."

Then, taking the opportunity to tear him apart, some students joined in.

"I knew that bastard would end up like this someday."

"He must have been seriously annoying for even Class A's quiet top student to step in."

"He finally met his match."

Viktor had drawn so much attention that there were plenty of cadets who envied him.

Then one day, as an unpleasant mood began to gather around him, someone visited Class A's classroom.

"Excuse me for a moment."

Baaang!

The door was kicked open with a loud crash.

The Class A students who had been chatting turned their eyes in that direction.

Beyond the open door, a boy walked in with both hands tucked into his pockets.

"Hehe."

A low laugh.

A pure white clown mask covered his face.

The clown's lips were twisted into a grotesque grin.

"......"

Everyone's eyes turned toward him.

Viktor, unconcerned, continued forward with light steps.

He stopped in front of a girl seated in the corner of the classroom.

"Lady Glacia."

Rin Glacia.

Not a single strand of her blue hair was out of place.

Her dead, icy pupils, those lifeless eyes, turned toward the boy.

"......"

"......"

Their gazes met in the air.

For a moment, the two silently stared at each other.

Before long, the clown broke the precarious silence.

"I accept."

"......"

There was no need to ask what he meant.

"Let's see what you've got."

It was a direct response to the challenge Rin had issued several days ago.

Her deep blue eyes blinked.

"......"

Her gaze was indifferent.

The breath she exhaled carried an extreme cold, blooming white flowers with every breath.

Viktor did not waver even before the girl.

"Ah... Come to think of it, I should mention this because I think you're mistaken about something."

A cheerful remark.

"You're the challenger here."

"......"

"After all, you lost to me once before, didn't you? During our last practical."

Twitch.

Rin's brow twitched slightly.

At the same time, the students watching the two stood with their mouths hanging open.

The absolute ruler of the first years.

A queen called the most dominant top student in history, admired and feared by countless students.

And before that queen, a mere clown had dared to mock her to her face.

You lost to me.

That was the meaning hidden in those words.

Amid the sea of shock, the boy behind the mask was grinning broadly.

'Ah.'

This was it.

This was dopamine.

Afterward, the news quickly spread and turned the academy upside down once more.

Footnotes:

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