The Return of the Iron-blood Sword Hound

Chapter 241 National University League (6)

After all the events, such as the opening ceremony and welcome ceremony prepared by Mage Tower, essentially for professors rather than students, came to an end, the students of Colosseo Academy could finally move to their accommodations.

Tudor, Sancho, Figgy, Bianca, and Sinclaire, as members of the same team, moved together to their lodgings.

“Oh, the headmaster of Mage Tower is really long-winded. Why did he talk for over two hours about his impressions of the event?”

“He repeated the same thing over 300 times…”

“We’re exhausted even before the competition starts. They said it’s a competition for students, but there’s no consideration for the students.”

“But where did our school’s headmaster go? I haven’t seen him in my entire school life.”

“I heard he has been absent for a while. That’s why Professor Banshee, who was promoted to vice-principal, came as the acting headmaster.”

Everyone moved wearily.

But as their tired bodies caught sight of the scenery of the accommodations, they became lively again.

“Wow, is this our accommodation?”

The first-year students of the Academy, including Tudor, Sancho, Figgy, Bianca, and Sinclaire, couldn’t close their open mouths.

Houses with an appearance as if the inside of a large mushroom was carved out were gathered on high and low terrain.

The walls, really like mushrooms, were soft and elastic, making you want to pat them on the cheeks.

Fireflies flying around in the narrow and gentle alleys acted as natural lanterns, illuminating the night without worrying about them going out.

It felt like being in a fairy village from a fairy tale.

The inside of the lodging building was also very spacious and cozy.

Long tables and chairs made from carved logs, along with buffet foods placed on them, were still emitting warm steam, waiting for guests.

The local specialties of the village, grilled trout, steamed oysters, pork bulgogi, and solid cheese, emitted a sweet and savory smell.

A glass of almost non-alcoholic white wine and a glass of red wine each welcomed the students.

Twenty first-year students, thirty second-year students, and fifty third-year students from Colosseo Academy sat at their respective tables and began to eat.

They divided the food among five people at each table.

Tudor, Sancho, Figgy, Bianca, and Sinclaire admired the delicious food while raising their heads to survey the surroundings.

“Where’s Vikir?”

“Oh, over there. He’s at the table diagonally across. Corner.”

“The triplets from Baskerville and Granola are in the same group as him. Is that okay?”

“Hey, is he a kid? Forget what I just said. Did you forget his grades in the midterms? He did much better than us. Even if he loses, it won’t be a one-sided defeat. Stop worrying.”

“Big Brother isn’t the type to fall behind. He even saved me from the Temisquira girls earlier, didn’t he? So let’s focus on our own work now.”

For now, a thorough analysis of the upcoming competition is a priority.

Although they don’t know which location will be the arena, 400 participants have already entered to compete.

Twenty first-year students, thirty second-year students, fifty third-year students. A total of one hundred students.

Not only Colosseo Academy but also Varangian, Mage Tower, and Temisquira distributed students in this way.

And among these 400 participants, generally, third-year students achieved the highest grades, followed by second-year students, and then first-year students.

First-year students participate for the experience, and second-year students also compete against third-year students from other schools to grow even more.

Those who must achieve good results to elevate the honor of the school are the third-year students.

So far, in the competition’s history, including the winners, the top 10 has always included third-year students. The four geniuses who unexpectedly ranked in the top 20 in last year’s competition despite being second-year students were the most likely candidates for victory.

Tudor, Sancho, Figgy, Bianca, and Sinclaire each spoke a word.

“Let’s see. Who were the ones who ranked within the top 20 last year despite being second-year students?”

“Varangian’s Bakilaga Juragio, Mage Tower’s Hohenheim, Temisquira’s Merelini Lovegood, and our school’s President Dolores.”

“At that time, our president was also a second-year student. Now that she’s a third-year, we can say she’s officially entered the ranks of the contenders for victory!”

“Second-year students will probably do well even in the middle. First-year students will just have to pave the way for them.”

“But still, we need to do better than first-year students from other schools! So that our ranking can stay the same next year and the year after!”

The unspoken calculation among seniors is that the rankings from the first year tend to continue until the third year.

So, Tudor, Sancho, Figgy, Bianca, and Sinclaire were burning with enthusiasm to not be inferior to their counterparts from other schools.

“We are one of the 20 talents selected from among the first-year students! We can’t let this opportunity slip away.”

“First, the first mission is the survival competition. The top 10 who survive until the end will receive individual tasks and, if cleared, can obtain artifacts, right?”

“First, let’s analyze the key figures.”

“That’s right. If we happen to meet third-year students from other schools in the beginning, we might be quickly eliminated. We need to get into the top 100 ourselves.”

“First, Bakilaga, Hohenheim, Lovegood. We must avoid these three.”

Sinclaire already had a confrontation with Lovegood inside the train, perhaps that’s why she knew well about her frightening mana.

“Honestly, it was really scary. Just from the pressure she exuded, I thought I was going to suffocate.”

Eventually, Sinclaire shared the information she had analyzed with her friends.

“Bakilaga Juragio. 25 years old. In his first year, he already defeated everyone up to the fourth year and pacified the school. In last year’s competition, he lost to a joint attack by third-year students from other schools due to lack of experience, and the year before that, he fell victim to a sneak attack by seniors from the same school, failing to make it into the top 10. Nevertheless, he ranked 14th in the overall ranking of last year’s competition. Their are rumors that he’s already in the Graduator level.”

“Hmm. If he lost to seniors from the same school, he was beaten by allies, right? I guess he didn’t have much respect within the school?”

In response to Tudor’s question, Sinclaire shook her head.

“No. That’s a story from the first and second years. Bakilaga is the type who is strong against the strong and weak against the weak, so he’s very good to his juniors and underclassmen. I heard he fights on behalf of his juniors and underclassmen who always get bullied for unreasonable things like injustice or bad customs. So, although he may not get along well with seniors, he’s very close to juniors and underclassmen. As the current de facto top senior and student council president, he’s widely respected by everyone.”

Bakilaga Juragio, commands the men of Varangian with overwhelming strength and thick courage.

Overcoming the only two weaknesses of experience and teamwork, he is now a more formidable contender for victory than anyone else.

Soon, Figgy spoke.

“I’ve been analyzing Oraorus Hohenheim, the student council president of Mage Tower. He’s 22 years old. His baptismal name at Mage Tower is ‘Snub-nosed.’ He’s the undefeated champion of Mage Tower and has the best record in the past hundred years of Mage Tower’s history. During his second year last year, his performance in the university league was 13th, and except for him, all were third-year students. Even President Dolores, the president of Colosseo, lost to him twice in the last university league… Well, it’s unavoidable when the match-up is different.”

Monstrous talent, arrogant demeanor. Among the peers of the Empire and, of course, Mage Tower, there is a genius recognized as the strongest—Hohenheim. Unlike the university’s rankings, there was no doubt that Bakilaga and Hohenheim were the absolute powerhouses representing the current era.

And there is another dark horse that cannot be ignored. Bianca, who is keenly interested in pretty girls, spoke up about her findings.

“We can’t leave out the investigation of Merelini Lovegood, the student council president of Temisquira.”

“Oh, okay. What did you find?”

“She’s… beautiful.”

“?”

“Very beautiful.”

“??”

“I don’t know how she can be so beautiful. Ugh… I envy her. I want to look like her.”

“???”

Tudor frowned as if he couldn’t make sense of Bianca’s words.

“Okay, forget it. I guess the information I gathered is more detailed. Ahem! Merelini Lovegood! Age 23. A wizard who mainly uses the magic of grass, earth, poison, and bug types. The eldest daughter of the prestigious Merelini family, and there are rumors that she has already reached the 4th circle, although it’s not certain. Last year’s competition ranking was 16th! Now that she’s a third-year, she’s aiming for victory.”

“She’s also famous for her beautiful appearance. I heard she is actively participating as an idol in a famous pop group. There are rumors that she might debut next year… I’m a fan.”

Sancho supplemented Tudor’s description with seemingly useless information.

Eventually, Tudor, Sancho, Figgy, Bianca, and Sinclaire finished their character analysis and began to share their thoughts on the competition.

“What rank do you think President Dolores will get this time? She was 15th in the last competition.”

“Obviously, she’ll win! I believe in her.”

“But Bakilaga and Hohenheim are too overwhelming. Lovegood is also a strong contender comparable to President Dolores.”

“Well, we’re the real problem compared to the third-year aces.”

“Yeah! Let’s just watch and learn well, preparing for the leagues next year and the year after!”

As first-year students, they generally didn’t have high expectations.

However, there is one person who must secure a place within the top 10 in the competition.

‘Let’s not be too excited… Just recording a rank within the top 10, reasonably.’

That was Vikir’s plan.

As seniors might be horrified if they heard his thoughts, Vikir carefully laid out his plans for the future.

Seventh Corpse, “Decarabia.”

Among the ten demons, there existed the only object-type demon in the form of things. While demons usually took on various forms like insects, snakes, humans, bats, trees, and more, this one was unique in that it assumed the shape of an inanimate object. It surely awaited someone to awaken it, slumbering somewhere in the human realm. And Vikir roughly knew its location.

“It’s right inside the shared treasure vault managed by the four academies.”

Before regression, the reason demons aggressively invaded the four academies was precisely this. However, if Vikir could identify and eliminate Decarabia’s location, the bleak future would change significantly. Students who originally died unfairly might have a chance at survival. ‘This delay will postpone the era of destruction by another step,’ Vikir thought.

As Vikir pondered on the unfolding future, lost in various thoughts:

“…Excuse me.”

A voice that captured everyone’s attention echoed. It was the owner of the large women’s dormitory, and she wore an expression of great difficulty as she sought understanding.

“We have a problem with the water supply in the adjacent dorm. Would it be possible to move the guests from there to the vacant rooms here? We are a bit short on space.”

The owner repeatedly bowed, expressing her difficulty with the request. Her sister managed the neighboring women’s dorm, and the sudden plumbing issue prevented them from accommodating guests on the same day. Wanting to urgently redirect the guests to this dorm, the owner was facing a difficult situation. However, all other women’s dorms were fully booked due to the vacation season, leaving her in a tight spot.

“Because you have reserved a total of 120 rooms for all of Colosseo Academy’s students and staff, I was wondering if you would be willing to change your reservation from single occupancy rooms to double occupancy…… and use only 60 rooms in total. In exchange, I will charge you only 30% of the total accommodation fee and will provide breakfast and lunch.”

It was a reasonable proposal. While students didn’t seem thrilled about the reduced accommodation fee, faculty members responded positively.

“We can save some budget with this.”

“With that money, we can purchase other laboratory supplies.”

“It works out well. I needed to buy another lab specimen for research.”

Soon, Professor Banshee nodded in agreement. “Let’s go with that. But only if over 90% of the students agree.”

A vote was conducted, and surprisingly, 93% of the students accepted the proposal for double rooms. It was an unexpected result, showing the generally positive nature of Colosseo Academy students and their camaraderie.

“Oh, thank you! Thank you!”

The innkeeper bowed repeatedly and quickly ushered in the large guests waiting outside.

Suddenly,

“…!”

Colosseo Academy students found themselves facing unexpected guests, whom they either hadn’t anticipated at all or had somewhat expected.