Epilogue
When I opened my eyes, the ceiling above me was… not unfamiliar.
“……Again?”
It was the white ceiling I’d been seeing a lot lately—the ceiling of the infirmary. It seemed I’d been carried here yet again.
“……Ugh!”
As I slowly raised my heavy, lead-like body, a sharp pain shot through my head.
It really hurt.
“Ah, you’re awake. That’s good.”
“Florence, huh…”
Feeling a sense of déjà vu from this exchange, I checked the sensations in my body.
“…I feel sluggish.”
“Of course. You’re suffering from spiritual energy deficiency. Just rest for a while.”
Minea, who was watching me with a somewhat exasperated expression, told me to rest. Apparently, the injured should just stay put.
“Still, you’ve been coming to the infirmary a lot lately, Areas. You really shouldn’t overdo it.”
“It’s not like I’m doing it on purpose…”
As I muttered that, my consciousness grew clearer, and the hazy memories started coming back.
That’s right. I was with Trallus, and then…
“Hey, Florence.”
“Yes? What is it?”
“I… no, never mind.”
I was about to ask Florence about the outcome of the Ranking Match, but I stopped myself mid-sentence. I didn’t need to ask—I could already guess.
While I had lost consciousness and was lying in the infirmary, there was no sign of Trallus being here. It seemed I was the only one who got sent to the infirmary.
In other words, I must have been overpowered in the final clash with Trallus and lost.
“……Damn it.”
That thought slipped out of my mouth.
I had known this outcome was likely before the fight, but it still stung.
This time, I had truly given it my all.
The sword techniques I’d learned, spiritual arts, spirits, and even evil spirits—I had thrown everything I had at Trallus, pride and reputation be damned.
I had laid everything bare, and still, I lost.
There was no way I wouldn’t feel bitter about this. I was so frustrated that I wanted to demand a rematch right now.
But even that might be impossible.
It was now known that I didn’t have a contracted spirit, and not only did I possess an evil spirit, but I had also used it.
At best, I’d be suspended. At worst, I might even be expelled. No, expulsion was far more likely.
After all the effort I’d put into building up a reputation as a top student, I had destroyed it all in a single day. I had truly let my emotions get the better of me and acted recklessly.
“……Ha.”
The future was shrouded in dark clouds, but strangely, my heart felt light and clear.
In the long run, I had undoubtedly made a terrible choice, but I didn’t regret it at all. In fact, I was confident I’d make the same choice again no matter how many times I replayed the situation.
That’s how much I was enjoying this state of mind.
There was no need to pretend anymore, no need to hide. I didn’t have to cower in fear every time someone asked about my contracted spirit.
Such a simple thing felt incredibly liberating.
“……By the way, Florence, don’t you have something you want to ask me?”
“Of course I do. But you’re tired right now. How about you talk to him first?”
“……Huh?”
As I followed Minea’s gaze, I saw a boy with a magic sword at his waist—Gareth—standing there with a smile on his face.
“Hey, you’re finally awake?”
“Yeah, I slept great.”
As Gareth pulled up a chair and sat down next to my bed, Florence tactfully excused herself and left the infirmary.
“……”
“……”
After a brief silence, I slowly exhaled and spoke.
“…I don’t regret it. I gave it my all.”
“Yeah, I can tell just by looking at you. You’ve got the best expression I’ve seen in a while.”
“Is that so…”
Apparently, it showed on my face. I felt a little embarrassed…
“Did Florence tell you what happened after the match?”
“No, not yet… but I lost, right?”
“Nope. You won.”
“……Huh?”
Huh?
“I… won?”
“Yeah, you won.”
Wait, seriously? I won? For real?
Wait, hold on.
“But I completely lost consciousness after the final move. I don’t remember anything.”
“Yeah, you were completely out.”
“Then shouldn’t I have lost…?”
If I lost consciousness and was unable to fight, it should have been a loss. Even if Trallus had also been knocked out, it should have been a draw. Why was it ruled as my win?
“Trallus surrendered. That’s why you won.”
“Whaaat!?”
The moment I heard those words, I couldn’t help but raise my voice in anger.
He surrendered!? Are you kidding me!?
“That bastard! Is he mocking me!? Was it out of pity!? I’ll—”
“Calm down, Rourke.”
“Guh!”
As I tried to get out of bed, Gareth pushed me back down.
I was still weak from the match, so I couldn’t put up much resistance.
“Don’t push yourself. Florence will get mad.”
“But, still…”
“Besides, you’re not exactly in a position to judge, are you?”
“……”
That made me think of my Ranking Match with Misha.
Yeah, I had done something similar back then…
I hadn’t meant any harm when I surrendered—it was a genuine acknowledgment of the gap in our abilities—but she must have been as frustrated as I was now.
“Yeah… I really owe her an apology.”
I couldn’t help but reflect on what I’d done.
Whether it was Misha, Leia, or even Ogun, who had it out for me… I should probably apologize properly.
Well, not that there’s any point in hiding anything now…
“……Hey, Gareth. How did everyone react to my… coming out?”
“Ah, about that… well…”
“What? Were they that disappointed?”
I laughed as Gareth hesitated with an awkward expression. At this point, I was beyond caring. Whatever they said, it wouldn’t faze me. Bring it on.
Just then, a commotion broke out outside the infirmary. I could hear multiple voices, so it seemed like a group had arrived… What now? A revenge visit?
“Actually—”
As I wondered what was going on, Gareth began to explain the aftermath of the Ranking Match.
“Why did you surrender, Master Kay!?”
Shiltot-Millrain ran up to her master, Kay, after the Ranking Match, her expression one of disbelief.
She truly couldn’t understand it. After fighting so hard, why had her master chosen to surrender at that moment? Why had he thrown away victory? It made no sense to her.
“I’ve told you already. It was my loss.”
“That can’t be true!”
“I was the one who fell to my knees after the final blow, not him.”
The final blow.
Kay had clearly seen Rourke’s sword slice through his full-powered attack. After that, Rourke had reached his limit and lost consciousness while still standing, while Kay, though conscious, had been unable to stand.
The only reason Kay was unharmed was because his contracted spirit, Siren, had acted on her own. Against his wishes, she had used part of the spiritual energy meant for the attack to create a barrier, allowing him to barely withstand Rourke’s strike.
By all rights, Kay should have been declared the winner of the Ranking Match.
But he couldn’t accept it. The final blow—Rourke had lost consciousness but remained standing, while he had been knocked to his knees despite using his full power.
There was no way he could call that a victory.
So Kay declared his own defeat. Before the judges could award him the victory. To avoid having this humiliating defeat taken from him after giving it his all.
“But…”
“It’s fine. I lost this time, but I’ll win next time. Absolutely.”
As he said that, Kay smiled cheerfully.
Yes, there would be a next time. He wouldn’t let Rourke escape.
Next time, he would definitely win—utterly and completely.
“Very well, Master Kay. I won’t question your decision any further. But… were you serious about what you said at the end?”
“Huh? Oh, you mean that? Well—”
For a moment, Kay looked puzzled, but then he realized she was referring to the loud declaration he’d made after surrendering. A sly smile spread across his face.
[“This time, I lost, Rourke! I never expected you to use an evil spirit—that was truly impressive!”]
Kay declared his defeat with a flourish, as if he hadn’t lost at all, and continued to praise the unconscious me.
[“But next time, I’ll win! And I’ll expose the contracted spirit you’ve been hiding!!”]
He left the arena with that bomb of a statement.
That bastard…
What does he mean he can tell the truth? He didn’t figure anything out. He doesn’t know anything.
And, of course, Kay’s statement caused the arena to erupt into chaos again, and then—
“Senpai Rourke, so it’s true you don’t have a contracted spirit!?”
“Rourke, do you have a contracted spirit or not?”
“Actually, the spirit you’ve contracted is an evil spirit, right? That’s why you lied about not having one, isn’t it?”
“Hey, can you give us a proper explanation!?”
“Areas, is it true you’ve contracted a spirit so powerful you can’t control it? Is that why you can’t use it?”
“Come on, there’s no way a guy like you doesn’t have a contracted spirit!”
“I bet you don’t have a spirit. Am I right?”
—Students, eager to uncover the truth, began pouring into the infirmary, ignoring Florence’s attempts to stop them.
“……”
I silently turned my gaze to Gareth.
He raised his hands in a gesture of surrender.
“Um, Rourke Areas. The student council has heard that you lied about not having a contracted spirit to hide the fact that you’ve contracted an uncontrollable evil spirit. Is that true?”
Amid the influx of students, Misha slipped in and tilted her head curiously as she asked.
It seemed that, thanks to that bastard, wild rumors had been flying around in the short time since the match.
“No, that’s a misunder—”
“Enough of that!”
“I’m sick of the lies! Tell us the truth!”
“Will you idiots just listen to me!?”
My anguished cry echoed through the infirmary as the sense of fulfillment I’d felt earlier vanished.
It seemed it would take a while for everyone to understand my true strength.
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT LOCALIZERMEERKAT.GITHUB.IO
Afterword
Hello, this is the author, Arasam.
Thank you so much for picking up this book.
Thanks to everyone’s support, I’ve been able to release the second volume.
This volume differs significantly from the web version, particularly in the case of the enemy character Haunted’s contracted spirit, Vlad, who appears in human form rather than just as a sword.
I’m not sure if this change was for the better, but I hope you enjoyed reading it.
Now, for the acknowledgments.
To Kata Kanata, the illustrator: Thank you once again for the wonderful illustrations. You’ve brought my vague ideas to life in such a beautiful way, and I’m truly grateful.
To my editor, H-san: Thank you for your advice on adjusting deadlines and providing feedback on the content.
And to all the readers: Thank you so much for purchasing this book. I’m not sure how long I’ll be able to continue this story, but I’ll do my best.
I look forward to seeing you all in the next volume.
Until then, farewell.
Visit the request page If there’s a Japanese Light Novel (LN) or Web Novel (WN) you’d like me to translate
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