CH 148

[The Two After the Battle]

The time to settle the match came.

After I released the power of the Holy Sword and made Jarvis unable to escape with big fire magic, I attacked her with all my might. Although I also took damage from the flames, Jarvis’s HP was reduced to zero first, and the match ended with my victory.

“Phew…”

After releasing a deep sigh, I put away my sword.

Then I headed over to Jarvis.

Jarvis remained lying on her back and didn’t move.

“Jarvis! What’s wrong!” Andrei, her supporter, came up to the stage, worried about her not moving.

…That was strange.

Jarvis shouldn’t receive any real harm, but she showed no signs of movement. Andrei desperately called out to her—when…

“I see… I lost…”

Suddenly, those words leaked out of her mouth.

She was covering her eyes with her right arm. Did she not want others to see her tears?

I had known before the fight that Jarvis was taking on this battle with unordinary resolve, but that said, if I had held back, she surely wouldn’t have accepted it.

Jarvis had a prideful side to her, after all.

Since Jarvis wasn’t getting up, the audience broke into commotion.

The teachers came over and gathered, worried that she might have been injured, but then Jarvis finally stood up and waved her hand at them, saying, “I’m okay.”

Before long, she quietly approached me, “You were really impressive back there, Barrett. And, let me thank you.” Jarvis held out her right hand, saying that.

“Thank me?”

“You defeated me fair and square. Without holding anything back, you answered my resolve with your all. It made me happy.”

“Jarvis…”

I could feel her frustration.

But, more than that, she also seemed refreshed, as if some heavy burden had been lifted off her shoulders.

“Now… I’ve made up my mind.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“That—is something you have to look forward to at the afterparty.”

After Jarvis said that, she left the stage with Andrei.

Whoops, the next match’s participants were already waiting, so I had to quickly leave the stage as well.

I came down from the stage following Jarvis—at that moment, we were greeted with loud cheers and generous applause.

“Magnificently done, Barrett!”

“Jarvis, you were incredible as well!”

“You both were impressive!”

“Be sure to participate again next year!”

Such words poured out one after another.

…How should I put it? It was kind of embarrassing.

Well, what was important was that people’s view of Barrett Albers had undoubtedly become very different from the original storyline.

As I came to realize that, I headed toward Tayte. Then…

“Congratulations, Barrett!”

Tayte vigorously embraced me.

She seemed to have forgotten that there were many students around.

“Sheesh, now they’re just showing off.”

“Ahaha, they are, aren’t they?”

“Congratulations to both of you!”

After hearing Jarvis, Raul, and Eureka’s words, Tayte came to her senses and pulled away from me with her face flushing embarrassedly.

In any case, that was how our martial arts tournament came to an end.

The only remaining event was the afterparty.

——At that time, I could have never imagined that there would be a big uproar that would shake the academy.