Since asking Anglago would only lead to useless arguing, Giselle ignored the noise and questioned the person in charge instead.

—Wardanaz. Weren’t you supposed to be looking after them? What the hell is Alpha talking about?

—Who’s looking after who?! We’re just traveling together!

Anglago flared up.

Of course, during this outing, Wardanaz had helped them escape, defeated enemies, found and gathered the students, arranged a secret lodging place, and even earned gold coins to share with everyone.

But that was just friends traveling together.

It definitely wasn’t Wardanaz looking after them.

People might misunderstand if they heard that.

—Honestly, he did look after you. You shameless bastard.

—I also think he looked after you. I can’t believe someone can say something that shameless with no conscience at all.

—I didn’t go out with you, but judging from your usual behavior, I also think he looked after you...

Unlike <Einroguard’s Watchers>, the second-years of Einroguard did not reveal who was who.

People like Lee Han and Giselle could roughly guess from the handwriting, but Anglago couldn’t.

—W-Who is that? Isn’t that bastard Dalcard changing his handwriting by himself?

—Asan isn’t even here. Anglago, more importantly, did you really run off to watch the jousting match?

Anglago had no answer to Lee Han’s question.

Giselle let out a deep sigh.

—I should have broken your legs when you started making a fuss about going outside. Then you wouldn’t have done something this stupid.

—Isn’t that too harsh, Wardanaz?!

—I’m Moradi, you bastard.

—...Isn’t that too harsh, Moradi?

—What’s harsh about it? You said you’d complete the <Healing Amulet> this semester. Are you planning to finish it in the punishment cells?

—Uh.

—...Wardanaz. Can you break that bastard’s legs for me?

—Like I said, that’s difficult. He already ran off. He’s not in front of me.

—No, no. I’m serious!

Anglago protested earnestly.

Even if he ended up in the punishment cells after running off, couldn’t he still achieve his goal by diligently practicing magic there?

Naturally, Lee Han and Giselle were skeptical.

—The punishment cells aren’t exactly good for studying magic. Especially in Anglago’s case.

—What could a bastard who doesn’t even study alone inside the tower accomplish there?

—I also think that’s a really ridiculous idea...

After being attacked not only by those two but by the others as well, Anglago finally gave up and shouted.

—I don’t care! I already escaped anyway. I’m going to watch the jousting match before I go back. No one can stop me!

—Do whatever you want. Just don’t be surprised if someone sets fire to your belongings and storage box.

—...That... that threat won’t work.

—Moradi, instead of burning them, can you give them to me?

—Should I?

—Wardanaz! Hey! Are you seriously doing this?!

—Anglago. Come back even now. And the jousting match won’t be that fun anyway. The players are mediocre too.

—Wardanaz. Even though you helped us escape this time...

—I also defeated the enemies.

—You found the students and gathered them in one place.

—You found lodging and even created a source of income.

—...Anyway, your slander won’t work! I’ll see the glory of Einroguard’s Jousting Club with my own eyes! See you later! I’m leaving now!

With those final words, Anglago disappeared.

He really seemed to have covered the artifact.

—Anglago. I’m the one playing in the jousting match. The Jousting Club isn’t in good shape. There’s no reason to come watch a poor match... Anglago? Did he really leave?

—Looks like it. He already put the artifact in his pocket.

—Salco. Did you also like jousting? I didn’t know you’d run off with Anglago.

—I wanted to see the stadium in person.

—I see. If that’s the reason, I understand. I hope it’s worth going to the punishment cells. I’ll send you some snacks later.

—Thanks, Wardanaz.

‘Am I the only one who finds it strange that Wardanaz is starting for the Jousting Club?’

Inside the school, Giselle was genuinely confused.

What on earth had happened outside for everyone to just accept this?

***

Grrrrroar!

Caw-caw-caw-caw!

SCREEEEECH!

A complex mix of monster cries, usually difficult to hear in one place, rang through the air.

Hearing them from afar, the citizens of Granden City smiled joyfully instead of screaming or running away.

“A jousting match is about to start!”

“Was that a griffin?! Is there going to be a match with a griffin?!”

“That’s impossible. It’s probably some eagle-type monster. A griffin isn’t a wyvern, you know.”

Before a large-scale jousting match, cries like these always filled the surrounding area.

If there were no monster cries and only horses neighing, it would likely be an ordinary, boring match.

“Ugh. Here they go again. What’s so great about those noisy beasts?”

“Ah! The Empire has fallen! These people care about nothing but bread and jousting!”

Some citizens reacted negatively to the match, but it had no effect on the overall mood.

Most people loved jousting.

“Originally, it began as a sport where people fought each other with their lives on the line. Then, to make the fighting more thrilling, it changed into people and monsters fighting with their lives on the line. Eventually, it developed into the current form, where people ride monsters and fight.”

“...”

Lee Han, who was still receiving emergency lessons, made a sour face after hearing even the history of jousting.

This didn’t seem like something he needed to memorize.

“The rules of jousting differ by region and situation. The largest match ever held was the Great Eastern Jousting Match forty-one years ago. It was a city-versus-city match with goal posts placed in each city, and hundreds of people fought. More than a hundred players suffered broken bones or cracked skulls, and the match ended in a draw when the ball disappeared...”

“Are there any tricks I can use immediately?”

“...Should I explain those first?”

Arien asked with renewed hope.

Since he was from House Wardanaz, perhaps he wanted tricks and deception after all...

“Yes!”

‘He does!’

Deeply regretting the assumptions made about Lee Han’s mindset, Arien pulled out another book.

It was <99 Jousting Tricks>.

“Normally, hitting above the shoulders and using magic or mana-powered weapon techniques are prohibited, but there are ways to avoid being caught by the referee...”

“I see. I see.”

Lee Han listened with several times more concentration than before.

No matter how he thought about it, if he had to face outstanding official players, underhanded methods were his only hope.

SCREEEEECH—

A sharp bird cry came from afar.

It was the prearranged gathering signal of Einroguard’s Jousting Club.

“Ah. I think I need to go.”

“Good luck, young master!”

Lee Han hurried off under their encouragement.

In truth, even without the sound or the signal, Einroguard’s Jousting Club was easy to find.

One simply had to look for the loudest and most boisterous group in Einroguard.

The mages had packed magically shrunken cages and giant cages densely behind their carts, then decorated themselves with various beast furs and feathers like ornaments.

They stood out anywhere.

“It’s the Einroguard jousting players!”

“Do your best! I’m cheering for you! But please play a little better this time!”

“Where did Kimbeldan go? At least that guy knew how to play like a person.”

“Kimbeldan graduated. Einroguard is a magic school.”

“Ah, no! Without him, there’s no one decent left!”

There were some cheers, but most of the crowd was filled with concern, jeering, and shouts asking why the club had been playing so badly lately.

Breaking through the noisy crowd, Lee Han joined the club seniors.

Karnella glared at the spectators with blazing eyes and muttered.

“These fair-weather fans don’t know what real support is... They stopped cheering just because we lost for a year or two?”

‘Isn’t that natural?’

Normally, people wouldn’t keep cheering after a few losses.

Still, since Karnella was a senior, Lee Han tried to calm the situation.

“Please calm down, senior. If we play well, they’ll cheer again.”

“They should cheer even when we play badly! Does anyone think I’m an idiot for cheering when a player from my family lost a hundred matches?!”

‘Jousting fanatics are really exhausting.’

Lee Han suddenly missed magic fanatics.

Both types were equally impossible to communicate with, but at least Lee Han was interested in magic.

“Junior... I’m counting only on you. You need to become a new striker who surpasses Senior Kimbeldan. You need to crush and trample the other players. Make their legs tremble just by meeting your eyes. Make them fear the sight of your shadow...”

“Are there no other second-years?”

Lee Han looked around and noticed something strange.

Among the students who had come out, there were no other second-years at all.

“Huh? Oh.”

“...Why?”

“Usually, second-years don’t have proper mounts, and they lack experience too... Ah! Junior, you don’t need to worry. In your case, I personally convinced the others.”

“...Why would you go that far...?”

It was rare for second-year students to participate in Jousting Club matches.

Apart from the mount issue, the Jousting Club students weren’t cruel enough to deliberately send inexperienced juniors out to get hurt.

However, Karnella was someone who would swing a jousting stick at the Skull Principal’s skull if it meant victory.

To Karnella, Lee Han was not a second-year student.

He was an exceptional striker prospect capable of riding griffins, unicorns, basilisks, and, if necessary, even mountain-range-destroying sheep or four-legged giants.

Though whether that argument made sense was another matter.

“I just... believe in your talent.”

‘That doesn’t make me happy at all.’

If another senior had said it, Lee Han might have been slightly moved.

But Karnella’s eyes were full of greed.

Karnella probably wouldn’t care much whether Lee Han was struck by a wyvern or a behemoth as long as they won.

“Karnella. Stop bothering Wardanaz.”

“Senior Perse. I have never bothered Wardanaz even once. I was praising Wardanaz’s talent.”

“Even if we’re short on players, isn’t sending out a second-year a little dangerous...?”

Perse still seemed conflicted, looking once at Lee Han, then at Karnella, then back at Lee Han.

Then Perse let out a deep sigh.

“You wouldn’t listen even if we tried to stop you, would you, {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} junior?”

“...Excuse me? No, you never tried to stop me...”

At the completely sudden comment, Lee Han couldn’t hold back and voiced his honest thoughts.

How could anyone say that now, when no one had tried to stop him even once?

However, Perse didn’t hear him and simply continued saying whatever needed to be said.

“Anyway, be careful, Wardanaz. Aside from Karnella, no one has excessive expectations of you. Everyone knows the club’s situation.”

Currently, Einroguard’s Jousting Club was weakened due to several setbacks, including the departure of skilled players through graduation and disappearance, as well as escaped mounts.

In this situation, the members were not shameless enough to place everything on a hastily recruited second-year student.

Except for one person.

“But be careful around Karnella. If we lose the match, keep your distance for a while.”

“...”

At the utterly unhelpful advice, Lee Han quietly shook his head.

Then he took out <99 Jousting Tricks> and started reading again.

‘Hmm... methods for secretly using magic...’

Rather than reviewing what he had learned from the Jousting Club this semester, these tricks seemed far more useful.

“Oh, right. Wardanaz. I almost forgot.”

Perse, who had been about to go tend to the mounts again, called out to Lee Han.

“Is something wrong?”

“Nothing major. Professor Garcia was looking for you. Said you absolutely had to come by after the jousting match ended.”

Lee Han’s face turned slightly pale.