The Cultural Hall where the dodgeball match was being held was packed to bursting, and not only with members of the Blue Team and Red Team.
There were surely some who had come purely to watch, but most seemed to have come out of curiosity after hearing about the wager over Lisa’s withdrawal.
Among them were instructors as well.
‘The Witch is here, and so are Instructor Noeul and the instructor from the Guardian Bureau.’
Judging by that, it seemed the wager involving Lisa’s withdrawal had also drawn the attention of those affiliated with Geumgang Academy.
Well, from their perspective, beyond simple curiosity, there was a chance they could lose a member of the Grace imperial family if things went wrong, so it was only natural that they would keep an eye on it.
Even so, the reason they did not intervene was likely because they could not carelessly meddle in a dispute between imperial family members, and because it was entirely a personal matter between the parties involved.
‘Maybe the Chairman is watching with interest from somewhere too. No, he definitely is.’
In any case, deciding to focus on the match, I took my eyes off the stands.
Then I looked at the Red Team participants in the opposing court.
Mikhail had stepped forward as if representing them.
He spoke in a mocking tone.
“You do remember the terms of the wager, don’t you? I hope you won’t try to back out at the last minute in front of all these people.”
“That’s our line, isn’t it? You haven’t forgotten that if you lose, you’ll hand over an imperial treasure, have you? And that you’ll apologize to Lisa and follow Gyeonwoo’s orders.”
Kang Hanbyeol, brimming with fighting spirit, answered in our place with a snort.
Mikhail shrugged as if to say there was no need to worry.
“I will take responsibility for my words. I swear it on the name of Grace.”
“Good. You promised, okay?”
The artifact Mikhail had wagered was, just as in the game’s progression, Protection of Light.
The necklace, striking for its green gem, had the effect of preserving 5% of ability stats reduced by Pressure, and it also contained a buff spell that temporarily increased all abilities.
Kang Hanbyeol seemed even more motivated at the thought of obtaining that treasure.
And so…
“Both teams, bow!”
After the instructor serving as referee finished explaining the rules, the match finally began.
* * *
It would be a mistake to think of this as ordinary dodgeball, the kind one commonly encountered in daily life.
Since this was, after all, a match held at an academy that trained Hunters, the students were allowed to participate using magic, so long as they did not commit lethal acts.
They could manipulate the movement of the ball with magic, or even fire spells at opponents to hinder them, as long as it did not amount to lethal force.
That meant they could not simply focus on the ball and play the match.
They also needed the ability to respond to the opponent’s schemes.
In that sense…
‘That was a little dangerous just now.’
For me, possessing the Gift called Evasion Instinct gave me many advantages.
Having nearly been struck by an incoming ball in the brief opening while dodging a magical attack, I let out a sigh of relief.
But the Red Team did not stop there. They persistently tried to target me.
“Take out Do Gyeonwoo of the Divine Sword Do Clan!”
“If possible, we have to get him early! If Do Gyeonwoo survives until the end, it’ll become a pain!”
“Our only chance is while there are still a lot of Blue Team members alive! No matter how quick he is, his movements will be restricted because of the people around him!”
“Rabbit’s only good at dodging, so hurry up and send him to the outer court!”
The Red Team students shouted at the top of their lungs.
Grasping the situation from what I heard, I snorted.
Although it hurt my pride a little, it was true that, comparatively speaking, I was good at dodging balls, but only average when it came to throwing them.
So their strategy of trying to send me to the outer court as quickly as possible wasn’t entirely without reason, but…
‘Who says I’m going to let you have your way?’
As long as I didn’t get hit, that was that.
As if mocking the Red Team students’ strategy, I evaded the ball with agile movements and reflexes.
In the meantime, the Blue Team students who had been secretly waiting for an opportunity caught them off guard and snatched the ball.
The right to attack had passed to us.
From that moment, the offensive shifted.
Goopy Rubber.
There was one student on the Blue Team who could freely control sticky rubber.
We passed the ball to him, and living up to our expectations, he swung the ball wrapped in mucus-like slime.
Each time he threw the ball at the opponent, it repeatedly returned to its owner through elasticity.
Just when it seemed like our one-sided attack would continue and seize the advantage…
“What a pathetic little trick.”
Mikhail abruptly dispelled the magic and seized the ball that had been on its way back to the Blue Team.
Then, no longer standing by, he began attacking in earnest.
Running up to the boundary line of his court, he threw the ball with all his might.
The ball flew in a straight line…
Then suddenly dropped with a thud onto the head of a male student.
“Huh? Why did the ball…”
The male student, startled by the instantaneous turn of events, blinked blankly.
We were bewildered as well.
As if toying with us, Mikhail repeated similar situations one after another.
The balls he and the Red Team students threw came flying from completely different directions.
Even the balls we threw would occasionally vanish midway.
And each time, they lost speed and fell into Mikhail’s hand.
‘He can interfere with our ball too?’
It was the work of Mikhail’s Gift, Platinum Grace, which possessed the power to interfere with spatial manipulation.
The proof was the platinum-colored mana shimmering like smoke around him.
I clicked my tongue briefly.
Unfortunately, there was no clear solution to break through the situation.
At best, we had no choice but to rely on our senses as much as possible and dodge the ball.
In the end, it was inevitable that the number of Blue Team players in the inner court would decrease.
And then, finally—
“Kang Hanbyeol, out!”
“Ah, damn…”
Kang Hanbyeol was struck by the ball.
Lisa bowed her head to him, since he had taken the hit in her place.
“Hanbyeol, I’m sorry. Because of me…”
“No, I’m fine. What’s there to be sorry about over something like this? I got hit on purpose. Besides, I was just thinking that the outer court would suit me better than the inner court anyway! This works out well.”
Kang Hanbyeol laughed refreshingly.
Soon, turning his back on the Red Team, he passed by me and said,
“Gyeonwoo, I’ll support you from the outer court. You work hard in the inner court.”
“Got it. I’m counting on your backup.”
The match was not over yet.
Wishing each other luck, we resolved to stay faithful to our respective roles.
* * *
Mikhail’s offensive was powerful.
It was not easy to stand against balls that could pop out from who knew where.
As time passed, the tide of battle could only turn against the Blue Team.
Even so…
‘It’s because of me.’
Lisa did not want to give up.
If she resigned herself and accepted defeat here, she would have no face before Kang Hanbyeol, who had taken the ball for her, or before the others.
More than anything…
‘I…’
She wanted to become a Hunter.
She wanted to fulfill her dream.
Lisa did not want the path she had walked until now to be denied.
As she played the match while looking back on her memories, she finally sorted out her feelings.
“It’s useless. Holding out like this will only hurt you.”
“No. It isn’t something you can decide when it isn’t over yet.”
Whether or not she was suited to becoming a Hunter did not matter.
She would simply continue moving forward in silence, just as she had until now, in order to become the person she admired.
She stepped forward as her heart led her.
Even if the road was harsh and perilous, she was prepared for it.
It was all right.
Because this was not a path she walked alone.
‘I have my friends.’
Even if one day they walked different paths while cheering for each other’s dreams, her friends would continue to be with her.
If they were by her side, she would not be lonely.
She would not be afraid or frightened.
Rather, she looked forward to what came next.
It was then that the scenery of the world changed.
—Can you resist fate? Are you prepared to shoulder the world?
The dream she had already had countless times overlapped with reality.
Under a sky covered in monsters, Veronica asked as her hair fluttered.
Facing her, Lisa answered.
“I don’t know about that.”
—….
“I’m just going to do my best, to the very end, as much as I can.”
Lisa smiled confidently.
Veronica, who had been gazing at her in silence, let out a gentle laugh and softened her expression.
—Yes, then. Please do your best.
That was the end of it.
Dream and reality separated.
The dream, transformed into particles of mana, melted into Lisa’s body.
In her field of vision, messages that only Do Gyeonwoo could see appeared.
[….]
[Authority over “Witch’s Resolve” seized.]
[“Saintess’s Resolve” has been fully acquired.]
[Authority over the Witch of Foolish Dreams seized.]
[The blessing of Veronica Grace, Saintess of Hope, dwells within the body.]
[Stamina has increased by 5.]
[Strength has increased by 5.]
[Endurance has increased by 5.]
[Agility has increased by 5.]
[Magic Power has increased by 5.]
[Luck has increased by 5.]
A sudden surge of power seemed to well up inside her.
Furthermore…
[“Saintess’s Resolve” reacts to the bloodline of the Grace imperial family.]
[It awakens the holy and sacred power that had been diluted over countless generations.]
[The Gift awakens.]
[Platinum Grace (10% → 40%)]
It felt as if her soul had opened wide, like her vision clearing completely.
Instinctively, she understood the nature of the change that had occurred within her body.
Taking the incoming ball into her sight, Lisa manifested the mana within her body.
A subspace opened before her eyes.
The ball that entered it appeared without warning behind Mikhail.
* * *
‘Why will you not listen to me?’
Why was Lisa trying to become a Hunter?
It was not that he could not guess the reason.
She must have admired her birth mother, Elena, and wanted to become like her.
Inwardly, Mikhail found that admirable.
If he followed his heart, he would have wanted to support Lisa, whom he cherished like a younger sister.
But it was dangerous.
‘A Hunter does not suit you.’
Becoming a proper Hunter was arduous, and one had to know how to sacrifice many things.
For Lisa, who had lived a life distant from the struggle for imperial succession inside the greenhouse called the imperial palace, where those beneath her waited on her and lifted her up, it would surely be a hardship difficult to endure.
In addition, regardless of her intentions, she could be kept in check by the other members of the imperial family.
For a member of the imperial family to cultivate martial force meant fulfilling the imperial family’s duty to protect the empire and its people, and furthermore drawing closer to the empire’s glory and power.
In other words, it could be distorted into an interpretation that she was aiming for the position of the next emperor.
Since she possessed the right of succession, it was more than enough to invite misunderstandings.
In fact, such rumors were already quietly circulating among the imperial family.
‘There is no need for you to become a Hunter. I will shoulder both your dream and your duty as an imperial. So return to the empire and live the rest of your life in comfort, as you did before.’
Lisa had neither the background, the ability, nor the influence to withstand political machinations.
Therefore, it was better for her to give up on becoming a Hunter before she drew needless suspicion.
That was the context behind why Mikhail had urged her to withdraw.
He wanted to protect her.
‘You may resent me as much as you like. I will accept it all.’
The Red Team’s victory was near.
Before long, only a few remained in the Blue Team’s inner court, including Do Gyeonwoo and Lisa.
It was because Mikhail had fully exerted the Gift passed down only through the Grace imperial family.
In exchange, he had consumed a considerable amount of mental strength, but the result was satisfactory.
He was about to eliminate the remaining people in the inner court just like this when…
‘What is this?’
It was then that the current flowing through the court changed.
Having participated in the imperial succession struggle and engaged in palace intrigues since childhood, Mikhail sensed it almost instinctively.
He looked at Lisa.
‘…Platinum?’
The mana flowing from Lisa’s body was shining platinum.
It was a sign that appeared when a member of the Grace imperial family interfered with providence through their Gift.
But as far as Mikhail knew, she had not been born with enough power to manifest her Gift as a phenomenon.
As if denying that thought of his—
‘She opened a subspace!?’
The ball Lisa threw vanished out of nowhere and flew in from an unexpected location.
Mikhail’s eyes widened.
“How, in the world… did you strengthen your Gift?”
Unable to hide his astonishment, Mikhail had no choice but to ask.
But Lisa did not answer, and continued attacking.
‘I didn’t expect this to happen… You truly know how to trouble me.’
Of course, Mikhail did not stand still.
He activated his Gift to take back the ball that had been stolen from him.
From that point on, the match proceeded with tactics that used subspace to catch the opponent off guard.
The students other than Lisa and Mikhail had no choice but to sense the ball’s presence as best they could and respond accordingly.
“Urgh!”
Meanwhile, as time went on, Mikhail could not help but find himself hard-pressed.
He had been using his Gift for an extended period, and on top of that, he had to pour mental effort into countering Lisa’s Gift.
He had no idea how it was possible, but her Gift was stronger than his.
‘Unbelievable.’
Before he knew it, the tide of battle that had tilted toward the Red Team was regaining its balance.
Now the Blue Team was slightly ahead.
Mikhail let out a bitter smile.
He had never imagined that not only would he be bested by the half-sister he had thought needed protecting, but that he would be driven into a corner by her.
It was then that Do Gyeonu threw the ball.
‘It’s coming!’
The ball, flying as it cut through the air, vanished without a trace before anyone realized it.
Lisa had opened a subspace with her Gift and sent the ball to another dimension.
Mikhail heightened his senses, watching his surroundings with utmost vigilance.
The exit of the subspace was…
Thwack!
It appeared behind him.
Kang Hanbyeol, who had been in the Red Team’s outfield, caught the falling ball and immediately hurled it at Mikhail.
Mikhail opened a subspace to avoid being hit by the ball.
But Lisa, displaying quick wit, created a subspace in front of his a moment sooner.
“…!”
In the end, the ball passed into Lisa’s subspace.
Feeling a sense of utter dismay, Mikhail hurriedly tried to locate the vanished ball.
At that moment, the subspace releasing the ball opened above his head.
He immediately tried to seize the ball…
That was when it happened.
Before Mikhail could open a subspace.
Do Gyeonu, with lightning-like speed, stepped through the air as if there were stairs there and reached the ball.
Then, with all his might, he kicked it.
Whoosh!
The ball, its direction changed by Do Gyeonu, passed by Mikhail’s subspace and flew toward him.
He quickly tried to dodge, but unfortunately, his feet would not move.
It was because Kang Hanbyeol, who had been outside his field of vision, had bound his feet with magic built into an artifact.
At that, Mikhail closed the subspace he had opened just before in an attempt to struggle free, then tried to create a new subspace in the direction the ball was flying from.
At that moment, Lisa caught him off guard.
As if she had been waiting, she opened a subspace and altered the ball’s trajectory.
The ball that had been about to plunge down from the sky suddenly attacked Mikhail’s left side.
“Guhak!”
The ball, carrying the added force of the kick, struck Mikhail squarely in the face.
Completely caught off guard, he could not withstand the impact and was sent flying, rolling across the ground.
At this point, he had no choice but to acknowledge it.
‘You are…’
Not as weak as I thought.
With his gaze still fixed on Lisa, Mikhail struck his head against the ground and lost consciousness then and there.
It was an utterly disgraceful sight for a member of the imperial family.
I Became the Childhood Friend of the Mid-Boss