CH 23

The next day, I was waiting in front of the stage for the final match.

I was watching Berg’s match right now.

But instead of cheering for Berg, I was thinking about my next match.

I was sure Berg would win.

I was convinced that after the first two rounds yesterday, my match would be the big one.

“Oh, I’m getting nervous.”

The stage was suddenly set for the final match.

I was so nervous, I felt like I was going to puke.

I was not good at standing in front of a lot of people.

But I was determined to fight and win.

I didn’t want to be made a fool of.

More than anything, I wanted to live up to Natalie’s expectations, because she believed in me.

“You’ll be fine. Owen won’t be defeated, no matter who he’s up against.”

She held my hand.

“Thank you.”

Seriously, Natalie was an angel.

If she wasn’t an angel, all the angels in the world would be fallen angels.

I wanted to fall to the ground and tell Natalie to lay low.

Just kidding, but she’s a really good girl.

As I waited, Berg came back with a victory.

Now all I had to do is win and be the winner.

“Owen. You have to win. —Go out there and show them what you can do.”

“Yeah, I’m on it.

I clenched my fists and raised my arms.

“I’m off.”

“And now for the next match! The first-year team is ……! Owen Pepper!”

With the announcer’s voice, I stepped onto the stage.

I felt like a lot of people were looking at me strangely.

—What the hell, Owen?

—Oh, this match sucks.

—I wanted to see Natalie.

I could tell that I wasn’t being looked at favorably.

“Owen, go for it!”

Then I heard Natalie’s cheering from backstage.

I could do my best with just that one word.

I didn’t care about what other people thought of me, her words gave me the greatest strength.

“And now, from the third year team! —Kaisaf Standard!”

An earnest-looking boy appeared on stage.

Kaisaf was the strongest boy in the elementary school.

—Let’s do it, Kaisaf!

—I don’t care if he is a first year or not, don’t go easy on you!

The cheering was much louder than when I entered.

“I didn’t know the center wasn’t Natalie. You’ve got me now.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Well, I figured if I could beat Natalie here and make it to the championship match, I could win the tournament. Oh, so I’ve been outsmarted.”

“It’s not that you were outsmarted.”

‘I was not trying to outsmart you.’

Don’t be ridiculous.’

I looked Kaisaf straight in the eye and said,

“I’m not overconfident that I’m strong, but Natalie is counting on me. So I will do everything in my power to defeat you.”

“I see. Then please be gentle with me.”

I looked Kaisaf straight in the eye and said,

“I see. Then please be gentle with me.”

I knew from the start that Kaisaf was strong.

But I was not going to let him defeat me easily.

No, didn’t even think about losing.

I promised Natalie that I would beat him.

“And now, Elementary Division! Final match! Let’s start the second match!”

As soon as I heard the signal from the announcer, I put my magic power into my right hand.

I couldn’t afford to take any chances.

I was going to give it my all.

“Fireball barrage!”

I unleashed a series of fireballs from my right hand.

“Let the wind whirl!”

With Kaisaf’s magic, all the fireballs were extinguished.

” Ifrit!”

It’s a short chant, so it’s a little less powerful, but it’s still a very powerful spell.

I couldn’t be lazy.

Let’s decide at once while the other party underestimates me.

A burning flame strikes Kaisaf.

“Wind, cancel!”

Dogaaaaaaan!

A gust of wind and scorching flames collided, causing a roar to echo throughout the venue and dust to fly.

…… Seriously?

I never thought he would be able to break through the magic I’d unleashed as a surprise attack so easily.

As expected, he is the strongest of the elementary school.

It seemed he wouldn’t let me win so easily.

“Owen. I apologize for underestimating you. —You are strong.”

I felt Kaisaf’s mood change.

“Oh no, …….”

I was about to unleash my magic when I realized that Kaisaf was going to do something.

“Blades of wind! Become a blade that cuts and rages!”

With him at the center, a storm blew through the hall.

It was so powerful.

The wind blades pierced me at a distance.

—Owen is dancing!

—Good, good, good! More dancing! Dance around!

The audience was protected by a magical barrier, so they won’t feel a thing.

I was in a lot of pain.

The blades of wind were attacking me relentlessly from all directions and I was forced to take the attack.

“What a wide range of magic.”

I’ve heard that he hadn’t lost a match since he was a freshman, and I could understand why.

“Great fireball ……!”

The spell I cast on Kaizaf was blocked by the stormy wind around him.

In the meantime, my body was scratched with the blade of the wind.

“kutsu!”

If I continued like this, I would have lost everything.

Although I had tried to change my attacks and shoot magic several times, they were all blocked by the wind barrier.

If only I could use my long range magic at times like this …….

Magic was more difficult to control the further away you were.

I lacked the skill to attack a distant opponent.

If you couldn’t use magic at a distance, you had to go close—.

But if you tried to get past the wind barrier that surrounds Kaisaf, it would tear your whole body apart.

If that’s the case, why not just go through the wind barrier?

“Gravity release!”

I flew into the sky.

There are many ways to attack a person who could use wind magic, regardless of whether you were in the sky or not.

I knew it and used flying magic.

And then I flew right above the Kaisaf.

The weakness of the magic that Kaisaf was using is that it gravitate from the ground.

Kaisaf deployed his magic like a storm on the ground with himself in the center, but from directly above, he was unprotected .

From here, I could clearly see Kaisaf’s surprised face.

I stopped controlling the gravity magic.

The next moment, I lost the feeling of floating and fell straight down.

“—Body enhancement!”

Strengthening the body is difficult, but even I could do it if I just focused on it.

Besides, a strengthened body could help me withstand the impact of a fall.

“Iron fist!”

I clenched my right hand and slammed my fist down, carrying the momentum of the fall with me.

But Kaisaf narrowly avoided me.

—It’s not over yet!

I had the knowledge of close combat learned from Katherina-sensei.

It’s not a big deal for a top-notch warrior like Berg or a knight.

But, if the opponent is a wizard, I had a chance.

As soon as I landed on the ground, I kept my posture low and brushed off Kaisaf’s legs.

And the result of it, I was able to hit him in the stomach.

“Iron Fist!”

I clenched my right fist and landed a body blow.

“Gghh. ……”

Kaizaf was blown backwards and hit the wall of the hall.

And then.

“Big fireball!”

I gave the Kaisaf a finishing blow.

Kaisaf fell down from the wall.

And he never stood up.

“And there’s your winner, Owen Pepper!”

The announcer’s declaration of victory echoed throughout the venue.

The crowd was stunned by the unexpected result.

No one expected me to win, right?

“Owen, you did it!”

Natalie was the only one who believed me.　

I walked off the silent stage and Natalie hugged me.

“We won!”

“Of course we did! I knew you would win!”

That’s a lot of trust.

If this match had been a betting contest, Natalie would have won.

“Thank you, Natalie.”

Now I lived up to her expectations.

Living up to her expectations was more important to me than dispelling the bad rumors.

Her warmth was comforting.

“Natalie, I’m glad you’re happy, but can I ask you to step back now?”

“Yes, yes. Sure.”

Natalie shyly pulled away.

Her face is a little red.

I was also a little embarrassed.

“Anyway, congratulations. We’ve won the championship.”

“Yeah, I guess so.”

After that, we stood on the top step of the podium and received the trophy.

This was the end of the tournament.