Vinny continued flipping through the information about the double-moon phenomenon. The documents gave definite information regarding the origin of the Carillian Academy Chosen One Granted by God Tournament, but as for the reason the double-moon celestial image formed, there was no accurate explanation at all. Everything consisted of different scholars’ guesses and conjectures without factual basis, and their understanding was extremely one-sided.

There was also one conjecture saying that the moon and celestial bodies were actually things created by the Demon Pillars during the age of creation for some unknown reason, something similar to the world’s “sores.” When two moons appeared in the sky, that meant two “sores” had appeared in the heavens. At that time, the entrances of two worlds would be at their closest distance.

Of course, these still had no basis whatsoever.

Vinny flipped back several pages and moved his gaze to the competition rules section in the latter part.

He scanned it roughly and discovered that the first few matches would all use a melee format. After the number of participants was eliminated to below one hundred, there would be two-person matches. Once the number was reduced to below fifty, the tournament would enter one-on-one duels, and finally, the last victor would be decided.

The rules were roughly like that.

If this were some other, less formal competition, the required weapons would all be training weapons provided by the Academy. But clearly, the “Carillian Chosen One Granted by God Tournament” was no ordinary competition. In order to allow students to bring out one hundred percent of their true wartime strength, the Academy not only did not provide weapons, but also required students to prepare their own weapons and equipment. The competition rules allowed the use of enchanted weapons and enchanted items of any grade, but magic scrolls and alchemy potions could not be used.

In terms of abilities, any martial techniques, magic, and [Saint’s Favor] could be used. After all, these were all part of one’s strength, and there was nothing wrong with that.

What the “Carillian Chosen One Granted by God Tournament” tested was not how strong someone’s personal ability was without external power. Rather, it tested how much explosive strength a person could display, under any sudden or extreme situation, when equipped with all their strength.

To put it plainly, it was an unrestricted fighting tournament with self-prepared weapons and equipment. It tested how much combat power you could unleash when fully armed.

This sounded rather unfair to commoner players—oh no, commoner students—but there was never any fairness on a real battlefield to begin with. Take this tournament, for example. It was extremely unfair to second-year students. They had only enrolled for two years and had just barely reached the threshold for participating in the tournament. Could anyone say that was fair?

Weapons at the [Divine Armament] level were indeed a dimensional strike, that was true. But among the students, how many had weapons at the [Divine Armament] level?

One had to know that [Divine Armament] weapons were not something that could be obtained just because one had money and power. One had to truly be acknowledged by a [Divine Armament]. Even among geniuses, that was a one-in-ten-thousand existence.

In other words, being acknowledged by a [Divine Armament] depended entirely on one’s own ability. If someone truly could obtain a [Divine Armament]’s recognition, then they would be the master of that [Divine Armament]. A person like that also corresponded to the name of this competition: “Chosen One Granted by God.”

Therefore, being defeated by a guy with such limitless future potential could only make people feel a certain sense of “well, fair enough.”

So even for noble students, the highest-grade enchanted weapons they could use were only at the [Magic Tool] level—though that still created quite a large gap.

Vinny’s Frostfang was a very strong [Magic Tool] weapon.

Oh, no. It was no longer just a weapon.

It was practically Vinny’s sworn brother in life and death, having saved him from danger time and again.

All he could say was that even now, Vinny was still very grateful to that red-demon little chieftain gentleman who did not wish to reveal his name.

As for how great the gains and benefits from winning the championship would be, those were also written later on. After the students who did not understand much about this tournament read that part, each and every one of them sucked in a cold rice noodle.

The tournament would begin one month later, which was when the double-moon scene could be observed with the naked eye. The event would be held in the arena inside Saint Selena Cathedral. That place had always been Carillian Academy’s main venue for holding the “Chosen One Granted by God Tournament.” Ordinarily, aside from special periods when entry was permitted, it was never open to the outside.

Before then, the Academy also had to spend a month preparing, setting up the venue and arranging much of the schedule.

“I was originally worried that among the students I taught for a year, there would be a few lambs without any fighting spirit. Now it seems I underestimated all of you.”

The teacher swept her gaze across every student present and nodded.

“Everyone, your eyes have already told me your answer. Well done. I wish all of you the honor you want—the honor that belongs to you. Before then, classes will proceed as usual. However, one week before the tournament begins, classes will be suspended for a week to give you time to prepare and rest.”

“All right. Class dismissed.”

With that, the teacher left the classroom.

In the afternoon, after the full day of classes ended, Vinny stood up from his seat and stretched.

The atmosphere in class clearly had not changed, yet it also seemed to have changed. After the “Carillian Chosen Tournament” was announced, something felt subtly different.

It was as though everyone had awakened all at once from the leisurely, carefree state of the holiday period.

How to describe it? Even the way they walked now seemed like lions patrolling their own territory—steady, restrained, with a few more traces of thought and consideration between their brows.

It seemed this Chosen Tournament, absent for more than ten years, had stirred everyone’s spirits.

Of course, as second-year students, and not even the top ten in the year, they all knew that their hopes of winning the championship were extremely slim. But even if those hopes were slim, they still did not lack the courage to try.

They knew very well that they might merely become stepping stones in the grand melee, used by the upperclassmen to climb higher.

But even without hope of winning the championship—even when they most likely could not even survive the grand melee—they still refused to show weakness.

To them, this was a precious attempt and experience. Besides, it was not embarrassing for second-years to lose in the Carillian Chosen Tournament. If they went back and said they had once participated in the “Carillian Chosen One Granted by God Tournament,” wouldn’t that be incredibly face-saving??

On the contrary, if they had not even participated, allowing such a heaven-sent opportunity to slip away, that would be what truly made people laugh at them.

Not only would others laugh at them; even they themselves would regret it for the rest of their lives.

Mm. Appropriate pressure was very necessary. As for Vinny, he still behaved almost the same as before. He ate when he should eat and drank when he should drink.

What a joke. He was Camella’s king of pressure resistance. He had endured pressure from his previous life to this life, from childhood all the way to now.

“Vinny.”

Just as Vinny was about to get up and leave, a voice stopped him.

Vinny looked over. It was the black-haired cold beauty seated beside him.

Vinny knew what she meant. He nodded, tucked his books under his arm, and said, “Let’s go.”

“Student Dale, you go back first. I may come back a little late tonight.”

“Eh, eh?”

Shicodale looked at Vinny, then looked at Shicodale, and nodded as though she half understood.

“Will Student Vinny still come back to eat?”

“Of course I’ll come back to eat. But I may be late, so eat first by yourself. Don’t starve yourself waiting for me.”

Vinny instructed her.

“Ah, all right. I understand, Student Vinny.”

Although Shicodale did not know what the two of them were going to do, she still nodded obediently.

In any case, since Student Vinny said so, he definitely had proper serious business to do.

And so Shicodale glanced at Vinny and Isatia, then packed up her textbooks and obediently left first, returning home to prepare dinner.

School was over, and everyone was packing their things to leave. Tonight, the Academy arena would most likely be packed full.

Vinny and Isatia deliberately remained in the classroom, waiting for the others to leave before they discussed matters.

Very soon, almost everyone in the classroom had gone.

However, not everyone obediently chose to leave the classroom after school.

Vinny noticed this. Isatia also noticed this.

Or rather, it would have been impossible not to notice. That lovely figure, like a silver fairy, was sitting prettily on the desk in front of the two of them, smiling as she watched them.

Vinny fell silent.

What should they do? This was far too obvious, but it also seemed like they could not ask about it.

After being chased down and combo-attacked far too many times after starting conversations, Vinny knew that in terms of verbal skill, he definitely could not beat Aesphyra. This person could always strike his weakness with perfect accuracy.

But then another problem arose. Ignoring her did not seem acceptable either. Yet this person did not say a single word. She simply sat there, watching the two of them pack their textbooks in a way that was utterly evasive and self-defeatingly suspicious.

Vinny’s scalp went a little numb under her gaze. For some reason, even though he and Isatia had not done anything shameful, being watched by Aesphyra like this still made his heart feel prickly, as though he had done something guilty and she had discovered it.

“Let’s go, Student Vinny.”

Isatia slowly closed her textbook and stood.

“We shouldn’t disturb the other student who still has to continue packing up.”

“Uh, uh.”

Vinny did not speak. Right now, there were only the three of them left in the classroom, right? Then with Isatia’s “don’t disturb the other student packing up,” who was this other student?

So hard to guess.

Could this be secretly reminding Aesphyra to go pack up her own textbooks? Mm, to put it more bluntly, telling her to go play off to the side, stop meddling, and mind her own business?

However, Aesphyra seemed not to hear it, or else not to understand the hidden meaning behind those words. She continued sitting on the desk, watching the two of them with an unclear meaning.

“Does Student Aesphyra have business with us?”

Isatia finally spoke first.

“Are you looking for me, or for Student Vinny?”

“Ah, nothing much. I was only sighing with feeling.”

Aesphyra’s lips carried a charming faint smile.

“Sighing over what?”

Isatia asked expressionlessly. Her tone and expression made it seem as though she was expressing that she had absolutely no interest in whatever Aesphyra was sighing over, and that it had nothing to do with her.

“Student Isatia is truly meticulous in how she does things.”

Aesphyra praised her from the heart.

“I was only packing my textbooks.”

“Of course. I could see that. And from that alone, I could see that you, Student Isatia, are someone who does things meticulously. After all, for the simple action of putting books into a book bag, you performed the same motion three times with the same book, and repeatedly checked back and forth in between, afraid that you might put the books in the wrong order. Such rigorous imperial spirit—I cannot understand it, but I am greatly shocked.”

Aesphyra praised her in an exaggerated tone.

“I imagine this must be the Lanteville Family’s family teaching. No matter what one does, large or small, one must treat everything equally. When in doubt, doing everything three times is never wrong.”

Hearing this, Vinny’s heart thumped.

Bad, bad.

Were these two going to start again??

When these two highly aggressive fate heroines bumped into each other, there were always a great many sparks. After all, they were the same type of heroine, and neither would yield to the other.

“You flatter me. I see Student Aesphyra is no less impressive.”

Clearly, Isatia was not Shicodale. With Shicodale, if someone kicked her, she simply treated it as being kicked; it was like kicking cotton, and nothing would happen.

As she spoke, Isatia looked toward the books still sitting not far away where Aesphyra had previously been seated.

“No matter whether something concerns you or not, you must ask a few questions and stick your hand in a few times. Although in most cases this does no good whatsoever, the advantage lies in small gains accumulating over time. Once the number of attempts grows, naturally there will be a few times when you fish up benefits to your satisfaction. Is that how the Galathus Family developed?”

“Leaving the matter most deserving of attention at hand undone, yet instead going to involve yourself with the general flow—under most circumstances, such behavior would be a dangerous move. But high risk is often accompanied by high reward. To be able to see through the gains and losses within it... no wonder, among so many merchant families, only the Galathus Family won to the end.”

Isatia’s words were likewise praise on the surface and disparagement underneath, fiercely counterattacking Aesphyra’s words in the same way.

Ouch.

Vinny looked at the two of them with a great headache.

Sure enough, these two had started again.

The two of them were going to bicker again.

Isatia was also one of the few fate heroines capable of matching Aesphyra in verbal sparring. Every time, she and Aesphyra fought to an inseparable standstill.

No, acting this incompatible the moment you meet—aren’t the two of you tired??

Whether or not those two were tired, Vinny was tired just watching from the side.

“Ahem. Aesphyra, I have some matters to discuss with Student Isatia today.”

Vinny could not keep watching. He felt that if he did not do something, who knew how long these two would verbally clash again, so he gave an explanation.

“Oh? Goodness, you should have said so earlier.”

Hearing Vinny directly call her by name, while still adding “Student” after Isatia’s name, Aesphyra crossed her black-stockinged legs and brushed aside the hair at her temple with one hand, not hiding the smile in her eyes.

“If Student Vinny and Student Isatia have official business, you can simply say so directly. Why be so secretive?”

“No. It is not official business.”

However, before Vinny could speak, Isatia beside him opened her mouth, her purple eyes slightly cold.

“It is not that formal, Student Aesphyra. It is merely some irrelevant, insignificant private matter.”

“For something like this, I believe there is no need to deliberately inform anyone. After all, everyone has privacy of their own. Being overly clingy and probing into someone else’s privacy is a very rude and overstepping act.”

Isatia calmly met Aesphyra’s eyes.

These words were no longer all that implicit. They were plainly telling Aesphyra not to continue meddling or prying into other people’s business.

“Student Isatia’s words are too serious. I’m not the sort of person who likes to pry into other people’s privacy. I merely saw Student Vinny and Student Isatia standing in place this whole time, and felt a little curious.”

As she spoke, Aesphyra looked toward Vinny with a bright smile.

“I don’t make a fuss over every tiny rustle of wind. I’m not that petty, you know.”

Hearing this, Isatia frowned. A nearly imperceptible crease appeared in the book bag she was holding.

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