The Villain is Too Good at Sniping - Chapter 142



Only Krnovel

Episode 142

Episode 142. Tournament (1)

The first match of the memorable exchange competition was held.

The main characters are Iri de Sugarmond and a brown-haired male cadet holding Joachim’s hammer. The two stood at the ends of the arena and approached each other, bowing slightly.

“Ah, it’s Irie de Sugarmond.”

“It’s Bedon.”

Bedon answered briefly and glared at Airi. Since they had met each other as enemies, it seemed like there was nothing more to talk about. Airi flinched at the intimidating figure approaching her while spinning the chained iron ball.

‘You can’t back down from here… … .’

I look up and see the audience. There are hundreds of people filling the seats. Some are familiar faces, some are unfamiliar faces. There are also the faces of professors, and I can see professors from other academies, not just Arsene.

One particularly striking face is that of Lilia de Sugarmond, with her arms crossed and her eyes closed. She has been looking down since Airi began her speech, and she is not even looking at her.

Airi gritted her teeth at her sister’s indifference. She felt like she was being ignored, and more than anything, her peers were watching her. Since she was selected as the first batter, if she didn’t show something proper, Arsene’s morale would drop.

“Phew… … .”

Airi took a deep breath and grabbed the hilt of her sword. Bedon was still just spinning the iron ball around, and didn’t seem to have any intention of approaching first. The sound of the iron ball cutting through the wind was incredibly creepy, but Airi couldn’t back down either.

‘I can do it.’

My sister was blatantly ignoring me, no, she just closed her eyes and watched me enter the arena.

In preparation for this exchange, I went to the gym every day and rolled around on the floor. I also gained experience by carrying out various requests during summer vacation.

At first, the vision sword technique that would drain your stamina after just one use can now be performed five times.

He approached his opponent with his sword in hand. Bedon, who had read Airi’s footsteps, quickly threw his iron ball. Airi fiercely jumped in to counter him.

Boom… … !

The exploration was long, but the outcome was decided in an instant.

The iron ball that Bedon threw passed Airi’s shoulder, and before Bedon could respond, Airi approached him. He threw his body to knock him down, and then blocked the iron ball that was coming back to him. The match ended there.

But Airi knows the rules of this duel. The duel will not end unless the referee intervenes or she declares defeat herself.

A cold blade was thrust into Bedon’s eyes.

“… tell them you lost.”

“I lost… I lost.”

Finally, Bedon let go of the iron ball in his hand. He turned his head and looked at the audience. His fellow trainees from Joachim clicked their tongues and avoided eye contact. It probably wouldn’t be a good thing if he went back to Joachim.

So I was planning to block the sword with a chain and immediately counterattack.

“The winner of this duel is Arsene’s Aire de Sugarmond. Joachim’s defeat.”

Clap clap clap clap-

“Good job, Airi!”

“I won the first fight.”

“You won? Really?”

Applause continued. Familiar voices could be heard from all over the audience.

‘Did I win? Really… … ?’

Only then did Iri feel reality and looked back at the stands. Lilia de Sugarmond, who had clearly been sitting in her seat, was gone.

***

-Ah, this is Irie De Sugarmond.

Lilia swallowed her last breath as she was about to make her announcement.

“It was a mess from the start. The posture was imperfect, and I failed to take the initiative… What’s with that stupid expression?”

Lilia de Sugarmond, unable to bear to watch her younger brother’s disgrace any longer, closes her eyes.

Originally, he had been reluctant to come to the arena until his turn. The people of interest that the secretary had handed over had certainly achieved remarkable results, but the students of the Joachim Academy had also put in an effort to match them.

Even though the opponent has achieved the feat of capturing the mine, Joachim’s students are by no means behind in terms of combat sense.

‘No.’

Rather, Joachim adds more.

Joachim’s students have been training every day, and in some ways, they are even more severe than Arsene. While Arsene weeds out most of the students during the entrance exam and nurtures the talented ones, Joachim often repeats students who fail to meet certain standards or even expels them altogether.

If everything goes according to plan, Lilia will probably face off against Arsene’s student council president, Rebecca. Rebecca is an enemy that cannot be overlooked, so she has been preparing to face her while ignoring everything else.

‘I was also shocked when I stepped back… … .’

Unable to resist a momentary impulse, I ended up coming to the arena.

Before we actually faced each other, I wanted to see how much Airi had achieved, and as her older sister, I was also concerned. Since we would be facing each other once we entered the arena, there would be no chance to check if it wasn’t now.

But when I saw Airi’s pitiful behavior once she entered the arena, I couldn’t help but sigh. I was about to leave when I thought there was nothing left to see.

“I didn’t know you were here, Lady Lilia.”

“… … ?”

A familiar voice was heard. Before I knew it, Zion Illionheart was sitting next to me.

“you…….”

Lilia was about to ask for a moment what he was doing here, but she just kept her mouth shut. It was not something she should say, having stepped onto the arena unable to resist her impulse.

Unable to handle the awkward atmosphere, Lilia reluctantly sat back down. After finally sitting down on the chair and looking to the side, she saw Zion looking down at the arena without saying a word.

But then suddenly Zion opened his mouth.

“You are not honest.”

“I just wanted to see with my own eyes how much my little brother had grown, I didn’t have any special thoughts in mind.”

Lilia flinched for a moment at the excuses that came out like a machine gun. However, Sion just sat there calmly. Fortunately, I thought he hadn’t noticed, and at that moment, I looked at the arena.

“Even though you may seem cold on the outside, don’t you actually care about Airi more than anyone else?”

“What… … ?”

“If not, then I’m sorry. From what I’ve heard from Airi, he seems like a very cold and ruthless person, but he actually cares for his younger brother very much.”

There was no emotion in Zion’s voice, but Lilia felt his words dig into her heart.

But more importantly.

“Iri told you about me?”

“I told you when I forgot. Thanks to that, I also knew about Lady Lilia. I also expected that she would participate in this exchange.”

“I didn’t expect that.”

“Yes. So, there was something I wanted to ask you. That’s why I came to see you, Lady Lilia.”

Zion’s words were scratching at Lilia from the inside, but Lilia tried to ignore them. Meanwhile, Airi was still exploring with Bedon. At first, I thought she was just too scared to approach, but now that I look at it, it doesn’t seem like that.

“Is it really necessary to drive Iri this cold-bloodedly?”

“I’m driving Airi?”

“Lilia-sama is doing this because she wants Airi to grow stronger. She becomes a wall herself, so that Airi can overcome herself.”

If she doesn’t do that, Airi won’t be able to survive in Sugarmond. Sion knows the circumstances behind Lilia and Airi’s story that they haven’t revealed, but he doesn’t bother to bring it up.

“You told Airi that there was a ghost in the first-year dormitory, didn’t you? You said that out of concern for Airi. It must have come from your love for your younger sister.”

“That was told to me for that purpose… … .”

“I know because I have a younger sibling. He wasn’t my biological sibling though.”

I had a junior colleague who was always working overtime. We had known each other since college, so we looked after each other a lot.

It seems like such a long time ago now, but Zion looked at Lilia with calm eyes.

“What I’m trying to say is this. If Lady Lilia opens her heart and approaches you, Airi will also approach Lady Lilia. Instead of pushing her to the edge of a cliff like she is doing now, there might be a way to extend a hand and guide her.”

“What do you know now… … ?”

Lilia looked into Zion’s eyes absentmindedly, then looked away in surprise. It was a gaze soaked in sorrow that made it impossible to look at him sincerely.

“I just said that because I thought it would be better to avoid unnecessary conflicts.”

The moment Zion finished speaking, a loud noise rang out from the arena. Lilia looked at the arena. For a moment, through the rising dust, she could see the silhouette of Airi, who had subdued Bedon in an instant.

Bedon immediately wrapped the chains around both hands and tried to push Airi away, but Airi was able to swing her sword faster.

-The winner of this duel is Arsene’s Aire de Sugarmond. Joachim’s defeat.

Eventually, Bedon gave up the fight. The referee standing in the arena declared Airi’s victory.

As Zion watched the scene, he suddenly realized that the presence he had felt next to him had disappeared. Lilia de Sugarmond had disappeared in an instant.

‘… Was this a bit weak?’

I had hoped that perhaps Lilia’s mind could be changed, but it seemed that persuasion had failed.

***

Same time. Arsene’s Square.

Lilia ran away from the arena. She hid in a deserted alley and let out the breath she had been holding.

‘Zion Illionheart… … .’

Maybe it was because I ran up the stairs without thinking. I felt my heart pounding. If I had stayed there any longer, I would have definitely fallen for Zion Illionheart’s scheme.

‘So this is what you were planning from the beginning.’

In fact, Lilia felt her will being broken as she talked to Zion. She felt that what Zion said was right. By the time she found herself listening to the story as if possessed, the duel was already over.

The idea that there is no need to create unnecessary conflict is somewhat correct. No, before that, there is no one who likes conflict.

“They are all words meant to shake me up… I must not get caught up in them.”

As she hummed, Lilia gathered her strength and calmed her broken heart.

Irie de Sugarmond chose to remain with Arsene, declaring that she would not come to Joachim but would follow her own path.

That means, there will be one inspector.

As soon as Airi takes up the sword, Sugarmond will start watching Airi and try to see if Airi can stand on her own.

I know this because I experienced it as an elder. In Sugarmond, there are those who carry a sword and those who do not, and if you do not carry a sword or are weak even if you do carry a sword, you will never be able to escape the shadow of your family for the rest of your life.

It’s honestly hard to be sure whether Airi can overcome the family’s disapproval.

However, one thing is certain. If you take up the sword with a half-hearted attitude, you will be broken by your family before you even graduate from Arsene.

Although he himself had overcome the wall called Sugarmond, the probability of Airi being able to do the same was extremely low.

‘If you’ve decided to become a prosecutor, you have no choice but to prove it yourself. So, don’t be too resentful… … .’

Lilia returned to her quarters, repeating to herself, trying hard to ignore the image of Zion that kept coming to mind.

‘Lilia de Sugarmond’s favorability rating increases significantly.