“Contestant Rose, a word please!”
“Give us your thoughts on the final match!”
“How do you plan to face Contestant Algren?!”
“What measures do you have against her Origin Magic?!”
Shut up, shut up, shut up. Be quiet, be quiet, be quiet, I repeated in my head.
A swarm of reporters surrounded me, firing off questions in rapid succession. They were single-minded, desperate for even a shred of a comment, oblivious to how I truly felt.
On the surface, however, I maintained a resolute facade and responded.
“I see. I intend to give it my all.”
“Are you confident you can win?!”
“...Contestant Eldest Daughter of House Algren is a formidable opponent. That is precisely why I intend to face her with everything I have.”
I donned my mask and answered the barrage of questions with detachment. But it was nothing more than an act. Giving one’s all should have been a given. Part of me wanted to snap at the reporter in front of me, to ask if they even understood that much—but that wasn't where these emotions belonged.
In truth, it didn't matter where my emotions went. This group only cared about drawing out the right words for a headline.
When the semi-finals had ended, I was genuinely happy.
“...I... I finally made it this far too... I can do it. I’m actually moving forward...”
As I walked back to the waiting room from the arena, I had muttered those words to myself, savoring my victory.
The finals were finally here.
I had managed to reach this stage. I knew that without the days I spent with Ray, I never would have made it this far.
And yet... I hadn't actually spoken to him since the Magics Chevalier began.
While they had formed the Amelia Cheer Squad and everyone supported me together, I only heard his voice from a distance. I hadn't truly spoken with any of them.
It was a self-imposed penance.
I knew that if I spoke to them, my resolve would waver. And if I met Ray... I would surely cling to him. So, I kept my distance.
Because I was weak. I was still so weak.
That was why I had to move forward alone.
I told myself that once I won, I would let them welcome me with smiles. With that goal in mind, I had finally reached the finals. I was almost there.
I imagined a future where I could see everyone and receive their heartfelt congratulations, and with that image in mind, I watched the other semi-final match.
“Amazing... both of them...”
I watched their match from the closest possible vantage point. Standing at the end of the passage leading from the players' waiting room, I was captivated by the fight between Ariane and Albert.
Ariane was overwhelmingly dominant. Even so, Albert didn't break. He endured and endured, weathering a fierce onslaught. No one would have complained if he had admitted defeat. Yet, looking at the ghastly intensity in Albert's expression, I knew he would never give up.
His body was covered in wounds, and his joints were frozen. Surely... he couldn't have had any sensation left. Despite that, he still hung on. He didn't give up.
He, too, had changed through his battle with Ray.
It was truly incredible. I knew better than anyone how grueling it was to deny your past self and keep moving forward from there.
But in the next moment, I felt my confidence—the confidence I had painstakingly built—shatter.
It was a sensation like glass being smashed to pieces. I felt as though every part of my being was breaking.
“Wh... What... is that...?”
Ariane’s limbs had turned a reddish-black. Her skin was covered in overlapping layers of red-black Code... and she caught the sword Albert swung with her bare hands. Then... of all things, she crushed it.
I didn't remember much of what happened after that.
When Ariane swung her fist into his abdomen, seeing his body roll across the ground like some non-human object being blown away... I envisioned it.
That will be me in the next match.
I understood it with chilling clarity.
That was Origin Magic. It was the ultimate height that only those with talent who piled effort upon effort could reach. That was the essence of Origin Magic.
A one-of-a-kind sorcery.
It was the same as Ray’s Ice Sword. That, too, was a sorcery only he could wield—an ultimate height.
In the end, as I had feared... Ariane was a person from that side.
Even though I had known that all along, seeing Ariane stand there bathed in applause and waving her hand filled me with terror.
How... how was I supposed to win?
Did I possess any sorcery capable of countering that?
Ariane’s true value lay in cross-range combat. But even if I fought at the same distance, I would be destroyed by that overwhelming Origin Magic. Should I keep my distance, then? No, that was impossible. That Origin Magic was active on her limbs. That meant her leg strength must be enhanced just as much as her arm strength.
I didn't have the sorcery to maintain a long distance.
My skill as a sorcerer might have been high. Ray had even praised me for it. But I lacked a trump card. Without one, I couldn't handle an opponent who brought theirs to the table.
Ray had been concerned about that too, but in the end, we hadn't made it in time.
“How... how am I supposed to fight...?”
I stared blankly.
The world was heartless after all.
Why did I have to feel this way? If this was the feeling waiting for me, I would rather have never reached the finals.
I had been mistaken.
I shouldn't have indulged in the fantasy that I might be able to fly out of the cage. I should have limited my thoughts and feelings to things that were appropriate for my stature.
I was shaking... my body wouldn't stop shaking.
No matter how I struggled, I couldn't see a path to victory against Ariane. I could only see myself being overwhelmed and rolling on the ground like Albert.
But I wouldn't even be able to hold on as long as he did.
Because my heart had already admitted defeat.
Ah... I really am weak.
Why did I ever think someone as weak as me could win?
“...”
After the interviews, my feet felt like lead. I didn't want to feel anything. I just wanted to be alone. Fortunately, today was a day off. Before the final, there were still the third-place matches for the Newcomers' Tournament and the Main Tournament.
My final match wouldn't take place until the afternoon of the following day.
There was still time.
When I returned to my room in the dormitory, I opened my notebook. I intended to think of a strategy against Ariane... but the only word that came to mind was 'defeat.'
It was always like this.
I was useless when it mattered most.
I had just been full of myself. There was nothing I could do.
I would just be crushed by Ariane, and it would be over.
That night, I slept huddled in a ball, trembling. My body was exhausted, so sleep eventually came. And as I drifted off, I hoped.
I hoped I wouldn't have to wake up.
I didn't want to look at reality anymore.
“...It’s morning.”
Then I woke up. Time passed with cruel indifference. Today wasn't a holiday. Today... was the day of the finals. I had spent yesterday in a state of total apathy. I had stayed still in the corner of my room, the image of my defeat against Ariane seared into my mind.
I had eaten a meager meal and gone back to sleep.
And so, without being able to do a single thing... the final day of the Magics Chevalier arrived.
Everything would be decided today.
But I already knew the result.
Ariane would seize victory in the Newcomers' Tournament.
There was no doubt about that. Not when the current me had no vision of winning... and no willpower left to fight.
“...”
I walked forward blankly.
Navigating the corridors to avoid the reporters, I arrived at the waiting room early. By now, the third-place match had surely begun. I could hear the cheers of the spectators and the booming voices of the commentators.
But right now, I didn't want to hear any of it.
I sat in the corner of the room, hugging my knees and lowering my head.
I wanted to live up to everyone's expectations. The members of the cheer squad surely believed in me.
They were certain I would win.
Until now, that belief had been my strength. It was why I could fight. But now... it had become a heavy shackle.
And it wasn't just them. The finals would draw the most attention of the entire tournament. In the midst of that, I was going to make a fool of myself. I wanted to run. But I lacked the courage to flee, and I lacked the courage to fight.
The Bird in a Cage had its wings plucked the moment it tried to stand.
It was all so pathetic. My heart had broken the moment it faced that overwhelming power. Ariane was different. Her talent, the sheer amount of effort she put in... and her very way of being were far superior to mine. She was transcendent.
In the end, I was nothing more than my lineage.
I should have just stayed quietly in the cage. If I had, I wouldn't have had to feel this way... But as soon as that thought crossed my mind, I wanted to deny it. Because the days I spent with everyone... those were real.
I was trapped in a cycle of contradictory thoughts.
Shrinking into the corner of the room, I struggled, on the verge of losing to myself.
That was the essence of Amelia Rose.
I wanted to see everyone. I wanted to see Ray... I wanted to see him. I wanted to talk to him, to tell him what was in my heart. I wanted to lay everything bare. I wanted to just throw everything away.
But no one would come here.
Knowing that only made my heart sink further into the darkness. In the end, I couldn't change. That was why I...
Just as I repeated that same thought for the umpteenth time, I heard the sound of the waiting room door opening. It shouldn't have been time yet.
Why was someone here...?
But... it didn't matter. It was probably just a janitor. They would leave soon. But then, a nostalgic voice called out from above me. Calling it 'nostalgic' was an exaggeration, perhaps, but to me, it felt like forever since I had heard it.
“Amelia.”
“...”
I was hearing things.
There was no way. Ray had his duties on the Management Committee. He was constantly busy. He had his work as a vendor, too. There was no way he would be here.
This was a hallucination born from a weak heart.
Ah... how foolish could I be? But then, a hand gently touched mine. It was warm.
It wasn't an illusion.
“Amelia... so you were here...”
“How... how did you... find me...?”
“...I've known all your hiding spots since our training days.”
“Th-that's... but... but I...”
I roughly brushed his hand away.
Right now, Ray was the one person I didn't want to see me.
As much as I had wished for him, I couldn't bear for him to see me in such a pathetic state.
As I looked away, I noticed something. Ray's hand was also... shaking.
“Amelia... I... I was afraid...”
“Eh...?”
What was he saying?
Had I misheard him?
I looked up, and instead of his usual face full of confidence, I saw an expression of deep uncertainty.
“Ray...”
And so, we exchanged our final words before the match.
I would learn the truth. His true feelings, and my own—