Chapter 125

Mikhail passed Ethan and made his way toward the center of the hall.

The heart of the ruins was already packed with members from every faction.

"Hey, Mikhail! Over here!"

A familiar voice caught his ear mid-stride, and Mikhail looked up.

Fifteen or so paces away.

Lloyd was standing among the crowd, face lit up with a grin, waving him over as he sauntered closer.

"Heard the news. You fought Verte. And won?"

Lloyd walked up and gave Mikhail's shoulder a cheerful pat as he spoke.

Mikhail looked at him without much of a reaction.

Lloyd let a casual hum slip out, shrugged, and leaned in.

"Good. Making a strong first impression in front of everyone—not a bad start at all."

"……"

"Prominent figures from across the kingdom. Landowners who control the means of production. And some who sit a bit higher than that… the eyes watching you here were quite the varied bunch. Whatever comes next, showing them you can live up to their expectations won't hurt when it comes to securing your position."

Mikhail watched Lloyd murmur the advice like he was sharing something vital.

Then his gaze drifted, scanning the surroundings.

"Speaking of which—where's Verte?"

"Hm?"

Lloyd blinked at the sudden question but quickly swept the area himself, a smile forming.

"Doesn't look like he's here yet. Could still be stuck behind that barrier of yours—or maybe he just can't bring himself to show his face so soon."

Mikhail had half-lowered his eyes and was offering a flat reply when—

Thud.

—approaching footsteps drew near, and Ethan passed by with a heavy expression, brushing past them without a word. A new announcement spread across the air above the din of chatter and milling crowds.

"—All right, it looks like just about everyone's gathered! In that case, please return to the tables assigned to your factions and take your seats! While we prepare for the second stage of Round Two, we'll be announcing the current combined scores and rankings for each faction!"

The announcer delivered it all with his usual upbeat energy.

Mikhail glanced up at the empty air as if tracing the voice to its source, then moved with Lloyd toward their designated spot.

The two approached Salvator's assigned table and stopped. A single map lay spread across its surface.

"Now then! We'll be going through the rankings, but starting with the highlights would spoil the fun, wouldn't it? So we'll count up from tenth place! Night Owl Training Camp takes tenth with 250 points. Western Sand Mercenary Company comes in ninth at 270 points…"

The voice worked its way up from the bottom of the standings and soon reached the mid-tier bracket.

Mikhail stood in place, listening to the rankings unfold exactly as he'd predicted, then glanced around at his teammates.

Their eyes were bright with anticipation—sensing they'd placed near the top.

"Hey, look. Over by the entrance—that's Verte Fischer…"

The words snagged Mikhail's attention. He whipped his head toward the corridor connected to the hall's entrance.

Tap.

Footsteps growing steadily closer. Verte was just emerging from the passage leading into the central hall.

He walked with composure—unhurried and upright.

The whispers and snickering trailing behind him didn't seem to register at all. He cut through the crowd and headed straight for the research institute's group.

"……"

Mikhail pulled his gaze from the rigid set of Verte's mouth and turned back to face forward.

He'd originally planned to settle things with Verte during this stage, but there was no need for another clash now.

Verte wouldn't be coming at him again anytime soon.

"—And finally, the moment you've been waiting for—first place goes to Salvator Academy! A whopping 1,220 points! They'd been clinging to second place by a thread through the previous stages, but this round saw a spectacular surge that launched them into the lead!"

While all of that had been playing out, the announcer's running commentary had reached the top of the standings.

His voice swelled with excitement as he trumpeted Salvator's charge to the front.

"We look forward to more outstanding performances from here on out! And rest assured—there will be plenty of opportunities, including this upcoming stage, for every faction to showcase what they're truly capable of! Don't settle for where you are—keep your eyes on a comeback!"

Cheers and applause erupted from every direction.

Congratulations for those near the top; encouragement for those in the middle and below—the ovation carried both in equal measure.

CLAP CLAP CLAP—

The sound filling the vast space gradually died down.

The explanation for the next stage began.

"Everyone, please check the map placed on your faction's table! The second stage begins with a choice—yours!"

Mikhail looked down at the map spread across the table.

The interior of the ruins had been summarized into a diagram, divided—excluding the central area—into ten color-coded zones.

The types, positions, and headcounts of magical beasts lurking in each zone were noted in brief alongside the color markings.

"I'm sure some of you can already guess how this will play out! Each faction selects the zone they want, clears every magical beast inside it, and earns elimination points. That's this stage's objective! And for the record—selection priority goes in order of current standings, so keep that in mind!"

Mikhail listened to the announcement with half his attention, fingers brushing his chin as he studied the map.

He planned to steer this second stage along the same path as the original progression.

Though there was one thing worth keeping in mind.

They said they didn't run into the Allied Knight Order during the first stage.

Mikhail let a quiet hum trail between his teeth and narrowed his eyes, recalling how the campaign had unfolded in the original.

Near the campaign's final act.

The scenes from when they'd faced the massive cave basilisk spread across his mind.

Salvator and the Allied Knight Order clashed over points, and in the process they learned each other's attack patterns. During the final battle, they used that knowledge to coordinate a combined assault against the anomaly-strengthened cave basilisk… and the hit they landed was a pretty solid chunk of damage.

Of course, that particular strike had only been one method of attack among many—not irreplaceable by any means.

But it wasn't an advantage worth throwing away either.

Factoring in the added safety margin in combat, the extra viable offensive option, and the certainty of maintaining a proven progression—it was better to keep it intact.

The silver lining is that if I just follow the original progression for this stage, we'll naturally end up on the route right next to the Allied Knight Order.

Which meant that at the moment when the two factions drew closest together—

Poaching the kill on a beast the Allied Knight Order was about to finish off would create the friction between factions easily enough.

That should let me manufacture the collision they skipped last stage.

Mikhail was narrowing his eyes, working out how to engineer the missed contact point, when—

"You have ten minutes! Finish your discussions and decide on your zone within ten minutes!"

His teammates leaned in toward the map as the announcer's instructions dictated, crowding around it.

Mikhail stayed where he was, watching them huddle together and hash out their choice. His role here wasn't direct participation—it was adjustment and control.

"Hey, we haven't gone north yet. Let's try the northern side this time. Yeah?"

"Pick somewhere with fewer corridors. My legs hurt when we walk too long."

Opinions flew back and forth among the group. Mikhail shifted his gaze to Ethan.

Ethan's eyes were locked on the western zone, shaded in blue, his face settled deep in thought.

"What about this way?"

Ethan reached out. The moment his finger landed on the western section of the map, every pair of eyes moved in unison and fixed on the spot he'd indicated.

"The west… right? But doesn't it look like there are more beasts and machines packed in there than anywhere else?"

"Yeah. The variety of enemies seems wider too."

The group murmured among themselves, sneaking glances at Ethan.

One by one, hints of preference for an easier path started to show—but Ethan alone held firm.

"You're right. There'll be a bit more fighting than the other zones. But."

Ethan paused, drew a deep breath, then continued with a faint smile.

"I'll take the lead. Every threat that comes at you, every extra beast—I'll handle all of it. So let's head west and lock down our point lead while we're at it."

The group exchanged startled glances at the steel in Ethan's voice.

Only Mikhail watched without a flicker of reaction.

If the original held, Ethan's proposal would be shot down. Even without Mikhail lifting a finger to intervene.

"Hey, Ethan. What are you talking about?"

It was Lloyd who cut in. He let out a long breath, pressed his fingers to his forehead, and spoke.

"There's no need to push that hard. It's not like we're desperate for points. Let's go somewhere manageable this time. Yeah? We've still got the next round and stage to prep for."

Lloyd folded his arms as he made his case, then looked around the group as if polling for agreement.

"Hmm…"

Salvator's assembled members studied Lloyd's face, then Ethan's, wearing the look of people weighing their options.

One by one, they seemed to reach their own conclusions and began nodding along, voicing their thoughts.

"Yeah, Ethan. Let's go with what Lloyd said."

"I get wanting to put the gap out of reach—I feel you on that. But this time, I think going with Lloyd's call is the smarter move too."

The clear majority sided with Lloyd.

Mikhail let his gaze travel across the faces of his teammates as they voiced the same opinions as in the original, then settled on Ethan.

The ash-gray eyes staring down at his finger on the map wavered with a small, uncertain tremor.

Just as I expected. At this rate, Ethan will back down and go along with what everyone wants.

Mikhail was brushing his chin, a faint hum trailing from his lips, when—

"…No."

A voice hard as frozen steel struck Mikhail's consciousness.

Ethan had raised the eyes he'd been keeping lowered and was speaking in a tone more resolute than anything Mikhail had heard from him before.

"I really want us to go west. I mean it—I won't let it cost any of you. Just this once, follow my lead."