Repeat Vice - The Villainous Noble Doesn't Want to Die, So He Swore to Not Die As One of The Four Heavenly Kings - Chapter 72: Opening

Chapter 72: Opening

On the day of the grade-specific martial arts tournament:

The only requirement to participate in the tournament is to be a student of the magic academy. Abel has, of course, already registered to participate.

The number of participants is enormous, with about 70 to 80 percent of each grade level taking part. More than half of the participants are from knightly families or commoners. Although there are some children of lower-ranking nobles participating, their numbers are clearly in the minority.

Statistically, most of the highly skilled young upper-ranking nobles do not participate. The main reason is that the martial arts tournament is primarily a job-hunting event, which naturally attracts the commoners and students from knightly families. If the upper-ranking nobles participated as a matter of course, they would easily dominate and occupy most of the top positions in the tournament. This would defeat the purpose and planning of the tournament itself. Therefore, it is an unspoken rule that upper-ranking nobles refrain from participating.

Still, there are always some upper-ranking nobles who defy this tradition and participate to gain attention. This year is no exception. Even in the first-year category, several upper-ranking nobles can be seen among the participants.

However, Abel’s attention is focused on a completely different person—a blond boy with tousled hair, casually carrying a simple spear over his shoulder, and absentmindedly gazing at the sky.

“Are you participating too—Vallum the ‘Dragon Rider’…!” Abel grimaced.

The venue is the Combat Dome. What begins now is the preliminary round to advance to the main tournament—a battle royale to eliminate the excessive number of participants. Currently, all the first-year participants are gathered inside the Combat Dome.

In this high-density environment with no escape, the upcoming preliminary round is a battle royale format. Over 500 first-year participants will fight until the number is reduced to the 16 required for the tournament. In other words, the last 16 standing in the battle royale will advance to the main tournament.

“Why is the strongest of the Four Heavenly Kings participating… This difficulty is ridiculous,” Abel muttered, feeling disheartened.

A fiery version of Abel replied to his thoughts.

‘Vallum is from a knightly family. He participated last time too.’

“Really? I don’t remember much about it because the tournament itself got interrupted by the Despia attack.”

Musing to himself, Abel looked around at the other participants. He then recognized a familiar face—a large, well-built man from a knightly family, Gold.

“Hey, Gold. You’re participating too?”

“…Abel.”

When Abel called out, Gold glared at him with sharp eyes.

“You seem quite tense. Are you aiming to win?”

“To win? Not at all. Even advancing to the main tournament would be tough for me.”

“Is that so? But you have actual combat experience, don’t you? You should be able to make it far.”

“In knightly families, having combat experience is not uncommon.”

“I see.”

Despite his negative words, Gold tightly gripped his spear with determination.

“With this many people, it will be very difficult to survive until the end without outstanding skill. Luck will also play a role. Unfortunately, I lack both.”

“Don’t be so pessimistic… but you seem motivated.”

“Even if advancing to the main tournament is unlikely, how well you perform in the preliminaries can still be evaluated. Most participants are likely thinking about how to make an impression in these preliminaries.”

“Is that so?”

Abel tilted his head in curiosity. He noticed that many of the participants had a fierce look in their eyes, creating a tense atmosphere that felt like a battle could break out any moment. This made him feel somewhat out of place for not aiming to win.

“Here’s some advice: you should avoid that blond guy over there.”

“…? Ah, Vallum Rio Draconis. Of course, I won’t get close. He’s the top contender for the championship.”

“Oh, you know him.”

Abel, looking surprised, made Gold shrug his shoulders in exasperation.

“Of course. He’s the son of Duke Galeon, and a close aide to Lord Raymond. He’s a much stronger opponent than most upper-ranking nobles.”

“You seem to know a lot. By the way, is there anyone else likely to win?”

“Did you come here without researching that?”

Gold looked exasperated. At that moment, a man with long platinum blond hair and beard—Principal Einbell—stood on the podium of the Combat Dome.

The principal glared at the gathered preliminary participants, briefly stopping his gaze on Abel and smiling mysteriously. He then used a magical device to amplify his voice throughout the Combat Dome.

“Welcome, everyone. I’m glad to see you all here. Fortunately, it’s a clear day with no clouds… but let’s skip the unnecessary introductions. This tournament will be a very good experience for you all. However, there’s one thing I’m disappointed about—most of you are probably not aiming to win.”

The principal’s gaze swept over the participants. Some students looked down or averted their eyes awkwardly. But the principal smiled, not to scold them.

“—Honesty is fine. However, this tournament is a grand stage prepared for you. I want you to aim high… but only 16 can advance to the main tournament. Unfortunately, most of the nearly 500 here will be eliminated.”

The principal shrugged his shoulders.

“I repeat, I want you to aim high. And I believe everyone should have an equal chance. So, I’ve decided to introduce a special rule by my own discretion!”

Spreading his arms wide, the principal announced loudly. The spectators and participants buzzed with excitement. The principal grinned and snapped his fingers toward the sky.

In response, a large screen constructed of magical elements appeared above the Combat Dome. On the screen, the faces and names of 16 students were displayed. These were participants, including upper-ranking nobles and knightly family students. Among them were Vallum and Abel.

“Huh? Why am I…”

Abel’s murmur was lost in the surrounding buzz. Other participants looked at Abel with curiosity, then with a competitive, almost predatory gleam in their eyes. Feeling the pressure, Abel glared at the principal in confusion.

The principal, enjoying the participants’ reactions, continued.

“These are the participants deemed certain to advance to the main tournament. They are the ones I have judged to have exceptionally high skills. If anyone here can defeat them… I’d like to see them in the main tournament.”

The principal’s words created a tense atmosphere. The participants’ murmurs stopped, and their curious gazes turned into hostile, competitive ones. Abel glanced at Gold, who was gripping his spear tightly and looking at Abel seriously.

“…Gold? We’re friends, right?”

“…Yes, we are. Sorry, Abel.”

“Sorry for what!?”

The participants began closing in, ready to attack. The principal laughed heartily.

“Now, now, don’t rush. The signal to start hasn’t been given yet. Well, it’s about time, so let’s begin.”

The principal took a deep breath, then opened his eyes wide.

“‘The Battle Royale where defeating one of the sixteen contenders guarantees entry into the main tournament!’ Start!”

“That’s not what you said before, Principal!”

As the principal’s voice echoed and Abel’s protest rang out, the participants attacked Abel all at once.

＊

In one corner of the combat dome, a massive pillar of fire shot up into the air.

Meanwhile, in another area, a large-scale lightning strike erupted.

Throughout the combat dome, other flashy elemental spells were raging wildly.

The scene was a chaotic battle between the sixteen candidates whose faces had been displayed on the big screen as tournament favorites and the challengers attacking them.

The upper-class nobles, who had joined the tournament with high spirits and confidence, had, thanks to the headmaster’s single remark, transformed from respected powerhouses into primary targets to be taken down. The arrogance had vanished from their faces, and they were now fighting desperately.

Watching this spectacle from the royal spectator box was Asteria Roa Sinterio, the first princess of the kingdom. She was currently entertaining a guest from the neighboring Holy Dragon Kingdom.

However, she was so captivated by the melee in the combat dome that she momentarily forgot her duties as a hostess.

Her gaze was fixed on a red-haired boy, Abel, who was fending off attackers one after another.

Asteria clenched her fists, angrily hitting the armrest of her elegant chair.

“Uncle Einbell… what have you done?!”

Abel was fighting evenly, even though he was outnumbered. While she wanted to praise him, Asteria couldn’t help but feel anger at the headmaster for putting Abel at an unfair disadvantage due to his whim.

As Asteria’s shoulders shook with anger, she heard a small laugh beside her. It was a stifled giggle from the Holy Dragon Kingdom’s priestess princess, who she was hosting.

“What’s the matter, Taria… You seem quite taken with that red-haired fighter.”

The princess, Tiana, referred to Asteria with a familiar nickname, having known her since childhood.

In the Holy Dragon Kingdom, the family of the priestess princesses traditionally serves as the nation’s leaders, similar to the royal family of the kingdom. However, unlike the kingdom’s royalty, they hold no political power; their authority is more religious in nature.

The Holy Dragon Kingdom predates the kingdom, with a history going back a thousand years. It was said to have been founded by the highest-ranking dragon king, and the priestess princesses are considered his direct descendants. Tiana, as one of these priestess princesses, possessed two horns reminiscent of lightning, a rare ancestral trait signifying great power.

The current priestess princess, Titania Avalocand, was known to have immense magical power, comparable to that of the kingdom’s greatest mage, Rofus Ray Lightless.

As if finding something amusing, Titania leaned closer to Asteria.

“You have a fiancé, don’t you? That nice-looking man with chestnut hair. Is it okay to look at another man with such lovey-dovey eyes?”

“L-love!? What are you talking about, Titania?!”

“That reaction seems pretty genuine.”

The priestess princess was taken aback by Asteria’s earnest response and coughed lightly before speaking again in a more serious tone.

“Well, it’s said that marriage and romance are different. It seems you are also a young girl of your age, Talia.”

“It’s not like that at all…”

“There’s no need to deny it so strongly. Be honest with your feelings. Your engagement is a political one, isn’t it? You can marry for duty and love someone else.”

Pointing at Abel, who was creating a whirlwind of flames in the combat dome, Titania smirked.

Asteria’s shoulders trembled with frustration.

“That’s… that’s just… unfaithful!”

“It’s not uncommon. In our country, the wealthy often keep their favorite gladiators as lovers alongside their spouses.”

“That’s quite a cultural shock. In our kingdom, people don’t keep lovers so openly.”

“Really? I thought your nobles often flaunted their mistresses.”

“Well, I can’t deny that some do.”

The deep conversation between the princess and the priestess princess in the royal box was overheard by the knights and high-ranking gladiators standing guard behind them, who were now trying to block out the potentially problematic discussion.

At that moment, a knock on the door interrupted their conversation. Without waiting for a response, the door was abruptly thrown open.

The knights and gladiators tensed, ready for anything.

The two people who entered without ceremony were Rofus and Annegelt.