Episode 59: The One Who Bares Their Fangs

Just before the dormitory battle finals— The grand training field was enveloped in a fervor and excitement unlike any year before.

“It’s finally here…! I was so thrilled last night, I couldn’t sleep!”

“Challenging the ever-victorious Grantzile Dormitory is the Sleid Dormitory, led by none other than Siegfried… Now, who will win?”

“I want to see Siegfried-sama’s figure soon~!”

The spectator stands were already packed to the brim. Everyone was vocalizing their anticipation for the dormitory battle finals.

Suddenly emerging in the perpetually first-round-defeated Sleid Dormitory was their absolute ace, Siegfried.

And now, he was finally challenging the reigning champion, Grantzile Dormitory. Whether they liked it or not, expectations were soaring.

“—Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for your patience.”

The moment the announcer’s voice echoed through the amplification device, the venue’s clamor instantly fell silent.

“Now, we will begin the entrance of the competitors for the dormitory battle finals. First, Grantzile Dormitory—”

In response to the call, the Grantzile Dormitory team, led by Randolph, made their entrance.

“Whoa, as expected, they’re dazzling.”

“Yeah, well… I suppose so.”

The spectators welcomed them with applause, but there was a somewhat perfunctory air to it.

Grantzile Dormitory’s horses and equipment were splendid, and their leader, Randolph, displayed the refined grace befitting an heir of the five great noble families.

However—

“Hmm… Something’s just… off.”

Muttering this was a young woman in the stands. Judging by her attire, she was likely the daughter of a wealthy merchant.

“Sure, they’re elegant and refined, but… it feels so superficial…”

“Hm? What do you mean by that?”

The man sitting beside her—likely an executive of a mid-sized trading company—questioned her.

“I can’t quite put it into words, but… their elegance feels so artificial. Like it’s not genuine… as if they’re just playing the part of ‘this is what nobles are supposed to be like.’”

“And Siegfried-dono is different, I take it?”

He understood that his daughter harbored a strong admiration for Siegfried.

“Of course! Siegfried-sama is, how do I put it… like a wolf stalking its prey!”

“A wolf…?”

“Yeah, he has this incredibly dangerous aura. But that’s exactly what makes him so irresistibly cool!”

“Hmm… I sort of get it, but I sort of don’t…”

As the two exchanged this conversation, the announcer’s voice once again resounded through the venue.

“Next to enter—Sleid Dormitory!”

In that instant, the venue was engulfed in cheers so explosive it was as if it had erupted.

“Uooooh! They’re here!”

“Siegfried-samaaaa!”

The cheers rumbled like an earthquake. But that fervor was short-lived.

As the Sleid Dormitory members entered, the excitement rapidly cooled.

“…Huh? Wait a sec, there’s only three of them?”

“Oi, oi, where are the rest of their members?”

As confusion spread among the spectators, preparations for the match proceeded calmly.

But a sharp voice suddenly pierced through the murmurs, echoing across the venue.

“Headmaster!”

Maneuvering his horse to approach the stands was Leon Vague.

He gazed straight up at the topmost row—the VIP seats—where Headmaster Ludendorf sat. His eyes burned with unmistakable anger.

“Are you really going to let the match start like this!?”

“…And what exactly do you mean by that?”

Ludendorf’s voice reverberated through the amplification device across the venue.

“Everyone else from Sleid Dormitory besides the three of us… they were told they’d be expelled if they participated in this match. And not only that, pressure was put on their lords, so they couldn’t show up today!”

The spectators were the first to react to his statement.

“Huh? Is that… for real!?”

“What’s that about…? Isn’t that kinda messed up?”

Murmurs spread through the venue once more.

But Ludendorf responded in a calm voice.

“Oh? That’s news to me.”

Leon gritted his teeth—tch… It was all too blatantly fake.

It was as clear as day that Ludendorf was pulling the strings behind the scenes. But without evidence, pointing fingers would get him nowhere.

“Anyway, it’s obvious we can’t have a proper match like this…! So this match—”

“—And? Is there a problem with that?”

Ludendorf’s low, composed voice cut Leon off.

“I see. What you’re saying… might indeed be true. But even if it were—does that pose any issue?”

“Wh—…!?”

“The dormitory battle… the Duel of Dormitories, is a contest modeled after real warfare. Teams are limited to 100 members or fewer, weapons are for training, and victory is determined by capturing the flag… These are the minimum rules, but beyond that, anything goes. And if this is meant to emulate real warfare, then schemes and subterfuge should be considered part of the battle.”

Real wars begin long before swords clash—starting with the exchange of schemes between nations.

And Sleid Dormitory simply lost in this ‘battle’ of subterfuge. That’s what Ludendorf was implying.

“In other words, as long as the minimum rules are followed in this dormitory battle, any method is acceptable. Anything goes. Amassing superior equipment with wealth is fine, crushing opponents with authority is fine… That is the way we nobles wage war. …Oh, was that a bit too complex for you, Leon Vague-kun?”

Ludendorf’s lips curled into a mocking smile.

“I’ve read your personal file. —It seems you were an abandoned child, weren’t you? Cast aside by your parents, deprived of proper love and education… For someone like you, understanding the intricacies of such warfare must be quite difficult. My apologies, perhaps I spoke of matters too advanced for you.”

“…!”

Leon’s fists trembled with rage. True, he was abandoned by his birth parents, but he had never once felt ashamed of it. The elderly couple who raised him loved him as their own son, despite no blood relation. Ludendorf’s words were nothing less than an insult, trampling on those feelings.

A chilled atmosphere spread across the entire venue.

Ludendorf’s explanation, at first glance, seemed to hold some logic.

But in reality, it was just Grantzile Dormitory using their noble status to pressure commoners.

“What the hell… Is that allowed?”

“That’s just way too underhanded…”

For the spectators who had been eagerly awaiting the dormitory battle finals, it was as if cold water had been dumped on their excitement.

However—Ludendorf remained unfazed by the crowd’s reaction.

He had no intention of pandering to the masses in the first place.

If anything, he saw this as a perfect opportunity to flaunt the power of the great nobles to the commoners.

Even someone as exceptional as Siegfried could only bow before the authority of the five great noble families. This was a prime chance to drive that point home.

Ignoring the spectators’ disappointment, preparations for the battle steadily progressed.

Each team gathered before their respective flags, forming their formations.

Though, on Sleid Dormitory’s side, with only three members, forming anything resembling a formation was impossible.

In contrast, turning to Grantzile Dormitory—there was the calm confidence of those certain of victory.

“Haha… I thought Siegfried might pull something before the match, but… nothing, huh?”

“Probably had Leon protest to try and get the match canceled, right? Well, that was pointless. Heh…”

“So, in the end, it was all just talk…”

Ruberus and the other ‘Four Heavenly Kings’ exchanged words.

The possibility of their team’s defeat had already vanished from their minds.

And then—the sound of the horn trumpet, signaling the start of the match, resounded grandly across the training field.

The climax of the martial tournament, the dormitory battle finals, had finally begun.

“As planned! Leave 20 members of the Fifth Squad to defend the flag, and have the remaining 80 members of the First through Fourth Squads launch the offensive!”

Randolph’s commands rang out clearly. Even in this situation, he refused to let his guard down, adhering to standard tactics to secure victory with certainty.

As Siegfried had described him as a ‘mid-boss-level villain,’ Randolph was by no means an incompetent man.

“Now, let’s go!”

Leading his 80 subordinates, Randolph charged toward Sleid Dormitory.

Meanwhile, there was movement on Sleid Dormitory’s side as well. Siegfried, alone, dashed forward.

And then—

“What…?”

A student from Grantzile Dormitory couldn’t help but let out a voice. Siegfried had taken an unexpected action.

Still mounted, he suddenly turned toward the spectator stands and galloped straight toward them.

Without slowing his momentum, he plunged right into the crowd.

“Whoa!”

“Eek!?”

The spectators let out startled cries as Siegfried abruptly charged in.

But with masterful rein handling, Siegfried wove through the crowd like the wind.

“What the… What’s that guy doing!?”

“Did his horse go wild or something?”

“Hah, what a fool!”

The Grantzile Dormitory members let out mocking remarks.

But at that moment, Randolph’s voice cut through sharply.

“—I see, so that’s your plan… Siegfried!”

And he immediately issued orders.

“Fall back! Only the Second Squad continues the attack! Everyone else, return to defend the flag!”

“Huh? What do you mean, Student Representative…?”

“Don’t you get it!? Siegfried plans to circle through the stands to steal our flag…!”

The spectator stands were set up alongside the grand training field. By passing through them, one could avoid frontal combat and reach the side of Grantzile Dormitory’s flag.

“If he launches a surprise attack on the flag from there, in the worst case… we could lose!”

In a head-on clash of 100 against 3, even someone as formidable as Siegfried would have no chance of victory. At least, that’s what Randolph believed.

But what if a surprise attack was launched on a flag guarded by only 20 defenders?

With just Siegfried’s lone charge, slipping through the defenses to seize the flag—such an outcome wasn’t entirely impossible.

(There’s no rule against entering the spectator stands during the match… He’s exploiting that, isn’t he, Siegfried…!)

A tactic so characteristic of Siegfried, exploiting a loophole in the rules. But if they fortified the flag with 80 students, no one could break through.

“Alright… We made it…! We got back to the flag before he could reach it…!”

Randolph let out a relieved smile. He had finally outsmarted Siegfried’s plan—or so he thought.

But here, Siegfried took yet another unexpected action.

According to Randolph’s calculations, Siegfried should have been racing through the stands to approach Grantzile Dormitory’s flag.

However… Siegfried, with graceful control of his horse, began ascending the stairs of the spectator stands.

“…What!? What’s that guy doing…?”

Siegfried’s horse galloped through the stands. Upward, ever upward—… And at the very top was… the VIP seats.

“Huh…?”

Randolph’s eyes widened in shock. At that moment, there was movement near the VIP seats as well.

“Hey, what are you doing!? This is Lord Ludendorf’s—”

A guard knight stationed by the VIP seats moved to stop Siegfried.

But Siegfried’s movements were faster. Leaping lightly from his horse, he charged straight toward the VIP seats.

And closed in on Ludendorf.

“Wha—!?”

The moment Ludendorf tried to pull back, Siegfried’s hand seized his arm.

He yanked him down to the ground.

“Guaah!”

Ludendorf’s scream echoed.

“You bastard!”

The guard knight drew his sword and rushed toward Siegfried in that split second.

But Siegfried snatched Ludendorf’s amplification device and activated it.

In the next instant, his voice rang out sharply across the entire venue.

“—Don’t move. From this moment, if anyone in this venue moves without my permission… consider Headmaster Ludendorf’s life forfeit.”

“Wh… What are you saying, you cur!?”

Ludendorf screamed. To him, Siegfried responded in a calm, serene tone.

“A hostage, you see.”

“What…?”

“Your own words, Headmaster Ludendorf. This dormitory battle is modeled after real warfare. Schemes are a legitimate tactic, you said. So I—… I’m taking you hostage. After all, you’re the father of the enemy general, Randolph. There could be no better hostage.”

“I-Idiot! That’s absurd…!”

“‘Anything goes’—weren’t those your own words, Headmaster?”

Siegfried smiled, then whispered. Like a demon… like a villain.

“The curtain has risen, yet merely watching would be dull, wouldn’t it? You’ll take the stage as well—right up there.”