The Return of the Iron-blood Sword Hound
chapter-240

Chapter 240 National University League (5)

“…Uh, hey?”

Sinclaire makes a puzzled expression. It was a rare occurrence.

Vikir looked down at Sinclaire without saying a word.

Compared to when he entered school, he had grown quite a bit taller, and now there was a significant height difference.

After a while, Vikir’s mouth opened briefly.

“Door.”

Sinclaire momentarily didn’t understand what Vikir meant by his words and was momentarily puzzled.

And then.

“Oh, you want to open the door and want me to step aside? Got it, sorry!”

Sinclaire took a big step to the side.

Only then did Vikir nod his head and open the door, walking out into the corridor.

And.

“……”

Even after crossing into the corridor, Vikir continued to hold the door open.

In response, Sinclairee nodded her head again.

“Oh, you want me to quickly come over here without arguing with students from other schools?”

Vikir silently nodded in response to Sinclaire’s interpretation.

‘There are participants from Temisquira Women’s College in the cabin behind yours. Try to avoid contact before the competition. Just in case they might start trouble.’

Even though Dolores advised Vikir to avoid conflict, he couldn’t ignore the conflict.

Moreover, Sinclaire had often helped Vikir in exam-related matters and in Library, making it even more necessary.

Right at that moment.

People were stopping Vikir, who was trying to take Sinclaire away.

“Wait! Who are you to meddle in the affairs of girls?”

Female students from Temisquira began to protest against Vikir.

At the forefront of their vehement protests was Lovegood, the student council president.

She spoke firmly towards Vikir.

“That girl insulted our academy. So, we need to talk to her. If you interfere with that, you will also have to take responsibility. First, give us your student number, affiliation, and name. We’ll formally complain to Colosseo Academy……”

Just as Lovegood was about to declare war on Vikir.

Whoosh-

A gust of wind rushed in from the second-floor window that Vikir had opened.

It descended the stairs and tousled the hair of those on the first floor.

And Vikir, too.

Flutter-

The black coattails shook, and soon the strands of his black hair also fell back.

Vikir’s bare face was fully exposed.

For a moment, the expressions of the Temisquira Women’s University students froze.

Expressions that seemed unsure of what they were witnessing, what they were staring at.

“Wh-What is that?”

“Is that a person’s face?”

“Why is it like that?”

“Maybe I’m dreaming…”

“Isn’t it a painting? Or a sculpture?”

After a slight silence, a small chuckle was heard from behind.

…But only one person. Lovegood, the student council president of Temisquira, remained completely unaffected.

“Oh, I forgot. To resolve the dispute smoothly, let me ask you for some personal information again. First, give us your student number, affiliation, and name. And……”

Lovegood calmly and rationally demanded the necessary information from Vikir.

“Year, month, time of birth. Height. Weight. Blood type. Hometown. Zodiac sign. Views on love. Hobbies. Special skills. Favorite food. Animals you raise. Do you currently have a girlfriend? If not, is there someone you like? What type of woman do you mainly consider as your ideal? When was your last relationship? How many relationships have you had so far? When do you plan to get married? What do your parents like as gifts? How many children would be good for you? Do you prefer a son or a daughter? And also, the compatibility of our names and…”

Truly. Absolutely necessary. It was undoubtedly an administrative procedure that had to be asked…

* * *

The magic train has now arrived at the Mage tower located in the eastern part of the continent.

[Ding ding ding ding-di-ring-ding ding-di-ring-ding-ding~ The continent circulation train is entering. This station is Mage tower, Mage tower Station. The doors to the exit are on the left. Passengers transferring to Dortsmile Station, please transfer to the inner-circulation train here. Since there is a wide gap between the boarding area and the platform, please be careful when getting off. Thank you for using our magic train today. Have a safe journey.]

The train comes to a brief stop.

Passengers who were inside started pouring out.

Among the crowd were, of course, students from Colosseo Academy, Varangian Academy, and Temisquira Women’s College.

And, to welcome them, a welcoming crowd from Mage Tower could be seen waiting at the station.

Meanwhile, Vikir also got off the train and looked around.

Behind the gathering of many people, the quaint scenery of the city was peacefully unfolding.

Dortsmile City in the southeast of the empire, known for the existence of the Mage tower, is famous in this region.

The cozy feeling of the city, bathed in the reddening sunset, made it even more enchanting and idyllic.

And amid the city, a tower stood upright as if piercing the sun.

‘…That’s Mage tower.’

Vikir looked at Mage Tower in the distance with a nostalgic feeling.

At first glance, it was merely a narrow, tall, plain, and small building.

However, the interior space of that tower, rumored to be created by the ancient sorcerer, was so vast and high that its boundaries could not be fathomed.

The internal space of that tower, known to be created by the ancient sorcerer, was almost infinite due to the high-dimensional dimensional distortion.

Even modern wizards could not fully understand the principles behind it.

‘I have something similar to that.’

Vikir looked down at the ring on his finger.

[Sacred Invincible Ring] / Ring

Barrier – Off

-The realm of the gods ends here.

It was an artifact left by Andromalius that could also distort dimensions and create an extradimensional space.

However, once used, the mana consumption was quite significant, and it took a long time for the power to return, so it couldn’t be used recklessly.

While Vikir was contemplating various things while looking at the ring,

“…Hey, big brother.”

There was a tap on Vikir’s back from behind. It was Sinclaire.

She hesitated for a moment but soon smiled as usual and said,

“Thanks for helping earlier.”

Vikir nodded, and Sinclaire let out a small sigh.

“To be honest, I was really scared. They seemed like they were gonna bully me.”

“I was scared too.”

“Hahaha~ you’re lying.”

Sinclaire laughed lightly, grabbing Vikir’s coat as usual.

“Well, you must have been nervous too. After all, the opponent was ‘Lovegood.'”

Even though Vikir didn’t show any particular reaction, Sinclaire continued talking.

“Oh, look there! It’s the welcoming crowd of Mage Tower. They’re meeting with participants from Varangian Academy and Temisquira.”

Indeed, participants from the four schools that took part in the competition were gathering in one place. Leading the group was Dolores L Quovadis, the student council president of Colosseo Academy. She calmly and kindly led the students with charisma, standing at the center of the welcoming crowd.

“Long time no see, everyone.”

In the direction Dolores greeted, the student council presidents from the other three schools stepped forward. First, the student council president of Varangian Academy walked ahead.

Tall stature, tousled long hair, and a muscular body covered in scars.

“Hahaha, it’s been a while, everyone. Hasn’t it been just under a year?”

He was Bakilaga Juragio, the student council president of Varangian Academy. Participating consistently in the competition since his first and second years, he aimed for victory as a third-year ace this time.

His powerful rival, leading among the welcoming crowd of Mage Tower, came forward.

A clean face, a tall figure exuding a cold aura from head to toe.

“11 months and 3 days exactly. To be exact, 11 hours, 42 minutes, and 12 seconds. As a starting point, consider the time between when I last looked away from you in last year’s competition and when I spotted your face in the crowd right now.”

It was Philipphus Aureolus Theophrastus Bombastus von Hohenheim, the student council president of Mage Tower. However, he primarily used a baptismal name used only at Mage tower, rather than his given name or the surname Aureolus.

“Snub-nosed” That was Hohenheim’s current name.

There is a tradition at Mage Tower where seniors give baptismal names to their juniors, and the students at Mage Tower use these baptismal names more than their real names over four years: “The Talented Piglet,” “The Curly Broom,” “The Baby Bird in the Lecture Hall,” “The Palm Tree in the Hallway,” “The Curiosity Clogging the Toilet,” “The Drunken Gorilla,” “The Dwarf in the Flask,” etc.

“…Actually, that’s why I didn’t go to Mage Tower. To think they would call me ‘Fluffy Cotton’ or something, well, no way.”

Sinclaire whispered to Vikir’s ear, looking at the two from a distance.

Meanwhile, as Hohenheim and Bakilaga met, tension began to build.

Bakilaga spoke first.

“Hahaha, this time we’re the aces. Last year, due to the seniors being so active, we couldn’t make it to the top 10, but it’ll be different this year. I’ve trained like crazy over the past year, and victory is mine!”

“Well, with your brute strength, you might be able to secure a place in the top 10. But more than that is unrealistic. Our elite Mage tower members will sweep the top 9 places. The artifacts will belong to Mage Tower.”

Hohenheim also displayed strong confidence.

Naturally, a confrontation between “Warrior vs. Wizard” was taking shape.

“…And Vikir.”

Vikir was watching their confrontation from afar in the crowd.

Sinclaire gave Vikir a brief overview of the two.

“Bakilaga Juragio is a warrior famous for his brute strength. He beat all the seniors during the welcoming ceremony in his first year and took control of the school. I heard he lacks only experience, and now that he’s in his third year, that experience must have been somewhat filled.”

“I see. He certainly looks strong.”

“Natural talent combined with relentless effort. Rumor has it that his grandparents were savages living in the desolate mountains. Not sure if it’s true.”

Sinclaire shifted her gaze to the man next to him.

“Although Bakilaga Juragio is quite a character, I, as a magician, am more concerned about that person named Hohenheim. What do you think?”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah. It’s true. Even President Dolores couldn’t defeat him before. And Hohenheim seems to have his admission to graduate school confirmed already. I heard he’s aiming to become the youngest Mage tower head after graduation. Quite ambitious.”

If he becomes the head of Mage tower, it would be a status equivalent to the leaders of the seven major families.

Hohenheim was certainly an ambitious man.

Sinclaire continued talking.

“Maybe in this competition, Hohenheim and BakiLaga will compete for the first and second places. And with a high probability, the third place will be our President Dolores. The fourth place might be Lovegood from Temisquira?”

Come to think of it, Lovegood from Temisquira wasn’t visible.

Sinclaire raised her head and looked around.

…Huh?

An unexpected sight unfolded.

Merelini Lovegood and the Temisquira female warriors.

Their usually strict, dignified, and serious expressions seemed slightly relaxed today for some reason.