I Became the Male Lead who was Clinging onto the Female Leads

Chapter 28: Swordsmanship exam (1)

TL/Editor: Raei

Schedule: N/A

Illustrations: Posted in discord.

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I, Tina von Elia Florence, declare~

Please stop it!

We will sever all ties~

Enough!

As Celine imitated Tina's declaration, Tina, her face flushed up to her ears, pleaded.

Celine looked at her, a mischievous grin forming.

As the successor of the Florence family~

Ahhhh!

Tina cried out, while Celine laughed happily.

To anyone watching, Tina's actions would have looked like a dignified proclamation fitting for a noble.

But to Celine, who had known Tina since childhood, it was no more than a silly, cringeworthy memory.

Why did you do that?

I dont know! One moment I was lost in thought, and the next, I was making a declaration!

Idiot.

Waaah.

Tina buried her face into Celines lap, sobbing.

"You're good. It's okay."

Celine gently stroked her hair.

Perhaps finding comfort in that touch, Tina looked up.

"...Considering the mess I've made, what if something goes wrong?"

"About Eugene?"

Yes, I know Eugene's talented, but the rumors are hard to believe."

"I guess."

"You think he really caught all those bandits and cured the old man's granddaughter...?"

"Ask the old man later."

I can't wait till then!

Ugh

Tina swallowed, feeling a headache coming.

Celine, observing her, bluntly remarked.

You'll find out whether you want to or not, right?

Why?

The swordsmanship exam is soon.

...Oh!

Tina suddenly sat upright.

Celine was right.

This afternoon marked the end of the final exams and the most important one for the swordsmen: the swordsmanship duel.

The exam was a duel against the swordsmanship instructors.

The students would face teachers wearing mana-restricting bracelets (set to the level of the average third-year student) and earn scores based on their performance.

In that exam they would find out if he really was capable of defeating those bandits.

So, just wait and see.

Okay!

Tina grinned, then buried her face into Celines lap again.

Celine, continued to comfort her.

It's okay."

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Raei Translations

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Lunchtime ended, and the swordsmanship exam was next.

The vast training ground buzzed with numerous teachers and students.

Amidst them all,

Eugene, sensing countless gazes upon him, looked distantly at the sky.

Is that him?

He single-handedly defeated bandits?

He doesnt look the part.

But Tina vouched for him

Those gazes were different from the usual ones of disdain, contempt, or indifference he received.

Now, they were filled with curiosity.

The students initially didn't trust Eugene, but Tina's endorsement had changed things.

At that moment, the gazes directed at him were clearly divided into two.

Even though Tina had vouched for him, half of them couldnt trust the rumors about what kind of person Eugene was.

On the other hand, the other half believed in him solely based on Tina von Elia's guarantee, not really caring about who Eugene was as a person.

Consequently, Eugene was now the center of intense attention.

Had nothing else occurred, Celine would have been the sole focus, with everyone eagerly waiting for her duel.

When is Eugenes duel scheduled?

It's at the end.

Great, I'll be able to watch it.

We absolutely have to see it.

Everyone was now waiting for Eugene's duel.

After all, seeing his match would reveal if he truly had the strength to defeat a bandit.

Doesnt he look a bit out of it?

I wonder if he can even swing a sword in that state.

Listening to the whispers around him, Eugene closed his eyes, pondering the unpredictability of life.

When he opened them, not far away, he could see Tina and Celine.

Recalling Tina's earlier declaration, he remembered her words: 'all the rumors circulating about Eugene are true...'

After his possession, this was the first time he had attracted such massive attention.

Her bold proclamation had shifted people's perception of him.

To put it another way, his reputation was improving.

In the past, when students saw him, most would avoid his gaze.

Now, at the very least, there seemed to be a sentiment of, 'let's at least find out what kind of person you are.'

They felt that since someone as impressive as Tina vouched for him, there must be something remarkable about him.

From being universally reviled, the general opinion of him had become uncertain.

Soon, there would be an exam that showcased his true worth.

Everyone was on the edge of their seats, waiting to see how he'd perform.

'It all rests on me now.'

Tinas statement had provided Eugene with the opportunity to turn his reputation around.

'Honestly, I didn't care much about my reputation...'

While it's true that life becomes easier with a good reputation, his image had been so irredeemably tarnished that he never considered improving it.

'In any case, the stage is set.'

He had a hint of why Tina had supported him, but he wasn't entirely certain.

Regardless, that was a thought for another day.

Right now, what mattered most was seizing the opportunity presented to him.

Ahem.

In the center of the swordsmanship training ground, a middle-aged teacher cleared his throat, amplifying it with a bit of mana.

Everyone's focus immediately shifted to him.

Now that all the teachers are present, we will commence the Swordsmanship Duel Examination. Students, please line up and stand behind your respective teachers.

All the students moved to stand behind the teachers, following the designated boundaries.

Then, another teacher, wearing a robe, approached the middle-aged teacher.

The middle-aged teacher began to speak.

"Teacher, please proceed."

"Understood."

The robed teacher nodded, raising his staff to cast a spell.

With a loud rumble, the ground trembled as large circular arenas began to rise.

One, two, three...

By the time dozens of arenas had formed, causing continuous vibrations, the robed teacher stopped his magic.

Subsequently, other teachers appeared, bestowing enhancement spells onto the arenas.

Once they were sufficiently fortified, ensuring they wouldnt easily break, a middle-aged teacher, using mana, announced,

"The swordsmanship examination will now commence! All students are to participate according to their assigned arena number and order!"

"Which arena are you in?"

"I'm in number 4!"

Students started bustling about, moving toward their designated areas.

'Im number 7.'

Eugene arrived in front of arena number 7.

Although his turn was nearly at the end and he didn't need to be present, he was curious to see which teacher was overseeing his arena.

After a short wait, a teacher revealed himself atop the arena.

"Whoa!"

"It's Teacher Fritz!"

Fritz from the Oberman Baron family, a noble lineage.

A shining radiance emitted from his dome, and he wore a bracelet that restricted his mana.

He called out,

"Student number 1, ascend the arena with your sword!"

"On my way!"

A rather slender student hesitantly made his way to the arena.

His lack of confidence hinted at his unfamiliarity with the blade, as if he was participating in this test against his will.

"Draw your sword!"

"Yes...!"

The student unsheathed a wooden sword and assumed a stance, albeit an awkward one.

It appeared he lacked both skill and talent with the blade.

'Or maybe, he lacks skill because he doesnt have talent?'

Eugene pondered this chicken-before-the-egg dilemma before shaking his head to dispel such unnecessary thoughts.

Soon after, Fritz assumed a stance and spoke,

"Are you ready?"

"Yes..."

"Then come at me."

"Yes...!"

In a duel with a clear skill disparity, it's customary for the weaker party to make the first move.

With a battle cry, the student charged,

"Hyaaaah!"

Fritz, taking even this challenge seriously, responded with precision, parrying with his wooden blade.

Snap!

The student's wooden sword went flying, landing outside the arena.

"A score of zero. Any objections?"

"...No, none."

The student bowed his head and exited the arena.

'So that's how it goes.'

From that brief duel, Eugene understood the examination procedure.

Looking around, he noticed other students wandering and watching the exams they were interested in.

'Maybe I should wander too. My test is a while away.'

I still had quite some time before my exam.

He didn't have a particular duel in mind, so he roamed simply out of boredom.

It was at the fourth duel arena that Eugene paused.

'There's an unusually large crowd here.'

But it soon became clear why so many had gathered.

"Yerina von Bliss, I wish to learn from you."

In the season where camellias waned and violet flowers blossomed, a woman with cherry blossom-colored hair fluttering amidst the purple petals stood in the arena.

Though she was a mage with no talent for the sword, her mere presence was enough to draw a massive crowd.

"Beautiful..."

"She's a goddess, an absolute goddess."

Male students around lost their composure, gazing at Yerina with dreamy smiles.

Their daydreams were promptly interrupted by sharp glares from the nearby female students.

"Ahem."

"Focus on the duel."

'What sets these guys apart from the former Eugene?'

Eugene shook his head disapprovingly as he watched the duel.

Before he knew it, a teacher and Yerina were exchanging sword blows.

"Haah!"

Even though Yerina wasn't skilled in swordsmanship, she demonstrated basic techniques infused with a massive amounts of mana, intent on not scoring too low.

The sword moves were ordinary, no strategy aimed to exploit the teacher's openings.

However, the immense mana contained within her strikes made them surprisingly threatening.

The teacher skillfully deflected her advances while searching for an opening.

"Haaaah!"

In one particular swing, Yerina swung excessively.

Seizing this opportunity, the teacher thrust his wooden sword into Yerina's side.

Thud!

"Gasp...!"

Pain evident in her tear-filled eyes, Yerina dropped her sword and collapsed onto the ground.

The teacher, after catching his breath, extended a hand to her.

"You did well. That's a score of 70."

"Thank you..."

As Yerina grabbed his hand to stand up, the teacher offered a word of encouragement.

"You have some talent. It's a pity you aren't pursuing swordsmanship."

"...I am the eldest daughter of a magical lineage, after all."

"I understand. Go on, take a rest."

"Yes... Ah..."

Clutching her injured side, Yerina made her way down from the arena.

Following her departure, a rather ordinary-looking male student stepped onto the arena.

As he did, the crowd that had gathered quickly dispersed, not a single person showing interest.

'Damn them!'

The male student, suppressing a tinge of embarrassment, bit his lip and prepared for his duel.

'I'm sorry.'

I'm not interested in you either.

Eugene turned away, looking for another duel that might capture his attention.

Given his lack of interest in the heroines, ordinary students seemed as insignificant as the stones on the ground.

He stopped again at an arena drawing a crowd just as large as the one for Yerina's match.

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