Evil Avalon

Chapter 98-Tachiki's Decision

(TL:By Rafael,valhallatls.blogspot.com)

-- Naoto Tachiki's Point of View --

　

"Disqualified? Why?"

　I received a message from Kaworu saying that the Total Magic Stone Group had been put up for deliberation. So we had a group chat using the terminal with me, Kaworu, and Mashima. ...... when  they ask why they were disqualified, they were told that they were disqualified because they were  "helped out with unauthorized help."

　

'Are you saying that all the other helpers in the class were registered?'

'Apparently so. I was shown the roster, and the names of Kaga and Sorrel from the Brocade Club were also on it.'

　

　Kaworu affirms with her eyes downcast. It is true that they did get a helping hand from the masked helper, but that was in response to the violence when they were attacked by the monster train and when Omiya was almost abducted. Does the fact that he was able to jump over them count as a helping hand? The existence of the "helper rule" does not allow for a fair examination.

　

"So, no matter what I said, the class competition management headquarters didn't listen to me"

" From the looks of it, disqualification is almost a certainty. Even if you miraculously avoid disqualification, there is little time left to hunt for the Demon Wolves. In other words, ...... our class competition is effectively over."

　

　The class leader, Mashima, frowns even more dourly. Our designated quest group was doing reasonably well, but even if we were good in just this one event, we would still be far behind the D class. With only a little time left, there was nothing more we could do.

　

"It's too bad, because we were so close to possibly winning ......."

"The "helper rule was absurd, to be sure, but there were some positives to be gained from this class competition."

　While Kaworu was disappointed, Mashima was surprisingly positive. He said, "We have learned that we have a very talented team like Omiya, and the morale of the E class is high, so we were able to work together better than I thought we could during the long group activities". He says that now that he had at least a good feel for the competition, he felt confident that he could do even better in the next round of class competition.

　

(But a loss is a loss. ......)

　

　There is no way to move on from that fact. My fists clenched unintentionally in frustration. But as a thinker, I must not become heated. No matter what the situation, I must remain calm and keep looking for a way to turn things around.

'We are not going to be able to do anything about it. We will assume the next class competition and work until the end.x

"I understand. The result was not good, but we will not lose next time."

"I'll let you know if I get any more information."

　I shut down the communication on my arm terminal, let out a breath, and turned back to Nitta, who was watching behind me. She must have heard the group chat earlier as well, so I wanted to hear what she had to say in order to gather her thoughts.

　

　

"The "helper rule. Should we assume that the teacher kept quiet on purpose?"

"It's hard to believe that it was just one teacher's decision, so it's more natural to think that such instructions were given to all of them."

　We are steadily getting stronger as we accumulate experience. However, the "helper rule" could destroy fair competition among students in an instant. This rule was originally introduced to prevent unforeseen circumstances from happening to the sons and daughters of important heirs, but it is being abused to beat the E class.

　

　If we are looking ahead to the next class competition, we need to strengthen our classmates and do something about this helper rule, but the malice directed at ...... us is not limited to the helper rule. The same was true for last month's club recruitment ceremony and the duel fiasco, and I'm sure we'll continue to receive ill will at every turn.

　

　How do we deal with all of this?

　

"I think we can do something about all of this. For example, do we have a back-up plan to counter the malicious intent?"

"Even if it's the "eight dragons"  are we dealing with even them?"

　The actual enemy is not them,......, but rather the one backing them. 

　The eight dragons are the eight major factions that run the adventurers' school. "First Swordsmanship Club," "First Magic Club," "First Archery Club," "Class A Alliance," "Thief Research Club," and  "Student Council".

　

　Behind these factions are a series of bureaucrats, aristocrats, and large corporations, which exert a great influence on the school's operation. It was the Eight  Dragons who moved the upper management of the school to stop Murai Sensei from following the "helper" rule. What kind of backing can we have against such a powerful opponent? It would be impossible for us to prepare it.

　However, Nitta kept smiling. From the way she was smiling, she must have had an idea that the opponent was Eight Dragons. And the means to do so. If that's the case, I'll take this opportunity to have her listen to my ideas too.

"The election for student body president is coming up soon. So the candidates will be competing against each other for the seat of the next student body president. ......"

　The student body president election is an electoral event in which students vote to choose the student body president. However, voting is just a pretext; in reality, the student body president is determined by the balance of power among the eight dragons.

　

　The student body president of this adventurer school is a special position that allows him or her to influence the school's administration and other factions. If one's faction were to produce a student body president, that group would be able to control the "student council" to their advantage and issue orders to the other eight dragons.

　

　However, the position of the next student body president is not so easy to obtain. This is true even with the power of the eight dragons. The Eight Dragons are keeping a close eye on each other to make sure that no one faction is able to outflank them.

　

　Nevertheless, behind the scenes, there is probably a lot of maneuvering and bargaining going on within the eight dragons. Soon a candidate will be chosen and we, the E class, will be notified to vote for him or her.

　

"So how about ...... we approach one of the eight dragons and negotiate with them, using the E-Class vote as a pretext?"

"It's not that simple, you know. The other party is an aristocrat and they look down on the E class. If we make a bad move, we might get  not away with it."

'Yes, ......, but without that kind of determination, we'd never crawl up. This class war has really sunk in."

　We have been dropped into the depths of despair many times before. The malice has become even more intense and is sure to strike again in the future. Eight Dragons is the one entity that E-Class cannot avoid in order to move forward.

　

"Who will we approach? Even if we offer our votes, it will not be enough. Then, how far will they go to meet their demands? If negotiations fail and we are stared down, there is a possibility that we will be crushed to the ground. We would need to be able to act and make decisions as if we were threading a needle, and mistakes would not be tolerated. Under such pressure, will we really be able to grasp the best solution?"

　But I know from past student body president elections that Eight Dragons is not a monolith. There must be a breakthrough. I must thoroughly research, analyze, and put together what I can do, but it is impossible for me to do all of this by myself. That's why--

　

"I am not strong enough on my own.But with Nitta and Omiya, I think we can stand up to them. Will you lend me your strength?"

　

　Yuma and the others would lend me their strength in return, and of course I would rely on them. However, the destination is the aristocratic society of the eight dragons, a place where power and intrigue are swirling. We would definitely like to borrow the wisdom of Nitta and Omiya, who are capable of dealing with such an opponent appropriately and without fear.

　

　I looked into the gentle yet intelligent eyes behind the cute glasses and held out my hand. But Nitta doesn't take my hand, just smiles and smiles. I wonder if I shouldn't do this and reaching out to her is useless ......

　

'Ummm.Satsuki and I can help~, but then I'd like Souta~ to be a part of it."

"...... what?"

　

　Nitta readily offers to help, but at the same time she mentions someone else's name. She sounds very trusting and friendly, but who exactly is this "So...... Ta"?

　

　That name sounded like the biggest barrier standing between me and Nitta.

　

　

　

　*...*...*...*...

　

　

　

　　-- Sota Narumi's point of view --

　

"I was so upset that we were disqualified from the competition. It's terrible to be disqualified."

"I didn't know that the assistant had to be registered."

　

　On the other side of the screen of my arm terminal, I see Satsuki with a dissatisfied face and Lisa with a troubled face.  At the moment, I am alone on the 12th floor in a certain desolate safe zone, facing the screen and talking.

(Information that even ...... players don't know?)

　

　I was aware that Hanano was participating as a helper, but I had no idea that registration was required. That's information that even I and Lisa, both players, didn't know. But in the game days, you couldn't call a helper without permission, so there was no way to know about it.

'But I really don't know how to apologize to ...... Souta for pushing Hano-chan too hard. ......"

"No, it's okay. I gave Hanano the means to escape with no problem, as long her opponent is not too superior from her."

　

　  Before going to the inter-class competition as a helper, my younger sister insisted on becoming a [Shadow Walker]. I had no choice but to stay up all night to help her collect job change items. It will be very difficult to catch Hanano now. I also gave her a quest to get a breakaway item, so she can just run away even against strong enemies without any problem.

　.

　

　However, according to Satsuki, the people she fought were members of the Kinran-kai. The Kinran-kai is a "strong opponent" that appears in the middle of the game's side story, but to have him appear so early in the game, something is not right. ...... I thought Sorrel was the only D-class helper who appeared in the first class competition of the year.

　

"I'm curious about the appearance of the Brocade Club, but I'm also curious about how skinny Souta is."

'Oh, a lot of things have happened."

　

　I remember those "many things," and I can't help but look at him with a distant look in my eyes. I've lost a lot of weight because of it, and I'm still suffering from horrible hunger pangs. But that bastard ...... never thought he would surprise me. And after that, he calls me every few hours, day and night, to find out what Amama-san is doing. There is a high possibility that she thinks now  I am an stalker or something. Regardless of that.

　

"I went up to the 20th floor to find out what happened there and who I met. I want us to have time to talk about it later. I'd like to set some guidelines for the future."

"Of course. But 20 floors is great! It's a lot of depth points to reach, isn't it?"

'It looks like we're tied for first place, so I wonder if that's going to happen~?'

　 Well, if I just push it and say thatI just followed everyone while being surrounded by guards, I'll get by.

　

"But that's not enough to get a good score. ...... I guess we're losing after all."

"The "helper rule" is a problem. It seems that Tachiki-kun is planning  something because of that."

"Is he going to do something?"

　Before the student body president election in July, he is going to negotiate with some of the eight dragons to see if he can get their backing with a handout of the Class E vote. He  asked Lisa to lend a hand in that process. It's true that if Lisa and Satsuki, who are both smart enough to know what they're doing, help out, the chances of a successful outcome increase. ......, but what does he  means  when he says that he needs my help?

　

　Even before that there are several  problems. 

　

"I thought we would need to be at a certain level to compete with the eight dragons, but are you okay with that?"

'I think Tachiki-kun and the others were still at level 6~. It's worrisome that they're so far behind in leveling up.'"

'If we can't teach them the gate, I'd like to at least give them some power leveling."

　It is good that you can wield your eloquence with the weapon of voting rights against the eight dragons. However, that alone would not be enough. The reason is that many of the eight dragons and their surrounding clans are fast and brawny and are quick to get into fights, and persuading them often requires not only negotiation skills, but also strength. The recommended level of skill should have been 15 to 20. Even in the game, it was too much for a first-year student to handle at this stage.

　

　Despite this, Tachiki-kun, Kaworu, and the others were still at a low level. The inability to use gates made the travel time to the hunting grounds longer, and it was obvious that the rate of level increase would slow down even further. There are many events that only the main team can deal with, so it might be better to let them at least do some power leveling, as Satsuki said, in order for us to have a peaceful time.

'I'm always diving in dungeons with Satsuki, and I'm sure Tachiki-kun is aware of my level - so maybe it's better if just the two of us help him for now."

'That may be so. Lisa, let's work together. Ah, It's time for the announcement."

"If there's anything I can do to help, I'll help."

　

　I promised to talk to her again later, and we hung up.　

　

　Even after the class competition is over, the election for student body president will be a troublesome event. If Dun-Ex is taken in consideration, there will be many more troublesome events to worry about in the future. But before that. I think there was one more troublesome event right around the time when the class competition was over. Well, if I can't remember, it must not be a big deal.

　Looking at the time, the test period for the interclass competition had come to an end. By now, the results should have been announced at the Adventurers' Guild Plaza. I could watch the live video from my terminal, but I was too tired to do so. The scores of the progress weren't very good either.

"Huh, I'm starving. ......"

　

　I slowly lie down and stretch my arms and legs. Since this is a map where the undead are everywhere, the sky is gloomy and the clouds are swirling around eerily. Still, unlike the cave MAP, there is a sense of openness. Nearby, the B class seems to have started playing with skeletons. They are very energetic.

　

"Well, the only thing I have to do is to carry the luggage. I'll just go home. ...... What's this?"

　Dozens of notifications started coming in at once to the terminal on my arm. The notifications were ringing continuously, and Kaworu and Mashima even called me. Something seems to have happened.

　

　

　--I decided to turn it off and ignore it, since it was a hassle anyway.

TL Note-  The last line was destructive and is Tachiki trying for Lisa wasn't he into Kaworu  and at last we welcome the sigma mc Narumi ...

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