---

The Villainous Noble Who Kept Rewinding After Death: The Story Somehow Changed When I Committed Suicide

Chapter 188: The Winner

“’Rain Star Sword’”

“’Twilight’s Infernal Flame’”

When Iris cast her magic, swords of water poured down from the sky like rain, and when Sonia used her magic, purple flames engulfed the stage.

The two had yet to take a single step from their starting positions, and even though the two spells scorched the ground, the area around them remained untouched, as if nothing had happened.

The extraordinary magical battle created by the two magicians resembled a painting and captivated those watching, filling the small children with admiration and dreams.

“It’s going nowhere.”

“Right? I honestly didn’t think it would be this evenly matched.”

“Does that mean you thought I would win against Sonia?”

“Oh no. If it sounded like that, that’s a misunderstanding. Sure, I might have easily won against the Iris at the beginning of the term, but I’ve watched your growth up close. Still, despite the difference in our magic power, you’re still competing with me using only magic. I’m genuinely surprised by your magic manipulation and density.”

“Hehe. I was just joking. I know Sonia means no harm. And honestly, I’m quite pleased. Fighting alongside you for so long proves I haven’t made a mistake in choosing my path. It’s really fun.”

Until now, Iris had been focusing on training to increase her magic manipulation and density, but she couldn’t shake off her doubts.

Shouldn’t she be training to increase her magic power more? Shouldn’t she be making an effort to learn stronger attack magic? Shouldn’t she be receiving combat training to be able to fight up close?

Those thoughts of “more” crossed her mind repeatedly, but she always remembered the day she admired Lewis, steeling her resolve to push on with her training in magic manipulation and density.

Yet, upon entering the academy, she encountered Sonia, who had more magical talent than her and secretly harbored jealousy and frustration. Still, she continued to persevere.

As a result, that effort allowed her to hold her own against the magical genius she envied, even earning admiration.

Those feelings of joy and excitement… Only someone who has put in the same effort could understand them.

“I’m having fun too. More than anything, I’m happy. I’m truly glad to have a rival like Iris.”

Sonia had been dealing with different concerns from Iris until two years ago when she had been unable to use magic due to a magic seal. But thanks to Lewis, she could finally use magic, and from then on, she grew stronger like sand absorbing water in the desert.

The classmates who had mocked her for not being able to use magic fell silent when she was finally able to use it, and as she grew, they began to respect her.

Having talent in magic, Sonia mastered what the principal had taught her in just six months and devoted herself to training in pursuit of the admired Lewis.

But then, she found herself in a place where no one at the academy could defeat her, and when she took a moment to look back, an inexplicable emptiness opened a hole in her heart.

How boring. There’s no challenge. If only Lewis were nearby, and if Fiera and Shuvina were still here, maybe this feeling of boredom and emptiness wouldn’t have surfaced.

As those feelings swirled in her heart, she persevered thanks to her admiration for Lewis, which had brought her to this academy.

The Lewis she met again at the academy was even stronger than before, his magic now far beyond her reach.

At first, she was genuinely pleased to be reunited, but as she realized the gap in their abilities, despair crept in.

(Ah… so this is how everyone else felt.)

In that moment, Sonia understood.

The emotions that her classmates at the magic academy had directed at her: emotions that bordered on worship, beyond mere admiration. With such a wide gap in abilities, they didn’t even want to compete.

It was the back she had admired and aimed for all this time, but now it felt too far away to know how to reach it.

One day, while grappling with such concerns, Sonia spotted Iris practicing magic alone.

To be honest, Iris didn’t have the same magical talent as Sonia, nor did she possess the combat skills of Fiera or Shuvina.

What’s more, as Lewis’s fiancée, he had little interest in her, and there wasn’t much interaction between them.

But watching Iris, who loved Lewis and continued to strive even knowing their difference in abilities, made Sophie feel something warm rise in her heart.

After that, Sonia actively engaged with Iris, and they became friends who could call each other that.

One day, as she watched Iris practice magic as usual, Sonia decided to ask the question that had been on her mind.

“Iris, how can you push yourself so hard?”

“What do you mean?”

“You understand, don’t you? The gap in ability between you and Lewis. So why do you push yourself so much? I want to know the reason.”

“I see. That’s what you meant.”

Iris sat beside Sonia on the bench, looking satisfied as she explained her reason casually.

“Simply put, I want to be a woman who isn’t embarrassed to stand next to him. As you know, Lord Lewis can do anything by himself. Besides, there are wonderful and strong people like Fiera and Shuvina around right now.

But I don’t have the fighting techniques of Fiera or the unique magic like Shuvina. Yet, I love Lord Lewis. This feeling is something I won’t lose to either of them.

Moreover, I believe that there are things only I can do. I may not know what they are just yet, but I don’t want to find myself helpless when the time comes. So, at the very least, I want to do my best with the things I’ve decided for myself.”

As Iris spoke her thoughts, she shone so brightly that Sonia could hardly look away.

“And you know, Sonia, you said before.”

“Huh?”

“Let’s work hard together. We’re just getting started, after all. Those words really made me happy, you know? Because of those words, I’ve been able to keep pushing myself like this. Thank you so much, Sonia.”

The words Iris spoke filled the hole in Sonia’s chest and ignited a fiery passion within her.

(That’s right. The reason I’ve come this far was to know Lewis. No matter how far apart our abilities are, it doesn’t matter. I just need to be myself and push myself just like when I admired Lewis.)

Recalling the day she had been helped by Lewis and admired his magic, Sonia thanked Iris and began her own training in magic.

That was to draw closer to the one she admired, no matter how far apart they were.

That was to avoid showing an embarrassing self to the friend who had said she was working hard.

From then on, the two encouraged each other, and sometimes bickered, deepening their bond.

So, Sonia felt grateful. For this day when she could fight alongside a friend, and for this moment where her rival had gained a true strength and could face her equally.

“That’s why, Iris. I want you to… take my full power, just for you.”

“Ahaha. Of course, Sonia. But, of course, you’ll take my full power too, right?”

“Of course!”

Sonia had decided she wouldn’t use the Dark Pursuer technique even before the match started.

If she used that technique, she might win against Iris, who was weak in close combat, but then it wouldn’t truly be her power.

Sure, she was using her own magic, so that power could be considered her own, but for this match, it just felt different somehow.

So she resolved not to use Dark Pursuer before the match began and decided to fight and win using only the magic she had cultivated.

“’Black Dot Explosion’!”

“’Surface Six Flower Shield’!”

The small black sphere launched from Sonia’s hand absorbed the purple flames still burning on the ground and, after wavering slightly, triggered a massive explosion.

However, when the six-petal water shield created by Iris expanded widely, it suppressed the blast and winds, and when the smoke cleared, Iris appeared unscathed.

“I didn’t expect you to block that one.”

“Hehe. Isn’t this magic amazing? I worked hard to learn it!”

The Surface Six Flower Shield was a magic with a difficulty level just below that of the Sea Dragon King, and its effect was that it could protect against any attack once.

In contrast, Sonia’s Black Dot Explosion was a magic that increased in explosive power with the amount of surrounding magic, and combined with its quick detonation time, its defenses were hard to prepare against, but this time, Iris’s magic had blocked it.

They continued to exchange attacks and defenses, neither giving an inch, as the stage began to collapse around them, leaving only the area where the two stood intact.

“At this rate, Iris looks like she’ll collapse from magic exhaustion before either spell hits,”

“True. But a finish like that wouldn’t be entertaining, would it?”

“Agreed. If it ends like that, I’ll just forfeit the victory.”

“Hehe. Then…”

““Let’s decide it with the next blow!””

The moment Iris and Sonia’s voices overlapped, they unhesitatingly released their magic power, leading to the second magic clash of the match.

Even though both had depleted their magic from spellcasting, the intensity and pressure were greater than at the beginning, and the spectators watching understood that the winner would be decided by the next spell.

“’Sea Dragon King’!!”

“’Hellhound’!”

Iris unleashed a massive dragon created from the overflowing magic towards Sonia.

Sonia, using immense magic to chant her magic name, summoned a gigantic three-headed dog.

With black fur and red eyes, that dog resembled the SSS-rank monster Cerberus that was said to guard the underworld, radiating an imposing presence that rivaled Iris’s Leviathan.

While Leviathan coiled around Cerberus, trying to strangle it, Cerberus showed no sign of fear; in fact, it lunged directly to bite Leviathan with its three heads.

The two spells entangled and clashed, both responding to the intentions of their creators with their overwhelming power.

And after yet another round of offense and defense, the victor was the Cerberus summoned by Sonia.

“Haah… haah… I’ve lost. As expected… of you, Sonia…”

“Hehe. Iris, your magic was marvelous as well.”

Iris’s Leviathan was constructed with precise magic manipulation and high-density magic, making it sturdier.

However, Sonia’s Cerberus, created with violently overwhelming magic power, was a fierce beast, and with its three heads, it had more attacking capabilities, leading Leviathan to crumble first.

“And the winner! First-year Class S! Sonia Scarlet! Thus, the champion of this tournament is Sonia Scarlet!”

As Iris sat on the ground, exhausted from magic depletion, the teacher overseeing the match announced the winner.

The moment the victor was declared, the audience erupted into the loudest cheers of the entire tournament and applauded both contestants for their remarkable match.

Some among the audience were even in tears, showing just how extraordinary the match had been.

“Look, Iris. Take my hand.”

“Thank you.”

“It’s nothing. More importantly, look over there, Iris.”

Supported by Sonia’s hand, Iris stood up, swaying slightly as she turned her gaze to where Sonia pointed.

“Ah…”

“Hehe. It seems Lewis has finally taken an interest in you.”

Lewis, located where Iris was looking, wore a joyful smile, exuding an aura so dangerous that he might strike at any moment, yet there was also a clear interest directed solely at her.

“F-Fufu… I’m so… happy. Truly… happy.”

No matter what kind of emotion was directed at her for the first time, the fact it was directed solely at her filled Iris with joy as tears welled in her eyes.

“I’m happy for you, Iris.”

Sonia, hiding Iris’s tearful face, slowly led her off the stage back to the waiting room.

The audience continued to applaud until the very end as the long yet fleeting martial arts tournament final came to a close.

The match of that day would be remembered as the greatest in the history of the tournament, and before long, it would be referred to as a legendary match.

◇　◇　◇　◇　◇

If you’re interested, you might also enjoy the concurrently serialized “The Former Hero, Becoming the Demon King, Devotes His World.”

https://kakuyomu.jp/works/16817330663836544021

Clicking the heart icon can easily convey your support! (Login required)

Support

If you have an account, please log in.

Learn more about the reading experience possible on Kakuyomu.

 

---