428 Chapter 428: Pendragon Academy (1/2)
\”I'm very proud of all of you,\” Harrison declared as he faced all of us at the head of the table. \”All of you. We did very well to reach the semifinals. This means that we are, at the very least, ranked fourth in the Global Federation.\”
\”Yeah!\” Craig raised his mug, as if to say cheers. We were all in a celebratory mood, and after I was discharged from the infirmary, my friends dragged me here, to this bar. I learned that they originally wanted to celebrate yesterday night, but because I was out cold and recovering in the hospital, they postponed the celebration to today.
After all – according to them, anyway – I was the VIP. Or MVP. Or whatever acronym they liked to use. Whether it was Very Important/Indispensable Person or Most Valuable Player, it didn't matter. All of them unanimously agreed that I was the main reason we won yesterday's match and progressed to the semifinals.
Therefore it wouldn't make sense to celebrate without me, the guest of honor or whatever. Personally, I couldn't care less and I was worried that they would wake up with a hangover the next morning and end up unable to compete in the crucial semifinals.
Then I remembered that we were all high school students (including my current self), and we were still considered minors. Of course they wouldn't allow us to drink until we were 20. Or was it 18? I couldn't remember. And honestly, I didn't need to because I never smoked or drank any alcoholic drinks, even in my past life. Even when I got to thirty years of age, I never touched a can of beer. Well, I did have a sip once (my dad asked me to try), and I hated it, so I never drank it again. As for smoking, well…you know what a health hazard it was.
\”Even if we lose tomorrow, we already made our school proud!\” Pearl also raised her mug. Craig elbowed her.
\”We're not going to lose!\”
\”I don't think anyone wants to lose,\” Cody confessed. \”But our opponent tomorrow is Pendragon Academy, you know? They are no pushovers. It will be a hard match tomorrow.\”
\”Don't worry, we have Richard here.\” Dong Fang Yue Chu threw an arm over my shoulders and gripped me tightly. \”He might be able to pull another miracle tomorrow!\”
\”Are you planning another all-kill?\” Bu Fan asked snidely, drinking from his corner of the table. I shook my head.
\”I was just lucky. They…Saint Teresa Academy underestimated me and they paid the price for it. If they took me seriously from the start…for example, if Kureha had decided to fight me from the start, I wouldn't have been able to eliminate the other core members.\”
\”Luck doesn't happen five times in a row,\” Theodore told me firmly. \”Have more confidence.\”
\”Oh, it's not the matter of confidence. Anyway, it's pointless to discuss what could have been. We won, and we progressed to the next round, so whether Saint Teresa Academy would have won if they switched the order of their members around is a pretty moot point to begin with. There's no point dwelling on what-ifs and whatever.\”
\”Well said,\” Harrison agreed. \”And that brings us to the main point of this meeting. Tomorrow's strategy against Pendragon Academy.\”
Even though we did come to this restaurant to celebrate, we also partly gathered to discuss strategy. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that planning for tomorrow's match was in fact the main goal of tonight's dinner.
\”Even if you say that…how exactly are we supposed to plan?\” I asked. Then I glared at Yue Chu before he could say anything. \”No, I'm not going to fight all five Pendragon Academy representatives in the individual matches tomorrow. I'll probably die.\”
\”Yeah, you still haven't fully recovered from yesterday.\” Pearl was glaring at me sternly. \”I won't allow you to pull that stunt again, even if the captain says so.\”
\”I agree.\” Harrison raised a hand. \”It's unfair to put all the burden on you anyway.\”
\”Don't worry.\” Craig was grinning as he wrapped an arm around a giggling Sheila. \”It's our turn to shine! We won't allow you to hog all the glory to yourself!\”
\”Sounds good to me.\” I was still feeling exhausted, aftereffects from yesterday's grueling session. I was sure I would recover fully by tomorrow, but I would physically destroy myself if I forced my body to go through the same torturous trials as yesterday. Not to mention, the swordsmen and swordswomen of Pendragon Academy fought in a completely different style from Saint Teresa Academy's.
Each one of them had reached the pinnacle of swordsmanship. After almost getting overwhelmed by Kureha yesterday, I was not eager to repeat the agonizing experience. It had been close…too close. A single slip and I would have been the one lying on the floor instead of her.
As if reading my mind, Craig grinned at me.
\”How about it, Richard? Can't you use the same technique you used to defeat the Sword Saint to wipe out the Pendragon Academy team?\”
\”No way. That was supposed to be my trump card, and now that everyone knows about it, they will develop a countermeasure against it. Besides…\” I looked at everyone sheepishly. \”I stole that technique from someone else.\”
\”Oh?\” Harrison sounded curious. \”That wasn't a Miyamoto sword technique?\”
\”No, it wasn't,\” I admitted. \”I copied it from one of the most epic visual novels ever created. It was the technique of an Archer Servant who dresses in red and wields twin swords.\”
\”I know that visual novel!\” Yue Chu exclaimed excitedly. Then he frowned. \”But wasn't it used by the protagonist of the visual novel…then again, the red Archer was his future self, so I guess it counts, huh?\”