They don't want me to try anymore.

Furthermore, due to Saint Goethe's special status in the Empire and Linda's identity, it even attracted some attention from outside the school—for example, a third-rate tabloid fabricated a very eye-catching backstory, but the newspaper was ordered to disband on the day of its release.

Finally, the day of the final arrived.

Over a thousand teachers and students gathered at the St. Goethe's Grand Arena...

Chapter Thirty-Three: The Unexpected Audience

St. Goethe has many suitable arenas for battle, and the Grand Arena is the largest and most formal of them. On weekdays, large-scale sports competitions or exchange matches with other schools are held here.

From the outside, this place looks a lot like the Roman Colosseum from Richard's previous life. The extra part is that there are thirteen obsidian statues, one large and twelve small, standing around the perimeter.

The larger one is the goddess of order, holding a shield and spear, beautiful and solemn, while the smaller ones are the principals of Saint Goethe throughout history.

These statues are not merely decorations; they also serve to curb the spillover of harm and ensure the safety of visitors.

At this moment, thousands of teachers and students, under the "watchful eyes" of successive principals, eagerly awaited the start of the duel.

However, they did not notice that in the back row of the audience, directly beneath the statue of the Goddess of Order, sat someone they had long admired but had almost never seen before…

She was wrapped in a long robe, with half her face covered by a hood, but her voluptuous figure, the black-stockinged legs peeking out from under the robe, and the high heels with the toes slightly raised and one foot up and down still gave away her identity.

"The man Luvia has taken a liking to is an unexpected problem. She's only been in school for a few months, and she's already clashed with the Dulles family. It's going to be difficult to handle..."

That's right, she is Hela Adams, the headmistress of St. Goethe, a legendary mage, a potion master, and an ageless witch.

She glanced at the murmuring students below, her full, red lips parted slightly, and she murmured to herself:

"With such a large gap in strength, there could be casualties if we're not careful... Sure enough, it would be better if I intervened to stop the little girl from Dulles when she got serious."

"That way, when little Luvia returns from the frontier next month, it'll be justifiable for me. Hmm, that's decided then~"

Just then, someone next to her suddenly interjected, "Principal, is it really necessary for you to hide here like a thief and watch such an important occasion?"

Hela glanced sideways and saw the tall figure beside her, dressed in a military uniform and adorned with gun and shield medals. A smile immediately spread across her face.

"Isn't that little Albert?"

"I'm forty-six years old, and it's been almost thirty years since I graduated. Could you please not address me like that..."

"It doesn't matter, it's all the same to me."

Hela gestured for the man to sit down beside her and smiled, "You know my habits. I avoid public appearances whenever possible. Besides, if I show up too much and my students become infatuated with me, the old folks will be unhappy again."

"They should be younger than you too..."

"What matters is mindset, not actual age. Besides, he's only 17 this year. Little Albert, you can't say things like that, or... you'll be punished!"

Hela held her slender white index finger up to her full lips, making a gesture of secrecy.

Then she stared at the medals on the man's chest and asked, "So, the rumors are true? You're going to be promoted to general at the end of the year, as the deputy commander of the Gulf Army?"

"Ahem, didn't you say you didn't care about politics? How come you're so well-informed?"

"Just because I can't interfere doesn't mean I can't understand. After all, the struggle between you progressives and conservatives, the southward and northward factions, can affect the fate of my lovely students."

As the beautiful woman finished speaking, her expression gradually became serious, and a hint of helplessness was faintly revealed between her brows and eyes.

"Politics is the art of compromise; you don't need to put too much pressure on yourself."

Albert nodded in reply: "Moreover, everything is interconnected. Your students are the future masters of the empire, and they will one day influence our struggles and cause."

"So that's why you came today?"

"After graduating, the Dulles children usually join the Gulf Army for two years of training, so I want to see what she's capable of. Besides... Connaught is also one of the Gulf Army's targets, although she's a low priority."

After Albert finished speaking, he asked in return, "But I didn't expect that you, Principal, would be so concerned. That kid named Richard is just a Bronze-rank from Connaught, right? Logically speaking, this battle should have been a foregone conclusion."

"On the battlefield, unless you can rely on a pre-arranged magic array, a single Bronze Saint, no matter how clever he is, will absolutely not be able to stop a Silver Saint."

"Well..."

Hela didn't want to reveal Luvia's request, so she just smiled knowingly and said, "He's not that simple."

"Specific basis?"

"...A woman's intuition!"

"Forget it, I'll just check it out myself."

The atmosphere below the stage was equally lively.

For the past three days, everyone has offered their support and uttered their witty remarks regarding Richard and Linda. Given the vast difference in their strength, there's no point in predicting anything further. Therefore, among the crowd, those who are currently the loudest…

Actually, it was a gambling operation.

However, although Richard could theoretically win, most people's disagreement on betting is focused on whether Richard will lose within three minutes or five minutes.

It looks like it's going to turn into a speedrun challenge...

I bet Richard will win!

Until these people met Zoe.

The young woman hadn't slept a wink last night because of worry, and just like at the hearing, she came to the venue with dark circles under her eyes. Seeing that everyone around her was pessimistic about her older brother, she finally couldn't hold back anymore.

She gritted her teeth, angrily pulled out nine gold coins, twelve silver coins, and two shares of Empire Company stock from her pocket, and then stuffed them all into the hands of the person opening the trading.

Seeing this, Katyusha, expressionless, emptied her pockets, took out three silver coins, and followed.

The man was somewhat surprised, and grinned, saying, "My two junior sisters, I don't mind making money, but I'll still remind you that Richard has no chance of winning, and your money will just be wasted."

"I do not care!"

"Hey... whatever you want."

Seeing that Zoe insisted, Katyusha simply kept a cold face and remained silent. The man shook his head, took the money, and left.

If a fool is willing to give him money, why wouldn't he be happy to do so?

Well, rather, he'd rather there were more fools like that...

"Excuse me, could you wait a moment? I'd like to bet 300 gold coins that Richard will win."

"……ha?!"

He stared blankly for several seconds at the beautiful young woman in front of him, who looked as if she had stepped out of an oil painting, and the thin yet heavy check in her hand.

"Are you...you are Princess Alice?"

"No, here, I'm just your classmate."

"I understand, I understand, but are you sure you want to..."

"The essence of romance lies in its endless possibilities... I'm willing to take the gamble!"

Seeing this, the man stopped talking.

But after staying away from several girls, he still couldn't help feeling acid reflux.

The rumors were true; that Connaught country bumpkin had won the favor of Princess Vanderni!

Ah! Why?!

Only this...

Waaaaah, I'm so envious...

Suddenly, a cheer erupted in the arena, interrupting everyone's thoughts.

Linda, dressed in a dazzling women's dress armor and holding a jeweled staff with a sword-like tip, walked into the arena with her head held high, like a legendary Valkyrie.

Opposite her stood Richard, dressed in a typical Saint Goethe student uniform with a blue cloak, carrying a large basket filled with magic crystals...

It's like a country auntie selling eggs on the street.

Judging by appearance alone, the two are worlds apart.

"Connaught, you've really become a country bumpkin? That's ridiculous!"

"Unprocessed magic crystals have very low absorption efficiency. Do you think you can use so many in time? Have you lost your mind?"

"You're not planning to throw magic crystals like stones, are you? Are you a monkey?"

"Linda, we support you! Please take down that clown decisively within five minutes!"

"Ideally within three minutes!"

"Five minutes it is!"

"Three minutes it is!"

"Huh? You want to fight...?"

Amidst the commotion, a teacher entered and had Linda and Richard sign a pledge, officially announcing the start of the duel.

"...In a sense, you clown have successfully dragged me into the circus too."

Linda glanced around at the noisy audience, then at the garish basket at Richard's feet, and frowned.

Richard's reply was quite simple.

"You're so nagging, you bitch!"

Chapter Thirty-Four: Actually, We're a Turn-Based Game