I am the heroine's godfather!

"Ahem! Alright, let's take a look at the contestants for the next match! Oh my god! It's an internal battle within the Knights Academy?!"

Hugh exclaimed in surprise: "The next match is between William and...Tebiris!"

A gasp rang out, and Kelton below widened his eyes, looking at William with some concern: "Are you sure everything's alright?"

"...Oh dear, it seems I won't be able to join Kyle in the round of 16."

William scratched his head: "However, getting this far has actually exceeded my expectations... It seems my luck has run out."

Kyle felt a pang of pity. He knew how hard his friend had worked and how much sweat he had shed during this time. It was definitely not just luck, as Kyle had claimed. Yet, at this crucial moment, he had encountered an opponent that William could never defeat. Such an outcome was simply too cruel.

But William just scratched his head: "Actually, this suits me just the way it is... Being able to show Tebilris my progress makes this match meaningful."

"come on!"

Kyle cheers on his friend.

"Ah."

Tika chuckled coldly but said nothing. Megan comforted him, "It's alright, William. Even if you fail, no one will blame you! In fact, you don't need to face an invincible enemy!"

"Who comforts someone like that..."

William was speechless for a moment, and even Tika couldn't help but glance at Megan. The freckled girl blushed instantly: "W-what's wrong?"

"It's alright, thank you for your concern, Megan."

After saying this, William got up and headed to the ring.

--------------

On the arena, Terbillis, dressed in the standard armor of the Knights Academy, stood there, as steady as a mountain.

William went up on the stage.

"I never expected my opponent would be you."

Terbiris spoke up, and William scratched his head: "Hahaha, perhaps in your eyes, Terbiris, it's surprising that I made it into the top 32, right? After all, I'm a piece of trash..."

"Do not."

Teberis spoke up, his tone calm and steady, yet incredibly convincing: "I can see that you've put in the sweat and effort."

He raised his greatsword: "You have come before me through your own efforts."

"..."

William fell silent for a moment, and after a long while, he gave a wry smile: "Honestly, whether it's Kyle or you, you guys are all the same."

He raised his sword and shield: "Then please witness my progress."

"Wow! It seems that William is not only not afraid, but has also bravely drawn his sword!"

“I have some recollection of William; he has indeed made great progress during this period.”

“哦？那洛兰老师的意思每^日.发！书，群【6`5,0/5^0”2*3>3.8】是，您在这场比赛中很看好威廉了？”

Then Hugh received a look from Lorraine as if he were an idiot.

Lorraine: I have serious doubts about your intelligence.

To prevent anyone from rigging their final grades, Hugh wisely refrained from replying and instead steered the conversation toward the competition: "Alright! Now, let the competition begin!"

The two performed the dueling ceremony, and at this moment, Hugh asked curiously, "Speaking of which, why do we press our chests against our right side during the dueling ceremony? Could Professor Loran explain it to us?"

"This is a ritual of the God of War lineage. Because the heart is on the left, placing the left hand against the right side of the chest signifies stopping short of a fight. Similarly, placing the right hand against the left side of the chest signifies that the battle is a fight to the death."

"Huh? But some people's hearts are on the right side!"

"...Will you die if you don't argue?"

Loran rolled her eyes and said, "There's no need to be so particular about things that are just conventions."

"That makes sense, let's continue watching the game!"

On the arena, William took a deep breath, stepped forward, and his figure flickered. He wasn't very strong, so he couldn't go for the heavy sword style, but light swords also had their advantages.

While Terbillis's greatsword was undeniably powerful and seemingly effortless, its agility was a weakness. William had precisely identified this weakness, which was why he made his move. Normally, Terbillis would have relied on the greatsword's advantages to defend, waiting for an opportunity to strike decisively.

But he seems to have forgotten that conventions are useless for geniuses.

Tebilis was surrounded by fighting spirit. He did not choose to defend, but instead wielded the heavy sword with the speed of the wind, as if he were using a light sword!

"What an amazing guy."

Loran commented: "This wild and outrageous fighting style reminds me of Christine, the half-dragon and comrade of Her Majesty the Saintess. According to records, she also liked to use this fighting style."

Christine, who was yawning, suddenly realized she had been called and immediately woke up, then glared angrily at someone on the explanation platform.

The elf beside Christine let out a mocking laugh.

"Hey buddy, wanna fight?"

"hehe."

Estia remained silent, only offering mocking laughter.

"Damn it... Loran, you just wait!"

Miss Christine couldn't lash out in public, so she could only grit her teeth and wait to give that guy Loran a good punch in private.

But Loran continued his commentary: "This fighting style demands a high level of personal skill from the individual. Not only must one master the fighting methods of both greatsword and light sword, but one must also possess astonishing strength. Although Tebilis is still somewhat inexperienced, it is already remarkable that he can do something like this at his age."

On the ring, sweat beaded on William's forehead. Every sword strike he threw was blocked by Terbiris and then deflected. But Terbiris did not press his advantage and defeat him in one fell swoop; instead, he gave him a chance to readjust and launch another attack.

This doesn't feel like a battle at all; it's more like... a training session?

Chapter 148 Kyle: Isn't it fine too?

Terbiris was already a superb swordsman, and with his amazing strength, he could easily use light sword techniques even with a heavy sword—but this was not a good way to quickly defeat an opponent, since he was not as strong as Christine.

So why did he choose this method?

The answer is obvious.

Lorraine chuckled softly, realizing his intention: Terbiris was instructing William.

Perhaps Terbiris actually thinks highly of William?

who knows.

Loran squinted, recalling the plot: In the original work, Terbiris and William had little interaction, and he didn't have many scenes in the story. All that was known was that he later became a major general in the Kingdom of Tria.

Now the two of them have actually developed some kind of bond? That's really interesting...

Speaking of William in the original story, he was practically a minor character—cowardly, talentless, unwilling to work hard, and always looking for trouble, with a consistently poor reputation. But now, it seems he's changed somewhat?

Who knows.

Lorraine wasn't particularly interested in observing him, after all, William was just an ordinary guy, nothing special.

On the ring, the two fought for dozens of rounds, and William, panting heavily, said, "It's really... impenetrable."

"Your swordsmanship has improved."

Teberis sheathed his sword and stood up, saying, "But he's still far from being a true master."

William gripped his sword tightly: "I will not give up. I will definitely catch up with you!"

Teberis nodded slightly: "Very good. Then you must remember that swordsmanship is not only about technique, but also about mindset. If you have fear in your heart, your sword will never reach its peak."

"You really think highly of me... The pinnacle of swordsmanship? No one in this world can reach that level, or even come close to it."

William sighed with emotion, for the ultimate swordsmanship is the ultimate pursuit of all swordsmen throughout history, and those who can approach that level can never remain unknown.

Loran sighed, "If we're talking about the ultimate sword, Adams, the guardian sword he encountered in the Silver Dragon Illusion, is probably the closest."

But still not as good as me (hands on hips).

Of course, this was just a joke by Lorraine; Adams was definitely not at his peak at that time.

The battle continued on the arena.

William took a deep breath, adjusted his stance, and attacked Terbillis again. This time, however, his swordplay was more composed and decisive.

A hint of appreciation flashed in Terbiris's eyes; it was clear he was quite satisfied.

But that alone is not enough.

Just as Terbiris easily deflected William's attack and was about to continue giving instructions, he suddenly noticed Bianca yawning in the audience, her eyes showing a hint of boredom.

The haughty young lady looked down on William, a loser, and after watching the game for so long, she was getting a little bored.

Terbiris sighed. It seemed that he had no choice but to end this quickly.

His expression turned serious, and his entire demeanor changed. If at the beginning his aura was like a steady mountain, then now it was like a swift thunderbolt!

He deliberately created an opening. William, unsurprisingly, spotted it and thrust his sword without hesitation.

However, just as the sword tip was about to touch Terbillis, Terbillis vanished instantly. William was stunned when Terbillis appeared behind him, the greatsword gently pressed against his back.

"The victory has been decided."

William's face showed a mixture of emotions, and finally, he let out a sigh: "Really... is the difference really that big?"

"Your combat experience is still insufficient."

After giving his comments, Teblis remained silent for a while before saying, "I can teach you if needed."

"really?"

Seeing Teblis nod, William was overjoyed, and even losing the match didn't make him so sad—in fact, there was nothing to be sad about. Being able to play against Teblis for so long, even though the opponent sometimes held back, truly showed his progress.

Haven't you noticed how people look at him differently ever since he stepped off the stage?

Meghan had originally intended to comfort William, but seeing his expression, the words stuck in her throat. Tika, however, sneered: "Tebillis invited you to accept his instruction?"

"Yes, Terbiris is such a good person!"

"Ah."

Tica chuckled dismissively: "Do you know that Tebilis is a member of Bianca's faction? And you are a member of Anna's faction. By doing this, where do you place yourself and Kyle?"

As if she had made a connection to something, Tika became unusually talkative.

Megan and William had also thought of this and looked at Kyle with concern. Kyle just smiled and said, "Isn't this fine too?"

--------------

Next up was Daisy's match. As an astrologer, Daisy was rather lacking in individual combat skills. Although she had gained some strength under Loran's tutelage and made it into the top 32, things would get tougher after that. Daisy, however, didn't seem to mind, as she didn't have any family pressure regarding education.

Hmm, isn't this a bit too hellish?

Cough cough, it's okay, Daisy's parents said they wouldn't dare to object.

In short, Daisy had no need to make herself look bad in this situation, so she readily admitted defeat, and everyone understood without making a scene.

Of course, if someone were to openly mock her, Miss Daisy wouldn't mind letting people know what it means to thrive in the underworld—that connections and background are essential (just kidding).

As a core member of Anna's faction, Miss Daisy's status is extraordinary; she belongs to the very top of the social food chain.

In the following days, Anna also had her own match. She did not meet Bianca in the round of 32, but instead encountered a mediocre opponent, whom Anna easily defeated.

Charlotte's match was even simpler; she didn't care at all who her opponent was.

Charlotte reigns supreme, Charlotte is invincible!

In short, the round of 32 to 16 has ended, and the next stage is the quarterfinals, where 16 will be eliminated. At this point, the opponents will all be elites from various colleges.

The Vatican, along with other powerful organizations, would like to identify certain students in advance and decide whether to recruit them in the following years by selecting from the top eight.

Speaking of which, Loran also ran into a few acquaintances. His dear sister, Miss Serena's, merchant guild, the Antoya Merchant Guild, had also sent representatives here, presumably to recruit some guards. As one of the top merchant guilds on the entire continent, the Antoya Merchant Guild still carries considerable weight.

Chapter 149 Semifinals! Charlotte vs. Siluca!

There wasn't much to write about in the quarterfinals; rather, the gap in strength between the top eight players from San Casta and the others was simply too large, so there was no chance of a tough battle.

"Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome back to the San Casta Duel Tournament venue! I'm your commentator, Hugh!"

Hugh, as always, was very loud and boisterous: "Now the battle for the semifinals is about to begin! Let's see who can defeat their opponents and enter the top four!"

"Ohhhhhh!"

Cheers erupted, and then Loran announced the start of the draw for opponents.

"Let's see which opponents you've all drawn! Charlotte vs. Siluca, Kyle vs. Tebilis, Laura vs. Bianca, Anna vs. Camorie!..."

The opponents for each person were arranged, and the quarterfinals were held simultaneously on eight different arenas, so there was no set order.