The weapons I forge are absolutely flawless.

Even if the Cursed Armor could erase the equipment gap between the two sides, the outcome would not change.

But Sigurd could see Felix's eyes clearly.

That's the look in someone's eyes who's never killed anyone.

This might sound a little ridiculous.

Even Vena, who always considered himself a blacksmith, had his hands stained with blood after becoming an apprentice in the Knights.

Meanwhile, Felix, the strongest student among the first-year students, was serving tea and water at the academy.

Call him despicable or morally blackmailing him, he was betting that Felix wouldn't risk his life for him, and the stake was his own life.

This is his only chance of winning.

“You may have misunderstood me,” Wiener corrected. “What I meant was that you won’t meet Felix.”

"...You?" Understanding the meaning behind Wiener's words, Sigurd's face was full of disdain. "You, a nobody, dare to dream of winning the championship?"

"I never thought about winning the championship. Making it to the semifinals is a success for my first time participating in the Griffin Tournament. But blame yourself for blocking my way."

With Wiener and Sigurd in the same group, only one of them could advance to the semifinals.

"I'll make you regret saying that."

Sigurd had long wanted to cause trouble for Viña, but he didn't know how Viña had gotten in touch with the princess.

If Schuster hadn't relayed Princess Edel's instructions to him, forbidding him from causing further trouble for Vina, Sigurd would never have given up so easily.

"I hope so."

Since the other party wouldn't listen to reason, and Venere was too lazy to waste any more words, they exchanged some harsh words and then turned and left.

Sigurd had reasons to win, and so did he.

If he doesn't eliminate Sigurd from the quarterfinals, then Lisette will be his opponent.

Wiener would not allow such a dangerous thing to happen.

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

VIP reception room.

Those who are sent as representatives of a country to attend the ceremony are all shrewd and capable individuals.

What even Viner could see, the others discovered the problem a little later.

"You imperialists really will stop at nothing to win. You even dare to use cursed equipment?"

Rogurd flicked his hand, feigning remorse for sitting at the same table with the other man, and said, “I’m really curious what kind of conditions you offered him that made him willing to do this.”

“This is merely his personal action and has nothing to do with the Empire,” Alandri said, his face ashen.

He did meet with Siegfried and told him to do his best to win the title.

Not only because he is the first-year student with the highest probability of winning the championship in the Aster Empire within the academy, but also for another reason.

Sigurd was the one who wielded the emblem of Admira and was one of the most outstanding young bloodlines left in the Empire.

Arlandley originally thought that Sigurd would perform at his best after learning about his mission and defeat the representative sent by the kingdom, but unexpectedly Sigurd reached for the forbidden cursed equipment.

"What a convenient excuse for 'unrelated to the Empire.' I wonder who was saying that just now, hoping I'd still be this happy when I hand over Admira myself."

Rogurd perfectly mimicked Alandre's previous tone.

"Lady Tilisa, I'm not trying to sow discord here. But you really need to be careful with the gift this guy gave to your disciple. It would be troublesome if it turned out to be some kind of cursed equipment."

"If that doesn't work, I'll just pay for it all. Although our kingdom isn't as wealthy as theirs, we're not so desperate as to use something so harmful."

Alandre wanted to retort, but Sigurd's behavior left him speechless.

Tilisa also noticed Alandri's predicament and offered, "I can stop Sigurd's remaining matches and provide him with the best medical care from the academy. At least we can ensure that the side effects of the cursed equipment are minimized."

"What does Lord Alandre think?"

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Chapter 291 Top Sixteen

Tilisa's suggestion made Alandri think.

He slowly narrowed his eyes, gazing at Rogurd sitting opposite him, his fingers unconsciously tapping lightly on the table.

If Sigurd were to withdraw from the competition, his old rival would undoubtedly be the most pleased.

Even if the academy can consider the empire's reputation and not publicly announce the real reason for withdrawing from the competition, the fact has already happened, and it is ultimately difficult to stop the speculation and discussion of others.

This is the academy's territory, and Rogurd might not dare to openly publicize this matter, but he would certainly do some underhanded things in secret.

The empire has already suffered a loss in the war of public opinion once, and it cannot afford to fall into their trap again.

More importantly, it was Sigurd's own will.

Since he made the decision to use the cursed equipment, he should bear all the consequences, regardless of whether he wins the championship.

If he were to ask Sigurd to withdraw from the competition, Sigurd himself would probably be the first to disagree.

If not handled properly, this matter could very well escalate into a scandal where Alandre openly suppresses the Dafner family and prevents them from reclaiming their family relics.

Such a decision absolutely cannot be made by him.

"Thank you for your kind offer, Lady Tilisa. But I think we should continue as we are."

Arlandley finally spoke.

“Look, you’re not even pretending anymore. Why don’t you just admit it, Alandri?” Rogurd mocked, seizing the opportunity. “If you really want it that much, I’ll just give it to you.”

After speaking, he even patted the wooden box behind him.

"Enough, Rogurd. Can't you act like a nobleman for once?"

Even with his excellent self-control, Alandri was eventually forced to lose his temper.

If it weren't for these damned Kingdom people who stubbornly refused to exchange Adem for them, things wouldn't have escalated to this point.

"Anxious."

"Snapped!"

Furious, Alandre slammed his fist on the table.

This square table, carved from solid wood, couldn't withstand his angry slap and collapsed with a crash.

Apart from Tilissa quickly picking up her teacup, all the other items on the table fell to the ground as the square table collapsed.

Realizing he had gone too far, Alandri quickly apologized to Tilisa, "I'm sorry, I lost my temper. I will definitely compensate the academy for the damaged items."

“No need for that,” Tilisa shook her head. “As long as Lord Alandre and Lord Rogurd don’t fight, it’s just a table, nothing to worry about.”

Without the intervention of representatives from the Allied Powers to act as a buffer, given the relationship between the Empire and the Kingdom, it wouldn't be surprising if the representatives of the two countries clashed at any time.

St. Freya Academy specially arranged for Tilisa to receive the representatives from the three countries, hoping that she could stop the tension between the two sides when it was about to escalate.

After speaking, Tilissa switched the teacup to her left hand, then gently flicked it with her right palm facing upwards.

The table, which had been shattered into pieces, seemed to have been restored to its original state as if time had reversed.

This seemingly casual approach calmed both countries' representatives down considerably.

"Let's continue watching the game, everyone."

Tilisa put down her teacup.

There was no indication that tea would be served to the other two.

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

The Griffin Tournament schedule is quite tight, with all individual matches to be completed on the first day.

As soon as the list of 64 who advanced was released, the next round of drawing lots began immediately.

After the preliminary rounds, the remaining contestants are all considered elites among the first-year students, making the competition far more intense and exciting than the previous rounds.

But there are always stronger opponents, and even if the opponents change round after round, they cannot stop those true prodigies.

"Contestant number one, Lisette, advances!"

...

"Contestant number 81, Wiener, and contestant number 89, Sigurd, advance!"

...

"Contestant number 194 Anna, contestant number 200 Bal, and contestant number 214 River advance!"

...

"Contestant number 250, Felix, and contestant number 271, Donnie, advance!"

.........

The team, having prepared thoroughly for the competition, will not let carelessness ruin their chances.

Only by relying on strength can we go further.

As the competition progresses, those who remain in the ring are all familiar names.

If we had to point out anything surprising, it would be Vina and Anna.

It's not that the two aren't well-known in the academy, but only now are people surprised to realize that a blacksmith and a merchant are actually more capable of fighting than most of the first-year students.

Despite the influence of the draw, the two have never directly faced the favorites to win the championship.

However, it is an undeniable fact that both of them advanced to the round of 16.

The real test is just beginning.

......

The final match to determine the quarterfinalists.

"Manager Anna, I never expected to run into you here."

Barr looked at his opponent with a sense of helplessness.

Although he has a somewhat rugged appearance, having grown up in a mercenary group since childhood, he is more meticulous than most of his peers.

Even if he was overwhelmed by joy the moment he opened the Magnetic Shadow Axe from the blind box, once he calmed down, he would understand the intricacies of the situation.

"If I had a choice, I really wouldn't want to be your opponent."

"Oh dear, I thought I was the easiest opponent among the top 16, and everyone else was probably hoping to be drawn against me."

Anna gently covered her mouth, a look of surprise on her face.

"Manager, you flatter me. You and Vena have both been kind to me. Even if others would prefer to draw you two as opponents, I don't want to fight you."

"Then you're wrong."

"Ok?"

“I am indeed the easiest of the remaining fighters to deal with, but it’s not necessarily the case with Vena,” Anna corrected.

“That’s precisely why I don’t want to be his opponent,” Bal said with a wry smile. “I’m not confident I can defeat Vener without getting injured.”

"So you mean I can take your place?" Anna raised an eyebrow slightly.

“Exactly,” Baal admitted without hesitation.

"I see that among the weapons you declared, only throwing knives are listed as weapons, store manager."

"How about this then? I won't attack first, and I'll let the shopkeeper do whatever he wants. Once you run out of throwing knives, you'll have to admit defeat, okay?"

One person attacks, and one person defends.

This method of deciding the outcome through verbal combat was the least acrimonious way that Barr could come up with.

“I have nine throwing knives, you know?” Anna reminded her.

If we follow Baal's proposed plan, it means we have to stay in place and take nine of her attacks.

If Ana's actions during the qualifying rounds did indeed involve elements of surprise and luck, then...

But once the knockout stage came around, everyone knew that Anna's weapon was this throwing knife.

However, knowing is one thing, and accepting it is another.