The battles so far have been easy. I don't know if I'm too good of a swordsman or none of these people are just that good. I feel like the first one is more likely, considering I learned from the best in Fiordall.

I'm wearing a plain white wooden mask, just like the knight suggested. My hair can be seen, but it's not like anyone will recognize me based on that alone. And thankfully, no one has mentioned a single word about my true identity.

Oh, and I'm using a different sword. Sir Baltra lent me his sword last night because I showed him what my sword looks like. After explaining to him why I didn't want to use my sword, he lent me and even asked for some of the winning money if I do win.

Well, I'm planning on giving ten percent to both Baltra and Jacob. Then, I'll anonymously donate the rest to Uncle Josh.

However… It seems like my chance of winning has been reduced to 0.

"Now, then!! Ladies and Gentlemen on this beautiful day in Ellennoire!! It is time for the biggest part of the tournament that you have all been waiting for!!

The grand final of the tournament will now commence!!"

The arena commentator loudly announced to everyone, and the entire arena cheered until the ground shook. Standing at two opposite sides of the arena are two individuals who have made it very far into the tournament, two very good swordsmen that are both very good.

And funny enough, the both of us are wearing masks.

"Quite interestingly, both finalists are wearing masks! Without a doubt, these two are certainly famous individuals! Should we try guessing who their identities are?" The commentator jokingly asked, and the whole arena started saying random names that were quite famous.

At least half of them are saying my name, but what are the chances?

"Now, then! Let us prepare for the biggest match of the tournament! Finalists, please step closer to the center!" The arena commentator finally began the preparation, and I started walking closer to the arena alongside the other finalists.

From up close, the finalist is also wearing a similar looking mask. They must've had the same mindset as me, which is to just get a mask that seemed strong enough to withstand impact. This mask I bought was not cheap, mainly because it has the quality strong enough to hold itself together if I were to fall to the ground face first. And coincidentally or not, this person bought the same mask from the same store.

Only difference is, my mask is white. Theirs is red.

Their whole body is also covered in a really wide and dirty black robe. Their head is covered by the hood of the robe, so I can't really see their hair. As such, I can't really make out how exactly their body looked. They're much shorter than me, so short that it's safe to assume that this person is a female.

Maybe… they really are female? The two of us aren't saying a word to each other, so we can't really tell--

"Hey." The masked finalist in front of me called out to me, and I knew immediately that my suspicion was right. She was really a female.

"Y-Yes?" I awkwardly replied, but it seems like she really wanted to tell me something.

"I already promised the event organizers to give the reward to the second place if I were to win. You're free to act as if you're giving all you got." She said to me from behind her mask, and for some reason, I really find her voice so familiar.

Don't tell me… Lily?

I turned my gaze to the spectator's seat, specifically towards the one watching at the VIP chairs. From down here, it's very easy to notice who is in the VIP chairs area since the chairs were so separate. I noticed a few who I recognized, some that I even spent seven years living together with. Then, I found the face I'm looking for.

Lily… is sitting right there. She looked so dazzling in her gold and white dress. I'm certain she is here because she was invited, just like the crown prince not too far next to her.

If she isn't Lily… then, there can only be one more person in my head.

"Why not give the reward to your sister?" I said, which deeply surprised the person in front of me. "I'm sure she'd be happy to receive something from you."

Hearing my words, the person in front of me stayed silent for a long while. A few seconds later, she bursts into laughter.

"Hahaha!!! You're really interesting!! I was wondering why Lily spoke so highly of you!" The lady said while holding her laughter, and I grinned inside my mask.

Look at that. She even figured me out, as well.

The crown empress of the water empire really cannot be compared to anyone else. If only our crown prince was even half as good as her…

"Then, shall we do this like true royals? Or should we just enjoy it and play around?" She asked while taking her sword out, but I shook my head.

"Sadly, I wanted to make someone proud. Sorry, but I'll be doing my best." I also took my sword out, and she seemed to understand.

"Is that so…? Then, I won't hold back." The lady in front of me said while forming a stance, and I formed a stance following her.

"It looks like the two contestants are well prepared! In that case, let's not wait out any longer for the greatest match of the tournament!" The arena commentator said aloud, and the two of us got ourselves prepared.

"Get Ready! Get Set… Begin!!"

The two of us dashed forward for a frontal assault, and we swung our sword powerfully.

FTINNGGGG!!!!!!!.......

Oh…

Crap.

.

.

.

[Many-many hours later...]

"Yeah… I'm sorry, Baltra. The sword just… snapped." I said to the owner of the sword, right after I returned to the restaurant from the tournament.

After the sword snapped, the jury deemed me unworthy of continuing. After all, in the middle of a real battle, losing one's weapon is the same as death. It was my loss for not properly assessing my tools before going to battle, and the jury announced the opposition as the victor.

In the end, the princess behind the mask apologized to me for swinging too hard, but I only laughed it off. It was also my fault for swinging it that way, and it ended up hitting the sword's weakest spot.

And now, here I am apologizing to the sword's owner.

"So it… But, didn't you get to the--"

"I got to the finals, yeah. Thanks to you for lending me the sword." I continued, but it seems like both Baltra and Jacob were too shocked to say a word.

And all of a sudden… Jacob started punching Baltra on the head.

"You… stupid… IDIOT!!" 

THWACK!!!!

THWACK!!!!

THWACK!!!!--

"W-Wait, wait!! I can explain--"

"There is no explanation!! You made Nathan lose the final match and lost!! You dumb idiot!!" Jacob loudly yelled as he continued punching Baltra. Meanwhile, I was the most confused human being in the world.

Oh, and Uncle Josh is also watching while eating popcorn by the kitchen behind the table.

"Wait, Baltra might get hurt for real--"

"So what if he is hurt!?! I feel really sorry for you!" Jacob said to me with tears in his eyes, and I panicked upon seeing how sad he was.

"W-Why are you crying!?"

Later on, the two stopped quarreling. Baltra ended up getting bruises all over his face, and Jacob didn't hold back at all with his punches. Once the two calmed down, Uncle Josh placed a cup of lemon tea in front of each of us while Jacob explained to me why he was angry.

Apparently… it was indeed Baltra's fault. The sword was very old, and it had gone through many sparring sessions during Baltra's younger days when he was a knight squire. And the best part was, Baltra knew that the sword was chipped. That's why he puts the sword away, and he is using a different sword now that is ten times better than the broken sword in its prime.

And he gave it to me… because that sword was technically his spare sword.

"Sir Baltra, you f*****g a*****e---"

"Nathan, I'm so sorry!!!!" Baltra begged for forgiveness as he hugged my right leg, and I let out a sigh.

"Fortunately, I talked with the winner after the event. The person I was fighting against was actually someone very rich, and she never needed the prize money. She was just joining for fun." I explained to the three of them, and Uncle Josh opened his eyes wide.

"T-Then, did they--"

"Yep! They handed me the prize money instead of keeping it!" I said while taking out a small pouch of coins from my storage bracelet, and I placed it on the table.

Everyone quickly turned their wide eyes at the pouch, wondering at what was inside. I then flipped the coin pouch upside down, and all the glimmering coins fell to the table while making a delicious ringing sound.

And seeing the amount of yellow from the coins, everyone gasped.

"Fifteen gold coins. That's the price for entering the academy, right?" I asked Uncle Josh, and he was still very shocked.

I ended up handing one coin each to Jacob and Baltra. After all, they contributed to this victory by helping me with the plans and told me all sorts of things to know about the tournament. Even though the sword broke, Baltra's sword was indeed the one that got me into the finals. It was only right that I rewarded him with another coin as a big thanks.

That coin also works as his hospital bills later to take care of the bruises. Looking at his face was really sad, I ended up giving him an extra coin.

I gave two coins to Uncle Josh for giving me the information. He didn't want it, but I insisted since it was because of him that I get to have this much money. He ended up accepting it because Jacob and Baltra pressured him into taking the money.

As for me, I decided to keep the money for now. Who knows, there may be a time when I needed to use the money…