Became the final boss in the game

Chapter 9

The next morning, Chloe was reporting to the current Pope of the Zenas Church.

“Is it true? The child of the gods…!”

“Yes. Jian Bellomata. That child is the one we’ve been searching for. It seems Endrich targeted Jian because he sensed the fragments of power.”

“Ah, Zenas, our God…”

The Pope began to pray in a voice filled with emotion. The child of the gods, whom they had been searching for over a century, had been found in his time.

How could he not feel overwhelmed with joy?

“So, what kind of child is Jian Bellomata?”

“I’ve only seen him once, so I can’t say for sure, but… he seems to have a strong will.”

She still needed to observe more closely, but he seemed like a good person.

“And he appears to be very skilled.”

“Skilled? Not just good, but truly remarkable?”

“Yes.”

Chloe remembered how she felt when she held Jian’s hand the previous day.

“Even though I held his hand directly, I couldn’t sense the end of his power.”

“What? You couldn’t even see the end of his power, and you’re at your level?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Chloe never thought that the power she felt from Jian was his full strength. After all, Jian had defeated a Death Knight by himself.

“In that case, it might be best not to have surveillance on him.”

“Yes, surveillance could cause more harm than good.”

If they placed surveillance on Jian, there was a high chance he’d notice. And if he found out it was the Zenas Church, it would leave a bad impression on him.

It would be better to avoid surveillance altogether.

“Then, I’ll leave watching over the child to you, until he fully awakens. Please watch over him well.”

“Leave it to me. I’ll guide him carefully to prevent him from going astray.”

“I trust you.”

“Yes. Don’t worry. I will definitely live up to your expectations.”

With that, the communication ended.

“…This is a rare opportunity. I must live up to their expectations.”

Chloe placed the communication cross on the table and stood up, heading outside.

“Hello, Chloe.”

A nun cleaning by the monastery entrance greeted her softly.

“Hello.”

“Are you heading out?”

“Yes, I have some matters to attend to at the school.”

Chloe was a second-year student at Garam Academy, but she wasn’t required to attend classes.

She had earned the right to attend classes freely by passing a legitimate exam, not because of her status as a saint.

“Today? Aren’t the second and third years off today?”

“Oh, it’s not for classes. I’m going to meet someone.”

At Chloe’s words, the nun widened her eyes in surprise, covering her mouth as if shocked.

“Oh my, are you going to see that gentleman you mentioned yesterday?”

“I’m meeting Jian, but not for the reason you think, Rosa.”

“Could it really be? The great Chloe, interested in a man…”

Rosa laughed, amused by Chloe’s intense reaction.

“I’m just kidding. You’re going to see Ji-an to check his skills, right?”

Today, second and third years had no classes because the first years were using all the classrooms for their class placement exams.

“Yes, that’s right. The Church expressed interest in recruiting him, so they told me to check his skills before making contact.”

“Did the order come directly from the headquarters?”

“Yes.”

Chloe had to meet Jian regularly, so preparing an excuse like this would make things easier later.

“Then, aren’t you leaving a bit late?”

“Late?”

It had only been about an hour since the class placement exam started. They probably hadn’t even started the practical tests yet. What could be late?

“Maybe you haven’t heard yet.”

“Heard what?”

“It’s not bad news, but…”

Sister Lisa nodded and spoke.

“There’s a rumor that Jian Bellomata is going to have a duel with Sir Lionel, the captain of the Light Tiger Knights.”

“Light Tiger Knights… Captain…?”

Chloe froze for about 3 seconds.

I need to hurry…

Chloe took off her coat and handed it to Sister Lisa.

“Sister Lisa, here…”

“Chloe? Why…?”

“Please hold onto this for a moment!”

Without waiting for an answer, Chloe dashed off towards the teachers’ direction at lightning speed.

…How did it come to this?

“Just as expected from the best academy in the world. I really like it. If only the stubborn fools in the kingdom were 10% as flexible, I’d have no complaints.”

A giant man over 2 meters tall.

The leader of the Gwangho Knights.

In terms of combat ability, he’s one of the top three in the entire Kanarion Kingdom.

[Lionel Vile]
[Leader of the Gwangho Knights]
[LV.81]

Even among all humans, he’s a monster who’s in the top ten. And he’s grinning like he’s having the time of his life.

“This is fun. I never thought I’d feel excitement from a young pup. Life really is interesting, isn’t it?”

Wait, hold on. This isn’t a time to feel relieved!

‘Lionel must know I’m the one who took down a Death Knight and defeated a swarm of wyverns all by myself!’

But my actual skills aren’t that impressive. If I go through with this test, I’m sure trouble will come.

‘I can just lie about the wyverns, but I can’t explain how I took down the Death Knight. If it’s revealed that I didn’t really defeat it, there’s no way I can avoid problems!’

‘I’m in trouble.’

What should I do? How can I get through this crisis safely?

“Lionel!”

At that moment, Aris came running towards them with a furious expression. It looked like she had just finished her basic tests.

“What do you think you’re doing to my benefactor!”

“Miss, please calm down. This isn’t what you think it is…”

“I don’t want to hear it! I’m going to go straight to my father and tell him about this!”

Wait, I just remembered. I know how to get out of this situation!

“Miss, please listen. This is actually something good for Jian…”

“Leader.”

I interrupted Lionel’s speech and said,

“I know it’s a big request, but could we possibly change the rules of the test?”

“Hooh?”

Seeing my serious expression, Lionel’s lips curled into a smile, as if intrigued.

“Tell me. How do you want to change the test?”

But Lionel’s smile quickly vanished when he heard my next words.

“I want to switch the roles.”

“…What?”

You want to switch the roles?

This means I want Lionel to attack, and I’ll defend.

“You want me to attack?”

“Yes.”

“…Are you serious?”

Usually, in this kind of duel, the stronger person defends.

It makes sense because attacking is usually much easier than defending.

“So, you’re saying… you think you’re stronger than me?”

That’s how it must have sounded to Lionel.

“I’m not that arrogant. If we fight fairly, I wouldn’t even come close to your level, Sir.”

“Then why do you want to switch the roles?”

“The first reason is that I’m more confident in my defense skills.”

“And?”

If this was the only reason, Lionel would never accept my suggestion. Saying I’m better at defense would make him lose face.

“And this is the biggest reason…”

To make Lionel accept my request, I needed to stir his pride.

“I’m not confident I can defeat you in an attack.”

“That means…”

Lionel’s eyes sparkled with interest.

“You think you can beat me in defense?”

Lionel’s face showed clear interest. He was genuinely intrigued by what I said.

“Yes.”

I confidently met Lionel’s expectant gaze.

“I’m sure of it.”

Lionel stared at me for about three seconds, then suddenly burst into loud laughter.

“Alright. I’ll accept your proposal to switch the roles.”

Lionel agreed to my request.

“Lord Lionel! What are you thinking? What if something goes wrong…?”

“Miss, look at Jian’s eyes. Who could say no to that?”

Princess Aris voiced her concerns, but she quickly fell silent after Lionel spoke.

“…If something goes wrong, the responsibility will fall on Lord Lionel.”

“Yes, of course.”

“Phew. From the moment we first met, you’ve been insisting you want to fight. It looks like you’ll finally get your wish.”

“Haha, it seems the heavens have sent me a gift for being so good.”

Lionel then left the waiting room with the words “See you later,” leaving me alone with Princess Aris.

“I’m sorry. It’s because of Lord Lionel…”

“Don’t worry about it. I’m actually grateful to him.”

“Grateful…?”

“Yes. With this duel, I won’t have to go through that boring 12-hour basic test. It’s something to be thankful for.”

“Being able to legally skip it… that does sound a bit enviable.”

Spending 12 hours on that test would be no easy task. Being able to skip it legally was truly something to be grateful for.

“Also, I was curious to see Lionel’s swordsmanship as a swordsman. It’s a win-win situation.”

That was a lie.

I never wanted to see Lionel’s swordsmanship. If I could avoid it, I would.

“…I see. So, you’re a swordsman after all.”

Aris sighed lightly and looked at me.

Her gaze seemed to be a mix of pity and pride.

“Since you’re so adamant, I won’t say anything more. Go ahead, have fun with your fellow swordsman.”

After saying that, the princess stood up, probably thinking it was time to leave, needing some time to focus elsewhere.

“Your Highness.”

But I couldn’t let her go just yet.

It was because of the “role switch” strategy that I had in mind.

I couldn’t just let her leave.

‘I tried to make it sound convincing, but it’s not working. I’ll just have to go for it, even if it’s a bit forced.’

There was no other choice. I had to make my move, even if it seemed a bit desperate.

“Your Highness, I have a request.”

“…A request?”

“I know it might sound strange, but…”

I reached out my hand.

“Please… take my hand.”

The blessing of someone beloved by all.

“Your… hand…?”

The princess’s eyes grew as wide as saucers.