Battle Race in the Fantasy World

Chapter 58 - Is This the Main Story...?



Battle Race in the Fantasy World – 58

EP.58 Is This the Main Story…?

The period for preparing the group project was nothing short of a “march of hardship” for Kyle.

It all started with him suddenly being appointed as the group leader.

“They said we need to choose a leader. So, I think I’ll do it.”

“Absolutely not!”

Tisha’s strong opposition made Ian tilt his head in confusion.

Her action conveyed the unspoken question of why she was against it from the start, to which Tisha responded.

“Do you know what it means to be a leader? It’s the person who represents the group!”

“…Are you saying I don’t have the qualifications to be a representative?”

“Conversely, do you think you have the qualifications to be a representative, Ian?”

It was obvious how our Ian would react to Tisha’s question.

Ian nodded vigorously with a confident demeanor.

This prompted Tisha to let out an exasperated sigh, and Elga to look at him in disbelief.

“Ian, it seems you lack the necessary qualifications.”

Even Leto, who usually gave uncertain answers, expressed a clear opinion this time.

“…Why is everyone against me?”

Ian muttered in a dejected voice, as if he were genuinely hurt.

Tisha crossed her arms and spoke as if the answer were obvious.

“Ian, tell us the opinions we’ve discussed so far.”

“The opinions we’ve discussed?”

“Yes. According to what’s written here, the leader also acts as the presenter. That means you need to gather and organize the group’s opinions and present them during the lecture.”

“…Tisha, you do magic. I do swordsmanship. Elga does diplomacy, and Tero… said he wasn’t sure.”

“Ian, it’s Leto, not Tero.”

Ian waved his hand nonchalantly at Leto’s correction.

It seemed like an apology, but even that appeared to annoy Tisha.

“See? You can’t even get the group members’ names right. How can you be the leader? And how can you summarize the opinions like that? We need to present, and you think we can call that a proper project?”

“But isn’t this the correct conclusion? I don’t think there’s anything wrong with it.”

“We need to explain it like this, ‘Because of this, for this reason, we come to this conclusion.’ We need that kind of explanation!”

Tisha’s outburst was met with a nod of agreement from Elga.

Even Leto clapped lightly, showing support for Tisha’s criticism.

Kyle, too, was about to applaud Tisha for handling Ian so decisively when…

“Kyle! You should be the group leader.”

“…What?”

“In my opinion, Kyle is the most suitable person to be the leader.”

For a moment, Kyle almost said, “Ian seems to want it, so let him do it!”

The group project was already stressful enough, and now they wanted him to take on the role of leader too?

No matter how cooperative the group members were, being the representative was always challenging.

Moreover, there was the added pressure of leading such a diverse group.

“Do I really have to be the leader, Tisha?”

“I support it.”

“…I support it too.”

Suddenly, Elga and Leto cast their votes in favor of Kyle being the leader.

With the majority in agreement, Kyle was swiftly appointed as the group leader.

‘Damn it. A group project and now the leader too? What kind of hell is this?’

He wanted to say he didn’t want to do it, that he absolutely wouldn’t do it.

But upon reconsideration, he realized Tisha had put some thought into her suggestion.

If Ian were to lead, it would be a disaster for everyone. That had to be avoided at all costs.

If Tisha took the role, she might be criticized for being a commoner who overstepped her bounds.

If Elga became the leader, people would say she used her noble status to take the position.

Lastly, Leto lacked the leadership skills necessary to be a leader.

“…Although I may be lacking, I will do my best, everyone.”

Thus, Kyle became the group leader and subsequently faced all sorts of hardships.

First, there was Ian, who constantly tried to catch Tisha’s attention, and Tisha, who tried to keep Ian at bay.

One wanted to be next to her, and the other wanted him to be away from her, giving Kyle a headache.

Of course, he had no intention of granting Ian’s request, but he had to pretend to consider it.

So, he let Ian sit next to Tisha once or twice and then deliberately sat between them.

By making it clear he was mediating their opinions, Ian couldn’t openly complain.

Besides that, various other issues made things very difficult for Kyle.

“I don’t think Sorcery is a good idea, Tisha.”

“Why do you think so, Elga?”

“This land already has enough with magic. There’s also the divine power bestowed by the gods. Introducing Sorcery, which is based on another form of belief? What if the church openly opposes it?”

“Sorcery is not about seeking gods like divine power. It’s about human desires…”

“It doesn’t seem much different to me. Moreover, compared to magic, Sorcery falls significantly short in many aspects.”

Elga wasn’t wrong. When comparing magic and Sorcery, magic was far superior.

Additionally, since Sorcery, like divine power, was based on ‘belief,’ it could clash with the church if it spread across the continent.

Thus, Tisha couldn’t offer a strong rebuttal and remained silent.

“I’m not trying to undermine you, Tisha. But in the context of our topic, which is the future enhancement of the Empire’s capabilities, we can’t ignore the negative aspects that Sorcery might bring.”

“…If you put it that way, I think relying solely on politics and diplomacy has its limits.”

“What do you mean?”

“Thirty years of peace have passed. I don’t think the Empire will remain silent forever. And even if the Empire stays quiet, external forces might not.”

“That’s why diplomacy is even more important…”

“I don’t believe diplomacy will work on those who are determined to fight.”

This time, Tisha’s counterattack hit the mark.

Elga bit her lip slightly, indicating she had been struck by Tisha’s argument.

“I still think diplomacy and politics are better than Sorcery.”

At this point, Leto, seemingly annoyed by Elga being pushed back, suddenly stepped in to support her.

Then, Ian sided with Tisha, arguing that Sorcery was better than diplomacy.

‘What are you all doing right now?’

Seeing the group suddenly split into a 2:2 team battle, Kyle held his head in frustration.

“Kyle! What do you think?!”

“Kyle, share your opinion too.”

Unaware of Kyle’s inner turmoil, the two women were focused solely on expressing their own views.

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***

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After a time of patience and suffering, the day of the final presentation finally arrived.

Tisha still seemed reluctant to let go of Sorcery, but she ultimately gave up.

The content wasn’t just for a discussion among the five of them but had to be presented in front of many students.

Discussing Sorcery, which hadn’t yet gained widespread acceptance, would be burdensome.

‘Especially since Tisha is in the group. She’s already considered odd for her dedication to Sorcery. If she says Sorcery will enhance the Empire’s capabilities in such a setting, the noble students might view her even more strangely.’

The time wasn’t right yet. There needed to be something to foster a positive perception of Sorcery.

Tisha understood this and eventually set aside her opinion.

“So, we’ll discuss the military aspects at the beginning and then move on to diplomacy and politics in the latter part. Does everyone agree?”

At a café outside the academy, during their final review session before the lecture.

At Kyle’s question, Tisha, Ian, Elga, and Leto all nodded.

“I’ll be doing the presentation, but it’s best if everyone is familiar with the content. Sometimes professors set traps to see if everyone participated in the group project.”

At this, Tisha and Elga simultaneously glanced at Ian.

They seemed to think he was the most likely to fall into such a trap.

Leto also seemed to share the same concern about Ian.

“Don’t worry. I’ve read it thoroughly.”

The person receiving all this concern, however, seemed completely carefree.

Where does that confidence come from? Is it some kind of passive trait that protagonists have?

But how can he be so confident when nothing ever goes right for him?

Kyle pondered these thoughts as he sipped his coffee.

“Let’s get going. It’s better to get to the lecture hall early and review everything once more,” Tisha suggested.

Elga nodded in agreement.

Despite their earlier clash over the Sorcery issue, they seemed to have grown closer.

Although it was a bit regrettable that Tisha, a commoner, was so dedicated to Sorcery, Elga secretly admired Tisha’s intelligence.

By treating her well, Elga had managed to improve Tisha’s opinion of her.

“Everyone go ahead. I’ll finish my coffee and handle the bill,” Kyle said.

Ian was the first to stand up.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to pay; he just acted immediately when told to go ahead.

“Sorry, Kyle.”

As Kyle was paying, he heard Tisha’s small voice from behind.

When he turned his head at the unexpected apology, Tisha sighed.

“I feel like we’ve pushed too much onto you. I wanted to help more.”

“No, I’m just doing the presentation. You and Elga handled the coordination. I think it was a perfect distribution. Don’t you?”

“That’s true, but…”

“Even Ian did his part. I’m grateful everyone worked so hard.”

Despite his usual demeanor, Ian had diligently gathered materials on the Empire’s diplomacy and politics from the library when asked.

Technically, Leto had helped him, but it wasn’t like he was freeloading.

“…It seems a bit noisy around here.”

As they stepped out of the café, Ian, who had gone out first, made a casual remark.

The others dismissed it as a passing comment, except for Kyle, who also sensed something strange.

“…?”

He wondered why things suddenly felt off, but his actions were faster than his thoughts.

“Ah?!”

Grabbing Tisha’s hand, he pulled her aside just in time.

– Boom!!! –

A carriage, or what used to be one, crashed down from the sky, landing right where they had been standing.


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