I Became the Emergency Food Supply of the Bear Family - Chapter 75

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Chapter 75

“S-stop looking already!”
“This research really suits Ber perfectly.”
“Right? My sister’s the best!”
Ber snatched the booklet from Louie’s hands with an irritable gesture and turned away.
“I should probably get going and start preparing for the tournament, Ber.”
Ber, whose face had flushed crimson, finally turned to look at Louie. He stood with his chest thrust out, his expression fearless.
“Keep a close eye on your older brother. We might just see the first second-year champion in this Swordsmanship tournament!”
It was true. The Swordsmanship tournament would be starting soon.

***

Imperial Academy Swordsmanship Department Grounds.
Academy students, their parents, and dignitaries invited for the Harvest Festival had begun to gather ahead of the Swordsmanship tournament.
The entire Swordsmanship Department had conducted preliminary rounds in advance, and only those who advanced to the main tournament could step onto the Tournament Arena on the day of the competition.
All students of the Imperial Academy were the empire’s future leaders. The Swordsmanship tournament—where only the children of renowned noble families, and among them the most promising students, were selected.
I never imagined I could stand on such a stage. And yet, I’ve already succeeded in advancing to the main tournament for the third time. It was glorious, a day that couldn’t be adequately expressed with mere words of amazement.
After carefully honing the blade one more time, Kaien returned his sword to its sheath. The moment he buckled the sword at his waist and finished his preparations, he felt a gaze from beside him.
It was Raul.
Though they hadn’t met in the preliminary round, Raul had also advanced to the main tournament.
Raul, too, had finished polishing his blade and returned it to the sword sheath at his waist. All the while staring at Kaien with a piercing gaze.
“So this is finally the last tournament.”
Raul approached Kaien and slowly curled his lips into a smile.
“Let’s see how well you do.”
“…….”
“Father will be watching you today, too.”
At Raul’s remark, Kaien’s eyes widened, and he glanced toward the Spectator Seats.
He soon found the familiar face without difficulty.
It was Father.
Kaien was greatly startled by the presence of someone he hadn’t expected. It was because Father had never once attended a Swordsmanship tournament before.
After confirming the Spectator Seats, Kaien turned his head back, but Raul was already gone.
He had simply walked toward the waiting area with his back to Kaien, casually waving his hand.

The Swordsmanship tournament had begun.
The tournament, proceeding in a Tournament Format, had already reached the Semi-Final stage well past midday.
Those who advanced to the second Semi-Final were Kaien Noel and Raul Noel.
Raul.
Even before he was adopted into the Noel Family, there had been a gap in ability between them as vast as heaven and earth—they couldn’t even be said to compete against each other. The difference in sheer physical strength itself was simply too great.
But since his lung disease was completely cured, Raul had never once beaten Kaien.
This was a fact known to both the Swordsmanship Department students and the faculty. Therefore, no one was particularly focused on this match—save for Marquis Noel and his wife, who watched from the Spectator Seats.
Creak. The hand gripping the sword hilt naturally tightened.
Why was Father there? Had he come to the Capital on business? Or was there some other meaning to it?
‘If that’s the case, then I…….’
The moment Kaien steeled his resolve, a whistle sounded. At that instant, Raul charged forward with a shout.
Clang, clang, clang!
The moment the match began, Raul swung his sword frantically. To the terrifying sound of wind being cut, Kaien also moved his blade to deflect Raul’s attacks.
But the moment Kaien blocked Raul’s assault with the sword’s edge, his expression contorted strangely.
‘……It’s light.’
Raul’s sword was oddly light. While Raul continued his attacks at tremendous speed with desperate shouts, the spectators seemed surprised, but in truth, there was little force behind it—the blades merely slid against each other lightly.
Frowning, Kaien defended with minimal movements while observing the situation. Meanwhile, Raul continued with what appeared to be a relentless assault.
It was only when Marinella, Raul’s mother, who sat in the Spectator Seats, lowered the fan covering her mouth and revealed her smiling face.
Clang!
With a sharp sound, Raul’s sword flew through the air. In a single brief attack, Kaien had disarmed him. Kaien, in an almost habitual motion, leveled his blade at Raul’s throat.
At that moment, Marinella rose from the Spectator Seats with a deathly pale face. Only after witnessing this did Raul lower his head and breathe heavily. As though accepting that the match was decided.
Even the referee, thinking the contest was over, began to raise the whistle. But Kaien raised his free hand to stop the referee.
“……What are you doing? The match is already,”
“Don’t play around.”
Startled by the anger in Kaien’s voice, Raul lifted his head. In Kaien’s eyes looking down at him was something akin to disillusionment.
Kaien stared at Raul, who had gone rigid under that gaze, then turned and walked away. He went to where Raul’s sword had fallen and, using the flat of his own blade, pushed the weapon back toward Raul.
“Take it.”
“What?”
“Give me your best. Enough that I can accept it.”
“…….”
“I won’t accept a victory like this.”
Raul, who had been alternately staring at the sword rolling across the floor and at Kaien with a vacant expression, suddenly let out a laugh.
“Let me end this last one properly, you insufferable, self-righteous bastard.”
Only after Raul spoke did Kaien, belatedly sensing something odd, try to ask what he meant—when suddenly a body came flying at him.
“Do it properly.”
“……You’re fairly fast.”
Kaien deflected Raul’s blade with a clang, stepping back sharply as it appeared before his eyes in an instant.
Before Kaien could even counterattack, another sword strike came flying. It was too late to evade. Kaien instinctively lashed out with his leg, kicking the blade away. Despite the danger, Kaien remained calm.
“Monster.”
Even as he smiled bitterly, Raul didn’t pause.
The blades clashing together now were entirely different from before. Each strike was heavy, full of concentrated strength from his entire body.
Yes. This was what Raul was. Because he possessed such skill, Kaien had thought him unreachable. He had thought he could never win.
So Kaien had strived. He wanted to turn Father’s attention toward himself somehow, to make that resentful man eventually sincerely apologize to Mother, who had passed away.
Raul had mocked himself as he became alone in the family, laughed at Mother’s death, and continued to trample on the past version of himself who couldn’t even properly resist.
That he would now try to end this match carelessly was unforgivable.
He wanted that man to remain the greedy, despicable creature who had done whatever it took to defeat him.
So Kaien wouldn’t end up pitying him.
“Hah……!”
Finding an opening, Kaien drove his blade downward. Raul gasped, barely managing to block Kaien’s attack.
The blades clashed with a terrible sound, and cracks began to form in Raul’s blade.
Raul had no chance to withdraw his sword. With a sharp sound, the blade split in two and fell to the ground.
A whistle sounded. Simultaneously, a tremendous roar erupted from the Spectator Seats.
Kaien had won.
With a clang, Raul weakly dropped the broken blade and collapsed onto the Tournament Arena.
“Ah…….”
Supporting himself on his hands, Raul leaned back and gazed up at the sky. He stared at the blazing sun beating down and laughed. As though utterly refreshed.
“So? Is this enough for you to accept it?”
Watching sweat drip from Raul’s chin onto the ground, Kaien silently nodded.
“Ha, troublesome bastard. But I guess since that’s the end of it, it doesn’t much matter.”
“The end? What are you talking about since before?”
When Kaien asked, furrowing his brow, Raul laughed once more and answered.
“I’m planning to submit my withdrawal tomorrow. After that, Mother and I will no longer be ‘Noel.'”

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————