My Past Life is Riddled With Many Sins - Chapter 70

“That’s her. The top entrant who also got second place in yesterday’s swordsmanship tournament…”

“She defeated Delon, right? Doesn’t that make her effectively the strongest freshman?”

“But what exactly happened in the finals? She started swinging her sword out of nowhere before she forfeited.”

The murmurs around Regina made her uneasy. Not even the winner, and yet this attention—what’s the deal with it?

She had thought being second place would be safer since only first place usually gets remembered, but it seemed she had misjudged. People were unexpectedly interested in the runner-up too.

Why are people so keen? The former Empress, used to being ignored if not victorious, couldn’t help feeling disconcerted by the lenient standards of public interest.

“Junior?”

Caught off guard by the sudden voice, Regina looked up to see a familiar body. Muscles that seemed ready to burst out of its student uniform at any moment.

It was the president of the muscle club. She should have run away as soon as she spotted him from a distance, but lost in thought, she had missed the chance to escape.

Regina tensed up. She knew that among the students, especially this person from the muscle club, she couldn’t win without tapping into her mana. Purely physical power wasn’t enough to compete.

“I saw your performance at the swordsmanship tournament yesterday. It was quite impressive.”

Unexpectedly, the president approached her with a friendly demeanor. The terrifying intensity he had when he chased her previously for insulting his muscles was nowhere to be seen.

“Oh, thank you.”

So he was interested in swordsmanship as well as being a muscle fanatic? She couldn’t think of any other reason he’d show such favor. Well, broadly speaking, both were forms of physical training…

“Every swing of your sword, the way your deltoids and rotator cuffs moved! Supraspinatus, infraspinatus, subscapularis, teres minor—all impeccable! It’s unimaginable how muscles, even the scanty ones, can be so beautiful depending on how they’re used. I couldn’t stop my tears even though crying causes muscle loss. I couldn’t help myself. Thanks to you, my narrow-minded views have broadened. The beauty of muscles isn’t confined to strength training.”

The president placed his hand lightly on Regina’s shoulder. It wasn’t meant to be aggressive, yet Regina nearly lost her balance just from the contact.

“Oh no, this isn’t the time to be relaxing. I have to compensate for all the muscle loss caused by yesterday’s tears, so I’m off to work out. Feel free to visit anytime. Our club’s doors are always open to you, junior!”

With a hearty laugh, the president moved out of sight. Watching his figure disappear like a breeze, Regina fidgeted with the nape of her neck. She didn’t quite understand everything he said, but the mood suggested that she might not need to flee upon seeing him around campus in the future.

The swordsmanship tournament’s award ceremony took place in the amphitheater. The top three students from each year level stepped onto the podium, including Regina, who had secured second place for the freshmen division.

“Why bother calling us up if only the winner gets the real prizes?”

It felt pointless and exposing, a worst-case scenario in her view. Just as she was grumbling to herself,

“The winner will receive a prize of five minas and a commemorative coin of Great Empress Yekarna.”

Dean Bliss, Skyler’s reincarnation, announced, sparking grumbles around.

“Ah, that’s a dud.”

“Wish it wasn’t Yekarna.”

“Even the Great Emperor Henexis’scoin would have been better, why did it have to be the most common one from Great Empress Yekarna?”

Listening to the winners’ complaints, Regina lifted her ear, thinking to herself, ‘Sorry for being such a dud, you jerks.’

Was becoming an emperor supposed to be easy? Did they think commemorative coins just popped out?

Had Regina won the swordsmanship tournament herself, she would likely be muttering the same complaints. Among the coins of the four great emperors, Yekarna’s were relatively more common and thus less valued, whereas a coin from the first emperor would fetch a high price. It was natural to feel disappointed.

Noticing Bliss smirking at her, Regina realized he must have deliberately chosen the Yekarna coin as the prize, playing yet another of his tricks. She turned her gaze away from him and back to the podium, only to see a familiar face announced next.

“Second-year division winner, Fathom Leroy.”

Rupert from the Gilagon Peninsula, who had once impersonated Prince Iskanda and nearly met his demise at her hands, had won. He was the same one she had used as a dartboard in her previous life.

Hearing his surname, Leroy, it seemed he was born from that region again this time. From her memory, the Leroy surname was associated with a country in the plains near the Gilagon Peninsula. If the Leroy family had emigrated or sought asylum in the empire over the past 200 years, the story might have been different.

As the tedious award ceremony neared its conclusion, Regina felt a sense of relaxation knowing her freedom was imminent.

“Normally, only the winners of the swordsmanship tournament are invited to the imperial banquet, but this time, the Crown Prince has graciously allowed the runners-up to attend as well. So, let’s prepare and show our gratitude for the generosity bestowed by His Highness.”

The sudden announcement made Regina feel like she was choking on nothing.

It was evident from the lack of prizes for the runners-up and third place that the swordsmanship tournament was designed solely for the winner. Yet, unexpectedly, the runners-up were also invited to the imperial banquet. If she had known, she would have never aimed for second place.

The imperial banquet was a crucial opportunity for those wanting to make their mark among the power brokers, but for someone like Regina, who preferred to live quietly, it was an event to avoid at all costs.

Stepping into it would significantly increase the likelihood of entangling with someone from her past life. It might be more exposed than dancing naked in a public square.

‘I’ll just pretend to be sick that day.’

Surely they wouldn’t punish someone for being ill and missing the banquet. She hoped her descendants weren’t that ruthless.