Chapter 27
The magic classes were generally held in lecture rooms in the main building of the Magic Hall.
But today’s Magic Exchange Tournament seemed to be held in Elterion Hall, the largest of the academy’s three multipurpose buildings.
I had no way of knowing the venue had changed when I didn’t even know what the Magic Exchange Tournament was.
If I had tried to find the lecture room on my own, I definitely would have gotten lost, but luckily I had maids to help with attendance. Thanks to them, I got there on time.
...Right. Once again, I’d tried to sneak in some extra sleep and lost to the combat maids.
My win rate against the maids these days is pitiful.
On top of their gear and sheer numbers, they always pick the exact time when I’m weakest and come busting through the door, so there’s nothing I can do.
I need to come up with some countermeasure, or I’ll end up becoming diligent at this rate.
Speaking of which, the practice arena inside Elterion Hall is huge. Ridiculously huge.
As expected of the Imperial Academy, which the empire keeps tightly run, the facilities are spotless.
In the center stood a broad, square platform where the students would duel.
Around it, circular spectator seating rose in tiers all around.
It felt like stepping into an arena, or maybe the Colosseum.
The stands were already packed with people.
It wasn’t just students from the Magic Department and the Magitech Department, or people connected to them.
Right in front of me was a student with a gleaming sword displayed beside them, and several others who didn’t seem to have any mana at all.
Students from other departments had skipped class and sneaked in to watch.
I’m jealous. Ah, I’m jealous.
I want to skip class too and go somewhere else to have fun.
Everything is just annoying.
Being dragged out early in the morning and made to sit here is annoying too.
The fact that the surroundings are unnecessarily loud is also annoying.
More than anything, my turn is apparently dead last, and the reality that I have to come out early and keep my seat is infuriating.
I huddled on the stone steps, hugged my knees, then slowly toppled over onto my side.
A cold chill rose up from the flat stone.
The hard, uncomfortable feel wasn’t all that pleasant, but once I actually lay down, it wasn’t entirely bad either.
“This is... a stone bed?”
As the unpleasant chill began to feel pleasantly cool, my eyes slipped shut before I knew it.
The voices of the people chattering nonstop seemed to grow farther and farther away.
“...Grrr, krrk!”
My consciousness drifted farther and farther away.
*
The Magic Exchange Tournament was not just a practical magic class.
It was one of Elterion Academy’s official events, one of the first since the entrance ceremony to allow outsiders limited access during the week.
It was, in a sense, a showcase meant to attract donations and sponsorship money.
Since it was a chance to present the talents of Elterion Academy’s pride and joy, the Magic Department students, to the outside world, it was only natural that so much attention would be focused on it.
This year’s Magic Exchange Tournament drew more people than usual.
In particular, the Mage Tower, the highest authority in mage society, had also sent representatives.
“I hear this year’s freshmen are pretty good.”
“That Raymond guy really should’ve made more of a fuss, honestly.”
“By the way, is the rumor true? I heard there’s a high-ranking mage among the freshmen.”
“Apparently it is. But it seems they’re in the Magitech Department, not the Magic Department.”
“Well, as long as they’re not those sword-obsessed bastards in the Swordsmanship Department, I don’t care.”
“...If there were a high-ranking mage in the Swordsmanship Department, that would be disastrous in its own way, though.”
As the stands buzzed with conversation, a somewhat one-sided battle unfolded on the platform.
It was only natural for a second-year from the Magic Department to overwhelm a first-year from the Magitech Department.
Calling it guidance was generous; this was really just an attempt to put the Magitech freshmen in their place.
But it was a little unexpected for a second-year from the Magitech Department to get crushed one-sidedly by a first-year from the Magic Department.
“They lost again?”
“Pretty impressive, those magic elites.”
“Still, shouldn’t one or two of them be able to win...?”
Of course, it was true that the Magic Department was above the Magitech Department in overall level, but a year’s difference couldn’t be ignored.
This year, the Magitech Department was especially unable to put up a fight.
Since every match so far had ended in a win for a Magic Department student, that said it all.
“How boring. I don’t know why I have to watch these brats’ little performance.”
One mage from the Mage Tower watching from the VIP seats clicked his tongue quietly and grumbled.
“Aside from confirming Her Highness the Third Princess’s magical accomplishments, this has been a completely meaningless waste of time.”
There was a subtle note of disappointment in his voice.
“What can we do if the Magitech Department students are just generally weak? Our Magic Department kids are collapsing before they can even show their real skills.”
“Still, I don’t think they’re worth all this fuss about some ‘golden generation’ or whatever.”
“Ah, just wait a little. The real deal hasn’t even shown up yet.”
Raymond, the department head, spoke with a strange certainty.
While the Mage Tower mages frowned with doubtful expressions, the professor in charge of the magic curriculum practicals let his voice ring out.
“Next are Estelle Myers of the Magitech Department, second year, and Edwin Belka of the Magic Department, first year. Come up onto the platform.”
No sooner had Estelle’s name been called than the Magitech students, who had been quiet as mice until then, burst into cheers all at once.
“That student must be the Magitech Department’s hope.”
“But the opponent is bad. Of all people, it had to be that little Belka brat.”
“Top student versus top student... this magic duel might actually be worth watching.”
Estelle was the hope of the Magitech Department.
She was the “star of the Magitech Department,” a student in whom not only her classmates but also her seniors, assistants, and even professors placed their firm trust.
As soon as Estelle stepped onto the center of the platform, the cheers reached their peak.
“Estelle, hang in there! You have to win!”
“You’re all we’ve got, idiot!”
“Show them the strength of the Magitech Department!”
Estelle smiled brightly and waved both arms enthusiastically. Getting the crowd to cheer along was just a bonus.
On the opposite side stood Edwin, the top first-year from the Magic Department.
He was the scion of a mage noble family, the Belka count family, and had been praised as a genius since childhood.
Even at his young age, the presence he gave off was already stronger than Estelle’s.
His jet-black hair was slicked straight back, and his eyes were cold.
“If only I could’ve fought that Lunaris kid instead.”
His gaze wasn’t on Estelle, but beyond her, toward the stands.
The little ash-gray-haired girl was somehow sleeping soundly, snoring away, despite all the noise around her.
The ash-haired witch who had dealt him his first humiliation was the one Edwin wanted to crush.
Not the Magitech Department star standing right in front of him.
At the professor’s signal, Edwin moved first and swung his arm.
A wave of pitch-black mud swept over the platform.
Estelle cast a defensive spell as if she’d been waiting for it.
A transparent barrier forcefully pushed the mud back.
Edwin’s eyebrow twitched.
He had expected it not to end with just this, but being blocked this easily was unexpected.
For a moment he was flustered, but Edwin immediately followed up with the next spell.
Intermediate earth magic, Earth Spear.
He was, after all, a proper intermediate mage who had long since gone beyond the academy’s basic curriculum.
A pitch-black spear shot forward at high speed.
Estelle swallowed dryly and once again calmly recited the incantation for a defensive spell.
-Thunk, thunk!
Each time the spear forged from earth struck the translucent barrier, Estelle’s body was pushed farther back.
Even so, she somehow blocked it and held on.
The one-sided momentum continued after that as well.
Edwin’s spells kept coming without pause, while Estelle used the broad battlefield to full advantage, darting around and casting defensive magic.
Edwin’s face twisted little by little.
Of course, he was thoroughly in control of the offense. He was attacking nonstop.
Even so, not a single attack was landing as a decisive hit, so his head was starting to heat up.
“Are you just going to keep running and blocking, senior?”
He was starting to get irritated.
A magic duel was supposed to have dignity.
With refined mana and restrained will, each side should clash with the best magic they had prepared.
They were supposed to seek each other’s achievements and gain new insight from it—
Running around in every direction just to win somehow went against the dignity of a noble mage, didn’t it?
“Well, if I keep holding out, a chance might come, right?”
Estelle let out a rough breath and gave a weak smile.
“Even if it’s ugly and unseemly, I have to win somehow.”
“I’ve got a lot riding on it.”
It sounded like a joke, but Estelle’s eyes were still shining sharply.
Enduring was a strategy too, if you wanted to call it one.
One moment.
Estelle was aiming for just a single moment of opportunity.
Edwin snorted and raised his hand high.
Several chunks of stone rose behind his back.
Suspended in the air, they started spinning round and round.
Estelle’s eyes flashed.
Her fingertips drew a scarlet magic circle.
Estelle moved first.
Flames burst from both of her hands and shot toward Edwin.
Edwin, as if he’d been waiting for it, launched the stone chunks floating behind him.
With a sound like air being torn apart, the fragments pierced through the flames and flew onward.
They exploded right in front of Estelle’s eyes.
-KWAANG!!
With a huge boom, flames and dirt spread in all directions.
Shards and smoke blocked the view.
As the smoke cleared, the scene on the platform gradually came back into view.
Edwin was standing there with one leg cocked, while Estelle, kneeling, coughed over and over in front of him.
“So much for being the star of the Magitech Department. Not much after all.”
Edwin snorted, straightened his collar, and turned away.
His attitude made it clear that he had no more interest in the fallen Estelle.
Watching his back, Estelle bit her lip and let out a tired sigh.
Then she gave an embarrassed little laugh.
“Ahaha... I guess it still isn’t enough.”
Estelle slowly got to her feet and stepped down from the platform with unsteady steps.
The Magitech students applauded her with pained expressions.
Saying it was a shame, but that she’d done well anyway.
“As expected of a child from the mage noble house, the Belka count family.”
“That student named Estelle isn’t half bad either. She’s too good to be in the Magitech Department.”
Even the mages sent from the Mage Tower seemed fairly satisfied with this match.
“Well, both of them are decent for lower-year students, but nothing that surprising.”
“For all the fuss Raymond made, this is... tsk tsk!”
Of course, the prevailing opinion was still that it wasn’t worth coming all the way out from the Mage Tower to see it in person.
“N-next! The next one is the real deal!”
No sooner had Raymond finished speaking than the professor called the names of the two students.
“This is the last one. Kaizel Arberia of the Magic Department, second year, and Lunaris Evermoon of the Magitech Department, first year. Come up onto the platform.”
At the word “last,” everyone’s attention in the arena turned there.
Kaizel, the top second-year from the Magic Department, climbed onto the platform first.
And on the opposite side—
“...Lunaris? Student Lunaris Evermoon. Where are you?”
No one came up.
Murmurs rose from all over the stands.
Questions about where she’d gone, whether this was going to be another no-show like at the entrance ceremony.
As the whispers grew louder, the professor gave an embarrassed ahem and cleared his throat.
He had definitely said that skipping practicals was allowed.
But since the Magic Exchange Tournament was held alongside the theory class, he had assumed she would naturally show up.
She skipped this too?!
“Lunaris Evermoon!”
Raising his voice and calling her name again, a pitiful little shriek rang out from somewhere in the stands.
At the very back of the stands, in a shadowy seat that was hard to notice, a girl with messy ash-gray hair blinked blankly as if she had just woken up.
She looked around with half-closed eyes, let out a huge yawn, and then—
Stretching out her arms and legs, she gave a groan and a big stretch.
“Ugh... I don’t feel like I even slept.”
Sleeping curled up on the stone floor had left her body stiff and sore.
She slowly rolled her neck once and twisted her shoulders, loosening up her stiff body.
“Nngh... yerk! Ow, every bone in my body...”
Lunaris clenched her fists and tapped her back a few times, then looked around.
Only then did she realize that the gazes of countless people were all fixed on her.
Feeling awkward, she scratched her cheek a little and muttered,
“Ah, is it my turn...”
Her voice still sounded half asleep.
Lunaris stood up and bounced in place to loosen her body.
Then she immediately hurled herself toward the platform.
“Kyaa!”
“W-watch out!”
“If she jumps from that height...!”
Before the crowd’s shocked cries had even died away, Lunaris’s falling body gradually slowed. It was the power of telekinesis.
The moment she landed, her balance wobbled a little, so she flailed her arms and barely steadied herself.
“Ugh... I should finish this quickly and go back to sleep.”
As Lunaris grumbled with a face full of complaints, Kaizel’s expression hardened.
He was annoyed at being thoroughly ignored.
“Fine, I’ll end this quickly, just as you want.”
Anger colored his low voice.
Kaizel glared at Lunaris and added,
“I’m going all out from the start. I won’t go easy on you.”
Amid the strange tension, Raymond, the head of the Magic Department, suddenly raised his voice.
“Student Lunaris! You know, right? That thing we talked about last week!”
Lunaris shrugged and muttered softly.
“I was planning to do that anyway.”
No sooner had the professor given the signal to begin than—
Space warped in an instant around Lunaris’s right arm.
Natural mana seemed to coil around her tiny palm.
“Magic Missile.”
Then a streak of light shot toward Kaizel so fast it was almost impossible to see.
...It hit him in a very bad spot.
“Guh?!”
With a single cry, Kaizel foamed at the mouth and sprawled face-first on the platform.
He didn’t even have time to cast a defensive spell.
It all happened in the blink of an eye.
It was, quite literally, over in the blink of an eye.