After school.Union’s Great Hall, where the opening match of the Competition Battle season was scheduled.It couldn’t compare to Ishtal’s grand stadium, but it was still a massive space that could hold around ten thousand people.A wide wooden floor and the seating that surrounded it. Fancy lights and an electronic display board hanging from the ceiling.Roughly speaking, you could say it looked like an NBA arena.I’d heard that a big hole had been punched in the ceiling during my inauguration, but it seemed the repairs were finished; it looked fine now.Thirty minutes before the opening match.The Great Hall was already packed with students who’d come to watch.In the time it took for them to bring food and drinks to enjoy while watching the Competition Battle, this kind of crowd had gathered.I just hoped the popcorn and soda in my hands wouldn’t spill.In the midst of that—“Hey, stop shoving! Somebody help me!”Trishy, being small and short, was being pushed around helplessly by the crowd.Her cone hat was the only thing poking up between the students, which was pretty funny.The reason I suddenly ended up joining up with Trishy was that when I went to the Alchemy Club to get some soda, she said she wanted to watch the match together.I readily agreed, and we ended up moving together. It’s better to watch with someone than alone.I watched Trishy being swept away by the crowd and deployed Aegis.Uwoong-.The translucent armor surrounding me pushed the packed crowd around us back a bit and created some space.Only then did Trishy manage to come to my side and barely catch her breath.“Ugh, you could’ve done that from the start. You did it on purpose, didn’t you?”Letting her words go in one ear and out the other, I swept my gaze over the stands.“No seats.”The good spots had long ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) been taken, and at this point only back-row seats where you couldn’t see the center of the hall very well were left.Looking at the packed stands, Trishy asked,“You’re the Student Council President and all, but you don’t have some special seat reserved for you?”“Who would reserve a seat for me?”“Ah.”Trishy let out a sigh like she’d realized something. But she didn’t give up.“Then show them the power of authority. Or the power of money at least. If you slip someone a little cash, won’t they give up their seat?”It’s not even scalping—she was talking about outright buying someone’s seat.“I don’t care to add to my misdeeds.”I didn’t want rumors going around that I’d bought a seat or used authority to take someone’s spot.Let’s just behave and watch from the back.Just as I was wandering around with Trishy looking for empty seats—“Over here~, Loen~”In a space slightly separated from the rest of the seats in the hall.In the sort of place that would be the player and coach area if this were a stadium, Elena was waving her hand.You could call it a VIP section where you could watch this Competition Battle from the closest distance.To think I’d end up sitting next to Elena again. Thanks to Star of Tubal-cain, I didn’t have to worry about the ring’s durability anymore, but I still wasn’t thrilled.I couldn’t shake the feeling that her continued attempts to get close to me had some other intention behind them.While I was debating whether to go or not, Trishy pushed me in the back.“What are you doing, not going when someone’s calling you to good seats? Let’s go already. And while we’re at it, tell her to let me sit in the back row with you guys too.”“……Fine.”Since seats had opened up anyway, I might as well go sit.When we came closer and took a look, Freya and Kiriel were already seated in the VIP section.I sat in the very front row, and Trishy slid in and managed to sit in an empty seat in the row behind.She looked very pleased to have gotten good seats thanks to me.As soon as I sat down beside her, Elena showed interest in the popcorn I was holding.“You bought popcorn? You don’t mind sharing, right?”“I don’t mind, but it’s caramel popcorn. If you’re on a diet, that is.”“……”For a moment, I felt killing intent in Elena’s eyes and immediately corrected myself.I guess the fact that she was dieting was supposed to be a secret.“……Never mind. There’s plenty, so let’s share.”Eating a whole tub of popcorn alone would just make me feel bloated anyway. When I held out the popcorn, Elena smiled brightly.“Thank you.”Instead of reaching into the tub and grabbing popcorn with her hand, Elena turned her eyes toward her attendants nearby.Then the attendants who had been waiting nearby brought over a bowl from who knows where.“Here, pour it in, please.”“……”Without a word, I tilted the tub and poured popcorn into her bowl.If they could go to the trouble of fetching a bowl, why did she have to take mine?It made me want to complain that she could have just told them to buy a tub of popcorn, but I swallowed that, reading the mood.As if she’d read my thoughts, Elena spoke first.“It tastes better when you share, you know.”‘More precisely, it tastes better when you take someone else’s.’I shrugged and took a notebook out of my inner pocket, showing it to Elena.“This is the information you requested about the Northern Three-Headed Wolf. Take it.”“Already?”“It was information I already knew. But I still made sure to cross-check it just in case. I can’t give you inaccurate information.”“Thank you. If there’s anything you want as payment, send a letter to Saintea’s Student Council room. I’ll get it for you right away.”“Alright.”While I was chatting with Elena for a bit, Beatrice soon approached and took her seat as well.“It’s been a while.”“You’re here too, Beatrice.”The two exchanged the customary greetings and asked how each other had been.In the middle of that, Elena was the first to bring up predictions about today’s match.“Beatrice, between our Senior Leonhardt and your Senior Gawain, who do you think will win?”Saintea’s Leonhardt and Eredor’s Gawain. Those two had been maintaining a long-standing rivalry for the top spot in their year.Union Daily had even run a prediction poll on the match, and public interest was hot.After all, there’s no gossip as fun as predicting who would win in a fight.To Elena’s question, Beatrice replied without much hesitation.“I’m not particularly interested in the outcome itself, but since the arm bends inward, as they say, I’ll bet on Senior Gawain.”“Hm. What about you, Loen?”I also answered readily.“I don’t think there’s any clear difference in their skills.”“Aww, that’s no fun. Just pick one side.”“Hm.”I stroked my chin, thinking.Gawain and Leonhardt’s skills really weren’t far apart, so it was fair to say the outcome depended on their condition that day.Even so, if I had to pick right now—“Gawain, I’d say.”For a moment, Beatrice gave a faint smile, and Elena narrowed her eyes slightly, as if a bit displeased.“What’s your reason?”“Their skills are evenly matched. The odds are high that the match won’t be decided easily. And with equal skill, the defender has an overwhelming advantage.”It was similar to how I’d dodged Tepes’s attacks, wearing him down and draining his stamina.If you considered the difference in stamina consumption between attacking and defending, the defender was usually at an advantage.“In that case, doesn’t that mean our Senior Leonhardt is more favored?”“Generally, yes.”I nodded.What’s more, considering Gawain’s trait [Return to Origin], it wasn’t yet the time for his talent to fully bloom.In terms of raw power, Leonhardt’s side was more dominant. However—‘Right around now is when Gawain should have just reached enlightenment.’Over winter break, right before advancing to 3rd year, Gawain was given a [Growth Quest].If he’d cleared that quest through his closed-door training, he would have gained new insight and stepped into a different, higher realm.That’s why, in today’s match, the odds of him winning were just a little higher.Even characters with similar stats inevitably showed slight performance differences depending on when they changed class or when their skills were upgraded.“If it’s Gawain, he probably honed some new technique during his closed-door training. I’m betting on that possibility.”“Well, Senior Gawain does come back from every closed-door training with some new and wondrous combat art. That’s a solid analysis, Loen.”Beatrice nodded with a satisfied smile.She’d said she wasn’t very interested in the outcome, but she clearly seemed pleased that I’d taken Eredor’s side.Elena, her competitive spirit sparked, suggested a bet.“Then why don’t we make a light bet on today’s result?”“You really are fond of bets. Fine, let’s say a light bet—loser buys dinner.”“Sounds good. You in too, Beatrice?”“I don’t see why not.”When Beatrice also readily agreed, Elena extended the bet to the two who’d been quietly listening from over there.“You too, Miss Kiriel and Miss Freya. Let’s all get dinner together. We have to have a meeting about the summer training camp at some point anyway.”“Sh-should we?”“Understood.”Kiriel scratched her head, looking sheepish at having been caught eavesdropping with her ears perked up, and Freya calmly nodded, agreeing to the bet without much reaction.As we chatted for a bit, a grandfatherly man with a warm impression walked out to the center of the hall and took the microphone.Tuk tuk-.“Fufu, hello, everyone. I am your Director, Hengarde Yubellon.”As his voice echoed through the loudspeakers, the arena instantly fell quiet.The Director continued.“I’m truly delighted that so many outstanding students are enrolled in Union during my term as Director. You could indeed call this a golden generation. Today’s opening match of the Competition Battle—Gawain and Leonhardt. The match between Leonhardt and Gawain. Please enjoy it to the fullest.”“Waaaah!”He wasn’t the most reliable Director, but even so, the students answered with cheers.It might be that they were looking forward to the upcoming opening match, or maybe just that his speech ended quickly.Once the Director finished his speech and withdrew, majestic music began to play and the Disciplinary Committee members of Eredor and Saintea came out one after another from the passage next to the VIP section.Their imposing appearance made it feel like a national team was marching into the stadium.And behind them, two male students appeared.A handsome boy with deep blue-black eyes and hair, Gawain Ardion.A tall boy with platinum blond hair, Leonhardt Michael.Gawain wore light plate armor over a tunic and carried a single longsword.Leonhardt was armed in pure white armor, with a greatsword and a huge shield that covered half his body.The two stood in the center of the arena, each raising one hand and reciting their oath.In the quiet, their oath, promising a fair and honorable match, echoed through the hall.Once they finished the oath, they bowed to each other and each held out their student ID cards to make contact.Zwoong-.At the same time, a transparent mana barrier spread, enclosing the arena.Its role was to protect the stands so that sword strikes or magic wouldn’t injure the audience during the fight.Once all preparations were complete, the announcer spoke.“The opening match will also proceed under the basic Competition Battle rules. The match ends when one side is rendered unable to fight, surrenders, or time runs out. Then, let us begin!”“Waaaah!”In the midst of fervent cheers, the first official match of this semester’s Competition Battle began.“……”Even as the cheers shook the Great Hall, the two of them faced off in silence, glaring at each other as if they were in a dimension apart.Cheok-.Leonhardt took a stance with his shield raised in one hand in front of him, and his other hand supporting the large greatsword slung over his back.It was a stable posture that would let him block the opponent’s attack with his shield at any time and immediately counterattack with his greatsword.You could feel that much even from a step back; if you were actually facing him, you wouldn’t be able to find a single opening.Then—Pat-.Gawain, who had been quietly biding his time, kicked off the ground first and charged.A dark-colored sword strike shone from his waist.Shweeeak-.It cut through space and fired toward Leonhardt’s shield, striking it dead-on.Jjeoong-!Sparks sprayed in the air.Leonhardt immediately pushed forward with his shield to break Gawain’s stance, then swung the greatsword he’d been carrying on his back.Bwoong-.If it hit, it felt like it would kill you in a single blow.In response, Gawain quickly retreated and placed his hand on the floorboards of the hall.Jzeuk-.With that touch, a mud pit formed on the floor of the hall in an instant.“……!”Leonhardt, who had braced his feet to deliver a heavy strike, stumbled for a moment and nearly lost his balance, but—Kung-.In that instant, a pure white mana shield formed beneath his feet, giving him a place to step.It was a response using the holy spell Holy Shield.Pereong-!!Riding that momentum, Leonhardt’s blow smashed into the floor of the hall.Kugwagwa-.A pure white slash imbued with holy power tore up the floor as it rushed straight toward Gawain.In response—Sweong-.Gawain sliced through the air with the sword in his hand.Jjeoeok-.A cross-shaped sword aura was drawn in space, cleaving the holy slash apart.At the same time, multiple magic circles formed behind Gawain, and fire, frost, and lightning spells poured out.Kugwagwa-!‘Triple Casting!’In the middle of battle, it was hard enough to calculate and cast even a single spell, yet Gawain had unleashed multiple spells of different elements at once.Leonhardt quickly raised his shield and deployed a holy barrier.A hail of spells pounded against the cross-shaped barrier formed in midair.Peobeobeong-.Mana of many colors crashed down onto the pure white barrier.Holy barriers were originally meant to stop the attacks of magi and magical beasts, so their resistance to ordinary magic wasn’t particularly high. Accordingly—Jjjeojeong-.Cracks began to form in Leonhardt’s barrier, and it soon gave way under the magic and exploded.Pereong-!Mana smoke filled the hall along with the explosion.Using that smoke as cover, Gawain swiftly launched a series of delicate strikes.As their brilliant exchange continued like that, the atmosphere in the Great Hall gradually grew more heated.“Uwooooh!”“Aaah…….”Every time attacks and defenses traded back and forth, the students watching the match let out cries of awe and groans.Kagagang-!Pereong-!Every single exchange where sword and shield, magic and magic collided was a level of combat you rarely got to see.I also found it hard to tear my eyes away from the match.To think I’d get to watch such a cool battle scene, which I’d once only seen in the game, this vividly from so close.It really felt like I’d stepped into the game…… well, I actually had.As I watched their exchange closely, I gathered a few more pieces of information.The biggest of those was that they weren’t simply using in-game skills.I could see that they’d fully internalized their skills and were using them in active, creative ways.They used their combos skillfully, and instead of relying solely on skills, they placed skills at just the right times and places with their natural combat sense to draw out the best possible results.It was a realm entirely different from that of the 2nd-year students.Watching their fight, I narrowed my eyes slightly.‘No matter how thoroughly I know all the skills they’re using, it’d be a bit hard to read and respond to all their movements like I did with Dandol or Tepes.’A fight at a level where merely having information wasn’t enough to respond.To defeat opponents that strong, not only would I have to further increase my own personal combat power, I’d also need the help of even more reliable artifacts.‘The groundwork on the foundation should be just about finished by now.’The Cognition Acceleration Stone sleeping under the Izellin Academy grounds.If I used that artifact, which accelerated cognition and slowed the flow of external time—‘It’ll buy me time to perfectly predict the opponent’s movements and skill usage and respond to them.’At that level, I’d more or less have a base from which to fight those monster-like opponents.Finishing that thought, I sighed and continued to take in their battle with my eyes.‘I’m learning a lot.’In particular, from Gawain’s combat style as a Magic Swordsman, I could glimpse the direction I needed to head in.A combat style that freely mixed magic in the middle of battle to pressure the opponent while also using sword aura to land critical blows.The level difference was huge, but you could say it was similar in a way to my own style of moving my body under the effects of various potions while firing off spells.If I got the chance later, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to get in touch with Gawain and learn the secrets of his combat.As I spent some time taking in Gawain’s movements and fighting style, Beatrice, sitting next to me, spoke quietly.“You’re paying particular attention to Senior Gawain’s fighting, I see.”“Of course. I bet on his victory.”“That’s not the only reason, is it?”“What do you mean?”When I tilted my head, Beatrice calmly whispered in my ear.“Loen, you were born with the qualities of a Magic Swordsman as well.”

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