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Chapter 115

The first fighter of Galois Magic Academy was Christina, the beautiful warrior princess and slumbering hero of the north. On the other hand, the starting warrior of Tardat Magic Academy was Ashas, the greatest combatant known to all.

The excitement and enthusiasm of the arena’s crowd burst forth to a new high as they watched the two contestants proceeding to the center of the stage. As for the aristocrats and dignitaries, they restrained themselves, whispering with those around them and maintaining their demeanor. Yet, the burning anticipation in their eyes could not be concealed.

「Ms. Merle, can you explain the rules of the Magic Tournament once more to the audience and the contestants?」

「Huh? Ah, s-sure. Um, five contestants from each academy will fight each other in individual matches. The first academy to achieve three wins will be the victor. However, all five matches will be conducted even after the victor is decided. These matches will involve the dangerous use of magic. Hence, the contestants have been provided with a magic tool, the Judgment Ring. An automatic defense barrier will be activated by these rings if contestants are at risk of suffering a severe blow. These rings are used in the Magic Academies. However, the ones used in this Magic Tournament have been enhanced. The results of a match are decided when one party surrenders, is unconscious, the judgment ring is activated, or I, the referee, decides that a victor has been determined. These are the four methods of determining a match’s victor.」

「Ho ho! Ms. Merle, that means that one is unlikely to lose if you’re fond of them! Ah, on the contrary, if you don’t like a contestant, you can make them suffer endlessly by refusing to announce defeat!」

「Excuse me, that’s hurtful to hear… Naturally, I will not make judgments of these matches based on my own preferences! I swear on my title as the Arc Witch and to the kingdom that I judge everyone fairly!!」

「Oh, Ms. Merle, you’re really too serious as the referee. There isn’t any fun to you, and you’re definitely the type of lady to never get drunk.」

「Hey, you know, why are you so bent on tarnishing my reputation like this? I really want to know, Ha-chan…」

「Oh dear, is this the sense of an impending curse by the Arc Witch? Hahaha. As the Court Jester, it’s important to know when to quit. I’ll stop teasing and bullying the greatest witch ever. That being said, ladies and gentlemen, I guarantee that Ms. Merle will definitely be a fair judge for these matches. After all, that’s the only thing she’s good for!」

「Ha-chan!!」

Merle exclaimed, finally reaching the limit of her patience. However, she failed to notice the prince and princess giggling away discreetly.

Hamel, the target of Merle’s exasperations, ignored the anger directed at her and continued with the explanations. It was precisely her glib tongue that secured her position as the Court Jester.

「Yes, yes. It sure is terrifying to have the jester snide one. Let’s stop with that for now. Well, we are not only concerned about the safety of the contestants. The audience seats and the commentator seats are well protected too. By tapping on the surging magic and energy in nature, from the ley lines in the ground and the sky, a multi-layered barrier has been conjured between the spectator stands and the stage. We will not be in any danger even if advanced magic is unleashed on the stage. Furthermore, a similar barrier has been erected for the contestants in the holding area of the stage. Please be reassured that no one else will be in any danger except the two contestants in the match. With that, it is time for everyone’s beloved jester to end her ramblings. Arc Witch Ms. Merle, can you offer us insights on the fighting styles and potential highlights to take note of when watching the match between Tardat’s Ashas and Galois’s Christina?」

「Well, Ashas’s physical strength might be misleading, but he uses a form of affective magic. This makes him an Enchanter. He participated in last year’s tournament, so many audience members might have already witnessed him in action. He is known for the Dancing Sword, a magic weapon that can fight on its own once it has been activated. However, Ashas is also equipped with his affective magic and numerous magic weapons to fight with. Ashas, who has the Dancing Sword freely moving in the air and a shield in control, is a magic user who possesses the might of dozens of warriors alone. It is rare to find an Enchanter who can manipulate dozens of magic weapons and their unique techniques, as well as adapt to the situation they are in. Hence, Ashas is no doubt an extraordinary individual.」

「Oh… Does that mean he poses a threat to Christina, who is known to be a magician swordswoman? Most magician swordsmen use magic to elevate their own abilities. They polish their magic to tackle situations that would daunt ordinary swordsmen. Hence, wouldn’t there be a rather unsettling situation of being overwhelmed by numbers?」

「Exactly. Ha-chan, Ms. Hamel, has highlighted the general perception of magician swordsmen. There is little information on Christina, but she seems to be a magician swordswoman who possesses physical strength and defensive magic as mentioned before. However, she appears to have started wielding dual swords since the summer vacation. I’m curious about the tricks she can pull with two blades and the reasons for such a change. Moreover, the magic sword in her possession, Espada, is a well-known masterpiece of the famous Enchanter and Magic Smith, Master Ocupros. This is a powerful magic sword that would be hard for even someone like the Knights Commander to obtain. I wonder how Christina will wield it. In addition, Christina has performed excellently in Galois Magic Academy’s practical examination, even though she did not participate in the past two years of Magic Tournaments. Presently, she is praised as the strongest of Galois’s Top Four. With this in mind, doesn’t she seem capable of overpowering Phenia and Nelneshia from last year’s tournament?」

Despite the fact that there were five contestants, the mention of the top four was a reference back to when the Magic Tournament only had four contestants.

「You sure are saying some harsh words. It might’ve been unintentional, but you’re clearly unaware that being too outstanding will cause boys to keep their distance.」

「Eh, really?! Was I that inconsiderate?!」

Merle appeared genuinely startled as Hamel related her opinion seriously, burying her teasing tone from earlier. However, Hamel’s earnest reminder was slightly ruined by her jester makeup.

「That’s not it. You probably don’t mean to disparage Phenia and Nelneshia, but you’re implying that they are inferior to Christina.」

With this remark, Merle finally realized her slip of the tongue. Her subsequent flustered reaction was certainly unlike someone of her age.

「Well, you were just relating what you heard, so it’s hard to call that rude. Phenia, Nelneshia, and their families, with your gracious hearts as wide as the oceans, please forgive our Arc Witch and her habit of making verbal slips and being unintentionally offensive. With that, I’m sure we have conveyed our thoughts about the two contestants’ fighting styles, albeit in a humorous and rather crude manner. You’ve all been looking forward to this. After a long wait and a slight delay caused by us, it is finally time to start the first match of our glorious Magic Tournament. Arc Witch Ms. Merle, please do the honors!」

Merle, who had been at the mercy of Hamel for some time, forcefully regained her composure for this very task at hand—delivering the opening statement for the kingdom’s historical moment.

「Well, once again… Let’s have the two contestants greet the audience!」

Standing ten steps apart from each other, Christina and Ashas abided by Merle’s words and bowed from the waist to Prince Sperion and Princess Frau in the audience. After expressing their courtesy to the most respected bloodline in the kingdom, the two raised their heads and faced each other. Their expressions had morphed into that of warriors facing an impending battle.

「And… Fight.」

Christina gripped the hilt of her sheathed swords, while Ashas kept his hands empty. In the Magic Tournament, beginning or completing a magic chant before the match started was forbidden. Any conjuring of magic or magic chants could only proceed after the referee announced the start of the match.

「Let the Magic Tournament’s first match begin!」

A sharp ringing of scabbards echoed as Christina drew Espada and Dreadnought, conveying the lethality of these blades. Prince Sperion, as well as a number of knights, guards, nobles, and merchant escorts in the audience, were silently appalled when they realized that Christina had unsheathed her swords too quickly for them to even notice.

「Wake up, Espada. Let’s do this, Dreadnought.」

As Christina uttered the words to activate the magic within her swords, the blades of Espada and Dreadnought glimmered with blue and white light respectively. In a split second, Christina adopted a fighting stance, and Ashas was ready to fight as well.

「Rise from the darkness and be my army. My puppets, Steel Legion.」

Ashas had been facing Christina empty-handed, but all it took was a second for countless weapons to emerge from his shadows. The moment the match started, these weapons appeared almost instantly and surrounded him in the air like a shield. Just like a trading market, great swords, thin sabers, long swords, daggers, lances, short spears, long spears, hatchets, double-bit axes, battle axes, war hammers, arrows, scythes, bucklers, large shields, and armors were on display.

「Be my armor, Patentes.」

With this statement, Ashas donned a full-plate armor with gilded flames of deep purple and gold. In his right hand was a war hammer with magic crystals embedded into its hilt and tip, and he gripped a kite shield with his left hand.

Dran, too, was fond of using this Shadow Box magic which turned shadows into storage spaces to house all kinds of items.