Chapter 208
December 25th.
It was the early morning of day two of the joint final exam between Academia and Rikeion.
Arha, having enjoyed a good night’s sleep, stretched her arms and got out of bed.
Normally, at this hour, she’d ignore the dreaded morning classes and sleep more, but today was different—her schedule was packed with intriguing events.
Reluctantly washing her face and having breakfast, she wandered around Rikeion.
While there were certainly enticing plans ahead, she still had time before the quarterfinals in the morning.
She strolled leisurely, letting her feet guide her.
Her goal was to scout for those with undiscovered talents.
She had already checked most first-year students at Academia, so it might be pointless, but there could still be exceptions like yesterday’s sixteenth round.
‘What was his name again? Liam. It’s so strange. He doesn’t seem to have enough talent to even feel the pull.’
During their match, Arha felt a peculiar sense of confusion for the first time.
For reasons unknown, she sensed something specific in others, and the stronger that sense was, the more exceptional their talents appeared to be.
So far, her intuition had never been wrong.
Yet, Liam was the first person who didn’t match that pull.
‘He was much stronger than I expected.’
Though he was just a tricky little toy to play with, he displayed unexpected power.
Intuition is a fickle thing, so it could easily be mistaken.
But since she had always been right until now, the exception piqued her interest.
“Cough.”
While wandering, she was caught by Edina, the Student Council President of Rikeion.
It was just when she was about to meet Liam again and confirm her feelings.
“Arha! This is not the time for this!”
Dragged into the Student Council Room, she found all the other council members already gathered there.
‘Come to think of it, I think they had some sort of meeting this morning…’
Arha let out a long yawn as she took her seat.
Sure, she could rebel and dash out, but that would just waste more time, so she decided to go along with it for now.
Finally, everyone was gathered in one place. Edina, letting out a long sigh to suppress her frustration toward Arha, began the meeting.
She explained the day’s agenda and briefly mentioned the events to take place after the final exams.
Thanks to Edina’s clear and concise presentation, the meeting progressed smoothly, moving straight to the main topic.
“Today’s competitors need to exercise even more caution than yesterday.”
“They need to be even more cautious than yesterday.”
Edina cast her gaze towards Arha, Gaba, and a few others. Her golden eyes finally landed on Erlich.
Erlich, trembling as she clutched her large staff with both hands, flinched at the piercing stare.
“Uh… I’m sorry… I have nothing to say even if I had ten mouths.”
Erlich, the third-ranked first-year student, had faced Vargan in the Round of 32 and lost, even when his weaknesses were glaringly obvious.
…Then again, he was the top student of Academia.
And he was the man causing quite the stir recently, so it was somewhat understandable, but Erlich’s defeat was a painful reality.
If only she could’ve at least exposed Vargan’s hidden cards or his true skills, but that wasn’t the case.
In the Round of 16 held that afternoon, Vargan won effortlessly, merely tapping the ground with his staff without making any moves—so there was absolutely no gain from that encounter.
Indeed, the most worrying figure was him. Seriously, all the troublesome folks seem to come from Schugenharz…
Edina, reminded of Vargan’s brother, Rheincarven, narrowed her beautiful eyes and quickly shook the thought from her head.
“Gaba, how’s your condition?”
“Not an issue at all.”
“Are you sure?”
Edina scrutinized Gaba as if doubting him.
Gaba, who had engaged in an intense battle with Leon, had sustained quite a bit of damage and had just been receiving healing magic until a moment ago.
Visually, he seemed completely healed, and the doctors claimed there was no major problem, but fatigue and wounds were surely piling up on him.
“Let’s impress the president and win the quarter-finals beautifully.”
He flashed a charming smile, revealing his white teeth.
According to Edina’s gathered information, Gaba’s opponent in the quarter-finals was rated lower than Leon.
Unless some variables came into play, he should be able to advance to the semi-finals smoothly.
The problem was that there was a high likelihood of facing Arterion in the semi-finals… but for now, it should be fine.
While she was contemplating this, Arha suddenly leaned forward and asked Erlich.
“How was Vargan?”
“Uh… huh?”
“Even though you were beaten like a fool, you faced him directly, so you must know somewhat, right? Was he really that strong? Couldn’t even defend yourself at all?”
Arha’s eyes sparkled with curiosity.
She had been hit by Vargan’s fist unexpectedly, but had never faced him directly in a proper match.
Even though she had watched the match, she wanted to hear the vivid opinion of someone who had actually fought him.
As Arha skillfully steered the topic back, Erlich floundered, glancing around for approval, but when Edina didn’t intervene, she slowly parted her lips.
“I can’t say much since it was Curse Magic and all…”
“I saw you get beaten to a pulp, so I get it. If I hadn’t paid close attention, it would’ve looked like you just dropped dead on your own.”
“…Ugh.”
“What I’m curious about is whether he was ‘so’ strong that you couldn’t lay a finger on him. You should be able to grasp that much being the one hit by the curse.”
At Arha’s question, Erlich recalled the unpleasant sensations from that moment.
All her senses dominated.
That uncomfortable feeling when her body became someone else’s.
Reflecting on that moment again, she spoke.
He said.
“…He was that strong. There was absolutely no resistance at all.”
“Really?”
Arha drew a long arc at the corners of her mouth as if satisfied.
The mention of strength sparked more intrigue and curiosity rather than fear.
She wanted to fight him directly as soon as possible.
Even if he had been caught off guard and was in an incomplete state, he was the one who had shattered the reflection magic.
For Arha, who treated magic as a delightful toy, a match with him seemed like the ultimate ‘entertainment.’
“Arha. It’s fine to look forward to that match, but don’t forget that there’s another competition before that.”
“I know. I’m looking forward to fighting Alicia too, so don’t worry.”
In response to Edina’s caution, Arha replied as if it was amusing.
She had initially been more interested in Alicia than Vargan.
After all, it was herself who had instigated the fight with Alicia, rumored to have talents on par with her own.
“But, it’s just that I’m looking forward to it—I can win without any problems.”
Arha was confident.
When she had seen Alicia at the Academia.
Even though she felt an ‘attraction’ beyond her expectations, she was convinced.
“She’s still unable to use her red aura. I’ll show you how I toy with Alicia in the match. Isn’t that good?”
“……”
Edina cast a doubtful glance at Arha’s boast, but soon retracted it.
Although she was unpredictable and incomprehensible, her ‘skill and talent’ were undeniable.
Alicia, Vargan’s servant, was indeed a remarkable talent, but Edina believed that Alicia’s level did not compare to Arha’s.
Even if their talents were similar, or rather because they were similar.
There was a clear ‘difference’ in terms of time spent learning.
Edina decided to trust Arha’s skills and talents.
“Okay, I’ll be waiting for good results, Arha.”
“I got it. I’ll show you how I knock her down in no time.”
Arha smiled confidently.
* * *
‘Why on earth isn’t she going down…!’
High above the arena where the match had begun.
Arha grit her teeth as she watched Alicia get back up time and time again.
—Ah, Alicia! She’s gotten back up again! Such tenacity it’s hard to believe from the reports!
—Even though her entire body is a mess, she’s standing firm and lifting her sword again! Truly amazing!
The two announcers spoke with their voices filled with excitement.
Alicia stood firm, stabilizing her swaying legs.
In a state spiraling toward the worst, calming her ragged breathing and forcing her mana circuits to normalize was now second nature to her.
As if she were a human who had overcome extreme circumstances countless times.
Alicia was familiar with combat.
Zzaang—.
Alicia’s sword was shining intensely with an established aura of wind.
The vivid blue aura radiated a strength that could dazzle the eyes of onlookers.
—But I’m not sure if we should continue the match like this. The referee hasn’t moved yet, but I wonder if it’s really okay….
—It seems the staff members are observing closely, but they still seem to judge that it’s okay. After all, looking at Alicia’s momentum, it doesn’t feel like she’s losing at all.
—I hope she doesn’t get seriously hurt.
One of the hosts quickly flipped through papers to glance at Alicia’s profile.
To the staff member from Rikeion, the display of spirit from Alicia was genuinely hard to believe.
The base was truly unbelievable, not just empty words.
‘Surely… around here… Ah, found it.’
The facilitator smoothly carried on with the presentation verbally while scanning the text with their eyes.
It was information they had grasped before the match began, yet it was so incomprehensible that they had to check it again.
‘…Is this really true? Is the profile wrong?’
The facilitator even doubted the credentials of Alicia presented by the Academia.
It’s no surprise, really.
To show that level of achievement after learning magic for only a year and a half!
And they said her swordsmanship was even shorter in duration.
It doesn’t make sense.
Even Arha, who is called an unparalleled genius, has had three years of magic training.
If this is true, it means Alicia has demonstrated greater growth than Arha, the pride of Rikeion.
‘…Claiming to have been employed by Schugenharz Troa Vargan, a first-year student at the same Academia, and that they have been learning magic and swordsmanship as his personal servant.’
While examining the personal details, the facilitator glanced at a male student wearing a black eye patch sitting in the audience seats.
The one who had recognized and discovered Alicia’s talent early on.
Vargan, whose eyes might be unknown, was smiling directly at the arena.
No matter how impressive Alicia’s matches were, it didn’t change the fact that Arha was in a favorable situation.
Alicia’s wounds were increasing, while Arha was just a little exhausted but still pristine.
But is her master laughing at this situation?
Either he’s a madman who enjoys seeing his acquaintance get hurt, or he must be plotting something else.
Either way, he’s definitely not an ordinary person.
The facilitator felt an unknowable chill and shifted their gaze back to the arena.
Arha was shouting something at Alicia.
“…I told you it’s useless!”
“…….”
Alicia silently held her glowing blue sword.
No matter how much Arha tried to break her will by saying her attacks wouldn’t work, it didn’t reach Alicia’s ears.
Whoosh—!
With a gust of wind, Alicia charged ahead.
The large sword swung with a speed uncharacteristic of its weight, and Arha hastily activated a reflection spell to block her strike.
“It won’t work no matter how many times you try!”
Arha shouted so fiercely that it felt like her throat was being scratched.
Instead of the sword that seemed poised to end her life, she met Alicia’s gaze.
Eyes filled with bloodlust like a predatory bird.
The usual softness was completely replaced with the eyes of a predator.
Arha wanted to break that gaze.
She wanted Alicia to feel the difference in strength and kneel.
‘By now, she should know when to give up…! How long will she keep up this foolishness…?’
In that moment, Arha saw it.
The blue aura and Alicia’s blue eyes.
The hue of the aura reflected in her retina grew stronger and changed color.
‘What…?’
A vibrant, less vivid beauty than blood.
A reddish aura tinged Alicia’s retina.
Crunch, crack—.
Arha’s reflection magic gradually began to break apart.
The red aura targeting her neck began to gnaw away at her life.
Alicia wrapped the red aura around her sword.
Just last time, she lacked the yield…!
‘What the hell is happening, damn it.’
Arha found herself in a dire situation.
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