Chapter 155: A wild and crazy sports festival (3)

If we were to pick the highlight match that is central to the Anatolia Sports Festival, it would undoubtedly be the cavalry battle.

This game, where four teams split into pairs and compete in a fierce struggle, is the most popular among spectators due to its dynamic nature.

Not only that, but the points earned in relation to the number of participants are quite high.

Each stolen headband is worth 100 points, and considering that each team consists of five members, it’s essentially like earning 20 points per person.

The only game with a better point-to-effort ratio is the individual sprint, where each person can earn 50 points.

However, even that can’t compare in terms of total points gained in a single round.

When it comes to securing an overall lead, nothing beats the cavalry battle.

Because of its importance, the role of the rider in the cavalry battle has traditionally been given to the most prestigious members of each team.

And this year, without question, that role belongs to Martin and Elias—the crown prince of the Holy Kingdom of Salem and the crown prince of the rising power, Espera.

In reality, their duel is the main event, and the rest are just extras.

The audience’s primary interest was in seeing which of the two would emerge victorious.

So far, their record stands at one win and one loss each.

Martin won in their first year, and Elias won in their second year.

In other words, whoever wins this year will gain the final upper hand in their overall record.

Since they will graduate after this, there will be no rematch—the result will be set in stone forever.

Because of this, the participants from both Salem and Espera were burning with determination to claim victory.

Except for one person.

“Ugh, I never thought I’d see the day when I’d have to carry my brother on my shoulders…

Feeling his leg muscles through the cloth is seriously disgusting… If only you were my sister instead of my brother, I’d have carried you like a princess my whole life…”

“You’ve been whining about this for a while now. Just endure it, Isabella. It’ll be over soon anyway.”

Martin sighed and scolded his grumpy younger sister.

However, Isabella was undeterred and continued to complain.

“I don’t get it. Why do I have to take on such a tough role?

I want to participate in an easy event like breaking pots, just like everyone else. These physically demanding games don’t suit me at all.”

“Not this again… I already told you last time. We got intel that Emilia is participating on the other team.

That means she’s definitely going to try something with magic, and we need you there to counter it.”

“Ugh….”

Emilia von Krimwaltz.

A second-year student at Anatolia Academy and one of the greatest results produced by the Empire’s systematic mage-training system.

She was said to be unmatched in illusion magic, capable of creating illusions with overwhelming scale and precision that no one else could compete with.

The fact that she was on the roster meant that the opposing team had every intention of using magic to their advantage.

Thus, to counter her, the presence of Isabella—a genius surpassing even Emilia—was absolutely necessary.

“You don’t need to do anything special. The others will handle most of the strength, so just make sure the cavalry doesn’t collapse and keep an eye on whatever Krimwaltz is up to. That’s not too much to ask, is it?”

“I don’t know… I still don’t see why I have to be here…

Besides, the use of magic—including any form of magical enhancement—is strictly prohibited in the sports festival.

If that were allowed, it wouldn’t be a sports festival anymore—it’d be a magic festival.

If someone tries to secretly use magic and gets caught, they’ll be immediately disqualified.

On top of that, depending on the severity of the violation, a massive penalty score will be applied.

Not to mention, the chances of getting away with it are slim. The world’s greatest archmage is watching everything in real time.”

So, logically speaking, Martin’s concerns were nothing more than unnecessary worry.

“Ugh, fine. I guess you never know what might happen. I understand why you’re being cautious since it’s an important match.”

Isabella sighed in resignation.

“Alright, we’ve come this far, so whatever. Let’s just get this over with as quickly as possible. But after this, I’m done. I have to go watch my sister’s performance. Okay?”

“Yeah. Do whatever you want after this.”

Since Isabella’s physical abilities were below average without magic, she was of no real help in the sports festival.

In that case, it was best to make full use of her while they could and then let her do as she pleased.

With that, Martin wrapped up the discussion within the team and, along with the other three members besides Isabella, advanced toward Elias’ cavalry.

Since the opposing team was also approaching them, it didn’t take long before the two sides came face to face.

The first to speak was Emilia, positioned at the front of the opposing cavalry.

“Huff, huff…! Good… afternoon… Ugh…”

“You don’t seem to be doing well, Lady Emilia. Are you alright?”

Martin looked down at the panting Emilia with concern.

Both Isabella and Emilia were magical prodigies, but there was one critical difference between them.

While Isabella was energetic and active, Emilia was purely an academic type.

And that difference was now evident in their vastly different levels of stamina.

At the very least, Isabella still had enough energy left to complain. Emilia, on the other hand, seemed to have none at all.

Whatever plan she had prepared, she already looked like a poor choice for this match.

“If you’re struggling this much, wouldn’t it be better to forfeit? If you surrender now, I’ll settle for just taking one of your two headbands.”

“Ugh… Hah… What are you saying…?! The side with the overwhelming advantage… is us…!”

Really? That didn’t seem to be the case.

As Martin eyed her with suspicion, Elias let out a sigh.

“…Sorry, Martin. I had hoped that our final match wouldn’t turn out like this. But…”

After briefly glancing toward the audience, he continued.

“I have an absolute reason not to lose today. So, try to understand.”

“Understand? Understand what—”

Martin’s words were cut short.

A sudden, violent sound slammed into his ears.

The kind of sound he never, in his wildest dreams, expected to hear in this setting.

[Hah… Aahng♡ So deep♡ You’re hitting all the right spots♡]

“?!?!!!”

Martin staggered back in utter shock.

The voice he had just heard sounded eerily familiar.

To be specific, it was almost identical to a certain silver-haired hero who, at this very moment, was hopping around in a bunny girl outfit.

Horrified, he shouted.

“W-WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?! Elias, what did you do to the Hero?!”

“Relax. No need to panic.”

Elias calmly dismissed his outburst.

“I only recorded a little voice mimicry with magic. That’s all.”

“Recorded?”

“Yeah. You know about voice recorders, right? Cromwell-brand magical devices that store surrounding sounds.”

Elias pulled out a small gadget, no bigger than a fingertip, and waved it lightly.

“As you’re well aware, we happen to have a brilliant illusionist on our team. Using Voice Mimicry magic, we perfectly replicated the Hero’s voice and did a little… acting.”

He smirked.

“Well? Pretty convincing, don’t you think?”

“…You dirty little—!”

Now fully grasping the situation, Martin clenched his teeth in fury and shouted.

“You’re trying to blackmail me, aren’t you?! You want me to throw the match unless I want the Hero’s honor to be ruined?!

I’m disgusted, Elias! I never thought you’d stoop to something this low—”

“Don’t be ridiculous. Stop making assumptions.”

Elias scoffed, cutting him off.

“I never said I was going to do anything that pathetic. Besides, that kind of blackmail is just… embarrassingly crude.”

“……Then?”

Martin narrowed his eyes, glaring at him suspiciously.

At that moment, Emilia chuckled and extended her hand, taking the recorder from Elias.

“That’s right. The rules clearly state that using unauthorized devices during a match is forbidden.

I just so happened to ‘accidentally’ turn on this recorder while it was in my pocket… but technically, I shouldn’t be carrying it at all.

I wouldn’t want any misunderstandings, so I suppose I should just break it right now.”

“……?”

Martin tilted his head in confusion.

What? They went through all this trouble just to… destroy it?

Not that he minded, of course—but why?

“Oh, just in case you were curious about the contents,” Emilia continued with a sly smile,

“this particular recording follows the ‘lovers spending a sweet, intimate night together in bed’ theme.”

Her tone dripped with amusement as she explained.

“In technical terms, I believe they call it ASMR? A voice whispering so close to your ear, dripping with heat and desire… truly a work of art.

Anyone who adores the Hero would never be able to resist it.”

“…..!!”

In that instant, Isabella—who had been silently observing—gasped sharply.

Her gaze locked onto the recorder in Emilia’s hand, burning with an intense, unmistakable hunger.

A gaze brimming with pure, unfiltered desire.

And at last, Martin realized what was happening.

‘No… No way…! They weren’t targeting me—they were after Isabella?!’

If Emilia tried to destroy the recorder right here, there was no way Isabella—the person most obsessed with the Hero—would just stand by and let it happen.

She would lunge for it, regardless of the risk.

She wouldn’t care that doing so would break their formation.

And the moment that happened, the outcome of this match would be obvious.

‘Wait… Was this why they made Emilia the rider in the first place?!’

‘Not to secretly use magic—but to make us think she might use magic… so that we’d be forced to include Isabella in our team…?!’

If that was the case, then Martin and his team had walked right into a perfectly laid trap.

A flawlessly executed, devastatingly effective trap.

Panicked, he shouted.

“Wait, Isabella! Don’t do anything reckl—”

“Oops☆ I accidentally dropped it☆”

“NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!”

“?!”

Unable to resist, Isabella lunged forward.

And just like that—Salem’s cavalry formation collapsed completely.

With one of their supporting pillars gone, Martin lost his balance and went crashing forward.

Thus, the Espera vs. Salem cavalry battle ended in a flawless victory for Espera—all thanks to one simping princess’s tragic blunder.