episode_0063
by fnovelpiaHonors, scholarships, and letters of recommendation and attention from academy professors.
Students at Chaldea Imperial Academy are given the opportunity to acquire all of these things at once, just once a year.
This is the grade-level competition that is about to unfold here, at the Brittany training ground.
“Oh… It’s bigger than I thought.”
Deacon Sophia looked around the training grounds and exclaimed in admiration. It was no wonder, as the training grounds of the Brittany branch were large enough to accommodate all the students of the main academy.
In the middle of the stadium-like training ground, there was a compacted dirt area, and it seemed like the training would take place up there.
The stands were already crowded with Academy officials, and there were also students wearing slightly different uniforms. They seemed to be students from the Breton branch who had come to watch the match.
“When will the training be held?”
“It will open soon.”
I glanced at my wristwatch.
The current time is one o’clock in the afternoon. In thirty minutes, the grade-level sparring will officially begin. It felt wise to wait about an hour instead of having the sparring right after lunch.
Lunch was also quite good, but unlike the usual self-service lunches, the Brittany branch kitchen staff served a set amount of food, which was impressive. Thanks to this, the students did not overeat, but they did not skip lunch either.
The academy is doing its best to accommodate the students so that they can prepare for the competition in the best possible condition. The fact that the Brittany branch is noticeably cooler than the rest of the school is probably what President Damien was aiming for.
It was a sight that clearly showed how much importance the officials of the Chaldea Imperial Academy, including President Damian, placed on this annual event.
After briefly observing the training grounds, Deacon Sophia and I soon turned around and headed to the waiting room.
Since the infirmary is right next to the waiting room, this will probably be where I watch the training.
The members of the Occult Research Club, including Chloe, disappeared into the training grounds, saying that they would hone their skills one last time before the training.
It won’t be long before the duel begins, so he’ll probably be somewhere in this huge arena by now.
As Deacon Sophia and I approached the waiting room, more and more students began to fidget and look nervous here and there in the stands.
“Don’t be nervous. Okay? You’ve been practicing hard.”
“Ugh… I think I’m going to throw up… .”
“Who will be my opponent?”
“I wish I wasn’t just Ms. Adelheid.”
Laura von Adelheid. It was strange to see that child’s name mentioned so often. In my memory, Laura was just a child with tears in her eyes, saying she had seen a ghost.
“Student Adelheid is definitely strong. Some students in Class 1-A are also very wary.”
“… Adelheid’s bloodline.”
Yes. The current head of the Adelheid Dukes’ House, and the blood of the unparalleled magician Maximilian von Adelheid, who rose to the rank of Grand Wizard at the age of forty, and the Adelheid Dukes’ House has long been known as the backbone of the Empire’s magic, so it’s only natural that there would be a genius like Laura.
Maximilian von Adelheid. Yes, if he inherited that human’s blood… . Then… .
… you fucking bastard.
“Lord, Lord Priest?”
Suddenly, I came to my senses at the sound of Deacon Sophia calling me. I stared blankly at Deacon Sophia who was standing next to me.
Deacon Sophia was looking at me with a somewhat worried expression. I tried to pretend that I was okay and continued to move my steps that had stopped.
“Are you okay? You suddenly stopped and made a strange expression… .”
“Yes, that’s fine.”
“Is this really okay? Even on the palm of your hand… .”
“Substitute Sophia.”
Even though it was clearly a concern for me, I was a little tired of the endless kindness. I almost became nervous without realizing it, but I managed to hold it back.
“I’m fine. Let’s go to the infirmary.”
“… Yes.”
Deacon Sophia looked somewhat uncomfortable, but I looked away from her and walked towards the infirmary.
For some reason, my palm felt a little warm.
* * * * *
Deacon Sophia looked worried. It couldn’t be helped.
“… Maximilian von Adelheid.”
This was because Father Antonelli, who had been walking normally until just a moment ago, suddenly stopped walking and started muttering something. Deacon Sophia tried to grab Professor Antonelli’s hand, but felt a damp, yet eerie warmth and pulled her hand away.
“P… ?”
Professor Antonelli’s clenched fist. At the tip of his fist, a drop of blood was dripping down. Deacon Sophia stared blankly at the blood on her fingers.
He was now clenching his fists so hard that his nails were digging into his palms. Deacon Sophia urgently checked the complexion of Father Antonelli.
And then, she was startled to the core.
“… … .”
Because his face was distorted like a hideous evil spirit, Deacon Sophia, who had only seen taciturn and flat expressions without any highs and lows, could only stare blankly at his angry face.
He was mumbling something, but it was hard to understand. Deacon Sophia’s lips were trembling.
“Lord, Lord Priest?”
Deacon Sophia, who was too shocked and embarrassed to say anything, finally opened her trembling lips and was barely able to call him.
The eyes of the chief priest Antonelli were turned to Deacon Sophia. Deacon Sophia trembled involuntarily as she met those angry eyes, but soon she was able to face his face, which had returned to its usual expression.
“Are you okay? You suddenly stopped and made a strange expression… .”
Deacon Sophia looked at the face of the head priest Antonelli and trailed off.
Priest Antonelli hesitated for a moment, as if searching for words, and then answered in his usual flat voice.
“Yes, that’s fine.”
“Is this really okay? Even on the palm of your hand… .”
“Substitute Sophia.”
This time, the voice was a little different than usual. Something in it was clearly a slight irritation.
“I’m fine. Let’s go to the infirmary.”
“… Yes.”
Deacon Sophia reluctantly followed after Father Antonelli, who was walking ahead.
Looking worriedly at the bright red blood still clinging to his hands.
* * * * *
– The grade-level competition will begin shortly. All students participating in the competition are requested to take their seats.
A leisurely yet powerful voice echoed through the huge stadium-shaped training ground. I turned my head toward where the familiar voice had come from.
The source of the sound was the audience where many senior professors, including President Damien, were gathered. I could see President Damien holding a microphone.
“I think this week’s host is President Damien.”
Professor Esther, who had come up next to me, whispered. I nodded toward her and answered.
“I think so.”
“Professor Lucio, you don’t seem nervous at all. I think we should learn from that aspect.”
“I’m nervous too.”
As I answered, Deacon Sophia, who was standing on my left, looked at me with a suspicious expression.
“Really?”
“Yes, really.”
Yes. I am human too, so I get nervous in stressful situations.
However, having already experienced all sorts of bad things during the war, I ended up not feeling nervous about such trivial things.
I lightly ignored the two who were staring at me with their eyes wide open as if they couldn’t believe what I was saying, and naturally turned my gaze towards the center of the training ground.
There was a translucent glass floating in the center ceiling of the training hall, and it seemed like they were going to relay the situation of the training in real time. The explanation of the training was probably going to be there too.
– The grade-by-grade competition will begin shortly. Students and Academy staff, please take your seats.
Students and some professors who had filled the stands were seen taking their seats one by one.
But unfortunately, the three of us couldn’t sit comfortably in the audience and watch the duel.
Deacon Sophia and I were instructed to remain in the infirmary at all times, while Professor Esther remained here to supervise the students waiting in the waiting room, both to prevent them from suffering mental damage due to magic.
“Still, I think it looks better here. Don’t you think so?”
I nodded toward Professor Esther. Sure enough, this place was closer to the arena where the duel would take place than the stands.
As we were talking, the crowd that had been walking around the training grounds all sat down. As a bonus, the noisy hall became quiet.
Following that, the ceiling lights that had been illuminating the entire training hall slowly began to lose their light. We silently watched the training hall becoming dark.
And then,
– Bang!
In the middle of the training ground enveloped in darkness, a bright light suddenly shined down.
In the place where the light shone, glass with extremely complex magic circuits engraved on it was sparkling. The magic circuits engraved on the glass began to be filled with sparkling blue magic power, and soon, the face of General Damian began to appear large.
“What is the principle?”
“Ah, it’s something close to a spectroscope made by cutting magic crystals. To explain in detail… .”
“… No, it’s okay.”
Since Professor Esther was trying to explain with a strange enthusiasm, I decided to just call it a monitor.
President Damien, who was displayed on a large monitor, coughed briefly and adjusted the volume, then smiled warmly and waved his hand.
-Hello, proud students of Chaldea Imperial Academy.
“Now it’s starting… .”
Professor Esther, with a nervous expression, swallowed hard and muttered. We weren’t the only ones focused on the monitor.
A silence hung over the entire training ground. It was like a heavy, dark cloud, thick with tension.
– Today is the time for you to show off the skills and abilities you have honed, so I hope you can show us the results without any regrets.
President Damien’s opening speech was very short. It seemed like he wanted to start the sparring as quickly as possible, as it would be difficult to continue late into the night.
– Let me start by explaining the key rules of this year’s grade-level sparring.
First, as proud members of the Chaldea Imperial Academy, we promise to approach the duel with honor and passion.
First, the faculty of Chaldea Imperial Academy also promises to give fair and impartial evaluations based on the passion of these students.
First, the four-day competition starting today will be evaluated by the professors in charge of each subject, including President Damien.
1. The way the duel is conducted, the time limit, and the conditions for winning or losing will vary by day, and this will be announced before the duel begins each day. However, if it is judged impossible to proceed with the duel, or if the winner is not determined after the time limit has passed, the winner or loser will be determined at the discretion of the faculty.
First, there will be no sparring between seniors and juniors during the grade-level sparring, and each grade will have separate sparring sessions.
First, I will deploy magic to prevent fatal injuries to students, so all attacks are permitted unless they are instant-death.
First, in order to create a healthy sparring culture, it is strictly forbidden to crudely criticize or insult the opponent after the sparring is over. However, a certain amount of psychological warfare is allowed during the sparring.
– That’s all.
The students began to whisper among themselves. As the noise began to grow louder, the man next to President Damien took over the microphone.
– Haha! Hello! I am Professor Andres, the head professor of the second year and the moderator of this year’s competition!
The man with the impressive single strand of hair sticking out from his bald head was Professor Andres. I didn’t know he was the head professor of the second year.
– Ahem. Then, I will tell you how to spar today!
It was the most important part. As Professor Andres raised his voice cheerfully, the sparring room, which was about to become noisy, became silent again.
– Today’s match style is capture the flag!
The moment Professor Andres’ voice echoed through the training hall, the inside of the training hall began to shake like crazy.
And then something incredible happened.
In the delicate space between the center of the training ground and the stands, a dirt floor with the same condition as the stadium began to rise. We stared blankly at it.
As the trembling subsided, what appeared before our eyes was this.
“ and… .”
“th, my goodness… .”
Above the training ground, which was several times larger than before, a maze of intricately intertwined earthen walls rose.
The maze was constantly moving and changing its structure, and it was obvious without even having to guess how much effort it took to keep it moving.
While exclamations of admiration for the sophistication were heard here and there, Professor Andres continued speaking.
– The game Capture the Flag is simple! Each grade will be randomly dropped into this huge maze, and you must find 64 flags hidden throughout the maze and escape to the center of the maze! Of course, keep in mind that once you are inside the maze, you cannot see the outside!
Excluding the 80 students in the non-combat department, there are 320 students in each grade. These students all enter the giant maze at once.
– Then, the first batter for this flag-capture event will be… . Let’s start with the cute freshmen! First-year students, please stand up!
A death match where only 64 out of 320 first-year students can survive.
Now, it was the beginning of the grade-by-grade competition.
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