episode_0130

“The winner! Agnes Elizabeth Blaze!”

“Wow! Blaze! Blaze won!!”

“Fire hell! Fire hell!”

“Of course, the next Red Tower Master!”

The announcement of the results of the arena and the cheers of the spectators echoed all the way to the waiting room.

As the heavy voices reverberated inward, the tension that had momentarily subsided began to rise again.

It was obvious that the top-ranked newcomer of the Magic Department, Agnes, had easily defeated the second-ranked Isobel. It was a basic event that appeared in the game “Luminor Academy” a few times, so there was no surprise there.

Unless the main character enrolled in the Magic, Technology, or Pharmacy Department and targeted Agnes, the event would always occur with a 100% probability.

In reality, it wasn’t even considered a major event. It only appeared briefly in the middle of the story, and it didn’t have much significance in the actual game progression. Isobel getting beaten up every time just because she was in second place was pitiful.

As I pondered these thoughts while tidying up the arena, a 10-minute break passed, and the match between Karan, ranked third, and Siz, ranked seventh, began.

Just like Agnes’ evaluation match before, the result of the match ended quickly within five minutes.

“The winner, Karan Iris Stormweaver!”

“Wow!”

“Karan! Karan!”

After Agnes’ match ended, the victory declaration and cheers of the students echoed again in less than 10 minutes.

It was a given. Students with the right to choose their opponents tended to pick someone they could easily defeat.

Considering only the skills of the third and seventh-ranked students, the match shouldn’t have ended so quickly, but Karan had a significant advantage in her field of study over Siz.

“Normally, I would have easily defeated opponents who use summoning or dark magic and finished the semester.”

I still couldn’t understand how things had turned out this way.

Anyway, this academy didn’t let me relax even until the end of the semester.

“Lilith.”

“Yes, Lord Ethan.”

Ethan, who was waiting for his turn in the same waiting room as me, approached me, expressing his concern.

He probably wasn’t going to tell me to withdraw because he was worried.

Even if he did, I had no intention of missing out on this major experience. I should politely refuse if he did…

“Make sure you win, Lilith.”

“…Yes?”

“Because I believe that you can win, Lilith.”

What’s gotten into him all of a sudden?

Well, it was much better than saying not to do it because it was dangerous. His encouragement helped me gather my thoughts a bit.

I slightly bowed my head in response to Ethan’s serious gaze and words.

“Of course, I intend to do just that.”

“Yeah. I’ll be waiting.”

If I boldly say this and come back defeated, I’ll be too embarrassed to show my face for a while.

It seemed like I had no choice but to win this match no matter what.

***

“The next match! Ranked fourth in the Magic Department, Lilith Blackwood Rosewood! Second place in the Technology Department, Luke Cruella!”

As my name was called by the arena announcer, I walked out onto the arena, where the spacious Magic Department evaluation arena welcomed me.

At the same time, I felt the strange sensation of the other students’ gazes on me.

“Well, it can’t be helped. Evaluation events like this are quite a spectacle within the academy.”

As a secluded place created in the Knowledge Island, the academy’s top students’ swordsmanship and magic matches were a rare sight for the students.

The most entertaining thing in the original world is said to be watching fights and spectating battles.

With that thought in mind, as I approached the center of the training ground, I could also see Luke walking towards the center of the sparring ground from the opposite side.

He had a determined look on his face, ready to face me in our sparring with a strong resolve.

“He’s definitely harboring some serious intentions.”

Just by looking at the two daggers in her hands, which were her unique weapons, it was clear that she was not going to come at me lightly.

She was fully prepared to engage in our sparring by literally “sharpening her knives.”

If I let my guard down for a moment, I wouldn’t be surprised if a dagger pierced my side and I had to retreat.

By the way, this evaluation-specific sparring ground is equipped with death prevention magic to prevent accidents that may occur during intense sparring.

It is a facility that gathers talented individuals from all over the country to learn knowledge and nurture talent, so it is natural to prevent any fatal accidents during evaluations.

The death prevention magic stops the progression of any fatal injuries to the body, and the student who has suffered such injuries is transferred to the academy church through spatial transfer magic.

Of course, the damage received does not completely disappear, as it only prevents death itself, so the student may have to lie in the church for days to weeks.

Anyway, the most important thing is that the most vital life can be preserved by any means, and in this world, most injuries can be treated, except for mental ones.

…In other words, within this sparring ground, rushing at the opponent with the intention to kill would not be a problem at all, as the death prevention magic protects lives.

“It also means that I can use Mana Blast without hesitation.”

If I manage to land a hit, that’s my victory. On the other hand, if I miss or fail to cast a spell, it’s my defeat.

It was a simple formula for victory. The process of getting there seemed a bit challenging, though.

As I met Luke’s gaze as she walked towards me, I could sense a complex emotion directed towards me in her eyes.

Without any further conversation, we stood at a slightly reduced distance, ready to engage in battle.

“…Ready.”

“……”

“……”

As the sparring participants adjusted their positions in response to the announcer’s words, I tightly gripped the wand in my uniform pocket, ready to chant a spell as soon as the battle began, while Luke, with daggers in both hands, was poised to strike at any moment.

In the tense atmosphere, the announcer declared the start of the battle.

“Begin!”

-Clang!

With swift steps, Luke’s body rushed towards me, and at the same time, her daggers swung towards my sides.

Closing the distance of about 15 meters in an instant, her twin daggers approached me as if to finish me off in one blow, swiftly swiping left and right.

The blades aimed at my sides with such speed that it would be difficult for an ordinary person to react in time.

No matter which way I dodged, she was determined to stab me on one side, but the following sound was not the sound of the blades piercing the flesh, but a single clashing noise.

-Clang!

“…Huh?!”

The clash between the wand from my chest and Luke’s left dagger created a spark in the air, and at the same time, murmurs of surprise could be heard from the audience seats.

“Is that a sword? Isn’t that a wand?”

“Wasn’t Lillis from the Magic Department?”

“Hey, wasn’t she the one who sliced Rydenhardt’s wrist with a wand at the entrance ceremony…?”

Due to the incident that caused a bit of a stir at the entrance ceremony, most of the students from the Magic and Swordsmanship Departments already knew that I was capable of fighting with a sword. However, there were not only students from those two departments in the audience.

It wasn’t too surprising to see the bewildered reactions from the spectators. Even Luke, who came charging at me with a dagger, seemed taken aback.

“How…?”

What’s there to be surprised about? He shouldn’t be flustered by something like this when he initiated the confrontation in the first place.

In reality, it wasn’t just a simple clash of swords. On one side, Luke swung his dagger purely with the strength of his hand, while I used magic enhancement and shockwaves to deflect his attack.

Dodging one sword while deflecting the other to create an opening.

Of course, it wasn’t a critical move. What mattered was that I had the means to counter Luke’s movements and techniques.

“A magician, aren’t you…?”

“Well, yes.”

“But how, with a sword…?”

“Well, what’s it to you? If you don’t like it, use magic too.”

“….”

“Acting all surprised when you’re from the Swordsmanship Department, ridiculous.”

Naturally, there were no rules in the final evaluation match stating that a magician couldn’t use a sword. Magic itself wasn’t exclusive to the Magic Department, and among the nobles, it wasn’t uncommon for melee warriors from other departments to use magic as a supplementary tool.

There was no violation of rules whether the Magic Department students fought with a sword or a spear.

The Academy’s goal was simply to cultivate ‘academy students with combat abilities,’ and it wasn’t a foolish institution that prohibited magicians from equipping themselves with weapons to enhance their combat abilities.

Meanwhile, in Luke’s eyes, who had his first attack blocked, there seemed to be a hint of confusion.

As a proud guardian of the princess, it must have been a situation she couldn’t quite comprehend, where a female magician from the Magic Department was able to block her sword.

However, the moment of hesitation on her part gave me an opportunity.

Giving distance to a melee combatant from the Magic Department meant giving them time to respond, and it also meant giving them the opportunity to counter.

Grateful for Luke’s momentary lapse in judgment, I quietly cast the next spell I had memorized.

-Boom!

“Ugh?!”

This spell, Hazy Light, was specifically learned from the auxiliary magic tree for this battle. It momentarily blurred the vision and allowed other party members to attack. Of course, since there were no other party members present, both support and attack were solely my responsibility at the moment.

Luke showed a momentary confusion in the face of the blinding light in front of her, revealing a vulnerability.

That vulnerability was what I had been aiming for, and this time, three magic arrows created through triple casting flew towards Luke.

I didn’t have enough time to use Mana Blast, so the plan was to at least inflict some damage little by little.

-Whoosh!

“Aaaargh!”

With only a 20% chance of hitting, there was a possibility that all three shots could miss, but fortunately, it seemed that fate was not entirely against me.

One of the magic arrows hit Luke’s left forearm, and her agonizing scream echoed in my ears.

‘One down, for now.’

The duel between a melee combatant and a magician didn’t start off too badly.

Whether it would end without too much trouble remained to be seen.