Chapter 96
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 96
The procession of representatives, the school anthem, and the torch relay finally concluded.
The presidents of the Four Great Academies and I, the Union Student Council President, stood upon the dais to offer brief greetings to the student body.
“Hello, everyone~!”
“Woooooah!”
As Elena stepped onto the stage, bathed in the brilliant sunlight, a fervent cheer erupted. The reaction was as wild as an idol appearing at a military base. In the Seintea section, Elena’s followers were causing a complete ruckus, chanting specific slogans. They were too embarrassing to repeat, so I’ll spare you the details of what they were shouting.
The response was similar when Kiriel and Beatrice appeared.
“Hey! You over there, stop laughing!”
Every time Kiriel stuttered during her speech, laughter broke out from the Voltimir section.
Clap, clap, clap—.
When Beatrice took the mic, the Eredor section burst into thunderous applause, looking more like a magic society conference than a sports festival.
Each president had a slightly different vibe, but overall, they were clearly beloved by their students.
On the other hand...
Step—.
When I finally stepped onto the dais as the last speaker, the reaction was lukewarm at best.
“Ooh… Ugh…”
It was an ambiguous sound—neither a cheer nor a jeer. Perhaps it was just pure indifference. The atmosphere suggested they weren't expecting much from me. If anything, their attitude was: ‘Well, since we’re already sitting here, let’s see what kind of nonsense he spouts this time.’
I paid their reaction no mind and adjusted the microphone. Standing before such a massive crowd might have made anyone else nervous, but thanks to this body’s personality and traits, I didn’t feel particularly tense.
Tap, tap—.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I am Roen Devalis, currently serving as the Union Student Council President.”
“…”
The crowd murmured.
“Booo!”
“Get off the stage!”
A few hurled blatant jeers, mostly coming from the direction of Jerome Academy—a school that had suffered greatly because of my recent actions. I looked their way and quietly brought a finger to my lips.
“Quiet. The more you shout, the longer this speech lasts. Can you handle that?”
“…”
At my words, the other students immediately shot scathing glares at the Jerome Academy section. No one here wanted the speeches to drag on. Feeling the silent pressure of thousands, the Jerome students hastily shut their mouths.
Only after they were completely silent did I speak again.
“Good. In truth, I’m sure none of you want to hear a long-winded speech from me. I don’t have much to say either. However… since this is a sports festival everyone has worked hard to prepare for, I simply hope you all have a comfortable and fun time over these next three days. Compete fairly and do your best, but don’t get hurt.”
I added one more thing.
“For your information, in addition to the top prizes, the Student Council has prepared special awards for this festival. It might be a good idea to aim for those benefits. This will be a great opportunity for the academies whose tram stops were a bit too far away.”
A slight stir rippled through the previously quiet crowd.
‘About half of these Union students belong to the major academies.’
Conversely, that meant the other half belonged to small and medium-sized academies that couldn’t usually enjoy the Union’s premium infrastructure. For them, this was undoubtedly good news. Besides, if it was a "special award" rather than a "top prize," it felt like something actually worth aiming for.
As the students from the smaller academies began to buzz with excitement, I continued.
“The pamphlet also lists many great restaurants to visit, and various clubs have set up shop in the booth area. There are plenty of new products, so it would be worth your while to stop by.”
Currently, Trish and her club members had opened an Alchemy Club booth in the area. Most of the drinks were reserved for the competing athletes, but I had permitted some to be sold to the public.
‘Originally, I was just going to sponsor them, but I accepted Trish’s proposal to open a booth as well.’
The drinks sponsored for the representative athletes were a blue, tropical fruit flavor. The ones for sale were a yellow lemonade flavor, creating a slight distinction. Moreover, there was a significant difference in carbonation and ingredients, so they would be highly marketable.
I finished my short speech and greeting.
“The rest of the sports festival schedule will proceed as written in your pamphlets. That is all.”
*
As I stepped down from the stage, Yulina, who was sitting near the VIP section, spoke to me.
“What kind of speech was that? Aren’t you supposed to be trying to raise your approval rating?”
“I said only what was necessary. No one likes a long-winded speech.”
Anyone who’s had to listen to a principal’s rambling lecture under the scorching sun during their school days would understand. While grand rhetoric and moving words have their place, there was no need for that right now.
And besides...
“Approval ratings aren’t raised with a clever tongue. They follow naturally when you show sincere action.”
As I spouted that righteous-sounding line, Yulina smirked.
“Hmph, you’re all talk.”
Of course, there were many ways to raise approval ratings without taking action. But such tricks are only useful for maintaining short-term support; the truth always comes out in the end. For me, building bonds with ‘named NPCs’ was far more important than a momentary approval rating, so cheap tricks weren't a good option.
Mere words alone… could never truly capture anyone’s heart.
Organizing my thoughts, I asked Yulina, “Are you participating in any events?”
“Me? I’m hopeless at sports. Her Highness is, too.”
Yulina shrugged and gestured with her eyes toward Beatrice, who was sitting beside her. For some reason, Beatrice looked exhausted. She was sitting ramrod straight in her chair out of respect for her status as royalty and a student council president, but ever since the speech, she looked as if her soul had left her body. She looked like she couldn't care less about the sports festival and just wanted to go home and sleep.
In any case, mages like us were at a disadvantage in events like this. Ishtal, a veritable factory for human weapons, was in a league of its own. Even Seintea, which trains half its students as holy knights, had a considerable advantage. The elves and beastkin of Voltimir also possessed physical abilities on a different level from ordinary humans. It was difficult for the students of Eredor, who spent their time honing magic at their desks, to compete with them.
“What about you? Are you competing in anything?”
“A guy like me? You want me to collapse while running?”
Thanks to consistent exercise, my physical abilities had surpassed those of an average person, but that was it. If I foolishly tried to squeeze in among the monsters representing each academy, I’d be sent flying.
“However, there are a few events that might be worth participating in.”
I glanced at the sports festival schedule hanging next to the VIP section. It would be a mistake to think the sports festival was merely a playground for human weapons. It was filled with various activities that many students could enjoy.
There were treasure hunts for regular students, sandwich-eating contests, gourd-smashing, ball-relays, paper-flipping, and group jump rope—many events where the outcome wasn't heavily dependent on raw physical power. Moreover, these events didn't count toward the academy rankings, so they could be enjoyed with a light heart.
As I chatted with Yulina, Jeremy, who had finished his speech, walked past me and sat down on the other side of the VIP section.
‘Hmm…’
A quick glance told me Jeremy didn’t look well. His usual relaxed and gentle expression was gone, replaced by one that clearly showed his anxiety. He was probably bitter about the major blow to his finances I had caused. And since the sports festival was being held successfully due to my intervention, he was likely green with envy, too.
Still… even considering the circumstances, it was a bit strange that Jeremy couldn't maintain his poker face and was trembling with anxiety.
‘Hm.’
Jeremy’s state was a little concerning, but Yulina’s next question quickly shifted my thoughts.
“Are you going to watch the opening ceremony’s celebratory performance?”
“A performance?”
I watched the cheerleading squads enter the main field in a line, accompanied by an announcement. Students in flashy cheerleading uniforms, holding flags, spread out across the field. The opening ceremony performance would feature a heated cheering competition between each academy’s squad. I knew that after that, performances by a symphony orchestra and a circus troupe invited from across the continent were scheduled. Everyone would surely enjoy them.
But I slowly shook my head.
“No, I’m heading straight to the triathlon.”
The triathlon. An event combining a marathon, swimming, and cycling. It was an official event of the sports festival.
Yulina tilted her head. “What? You said you weren’t competing in anything. Besides, there’s no way a body like yours could handle a triathlon.”
Yulina’s gaze scanned my lean frame up and down. I frowned.
“How rude. I’m not participating.”
“Then?”
“There’s someone I need to cheer for.”
*
While the crowd’s attention was captivated by the spectacular opening ceremony on the main field, the first official event of the monumental sports festival was beginning on the far side of Ishtal.
The triathlon.
A grand journey of 200 kilometers, following a route along the outskirts of the Union. Even if the characters of Myrillin Saga possessed superhuman abilities, this nearly eight-hour ordeal was by no means an easy task.
The journey began with a 4.9-kilometer swim, utilizing the Europa—a massive river flowing through the Union. Near the river’s starting line, the competitors, dressed in rash guards, were adjusting their attire.
I approached the female student representatives preparing for the event and scanned their faces.
‘…Where on earth is she?’
As I loitered near the female students’ area, the looks I received weren’t very friendly.
“What’s with that guy?”
“This area is off-limits to unauthorized personnel.”
“Shh, that’s Roen. Just ignore him.”
“Creep.”
“…”
Whispers reached my ears. The reaction seemed even worse due to the nasty rumors that Roen harassed female students.
“Did you come all this way for such a despicable reason? I thought you’d finally come to your senses.”
Yulina, who had followed me, narrowed her eyes and looked at me as if I were pathetic. Instead of answering, I threw a question back at her.
“…But why did you follow me all the way here?”
For some reason, Yulina had followed me instead of watching the opening ceremony. She muttered something about having nothing better to do now that Beatrice had gone back to rest.
Anyway.
Despite the stinging glares from the other female students, I finally found the person I was looking for among the athletes.
‘There she is.’
A girl dressed in plain, colorless clothes stood out among the representative uniforms, each of which bore a design symbolizing their academy.
Ciel Eurafia.
She was participating in the triathlon as an individual entrant, not as a representative of any particular academy. It didn't seem like she was aiming for an individual prize, so I had no idea why she was putting herself through all this trouble, but since she was doing it, I came to cheer her on.
As I approached, Ciel sensed my presence and turned her head. She glanced at Yulina standing beside me before greeting me bluntly.
“You’re here.”
I smiled brightly at her expressionless face. “Yes, I’ll be cheering for you. But don’t push yourself too hard. It’s not like you get anything great for an individual prize.”
The individual prizes were just scholarships, a few months’ worth of meal tickets, or gift certificates for the campus stores. There was no need to overdo it for those.
Ciel shook her head. “I’m not participating with the expectation of getting something. I’m simply… testing my own limits.”
“Your limits.”
Ciel nodded and finished putting on her swim cap. Then, she turned her gaze toward Freya in the distance. Freya was tying up her white hair that flowed down her neck and putting on her own swim cap. On her chest was the emblem of Ishtal—a shield with crossed swords.
I glanced at her, surrounded by her aides, before looking away.
“It seems Freya is your goal.”
“You could say that. She is the goal for me—no, for most of the students in this Union.”
Freya was an idol to the female students who pursued the path of martial arts. It wasn’t strange for Ciel to have her as a target.
“I wish you the best of luck.”
Ciel nodded, gathered her things, and headed toward the starting line. An announcement followed.
“The triathlon will begin shortly. Female athletes, please prepare for the start. I repeat…”
And so, the first official event of the sports festival began.