Festival Debut
Preparing for the festival was far more difficult than expected.
...In the game, you could just click a button and skip it.
Unfortunately, reality wasn't a game, so there was a ton of work to do. Not only setting up the booth, but also promotional activities like beating the top students to draw attention.
"If we just had one or two more people..."
"Tell me about it. We're prepping this whole thing to gather people anyway."
Luel, who was carrying supplies beside him, let out a complaint. He understood, but what could they do?
"At least we have plenty of time to prepare. That's something."
"True enough."
Preparing for the festival wasn't just up to the students. Professors had to promote their advanced specialized classes too.
Thanks to that, classes are basically self-study... and we can use the time for booth prep.
In the game, it was just a button click to skip, but now that it was real, there was so much to handle. Had he foolishly taken on the club president role for no reason?
"But if we run the booth, won't we have no time to enjoy the festival ourselves?"
"...Well, once we get a decent crowd, we can close up early and go have fun."
"Yeah? Wanna go together then?"
Luel set down the load she was carrying and wiped her sweat. Sweat trickling down her pristine white skin, a glimpse of her underarm. Ahem... What a shameless body, instinctively tempting men like that.
"Let's do it. Going around alone feels kinda awkward anyway."
"For real?"
"You think I'd bluff about that?"
He didn't know how much time they'd actually have to wander, but two was better than one. Besides, strolling the festival solo sounded lame.
"Whoa... Looks pretty legit now that it's all set up."
"Yeah. Not bad at all."
A spacious area for challengers to duel, a cozy rest spot, and all sorts of decorations sprucing up the booth. Sure, it was modest compared to the big clubs or professors' setups, but Dante was proud of it as is. As long as it pulled enough aggro from passersby, that was victory enough.
"Alright, starting tomorrow. Combat Intensive Club."
Combat Intensive Club. Sales pitch, begin.
Spring had fully departed, and the warm summer sun began to shine down.
Arcadia Academy buzzed with countless people. From first-years to fourth-years, no grade excluded. Nearly every professor and student roamed the grounds.
This place, built for students' education and training, had transformed today into a space for everyone's enjoyment.
"Wow... So much fun stuff."
And Dorothy Merhenia, her light purple eyes sparkling vividly, was reveling in the festival to her heart's content. For a genius like her, perhaps the festival outshone even the dullest classes.
Lots of the same things from last year~ Wonder if there's anything new?
Even if festivals beat classes, Dorothy was a third-year. With three years at the academy, she'd seen plenty already. Of course, she knew new clubs didn't spring up easily.
"Oh yeah, gotta pick a new club to join~..."
Dorothy sighed deeply, sucking on an enormous pink lollipop.
Even a genius mage had to join a club—it was mandatory. She couldn't skip out just because it was a hassle; she had to pick one.
...Did alchemy last year as a first-year. Practical magic club last year too.
She'd already tried the two most popular ones for magic department students. With no intention of sticking to one club long-term, it was time for fresh hunting grounds.
"Hey! That booth over there has killer prizes!"
"What? What club is it?"
"Dunno. Something about first-year top students making it."
The voices of two guys passing by naturally caught Dorothy's ear.
A club made by the promising first-year top students. That alone was enough to pique her interest.
First-year top seat, huh... Sounds fun~
Dorothy herself had claimed the overall top spot two years ago—a genius through and through. Meeting new talent was one of her rare hobbies.
Wonder what that first-year guy's up to~
As she headed toward where the guys had run off, a face popped into her mind. Boyish and youthful, yet his looks had stunned even her at first glance. His face alone felt like some kind of charm magic. Just that one meeting had left a strong impression purely from his appearance.
He's in the magic department too. Would be fun to run into him.
With that thought, Dorothy slowly made her way there. And reflected in her eyes was the very owner of that perfect face she'd just recalled.
"This is a rare chance, folks! Beat our top students!"
"I'll join!!"
"Yes! Who do you want to face? We've got the magic department top seat—me—and the knight department top seat—my buddy here."
"Knight department!"
Dante handled customers as smoothly as a street vendor. Dorothy, forgetting the people ahead of her, couldn't help but speak up.
"I'll join too~."
Long story short: massive success.
Is it the prizes? Drawing a huge crowd.
People who'd tried other booths flocked over at the mention of prizes. Of course, no one had claimed any yet—and for good reason. He wasn't handing them out to mediocre challengers.
But I didn't expect someone this strong.
Dante sighed, eyes fixed on the woman before him. Light purple eyes gazing intently at him as she raised her hand.
"Dorothy senior. Um, there's a line, so could you wait a bit?"
"Oh, ah! Yeah... Sorry."
"Of course, no problem."
She seemed flustered, but he couldn't cut the line. He hurried to finish the current match...
"Do, Dorothy senior goes first?"
"...You okay with that?"
"Everyone wants to see it. Fine by me~."
"No reason not to. Got it."
Figures—someone like Dorothy got priority seating. Made sense. Her status at school was absolute; she'd top the overall rankings every time. Clubs fought to recruit her; her presence alone boosted their prestige and popularity.
"Anyway, magic department top—me—or knight department top—my friend. Which one?"
"You. That cool?"
"...Understood."
The expected answer. Dante quickly loosened up. He had no illusions of beating Dorothy, but folding too easily would tank his club president cred.
"Rules?"
"Simple. Like a mini-game with fixed mana."
Beat the top seats at Combat Intensive Club. Against the magic department top (him), it boiled down to this: limited to 1000 mana max, deal max damage to the target using 3rd Circle or lower spells. One big hit or accumulated damage—didn't matter. Just use only 1000 mana total.
That was it.
"Hmm~ Sounds fun~."
Dorothy's eyes gleamed, her signature drawl stretching out.
Fixed at 1000 mana. Even Dorothy can't change that.
Sure, she'd crush him elsewhere, but so what? He wasn't planning to win anyway.
"Me first?"
"Whatever's comfy."
"Got it. You go first then~."
He had first strike. As expected—she'd gauge his play. No intention of disappointing her, though. Impressing Dorothy couldn't hurt.
——Woooooong!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
"Eh...?"
A short gasp escaped Dorothy's lips. Even she hadn't anticipated this?
Induce artificial mana resonance...
A trick Dorothy often used in the game. Less magic, more gimmick. Collide equal mana bursts repeatedly to trigger resonance, generating explosive power beyond the input.
The foundation of 7th Circle Fantasy magic: resonance.
Mana Affinity assists you.
Torrent Circles assists you.
The first orb bloomed from his fingertip, followed by the remaining nine resonating in turn. One trembled, then the next, chaining sequentially. By the final orb...
They burst in perfect unison, as if scripted.
——KABOOOOOM!!!!!!!!
A deafening roar amid the dust cloud. As it cleared, the target revealed...
69012
An unbelievable number for a mere 1000 mana.