Chapter 67
Chapter 67
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 67
Chapter Title: Volume 14 - It's Me First (1)
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◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "No way, why are there so many people gathered here?"
"...Beats me."
Yuria had spent the entire week focusing solely on magic practice, and now Friday had arrived—the day we'd promised. She showed up at the meeting spot with me.
But for some reason, a massive crowd had gathered at the magic training hall. I had no idea where the info had leaked from, but it left me a bit flustered.
This wasn't some official tournament or anything, so why had so many people shown up?
'This is just going to make things even more worrying.'
Having to duel in front of that many people would put way too much pressure on Rozaria.
If she lost, it would mean the genius who'd always been hailed as such had been beaten by some no-name first-year.
It didn't seem like Yuria's doing, so maybe the student council—who'd approved the venue—had assumed Rozaria would win easily and spread the word?
Either way, no matter the outcome, things were about to get messy.
If Rozaria won, Yuria would have to leave the club, per our bet.
Recruiting a new member would be awkward, and since Yuria and I had gotten close lately, it left a complicated feeling in my chest all around.
That's why I'd been rooting for Yuria to win—though the bet only required Rozaria to acknowledge her if she did.
To keep things as similar to the status quo as possible, despite the low odds, I'd hoped Yuria would pull off the upset.
But now, even if Yuria won, Rozaria would face immense backlash, creating risks that hadn't existed before.
'And most of them are second-years...'
People love tearing down those at the top. Bad stories spread like wildfire when someone high up falls.
It's because being on top makes you a target for envy and jealousy in the first place.
They don't touch you only because you're untouchable.
The moment you look weak, humans pounce like predators.
If I'd been certain Rozaria would win, I wouldn't have worried.
But after seeing Yuria's recent practice, that confidence had crumbled.
If Rozaria had scouted Yuria's training ahead of time, she might have won, but that wasn't possible. She'd have to face it cold and adapt on the fly.
No way that was easy.
"Before we begin the magic mock battle, allow me to explain the rules."
From what I'd studied after learning about this duel between Rozaria and Yuria...
Magic mock battles felt vastly different from swordsmanship duels.
It was almost like real-time turn-based combat.
You traded offensive and defensive turns.
The attacker had a long window to cast a powerful spell, while the defender watched the magic circle forming and only started countering midway through.
If you took too much damage, you lost.
'Which is why Yuria has the edge.'
The challenger—usually seen as the weaker side—got first strike.
Meaning Yuria would attack first this time.
And Yuria's spells were tough to dodge or block on a first sight.
Of course that gave her a huge advantage.
Even though she lagged in experience and raw power, that's exactly why I'd rated her chances so high.
Sigh. Damned if you do, damned if you don't. Nothing good either way. My heart ached.
If I jumped in now to stop it, rumors would spread that the mock battle was really about me, making things even worse.
All I could do was watch and accept the results.
"Given the grade difference, for fairness, we'll limit magic runes to only those from the entrance exam."
With all announcements done, Yuria and Rozaria took their positions.
Professors and instructors stood by for safety, and a timer appeared for the match.
"Attacker, challenger Yuria—prepare."
"Yes."
"Defender, Rozaria de Magius—prepare."
"Ready."
The attacker—Yuria—got a full minute to draw her magic circle.
The defender—Rozaria—could start hers after 30 seconds, drawing for the remaining 30.
You alternated offense and defense, minimizing damage as best you could. That was the basics of a magic mock battle.
'No dodging by moving like in sword fights. You had to counter spell with spell.'
Honestly, this was just tradition. It didn't truly measure magical prowess.
It was more like a sport using magic than a skill test.
Though it did correlate somewhat, so they used it as a benchmark.
Hmm, sports manga could be fun to draw. A whole series based on magic mock battles might be pretty cool...
"What the heck is that...?"
A bewildered voice rose from the crowd.
And the reason was obvious: Yuria drawing her offensive magic circle.
It was impossibly neat for a first-year, leaving them stunned.
Rozaria stayed equally calm as she began countering after 30 seconds.
But the issue with Yuria's circle wasn't something you could grasp in 30 seconds.
More precisely, the problem was that Rozaria didn't realize she couldn't grasp it—and had already started drawing hers.
"Insane...?"
"Is that even possible?"
Yuria's circle had far more lines than expected. It used a partitioning function to isolate sections.
There were bizarre empty gaps between lines, devoid of runes—reserved space for Yuria to draw final connections.
Just adding lines there could scrap parts of the spell, completely altering it.
'When 5 seconds remain.'
Yuria reverse-engineered Rozaria's circle.
And completed a perfect counter in those last 5 seconds.
No matter the power gap, a flawless counter like that was unbeatable.
The second-years gasped the moment Yuria finished.
It made sense—they knew even Yuria, a genius at on-the-fly circles, had hammered that one design for days to perfect it.
Fwaaah!
A brilliant flash erupted, followed by crackling lightning pouring from the circle and slamming into Rozaria's barrier.
She'd prepared a water defense expecting fire, but it turned to lightning. No counter possible.
The bolt struck Rozaria directly.
"Kyaaaaah!"
"Rozaria...!"
"Ugh, urk?"
"Rozaria de Magius has reached her damage limit! Mock battle over! Winner: Yuria!"
Honestly, if Rozaria had anticipated this and layered a neutral barrier, or drawn a larger circle for more power, she'd have taken damage but not lost instantly.
She'd gone for a precise counter in a compact circle for perfect defense—and it backfired.
"Haa..."
Rozaria, soaked from her own failed water barrier, stared at the ground as she slowly left the training hall.
The crowd buzzed in shock at her one-shot defeat.
Yuria flashed a V-sign like she'd nailed it, but seeing Rozaria trudge away like a drowned rat left her conflicted.
I rushed to comfort Rozaria, but she shoved me off with wet hands and headed back to the dorm alone.
I spent the night sleepless, unsure what to say.
Every time I tried to sleep, her defeated figure haunted me.
"Kali? No breakfast?"
"...Nah."
I'd barely slept and skipped meals, so Nia kept checking on me worriedly.
I couldn't keep making excuses through dinner, so she dragged me out.
I ate because I was hungry, but it all tasted like nothing.
"Junior Kali?"
"...Senior Whiria?"
It was Whiria de Hurio, the senior from the student council who'd helped guide us on our first day.
"Come with me a sec. Oh, stay here, Junior Nia. This is just for Kali."
"Got it."
Whiria half-dragged me along, then grabbed my collar with surprising strength for her small frame.
She clearly knew what was up, so I didn't resist.
Come to think of it, she was a fan of that 'Pink Diary' Rozaria drew based on us.
"You probably didn't know, but I'm Rozaria's roommate."
"Ah...?"
"She went into the bathroom last night to shower... and hasn't come out."
"......"
"I get the gist of what happened, and I'm not one to judge. But... you're the only one who can get her out."
She wasn't just skipping meals—she was holed up ignoring even her roommate's comfort.
Whiria handed me the dorm key, told me to handle it, and said she'd crash elsewhere. She urged me to stay until morning and bring back the old Rozaria.
"This is all I can do for her."
"...Thank you."
"Save the thanks for her. Now go."
I abandoned my half-eaten meal and raced to Rozaria.
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