A Clash of Strategies
The bracelet was truly a riot of vibrant, colorful designs. A bright pink base covered in cute little rabbits that looked like they were hopping and playing everywhere. Even the material was cheap plastic rather than metal, suggesting it had probably been picked up for around a thousand shillings at a nearby stationery store. After all, this wasn't a real match that required actual magic tools—just something that could be worn on the wrist would do. Still, this excessively adorable design made even Arina, a girl herself, feel a bit self-conscious about putting it on her wrist.
I guess I have to wear it anyway.
She couldn't exactly refuse just because it looked childish. The match had to start one way or another. With that thought in mind, Arina slipped the pink bracelet onto her left wrist, just below the Mana Restriction Cuffs already there. The emerald turtle keychain dangling from the cuffs clashed with the rabbit illustrations on the bracelet, forcibly bringing to mind the fairy tale of the tortoise and the hare.
It's cute today too, as always.
Jeon watched her from the side with an intense, unwavering gaze. Even the sight of her wearing that cutesy pink bracelet was endlessly adorable. He really could stare at her all day without getting tired. Though they'd grown quite close lately and his former stiffness had mostly disappeared, once he started looking at her like this, it became incredibly difficult to look away.
"……!"
Whenever she occasionally felt his stare and their eyes met, he would turn bright red and whip his head away. Arina would then tilt her head in confusion, repeating the cycle. He had improved a lot compared to before, but his awkwardness in front of the girl he liked remained completely unchanged.
It's funny every single time.
Jeon's usual image of someone who could do everything perfectly made these moments feel fresh and amusing. After shooting a sharp glare at Togun, who was snickering to himself, Jeon cleared his throat with a loud "ahem" and gathered the children together.
"Before we begin, let's quickly go over our strategy."
Just as Marily had noticed, Jeon had already figured out Professor Karlsen's intentions long ago. Today's match was designed to make them truly feel the gap between themselves and their opponents.
But I have no intention of simply losing.
Even if they lost, he wanted to etch deeply into their opponents' minds exactly who they were facing. That was why they would clash with everything they had.
To be honest, Togun would probably be the most suitable captain.
The Magic Rejection curse. That damned trait would partially nullify not only the curses Professor Karlsen was about to cast but also the effects of the magic tools used in the actual Academy Tournament. While complete immunity was impossible, he wouldn't be left completely blind like the other captains. He would still be able to secure some faint vision, which was clearly an advantage over the other teams.
Nevertheless, both Jeon and Marily had firmly decided to forgo that advantage. There were several reasons. The first was that Togun, who couldn't handle mana, had no way to defend against other mages' attacks. Since he wasn't a martial artist who could spread his senses wide to detect incoming strikes in advance, he was far too vulnerable to surprise attacks. If he could carry the Masao family's heirloom at all times, that weakness might be covered, but that wasn't possible right now.
The second reason stemmed from the first: the best way to utilize Togun as their joker was to free him from the constraints of the captain role and let him operate with complete liberty. And the final reason was...
While we do plan to give it our all, there's no need to reveal every single one of our cards right from the start.
Even at this very moment, Togun was growing stronger in real time. Though he couldn't handle mana, the Masao family's long-accumulated genetic durability had elevated his physical capabilities far beyond those of an ordinary person. And thanks to Jealousy's daily training that pushed him beyond his limits, that threshold kept rising at an astonishing rate—almost as if his body simply refused to collapse.
His current skill level was enough to guarantee victory against a 2-star martial artist even without the family heirloom. With good luck, he could even aim for a 3-star opponent. There are limits to training without mana, of course. Still, it was clear that Togun was approaching those limits. If he reached them, the drawbacks of the magic tools used on the day of the tournament might become completely meaningless to him. After all, a perfected body meant that one of its core functions—sensory ability—would be refined to a level comparable to that of a martial artist.
There was no reason to reveal their hidden ace in an incomplete state and put the other side on guard. That was why Arina Grant had been chosen as their captain instead of Togun. Having learned alchemy, she could protect herself by covering her surroundings with magic circles even if she couldn't see, unlike Togun. And most importantly, if she was the captain, Jeon was confident he could protect her with his life.
"The opposing captain is probably one of the two besides the student council president."
Losing one's vision was an enormous handicap. After all, sight was the sense that delivered the most information to the brain out of all five. That was why most students participating in this match didn't place their team's ace in the captain position.
"Let's save the unconventional tactics for the actual tournament day and go with the standard approach today."
The word "standard" meant a method with few weaknesses—one that many others would adopt. In this match, the standard strategy involved placing one teammate beside their own captain to guard them while freeing the other as an attacker to target the enemy captain. Aaron Dice, the person their opponents would need to watch most carefully, would likely participate as either a defender or an attacker.
"Togun. You'll take the offensive."
Aaron Dice was a mage who had reached the peak of 4-star. If he committed fully to defense, there was no way Jeon—who had only just reached 3-star—could break through, no matter how hard he tried. The only one here with any chance of piercing Aaron Dice's defense was Togun Masao alone. Knowing this, Togun simply nodded silently at Jeon's words.
"Don't rush or get impatient. Take your time and look for an opening."
It was only a possibility, and an extremely slim one at that. For this team to win, Togun's role was the most decisive and crucial.
"Don't worry about anything here. No matter what it takes, we'll protect Arina until you succeed."
Blocking a 4-star mage's attacks was just as close to impossible as breaking through their defense. If Aaron Dice came at them with offense instead of defense, it would be nothing short of a disaster for their side. Even so, Jeon declared it boldly to Togun. This was partly to reassure him, but at the same time, it was a vow to himself.
"...Understood."
We believe you will definitely destroy the enemy team's bracelet. So trust in us too, and fight with peace of mind.
Feeling the deep trust in Jeon's words, Togun gripped the handle of the sword that Professor Karlsen had prepared for him to use during the tournament. It was a replacement for the Masao family's heirloom, which he couldn't use for long periods.
"Looks like the other side is just about ready too."
Though the obstacle blocked their view of the opposing team, they could see Professor Karlsen spinning his left hand vigorously up on the distant hill. Realizing that the other team had finished their preparations, Aaron turned to face his teammates.
"How about it? Should we start right away? Or is there anything else you need to do?"
His question, which sounded like he was asking if anyone needed to use the bathroom, prompted Baraki—who was perched on a large rock—to shake his head.
"No. I'm fine starting immediately."
"What about you, Sylvia?"
"I'm good too."
At Aaron's words, Sylvia closed the game she had been playing and slipped her smartphone into her pocket.
"I'd actually prefer to start as soon as possible."
She then clenched her raised fist and grinned, a twisted smile filled with some inexplicable irritation. Aaron broke into an awkward laugh, a bead of cold sweat trickling down his face.
"You're still holding onto that?"
"Of course I am."
She could never forget it. The shock she had felt returning to the student council room after finishing a busy task, drenched in sweat. The terror of discovering that the cola she had left chilling in the refrigerator—the one thing that had kept her going all day—had vanished.
"I told you I gave it to Professor Karlsen and apologized, didn't I?"
He had even bought her a two-liter bottle the next day to make up for it.
"If it weren't for those kids in the first place, Professor Karlsen wouldn't have had any reason to come to the student council room."
"That's a fallacy."
"Fallacy or not."
As if to say not to try stopping her, Sylvia let out a powerful snort.
"Just watch. I'll show them the full dignity of a senior."
Well, she didn't have any malicious intent, and a bit of motivation like this would actually be helpful, so Aaron decided not to try talking her out of it.
After all, what she wants is exactly what Professor Karlsen wants too.
Like Marily and Jeon, he knew why he had been called here. That was precisely why he had willingly set aside time for his juniors. He could only hope this mock match would prove greatly beneficial to them.
"So, what kind of strategy are we going with?"
Since this wasn't a multi-team free-for-all, there was no need to stick strictly to standard tactics. They could go for irregular builds—like having all three focus on offense or all three commit to defense.
"But that wouldn't help us practice for the actual tournament."
At Sylvia's remark, Aaron let out a small chuckle and shook his head.
"They'll probably use the standard approach. This is their first team match, and they wouldn't have had enough time to come up with irregular strategies anyway."
They were likely trying to properly gauge their basic abilities. For the sake of a future beyond today. In that case, what could they do for those juniors?
"Then let's go with something unconventional that shatters the standard."
Sylvia widened her eyes in slight surprise at Aaron's words.
"You're really going to use that? Wasn't that something we prepared for the actual tournament day? Is there any need to reveal our strategy like this?"
"It's fine. It's a strategy that doesn't really matter even if they know it. And there's no better way to give our juniors a bigger shock than this."
It was the perfect way to show them that not only the standard approach but also this kind of method could be used in this match, as long as one's skill allowed it. With those words, Aaron accepted the pink bracelet decorated with a cute rabbit design from Sylvia.
"Let's follow the plan. Just like we always have."
And without the slightest hesitation, he fastened it around his right wrist. This completely denied Jeon's assumption that Aaron Dice would take either an offensive or defensive role. It was as if he were declaring that he would be this team's leader no matter what match they played.
"Alright then, let's all go. Time to give our cute juniors a little surprise."
The Divine Rule of Professor Karlsen the dark mage's Inner World—Mansang-maengdok. Invisible toxic particles scattered finely through the air around Arina and Aaron, the designated leaders of each team. The neurotoxin, inhaled into the lungs, rapidly traveled through the bloodstream to the brain, temporarily blocking visual input.
All visual information was severed in an instant, plunging everything before their eyes into pitch-black darkness. An ordinary person might have felt instinctive terror at the sight of absolutely nothing, but in Aaron Dice's heart, there was only pure delight at the thought of teasing his juniors.
"He's really hopeless."
Sylvia and Baraki shrugged their shoulders and followed behind him.
"Now then, since both sides appear ready, we will begin the mock captain-capturing match!"
And with Professor Karlsen's voice carried across the entire Inner World on the waves of otherworldly mana, their first mock match finally began.