CHAPTER 123
CHAPTER 123
What kind of ball game has a kill mark?!
In this Dunais Academy where heirs of powerful noble houses gather, they hadn’t been planning to spend money in such a way, but it seemed Sendia had boasted to her parents that she would be participating in the Wizard Ball.
“Knew the gentry class had money these days, but this is something else… Still, with the Elf Queen and even the Captain of the Royal Guard here, the return in publicity will easily exceed the advertising cost.”
Karl, impressed by that level of spending, made his way to the batter’s box.
[Leading batter, Karl Gustav der Ochsbach! Prince Karl of Ochsbach has stepped up to the plate!]
[Ah, player Karl is taking a left-handed stance.]
[Come to think of it, commentator, aren’t the students of Gymnasium 461 Swordsmanship Academy known for their tactics that fuse magic and aura? However, the Gustav royal family is famous as a house of martial artists specializing in the formless sword.]
[Even if he hasn’t reached the level of manifesting the formless sword, Prince Karl is surely quite skilled. Moreover, having entered Dunais Academy, he must also be proficient in magic… I wonder what Gymnasium 461 Swordsmanship Academy will do here… Ah, the first pitch is thrown.]
The ball thrown by the pitcher flew toward Karl’s eyes before curving and entering the strike zone. It was a pitch that threatened the batter to induce a strike, moving horizontally like what on Earth would be called a sweeper.
But Karl did not even blink. Gripping the bat like a sword, he swung.
“Hmm, still a swordsmanship stance.”
Idnia watched this and felt puzzled.
Baseball on Earth is, of course, different from swordsmanship.
Swordsmanship does not have a follow-through swing.
When the target is struck, the motion stops immediately; swinging broadly beyond the target only exposes openings if the opponent evades.
In contrast, baseball uses a full swing, and even after contact, the bat continues its rotation to maximize power through follow-through.
This is because the ball must be driven to increase distance.
In other words, if one swings a bat using a swordsmanship style that does not drive the ball, it results in a weak contact hitter with no power.
However…
Swish!
Karl’s bat cut through empty air.
The ball that had been traveling as a sweeper suddenly stopped midair and then came back in.
[Oh, that’s a stoppable ball. It beautifully stole the timing.]
[Haha. Wizard Ball enthusiasts all know this, but since it’s early in the season, could you explain it for newcomers, commentator?]
[Yes. A stoppable ball is literally a pitch that decelerates in midair and then comes back in.
It steals the batter’s timing, but if it comes to a complete stop, it is ruled an illegal pitch.
Moreover, if it doesn’t have sufficient speed from the initial throw, the time it takes to read it increases, reducing its effectiveness.
So although the principle seems simple, the stoppable ball consumes quite a bit of mana. However, Gymnasium 461 implements it using both aura and mana, reducing mana consumption by combining the two resources. A pitch that fast entering as a stoppable ball would likely be disorienting even in the professional league.]
In summary, although simple in concept, the Gymnasium uses aura to realize a mana-intensive pitch with less mana. It was a pitch that could even hold up in the professional leagues.
Idnia was also astonished upon seeing the stoppable ball.
“If something like that were thrown on Earth, no one would be able to hit it. That’s incredible.”
Although she wasn’t well-versed in baseball, a pitch with such drastic changes in trajectory could not possibly be hit by a human without magic.
And if such a thing was possible, wouldn’t the reverse also be possible?
At that moment, the pitcher threw the second pitch.
Whoosh!
This time, the ball accelerated partway through its flight.
Karl swung and missed again.
[Ah, two strikes! Prince Karl is quickly down two strikes.]
[Hmm, he does seem like a beginner at Wizard Ball. No matter how talented one is in magic and aura, if they are not accustomed to Wizard Ball itself, they’ll struggle. This is that kind of sport. Without knowing how to respond to the stoppable ball and the acceleration ball—the two types of variable pitches that control tempo—there’s no choice but to be overwhelmed.]
[Ah, despite being regarded as a dark horse, Dunais Academy is now facing the risk of its first batter striking out on three pitches. The betting odds are shifting rapidly.]
Murmurs spread even in the VIP seats where the visiting elves were seated.
“Hah. What’s this? We were worried when we heard someone from the Gustav royal family was playing, but he’s nothing special, is he?”
“Completely a beginner. A total beginner.”
The players from the swordsmanship academy revered and feared the Gustav royal family, known for the formless sword, and the Kache royal family, known for the Overlord techniques.
Any martial artist of the Sacred Eldar Empire could not help but respect those two houses.
But seeing Karl of the Gustav royal family perform like a novice, they all felt relieved and gained confidence in their own abilities.
“Let’s get a clean three-pitch strikeout!”
“Let’s go!”
The players in the dugout cheered as well.
However, the pitcher from Gymnasium 461 Swordsmanship Academy thought differently.
“From his bat swing, it seems he’s read the trajectory properly.
In that case, it’s better to take one pitch off. Getting a strikeout from the first batter would be good for momentum, but if I throw a bait pitch here, I feel like he’ll bite.”
So the pitcher threw a third pitch—a stoppable ball aimed low and outside. It was a deceptive pitch that pretended to enter the strike zone but broke outward.
But…
Thwack!
At that moment, light burst from Karl’s bat, tracing a trajectory like a flash. The light extended beyond the length of the bat, effectively lengthening it.
As a result, the elongated bat met the ball before its speed could change and struck it.
The swing itself was concise, but with the bat extended, the speed at the moment of impact was tremendous.
“Eh?!”
The pitcher reflexively raised his left hand, and the ball was drawn straight into his glove. It was less that he was trying to catch it and more that, startled by the ball flying toward him, he moved defensively and happened to intercept it with his glove.
Crack!
The glove burst, accompanied by a grotesque sound.
“…Batter out!”
The umpire called it, but cold sweat poured down the pitcher’s face like rain.
[Ah, Prince Karl is out at his first at-bat! But this is…]
Blood dripped from the pitcher’s glove.
[Ah! Injury! It’s an injury!]
[The pitcher’s condition is not good. He’s even bleeding. Will a kill mark appear? Healing magic is being used, but… ah… the Gymnasium manager is announcing a substitution.
They’re replacing the left fielder with the pitcher.]
[Kill mark! A kill mark has appeared on the first at-bat! As expected of Ochsbach! As expected of Gustav! He’s strong!]
The pitcher who faced Karl’s hit had his hand shattered, and even with mana spent on healing magic, he was no longer in a condition to catch the ball.
As a result, Gymnasium 461 Swordsmanship Academy had to replace the pitcher with the left fielder.
In Wizard Ball, the game must proceed strictly with the initial nine-man roster, so rather than removing the injured pitcher, they moved him to left field, where defensive burden is lighter.
In the end, Karl had traded one out for the opposing pitcher.
That was by no means a loss. Rather, it marked the first step toward victory.
“So this is Wizard Ball. A barbaric sport like this is the most popular in the world… I’m worried about the common sense of this world.”
Idnia, now fully aware of the differences between Wizard Ball and baseball, felt relieved that such a sport did not exist on Earth.
“This must be why nobles and wealthy families avoid Wizard Ball.”
At the same time, it was a scene that made her deeply understand why Dunais Academy had struggled to recruit Wizard Ball players.
[As expected, worthy of its reputation! A powerful hit befitting the direct descendant of the Gustav royal family. Prince Karl strikes down the opposing team’s starting pitcher at his first at-bat! Next up in Dunais Academy’s offense, second batter Rudolf Rosenbaum der Kaliestra! His Highness Crown Prince Rudolf has stepped up!]
[Ah, the stadium is erupting with cheers.]
The temporary stadium located along the riverbank was packed with spectators seated on embankments built to withstand flooding during heavy rain. They cheered in delight.
Flower petals fluttered and fireworks exploded, demonstrating how strongly the Kaliestra Imperial House was supported by the populace.
[Ah, this is truly putting pressure on the Gymnasium side. The crowd support is overwhelming.]
[Yes, on the other hand, His Highness the Crown Prince appears composed.]
Crown Prince Rudolf smiled as he listened to the live commentary.
But inside, he was somewhat irritated.
“Honestly, this is quite a burden for me too… With so many spectators cheering for me…”
Rudolf gripped his bat and prepared his spell.
“It makes me worry about not living up to expectations.”
Rudolf swung. The Gymnasium 461 pitcher who had taken the mound in place of the starter threw a decent pitch, but he was still not on the level of the starting pitcher.
“A clean hit! As expected of His Highness the Crown Prince!”
The announcer, who was supposed to remain neutral, now sounded almost like an extreme patriot waving a national flag.
In Earth terms, it could have been a triple, but in Wizard Ball, the fielders used magic to draw the ball in quickly, so Rudolf had to stop at first base.
The third batter was Lorenzo.
He cleverly sent the ball over the third baseman’s head toward left field.
The left fielder at the moment was the starting pitcher who had been injured by Karl’s hit, and unable to handle an easy play, he struggled as Lorenzo reached second base and Rudolf advanced home.
[Ah, Gymnasium 461 is no match. This is the true strength of Dunais Academy’s first team, the power of the Elector Houses that lead the Sacred Eldar Empire!]
At this point, one might suspect the announcer had been dispatched from some national propaganda bureau.
Watching this with cold eyes were the elves.
“The Daughter of Blooming Spring”
Queen Chun-ja observed the game with a cold gaze and asked her younger brother, the Captain of the Royal Guard, “The One Who Marks the End.”
“What do you think, Captain of the Royal Guard?”
“They are certainly not a team that belongs in the fourth division.
They have considerable skill, but from a professional standpoint, it’s almost painful to watch.”
“And yet that Vreumhyde wagered his life on them.”
For the elves, Vreumhyde was a sworn enemy, the tyrant of Lancaster and the calamity of Albion—a vile Dragon Lord they had long sought to eliminate.
Yet when it was impossible to subdue Vreumhyde by force, he surprisingly placed his own head on the line under a single condition.
At a council convened at the request of the demons, he would support the faculty council.
In return, they would settle the matter through a Wizard Ball match.
If the elves won the match, Vreumhyde would hand over the right to determine his life and death.
If the Wizard Ball team led by Vreumhyde won, the elves would continue to support the faculty council for another five years.
For Vreumhyde to wager his life, the terms were surprisingly bold.
Even asking for a council card would have been a decision worth serious consideration, yet only five years of support?
“I thought he must be confident enough to demand something like the world’s strongest team.
And yet he bet his life on a level like a second division team?
Perhaps the time he spent at Dunais Academy was so agonizing that he wished for death?”
From the elf queen’s perspective, this seemed no different from Vreumhyde seeking his own death.