170. Get the Strongest One First
170. Get the Strongest One First
"This should be fine now, shouldn't it?"
"Yes, your veil is working properly."
Bishop spoke quietly as he watched Carmel fidget restlessly.
Saintess Carmel had covered her entire body with a nun's habit and further concealed her face with a veil.
Since the duel—which had become the highlight of the final exam—had invited not only Master Hulan but also Carmel, they checked her attire one last time before entering the Circular Arena.
Walking around openly in front of so many people could cause a major incident, so they had taken several precautions.
The first was her formal ceremonial robe, which she had brought to the academy.
The Saintess's ceremonial robe, the one she usually wore in the Holy See, had a built-in function to suppress the divine talent bestowed upon her to some extent.
But wearing that alone would be the same as announcing she was the Saintess, so she wore a nun's habit over it and hid her proud pink hair.
The last measure was the veil.
The veil covering her face was newly crafted by Bishop, possessing the power to further block her power.
With three layers of precaution and Bishop as her escort, it should now be safe to enter the swarming Circular Arena.
Bishop, who had been scanning the Circular Arena, frowned stiffly as he watched the students flocking around the arena.
"Though they say safety is the top priority, it's not exactly pleasant to see students engaging in what looks like a gladiatorial match."
No matter how safety-conscious the exam was supposed to be, he didn't seem comfortable watching students in their prime wielding live weapons.
Considering the format had already been changed from original 1-on-1 matches to something more picturesque, he couldn't feel at ease.
"Then just tell the Headmaster you have deep concerns."
"Didn't we agree not to interfere deeply in the academy's policies anymore?"
"I know, I was just saying."
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A spell had been cast on the academy's arena to automatically eject participants once they received a certain amount of damage and reached the point of elimination.
Trusting in that, everyone brought not wooden training swords, but live, combat-ready weapons.
If the magic worked properly, no major accidents would occur.
My goal for today was as follows:
I would do moderately well and get out at a moderate time.
There was no need to take first place, nor any reason to block the path of others.
Getting first place at the academy didn't grant anything special anyway.
At best, they might write me a recommendation letter for the Imperial Knights.
I wasn't sure if our Director would give me a parachute just because I got first place in swordsmanship at the academy, though.
"...Atlas, I'm going to try hard."
She had equipped a two-handed sword, the same as always, along with comfortable clothes for moving.
"If you try too hard, I'll feel sorry for the other students."
"...But I was taught to try hard in everything."
"You've got a point there."
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"Atlas, you came early?"
"Ugh, I think I'm nervous."
Amy came together with Liber.
Liber looked uncharacteristically tense, with a poor complexion.
"Are you okay?"
"For a test, I think I'm fine... but I feel sick inside..."
"Let's finish quickly and rest."
"Yeah..."
Things looked like they might get a bit rough, so I was worried, given her condition.
After taking a deep breath, she seemed to improve a little.
"I brought this again today."
Amy grinned and showed off her sword.
It was the mithril alloy steel sword I had bought her during the last Hunting Festival.
"I'm glad you're using it well. It suits you, right?"
"I couldn't use it properly during the Hunting Festival because of the demons, but I've been using it well since then."
"Seriously, she adores it."
"Let's all do well today. Since it's the last test of the semester, it'd be nice to get good results."
I smiled as I subtly scanned the surroundings.
Though it was the grand finale duel of the final practical exam, only a few members of the Newspaper Club had come, and there weren't many people besides the students taking the exam.
The tests weren't over yet, so students from other grades or those taking exams in other subjects would still be in the main building right now.
People who came all the way here to spectate with nothing better to do were probably faculty members or students who had finished with just submitting a report.
I could feel everyone's glances flicking toward me.
None of them would want to duel Nuna Lucia.
Still, perhaps because they had learned a lot during this semester, there was murmuring, but no one directly insulted me or anything.
This was the result of consistently beating the crap out of those bastards while walking through the hallways.
"Look, the matchups are coming up."
As we gathered, the names of the students who would take the test first appeared on the electronic board.
It was said to be split into a total of four rounds, which meant that effectively the number of students from one class would participate per round.
Though the actual number of students was larger, there were students in completely non-combat tracks who didn't take this course, so four rounds seemed sufficient.
"In the first round... hmm, Albion is in there?"
Among the many students' names, the most conspicuous was Zeke Albion.
"Wouldn't Albion just end up as the last one standing in this?"
"Barring any upsets, probably."
As a 5th-circle elemental mage, he held an immense advantage in battles like this.
If he placed tactical temporary defense units... no, tanks from his own class in front of him and properly prepared a single spell, in a place like the Circular Arena where there was nowhere to run, he could become the master of the battlefield.
Since the arena wasn't divided into zones but unified into one, the arena wasn't small, but it wasn't incredibly large either.
A 5th-circle elemental mage could potentially use a spell capable of filling the entire arena.
Since placements were random, there weren't that many people from his class, but assuming they would move as a single team from the start, it was threatening.
"He didn't just learn magic and stop there. He's also mastered combat techniques based on standing on the battlefield, so he'll have something to rely on even if he ends up in a 1-on-1 situation."
"There's nothing to do even if we stay here. Let's go up."
It was too uncomfortable having all these people in the waiting room, so we decided to stay in the spectator seats until our turn came.
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Earlier, I had gone into the VIP room assigned in front of Lucia's with her, then briefly stepped out due to a restroom issue.
I was about to finish up and go back in, but as soon as I stepped out of the restroom, someone rushed out and hugged me tightly.
A soft, cushioned sensation pressed against my face.
Since it happened right as I stepped out the door, I was dumbfounded.
"Atlas! Meeting you in a place like this!"
Even though I couldn't see her face well, I could tell from her voice, her actions, and various other things.
It was Saintess Carmel.
Meeting in a place like this... you were clearly waiting right in front of the door, weren't you?
"You've really layered up since I last saw you. Aren't you hot?"
"If I release it here, an immense incident will occur. Can you handle it?"
"You have a point. Good job."
She hadn't done this when wandering around secluded places, but today, since she was going somewhere with a lot of people, she had bundled up immensely.
With the nun's habit and the veil, I couldn't even see her face.
"Hmm, now that I think about it..."
Knowing my gaze, the Saintess looked down at me and slightly lifted her veil.
Between the thin cloth, I glimpsed skin like white jade.
"How is it? A bit mysterious?"
"Wearing that, you look like an armadillo beastman."
"That's too mean!"
"Whatever. You have an escort today, right?"
"Yes, Bishop-nim is protecting me."
"Which means he's not here now, right? I'll escort you back to your seat."
If I sent her alone, it felt like she would cause some kind of accident.
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"Has it not started yet?"
"It will start soon."
Just as predicted before it began, Zeke Albion stood in one corner with his back against the wall, while students from his class surrounded and protected his front, forming a defensive formation.
If Albion used his magic properly in that state, it was clear he intended to sweep away all the other students except his guards in a single strike, and then settle things among themselves appropriately.
The fact that he only needed to worry about what was in front of him by pushing himself into a corner was an immense advantage.
-Then, the first test... begin!!
"Huh?"
As soon as it started, all attacks were launched simultaneously toward Albion.
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The magic Zeke Albion had learned was for war and combat.
He had mastered it not as a scholarly pursuit to approach the world's truths by scribbling formulas at a desk and conducting experiments, but as a means of violence to crush enemies and protect his own property.
A brutal living weapon that mechanically unleashed stable sorcery, verified multiple times—that was Zeke Albion.
Therefore, he had never once harbored complaints about this course's test format, which had changed twice now.
It was just as he had said when the changes were made: if you worked hard normally, there would be no problem.
When they did the basic physical fitness test, he had trained his stamina often, so there was no problem at all.
In the end, mages also needed stamina to use magic reliably.
A sound mind dwells in a sound body, after all.
And then, when it was changed to 1-on-1 duels, that was also fine.
He had already learned how to duel one-on-one extensively since childhood.
Generally, Experts with far superior physical abilities and faster reaction speeds than mages held the advantage, but for mages like Albion who had trained for combat from the beginning, it was a winnable fight.
Finally, when it was changed to a battle royale, it was even better.
1-versus-many was actually more advantageous for mages than 1-on-1.
Because they could take everyone down with a single attack.
On top of that, the test venue was the Circular Arena?
Unlike the Special Arena, the arena's width had limits.
It was a space he could fill entirely with his magic.
But the plan did not go well.
"Everyone, charge!!!"
Because as soon as the test started, one person shouted, and all the other students rushed at him simultaneously.
"B-Block them!!"
"Do you think you'll be safe after doing this?!"
"You guys were all on the same team before it even started!!"
He had expected to be targeted.
Albion thought he would have done the same if he were in the opposing position.
But the number was beyond expectations.
As if the other students had also devised a plan to attack him in unison, just like he had made his plan before the test even started.
No, it didn't seem like every single student was on one team, but many were swept up in the momentum and joined along.
"Albion-nim!! We can't hold out for long!!"
"I know that!!"
If only the magic he was preparing would manifest, he could sweep them all away, but it just wouldn't work.
-Jijijik!! Jijijik!!
'Damn it!! Someone's using Dispel!!'
Static kept interfering, and his magic was being disrupted.
But it wasn't a very strong Dispel.
If he could just buy a few more seconds, he could manifest the magic immediately.
"Albion-nim!!!"
"It's ready!!"
A crystal of magical power, swirling with a blizzard, formed in his hand.
"It's complete!! Now...!"
"It's already too late, young master."
A black-hued dagger flew in.
He had no intention of dodging or blocking it.
The damage would be absorbed by the magic cast on the arena, so there would be no injury, and once his magic manifested, it would all blow away and be over.
He chose to manifest the magic like this.
-Pakin!
But the magic never manifested.
The crystal of magical power dispersed futilely.
The black dagger was lodged in the blizzard crystal.
They hadn't aimed to stab Albion from the start. They had been targeting the magic he was creating in his hand.
'Teeth of the Void...?! How do bastards like these have such an expensive Dispel artifact...!!'
The low-level Dispel had truly been just to buy time.
It was meant to buy enough time for the person holding the artifact to push right up to his face.
"This... Damn it!! Everyone, get down!!"
Its components shattered and thrown into disarray, the magic expanded rapidly.
The Teeth of the Void couldn't erase the nearly completed magic but merely broke it enough to prevent manifestation.
As a result, the condensed cold energy exploded from the broken hole.
"Uwaaagh?!"
"Aaaagh???"
Indiscriminately, friend or foe, the students clustered together were swept up by the violently exploding cold energy and all fell flat on their faces.
"Haa... haa... Ice Arrow!"
Zeke Albion had also fallen, but having foreseen the cold explosion, he quickly steadied himself, got back up, and swiftly cast magic at the students who had pushed right up to him.
Even though his carefully prepared trump card for a comeback had collapsed, he did not stop or give up.
A few people who were already collapsed were hit by Albion's ice arrows and eliminated.
Things had gone seriously wrong, but he thought the situation had improved because even though the magic hadn't manifested, it had still exploded.
"Kuk?!"
A sharp sensation rang through the back of his head.
Albion felt the arena's sorcery, which had been protecting his body, activate.
Albion, the most likely candidate to be the last one standing in this round, was eliminated less than three minutes after the test started.
Still, about half the students remained in the arena.
"Now... we've taken down the common enemy, so shall we try it amongst ourselves?"
"Hehe, that sounds good."
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Watching Albion get eliminated shortly after it started, my mouth dropped open.
"This situation is getting pretty interesting, huh?"
The underdog's rebellion always made the heart race.