Chapter 183: The Grand Festival (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 183: The Grand Festival (4)
❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱ 「Act 8, Chapter 1: The Grand Festival」
Players were given the freedom to choose from various sporting events. Depending on their choice, different scenarios would unfold, ensuring they could always participate in the sport they preferred.
Regardless of the chosen scenario, players could enjoy various mini-games themed around the Grand Festival’s athletic events. I remembered having quite a bit of fun with them back in the day.
Among those events, the undisputed highlight of the Grand Festival was the Arcball Race.
Explaining the rules in exhaustive detail would be a headache, so to put it simply: what exactly was the Arcball Race?
It was a relay race where team members passed an Arcball to one another while sprinting across a designated course. The order in which teams reached the finish line determined the rankings.
The Arcball was a fist-sized magical tool packed with volatile lightning mana. To handle it, participants used a unique netless racket—a strange hybrid of a tennis racket and a butterfly net. Physical contact with the ball was strictly forbidden and considered a foul.
Once caught in a racket, the Arcball would be suppressed for two minutes. After that time, it would regain its functionality and attempt to escape. Therefore, constant passing between teammates was essential to keep the Arcball incapacitated and under control.
Amidst the chaotic crowd, I shifted my weight, blending in with the other participants.
"Let’s go!!"
"Everyone, out of the way!!"
"Whoooo!"
In the thick of it, Lisetta Lionheart, the Class A delinquent with the orange ponytail, shoved her way forward. Built like a tank, she didn't lose an inch in the physical scuffle.
Suddenly, in front of the large passage leading out of the stadium, mana began to condense. With a sharp crackle, a ball emitting arcs of electricity flickered into existence.
It was the Arcball.
"It’s here!! The Arcball has spawned!! Who will take the early lead?!!"
Whoosh—!
As if on cue, a female student with light purple hair swept in, expertly scooping up the Arcball with her racket. A swirl of colorful, shimmering stars surrounded her.
"Nihihi."
The 'Goddess' of the academy extended one arm toward the other students, flashing a confident V-sign with her fingers.
Dorothy Heartnova adjusted the witch hat on her head and beamed. The Arcball, now trapped in her racket, sat motionless, suppressed by the crackling lightning mana flowing from the frame.
"Is anyone surprised?! It’s Märchen Academy’s very own celebrity! Player Dorothy Heartnova is the first to secure the Arcball!!"
As the announcer, Amy Holloway, screamed into the mic, a roar of cheers erupted from the stands—mostly from Dorothy’s dedicated fan club. On the track, however, many participants stood dazed or clicked their tongues in frustration.
I, for one, was satisfied.
Dorothy, go ahead and do whatever you want.
With Dorothy in the lead, the participants—myself included—surged through the stadium corridor and headed outdoors. Beyond the passage, glowing mana particles formed a massive, shimmering track that stretched into the distance.
The goal was simple: navigate the track with the Arcball and reach the destination. Each time a team completed a lap, the mana particles would shift, reconfiguring the track into a shorter route. Naturally, the first track was the longest and most grueling.
We sprinted along the glowing path.
"You guys, keep up!" Dorothy shouted.
Even she couldn't afford to simply bolt ahead. If she held the Arcball alone, she would be forced to pass it to a teammate within two minutes. Furthermore, teammates were forbidden from using magic or physical force on one another—a regulation designed to prevent solo carries.
But what about those on opposing teams?
They can beat the hell out of each other.
As long as they were past the 'Safe Line' and didn't completely block the path, participants were permitted to attack competitors with 1 and 2-star magic. It was destined to become a total brawl. Physical contact was also allowed between rivals, provided they didn't resort to grappling, and this rule applied regardless of the Safe Line.
In short: it was all about teamwork.
That was why everyone was currently playing a game of cat and mouse, watching their rivals' every move.
Dorothy’s team strategy was transparent enough that I didn't even need to use [Psychological Insight]. Her sprinting ahead as the vanguard meant her teammates were expected to follow close behind. If her team could maintain possession and stay ahead until they crossed the upcoming Safe Line, the race would swing heavily in her favor.
But the students here weren't fools. They were already irritated that Dorothy had snatched the lead; they weren't about to let her have her way.
Because Dorothy was in the elite Class A, she had been placed in a mixed-class team, meaning her teammates weren't anywhere near her level. Predictably, the other participants began to target the third-year students wearing the same uniform as Dorothy. Dorothy herself was a monster, but her teammates were seen as easy prey.
This was exactly why taking the lead too early was a double-edged sword.
"What should I do...?"
Dorothy, hovering mid-air with her starlight mana, began to sweat as she watched her teammates get bogged down by the strategic interference of the other students. Her distress was palpable.
Then, it happened.
Squeak—!
"Ugh!"
The two-minute limit expired. The lightning mana suppressing the ball faded, and the Arcball regained its autonomy, zipping out of Dorothy’s racket like a startled fly. It darted back and forth across the track, hovering just high enough to be reachable with a well-timed jump.
Dorothy scrambled to reclaim it, but...
"Aaaargh!!"
As if they had been waiting for this exact moment, a swarm of students lunged toward the freed Arcball.
Thud!
Crash!
Thump!
A fierce skirmish broke out. Students shoved and tackled one another. While the Knight Department students used their superior physicality to muscle through, those using wind magic to glide were nearly as fast.
"Everybody move aside!"
Rumble—!
Pillars of rock erupted from the ground. Lisetta Lionheart soared into the air atop a rising stone column before leaping down with predatory grace.
With her earth-element magic weapon, Rock Bat, slung over her shoulder, she bounded forward, using the heads of male students as stepping stones. Weapons were permitted as long as they weren't swung at other participants, though most found them too cumbersome to carry alongside the racket.
The key is agility and quick reactions.
Furthermore, wielding a magic weapon like the Rock Bat required complex mana control. It wasn't particularly suited for the Arcball Race, where combat was secondary, as it usually served as a distraction. However, it seemed Lisetta felt naked without it.
The poor male students served as nothing more than springboards for Lisetta, tumbling backward as she used them for momentum. She was one of the most athletic students in the Magic Department, a fact evidenced by her toned physique. With her orange gym shirt partially unzipped, radiating a raw, aggressive confidence, she looked every bit the powerhouse.
Crackle!
The Arcball was caught in Lisetta’s racket. She hit the ground with a heavy thud, let out a boisterous laugh, and took off down the track with her teammates in tow.
The other participants sighed in exasperation.
"What a mess," Tristan Humphrey remarked in his usual calm tone.
I nodded in agreement. Our team was currently maintaining a leisurely pace, simply observing the chaos. That was our strategy: let the others exhaust themselves in the early scramble and make our move once we crossed the mid-point Safe Line.
Strategy aside...
I fully intended to land a decisive blow on Pierre Flanche. My focus was narrowed down to taking out that one guy.
Amy’s voice, broadcasting the race's progress, echoed across the field. The race was being projected to the audience in real-time via magical messengers. Given the stadium's open structure, the spectators could easily see the action unfolding outside. A giant map made of mana particles hovered in the sky, tracking every participant like a GPS.
Soon, several teams began to converge, attempting to pincer Lisetta’s squad.
"Hey! Catch!"
"Hya!"
Lisetta, leading the charge, swung her racket like a tennis pro. The Arcball streaked toward her teammate like a line drive. The teammate, though startled by the speed, managed to snag it. Lightning mana flared instantly, securing the ball.
Rumble—!
Lisetta summoned more stone from beneath her feet. A diagonal pillar of rock shot up in front of her, cutting off the students trying to intercept. Her teammate immediately swung their net, hurling the Arcball back toward her.
Lisetta prepared to catch the returning ball with practiced ease.
Thud!
Suddenly, Dorothy swooped in from above, snatching the Arcball right out of the air.
Lisetta’s face contorted into a fierce grimace. "Hah?! You wanna go?!"
"Nihihi! Catch me if you can...!"
Beep—!
"Huh?"
In her haste to escape, Dorothy had flown too high. A warning chime echoed from her racket.
"Ah! Dorothy Heartnova has violated the altitude limit! Oh no! Unfortunately, that is an immediate disqualification!"
"...Eh?"
As Amy’s voice rang out, Dorothy’s racket was forcibly deactivated. The Arcball immediately tumbled out of her net.
"Ah...!"
Realizing what she had done, Dorothy stood frozen, trembling with a look of utter despair as she watched the Arcball drift away.
What a shame.
In the Arcball Race, you couldn't ascend past a certain height, whether by your own power or a teammate's help. This rule existed to prevent players from simply flying over the competition, which would ruin the fun of the race. Violating it meant instant disqualification.
Dorothy had been so focused on the ball that she’d completely lost track of her altitude. I could practically hear the screams of despair from the third-year Magic Department students and her fan club in the stands.
I’ll have to comfort her after this is over...
The escaping Arcball was snatched up by a male student, who began moving forward with a smug chuckle. Of course, his team lost possession to another group shortly after. The tug-of-war continued.
Suddenly, a glowing light-green line appeared on the ground ahead. The Safe Line. It was time to prepare for battle.
The teams in the lead, still fighting over the ball, began hurling 1 and 2-star elemental spells at one another the moment they crossed the line. Since the spells were low-tier, they weren't as lethal as those used in a formal duel; they were primarily used to disrupt and check opponents.
It was strictly against the rules to use magic against students who hadn't crossed the Safe Line yet, which was why the leaders were currently only fighting among themselves.
It was almost time. The line was drawing closer.
Pierre Flanche—the Clover Paladin—and Snow White, my mentee, were also nearing the boundary. As Pierre’s teammates began to push ahead, leaving him slightly behind, I exchanged a brief look with my own teammates and nodded.
I began to circulate mana through my circuits, gathering frost energy in my right hand. Around me, I could feel the mana of the other students beginning to swell.
And then, the moment we crossed the Safe Line.
"...!"
"What the...?"
Whoosh!
A sudden, violent burst of mana erupted, sending a literal chill down the spines of everyone nearby. The source was a single person. With Dorothy disqualified, he was arguably the strongest participant left on the field.
A man with fine beige hair and piercing light-green eyes.
It was Pierre Flanche.
Whoooooosh—!!
"Aaaaah!"
"Eeeek!"
A torrent of water magic exploded from Pierre, swirling with terrifying intensity. The scale was massive. Despite being a basic 1-star spell, [Water Generation], the sheer volume and pressure were enough to sweep dozens of students off their feet.
High waves surged along the track, devastating the surroundings in an instant.