Chapter 97
Chapter 97
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 97
Chapter Title: South Gate Shadows
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“Cadets from <Delaiten> who passed through this gate during finals?”
At the south gate of [Golden Rose].
The gatekeeper scratched his chin awkwardly at Special Forces Captain Doran Slade’s question.
“I wouldn’t know, sir. Even if I saw them, I couldn’t pick them out. Finals week is always swarming with crowds…….”
Normally, they verified identities thoroughly before allowing entry, but during finals, they lacked the manpower and time, so a quick check and wave-through was the custom.
“You must have seen them. Try recalling once more.”
Doran urged gently.
His Special Forces subordinates had died near the Crimson Mountains, so the culprit would have fled the city through either the east or south gate.
“Or how about these people?”
Doran held out portraits of his fallen subordinates. The gatekeeper examined them closely but shook his head again.
“No, haven’t seen them.”
As expected.
Special Forces mages typically used illusion-based perception interference spells during operations.
Thanks to that magic, ordinary folk who had surely seen them couldn’t recall faces or distinguishing features.
“But Captain, wasn’t there that creepy bastard back then?”
“Huh? Who?”
“That tall guy. Face seemed familiar somewhere, but his eyes were downright chilling.”
“Oh, that one.”
Doran wondered if they were talking about something he didn’t know, but then the gatekeeper snapped his fingers, eyes lighting up.
“Come to think of it, I remember that guy leaving with some <Delaiten> cadet…… Who was it again?”
“Was that so? I don’t recall.”
For a split second, Doran’s eyes widened slightly as terrifying mana swirled in his gaze.
“They used perception interference magic. It’s only natural you can’t remember.”
“Is that right? But it’s weird. Besides the cadet who followed that guy, there was another one trailing behind.”
Not one, but two?
What?
Enemy? Ally? It was a whirlwind of confusion, but pressing the gatekeeper further wouldn’t yield answers.
“Thank you for your service. Appreciate the info.”
This turned mere speculation into reality.
There’s a follower or collaborator of Tureina inside <Delaiten>. One, or two. And they teamed up to kill Lunnen and Tirintid……
Now, how to uncover their identity?
“What’s the plan now, Captain?”
Three Special Forces mages who’d been waiting nearby gathered around. Fresh from losing comrades, their eyes burned bloodthirsty.
“Why not storm the school and interrogate them one by one?”
“Rejected. Strong dark mages use space-time transfer spells—they’d escape in a flash.”
Doran placed his worn fedora on his head and shook his head firmly.
“Sometimes the direct approach catches them off guard. You all deploy detection spells nearby and stand by.”
“And you, Captain?”
“I’ll head to the school alone. When stirring a beehive, you go solo so the bees don’t get suspicious.”
* * *
“Does letting the first sub-turn slip like this put us in a really bad spot?”
At Valensidis’s question, Felix Drake let out a low sigh.
“Magic volleyball’s all about trading points back and forth, so not really…….”
If Rain Ludwig was a total beginner just ten days in and pulling off serves like that, he must’ve poured everything into sub practice, probably dying to rack up more points…… But the real issue was elsewhere.
“Not a great position right now.”
The guy from Griffin Valor bouncing the ball on the end line of their court—Sandra Kepel.
“Sandra’s going for some dangerous plays, huh?”
Christa Warden answered that one.
“You call a wing spiker who can smash through blocks or receives with raw power the team’s ace.”
“That’s Sandra?”
“Yeah. Her spikes are monstrous, and her spike serves—the advanced version—are brutally intense.”
The whistle blew, and Sandra tossed the ball up, taking light steps forward.
One step, two.
The moment she crouched to spring off the ground, Rain was already moving.
Boom—the air exploded with a whoosh, and the distant ball filled his vision in an instant.
“……!”
He’d meant to receive it clean.
In fact, the math equation Sandra had chanted flashed perfectly through his mind, solved.
But the ball’s power exceeded expectations.
The heavy spin, whipping up wind, collided with his arms—but they couldn’t hold, and the ball ricocheted sideways.
“……!”
As Rain blankly watched the ball roll away, Sandra bellowed triumphantly.
“Hyahhh───!”
Did he get too fixated on the equation? Valensidis furrowed his brow.
Unlike with Gertrude earlier, no current sparked, so the equation was nailed perfectly—meaning his receive still needed work?
But that reaction speed…… It was just a hair off.
““Nice serve!””
Attack rights swung mercilessly back to Griffin Valor. And Sandra’s serve again.
The wind-generating power and pinpoint corner accuracy remained fierce.
But the direction reversed. Not at Rain, but toward Nora Reden, who crouched cat-like, eyes gleaming.
‘Got cocky for a second, Sandra Kepel?’
Professor Owen smirked confidently.
Or a misaim?
No way she didn’t know Nora Reden was Lionheart’s hard receiver.
“……!”
Nora caught it with both arms and rolled backward once.
Boom……!
The explosive crack drowned the crowd’s clamor as the ferocious shot curved gently across the court.
“Whoa, she popped it up────!!!”
“So clean──?!”
Nora’s freakish receive talent was gospel, so Griffin Valor’s players weren’t shocked.
The shock hit elsewhere.
Weiber.
Weiber wasn’t stepping aside from the setter spot at court center? Instead, Rain Ludwig charged in and went into setup motion.
“Weiber’s not setting……?!”
No time to dwell in chaos. Just read Rain Ludwig’s setup and block it.
‘Setup motion, but no spike runs yet.’
Maya Snark read the court fast, hunting her block target.
‘No quick attack. So───?!”
Mid-judgment, Rain tossed the ball from his neatly cupped hands overhead.
Fast, sharp.
Could you even call it a setter toss? It knifed left at a razor angle.
“───?!”
Like experts gauging foes in one clash, magic volleyball had plays that revealed levels instantly.
Rain’s toss did that.
Logan’s jump spot, peak leap time, arm angle for the spike.
All measured to the millimeter, like with a ruler.
“Ryyyaahhh────!”
And Logan’s savage spike from his fresh leap amplified the mystery.
How’s it that fast?
Looked like pure blocking prep?
Spikers had to chant equations right before spiking, causing a split-second freeze.
‘But that spike…… Looked like no equation, like regular volleyball.’
Yet that didn’t explain why, when Griffin Valor’s second-year on the right rear received it, the ball spat fierce current and bounced away.
“Nice toss, Young Master!”
“Nice spike, Logan! Nora, nice receive too.”
“Hehe★”
Weiber stared, awestruck, as the noble heirs and academy scions mingled so chummily—then Rain turned, wagged a finger at him, and grinned.
“Straighten up, man!”
“?”
“It’s just one point. We three clawed it back.”
Then he chuckled, delighted.
That smile……
For some reason, blindingly bright—Weiber just gawked, dazed.
“Waaah, my subbbb!”
Sandra Kepel clutched her head, face crumpling—Gertrude blinked in disbelief.
“Why target Melev’s Nora? That wasn’t a flub, was it?”
“Wanted to crush their hard receiver and hear the cheers…….”
“…….”
As Griffin Valor’s players sighed in turn, Kaden’s serve restarted play.
But again, no quick-attack timing—yet the challengers quick-attacked, snagging another point from Griffin Valor.
“Figures. Double-casting.”
Elin Ludwig muttered from Griffin Valor’s bench, incredulous.
Players glanced at their coach, then shuddered at the chill.
Elin’s eyes blazed scarlet, silver death swirling at the core—Ludwig bloodline limit, Bell Sidias.
“Double-casting, you say……?”
“Sigh, sigh sigh sigh, you hopeless lot! This should be obvious! What can a setter do for a spiker?”
“Calc coordinates for pinpoint tosses…… Or compute their equations?”
“Yeah, that! My lame nephew’s doing both at once!”
“Haha, what……?!”
Griffin Valor players traded disbelieving laughs, thinking it a joke—but Elin was lost in turmoil, unable to respond.
‘And it’s not even his full bag of tricks—that’s the real kicker.’
Maya Snark or Weiber would’ve spotted it instantly…… Rain’s coordinate equations weren’t inequalities.
“Inequalities? What?”
Rowinbelt quirked a brow at Maya’s explanation.
“Isn’t that how setters calc coordinates for quicks—inequalities?”
“Yeah, normally. But you don’t have to use inequalities—you’re forced to because perfect sync in that tight window is near impossible.”
Hence, the area-effect inequalities from wide spells approximated direction and range.
“But Rain Ludwig’s are identities…… That’s why the ball rockets straight to the spike course.”
Third-year Yors Bautel tilted his head.
“But that’s problematic too. Too fast, spikers can’t pick courses or chant equations.”
“Identities, remember? Kinetic energy drops at the chanted coordinates. It slows, loses power.”
“What……?”
Gertrude, grasping instantly, nodded with a sigh.
“So simply: Young Master can quick-attack even without quick timing?”
Maya pressed her temple, easing a headache, barely believing her own words.
“Don’t assume no quick just ‘cause it looks safe. No telling what happens.”
The whistle blew; Kaden’s serve resumed play.
Kaden hadn’t trained magic volleyball since enrollment—no jump serves. Most first-years couldn’t.
“Haha, piece of cake……!”
Rowinbelt easily popped it to the setter. Maya Snark, centered, glanced at Rain.
‘His talent’s unmatched, I’ll grant.’
But time to drill it home.
Magic volleyball isn’t just talent.
“……!”
Rain eyed Griffin Valor’s bustling court, scanning carefully.
Gertrude leaped first.
Quick?
But no mana killing intent in her form…… Then.
‘He reacted……?’
Rain and Maya both startled at each other.
Maya: Rain reading it instantly, sticking to Yors.
No surprise—if you knew his years as Lin in magic combat……
‘Personal tempo shift……?’
For Rain: Yors, whom he expected to leap right away, jumped half a beat late.
‘Thought it was quick tempo……!’
As his airborne block futilely free-falled, Yors’s huge hand slashed the ball viciously.
“Ugh……!”
Liliane clicked her tongue, missing the receive. It stuck no matter how she tried……
No need to despair, Professor Owen thought, stroking his chin. Volleyball traded points endlessly……
“But next server’s a goddamn nightmare.”
The figure taking a new ball from the ref, heading to the end line…… Maya Snark.
“Crowd’s buzzing. She packs serves like Sandra’s?”
Maya inhaled deeply, exhaled, tossed lightly, and jumped.
Unlike a jump spike, a leisurely, languid motion from the start.
But facing it? Every nerve razor-sharp, tracking the trajectory.
‘Gonna drift further?’
No, definite out.
Kaden reached to receive—then pulled back to avoid touch. Suddenly, the ball knuckled.
Then thud-thud, bouncing dead on the service line. Kaden and crowd gawked.
“Noootch, ace───!”
Rowinbelt hollered, over-the-top payback for Logan’s earlier taunt.
“So slow—why couldn’t we receive?”
Vice President Felix explained Valensidis’s doubt.
“Jump floater serve.”
“Jump floater?”
“Nearly spinless. No spin means unpredictable path—hell to receive clean.”
Flow seemed to flip to Griffin Valor instantly—but Kaden whipped out notepad and fountain pen, scribbling his anguish to the team.
[Sorry.. ㅠ...]
Rain shook his head, clapped to rally them.
“That was a good serve. Nail the next one, done.”
Rowinbelt narrowed his eyes at the sight. First-year with annoyingly solid mentality…… Hmm.
“Going.”
Maya exhaled short, jumped again.
Targeting rear wings.
Team holes: Liliane and Kaden…… She killed momentum, nudged it lightly.
‘Serve toss a bit low?’
Rain’s eye was spot-on.
Slightly lower toss than before—her serve clipped the net’s edge…… Brushed over with light impact, dropping in court.
Could’ve been a lucky break, but Rain, reading her motion, moved.
“No……?!”
Legs extended long, sliding to drop point—balance intact.
Cupped hands delicately, lofted the falling ball upward.
Those with magic volleyball knowledge gaped at the sequence.
“Overhand receive, but looks just like setup……?!”
“It is setup! That ghost quick toss again……!”
“Logan jumped right away……!”
As beast-roaring Logan leaped, Yors Bautel countered instantly with block.
“……!”
“……!”
Logan and Yors’s eyes bulged.
The ball, seeming bound for Logan, sailed past his spike course to the right.
Straight to Weiber.
Eyes widened again.
Against leaping Weiber—only Gertrude blocked.
‘One block…… Make it count!’
Weiber hammered front, out of her reach—but Gertrude smirked.
“Gotcha……!”
She’d skipped block battle on purpose. Narrow the course, let hard receiver Rowinbelt clean up behind.
“Nice, Gertrude!”
Rowinbelt’s easy receive sparked another brutal rally—but Sandra’s spike finally scored for Griffin Valor.
“Figures it’d end like this…….”
“Griffin Valor’s too strong…….”
“Even without Felix and Christa…….”
Frankly, challengers fought valiantly, could afford a few points lost—but Griffin Valor was an iron fortress.
“Ajaaaah───!”
Watching Sandra bounce mad with joy, Owen turned to Lionheart’s captain.
“Damn Bradley.”
“Yes, Professor?”
“How many sets have your monkeys taken off Griffin Valor lately?”
Bradley pondered, then replied glumly.
“Before the first-year trio meshed? Zero. After, about 4:1 ratio.”
That’s it. That’s the challengers’ exact issue……
Around then, Elin reached the same conclusion, called timeout, gathered her players.
“Rivendel and Harimun alliances aren’t the only holes. That windbag’s a massive liability too.”
“Weiber?”
“Yeah. Looks unmotivated, like he’s just filling roster spots.”
Liliane and Kaden hustled but lacked skill—against Griffin Valor. But him? Infuriating opposite.
Skilled, yet slacking.
Logan-Nora-Weiber as Lionheart keys meshed with Rain? Terrifying. But now……
“And my lame nephew’s so clever he pulls all sorts of weird shit—don’t flinch every time, stick to basics.”
Maya Snark, toweling sweat, sipping water, objected.
“But that C-quick toss? Court won’t roll normal.”
“Sure, top-tier skill. But nephew’s got one fatal flaw. You and Yors know it?”
Ah—Yors, recalling Rain’s personal tempo trap, said:
“No experience.”
“Right, zero magic volleyball experience. Looks godlike, but it’s just overpowering with skill—pure textbook variants from sidelines.”
Starters replayed Rain’s plays mentally, eyes lighting up one by one.
“True…….”
“Spiker? Fine. But setter directing offense like that? No biggie.”
Once Rain’s cards ran dry, attacks turn rote, formulaic.
“Target those three relentlessly. It’ll end itself. Don’t drag—crush like usual.”
Rowinbelt scratched his head, wistful.
Wanna toy till tears…… But long road ahead.
Target was Valensidis, not Rain Ludwig.
Toy with Rain, who knows how this tiger snaps—and he’s Ludwig heir proper, no need total feud.
“Understood, Professor.”
“Take set one clean. Leave no gas for two.”
Elin’s utmost courtesy to her nephew.
Crushed by full-force Griffin Valor? No mockery for him. Elevates his name and house.
Battled for student council against that……
‘You’re already a hero, Rain. Enough.’
Beating the hastily formed royal club for nephew’s sake? House dishonor.
Obstacle to Rain’s future.
This is best. Best for favored nephew.
‘Time to end it.’