Finding a Team for the Group Match
Isabel had changed since the incident on the ramparts.
First and foremost, she apologized to her friends for losing her temper. Her friends apologized in turn, admitting they had spoken too hastily. It was a heartwarming scene, made possible only because of Isabel's usually upright character.
The intensity of her training had increased, but while she pushed herself harder, she stopped overexerting herself to the point of self-destruction. Her horizon had broadened. Instead of focusing on short-term results as she had before, she chose to look further, wider, and invest more time. Ban commented that her potential for growth had reached new heights.
Furthermore, there was one highly conspicuous change. Her face, which had been gradually losing its vitality, had brightened considerably. Though not quite to the level before Lucas's death, she had regained her signature cheerfulness. Once again, she stepped into the role of the bright heroine who uplifted everyone around her.
Except for one person. There was exactly one individual she refused to treat with that brightness.
"You! If you act like that, you're going to terrify everyone around you!"
"If they're terrified by something like this, then they lack the qualifications to be students of Jerion Academy."
"There you go again. You are far too strict."
"It's the other students who are too soft."
That person was me.
About a week had passed since my encounter with Isabel. For a while, she had avoided my gaze whenever our eyes met, but now, the moment I did anything, she would pounce on me instantly. Somehow, it felt even more intense than back when she used to fiercely criticize Lucas.
"You've completely made an enemy out of her," Seron tsked, clicking her tongue as I returned from my clash with Isabel.
Today, during the morning class, I had merely scolded some kids who were slacking off, and Isabel had immediately come over to argue.
"Princess Sweet Potato, why do you keep provoking Isabel?"
"I never provoked her first. She's the one who came charging at me."
"Sweet Potato, it's because you respond to Isabel far more harshly than you do to anyone else."
"I guess we're just incompatible."
"Is that so?" Seron tilted her head.
More importantly, had this girl really decided to stick to my side for good?
"Instead of worrying about me, why don't you go make up with the other girls?"
Seron was still in a cold war with the other female students. When I suggested it was about time she reconciled with them, she let out a dismissive snort.
"I don't really care about the others."
"Sorry, but I don't care about you either."
"Are you crazy? What are you even saying! I just realized that hanging out like this is much more comfortable."
Saying so, Seron crossed her arms and leaned against the desk.
"When you're squeezed in among girls, you have to constantly read the room, whether you like it or not. Do you have any idea how exhausting it is to hold back everything you want to say?"
"You actually know how to hold back?"
To think Seron, who usually charged headfirst like a battering-ram dinosaur, was holding back. Just what kind of world was the social circle of teenage girls?
"But with you, I don't have to do any of that, right?"
"I'd appreciate it if you held back a little with me, too."
"I'd rather bite my tongue and die."
What a brutal thing to say. It seemed Seron had tasted the sweet solitude of a lone wolf. It was a pity; she really needed to learn how to reintegrate into the pack.
As I clicked my tongue and looked up, my eyes happened to meet Isabel's.
Unlike her sharp words from earlier, Isabel responded with a gaze full of determination before turning her head away. In the past, the moment our eyes met, she would have glared at me with a fiery intensity, ready to fight. Her attitude toward me had shifted significantly.
To the other students, it probably still looked like we were bickering. But what lay behind her gaze was definitely not just anger. Even I couldn't fully fathom all of her emotions, but I knew exactly what was radiating from her.
A sense of rivalry.
Isabel had resolved to carry out Lucas's will and save everyone. I had resolved to save everyone to wash away the dishonor cast upon Jerion Academy by Lucas's death. Though our reasons for moving forward differed, our destination was the same. From that shared path, a sense of rivalry had blossomed within her.
Not bad.
It was enough for me to play the role of the spark that kept the fire in her heart burning. Countless people would be drawn to her brightness in the future. In the first place, many of those who had gathered around Lucas did so because of her radiant warmth. I was certain Isabel would perform that role magnificently once again.
I can breathe a sigh of relief regarding Isabel.
However, there was someone moving in a completely different direction from Isabel. None other than Nikita Cynthia. Her petite frame was already stirring, preparing to become the Calamity Dragon Girl.
Slide—
At that moment, the classroom door slid open. Standing there was Beganor, the professor in charge of second-year Martial Arts, who had just left after finishing the morning lecture.
"Now that I think about it, I forgot to mention one thing." Professor Beganor yawned, scratching her head in annoyance. "There will be a Group Match exam sometime soon."
Act 3, Chapter 5. The curtain rose on the Group Match.
"Since this Group Match is an exhibition exam, several high-ranking officials from the Empire will be coming to observe."
Jerion Academy was an institution established by the Empire itself. Naturally, the individuals coming to observe were key figures holding major positions within the imperial government.
Exchanges with other academies won't begin until Act 4.
For now, all the students of Jerion Academy were citizens of the Empire. At the mention of an exhibition, the students began to murmur excitedly. It was a natural reaction, considering nothing of the sort had happened last year.
"Make sure you don't embarrass us. I've had quite enough of the academy's budget being slashed."
Was that really something a professor should say? But the thick-skinned Beganor simply let out a massive yawn, turned on her heel, and walked out.
If it's a Group Match, I need to form a team.
Unlike last time, I couldn't team up with first-years. Since it was a grade-level exam, teams had to consist strictly of students from the same year. The team size for the Group Match was five: two frontliners, two backliners, and one healer.
Right then, my eyes met Seron's. She held up three fingers.
"For the front line, we've got you and me, Sweet Potato. We just need to find three more."
"Where am I going to find four more people?"
Naturally, I wasn't looking at Seron as I spoke. Realizing the implication of my words, Seron's forehead flushed bright red. Listening to her furious sputtering in the background, I fell into deep thought.
It was crucial to achieve an outstanding score in this Group Match. Among the officials coming to observe, there was one person I absolutely had to get close to and secure sponsorship from. To do that, I needed to lead my team to an overwhelming victory.
Even if I take charge of the front line myself...
We still need backliners with high firepower. The problem was that I didn't have any significant connections with any notable backliners.
Well, there is one guy... but he's a free spirit, so who knows. And there's one girl, too... but she's an even bigger free spirit, so she's out of the question.
Besides, I won't be able to use the Saint for healing this time.
Last time, I had a grand cause to persuade him. The Saint was like a hidden trump card, and trump cards couldn't be thrown around carelessly. Even if I tried to recruit him for the Group Match, he would only fill the slot; to ensure fair competition, he would likely restrict his power to match that of an ordinary priest.
Is there no other way?
Ultimately, to guarantee victory, I stood up from my seat.
"Where are you going?"
"Bread delivery."
"What bread?"
Seron stared at me in utter bewilderment, but for me, this was the best move.
Nom, nom.
Before my eyes, someone was busily stuffing her face with bread, her small mouth working away. She had deep-blue hair that shimmered like starlight, a constellation of earrings dangling from her ears, and a star-shaped beauty mark. Sharin Sazaris. The top student of the Magic Engineering department.
"Nom, nom... Sooo, you want me to join your team for the Group Match?"
Sharin spoke in her usual lazy, drawn-out tone. Having sampled the bread before even listening to my proposal, she licked her fingers clean.
"Why should I~?"
Sharin tilted her head. It was a question of pure, unadulterated curiosity, wondering what possible reason she had to join my team.
"Why don't you put down the bread you're eating before you speak?"
"But Hanon gave this to me because he likes meee."
Talk about delusional. Yet, never once letting the bread leave her mouth, Sharin curled her lips into a lazy smile.
"Then give me some sweet words to convince me to join Hanon's team."
Sharin was the top second-year student in Magic Engineering. She must have already received countless offers to join other teams. She was a whimsical creature who would occasionally join a random team on a whim, which was why everyone tried their luck with her. And Sharin always asked them the exact same thing: What is the merit of me joining your team?
Their answers were always predictable. We'll take first place in the Group Match. It was a promise anyone could make with their mouth. But I knew better.
"You don't actually have any interest in the Group Match, do you?"
The Group Match was factored into their exam scores. Naturally, the students were desperate to achieve good results. But what about Sharin? Despite being the top student of the second-year Magic Engineering department, she couldn't care less about her grades.
There was only one reason she held the top spot: the second-year Magic Engineering professor recognized her genius better than anyone else. That professor was a strict meritocrat whose grading system was entirely based on one's innate magical aptitude. Since Sharin possessed a once-in-a-millennium magical talent, the professor awarded her the highest score no matter what results she produced.
Some whispered that it was favoritism. However, anyone majoring in Magic Engineering who witnessed Sharin's talent immediately understood: there was simply no grade other than "top student" that could possibly fit her. Thus, Sharin remained the top student despite having zero interest in grades. Consequently, those who didn't understand Sharin or the inner workings of the Magic Engineering department assumed she worked tirelessly to maintain her scores.
"So, what merit could this Group Match possibly hold for someone like you?"
When I pierced straight to the heart of the matter, Sharin's eyes curved into crescents.
"Hanon knows way too much about meee."
"Which is why I'm going to make a different kind of proposal."
Sharin's eyes gleamed with intrigue.
"Your father."
At those words, Sharin's body froze instantly.
"I'll teach you how to deal a proper blow to that man."
The moment Sharin's eyes widened in shock—
"Rin!"
The door to the Magic Engineering classroom, empty due to the lunch hour, burst open, and someone stepped inside. A girl with honey-blond hair that called to mind the warm sun. Isabel Luna.
Having made her sudden entrance, she stared at Sharin and me, her eyes widening into perfect circles.
"Huh?"
Her expression asked why the two of us were together. Confronted with her best friend and her rival side by side, Isabel froze.
Oh, boy.
I hadn't expected Isabel to show up at this exact moment, and I froze in brief embarrassment.
A heavy silence descended upon the room. Sharin was frozen by my proposal; Isabel was frozen by the sight of Sharin and me together; and I was frozen by Isabel's sudden arrival. Suddenly, the entire situation had devolved into an absolute mess.