“The world truly is coming to an end. To think a group of insolent first-year brats would enter Trelas.”
Ingrid, a second-year student at Ielhas Magic Academy, muttered those words as she warmed up before the preliminary match that was about to begin.
Of course, the rules did not prohibit first-year students from participating.
However, there was a good reason why only second- and third-year students had entered Trelas until now.
‘And yet they had the nerve to break that tradition and enter? Let us see how they like being taught a harsh lesson.’
She could understand Damian Duschfeldt’s participation, at least to some extent.
The fact that someone from House Duschfeldt had enrolled here was already unusual. If their goal was to demonstrate that their house remained strong, Damian achieving a good result in Trelas while still a first-year would serve as an even more effective demonstration.
However, according to Ingrid’s investigation, the first-year team assigned to the same preliminary group as them consisted of commoners with absolutely nothing to their names.
“We are following the plan we discussed earlier, right, Ingrid?”
“Yes. I have already spoken with the other team. We cannot allow those insolent first-years to reap the benefits while we fight among ourselves, so we agreed to eliminate them together first.”
“Good.”
The signal announcing the beginning of the preliminary match rang out.
“Chan, remain here and defend our Crystal Orb, just in case. Maud and I will eliminate the first-years with the other team. We will send you a signal once we finish. When that happens, use your specialty to track everyone’s positions, then either join us or move to keep the other team’s Crystal Orb in check.”
“Understood, Ingrid.”
Ingrid, Chan, and Maud.
They were a team of three second-year students, all of whom came from lower-ranking noble families.
Although none of them possessed top-class magical abilities, their close coordination, developed through a friendship that had begun in childhood, gave their team an exceptionally stable balance.
They had reached an unspoken agreement with the other second-year team to attack the first-years first. However, they could not completely trust the other team.
Ingrid’s plan was to leave Chan, who specialized in defense and searching, behind while she and Maud moved alongside the other team to eliminate the first-years.
‘They will probably have the same idea and leave at least one person behind.’
Ingrid’s prediction proved correct.
By the time she and Maud moved quickly enough to bring the first-year team into sight, they spotted two members of the opposing team approaching from the other direction, just as they had.
Meanwhile, all three first-years were still fully visible near their Crystal Orb, showing no particular signs of movement.
‘Since this is a three-way battle, merely concealing themselves could have made us worry that someone might secretly be targeting our Crystal Orb. Their lack of experience is obvious. There are four of us attacking in pairs, so we should be able to eliminate them quickly. Then the real match will begin!’
To be honest, Ingrid’s team was not strong enough to seriously aim for victory in this year’s Trelas tournament.
Among the formidable third-years was the renowned His Highness Prince Lecephim.
Even within Ingrid’s own year, merely witnessing the talent of Her Highness Princess Floa had been enough to make her realize that the gifts flowing through the blood of the Leman Royal Family existed on an entirely different level from her own.
However, even if winning the entire tournament was impossible, an event that drew everyone’s attention was an extremely important opportunity for lower-ranking nobles like them to demonstrate their value.
‘And naturally, the further we advance, the more opportunities we will have. I am sorry, but you will have to be eliminated here!’
“Support me, Maud!”
“All right. Leave it to me!”
—Second Tier.
—Flame(Flame).
—Fireball(Fire Ball).
FWOOSH.
Dragging this out would only increase the tension between them and the other team.
Ingrid therefore launched a Second-Tier offensive spell, intending to finish the first-years in a single blow.
Strengthened further by Maud’s support, Ingrid’s magic possessed more than enough speed and power to destroy the first-year team’s Crystal Orb.
It flew toward its target like an arrow.
‘It is over!’
Strictly speaking, only a single year separated the first-years from Ingrid and her teammates.
However, that one year was far more valuable than one might imagine. It was precisely why first-year students were never seen in Trelas.
The age of magic might have arrived, but outside institutions such as Ielhas Magic Academy, learning proper advanced magic rather than simple everyday magic was impossible unless one came from a noble family with both power and wealth.
Therefore, it would not have been an exaggeration to say that only those who spent at least one year studying after entering the academy—and possessed enough talent to reach the Second Tier within that time—had finally arrived at the starting point from which they could become mages.
In other words, even if the difference was only one year, it should have been exceedingly difficult for first-year students, who had only recently begun mastering First-Tier Magic properly, to defend themselves against Ingrid’s attack.
Unless they possessed talent comparable to Her Highness Princess Floa, or had received an early education befitting the heir of a marquis or ducal house.
……However,
—First Tier.
—Acceleration Enhancement(Acceleration Enhancement).
—Shield(Shield).
FLASH.
“What?!”
Ingrid could only stare in disbelief as her spell was completely blocked by a mere First-Tier Shield.
TAP.
TAP.
A young-looking black-haired boy appeared and placed himself in their path.
“I apologize, but I will have to keep you occupied here for a while.”
‘……Insolent brat!’
“Maud, let us go!”
“Understood!”
Although Ingrid was briefly startled, she and Maud immediately entered into a confrontation with the black-haired boy, Jaes.
After they rapidly exchanged attacks three or four times, Ingrid realized something.
‘Their team is far more balanced than I expected!’
As anticipated, the spells they used were limited entirely to the First Tier.
Despite that, their strict division of roles, their sense of timing when casting magic, and their spells’ unexpectedly high power allowed them to withstand the attacks far longer than Ingrid had expected.
‘The green-haired boy remaining near the Crystal Orb specializes in defensive magic. The black-haired boy seems to be a Buffer(someone who grants beneficial effects to allies), but his overall abilities are also remarkably high.’
Using magic in the right place and at precisely the right moment was even more difficult than learning the spell itself.
That was especially true in a constantly changing situation like this, where one had to face an actual opponent.
Ingrid and Maud prided themselves on that very skill.
Yet as much as Ingrid hated to admit it, the first-year duo was creating an almost even battle against them while using nothing but First-Tier Magic.
……No, strictly speaking,
it was not even a true two-on-two battle.
“Ahaha! Take this!!”
“Urgh! What the hell is with this damned girl?!”
Ian, the green-haired boy responsible for defensive magic, was not only supporting Jaes.
He was also assisting the short, red-haired girl fighting the other team on the opposite side.
Astonishingly, the red-haired girl displayed movements so agile that it was impossible to believe she was a first-year, and she was actually overwhelming both members of the other team.
‘Urgh. If that is the case, we have to defeat him ourselves!’
While the green-haired boy’s attention was divided, Ingrid and Maud had to take advantage of the opportunity and subdue the black-haired boy.
“Huff. Huff. ……Urgh. Why can we not break through?!”
However, the black-haired boy continued to endure Ingrid and Maud’s attacks by the narrowest of margins.
He even had enough composure remaining to smile at them.
“I apologize, Seniors. However, it seems our strategy has won this battle.”
“Your strategy…… has won?!”
“Yes. We fully expected the upperclassmen to cooperate and target us first. That is how the current situation came about. It may appear to be four against three, but in reality, it is closer to three against two against two.”
“……!”
Ingrid immediately understood the hidden meaning behind Jaes’s words.
‘That is right. We may have formed an alliance with the other team, but that does not mean we are truly a single team. We each had to leave one person behind to guard our Crystal Orbs in case the other side betrayed us. Even here, it is impossible for us to trust one another completely and fight as a unified group. These three, on the other hand, can remain together and support one another.’
However, that strategy would only work if they possessed the fundamental abilities needed to execute it, the awareness to calmly analyze and respond to the situation, and the coordination to carry it out without mistakes.
This first-year team was accomplishing all of those things.
“That red-haired girl too…… Ha! Who the hell are you people?!”
“What else would we be? We are merely your ordinary juniors. We simply wish to test our limits.”
TAP.
“Hup! I dealt with those two according to the plan and came to help, Jaes! Your Haste spell really is special. My body feels so light that I could fly!”
“What?! Already…….”
The girl had astonishingly defeated both members of the other team and returned to join Jaes.
Ingrid had no choice but to acknowledge that the situation was now unfavorable for them.
‘Now they even outnumber us three to two. It is too late to reunite with Chan. Just as that black-haired boy said, we are the ones being defeated in separate groups.’
“Damn it. I came here intending to teach the insolent juniors who dared to enter Trelas a lesson. Instead, it seems I will spend the rest of my life known as the first person to lose to first-years in Trelas.”
Jaes grinned.
“Do not worry. That reputation may take on an entirely different meaning depending on how far we manage to advance.”
“Ha! That is quite the confidence you have. Unfortunately, this alone will not be enough to defeat the true geniuses among the second- and third-years. Still, anything I say now will merely sound like an excuse from the loser. I will watch without expecting too much.”
“Thank you for the advice. Then we are coming!”
“Fine. We will not go down without a fight!”
The two teams clashed once again.
However, after the red-haired girl who had defeated two opponents by herself joined the battle, Ingrid and Maud were forced continually onto the defensive.
—First Tier.
—Magic Arrow(Magic Arrow).
—Weighted Incantation(Weighted Incantation).
—Fourfold Volley(Fourfold Volley).
“Urgh!!”
Ingrid lost her balance when Jaes launched his Magic Arrows at the perfect moment.
“I found an opening!”
SWISH!
Miya instantly closed the distance and completely subdued her.
The two remaining students, one from each opposing team, were also unable to overcome their numerical disadvantage and were eliminated.
Defying everyone’s expectations, Jaes’s team achieved the remarkable feat of proudly advancing to the main tournament.
“W-we, we, we really won!!”
“Hoo. They let their guards down because we were first-years, while we prepared thoroughly for the past month. Of course, I never imagined the preliminary round would suddenly be held as a three-way battle. Still, it was fortunate that they moved exactly as we predicted.”
“Hehe. At this rate, what if we actually end up winning the whole tournament?”
“……Do not become overexcited, Miya. Now that we have already resolved to attract attention, winning is naturally our goal. However, the remaining matches will probably not be nearly as easy.”
“Hmm-hmm.”
“I-I advanced to the main tournament of Trelas…….”
While Ian began losing himself in his overwhelming emotion,
Miya boldly pressed herself against Jaes and secretly whispered into his ear.
“By the way, Jaes, why are you working so hard at this? At first, I thought you were only participating as a formality because it would help with the task Lord Raiden assigned you. However, you seem to be taking this quite seriously. It cannot possibly be because of the highest-grade magic stone awarded to the champion.”
“No. That is exactly why I am doing it.”
“……What? But a magic stone like that is only useful when casting high-tier magic. Since we can only use First-Tier Magic, possessing one would be like having a feast we cannot eat.”
“I know that much. I still have a use for it.”
“……Hmm.”
Jaes’s team had defied all expectations, passed the preliminary round, and advanced to the main tournament.
Whether by coincidence or otherwise, their performance inspired considerable shock and intense curiosity among those who had witnessed it.
“That boy truly won and advanced.”
“……It has nothing to do with us. It is our turn now.”
“Yes.”
Jaes’s performance only strengthened the determination of Damian and Robert as they stepped forward for their own match.
“Heh. To think they defeated Ingrid’s team. Their magical abilities may not be exceptional, but their coordination is excellent. I never expected a group of first-years to overcome them. Hmm.”
A second-year student at Ielhas Magic Academy and a princess of the Leman Kingdom, Floa, watched with the innocent expression of someone who had discovered something entertaining, her eyes gleaming with leisurely interest.
“Hehe. As expected. They exceeded my expectations♡”
Sharan, the Mage Tower’s mage, had secretly watched the entire match from the beginning.
From its very first day, the Trelas Magic Tournament caused an unexpected upheaval that drew the attention of countless people, and thus its grand opening truly began.