Kelly swung his greatsword horizontally, a strike that was heavy yet packed with formidable power.
Mita instantly recalled certain unpleasant experiences. Not daring to be careless, he hurriedly retreated.
However, Kelly’s mastery over the greatsword exceeded Mita’s expectations. Although the heavy weapon remained slow in its offensive speed in Kelly’s hands, his judgment of the battlefield situation was exceptional. His rich combat experience enabled him to quickly discern his opponent’s intentions and make the most appropriate response.
Since Mita retreated, Kelly pressed forward, consistently maintaining a distance where the greatsword could strike effectively while the rapier could not find purchase.
Mita, a dignified prince clad in his handsome formal attire, was swatted on the left and patted on the right by the greatsword, looking thoroughly disheveled.
He furrowed his brow deeply, inwardly blaming Betty the Holy Maiden for not living up to her name and failing to guarantee even the most basic blessing, which was why he had been reduced to such a wretched state.
Kelly looped his greatsword around in an arc, smacking Mita squarely on his left elbow.
Mita let out a cry of pain. “You actually dare to harm me?”
“Bumps and scrapes are inevitable in actual combat,” Kelly replied with minimal sincerity. “Please forgive me, Your Highness.”
Mita shouted loudly, “Betty, heal me!”
But Betty could no longer afford to spare him a thought.
While Kelly was beating Mita on one side, Cynthia was unilaterally sending Betty skittering all over the ground on the other.
Cynthia had an exceptional grasp of fire-type magic. No matter how profound those spells were or how long and convoluted the incantations, she cast them with rapid precision, sacrificing not an ounce of their destructive power.
After dealing with the fire meteors, Betty had to face multiple fire snakes darting wildly through the air, followed by the ground turning into magma. Preserving her own life had already exhausted every ounce of her energy, leaving her completely incapable of attending to Mita.
The sheer height of Cynthia’s magic mastery compelled every spectator watching the field to spare a glance at Ray in the stands.
Just how had this kid dared to challenge Cynthia right upon enrollment?
Ray himself watched with lingering fear. “I actually survived that completely unscathed.”
The battle on the field seemed to have entered a one-sided state, and the defeat of Betty and Mita’s combination appeared to be only a matter of time.
Mita gritted his teeth and chanted an incantation. A gemstone ring on his left hand instantly blazed with brilliant light, transforming into a blurred golden figure that enveloped his body.
An uproar broke out among the spectators. This was a spirit protection magic!
The underlying principle of this type of protective magic was to summon natural spirits imbued with energy and attach them to the caster, with the specific effects varying according to the spirit’s attribute.
The golden figure on Mita should be a light-type spirit, which would grant light-type healing and blessings.
This kind of magic was exceedingly difficult to cast and required top-tier gemstones as a medium. Regardless of the finished product, the price was quite astronomical. Essentially, people used this sort of magic as a lifeline of last resort in desperate situations, yet Mita was utilizing it in a mere sparring match between classmates.
Though no one dared to voice it aloud, the surrounding onlookers all felt that Mita was simply too sore of a loser.
Leveraging the state enhancements provided by the protective magic, Mita not only instantly recovered his stamina, but the injuries Kelly had smashed into him moments before were also completely healed.
He offered a cold smile. Seizing the opening when his opponent’s greatsword had been swung out and had yet to recover its defensive stance, he took a forward step, pivoted his longsword, and thrust a true, swift rapier strike straight at Kelly’s shoulder.
Kelly, or rather Lilica beneath the guise, realized that her earlier speculation had come true: Mita had resorted to magical items to reverse his declining momentum. The protective magic just now was only the beginning; from here on out, to secure victory, Mita would likely keep using various items until he claimed an undisputed win.
Under such circumstances, maintaining the offensive was an extremely unwise choice. Furthermore, even if her attack were to land on Mita, he would likely choose to shrug it off thanks to his blessing, trading injury for injury.
Having made her judgment, Lilica decisively stepped back to dodge Mita’s sword thrust.
“What are you dodging for?” Mita laughed aloud, finally reclaiming the familiar sensation of superiority from the past. “Weren’t you acting quite full of yourself just a moment ago?”
Naturally, Cynthia also noticed the shift in offensive and defensive roles between the swordsmen. She temporarily let up on Betty, who had little combat capability left, and spared a moment to fling a string of fireballs at Mita.
While Mita himself possessed a blessing, his clothes certainly did not. Facing Cynthia’s fireballs, he had no choice but to dodge unless he wanted his garments burned to a crisp.
Although they exchanged no spoken words, Lilica and Cynthia had already achieved a seamless tacit understanding, swapping targets. Gripping her greatsword, Lilica charged straight toward Betty, who was covered from head to toe in magical protections.
Betty was still struggling to dodge amidst Cynthia’s fireballs and magma-covered ground, never anticipating that her two opponents had already switched targets. Hearing footsteps approach, she assumed Mita had gained the upper hand and come back to reinforce her, only to turn her head and run straight into Lilica’s greatsword.
Betty let out a mental scream of pure terror.
Then she was swatted away by Lilica’s greatsword, flying straight out into the spectator area and landing squarely in the section reserved for Cynthia’s supporters.
The good news was that Antcana and other healers were right there to administer first aid immediately, casting several healing spells on her the moment she was caught. The bad news was that she was out of the match.
Following Betty’s elimination, Professor Andre promptly announced Cynthia’s victory.
Mita strongly rejected this outcome. “I still retain combat capability. Why am I not allowed to continue fighting?”
Professor Andre replied without the slightest bit of tact, “I believe Your Highness remembers that the protagonists of this duel were Miss Betty and Miss Cynthia? Both you and Kelly were merely providing supplementary combat support.” The unspoken implication was clear enough: you failed to protect your own teammate, so how could you possibly have the face to question me?
This was merely a friendly sparring match among students with some leeway left. If it were a real battle, Betty would not have just been swatted away by a sword.
Lilica’s greatsword could have cleaved her right in two.
Mita flew into a fit of impotent rage. “Your rules are problematic!”
“Then please take it up with the headmaster,” Professor Andre said with a smile before turning to announce to the crowd, “Without a doubt, the new academic leader for the Magic Department has been selected.”
Cynthia’s supporters snapped out of their shock over the sudden appearance of the Holy Maiden and roared with fanatical fervor: “Cynthia! Cynthia! Cynthia!”
“I declare,” Professor Andre drew out his voice slightly, “that the new academic leader of the Magic Department is student Cynthia!”
A wave of cheers erupted among the crowd.
Carlo walked over, first high-fiving Lilica before turning to Cynthia with the air of someone claiming credit. “How was that? The person I recommended was pretty good, right?”
“Very outstanding,” Cynthia nodded, then extended her hand toward Kelly once more, though this time, she held her palm vertically, raised just above her shoulder. “Teammate, well fought.”
Lilica broke into a grin, reaching out to slap her palm against Cynthia’s. “You weren’t bad yourself.”
Since Cynthia had successfully defended her dignity and secured her position as academic leader, Antcana declared that it was imperative they find a place to feast, with the victor footing the bill.
Cynthia nodded generously. “Agreed, you pick the location.”
Antcana unhesitatingly selected the most expensive restaurant in Gauss.
Once the destination was decided, Carlo wore a tearful expression as he went to invite Mita and Betty on Cynthia’s behalf, not because Cynthia still harbored lingering feelings for Mita, but purely as a matter of superficial etiquette and a helpless gesture to keep up appearances.
Fortunately, Mita flatly refused. Not only did he decline to go himself, but he also rejected the invitation on behalf of Betty, who seemed to have plenty she wanted to say, capping it off by unleashing a severe tongue-lashing on poor Carlo.
The Circat Restaurant was located in the most bustling district of Gauss City. Founded by the King’s uncle, the late Grand Duke Circat, it had been famous throughout the Kingdom of Grogles since its inception for its exquisite and expensive dishes.
The interior decor was exceptionally lavish, with luxurious silk goods and paintings visible everywhere. An orchestra played various classic melodies on one side of the dining room that the guests might not fully comprehend.
Gilded candleholders were scattered throughout, and guests were provided with fine porcelain tableware and silver knives and forks. The servers standing quietly beside the dining tables were trained according to standard royal etiquette, quietly arranging everything for the guests while wearing unified uniforms that looked even more presentable than those of some lesser nobility.
The most common patrons here were merchants of all kinds. Most of them had simply come to Gauss on business; some wore fingers and necks laden with jewelry, while others dressed only slightly more presentably than the servers. Yet wealthy or not, they were all more than willing to order the daily special recommendation here and pretend they had become respectable aristocrats enjoying fine cuisine.
As soon as Cynthia and her companions entered the restaurant, they were led to a designated area exclusively set up for nobles. There were very few people here, and the decor was more understated, but the floor was fully carpeted with plush, soft material, and the chairs were far more comfortable than those outside.
The person who came to take their orders was also the restaurant manager.
“Your Highness Antcana, Miss Cynthia, Young Master Carlo, good day,” the manager greeted them with a cordial smile. “Have you brought a new friend with you today?”
Aside from Lilica disguised in Kelly’s skin, none of the other three were first-time visitors, and they were quite familiar with the manager.
Carlo responded, “Yes, a new friend, a gentleman of the Doyle family.”
“Welcome, Mr. Doyle,” the manager said, his smile beaming. “Shall I introduce Circat’s signature dishes to you?”
“No need,” Cynthia replied in a flat tone. “Just bring out the usual.”
The manager glanced briefly at Antakana. Seeing that she raised no objections, he acknowledged, “Very well. I wish you all a pleasant meal.”
Antakana signaled for the surrounding servers to step away for the moment before asking, “You clearly won the evaluation, so why still look unhappy?”
“I’m not,” Cynthia shook her head. “I just suddenly remembered that before we came out, we should have had someone call Lilica to join us.”
Lilica, currently sitting right there at the table, thought to herself that Sister Cynthia truly was the one who doted on her the most, since even when going out to celebrate a victory, she still thought of her.
Carlo glanced at Lilica’s darting eyes and gave her a kick under the table.
Lilica quickly recovered her composure. “Sorry, it’s just that I and Lilica don’t get along very well.”
“That won’t do,” Cynthia said. “You’re both good kids, why not make peace?”
Lilica could only ponder how she was supposed to make peace when she couldn’t split herself into two people, wondering if that reason would fly.