4 The summer tournament.
“Representative?! But school starts today, right!?”
“Good morning, Captain. Yes, that’s right. We’ll be shifting in thirty minutes, so please finish this by then.”
Despite it being the day of the opening ceremony, Cross blinked at her boss, who was working as usual.
Since returning, she had been working tirelessly, and Cross couldn’t help but notice she seemed a bit thinner. Already petite, any further weight loss was concerning.
“If we don’t submit the report on the new species in Zone XV to Professor Yorl, there’s a chance the academy might intervene.”
Yorl Carton-Frederick, the researcher studying monsters, was known for her peculiar love for them.
She is the researcher mentioned by Teacher Dieter..
Cross recalled the woman dubbed the “demon in a lab coat” and grimaced.
“It can’t be helped.”
“Indeed?”
Raze worked diligently, quickly finishing the report.
“Alright then, Captain Bonalt. I’ll be stepping out for a while, so I’ll leave it to you.”
“Yes.”
She was truly a reliable subordinate.
With a smile, Raze flew back home.
Once home, Raze changed into the new clothes her subordinates had given her. Though she wasn’t used to wearing skirts, she made an effort for the gift from her important comrades.
After swiftly changing, she checked her appearance in the mirror.
“The Battle Festival… Hopefully, nothing goes wrong.”
Steeling herself, Raze set off for Saint Riole once more.
“Raze-chan!”
The first to call out to Raze after being transferred was the angel.
Squinting at Folia’s sacred aura that seemed to emanate its own separate world, Raze caught her as she came bounding over.
“It’s been a while. Have you been doing well?”
“Yes, I’ve been good,”
As Folia embraced her, Raze felt the reality of being back at the academy.
“Folia-san. Raze seems troubled.”
“Ah! Lady Carne!”
As the trio gathered, flowers bloomed in Raze’s hands.
“Have you lost weight? Are you okay?”
Carne looked at Raze with concern.
“My weight hasn’t changed much. Maybe I’ve just toned up.”
If she was feeling unwell over something like this, she couldn’t continue as a soldier.
Life at the academy didn’t allow for reckless use of magic, so she noticed a slight decline in her reflexes.
There were still dangers lurking within the academy. She needed to ensure her magical accuracy didn’t falter in the later stages. She wanted to identify and eliminate the culprit quickly.
“Oh, right. I have a present for Raze-chan!”
Amidst Folia’s excited voice, Raze snapped back to attention.
“A present…?”
Since they had talked about souvenirs before the break, Raze had prepared something too.
However, the term “present” and the excited looks from Folia and Carne caught her off guard.
“Here. Open it!”
Raze obediently opened the cute bag in her hand.
“Oh… it’s adorable…”
What she found inside was a keychain featuring flowers and stars.
It’s something pretty that she wouldn’t have bought herself, and she touches it as if it were fragile.
“It’s something we bought together at the Star Festival, Lady Carne and I.”
Smiling at the angel, Raze’s heart skipped a beat.
“I’m glad. Thank you both. I’ll treasure it.”
Receiving a gift from friends for the first time, Raze felt touched.
Having been completely unable to meet with the two of them during the busy holiday workload, Raze had worried she might have been forgotten and left behind alone.
But those were needless concerns. As she listened to Folia and Carne recount their holiday activities, Raze returned to the dorms for the first time in about a month.
Changing out of her military uniform into the academy’s, she rejoined them in the hall.
Blending in among the many students, listening to the teachers’ announcements, she felt just like any other student.
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“That concludes the opening ceremony. Now, let’s talk about the summer tournament—”
As the opening ceremony ended, the explanation for the Battle Festival began.
The school-wide tournament, starting in a week, was larger in scale than the winter tournaments held by year.
The third years felt a different level of tension, as it was their final tournament before their career paths diverged.
“Now, we’ll announce the match-ups. Make sure to go through the materials we’ll distribute, which contain detailed rules and prohibited actions.”
As the match-ups were announced, voices erupted from all around.
(I wonder who I’ll be up against. Even if I feel sorry for my opponent, I can’t afford to lose…)
Raze’s first opponent was a male student from Class 2B.
Personally, she had planned to defeat him and then challenge the son of His Highness, but after a discussion with Harrens during the break, she had agreed to lose early and focus on security duty.
Harrens knew that if she went all out, victory would be easy, so he suggested she refrain.
Also, this time, the parents came to watch. Due to her job, it was necessary to keep her presence as inconspicuous as possible, so it was best to not attract attention here.
It was painful to face the senior in the first match.
(Well, it’s a mistake for me to participate in this tournament without any handicap, so it’s my fault for expecting to win.)
Raze excuses herself with a sense of guilt.
“Oh, I’m nervous…”
Next to her, Folia looked pale, but she regained her composure.
With her hands clasped in front of her face, Folia touched the ring on her little finger.
Seeing that, Raze looked at her with eyes like a mother watching over her child.
“It’ll be okay. You have an amulet, right?”
“Yeah, master Zell gave it to me. He was busy during the second half of his break, so we couldn’t meet much, but he said, ‘We’ll meet soon.'”
Folia smiled happily.
Since they had lived together in the same room during the first term, Raze knew that all the accessories and clothes Folia wore were given to her by Lord Mordir, her guardian.
Seeing Folia in this state, it seemed that she was deviating from the script.
(No need to worry, the guards are firm, which is reassuring…)
Raze smiled happily at that thought.
“He’ll probably come to watch the summer tournament, right?”
“Yeah, I think so. I’ll have to train a lot in magic to show him some good moves.”
Folia made two fists and encouraged herself. She was a cute girl with a positive and hardworking attitude suitable for a heroine. The contrast between her and when she dealt with her subordinates in the military was so great that it felt like she had come to a different world.
As Folia was enthusiastic, the period just before the tournament became a training period with only practical classes.
In the vast training ground, many students were seeking guidance from teachers who were skilled in the magic they needed.
“Kyaa~!!”
Raze was already accustomed to some female students making a fuss over the noble young men as they dripped with charm.
She concluded that they were aiming for a prosperous marriage. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be able to cheer so carefreely.
The motivation of the boys and some of the girls who wanted to join the knighthood was different. There was a marked difference in enthusiasm Raze feels as if she might burn herself.
Raze looked at Carne, who had gathered her purple hair into one, at the edge of her vision.
(Carne is working hard for a different reason.)
Believing that she has been born in a world where her life has only bad endings, she was honing her magic so that she could protect herself if necessary.
Perhaps she was the most diligently training while truly confronting her own peril within this academy.
If her life was at stake, desperation would surely follow.
Raze gazed from afar at Carne, glistening with beautiful sweat.
Since Folia seemed to be learning magic from Luca, she was alone for now.
Admiring Carne in a daze,
“Haaah!”
Raze suddenly snapped back to reality hearing a strong female voice.
“What could that be?”
Raze headed towards the commotion. Unlike cheers of excitement, that dignified voice piqued her curiosity.
Due to her short stature, she peeked through gaps in the crowd, unable to see clearly.
“Sei!!”
In the center was a familiar red-haired girl unleashing iron fists upon a third-year male student.
“A-Alisa-senpai?”
Raze’s eyes widened seeing her huff out a breath before the crouching male student.
“As expected of the second-year seed. Picking fights is unbecoming.”
“That idiot underestimated her just because she’s a commoner junior.”
“Seems he wanted confidence but got his pride utterly shattered instead…”
Overhearing the spectators, Raze was struck by the other side of the usually gentle Alisa. Her close senior friends seemed quite formidable.
She was shocked to see Alisa, who typically calmed Marie, in this light.
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