The arena, completely wrecked by Amy’s magic, was surprisingly restored in no time.
Once the royal magicians cleared away the debris and filled in the cracked earth, burly laborers swiftly brought perfectly cut stones to repair it.
And with a complex weave of various spells, the arena was reconstructed in mere moments.
The entire process took no more than twenty minutes.
It was a testament that nothing is impossible with enough manpower.
“Cough! We apologize for the delay! Though there was a minor incident, we shall now proceed to the next preliminary match! Thank you for your patience!”
As the flustered announcer began his commentary, the previously quiet audience erupted into excited chatter once again.
Amy’s magic had been shocking, but undeniably dazzling—a spectacle no one could deny.
Was it because of this? The audience brimmed with anticipation, hoping for another equally impressive display.
In short, their expectations had skyrocketed.
“Kinda underwhelming…”
“Isn’t their skill level a bit low?”
“Compared to before…”
Clearly, most students’ performances couldn’t meet the audience’s heightened standards.
“Hmm… There are definitely some talented ones among them…”
Angelica frowned as she surveyed the arena. True, there were several promising individuals gathered from across the nation.
However, Amy’s performance wasn’t on a student’s level—that was the problem.
“Perhaps, as Lord mentioned, students like Amy should’ve been allowed direct entry into the finals.”
Seeing the cold reception from the crowd, the contestants currently battling on the field looked increasingly disheartened.
Cain also wore a wry smile. Even though they weren’t from his academy, he must’ve felt uncomfortable as a professor. They’d worked so hard…
Just bad luck today.
“But if you’re part of the organizing committee, someone will surely notice. That’s all we can do—keep trying. Not everyone can be a genius, after all…”
Professor Seneca spoke bluntly. Looking around the audience, sure enough, there were people watching intently with serious expressions.
They were talent scouts evaluating potential recruits. Back in my previous life, pro teams often secured contracts early with promising students…
So it wasn’t too late yet for these competitors to make an impression.
As the matches continued, the final bout of the day commenced. Among those competing was Ariana, one of my graduating students.
Even Black Wolf, who had been yawning lazily earlier, now wore a focused expression. Smirking, I placed a hand on his head.
“Aren’t you being too expressive?”
“…Only Allen says that.”
Is that so? Though it might’ve been subtle before, her emotions are pretty obvious now.
Shrugging, I turned back to the arena.
“What do you think?”
“Of course she’ll pass. But there’s a strong-looking guy over there.”
“True.”
From afar, I could see a towering figure—a well-built man whose physique clearly showed years of training. I scratched my head thoughtfully.
“Can we even call that guy a student?”
Not only was he huge, but his face radiated experience.
His neatly trimmed beard made him look like a seasoned knight who’d seen countless battles.
No one would ever guess he was a student. …A repeat student, maybe?
As if hearing my thoughts, Cain approached me.
“That uniform… It belongs to Don Quixote Academy.”
“Don Quixote?”
That name sounded familiar.
“Yes. Always ranked second in the academies, it’s renowned as the ‘Knights’ Sanctuary.'”
“Ah, that’s where I heard it…”
I remembered hearing about it during wartime. Many non-commissioned officers came from Don Quixote. They usually referred to it as the ‘Knights’ Sanctuary,’ so I assumed it was some kind of slang.
Turns out it’s an actual academy.
“It’ll be good experience for Miss Ariana. Don Quixote is quite exclusive—they only send proven talents to external competitions. In reality, they’ve produced more Masters than our academy.”
“But why are they always second?”
“That…”
“Don Quixote doesn’t train mages,” Angelica interjected, her tone somewhat irritated.
“They focus solely on knights, which naturally leads to many Masters. However, if you include Archmages, our academy far surpasses them! Understand?”
“I-I see…”
“Plus, their principal openly denounces mages at official events, claiming they’re unnecessary… Naturally, that affects their ranking.”
“… Ah”
Now I understood why Angelica disliked them. Even the old sage wouldn’t say such things lightly. Whoever this principal is, he doesn’t seem easy to deal with.
Sensing Angelica’s annoyance, Cain cleared his throat.
“Anyway, Don Quixote has come prepared for this tournament. Everyone knows they hate being called perennial runners-up.”
“So is that guy an expert?”
“Highly likely. He’d breeze through preliminaries.”
“Hmm, then unlike Amy, Ariana won’t get direct passage, right?”
Since Ariana’s a swordsman, eliminating all opponents would be troublesome without wide-area spells like Amy’s.
“We’ll see…”
Why was Cain dodging the question when he just said she had sufficient skill?
“A true knight never shies away from facing stronger opponents—it’s one of Don Quixote’s principles.”
“So he’ll deliberately challenge Ariana?”
Cain gave a wry smile.
“Most likely. She’s the strongest here.”
“… Wow.”
Truly a school for macho men.
If defeating Ariana makes the rest easier, it might work…but they’ll regret it.
“Choosing the harder path when an easier one exists proves humans are indeed foolish creatures.”
“You’re right.”
For once, I agreed with Black Wolf. Classic case of self-inflicted suffering.
Among the bustling students, Ariana shook her head.
“Tch, what was Amy thinking? She didn’t have to go all out.”
Seeing the aftermath of Amy demolishing the arena left Ariana speechless.
Passing quietly would’ve been enough; why did she show her ultimate move?
Allen always said keeping some skills hidden was wise.
When she asked Amy later, the response was simple:
“Professor Allen told me to knock them out.”
And there she was, smiling contentedly afterward.
Hearing that, Ariana almost screamed in frustration.
“I’m just gonna play it safe.”
With only needing to place in the top three, it was a straightforward match.
Scanning the audience casually, she spotted professors watching from the VIP box, just as Amy had mentioned.
Waving at them, the announcer’s voice boomed.
“The National Academies Grand Competition, Olympia! Let’s begin today’s FINAL preliminary match!!!”
“Waaaah!”
“Ow, my ears!”
The loud announcement made Ariana wince. Her enhanced senses since becoming an Expert were still adjusting.
“House of Selene… right?”
“Definitely a swordsman.”
“Then we won’t see anything like Amy’s earlier display.”
“…”
Watching the approaching students, Ariana snorted.
After seeing Amy’s rampage, they still dared to approach her?
Underestimating her, were they?
“I’ll take care of whoever comes first.”
Gripping her sword hilt, she assumed a stance. The refined killing intent honed through spars with Allen and especially Black Wolf spread throughout the area.
This too was beyond a regular student’s level.
“…”
Frozen in place, the students hesitated. Used to normal duels within the academy, they couldn’t handle her oppressive aura.
Unable to step into her range, they looked increasingly nervous.
Ariana smirked.
“Boring. If you won’t come…”
“Are you Ariana Selene?”
“Aaaah!”
Breaking through the frozen crowd, a giant man strode forward. Staring at his face, Ariana tilted her head.
Is he really a student?
Recalling something her mother once told her about a knight who made her father visibly uneasy, Ariana asked cautiously.
“Are you from Don Quixote?”
“I’m training at the Knights’ Sanctuary.”
“Figures. You’re crazy.”
She’d heard they challenged anyone strong, regardless of gender or age. Laughing at the absurdity back then…
Never imagined such a brute actually existed.
“Though I know you’re strong, it’s a knight’s shame to draw a sword against a woman first. Allow me to yield the initiative. Please give it your all.”
“… Hmph.”
Initially planning to dodge and eliminate weaker opponents first, Ariana changed her mind.
“Damn brat… Underestimating me?”
Her expression blank, she slowly drew her sword.
“You. Prepare to die.”
[Moonglow Sword Technique: Full Moon]
Her feral grin shook the entire arena.
