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"We can't help it when we're trying to improve the skills of those who lack talent. All the promising ones are snatched up by your Elton Academy."
"You have a great passion for education, Chancellor Probito."
"Mateo, was it?"
"Yes. I'm in charge of magic classes under Professor Sirims, Head of the Department of Magic."
"It's not that I have a great passion. You people gather all the talented ones and call yourselves the best academy, taking it all for granted."
Mateo, who was trying to be as friendly as possible out of respect for Probito's career and status, was speechless.
"……."
"Enjoy the match today. It will be a historic one."
He couldn't fight with the chancellor of the royal academy just because he said something unpleasant.
Mateo took a deep breath and answered calmly.
"Yes, I will."
He tried to smile again, but his heart wasn't in it.
'Is the old man senile? Does he really think he can beat our academy students just because he let them enroll a year early? No way. This is Elton Academy. The best educational institution on the continent.'
Whether he knew Mateo's true feelings or not, Probito stroked his beard and looked at the stadium.
Students from both academies were just entering the stadium.
Each side had 100 players for the friendly match.
A total of 200 students came onto the field.
Based on the center line, each side had 30 large and small circles drawn.
Similarly, there were 30 flags stuck in the center of the circles.
The announcer's voice echoed through the stadium.
Now, we will begin the thirty-fourth friendly match between Kanzar Academy and Elton Academy.
Wow!
Clap, clap, clap.
Cheers erupted from the stands prepared on the south side of the center line.
Several people related to the career paths of academy graduates were invited to the south side, including wizards from the Magic Tower, knights from the Knights Order, and the president of the Martial Arts Association.
This year, executives from the Royal Magic Department and the Royal Guard also attended.
Seats were set up on the east and west sides of the stadium for students who were not participating.
Next to them were the temporary infirmary tents for each academy.
Unlike the Elton Academy students, who were laughing, chattering, and loudly cheering for the players, the 200 or so students sitting on the opposite side were just staring at the stadium with blank expressions.
Liber and Bellum were excluded from the Gray Bear Exploration Team.
In fact, this list of players had a rather important meaning.
Out of 188 first-year students, only 100 were playing.
Not being on this list essentially meant being in the bottom 88.
Of course, there were exceptions.
Like Luna, who was playing in the stadium.
Although she wasn't in the top 100 in terms of grades, she was able to participate in the game because healers were always in short supply.
Bellum whispered to Liber.
"Hey, Chatterbox. I think Davian is right?"
"Right? I haven't seen them laugh or chatter once since they passed through the main gate."
"It's like they don't even have expressions?"
"What's up with them? Why are they like that?"
"Davian told you. The chancellor pulled some trick."
Bellum turned his head and looked at the VIP seats on the north side.
He saw a burly wizard stroking his beard and looking down at the stadium.
It was Chancellor Probito.
"The atmosphere in the VIP seats is a bit strange too. Right?"
"Yeah. It's a match to determine the winner, but I heard it's also meant to strengthen the friendship between the two academies. The professors' expressions are too cold, aren't they?"
"It looks like something's going to happen, just like Davian said."
"Will the kids be okay?"
"Davian's with them."
"Yeah, that's right. He promised to protect at least our Gray Bear Exploration Team."
Liber, who had been looking at the VIP seats following Bellum, shifted his gaze to the stadium.
It wasn't hard to find Davian and the rest of his friends among the 100 players.
Because they were in the very back.
The closest spot to Liber outside the stadium.
"Davian! Nubes! Latia! Bonita! Luna!"
Liber made a megaphone shape with his hands and shouted loudly.
The friends standing at the very back of the stadium turned their heads.
Liber took a deep breath and shouted again.
"Fighting!"
Davian and Bonita nodded slightly.
Latia looked forward again.
Nubes waved his thick, long arms and smiled.
Luna clenched her small fists and took a timid fighting stance.
Latia, who had turned her head to the front, asked.
"Davian. You said this friendly match is dangerous. Is it okay for us to be in the back like this?"
"I warned everyone last week. I also told them to prepare. But no one listened to me. Except for you guys."
"So, are you saying you don't care what happens to them and we're just going to stay in the back?"
"No. What was all that practice we did over the weekend for?"
Latia nodded.
"I guess you're right. But why are we in the back?"
"Do you know what a 'backs-to-the-river formation' is?"
Bonita interjected.
"Yeah. A desperate fight when there's no more room to retreat."
"That's right. Anyway, no one believes this situation even if we tell them now. To secure victory at the last moment, we have to push our side into a backs-to-the-river formation. Well, it's going to happen anyway."
"It's going to happen anyway?"
"Yeah. We're going to be unilaterally pushed back. In the end, we'll have no choice but to form a backs-to-the-river formation. But……."
Nubes asked.
"But?"
"Whether there's hope or not at that time will have a big impact on the morale of the kids. We'll wait until then."
Bonita crossed her arms.
"Well, I'll follow the plan you made, Davian. But I don't like having to hide in the back while knowing that our academy kids are going to get hurt."
"We're doing this to win. If we step up first, Kanzar Academy will end up taking the victory. Is that okay?"
Bonita shook her head.
"That's even worse."
Two rabbits.
Davian had a plan to catch both rabbits.
First.
Win.
Second.
The friends he's been working hard to help grow.
Luna, Nubes, Bellum, Bonita, Latia, Liber.
People who can now be called comrades.
No one touches these friends now.
At least until graduation.
The announcer's voice echoed again.
We will now begin the friendly match. Players from each academy, please enter the circles drawn in your respective territories. There are 30 circles each. They are all different sizes, and you are free to decide how many people enter each circle. Now, first, the students on both sides, please take your places inside the circles.
Following the announcer's instructions, 200 students began to move diligently.
Before long, all the students were inside a total of 60 circles.
When the students had finished preparing for the match, the staff came out and surrounded the stadium.
The staff moved in pairs, and each pair had a stretcher.
Players are free to leave the circles and move to other circles. However, once a player has left the stadium, they cannot re-enter.
If you are injured and carried out, you will be treated immediately in the temporary infirmary tent.
But that person cannot participate in the game again.
The same goes for simply being pushed out of the stadium.
The rules of the game are simple. If you push all the opposing players out of a circle, you can pull out the flag in the middle of the circle. You must push all the opponents out of the circle before you can pull out the flag. You cannot pull out the flag if there is even one opponent in the circle.
Some of the Elton Academy players chuckled.
"Sounds fun, doesn't it?"
"Yeah. Should I go take one of the circles by myself?"
"Or how about we all rush out at the same time as soon as we start? If we all push in together, we can leave our own circles empty, right? They'll be too busy being pushed back."
"That sounds fun too. No matter what we do, victory is ours."
If you think a nearby circle is in danger, players can move to the dangerous circle to help defend it. However, that can easily leave another circle empty. It's an important game where strategy and organic movement are key.
"Strategy? What strategy?"
"Hey, I know a few kids who went to Kanzar Academy. They're no match for us in the first place."
Unlike the Elton Academy students, who were chuckling and chattering.
The Kanzar Academy students were still standing with their mouths shut, expressionless.
The team that pulls out all thirty of the opponent's flags first wins. Now, we will begin the match with celebratory fireworks.
Bang! Boom!
Spectacular magic fireworks began behind the VIP seats.
It was also a celebratory firework to announce the start of the match.
Lex Flumen's gang from Elton Academy occupied one of the circles at the very front.
It was one of the largest circles.
There were 11 people inside the circle.
Lex patted Brandon on the back.
Brandon Nadium, a 1-star swordsman who had lost to Davian in the first swordsmanship sparring match.
One semester had passed, and he was now a 2-star swordsman.
During the sparring incident with Davian at the beginning of the semester.
He was greatly disappointed in Lex, who had told him to do it and then abandoned him, but he had no choice but to continue being part of Lex's gang.
This was because Brandon's family was barely managing to protect their territory thanks to the support of Lex's family, the Flumen Marquisate.
"Brandon."
"Huh?"
"See that circle with two people in it? Go take it. You're good enough to go alone. Let's be the first to score."
"Me?"
"What, are you not confident? Should I go?"
Brandon grinned.
"It's not that I'm not confident. I'm just grateful that you're sending me first."
Brandon pulled out the wooden sword he had at his waist.
"I'm going! I am Brandon Nadium of Elton Academy!"
While the players on both sides were slowly scouting each other.
Brandon was the first to cross the center line.
A truly courageous and enterprising act.
If he hadn't been pushed by Lex, it would have been worthy of emulation.
Brandon ran straight towards the circle that Lex had pointed out.
It was a small circle guarded by two people.
'I'll push them out in one go and be the first to pull out the flag!'
One of the Kanzar Academy students guarding the circle drew his wooden sword.
The other one, who seemed to major in martial arts, lowered his stance and extended both hands forward.
'One of them doesn't even have a wooden sword. I'll knock that one out first!'
Brandon, who had already gotten close to the circle, swung his wooden sword widely.
His target was the guy taking a hand-to-hand combat stance.
'I'll knock him out with one blow and have him carried out on a stretcher right away. That'll be less painful for you too.'
The moment Brandon's wooden sword got close.
The student who had been taking a hand-to-hand combat stance stretched out his right palm.
Precisely in the direction the wooden sword was coming from.
'You fool. Your hand bones are going to break.'
Brandon put even more strength into the hand holding the wooden sword.
A friendly match between Kanzar Academy and Elton Academy.
So far, Elton Academy has a record of 33 wins and 0 losses.
The first clash of the 34th match.
Crack!
"Huh?"
Brandon's eyes widened.
What broke with the cracking sound.
Was Brandon's wooden sword.
Whoosh.
Immediately followed by the martial arts student's spin kick.
Whack!
The spinning back kick hit Brandon's face head on.
"Ugh!"
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