“Waaaah…!”
The cheers from the audience were deafening.
As I landed from the air, a slight dizziness hit me.
It was probably because I had used both wind and fire elements simultaneously while floating.
‘Using two types of magic at once is definitely a burden.’
Suppressing my dizziness, I turned my head and saw Helios crouched on the ground.
The flames had already disappeared, and he didn’t have any injuries.
But he looked exhausted.
“……”
Without a word, I walked over to him.
Then, I held out my hand.
“……”
Helios bit his lip for a moment but eventually took my hand and stood up.
Then, still holding my hand, he raised my arm high above our heads.
“You win, damn it.”
The moment Helios admitted his defeat—
“The victor, Eriol Valencia!”
Horizon declared my victory, and the crowd’s cheers grew even louder.
“This is… a loss with no room for excuses.”
“Inies senior.”
“I underestimated Eriol too much. I thought I was being careful, but it wasn’t enough.”
Next to Klein, Inies let out a sigh.
“If I had known he was that incredible, I would have taught Helios a wider range of magic.”
“He’s already one of the top-tier freshmen as it is.”
“You can’t say that when there’s someone who surpasses even that top tier.”
Inies chuckled.
“You’ve got an amazing freshman under you, Klein.”
“I haven’t really taught him anything. He’s just… revealing his talent on his own.”
“Is that so? Then you should help him fully bloom. Talented people like him always run into obstacles.”
“Obstacles?”
“Yes. The more capable you are, the more temptations and interference you face. You’ve had your fair share of that, haven’t you?”
“……”
“The professors, in particular, will start swarming him. You should be careful.”
Just as Inies pointed out, several professors were already eyeing Eriol hungrily.
“This is truly a monstrous talent. He must join the Production Department.”
“Don’t be ridiculous! How can you say that after seeing his mastery of elemental magic? He obviously belongs in the Elemental Department!”
“He should join the Necromancy Department. He’s destined to command an undead legion—”
“Nonsense! A bright and brilliant talent like his cannot be wasted on necromancy! He belongs in the Holy Department!”
Even professors from usually quieter departments, like Portisio from the Electromagic Department and Hephaestus from the Artificing Department, were watching Eriol with gleaming eyes.
Until now, only Klein and Horizon had known the full extent of Eriol’s abilities. But now, the other professors had realized it too.
“Still…”
“Hm?”
“Eriol will be joining the Transcendental Department.”
Klein declared firmly, his determination clear.
Inies chuckled again.
“Well, do your best then.”
“Aren’t you interested in recruiting him, Inies senior?”
“I already told you. Just managing my advanced students is overwhelming enough. I’ll step out of this tug-of-war for Eriol Valencia.”
“True, Charlotte and Helios are already exceptional students.”
“Yeah. And there are plenty of professors eager to recruit them too.”
As they continued their conversation, Inies suddenly clapped her hands as if she had remembered something.
“Oh, right. I almost forgot about our bet.”
“Our bet?”
“We wagered on whether the top-tier class or the advanced class would win first place, remember?”
“Ah, that…”
“If you won, I was supposed to go on a date with you.”
“…What?!”
“Well, I lost, so I have to keep my promise.”
“T-That’s not necessary.”
Klein turned his head away, his face flushing red.
“I never actually agreed to the bet in the first place. So, it’s fine.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yes, you don’t have to force yourself.”
“Hmmm, got it.”
Inies stretched her arms and got up from her seat.
“What a boring guy.”
“Huh?”
Leaving a confused Klein behind, Inies walked away.
“Now, I will announce the final rankings.”
After all the matches had ended, we stood before Professor Horizon.
“The first match ended in Senia Artian’s disqualification, but Charlotte Strasbourg was unable to continue the tournament. Therefore, Senia Artian will be ranked fourth, and Charlotte Strasbourg will be ranked third.
Charlotte Strasbourg may feel it is unfair not to be ranked second despite winning the first match, but since she lost consciousness and became unable to fight, it is effectively the same as being disqualified. That is why she is ranked third.”
Senia and Charlotte nodded with stiff expressions.
“Senia Artian.”
“Ah, yes.”
“Your creativity in catching your opponent off guard and your physical ability to execute your strategy were both excellent. However, you completely forgot that this was a magic competition. If you have a habit of focusing too much on one thought and ignoring everything else, that could be a serious problem.”
Senia lowered her head as if his words had hit home.
“Try to keep a broader perspective and think more flexibly. Understood?”
“Yes, sir!”
After addressing Senia, Horizon turned to Charlotte.
“Charlotte Strasbourg.”
“Yes…”
“You have a deep understanding of ice magic’s characteristics and handle it skillfully. If you continue refining your techniques along this path, you will undoubtedly achieve great results.”
“……”
“But in battles against real opponents, you must adapt your strategy to the situation. Always remember that your usual methods might not work against certain opponents.”
“I understand.”
Charlotte bit her lip and bowed her head.
“Next… In what was essentially the final match, Eriol Valencia emerged victorious. Thus, Helios Chanetis is ranked second.”
Horizon’s gaze turned to Helios.
“Helios Chanetis.”
“Yes…”
“Though you lost, your control over lightning magic and your swift martial arts were both impeccable. There’s nothing I need to critique.”
“……”
“Trust in your talent and continue honing your skills. If you do, the world will recognize you.”
Helios remained silent, and Horizon moved on, shifting his gaze to me.
“And… the winner, Eriol Valencia. You are ranked first.”
“……”
“Not only is your magic exceptional, but your tactical decisions were outstanding. The way you anticipated your opponent’s lightning strike and immediately ascended into the air was a level of adaptability not expected from a freshman.”
Horizon studied me with calm eyes as he continued.
“However, continuously controlling the wind element to stay airborne while also launching fireballs was reckless.”
“……”
“Already maintaining one spell while constructing a new one is something you should attempt only after further training. Fortunately, no accidents occurred, but your brain must have been under considerable strain.”
Horizon’s assessment was spot on.
I actually felt dizzy.
“In such situations, the correct approach is to ascend to a higher altitude first, then deactivate your flight magic and cast the fire spell the moment free fall begins. You can reactivate your flight magic before hitting the ground.”
“Ah…”
So instead of maintaining the flight spell while using fire magic, I should temporarily cut off the flight spell, cast the fire magic, and then reactivate the flight spell.
That certainly seemed safer.
“Of course, with a little more training, you’ll be able to handle two or three spells simultaneously with ease.”
Horizon added with a smile.
“Don’t be too greedy. If you progress step by step, you’ll surely reach great heights.”
“Understood, Professor.”
“In any case… well done, Eriol Valencia.”
After giving me a satisfied look, Horizon turned toward the students seated in the audience.
“Now, I will reveal the current freshman rankings.”
At that moment, a massive scoreboard appeared in midair.
The students murmured as they confirmed the results.
“These rankings reflect the results of the rookie tournament. They will be updated in real-time based on future practical evaluations and written exams.”
The board displayed the rankings and scores of over a thousand freshmen.
As announced, the top four were me, Helios, Charlotte, and Senia in that order.
Following them, Monarch Orson was in 5th place, Cain Trigger in 7th, Charis Morpheus in 12th, and Milia Morpheus in 13th.
“These rankings will have a significant impact on your future. Sharpen your skills and strive for a higher position. Understood?”
“Yes, Professor!”
“Good. With that…”
Horizon nodded with a smile.
“The rookie tournament is now concluded.”
And so, the first practical evaluation came to an end.
“Great job, Eriol!”
After the professors left, Cain jumped down from the audience seats and slung his arm around my shoulders.
“That was an intense battle! You really nailed it!”
“Mm, it was a spectacular victory. Congratulations.”
“Yeah, you’ve impressed me.”
Charis and Milia also approached to offer their congratulations.
“Eriol, congratulations on taking first place.”
“It’s thanks to your help, Senia.”
“No, you would have mastered homing magic and taken first place even without me.”
“No, that’s not true.”
Honestly… I never once hit Senia during practice.
Even with homing magic, fireballs didn’t track their targets indefinitely, so I always ended up missing her.
Of course, actually hitting Senia would have been a problem, but the point was that my skills weren’t yet at the level to land a hit on her.
That’s how extraordinary her agility was.
“Since I had grown accustomed to your speed, I was at least able to pressure Helios.”
“R-Really? I’m glad I could help.”
“Wait, what? Were you two secretly training together? That’s unfair!”
Cain pouted and jabbed my side with his elbow.
“This won’t do. In honour of your first-place finish, dinner’s on you, Eriol.”
“C-Cain, you can’t just decide that on your own…”
“Hm, I agree.”
“I second that.”
No, wait.
I had planned to have a simple dinner and finally enjoy a quiet evening of reading…
“Sorry, but I’m taking Eriol with me.”
Right then.
A cold voice rang out around us.
“…!”
When had he gotten here?
My uncle, Professor Kaisel, was walking toward us.
“K-Kaisel Professor?”
“Wait, is that really Professor Kaisel?”
“Whoa, this is my first time seeing him in person.”
Students from other classes, seeing Kaisel for the first time, gasped in awe.
“P-Professor Kaisel Valencia!”
Then, a student urgently raised his voice.
It was Helios, who had remained behind.
“I, I…”
“You must be Helios Chanetis.”
“…!”
Helios looked shocked, as if he hadn’t expected his name to be acknowledged.
“Your performance in the match was impressive. Keep striving forward.”
“Ah…!”
Helios’ entire body trembled.
“Th-Thank you!”
He bowed at a ninety-degree angle, but Kaisel didn’t spare him another glance.
Without hesitation, he walked straight toward me and gestured with his eyes.
“Come with me, Eriol.”
“Uh, Uncle.”
His attitude was always so forceful that I felt I had to say something.
“I promised my friends I’d buy them dinner.”
“You’re a heartless one.”
“Huh?”
Hearing the word “heartless” from Kaisel was so unexpected that I widened my eyes.
“Didn’t we make a promise first?”
“A promise with you?”
“If you took first place, we were to have dinner together.”
“…”
Wait a second.
We had talked about something like that, but I didn’t remember making a definitive promise.
“I made time for this.”
Kaisel looked down at me with cold eyes and spoke.
“Come, Eriol.”
There was no way to refuse.
