CHAPTER 28: THE PRELIMINARIES STARTS
The tournament within the school is held between each school year.
It is impossible for all three school years to be held in one same day, so it would follow a three day schedule.
The location will be at the circular arena inside the school grounds.
And, tomorrow will finally be the first day of the tournament.
It is the day when the strongest first year is decided.
「h.e.l.lo, everyone. This is the block table for tomorrow’s preliminaries. It’s a battle royale where Warrior Department and Magic Department is mixed together. So the trick on winning, is to defend rather than to attack. You should place yourself not to lose」
Inside the first year’s cla.s.sroom of the Magic Department, Emilia pasted huge paper to the blackboard.
There are 82 students in the first year with the two departments combined.
And they are divided into 8 blocks, and do a battle royale.
The only winning 8, will be able to enter the main part of the tournament.
「……a-re? Emilia-sensei. My name’s not on it!」
Laura stared intently at the block table, but her name wasn’t anywhere.
The student’s number was only 81.
「Laura-san is, seeded. You should only fight during the tournament’s finale」
「Ehhhh?! Why〜, why〜! I also want to fight with everyone!」
「Please bear with it. If Laura-san competed normally, the students that might reach to the top will steadily drop after all……」
When Emilia said that apologetically, all of her cla.s.smates nodded at once.
「Laura-chan. Please bear with it okay. Just being sure that we will not have a contest with you until the finals, the relief is very different」
「That’s right. With this, we also have a chance」
「Well, even if final bout is impossible, there’s the hope for at least reaching the main tournament」
Her cla.s.smates had bonded strongly.
“Gununu”, Laura groaned, but she understands what everyone was saying.
In reality, Laura wasn’t planning on losing at all.
「I understand……being on seed is okay. By the way, what will Charlotte-san do? She also didn’t come today. If she also won’t come tomorrow……」
「Charlotte-san is in the 8th block. If she doesn’t come until that battle royale, she’s disqualified」
「No way……」
A half month since Charlotte went missing.
Her whereabouts is still unknown.
Inside the school, the theory of her death is being rumored.
Of course, Laura doesn’t think at all that Charlotte had died.
She was only having a secret training for tomorrow’s tournament.
But, even how much she train for, there’s no meaning if she doesn’t make it.
「It’s okay, Laura-san. Charlotte-san would come, for sure. There’s no one who has more insatiable thirst for winning than that girl after all……」
「……I agree」
It looks like Emilia was believing on Charlotte.
Laura was also believing.
Training herself until the last minute, she would appear so strong that Laura would be surprised.
If it wasn’t like that, I can’t forgive her.
Making us worried this much, yet she wouldn’t make it on time, that is not worthy of Charlotte Gazard.
The light attack magic that she showed Laura at the first day of school.
That was the one, the first instance, that Laura thought that magic is cool in her whole life.
That shine, once again.
This time, on the fighting groundーー.
The Gyrdorea Adventurer School’s arena is decently large scale, and there is still plenty of room even after all of the school’s students enter the audience.
So, during the tournament within the school, it is released to the public, and residents with free time, or relatives of the students comes to watch.
If they leave a good grade here, it is also possible that they would be scouted by a dominant party after their graduation, so the third years are desperate.
Although, for the first years that had just entered the school, they only feel like it’s a festival.
「Uwa〜……people this much would come and see huh〜」
Laura who was on stand by around the ring, looked up at the audience and was impressed.
「Maybe at least a thousand」
Anna also seems to be surprised.
Thinking that she would have a match in front of this much people, she got nervous.
But how can you say this, in this world, it seems like there are a lot of people who have their free time.
Well, entrance is free, and there are the instructors protecting the audience with defense barrier so there is also no danger.
The common person would be able to see the sword techniques and various magic that they couldn’t see usually unfolded before their eyes, so it’s a high quality level for an entertainment.
「By the way, Charlotte didn’t come after all?」
「Yes……she’s in the 8th block, so there’s still time, but……」
Even though I was sure that she would be coming home on the morning of the actual day, but Charlotte is still not showing even now.
Really, what is she planning to do.
While Laura was being restless, the battle royale of the 1st block had started.
10 students comes up on the top of the ring, and using swords and spears, bow and arrows and magic, they will fight until only one is remaining.
Between students, there is not that much of a gap between skills.
On top of that, the flow of the bout would change rapidly because it’s a skirmish.
It would probably take timeーーat the next instance when Laura thought of that, the balance got broken at once, and the only one remains was the axe user boy.
Even though the other students got blown out by the large-scale explosion magic that the magician desperately used, he was the only one standing in the ring even though he had some burns.
「Everyone, please take your time and fight〜……I mean, Charlotte-san, hurry up and come!」
Laura even thought of disguising herself and compete as Charlotte, but however you looked at it, her height isn’t enough, so she only had to give up.
During the period of the tournament within the school, anyone can enter the audience of the arena.
Then, to look at how much their child has grown up, it is a normal flow for their family to come and see.
And for this day, there are also people who go out of their way to come from outside of the royal capital.
Dora Edmonds was also one of them.
In fact, her husband Bruno also wanted to come, but since monsters emerged near the town, it was suddenly canceled.
He was so disappointed that he even cried, but it can’t be helped.
With my husband’s part, I should cheer at my daughter.
「Even so, I wonder when will Laura appear. I’m looking forward to how much she’s gotten stronger〜」
Laura was trained so much by her father before entering school.
The students of the same year might be no match for her.
She would surely win with an easy victory.
And while thinking using a thought process of a doting parent, Dora watched the battle royal that was being held on the top of the ring.
Dora completely believes that her daughter had learned the sword in the Warrior Department.
After all, it was her own daughter.
She was sure that she would become the school year’s top with overwhelming strength, and even become a threat against higher years.
Showing a magic apt.i.tude number of all 9999, and enter the Magic Department, not the higher year but even defeated an instructor, those things was in the outside world of her imaginations.
「Hakkushun!」
Although she doesn’t have a cold, Laura made a huge sneeze.
「What, what’s with that cute sneeze」
「Fue〜……is someone making rumors of me?」
「Laura is famous, it’s possible」
「I’m, not good at getting attention……」
「Eh……a shocking truth……!!」
Anna widened her eyes and almost popped out.
What is she saying about a shocking truth.
Even like this, Laura had spent days of holding back.
「Next is 7th block. My turn. I’ll try to make it long as much as possible」
「Please do, Anna-san! Please do your best!」
Anna made a thumbs up, and came up to the ring.
If the 7th block ends, it would be Charlotte’s turn.
If she doesn’t appear until then, she is immediately disqualified.
“Please make it on time”, Laura prayed.