The "Combat Festival" in <Yggdrasil Gate> referred to PvP content, but here, it meant a two-day fighting tournament.
It was a tournament hosted in rotation by large schools with auditoriums that could hold over ten thousand people, serving as an official battleground to determine the pinnacle of the academy city.
This was what they called the "Combat Festival."
Students of <Academy City Yord>—Valkyries who followed the fated weapons and Ether—liked fighting, whether it was big or small. Even those with talents unrelated to combat viewed competitions like eating contests or drawing contests as sacred, something to win and achieve.
The process of fighting to decide something.
Inevitably, a fight ends with "Who wins?" And then, it becomes necessary to decide "Who is the strongest?" But to become the "strongest," everyone must fight.
"Let’s fight to decide who is the strongest."
This was the simple logic that laid the foundation for the "Combat Festival."
The festival served as an important indicator, allowing someone to boast, "I’m ranked this high in <Academy City Yord>."
But from the cold perspective of modern people…
"It’s like a dogfight multiplied by a hundred."
It was nothing more than a chaotic sports event where hundreds of people gathered to fight without clear rules. Not even close to the Olympics; it was more akin to a poorly organized regional sports event.
The school champions were decided among themselves. The regional champions fought in groups. And in the finals, a completely random draw awaited.
Surprisingly, even those shabby rules had reasonable explanations.
The more rules you add, the further you get from the essence of a "fight."
Should they only fight one-on-one for fairness? Then those with skills specialized for group battles would always have the advantage.
Should they impose distance limits for long-range weapons? Then people would start choosing terrain favorable to their weapons.
Only picking one representative from each school is unfair? If they can’t even win in their region, they’ll get beaten up anyway.
If there’s a [Unique Ether] user involved, they’ll win? If they don’t fight and run away, they’re disqualified as warriors.
The strongest in <Academy City Yord> must be a fighter who doesn’t get hung up on trivial things.
Such simple, straightforward logic.
And with team battles included, the Combat Festival, with its dogfight-like chaos, could progress quickly and efficiently.
That grand dogfight was happening right now.
Waaaaaah—!!! The cheers I once heard as a participant. The roar of the audience, as if tearing through the sky, made my ears ring, but it wasn’t unpleasant.
Because this time, I was the one cheering.
I shouted with all my might, sending my support to the fighters. Along with Kara and Lota, I was cheering from the stands.
“Waaah—☆” “Wooow—!!” “Amazinggg—!!”
Of course, we were cheering for Albit. But we weren’t the only ones focused on her.
Murmur, murmur—
“<Central Prism Academy>…?” “Al… bit…?”
In one corner of the auditorium of <Aesir Girls’ High School>, where the competition was divided into several arenas, Albit’s performance in the 100:1 battle was drawing attention.
With her massive flaming wings, she overwhelmingly crushed her opponents with sheer firepower. Many first- and second-year students from across the academy city were buzzing as they watched her.
In their conversations, only one name was mentioned—the first-year [Unique Ether] user who had emerged after two years.
Their reactions were akin to a shy boy stumbling upon a picture of his beloved student council president in a monokini, posing with a double peace sign under the golden sun.
Whisper, whisper—
“A first-year… [Unique Ether] user…?” “This doesn’t make sense…” “The fate of a ‘Hero’…? No way…!” “Stronger than ‘Genius Secretary Bell’ or ‘Lightning Spear’s Confidant’ Ziklinte…!” “I thought the only [Unique Ether] participant this year was [Crimson Trajectory]!!” “How can a first-year have a [Unique Ether] ability…?!” “Shouldn’t they have given her a bye like [Crimson Trajectory]?” “But only those who made it to the finals two years ago can get a bye…”
I couldn’t help but chuckle at their reactions.
This was a normal response considering the world’s balance.
‘The current third-year students’ balance is ridiculous. Six [Unique Ether] users among the first-years… Normally, [Unique Ether] abilities awaken in one or two students by the third year.’
Didn’t the current second-years, who came right after us, have no expectations?
Except for one who doesn’t participate in outside activities, none of the second-year students have awakened [Unique Ether].
While the first- and second-years were simply astonished, the third-years wore faces resembling Munch’s "The Scream."
“Again, it’s <Central Prism Academy>…?!” “That’s forbidden power… It has to be forbidden power!!” “Is this even real?! A first-year [Unique Ether] user who also has the fate of a hero—?!” “What were my last three years for…? I only managed to awaken [Vibration Ether]…” “Goo goo ga ga—♪ Mama, give me milk, I want milk—☆” “Kyaa?! Snap out of it! What are you sucking on?!”
Despair. Denial. Anger. Depression. Resignation.
All but one of the city’s top five were absent. Maybe the person they were rooting for or their classmate would make it into the top ten.
Moreover, this year’s tournament was also a test for the new leader of the <Unified Student Council>. And [Crimson Trajectory], a third-year, was about to graduate.
If that’s the case… Maybe… just maybe…!
…Those hopes were shattered. Once again, by the lowly school <Central Prism Academy>.
And the cause of all this was this pink-haired girl.
“Hehe—☆”
I gave them an apologetic wink.
‘Honestly, I’m not at fault.’
But… I’m pretty, aren’t I?
If you’re pretty, everything is forgiven. This is a fact even mentioned in the first volume of the Three Kingdoms.
“…”
Come to think of it, This year’s Combat Festival was quite amusing.
One student held all the power, And the students gathered here accepted it as natural.
In one sense, it was soft and gentle, In another, it was harsh and unforgiving.
Waaaaaah—!!! [Ahh?! With the conclusion of the second match—!! The Combat Festival preliminaries are now over—!! The ten who advanced to the finals, including [Crimson Trajectory], who got a bye—!!]
But the heat and cheers that brushed past in the wind seemed to shout that all of this was just the foundation for memories.
The cause, the result… The things that would happen from now on… Only adults worry about such things.
In this city where only students who treasure memories live, A paradise where you can live as your heart desires for the last time.
Let’s set aside the headache-inducing stuff for now—
"Let’s fight to decide who is the strongest."
That’s why the Combat Festival resonates so strongly.
We ended up staying in a special detention facility near the student council office, rather than the guest dormitory of <Aesir Girls’ High School>.
‘It’s basically a prison, but there’s something strange about it.’
Late at night, Hilde, dressed in a leather punishment suit and holding a whip, might come out and…
You lascivious pink-haired girl. You’ve been shaking your hips seductively with naughty thoughts again, haven’t you? You’ll get the punishment you desire! …Or maybe she’d cuff me and spank my butt while I was tied to the bed?
Of course, that wasn’t the case. This was Hilde’s way of being considerate.
Due to the large-scale nature of the Combat Festival, she assigned us a quiet place rather than the bustling guest dormitory with many visitors.
That place was—an unused prison☆ With daily cleanliness and solid security(?) front and back… It was truly an optimal facility. Plus, we were allowed to use the executive lounge and convenience facilities.
It was definitely… definitely a considerate space.
I was especially thankful to Hilde for not calling me aside to sleep together, allowing me to share the memories of the final event with my juniors.
But… It’s efficient, but… This is a bit…
“…” “…” “…” “…” So the <Central Prism Academy> group ended up confined in a four-person cell. The door wasn’t locked, but the atmosphere was strange.
Feeling unsettled, we sat in silence on the beds placed at each end of the room. The other students assigned to manage us had been dismissed to avoid disturbing us… but that only made the silence heavier.
“…” “…” “…” “…” In other dorms, they were probably talking about today’s preliminaries. Given the attention on Albit, she was likely the star of tonight’s conversations.
“…” “…” “…” “…” But our room was filled with a heavy silence.
Eventually, the first to lie down was Kara. She fluffed the clean white sheets of the bed, stripped off her clothes, and enjoyed her freedom in just her underwear.
“Well, I’m grateful to have a roof over my head. Staying in such a comfortable detention space isn’t so bad.” “Is… is that so? Right? It’s definitely clean.”
Albit nodded and pulled out her two swords, beginning to inspect them. Even though the holy sword didn’t require much maintenance, she paid meticulous attention to it.
Twitch— Twitch—
Lota’s orange cat ears twitched as she fidgeted, unable to calm down. Eventually, she managed to compose herself enough to speak.
“But still, it was amazing…” “Swish, fly, bam—☆” “Albit’s performance was truly awe-inspiring. From a distance, she looked just like a hawk.” “With two swords, swish—clank☆” “I don’t always understand what Senior Clara is saying, but it’s strangely satisfying.” “Swiiiish—boom boom boom—☆” “Oh, yes, that dive attack was truly something. She really looked like a warrior hawk. Though it’s a shame that hawk is stuck guarding the house.”
“Hahaha, a hawk? Don’t overdo it!”
Even as she said that, Albit’s cheeks turned red, and a broad grin spread across her face. She knew, deep down, that she had done something impressive.
As we began to chat quietly, some guests arrived. They were familiar faces we hadn’t seen in a long time.
Bell’s cheerful voice rang out as she knocked on the bars. Beside her was Ziklinte, who still looked at me with a complex expression.
“Hey, hey—! The cute secretary is here, so who are these villains who aren’t welcoming her~? Do you really want to experience the taste of <Aesir Girls’ High School>’s prison~?”
“…So you’ve come. …My lady.” “What do you mean, ‘my lady’—☆ Just call me Clara—☆” “I still can’t address the master’s woman so casually…! Ugh…!”
Ignoring Ziklinte, who was trembling with her black wolf ears twitching, Bell came to my bedside and started poking me in the side.
“So? How far have you two gone~? Hmm? Everyone knows how much Brynhild’s face has brightened lately~?” “Hehehe… [Unique Ether].” “Hehehe…? And where might that be~? The cute secretary is too innocent to understand! Explain it in detail!” “I’m also an innocent girl, so I don’t know~☆”
Poke, poke, poke, poke—
We poked each other’s fingers playfully before bursting into strange laughter.
In the end, Hilde couldn’t make it to visit us that day because she was busy.
“Huff… I’m done with this.”
Eir shook her head and forfeited when she saw that she was matched against Albit.
“What…?”