I Became The Academy’s Narrow-Eyes - Chapter 72: Fated Rivalry (2)

The enhancement of competitive spirit inevitably leads to an increase in the desire for achievement.

Under such a pretext, the Academy actively encourages competition between the Swordsmanship Department and the Magic Department.

To that end.

The Academy had prepared a variety of means and methods for the Swordsmanship Department and the Magic Department to determine superiority over one another and to express their competitive spirit.

Joint classes where both departments participated and were evaluated against the same criteria.

A grand competition in which students from all grades of both departments participated in a competitive clash.

Integrated rankings that amalgamated the Swordsmanship Department and the Magic Department according to separate criteria.

And so on.

But was that not enough?

The students, brimming with youthful energy, created additional competitive means beyond those provided.

The Representative Battle was a prime example of this.

***

1. A lower-year student may challenge an upper-year student in a Representative Battle, but it is not possible for an upper-year student to challenge a lower-year student.

2. The applicant for the Representative Battle is limited to the top and second-ranked individuals of each department.

3. The Representative Battle is conducted through an agreed-upon number of selected representatives from both sides, and the victors are determined through combat.

4. The method of combat is determined arbitrarily by agreement of both parties.

5. The losing side of the Representative Battle must comply with the demands of the winning side.

6. It is possible to decline a Representative Battle, but in that case, one must comply with some of the opposing party’s demands.

7. Representative Battles between students of the same grade are limited to once a month.

***

The Representative Battle was beloved(?) by the students because it allowed them to determine their superiority quickly and easily.

The period when grades were announced and new department heads were appointed was effectively the time when Representative Battles took place.

This was a story that applied without exception, even at the entrance examination.

Rather, it was a story that applied most strongly at the entrance ceremony.

Freshmen.

It was the period when they had just entered the esteemed Academy and their sense of belonging and pride reached their zenith.

That intense sense of belonging and pride was directed not at the Academy as a whole but specifically at the department they belonged to.

And this led to feelings of superiority, contempt, hostility, and competitive spirit toward the rival department.

One week.

Ever since the culture of the Representative Battle was established, all new student representatives had engaged in the battles within one week of the end of the entrance ceremony.

So far, the record was the day after the ceremony.

That record was now broken by Phibian Leolalian, who challenged Ceylon to a Representative Battle immediately following the end of the ceremony.

Right after the ceremony.

A moment when one’s pride and sense of belonging reached the pinnacle of the zenith.

“Come and get it, you half-wits!!!”

“Shameless fools, you’ve got the nerve to accept a Representative Battle!!!”

“Are you so ignorant that you don’t have pride or a sense of crisis!?!?”

“The ones rushing in are you!!!”

“Pathetic creatures who only know how to fight for honor since the entrance ceremony!!!”

“We’ll graciously accommodate you this time!!!”

The slight incident at the entrance ceremony further exacerbated the hostility toward each other, reaching a peak.

At the entrance of the auditorium where the entrance ceremony was held.

A thoroughfare was bordered by clearings on each side.

There, the new students were divided into two factions, facing off against each other.

In that place, still fully grasped by the winter chill, a heat as intense as summer rose up.

The clearing became the stands.

The thoroughfare became the dueling ground.

As if by mutual consent, the new students from both sides observed the situation from the clearing outside the thoroughfare.

Only two representatives currently stood on the thoroughfare.

“Let’s decide the number for the quota!”

Phibian, the representative of the new Magic Department students, shouted loudly, filling her voice with mana so that everyone could hear.

“I yield to Miss Phibian!”

Ceylon was not to be outdone.

But there was a difference in mana sensitivity.

Phibian was a 3-star magician on the verge of becoming a 4-star.

Ceylon was a 2-star swordsman looking toward 3-star.

Putting aside combat capability and focusing only on mana sensitivity, there was a clear difference between their levels.

“Speak up, will you!!!”

“Can’t hear a thing you’re saying!!!”

“Is your throat as straight as your eyes, too!?!”

“How could such a pin-drop voice belong to the head of the Swordsmanship Department! Now I know their standard!!!”

The freshman from the Magic Department taunted Ceylon with their voices filled with mana.

“Is having a loud voice something to brag about!?!”

“Typical of guys who keep harping on about dignity, treasuring the loudness of voice above all!!!”

“If you guys would just shut up and listen, you’d hear fine!!!”

“Such bookworms, thinking you’re all set if you’ve got mana sensitivity!!!”

In response, freshmen from the Swordsmanship Department also filled their voices with mana, defending Ceylon and retaliating.

Mana-filled shouts from various throats intermixed and shook the Academy grounds.

-Whoosh!

Suddenly, a gust of wind whipped through the area.

It was Phibian’s wind magic.

-Silence!!!

Her voice, contained within the magically induced natural phenomenon, swallowed the bundle of shouts.

Silence fell upon the place according to the will of the Magic Department’s freshman representative.

“Haha.”

“Indeed.”

Satisfied and feeling superior as their representative took control of the atmosphere with an overpowering performance, the Magic Department freshmen’s expressions brightened.

They considered it a successful first strike.

On the contrary, the freshmen from the Swordsmanship Department regarded it as a failed first strike, and dissatisfaction appeared on their faces.

“Can’t our representative do that?”

“I was thinking the same…”

“What, you fools?”

“But really, was Ceylon’s mana sensitivity that low?”

Murmurs ruffled through the Swordsmanship Department’s ranks.

“Are you doubting our representative now?”

“Don’t doubt~”

“What’s so important about mana sensitivity? All that matters is being good at fighting!”

“Being good at fighting is all that’s needed~”

“Our fool—no, Ceylon is an excellent fighter!”

“He fights like a fool—”

While Adryn and Mizu interjected, trying to staunch the tide and defend Ceylon, their efforts unintentionally exacerbated the confusion.

“If mana isn’t important, then what is?”

“What kind of question is that!?! Obviously, it’s swordsmanship!”

Adryn answered someone’s question.

“But mana is just as important as swordsmanship, right?”

“It is~”

“Mizu! Why do you agree with that!”

“It’s a joke~”

“Mizu, are you enjoying this?!”

“This is my first group activity like this~ Oops!”

Adryn clasped Mizu’s mouth from behind.

“Our head knows how to fight brilliantly, but in situations like these, shouldn’t someone like Lebringer or Hanahan step forward?”

“It would certainly make a better picture, right?”

“Wait a minute, where is Drin right now?”

“That’s what I’m saying. Is she not here?”

“Oh, shoot—this is bad.”

“This isn’t happening! Drin is missing!?”

Just when the atmosphere around the Swordsmanship Department was about to become chaotic again.

“Be quiet.”

A cold voice swept over the area, chilling like frosty-eyed ice.

“Pathetic fools. Can’t decide whether to fight or talk.”

It was the voice of Kasha Hanahan, standing on the periphery at the back of the formation.

Her voice contained not a hint of mana.

However, it was the imposing presence and aura of the swordsman Kasha that captivated the entire place.

The freshmen from the Swordsmanship Department shrunk back at Kasha’s rebuke but also showed faces that seemed to say, ‘That’s how it’s done!’

While it wasn’t as flashy as Phibian’s magic, it was another kind of overwhelming performance that could be shown because she was a swordsman.

With Kasha’s intervention, the place regained its silence, and the momentum of both camps evened out.

Tsk.

Kasha clicked her tongue and looked back toward where the discussion had progressed, and in that moment, her eyes met Ceylon’s.

It wasn’t an action done with him particularly in mind.

Regardless, Ceylon, as if proud of Kasha, foolishly bobbed his head in her direction.

“…!”

Kasha whipped around with her back to him.

“What?”

Ceylon was taken aback by her reaction.

Did I do something wrong?

“Shall we focus on the discussion?”

It was then that Phibian snapped at Ceylon.

“Oh, my apologies. Where were we in our discussion?”

“Up to you deciding the quota for the Representative Battle.”

“Eh? We haven’t decided who would determine the number of reps—”

“Ah! Will you keep on fussing!? Hurry up and decide before another fuss starts!”

“Hahaha, very forthright. Then I too shall be decisive; let it be ten representatives.”

“Ten? Ha! No confidence in a one-on-one duel, I see?”

“Hmm, that’s not very decisive of you. If only you had maintained that bold spirit you showed by yielding the decision to me, it would have been much better.”

“Can’t you just shut your mouth!?”

“Understood! Then, if Miss Phibian wins, I will stay silent as per her wish.”

“That’s not what I…! Ughhhh-!!!!!”

Phibian stomped her feet in place like an angry horse.

Her pigtail-like hair bounced with every stomp.

“When our Magic Department wins, the request will be decided after agreement with the other students, so don’t just decide something impulsively! Got it!?”

“Yes, I’ll bear it in mind! And since Miss Phibian has generously transferred the decision of the quota to me, I will, in turn, grant her the right to set the rules for the match! Boldly! Until the end! I promise not to grumble and attach conditions once this discussion is over!”

“…Is that your way of telling me off?”

“Oops~”

“Sigh…”

Phibian exhaled a hot breath as Ceylon hastily turned his gaze away.

She was eager to skip this tiresome process and engage in a duel with him immediately.

“A single-round one-on-one combat! The side securing more victories shall win!”

“Oh! Now that was truly decisive!”

“And one more condition!”

Phibian pointed a finger at Ceylon.

“You’re going up against me!”

“Oh… To be chosen by a lady like Miss Phibian…”

“Stop being disgusting and just answer!”

“Understood! Wholeheartedly! I get it! No need to delay, let’s start right away!”

Ceylon said, looking over to the Swordsmanship Department’s side.

“Anyone wish to claim the honor of the vanguard~?”

Without delay, a hand rose among the crowd.

“Ceylon, would you entrust me with this task?”

It was Agion Morci.

He asked Ceylon very cautiously and politely.

At the same time, he flipped his flowing curly hair back, flaunting his unique soft voice and beauty while stepping forward in front of the crowd.

“Sir Agion~!”

“Awesome!!!”

“Go Agion!!!”

Then, some of the female freshmen sent fervent accolades his way.

“I will surely secure victory and dedicate the glory to Ceylon and the ladies of our Swordsmanship Department.”

When Agion winked at them while saying this, another round of hot screams burst forth.

“It’s regrettable, but ladies on that side will have to wait for the next opportunity.”

Then, winking with the other eye towards the Magic Department faction, whispers like “Oh my,” and “How cute” could be heard here and there.

“…”

“…”

“…”

The expressions of the male freshmen from both camps simultaneously soured.

Ceylon was no exception.

Almost glaring unwittingly, Ceylon swiftly withdrew his gaze from Agion.

Then, addressing the still solitary Kasha who was turned away in the crowd, he said:

“Miss Kasha, could I ask for your help?”

Startled by Ceylon’s words, Kasha turned and fixed her gaze on him.

Their eyes met once again.