196 Chapter 196

Right on cue, the referee of the match emerged from some obscure location clutching his whistle in hand, wearing the traditional white and black shirt that was typical of most referees in this competition. Due to the sensitivity of this competition, and also because of how vital it was to all the parties involved, the referees' identities and locations were guarded safely. They were usually kept from the public and unveiled only at the last minute. All to prevent bribes, and blackmail, and any other misdemeanors that could be acted out by eager to win candidates.

The smart looking referee blow his whistle to signal the announcement. This was the signal that both parties had been waiting for. Being the brilliant strategist, Wallice had already marked out the student who was going to fight Sabrina in this round. Naturally, as one would expect from a general, Wallice refused to tell them who she had selected for this particular fight. She knew that if she did, the others would relapse into a state of mental laxity. She didn't want that. She absolutely didn't want that all.

Wallice needed all her students to be on their toes up till the last minute. It was the best state of mind they couldn't possibly be in. So, with the referee in line already, it was now time for her to unveil her secret weapon. Wallice turned to her choice for the hour; Macbeth. He was to be her instrument of judgment at this hour. Macbeth was the perfect person for the job. His role in this wasn't just to defeat Sabrina, it was to do it so hard and fast that the enemies wouldn't be able to study his techniques.

Also, she needed him to execute a certain level of savagery. This was intended to create the illusion that he and his team mates were crazy. And because they were, not even Shiranui could handle them. Wallice thought it was a good plan, and no one could blame her for being so overly cautious. Shiranui really made her uncomfortable. However, just as she was about to call on him to come forth, her eyes caught a very unusual sight.

Sabrina was the first to respond. Like the legendary priestess' of Gaia who were renowned of old, she came forth in a white garb, clutching a basket in her arms. As she approached, Wallice watched her suspiciously, trying her best to make sense of what exactly she was trying to do. But it was impossible to anticipate the moves of someone who was (and had been) displaying all the signs of being unhinged.

The girl stopped a respectful distance away from Wallice's team, and in a loud voice, and a calm face, she addressed Mabel and her council;

"Good day respected Miss Mabel, and all the respected invigilators. If you would have me, I Sabrina of Cassell High School would like to make a suggestion on how to go about this battle…"

There was some slight murmuring in the crowd all around them. The Sabrina girl was cute, but she appeared to be actively trying to cash in on that benefit to ask for favors that would help her win this match. Mabel frowned deeply as the others looked to her to reply. She absolutely hated deviations from the laid down protocol, but so far, the girl hadn't broken any rules. She was simply asking if she could be heard. Mabel saw no harm in that, so, she nodded her go ahead wordlessly.

Apparently, that was more than enough for Sabrina. Staying totally in character of the good student and a polite solicitor, she presented her extremely request;

"Miss Mabel, if you would have me, I would like to fight all the students of Melbourne High School…all at once."

Sabrina's request couldn't have had a more resounding effect than in that very moment. For a second or two, almost everyone felt like they almost didn't hear her right the first time. But, very slowly, their brains began to digest the fact that there was a remote possibility that they had heard well. And then the shock came on. A wave of surprise rippled through the entire venue. The reactions were all similar.

There were gasps, and sighs, and inaudible comments springing up from all over the place. The astonishing suggestion from the nice looking girl made everyone's narrative of her to shift immediately. Suddenly, Sabrina wasn't just the 'nice looking girl' anymore, she was now the crazy girl. What other explanation could there be? The same question echoed and re-echoed its way through out the venue until it rebounded back to her own ears;

"Is she insane?!"

Anybody would have definitely asked that given the situation. It was an unexpected proposal that carried serious weight. It had a serious impact on the audience, because a lot of them still hadn't recovered from the high end octane energy from the last battle. And now, Sabrina had dropped a bombshell that had now spiced things up by a significant degree! For the fraction of individuals who weren't wondering whether she was crazy, one other question ravaged their tidy, logical minds;

"What the hell is she up to?! What was her end game? Surely she's not suicidal, this would be a very bad way to go! All her contenders were top level mages! "

Nobody asked themselves these questions more than Wallice. This competition was quickly becoming more than what she had thought it would be. She couldn't understand what the little girl was trying to do. Why would Sabrina choose the most unfavorable variant of this contest? Anybody could clearly see that a round-robin match was her best bet. A three on one match would be an extremely one-sided affair, not to mention completely detrimental to her overall wellbeing.

Wallice was an over thinker, so her brain wasn't short of any ideas as to why the girl was taking this path. Was she hoping to garner sympathy of any kind? Had Calista somehow convinced her to do this for some sick twisted plan she was hatching? What was the end game here? What were they hoping to accomplish with this move even if they were in cohorts with each other? These were the questions that were threatening to drive her to the edge of insanity.

While Wallice ruminated on the whole thing, Mabel on the other hand felt the full responsibility of handling this situation according to the laid down rules. Objectively speaking, Mabel was the one who made the rules here. As far as the competition was concerned, she made the rules and her word was law. But that didn't mean she wouldn't be subject to scrutiny and an open panel investigation if the results were suspected to have been altered as a result of her direct influence in the games.

She had to assess the situation clearly, and it most definitely wouldn't pan out without her much needed clarity. She took a deep breath and took notice of the external reaction to the request, and that was when Mabel found her loophole (just in case she needed to defend her actions in the future.) The crowd was eagerly eating this display up. The sick fascination in their eyes was suggestive of the fact that they were all enthralled by the possibility of having a gruesome battle.

Just as Mabel had initially expected, she could tell by the looks in the crowd that, some of them suspected that the cute little girl was simply doing this for clout, or because of her confidence. Whichever the case was, one thing Mabel was sure of was that the whole scenario was appealing to the audience. And because of that, she simply couldn't afford to not take advantage of the scenario.

So, Mabel sat up in her seat on the auditorium and stared down at the girl who was causing all this ruckus.

"Young girl, do you realize what you're asking?"

Sabrina nodded enthusiastically, re affirming her original stance on the matter.

"You want to fight the Melbourne High School team all at the same time? Entirely ALONE? ARE YOU SURE?"

"Yes Miss Mabel, I do."

This was getting pretty interesting. The crowd was loving it by the second. And Mabel was loving it even more. This was a very unlikely turn of events, and it was the entertaining kind. Prompted by protocol. Mabel turned to Wallice to address her;

"Lead teacher of Melbourne High School, do you have any reservations about this matter?"

Truth was Wallice didn't mind a three on one situation. In fact, it was actually beneficial to her and her team's ambition to emerge at the top. But the deal looked too sweet to be true. It was like the proverbial scene of a seemingly innocent stranger handing a piece of candy to a unknowing child. Wallice couldn't help but feel like this was all too aligned to be without any consequences. Wallice still couldn't figure out the girl's true intentions, and it irked her badly.

Then it struck Wallice, why not ask her? Why not get her to make bare her reasons to the world?