CH 113

Receiving the signal to start from the judge, the Count’s son, Leon started chanting standing on the position where he started. It’s nothing strange, after all, a student of the magician’s course, of course he would choose to attack using a spell.

But on the other hand, the other participant, Kyrill’s movements are full of surprises for the spectators. At the same time when the starting signal was called, he had been running towards his opponent, Leon.

Leon who saw that seemed to have stopped his chant for a moment. After all, Kyrill’s movement was out of his expectations. Leon must’ve thought Kyrill would do the same as him, standing still at the starting position and chant.

Without minding what Leon was thinking, Kyrill was sprinting across the shortest distance. Compared to the forest where Kyrill used to run in, the flat and opened view of the stage is much easier.

There had been many occasions that he would slow down the Ractors or Twin Swords chasing behind him in the forest by throwing spells behind him. Compared to that, running and hurling spells forward is much easier, he wouldn’t need to take care of his steps as much after all.

「The penetrating pebble of the unwavering heroism of the knight ――― Dessel! 」(Earth)

Kyrill who ran the moment the match started had casted his first spell when the distance between them had halved. Dusts blew in the mere ten meters separating Leon and Kyrill.

Seeing that he casted a spell while on the move, the spectators had gasps of surprise.

Kyrill’s magic didn’t hit his target, Leon, but impacted the ground right in front of him. After casting the 『Dessel』 that was not for an offensive purpose but only to hide his path, Kyrill shifted his path a little diagonally.

「Wha!? W-Where――Cough! 」

Leon’s voice that had confusion at missing his target reached Kyrill’s ears.

Kyrill had already circled around to Leon’s back. Although it’s the same situation with Kyrill that he can’t see that well because of the dusts, it was easy for him since his opponent hadn’t moved from his starting position yet. Kyrill who closed the distance in a breath came from Leon’s side.

「No way, will I――! 」

Leon tensed up and tried to ready himself just as he heard Kyrill’s footsteps. But it’s already too late. Kyrill had already closed the distance to within an arm reach.

Kicking at Leon’s feet while he couldn’t handle the sudden approach, just as his balance broke, Kyrill followed with a strike with his fist.

「Uwaa―! 」

Unlike Rai from the warrior class, Kyrill hadn’t received any kind of martial arts class. But his opponent was someone who didn’t even know the first step in a close quarters fight.

Although it was a straightforward simple fist thrown, he wasn’t able to avoid Kyrill’s fist that was forged under Ardis’s training and evasion techniques. Leon who had gotten a fist right in his chest spun around on the ground.

Of course, that was not the end. Kyrill’s aim was a close quarter fight where there will be no time to chant. Against Leon who has his family special arts, Kyrill only had the advantage of experience through actual combat and adaptiveness.

Throwing off Leon who was used to chant at a safe distance while standing, he made use of the advantage fighting at a distance that he was used to, but the opponent isn’t. It is the development Kyrill managed to lead to with his first surprise move.

There was the figure of Leon on his butt with a surprised face in front of him. It is a distance so close that he could almost see himself in Leon’s eyes.

Kyrill’s tension raised as the development was just as he intended as he held the upper hand now.

The method to fight at a distance reachable within an arm. Something like that, a magician studying in the academy didn’t learn that. Leaving aside mercenaries who has actual combat experience, the common students couldn’t possibly handle it.

But Kyrill was different. He even experienced evading from a Ractor that came flying at him in the forest during his training, there was even one time his legs were almost disconnected from the fangs of a Twin Swords.

He had already experienced undergoing such situation all while chanting a spell. Against students from the magician’s course that had never received training for a close quarter fight, he could advance the fight in his favor.

In order to not let go off the perfect opportunity, he decided to end the match with the fire element basic spell that he’s most familiar with. With a direct attack landing at this range, even a basic spell can destroy the talisman’s barrier.

「The burning flames that is――」

「Hii―! Activate 6215! 」

Leon whose body trembled as a response to Kyrill’s chant suddenly started spurting out inexplicable stuff. Could that be the special arts? Kyrill thought about it.

But even if so, there’s no change in Kyrill’s schedule now. To decide the outcome by activating his spell faster than Leon’s chant. It is just that.

「――the proof of mine strength――Graist! 」(Fireball)

「Passcode ※×△●！」

With a speed at chanting that could be said as the best in the academy, Kyrill finished casting his spell earlier.

The fire spark that manifested at Kyrill’s palm aiming at Leon, expanded and hurled to his target. With the fireball almost two heads wide sinking into Leon’s chest while leaving behind a red trail of mana, his figure disappeared the next moment.

At the same time, a ringing sound like a hard metal rod was broken in half was heard, and light particles appeared centering Leon. It is the proof that Kyrill’s spell had broken Leon’s protective barrier, and rendered the talisman useless.

「N-No way……! 」

At the unthinkable result, Leon lost his words.

「That’s it! Victor, Kyrill! 」

With the judge announcing Kyrill’s victory, about seventy percent was cheering, twenty percent were murmuring, with the rest shrouded in confusion.

The cheering ones are obviously the commoner students oppressed by nobilities often, the one murmurings would be people who holds special arts like the Klassel family or those that didn’t expect Leon would be defeated by a commoner, and the other confused ones are probably those that are shocked at Kyrill’s fighting style despite being a magician.

「Phew……. I won somehow――? 」

Kyrill who was sighing in relief suddenly had his expression tightened.

「What !? 」

Kyrill looked upwards at the source of discomfort, and swallowed his breath.

What Kyrill felt was the distortion that was spreading out above Kyrill. The distortion seemed to materialize by the moment, he could even feel the discomfort at his ears.

The shaking air. Wind was blowing. The sound of something crackling in the air happened more often.

A spell was activated. As its appearance became clearer, the cheering and confused audience turned into unrest instead.

「What is that!? 」

「Who did that!?」

「That, that’s the Klassel’s……! 」

With the exchanges thrown around, he heard the Klassel name, Kyrill immediately grasped the situation. The special arts inherited in the Klassel Count family. That probably refers to this.

The unfamiliar words that Leon chanted just now. Since it was a chant he’d never heard before, moreover, the few words at the end was gibberish, he thought that the activation was failed. But that was his misunderstanding.

The magic――, arts had already activated. Kyrill looked at Leon who is still on his butt.

「A……aaah……」

Leon had a weak voice while shaking his head with a fearful face.

「Take care! It’s going out of control! 」

The judge gave her warning.

「Going……? 」

Muttering, Kyrill looked upwards again.

Certainly, the phenomenon occurring above him right now would be best describing as going out of control. Looking at the caster, Leon’s, it was clear that it wasn’t a result of his intentions at all. In addition, the time lag between casting and the effect of magic is too long.

Because his chant was interrupted midway with the fireball, or Leon’s control over the arts failed. Or some other reason that was unknown. In any case, Kyrill himself wasn’t so sure if it is really dangerous for himself.

The arts was increasing in momentum by the moment, it looked like it is on the verge of exploding.

「Get back! 」

The female explorer of the judge raised her voice. In a moment, the arts above his head that was gaining in ferocity showed movement. The wind that had been rotating like a ball suddenly took the shape of sharp blades and flew towards Kyrill.

It was originally an arts fired at Kyrill as the target. It’s natural that Kyrill would still be its target.

But now, the arts is going out of control. The evident proof was that it was aiming at its target, Kyrill, without any regards for its caster, Leon.

Kyrill would be fine. Since the protective talisman is still in effect, he could stand against some degree of damage.

But Leon who was still on the ground before Kyrill was different. His talisman had already rendered useless from Kyrill’s fireball, if he took the arts front on, he wouldn’t leave this unscathed.

「Kuh! The severed black sky, isolated white waves, vest of toughness――Fiel ・ Maneena! 」(Magic Barrier)

Immediately coming to a conclusion, Kyrill stood still there and deployed a magic barrier of his own. Even though it wasn’t someone friendly, he didn’t wish to hurt his opponent in the first place.

He didn’t know how his magic barrier would stand against the count family’s secret arts. But avoiding by himself for his own sake, Kyrill himself wouldn’t have allowed that.

Although he felt anxious casting the magic barrier that he’d just learn recently, luckily, his mouth moved steadily. At the same time the chant was completed, there was a light purplish equal hexagon film appeared above Kyrill’s head.

The deploying of the barrier was late, the wind arts had already arrived. The wind made of countless violent blades crashed into the barrier.

The sounds of explosions continuously rang. Each time, bluish white light would appear on the surface of the barrier, and disappear.

「Hold on please……」

It would be good if he could deploy triple fold magic barrier like Ardis but, as expected, Kyrill couldn’t do that. While feeling cold sweat on his cheeks, Kyrill did his best in maintaining the barrier.

How much longer would he need to hold out for. The time that felt long riled up his frustration but, what Kyrill can do now is to endure.

The sounds of clashing winds against the barrier lessened eventually. With the sound happening rapidly at the start slowly dying out, it’s obvious that the spell was losing its intensity.

Eventually, the rampaging arts stopped.

「Did it……, somehow? 」

Kyrill collapsed on his knees with fatigue.

Wiping the sweat on his forehead unconsciously, he was about to turn around and verify Leon’s safety, 「Are you――」, before losing his words.

What Kyrill witnessed. It was the fourth son of a count unconscious, with eyes of white, and a wet crotch.