"Okay! The match!!! staaaarts now!!!"
"Here I go!"
Taylor launched himself towards Lucy.
She cast an Ice Spike spell.
"Boom!!"
Silence.
"....."
"Yawn~"
"Huh?! It's already over?! I guess you can't win against the top of the class, huh?!"
"No wonder. What's the point of running at a mage like her barehanded...?"
Some students commented.
Taylor Mclore's life was always a series of trials.
A country bumpkin and a failure of a student.
An underachiever who hadn't gotten a single decent grade since he started school.
A failure that wasn't acknowledged by anyone.
While everyone jumped to conclusions regarding the match,
Even in this outright wicked situation where they pitied him, Taylor never lost hope.
'That's right, man! You can do it!'
A smile appeared on my face.
'GO!'
"Lucy Maeril!!"
Taylor shouted while rushing towards Lucy with a sword in hand.
And here, Lucy would use lightning magic...!
HUH?!
"UAAGH!"
"BOOM" again
I was completely shocked.
Not lightning magic... but wind magic?!
"Lucy Maeril is the victor!"
"WHOO!!"
"WHOO!!"
"WHOO!!"
The sound of students shouting echoed through the hall.
Taylor...
Lost?!
Taylor ran off from there.
Wow, this is going to be a big problem...
We definitely can't leave him alone.
The wind magic Lucy used was "PROTECTION OF THE WIND".
[PROTECTION OF THE WIND]
USING THE POWER OF THE WIND
THE SPIRIT AUTOMATICALLY PROTECTS
YOU FROM SUDDEN ATTACKS.
It's a continuous magic obtained through contracting with the high-class wind spirit Marilda.
"Can you give me the jerky now?"
Ignoring Lucy's words, I ran towards the exit.
According to the scenario, Marilda and Lucy are originally two separate entities.
Due to Lucy coming to my side, she ended up contracting with Marilda and becoming stronger because of it.
"The next combat training will be between Ed Rothstaylor and the respected Princess Pheonia Elias Kloel..."
"Ed Rothstaylor, last time you..."
Taylor had to win.
That was the only thought running in my mind.
Picking up the sword, I gained confidence.
?!
However, in the end... he lost because of me.
Due to the existence of Ed Rothstaylor in Sylvania.
"HEY! TAYLOR"
I shouted.
I don't know if this has any meaning, but it's better than just sitting still.
"Your efforts will definitely pay off!"
"Don't feel so down! There's nothing to be embarrassed about!"
If Taylor is completely broken, there's a high chance that I will be forced to work hard in the end.
"Walk proudly! You did good!"
"It's just that the opponent wasn't a good match for you!"
"Don't let something like this get you down!"
There will be many more hardships at the academy!
You should be the one to face them, not me!
After that, I returned back to the stage.
Pheonia. She was born with a god's blessing.
The first person to discover her innate INSIGHT was Emperor Kloel.
Her ability wasn't something given by a god.
[INSIGHT]
DETECTS THE OPPONENT'S
LIES AND CONSPIRACIES.
A royal life is riddled with endless intrigue and conspiracy.
From within that dark abyss, she developed this sense herself as a means of self-protection.
That's why Princess Pheonia can be confident in her ability.
There was an ugly abyss in the eyes of the Imperial family that looked up to Pheonia.
Even when she saw through them,
The Princess of Love lived as if she didn't know.
ED versus Pheonia
"Please go easy on me."
She had no choice but to stare straight at this person.
"Yes, please go easy on me as well."
"Did you hear him yelling at Taylor earlier? He's seriously quite stubborn." "Ha… even after bullying him earlier this year, he's still making a fuss. He really should stop picking on that weakling." "Maybe he just wanted to try and act nice. Something like, 'At least I'm helping him now, even though I bullied him before'? Maybe he's thinking something like that." "Wow, his intentions are quite shady then." "Wasn't he someone like this in the first place?"
The audience's words could no longer be considered whispers.
Even the princess could hear them all the way down where she was. There was no way Ed Rothstaylor hadn't heard them.
But his eyes remained calm. His pupils didn't even tremble one bit.
It was easy for the princess to read his emotions through his eyes.
Indifference. Apathy. But otherwise good.
It was a familiar feeling, the same feeling from when she saw Ed at his camp. Ed had always been this kind of person. The audience's mocking whispers didn't even leave a scratch on his heart.
There were many people like Ed. People who tend to have an indifferent attitude, born with calm temperaments regardless of what others may say.
These were people who believed themselves to be the center of their lives. This firm belief ingrained in their hearts wouldn't be shaken by the will of others.
There was no need to look far for such people. The first years were full of them.
It took a while for her to accept it, but he was somehow a level above the princess's Insightful Eyes. It was why he was able to take his stance with such conviction.
However, his puzzling words from earlier and his ignoring of the princess…
Ed was wholeheartedly encouraging a first-year student, someone he had tried to fail before. The contrast made the princess feel dizzy.
Just when the princess thought she had him figured out, he would do something like this and become like a slippery fish that would torment her.