Chapter 118: Part (1): Opening Match

“Director? Director? Ah… sound’s fine.”

With a voice slipping through the live broadcast, the Camilla Cup officially began.

“Alright, welcome everyone to the Magical Camilla Alchemy Cup! I’m your commentator and host for this tournament, Nova.”

“Hey hey, no way? Kicking off with this kind of theatrical effect right away?”

Another, more playful female voice suddenly came online, quickly roasting her co-host before introducing herself: “This is Maitre.”

“It’s rare to host an amateur cup, so everyone’s here just to have fun—no need to be too serious.”

Nova secretly wiped her brow.

Even though she was an experienced host, often commentating major matches with her long-time partner, almost mispronouncing the tournament’s name at the opening… well, after so many years away from non-witch tournaments, it was an easy slip of the tongue.

“Well, it is relaxed… hehe,” Maitre said, winking mischievously.

It was the Baby Cup—they were both approaching this commentary as a lighthearted vacation. Of course, the real focus was on what Sage Camilla had provided.

“Yes, but the Camilla Cup still has a long history among amateur tournaments. Many young prodigies showcase their skills here. This year’s participants are especially talented. Who knows—maybe in a couple of years, we’ll be commentating their matches in the Witch Cup as professionals.”

“So we should watch with both excitement and a serious mindset—though the audience doesn’t need to.”

Her long-time partner offered a way to back down gracefully, and Nova immediately followed suit.

Professionalism: balancing on-the-spot improvisation to keep things neither too humorous nor overly serious.

—The audience, of course, mostly just wanted entertainment. After all, it was an amateur tournament.

“Alright, no more chit-chat—let’s get ready for the first opening match. First, let’s introduce the participants, shall we?”

“Eh, you say that, and I’ve got a lot to say—I still have many friends on Witch Island.”

“Friends from the red-light district, huh?”

Nova immediately followed up with a teasing remark.

“…Anyway, I just know that today’s opening match is going to be spectacular.”

Maitre choked a little, forcibly changing the subject, and threw a sharp glance at her playful co-host during the camera cut.

This is the opening match! Not the livestream room! Don’t go wandering off!

“First, Team A is the youngest group on average among all recent amateur tournaments. Guess their ages?”

“Sixteen?”

“Average age is ten and a half, I’m telling you.”

“Huh!?”

Nova was stunned.

This was an eighteen-year-old bracket tournament—how is an average age of ten and a half even possible? Are these little kids skipping school just to compete?

[How old???]
[I’m trash!]
[Can they even compete? Don’t scare the kids.]

Even the livestream chat exploded with question marks.

“Believe it or not, one of them is the youngest participant in history—a newly awakened witch, active for less than six months. The other two are sixteen and seventeen, still very young.”

“An awakened witch, huh…”

Nova finally realized.

“Awakened witches are rare, but there are some notable ones among professional combat witches. They debuted very young—one even stood out at a talent selection tournament at twelve years old, and now is a top-tier professional.

“But half a year… you mean the witch called Vielt?”

Nova hesitated as the director’s feed displayed the little girl’s eight- or nine-year-old appearance on her screen, and she felt uneasy.

“No, no.”

“Vielt is just a little youthful-looking—actually sixteen. The awakened witch is this one here.”

Maitre pointed to the black-haired, red-eyed girl in the transparent resting booth.

The director understood well and immediately cut the camera to her.

[Such a beautiful young lady!]
[Those red eyes really hit my XP!]
[Wake up! She’s only half a year old, that’s illegal.]

The audience—mostly witches—wasn’t surprised that a sixteen-year-old witch looked like an eight- or nine-year-old, and found it reasonable that the half-year-old awakened witch looked like a teenager.

After all, even witches transformed from other races have their ages reset. While awakened witches are rare, transformed witches are plentiful.

Even among professional competitors, there are transformed witches—but they only debuted after being transformed for a while, so their ages don’t shock anyone like Chabao, a half-year-old appearing in a tournament.

Moreover, this awakened witch had a genuine foundation—she truly started from zero.

[But she’s really pretty! I’ll wait fourteen years for her!]
[You’re hopeless, upstairs.]

Still, that didn’t stop the chat from going wild—anyone can scream into the magical network.

The other team wasn’t trivial either. Their first match featured a seventeen-and-a-half-year-old Grand Witch as their team lead. With her strong performance, she’d likely be scouted by a club for training.

Nova sighed.

Though the Camilla Cup was jokingly called the Baby Cup, it’s exactly this type of tournament that scouts love. Mid-tier cups are often ignored; potential talents are already being watched, leaving mostly mediocre participants.

Even if the Baby Cup is somewhat of a gamble, there’s still a chance to spot a rising star. With the league becoming more standardized, more strong competitors may join in the future.

Maitre shrugged lightly and continued introducing Team B.

The commentary kept the audience engaged. The two carefully chosen teams—mid-to-high-level talent meant to open the opening match—were nervously communicating in their soundproof booths.

“Ah~ Senpai, I’ll take care of this match. Just follow my tactics and perform well.”

The black-haired, red-eyed girl lounged on the sofa, cat-like in her laziness.

When she said “I’ll handle this,” she meant it—she didn’t even bother switching to full-power mode, just coasting through.

“Wouldn’t Violette be a better choice for stealth?” Mephist asked quietly.

She really didn’t have much talent for tactics; she was a standard brawler-type witch.

In this amateur tournament, they couldn’t hire a coach—Chabao had to rely entirely on the command tower.

If we hide her, how are we going to face the Grand Witch…?

“No worries! Just follow my instructions! Nothing can go wrong. The other side is only a newly promoted Grand Witch—absolutely fine!”