Chapter 24: Entrance Exam (2)

“…Is that… even possible…?”

Alicia, the Saint’s bodyguard and childhood friend, was experiencing a mental overload.

Crash, boom!

It wasn’t just her.

Everyone in the arena was captivated by the fight unfolding before them.

Blinding flashes of light and crackling lightning filled the arena. Every time Trevor’s attacks struck the protective barrier surrounding the arena, it trembled violently.

That much was understandable.

The man was Trevor Gold, a son of one of the five great families, and a person of interest Alicia had been warned about. His power wasn’t surprising.

But light couldn’t shine without a contrasting darkness.

The reason people were drawn to this fight wasn’t just Trevor’s power, but the woman’s performance.

A flash, and a spear of lightning shot forward at blinding speed.

But she effortlessly dodged it with a single step. Another step, and she vanished, reappearing in front of Trevor.

She swung her sheathed sword, and Trevor blocked with his arm.

Using a sheathed sword could be seen as disrespectful, but in this case, it was the opposite. It was a sign of consideration, a display of the vast difference in their strength.

Boom!

A shockwave erupted as the sheathed sword struck Trevor’s magically reinforced arm, sending ripples through the protective barrier.

Even a layman could tell this was an extraordinary fight.

But Alicia, and a few others, saw something more.

She’s toying with him…

This wasn’t a fight.

It was a predator playing with its prey.

Most of the applicants present were considered promising talents, but none of them could react to her speed.

Despite her overwhelming speed, her attacks were simple, direct, and focused solely on the front.

A predictable pattern that could be easily blocked if one could keep up.

But it was also a way to showcase the vast difference in their abilities.

How long could Alicia last against her?

No, the question was meaningless.

This fight was continuing only because the woman was dragging it out. If Alicia were in Trevor’s place, it would have ended the moment the woman decided it should.

“Aria…”

“Saint, are you alright?”

“Yes… I’m fine.”

Lucia murmured the woman’s name beside Alicia.

Aria. The woman who was supposedly her sister.

“She’s strong.”

“Indeed.”

Leon and Elena watched the fight, their expressions grim.

They had experienced her strength firsthand.

Someone this strong… and yet, she’s unknown…

Before coming to the Academy, Leon had received a list of promising talents.

He had reviewed it several times after the incident three days ago, just in case he had missed something.

But the name “Aria” wasn’t on the list.

A powerful individual unknown even to the Church’s vast intelligence network.

If she was simply unknown, it would be fine, but what if she was a threat to Lucia?

I apologize, Saint.

As Lucia’s bodyguard, he couldn’t ignore a potential threat.

He vowed to request an investigation and turned his attention back to the fight, which was nearing its end.

As expected, I won.

Even with the restrictions, he was no match for me.

Trevor fought bravely, pushing himself to his limits, but…

…he eventually collapsed unconscious.

Ignoring the cheers of the crowd, I returned to the waiting area.

I opened the door, and…

…all eyes turned to me.

People stepped aside as I walked past.

“Why don’t you stay and watch a bit longer?”

“Lena?”

Lena stopped me.

“Have you finished your exam?”

“I finished before you arrived. My sister said she would wait for you.”

“Oh.”

I hadn’t realized she was waiting for me.

“So, what about you?”

Hmm… Watching the Divine Archer’s duel…

I had time.

It wouldn’t hurt to see if her skills matched my memories.

“Sure, let’s go.”

Lena led me to the spectator seats. The waiting room door opened just as we arrived.

Elena and a red-haired woman emerged to the cheers of the crowd.

“It’s an honor to fight you, Divine Archer.”

“The honor is mine, Miss Scarlet.”

They exchanged greetings and assumed their stances.

I focused on the red-haired woman’s name.

Are they pitting the heroines against each other?

If I heard correctly, Elena’s opponent was Diona Scarlet.

Like Trevor, she was a daughter of one of the five great families, and a future member of the protagonist’s harem.

The examiner signaled the start of the duel, and they both moved.

Elena created distance and fired an arrow.

Whoosh

Diona incinerated the arrow before it reached her and launched a fireball.

Flames filled the arena, but Elena was unfazed, dodging and deflecting the fireballs with her arrows.

Elena’s attacks were blocked by a wall of flames.

It seemed like Diona had the upper hand, but…

“She’s getting impatient.”

“Huh?”

Diona’s powerful techniques consumed a lot of magic power.

Sensing the drain, her attacks became more frantic, less precise, and easier to dodge.

“She’ll probably use her trump card soon.”

As if on cue, the flames surrounding Diona vanished.

It wasn’t because she was running out of magic power. She was conserving it for a single, powerful attack.

“Here I come!”

“…!”

A giant egg-shaped mass of fire appeared in front of Diona.

Cracks appeared on its surface, and flames erupted, taking the form of a bird.

The phoenix, the symbol of the Scarlet family and Diona’s trademark.

It wasn’t a true divine beast, just a manifestation of magic power, and its power was far less than it would be later in the story, but it was still a formidable attack.

Screech!

The phoenix opened its beak, letting out an earsplitting cry, its magic power sending shivers down my spine. But this was just a warning.

The real attack…

“Sister!”

…was a torrent of flames aimed at Elena.

Lena jumped up, but Elena remained calm, drawing her bowstring and channeling her magic power.

Twang!

Dozens, perhaps hundreds, of arrows rained down on the phoenix.

Like a downpour extinguishing a fire, the arrows collided with the flames, creating a cascade of explosions.

The arrows burned, but more arrows replaced them.

Finally, the phoenix faltered, and an arrow pierced its body.

Thud, thud, thud…

The remaining arrows struck, and the flames dissipated. Diona, depleted of magic power, collapsed.

“The winner is Elena Arjen!”

The crowd roared.

Lena cheered for her sister’s victory.

“Well, I’m glad your sister won.”

“See? My sister is amazing, right?”

I had complimented Elena, but Lena seemed even more pleased.

“Then I’ll be going.”

“Huh? Already? The Saint’s duel is about to begin.”

Lucia’s duel…

“…I’m not interested.”

“H-Huh?”

I left Lena looking confused and headed for the exit, but I stopped when I saw a familiar woman approaching from the other end of the corridor.

“Miss Aria.”

“Elena. I enjoyed your duel.”

“I’m glad!”

Elena smiled, pleased that I had watched.

She seemed to have something to say.

“Is there something you wanted to ask?”

“Ah, well…”

Elena blushed, embarrassed.

Her gaze darted around.

“I was wondering… if you’d like to have dinner with me… as an apology for the other day…”

“…Just the two of us?”

“N-No! Lena will be there too… and Leon and Lucia…”

She stammered.

It would be a chance to get closer to them, but…

“I’m afraid I’ll have to decline.”

“I… see…”

I wasn’t interested.

“I’m sorry! I shouldn’t have asked!”

“It’s alright. Thank you for the offer.”

That was a lie.

But there was no need to cause trouble.

I left Elena looking disappointed.

I was sure I had left, but…

“Miss Aria!”

“See you later, Aria.”

Lena and Elena greeted me cheerfully. Lucia and Alicia stood behind them.

How did this happen…?