Chapter 87: The Academy Festival Preliminaries

Yalin searched his memories, a sudden flicker of recognition sparking within him.

“Are you referring to the Viktor Cup competition?”

“Yes, yes, that’s the one! The name completely slipped my mind!”

Totomia chuckled twice.

Yalin understood.

The Academy Festival was originally a celebration held in honor of Akacia, the God of Wisdom.

This fact was evident even from the academy’s name.

‘Acadia’ itself was a tribute to this great deity.

However, historical records indicated that Akacia, the God of Wisdom, and Viktor, the God of War, were a pair of siblings.

Thus, on this day, the academy would also commemorate the God of Wisdom’s brother, giving rise to the Viktor Cup.

As for the nature of the Viktor Cup, it was, in essence, quite straightforward.

Put simply, it was a practical combat assessment where students faced off on an arena stage in earnest.

As a magic academy, practical combat was, of course, an indispensable component alongside theoretical knowledge.

Setting aside the Alchemy Division, most disciplines within the Arcane Division and the Spellblade Division were fundamentally designed for combat.

For those attending the Academy Festival, the Viktor Cup was, without a doubt, the most thrilling event.

After all, who didn’t enjoy a good fight?

Beyond the students of Acadia and local residents, numerous teams from external academies would also visit on the day of the festival.

Each school would dispatch a representative to participate in the Viktor Cup.

In the interest of fairness, Acadia Academy would likewise send only one representative.

However, as the host and the continent’s preeminent magical institution, a certain level of prestige had to be upheld.

Consequently, the academy naturally attached great importance to the selection of this representative.

The selection trials for the representative would commence three months prior to the Academy Festival.

Yalin recalled that Luminas’s debut had been in the final deciding match for the representative.

As the top student of the Spellblade Division, her opponent was none other than—

The crimson fiend, the universally adored, proud celestial protagonist—Celeste!

In the novel, Luminas harbored no small amount of animosity towards Celeste.

Celeste’s formidable reputation had spread throughout the entire academy; everyone knew her as the legendary mage born once in a millennium.

Thus, Luminas desperately sought to defeat her, hoping to prove her own worth.

From the outset of the match, she fought with every fiber of her being, holding nothing back.

Luminas even managed to firmly suppress Celeste for a time.

Yet later, perhaps provoked by something, her attacks grew increasingly reckless, reaching a point of utter abandon, and on several occasions, she aimed to deal a fatal blow to Celeste.

Due to her frequent use of Future Sight during the battle, Luminas sustained severe damage to her brain, ultimately exhausting her stamina and falling to Celeste.

Nevertheless, Celeste did not bear a grudge against her for the lethal attacks; instead, she protected Luminas when the latter was on the verge of injury.

This act of putting aside past grievances completely captivated Luminas, causing her to drop all her defenses and acknowledge Celeste from the bottom of her heart.

Subsequently, she naturally became a member of the protagonist’s group, and then proceeded to get utterly mangled in the name of their cause.

A shiver ran down Yalin’s spine at the thought.

“Oh, by the way, the preliminary match roster was just announced this morning! Guess who my first opponent is?”

Completely oblivious to Yalin’s complicated feelings, Totomia exclaimed excitedly.

“I don’t know…”

“Luminas Tingel!”

“…”

Yalin was speechless.

“Man, that kid has some rotten luck.

You wouldn’t know, being from the Alchemy Division, but that person is incredibly famous in our academy!”

Totomia explained with gusto.

“Even though they’re both first-years, she completed all the fundamental subjects in just half a year, passing almost every one with a perfect score. She’s undeniably a genius!”

“What’s more, she’s also an ice beauty! It’s like something out of a novel!”

“What…?”

A beauty she certainly was, though whether she was an ‘ice mountain’ remained to be seen.

After all, only a few days prior, she had been weeping uncontrollably in the cafe.

“Most importantly, her grandfather is the legendary adventurer, Orlando Tingel! Surely you know him?”

“No wonder she’s so formidable; this must be what they call ‘a tiger begets no cub of a dog,’ eh…?”

Totomia shook his head, sighing in admiration.

“But don’t you worry, brother, even if my opponent is Luminas, I won’t back down! Remember, we men must have confidence. Even if everyone else doubts you, you must never look down on yourself!”

He ran a hand over the gleaming hilt of his sword, his expression resolute.

“Besides, strong theoretical knowledge doesn’t necessarily translate to prowess in actual combat. After all, a true battlefield is constantly shifting, and many other factors must be considered beyond one’s mastery of magic.”

“My practical combat experience is clearly far more extensive, and I have a significant advantage in strength and speed. Furthermore, I’ve even specifically changed my magic sword, so it’s not as if I have no chance of winning. If we truly fight, I’d say it’s probably a fifty-fifty match.”

Yalin couldn’t help but feel a pang of sympathy for him.

“Well, good luck…”

Sympathy aside, he had no desire to be stuck with Totomia indefinitely.

Just as he was contemplating an excuse to leave, he suddenly noticed a petite figure entering the classroom.

‘Speak of the devil,’ he thought, ‘and they shall appear.’

“So, Yalin, you absolutely *must* come watch my match next week! I’ll show you a few tricks then… Hmm? What are you looking at?”

Noticing Yalin’s gaze fixed on the doorway, Totomia turned his head as well.

His eyes widened instantly.

“Lu-Luminas?”

‘Why is she suddenly here?’ he wondered. ‘She should have passed this course ages ago, shouldn’t she?’

As he watched Luminas approach them without hesitation, Totomia immediately understood.

‘It goes without saying, doesn’t it? They’re rivals!’

‘So that’s it. As the saying goes, ‘know yourself and know your enemy, and you will win a hundred battles.’ It seems she’s here to probe my abilities in advance!’

‘To secure victory, one must be fully prepared before the battle.’

‘She’s the same type of person as me.’

‘It seems I underestimated her.’

‘Luminas Tingel,’

‘truly a formidable opponent…’

Silently, Totomia revised his mental calculation from a fifty-fifty chance to a forty-sixty split.

In a blink, Luminas had arrived before the two of them.

She still wore that perpetually sleepy expression.

“Miss Luminas, for our battle next week, I hope we both fight without regrets.”

Luminas blinked, then tilted her head up, a hint of confusion in her eyes.

“Are you… speaking to me?”

“Huh? No, that’s right…”

“Oh. But who are you?”

Totomia’s smile froze.

“Um, Miss Luminas… you don’t mean you don’t recognize me, do you? I’m Totomia!”

Luminas tilted her head, pondering for a moment. “I only know Ailanmia; I haven’t heard of any Duoduomia.”

“Not Duoduomia, it’s Totomia! I’m your opponent for next week’s preliminary match!”

“Oh.”

Luminas nodded thoughtfully.

“I understand. But before that, could you please move aside?”

She pointed her finger at Yalin.

“I’m here for him.”