The result was 3-0 in favor of Harriet.
Her opponent, Aissa Shelkin, looked devastated.
She had been defeated by a magic major.
It was inevitable.
The downside of magic was casting. But in the face of Harriet’s unusually fast casting speed, Aissa Shelkin was always a beat slower.
Harriet obviously didn’t have the ability to no-cast, but she literally played around with the combat major student.
This was why Redina’s no-cast talent was so ridiculous.
Someone like Harriet, who had plenty of magic power, could overwhelm a combat major with her casting speed alone, but if she didn’t have a casting time at all, she’d beat them to a pulp before they even had a chance to breathe.
The audience was just cheering, but I couldn’t help but be baffled.
But I found it kind of strange that Harriet could have that kind of casting speed.
The same goes for Saviolin Turner, who had been watching the whole fight and making comments.
“All magic requires a certain amount of casting time.”
“Yes, that’s common sense.”
At Charlotte’s answer, Saviolin Turner tilted her head; she, too, seemed to find the situation a bit bizarre.
“But Battlemages at a certain level can use magic almost instantaneously, with minimal computation that usually makes up the casting process.”
“Yes, I suppose that’s true, too.”
“It would appear that Harriet de Saint-Owan is demonstrating the casting speed of an experienced Battlemage.”
The expression on Saviolin Turner’s face showed that she could hardly believe such a thing was possible.
Saviolin Turner believed that a true skilled battle mage was one who had been battle-tested and had endured the rigors of actual combat, rather than just pouring over books in the classroom.
Possessing the casting speed of a Battlemage with at least ten years of experience.
Was that really possible?
“Of all the kinds of mages, only Battlemages concern themselves about multicasting and chain casting. The rest of the professions don’t need to cast as fast, because there’s no reason to. Sophistication over speed is the way to go… There was no reason to pursue casting speed….”
Fast casting speed was great, but only for Battlemages. Wizards who make combat their life’s work were looked down upon by other wizards, as I was once told by the kids.
Fast casting was, after all, a skill honed only by mages who live by the sword.
It seemed incomprehensible to Saviolin Turner that the youngest daughter of the Saint-Owan Duchy would be so skilled in a skill that only a battlemage would master.
Harriet wanted to have practical combat skills, so she didn’t spend much time on matters regarding nobility nor with magic that was not directly related to combat.
Of course, even though she spent time on combat magic alone, I didn’t really understand how that could have made such things possible right away, and neither did Saviolin Turner.
What the hell was going on at the Magic Research Society?
Adelia met my gaze with an apologetic smile.
It’s a secret, I guess.
“I think Harriet de Saint-Owan will do quite well.”
It seemed certain, after all, that Harriet had, contrary to my expectations, acquired considerable fighting power.
Ellen said she would do well.
I don’t know if she knew this would happen, but she didn’t seem too surprised.
During Harriet’s round of 32 match, I eventually discovered that my worries about her abilities were unfounded. She really had the skills necessary to be competitive in this tournament. She had won the Open Tournament qualifiers and earned a spot in the main tournament without relying on luck.
As the round of 32 matches in Group C kicked off, the long-awaited moment for those in the know finally arrived.
Olivia Lanze, a fifth-year Royal Class student.
Olivia’s celebrity status meant that most people recognised her and cheered, and the response from the Royal Class was also enthusiastic.
The host went on and on with a lengthy introduction about Olivia. There were so many words that it made me feel embarrassed, but Olivia just stood there quietly with a faint smile.
But there was a problem.
She had renounced her faith.
But she could still use divine power. And at a very powerful level at that.
It would be problematic if she were to use her divine power here and now, having renounced her faith.
If she doesn’t want to cause a scandal, she should fight without divine power.
Her opponent was a fifth year boy.
He was introduced as coming from the general classes, but apparently he’s from the now-defunct Orbis class. Olivia seemed to know her opponent; the older Royal and Orbis classes have had quite a few run-ins, so it wouldn’t be too strange for them to know each other.
Olivia didn’t look in my direction.
Everyone was curious to see how good Olivia was, and it would be the first time Saviolin Turner has seen her in action too.
-Without further ado, let’s start the last match of Group C!
With those words, the match began.
I’m curious to see what Olivia Lanze would look like in a fight without her divine power.
Her opponent was armed with a spear.
Olivia was unarmed.
The spear-wielding opponent’s body was engulfed in blue mana.
Olivia looked at her opponent with a smile.
-I apologize to the spectators.
Olivia’s words rang in my ears.
-My match is going to be a little boring.
-Fwoosh.
Olivia’s body was enveloped in blue, fiery mana.
I had assumed that Olivia was capable of Magic Body Strengthening. Without using any divine power, her bare body moved.
No, I could tell that she had moved, but I couldn’t even follow her movements with my eyes.
-Bam!
-Ku…ugh!
In the next moment, Olivia was already slamming her fist into her opponent’s abdomen.
The opponent was sent flying by the sheer force of the blow, and fell far out of the arena.
Even with Magic Body Strengthening, the destructive power of her bare fists was unbelievable.
-Ah, was that too much?
The first set was over in a flash.
She was a strong contender for first place.
No, with her level of skill, she may as well be the sole contender for the championship.
Ellen and I stared in disbelief at Olivia, who had just blown away her opponent. An opponent who had also used Magic Body Strengthening just like her.
Fighting without divine power.
Well, was that even a disadvantage in the first place?
Olivia seemed unstoppable even with that restriction.
I can’t believe someone like that was called the Saint of Eredian District.
Shouldn’t she have been labeled the Temple’s strongest?
After the round of 32 was completed….
After a short break, it was time for the round of 16 to begin.
Just like in the first year tournament, the winners of each group would face off in the semifinals and finals tomorrow.
So, Harriet would have to win her next match and then the next quarterfinal match to qualify for the finals.
But the finals wasn’t what Harriet’s here for.
In the contestants’ waiting room.
Harriet sat still on the couch. She wanted to go back to her room and organize her thoughts, but she thought it would be more beneficial to familiarize herself with the potential opponents she may face.
“You said your name was Harriet? You were impressive. We’ll meet in the next match, so please take care of me.”
“Oh… Yeah.”
There were some people who were nervous, but her next match was with a cheerful-looking female senior. She was from the Royal Class, but it was a well-known fact that she wasn’t a combat fighter but a supernatural ability user.
Her ability was wind manipulation.
She could easily subdue her opponents by blowing them away with wind pressure and knocking them out of the arena.
Harriet was pondering on how to deal with her.
“Do you want some of this? It’s delicious.”
“Oh, no… I’m fine.”
The senior sat down next to her as she mumbled her reply.
“By the way, if my wind is blocked by your barrier, there’s not much I can do about it, and I don’t really know how to fight.”
She seemed to be pretty sure of her defeat. She was used to manipulating the wind to blow her opponent out of the game, but she’s now fighting against Harriet, who could use barrier spells.
The female senior who was whining that she was going to lose because of the bad matchup was subtly cute, even though she was a fourth year student.
Perhaps she was deliberately pretending to be weak and might suddenly reveal her hidden abilities, but it was hard for Harriet to believe that members of the Royal Class would engage in such tactics.
From the looks of it, she didn’t seem to have much intention of winning. Harriet was a little annoyed by that fact as she kept talking to her, but in the end, she didn’t let it get to her.
“Umm… You don’t seem nervous.”
“Nervous? Well, why would I be?”
She smirked, taking a sip of her black tea as she nibbled on her macaron.
“Olivia’s going to win Group C anyway.”
She seemed to have given up, since there was no way she was going to win with Olivia in the running. Her reaction made Harriet realize that she might be right.
She didn’t even get to see what was going on.
Most of the contestants could use Magic Body Strengthening, but she stood out.
Her major was divine power, but she didn’t even use it. After witnessing Olivia’s overwhelming prowess, many had already given up, which was evident in their demeanor.
I wonder how I would fare against her.
Harriet pondered, but she couldn’t come up with an answer.
Olivia Lanze.
Harriet joined the Open Tournament to prove something. But Harriet had just seen what Olivia Lanze could do, and even she didn’t think she could beat her.
But even so, she wanted to stand in front of her.
She would have to make it to the quarterfinals, the last match of Group C, to face Olivia. Even if she can’t beat her, she wanted to give her a run for her money.
She’s not sure why.
Olivia Lanze was definitely stronger than Ellen.
For Harriet, the desire for triumph was an emotion that she did not know.
But at some point, it had crept up to her.
The desire to be strong naturally leads to the desire not to lose.
As Harriet chatted with the contestants, she saw Olivia Lanze approaching in the distance. She’s been at Temple for a long time, and she’s smiling and chatting with the other contestants, who are now her competition, as if they’re old friends.
Ellen hated her.
Harriet hated her, too.
Olivia walked over and made eye contact with Harriet.
“Hi.”
“…Hello.”
“Um, you’re one of Reinhardt’s friends too, right? It’s nice to meet you.”
Olivia smiled sheepishly.
The word ‘too’.
The word that put someone before her.
Harriet resented it.
She had seen Olivia Lanze needlessly argue with Ellen, and she knew where the need to argue came from.
Olivia hated Ellen.
Ellen hated Olivia.
“You’re amazing. I can’t believe you’re already that good in your first year. Aren’t you fighting against unnie in the Group C finals today?”
Olivia, however, didn’t dislike Harriet.
The way she looked at her, the way she talked to her, the way she didn’t seem to have any animosity.
The casual compliments.
“How are you feeling? Do you need me to cast a healing spell?”
This unnecessary consideration.
Harriet knew Olivia Lanze was not wary of her at all.
The attitude that she didn’t need to show hostility to someone as small as her
She wasn’t being ignored, but that made her even feel more ignored.
“Let’s do well, both of us.”
Harriet didn’t like her.
But she didn’t hate Harriet.
Harriet hated this situation because of the gap in their feelings for each other.
“I, um, I don’t like you.”
“…Huh?”
With that, Harriet disrupted the previously amicable atmosphere. Olivia stared at her, then scratched her cheek.
“Oh… Really?”
Olivia smiled subtly, as if she could read something in Harriet’s expression.
That was the expression that this senior sometimes made when she saw Ellen. It’s a subtle smile mixed with a hint of mockery.
“So what?”
Harriet stared silently at Olivia.
Ellen was annoyed and pissed off at receiving her unwarranted hatred.
But Harriet didn’t know what it felt like to be hated but having done nothing to deserve it.
Instead, what she felt was resentment for being treated as a bystander. That wretched feeling she got for being given consideration by someone she hated..
That was why.
I will make you hate me.
I’ll make it impossible for you to ignore me.
“I was just saying, I don’t like you.”
“Oh, well, that’s too bad.”
At Harriet’s words, Olivia smiled brightly and said as she walked away.
“But I’m not really interested in you.”
“….”
That phrase ‘not really interested in you’.
While not referring to others, this phrase implies that Olivia does not care at all about Harriet
Again, that senior was deliberately ignoring Harriet.
She may not be able to win.
But she’ll make sure that she won’t be ignored anymore.
Harriet gritted her teeth as she watched Olivia’s back.
Harriet had improved by leaps and bounds.
She made it to the quarterfinals, the finals of Group C, with ease.
Her opponent in the round of 16 was a fourth year from the Royal Class, a supernatural ability user that manipulated the wind, and she defeated her easily. Harriet blocked the wind blast and aimed five fireballs back at her, which led to her surrendering. It seemed like there was no need to do more.
She was the woman who had told me to come to her if anything happened during the Mayarton incident. I never did, but I remembered her face.
In the end, it seemed like it was just a bad match-up. Her tactic seemed to be blowing away close combat opponents with her wind abilities, but she was no match for someone skilled in magic..
Thus began the Group C finals.
Unsurprisingly, Olivia easily defeated her current opponent and advanced to the Group C finals.
Harriet de Saint-Owan.
Olivia Lanze.
The winner of these two would advance to the quarterfinals, and the winner would fight for the championship tomorrow.
Despite two strong finishes, in the end, me and Grand Duke de Saint-Owan eventually broke down again.
-Dal Dal Dal Dal
“…I told you to quit shaking.”
Ellen scolded me.
-Haah….
-Honey, what’s wrong again?
-The opponent is not too bad….
Likewise, the Grand Duke was also reprimanded by Grand Duchess Saint-Owan.
No matter how much Harriet has improved, she wasn’t yet a match for Olivia Lanze.
Her only opening was that Olivia wasn’t allowed to use her divine powers.
That slim advantage was the only thing that gave Harriet a chance at victory.
Everyone in the Royal Class, regardless of year, was holding their breath.
Harriet, despite being a first-year magic major, was doing well in the Open Tournament.
Against Olivia Lanze, who was arguably the strongest student in Temple.
They stood facing each other in the arena.
Please report to us if you find any errors so we can fix it asap!