113: The Obstacle Race

The upperclassmen’s 2000-meter Run that followed was Noblesse Academy at its finest.

I rarely felt like I’d lose a straight-up fight in terms of raw combat power, but their magical fundamentals? Absolutely world-class. Usually, it takes time to chant a spell or to let magic swell within your limbs. It isn't a matter of how much mana you have; it’s a question of pure technique. If there’s no stagnation in your flow, the mana permeates your body without a single drop being wasted.

In short, it means you can bring out one hundred percent of your potential.

I’d walked in thinking the Sports Festival was just a fun little event, but it was actually turning out to be quite the learning experience. I was able to absorb details that were never explained in the Original Story, like the specifics of Coco’s Barrier Magic.

By the way, Eva took first place in the Flight Magic division. Sierra took first in her heat, too.

Eleanor-senpai seemed to be bad at running and finished near the back, but then again, speed was never her selling point. That said, since every single male student’s eyes were glued to her the entire time, she was a runaway first place in a different sense.

“Whoa, Eleanor-senpai was incredible! I’m not gonna say what specifically, but man!”

“Yeah, no doubt about it. She’s number one. Hell, give her the overall MVP already.”

“I’m a little worried about how our team points are looking, but hey, some things in life are just worth seeing.”

Is this also the power of an upperclassman...?

“Weiss? Is something the matter?”

“It’s nothing, Cynthia.”

Ignoring the sudden, slight chill in the air, I watched the festival proceed. While the points were fluctuating, the core of the event was simple: just show off the results of our training and classes.

And then, it was my turn again. Since our class was so small, I was being cycled into events constantly. With Cynthia’s cheers at my back, I stepped up to the line.

Next up: the Obstacle Race. Of course, this being Noblesse, there was nothing "normal" about the obstacles. I stared down the track at the absurd contraptions and seemingly empty spaces as I took my position.

“I’m not losing this time, Weiss.”

“Nor am I, Lord Weiss!”

“Heh. You really think you can beat me?”

Standing beside me were Allen and Tura. I felt a weird sense of kinship with them. They were both definitely the "charge headfirst through the wall" types. Tura was on my team, but individual rankings meant the points were tallied separately. Even if she was an ally, right now, she was just another rival to crush.

“And now... start the Noblesse Obstacle Race!”

Everyone exploded off the line at the signal. Tura was the fastest out of the gate. She’d spent her life honing her swordsmanship, so her reflexes were on a different level. Allen and I were neck-and-neck behind her, with two lowerclassmen trailing us.

The first obstacle to appear was—of all things—pseudo-monsters. They were massive Orcs, but their bodies were pitch black. This has to be Teacher Chloe’s work. I’d seen her summoning arts before.

Tura deleted one with a single slash. Allen and I used Time Lapse to blast through ours. This was child's play for us, but the lowerclassmen behind us were having a rough time.

Heh. I bet the difficulty is scaling up just because we’re in the race. Well, power inflation is the best part of any game.

“Tura is in the lead! Weiss and Allen are hot on her heels!”

The commentator’s voice was starting to grate on my nerves, but whatever. As long as I won in the end, it didn't matter.

The next obstacle waiting for us was Barrier Magic. I was about to just cut through it with Time Lapse, but then I saw the conditions written on the ground.

“Forcible destruction is prohibited,” written in Coco’s handwriting.

In other words, we had to carefully deconstruct the spell formula.

“...Are you kidding me?”

Allen and Tura muttered the exact same thing. But I knew this was a necessary skill. There are times when you can't just blow through a barrier—like when you're dealing with a magical bomb.

I held my palm against the barrier. It felt like pressing into thick, jiggly jelly. I closed my eyes and began the analysis. The formula was like a series of interlocking keys. I meticulously unlocked and unraveled them, one by one.

An instant later, the barrier in front of me shattered with the sound of breaking glass.

“Ghhh... I just want to slash it...!”

“—Alright!”

Apparently, Tura was terrible at this and looked completely miserable. However, Allen managed to clear his right after me. I’d thought he was bad at delicate work, too, but he’d clearly been putting in the effort.

Still, I was the one in the lead.

The final obstacle was to retrieve a ring tied to a broom hovering high in the sky. I immediately began chanting Unnatural to create a platform, but Allen used Carta’s Flight Mimicry to soar straight up.

That’s cheating!

But wait, interference was allowed in this match. Tura realized this the same time I did, and she made the first move.

“Haa-ah!”

Invisible slashes flew toward Allen and me with enough force to cleave us in two. Our sports uniforms had the same defensive formulas as our training gear, but since they were more revealing, the protection was weaker.

Basically, that was going to hurt.

Heh. Fine by me. This is great!

Allen and I chanted Shield almost simultaneously—carefully, but with enough power to hold.

Then, to my surprise, while Tura had clearly intended to hit us with those slashes, the stray energy from her attack sliced the broom itself in half. Tura snatched the falling ring out of the air and started sprinting with a grin.

“Fufufu! I did it!”

Damn, she’s good.

“I’m not losing!”

Allen and I began our descent together. Flight Magic is a high-level technique, but that only applies to staying airborne. Dropping down isn't hard at all.

Just as Tura was about to reach the finish line, Allen used Cynthia’s ice magic to flash-freeze the ground. Tura’s feet went out from under her.

“Wooooah?!”

“Heh. Isn't that a bit cowardly, Allen?”

“It’s for the win!”

“Ah—fair enough.”

I stacked Duke’s Scale Up at double power, then layered Fast Move on top of my Unnatural platforms. It was probably the fastest I’d ever moved in my life. For good measure, I slapped a Magic Rest thread onto Allen. It probably wouldn't do much, but—

“—Kh!”

“Heh. See ya!”

To my amazement, Allen showed a ridiculous burst of speed at the very end. He didn't overtake me, but his movement completely defied my expectations.

Tch. Seriously?

But even so... I was the one who crossed the line first.

“Red Team, First Place: Weiss Fancent! White Team, Second Place: Allen! Red Team, Third Place: Tura Enizi!”

“Huff... huff... Lord Weiss, you’re... too fast!”

“Sigh... I lost again...”

Honestly, there wasn't much of a gap between us. If Allen had been trying to protect someone, he might have moved several times faster than that. This Sports Festival was really giving me a lot to think about. I needed to keep pushing myself.

“Heh. Better luck next time.”

The upcoming Cavalry Battle was an "anything goes" ruleset, and even better, it combined all three grades. Eleanor-senpai would likely be competing for the upperclassmen. I’d never actually fought her head-on before. Her Corroding Hand was easily one of the most powerful attacks in existence.

I glanced up at the scoreboard. For now, our Red Team had a slight lead, but it was anyone's game.

Time to go out there and rake in some serious points.