114: Cavalry Battle

The Noblesse Sports Festival’s version of a cavalry battle wasn’t just some leisurely stroll to snatch hats. Calling it a full-blown combat exercise wouldn’t even be an exaggeration, considering it required the mastery of both martial arts and magic.

Of course, any attacks that actually dealt physical damage were strictly off-limits.

In this clash between the Red Team and the White Team, Eva was sitting things out, but Eleanor was shaping up to be a massive threat. Meanwhile, over on my side, Sierra was the one hogging the spotlight.

“Alright, let's win this!” she cheered.

She was light as a feather, which gave us a huge advantage since it put zero strain on those supporting her. Man, she really looked good in those gym clothes, though.

There were three people acting as the base, which was standard. The boys and girls were separated, so it seemed Cynthia was the rider for her team with Lilith acting as part of her support. On the opposing side, the heavy hitters were Allen, Duke, Olynn, and Eleanor.

The rule was simple: grab the hat on your opponent's head to secure a victory. Naturally, actually doing it was another story.

Alright—time to win.

“Now then, let the Noblesse Cavalry Battle begin!”

As soon as we started, I barked orders at the classmates below me. I told them to charge straight ahead. They were nameless Lowerclassmen—well, technically they had names, but you get what I mean—yet they were brave warriors who had survived countless exams. They clearly trusted me, because they didn't hesitate to dive headfirst into the enemy swarm.

Noticing our momentum, the rest of our team followed suit. One particular unit pulled up alongside us—it was Sierra.

“Vai! We're winning this!”

“Yeah, obviously.”

For Sierra, this was probably just a game, but she was just as much of a sore loser as I was. The moment the two sides collided, the air practically vibrated with chaotic magic power.

I activated Time Lapse to dodge incoming attacks, snatching the White Team’s hats in the blink of an eye. My Coordination with the guys holding me up was key here. Wind Magic came whistling at us, but I quickly modified the formula of my Barrier to wall off our surroundings.

“Uoooo! Allen, take ‘em out!” Duke shouted.

As a base, Duke’s momentum was terrifying. Isn't that basically cheating? Well, I supposed that was a valid strategy too. Within seconds, the field had thinned out significantly as teams were picked off one by one.

Despite the chaos, my group and Sierra’s group remained. So did Cynthia and Lilith, Allen and Duke, and the teams led by Eleanor and Olynn.

“Eleanor! Prepare to lose!”

“Th-that’s not how this works?!”

The duel between Sierra and Eleanor began. Simultaneously, Cynthia and Lilith moved to engage Olynn.

“I won’t lose to you, Olynn-san.”

“I won’t lose either!”

And as for me...

“Weiss! This time, victory belongs to me!”

“Yeah! Get him, Allen!”

Hmph. Look at these two optimistic idiots.

It was Allen and Duke. Facing off against them, my nameless Lowerclassmen (who, again, did have names) were definitely punching above their weight class. No matter how skilled I was, I’d lose if the base battle became a contest of raw strength.

Allen swung his right hand with everything he had. His speed was incredible, but there was nothing my eyes couldn’t track. I waited until the absolute last millisecond to dodge, reaching out to snatch his hat in the same motion, but Duke expertly stepped back to cover him.

It was a high-stakes dance of offense and defense where a split second meant everything. Since they were fueling their movements with magic, it was probably a blur to everyone else. The two of them were perfectly synchronized, alternating between attacking and evading. We traded blows and feints for several rounds.

“I lost… How could I…?”

Suddenly, I heard Sierra’s voice from beside me. It looked like she had lost to Eleanor.

That left Cynthia and Lilith. Cynthia seemed to have beaten Olynn, successfully snatching his hat. I couldn’t keep relying on them to carry the team. I had to finish this right here, right now.

“Allen, go for it!”

Sensing the climax, Duke lunged forward with everything he had. The gap closed instantly, and Allen’s right arm shot toward my head. I met his attack head-on.

He’s definitely planning to use Unnatural to block me.

Thanks to Duke’s lunge, Allen’s hand was about to reach me first. However, just before he could touch my hat, I blocked him with my Inviolable Domain. Normally, my barrier responded based on killing intent or immediate threat, but for this match, I’d tweaked it to activate upon physical contact.

Even so, Allen tried to muscle his way through it. Meanwhile, I had already infused my hand with wind. Before my hand even reached him, I sent out a small gust laced with Formula Destruction.

That caught Allen completely off guard. The Unnatural wall he had set up shattered before I even touched it, and the gust of wind sent his hat flying.

“Wh-!?”

“Not on my watch!”

Duke literally leaped forward, trying to help Allen recover. Allen abandoned his attack on me, frantically reaching for his falling hat.

Predicted that one too.

I manifested an Unnatural wall right in the path of Allen’s reaching hand, blocking him. In that split second, I used my free left arm to snatch the hat out of the air.

I never would’ve been able to pull off a maneuver that complex without top-tier magical control. Just like the volleyball match, it felt like the Academy had an ulterior motive. This wasn’t just a simple school event; it was as if they were forcing us to realize the true purpose behind all our grueling training.

That’s why this was the final event. In the Original Story, readers used to complain about why there was such a laid-back sports festival right at the end of the arc, but now I understood. It was designed specifically for this realization.

“I lost…” Allen muttered.

“Well, you didn’t do half-bad, right?”

Honestly, if Tura hadn’t taught me how to use wind magic like that, I probably would’ve lost the battle of the bases. It was my Victory, but it had been a Narrow Margin. Well, I suppose that’s what makes it fun.

My small moment of triumph was cut short by Lilith’s scream. Right next to us, Cynthia’s hat had been snatched. Their opponent was Eleanor, her hands wreathed in the dark, menacing aura of her Corroding Hand.

Cynthia had tried to protect herself with an Ice Wall, but it was already dissolving under the influence of the Corrosion. Against her, any defense was utterly useless.

Eleanor locked eyes with me. She began her approach. This was it—the final showdown.

“I’m not going to lose!” she cried.

Though, to be honest, the most impressive thing about her charge was the way her... well, let's just say the "swaying" and "bouncing" were in a league of their own.