129 Joint Training

At Noblesse Academy, on top of the usual grind, we had joint classes where different grades were lumped together.

The most recent one that came to mind was that snowball fight where I’d faced off against Sierra and Eleanor. It wasn’t exactly a brand-new tradition starting this year, but the Headmaster had explicitly stated that he intended to increase the frequency of these sessions compared to previous years.

Noblesse was changing, and in a way, that was actually pretty interesting.

Lately, however, I’d developed a nervous twitch. Every time I heard the word "underclassman," I instinctively started checking my left and right flanks.

Between the Melo-Melon assortments and the way he’d secure seats in the cafeteria during the lunch rush, I had no choice but to acknowledge that guy’s terrifyingly effective "underclassman skills," but for the life of me, I didn't understand why he liked me so much.

Actually, scratch that. I did understand. And that was the problem.

"Senpai, this is a blast!"

"—Good grief."

There’s a saying that some people love fighting more than they love three square meals a day. Without a doubt, that was Belk’s personal motto.

We were currently in the middle of City Area C, a training ground modeled after a medieval European cityscape. Belk and I were right in the thick of it. As the top-ranked student among the lowerclassmen—well, he was technically tied with Emma—I had been personally nominated as his opponent.

All around us, my classmates and the other juniors were watching the spectacle. Look, I didn't hate fighting, and I fully intended to use every resource available to get stronger, but—

"Hey, Excitement Brat. Why the hell do you like fighting so much?"

"Hmm, I wonder! Doesn't it just make you feel alive? Plus, that rush you get when you absolutely crush a strong guy... isn't it just the best?! Oh, but you're different, Senpai! I’d never do that to you! I respect you too much!"

"Ha, is that so?"

He’s actually more like me than Allen is, I realized. My opinion of him went up, if only by a fraction.

"Well then, excuse me while I dive in!"

Belk leaped high into the air. Before I knew it, he’d positioned himself so the sun was at his back, using the glare to mask his movement.

Honestly, the way he uses underhanded tricks like that is also way too much to my liking.

However, that was a blunder.

—One-Hit Kill.

I unleashed a flying slash at Belk, who had recklessly exposed his body in mid-air. I knew this wouldn't be enough to finish him, though.

"Nuoooh?! That’s way too strong, Senpai!"

In the next instant, Belk skillfully manipulated the lift from his Flight Magic to spin his body out of harm's way. His reflexes weren't quite on Carta’s level, but his raw sense for it was overwhelming. In terms of pure talent, he probably surpassed both me and Allen.

And then—

"Come."

"You bet!"

The moment he touched the ground, he kicked off the Earth with everything he had and lunged at me. He moved just like a cat, yet his swordplay was fluid and incredibly elegant.

Despite his lighthearted tone, Belk had been born into a prestigious family and had been drilled in swordsmanship, martial arts, and sorcery by the world’s finest instructors since he was three years old. And his elemental affinity was, frankly, ridiculous.

"Here I goooo!!!"

He imbued his right hand, left hand, right foot, and left foot with all of the Four Great Elements simultaneously, unleashing a whirlwind of kicks and blade strikes. It was a 180-degree shift from his previous move—a wild, feral attack that made it impossible to predict what was coming next.

Good grief, he really is an interesting guy.

"Belk is amazing..."

"Yeah, he’s seriously insane."

"But Weiss-senpai is... even more insane."

I heard the murmurs from the crowd, but I was focused. I saw through his entire sequence, evading every strike at the very last second. I placed an Unnatural Wall beneath Belk’s feet, using it like a springboard to launch him into the sky.

I leaped after him to follow up, shredding through his defenses with a flurry of mid-air slashes before slamming him back down to the pavement. To ensure he couldn't wiggle away, I boxed him in on all four sides with Unnatural Walls, then plummeted toward him, my sword aimed straight for his chest.

"...Dammit...!"

Belk held up his hand, deploying a Shield constructed from four overlapping layers of the Four Great Elements. Every element has an affinity, a strength and a weakness. Harmonizing them like this was a Herculean task, but theoretically, it created the ultimate defense.

Even with my Time Lapse, it would usually take me quite a while to perform a Formula Destruction on something that complex.

If I were the same person I was yesterday, that is.

"Corrosive Sword Tip (Destroys Everything)—"

I had been tinkering with a new technique. I hadn't managed to coat my entire hand like Eleanor yet, but I could focus the Corrosion onto the very tip of my blade. Because of this, the speed of my Formula Destruction had accelerated to an absurd degree.

I’d struggled to pierce Allen’s defenses before, but now? It would only take an instant. And the same went for Belk.

"—See ya."

I pierced through his defenses and tapped his chest, right over his heart, causing his mana to leak out and signal the end of the match.

"Uaaaaah! Weiss-senpai is so cool!"

"Belk got handled that easily...?"

"Man, Belk was basically Undefeated until he got here, right? That’s nuts."

"Wait, is Weiss-senpai’s face a little red? Did he actually take a hit?"

The juniors were making a massive scene. I wasn't used to being hyped up like this; it made it a little hard to figure out how to react.

...Seriously, give me a break.

"Weiss, excellent work. Now, as a senior, I shall also go show them an example."

"Yeah, knock 'em dead."

Next up was Cynthia. She stepped forward, having been nominated by the other tied-for-first-place freshman, Emma.

"S-Cynthia-senpai! I am so sorry for making you go through all this trouble for me!"

"I have only moved my feet ten steps, Emma-san. It is no trouble at all."

Just like with Belk, this wasn't an opponent Cynthia could just "gently guide." Right from the start, she manifested her Glass Sword (Glacies).

In response, Emma gripped a massive magic staff. It was even bigger than the one Carta used. If I remembered correctly, that was a ridiculously expensive rare item that you couldn't even buy until the final act of the Original Story.

As expected of the high-tier nobility. God, I'm jealous.

"—Freezing water, fire, wind, and earth. Unleash!"

Emma’s giggling facade vanished instantly. She brandished her staff and unleashed a Mana Cannon that combined all four elements. The scale wasn't enormous, but her sheer magical intuition was almost laughable.

Normally, to defend against that, you’d have to deploy a corresponding defense formula for every element involved, making it a nightmare to block. Even if you succeeded, the mana consumption would be staggering. On top of that, she was using additional chants to double the elemental potency. Using verbal commands to weave magic like that is surprisingly difficult and requires insane technique.

It was incredible. Truly. But Cynthia was a monster of absolute zero.

"Ice Shield."

Cynthia didn't have the typical weaknesses of a mage or a close-quarters fighter. She was a master of both. She charged straight through the explosion, freezing the incoming magic with the strongest shield in all of Noblesse.

Emma was a pure-bred mage, but—

"—Become my power; wind, give me strength!"

She was also a master of Flight Magic. She was even better at it than Belk, though still not quite at Carta’s level. Still, being able to dominate the sky was a massive advantage in this world.

Too bad her opponent was Cynthia.

"Ice Wings."

The girl was a literal genius. Not only was she born with the evolved Ice attribute, but her mana pool was bottomless. In a fight where she was in peak condition, there was no opponent more terrifying.

The battle shifted into the air. Emma bombarded her with a relentless stream of Four Great Elements magic, all while maintaining her flight. To put that into perspective, it was like trying to write four different complex sentences with both hands and feet while simultaneously holding a conversation.

It was impossible. It was absurd. And yet—

"—Emma-san, you are wonderful. However, you cannot defeat me."

Cynthia, who reigned supreme at long range, short range, and in the air, simply swatted the magic aside. She knocked Emma out of the sky and, the moment she hit the ground, ended it with an Ice Lance to the throat.

To make matters worse, Cynthia was also capable of Healing Magic on par with a professional doctor. Even if you managed to land a hit, she’d just heal it instantly. But the most frightening thing about her was her resolve—she was the type who would gladly let her own flesh be carved away if it meant she could break her opponent's bones. She’d sacrifice a limb to win a fight without blinking.

I honestly wonder what would happen if the current Cynthia and I went at it for real. I’m almost looking forward to it.

I glanced over at Allen to see how he was doing.

"............"

"Allen-senpai, please, I need your guidance!"

"Eh? Me? I mean, I don't mind..."

"I'm so happy! ♡"

Over there, the protagonist was being smothered with affection by a junior with long blonde hair and an... "outstanding," bouncy physique.

The next second, she "accidentally" tripped into Allen, burying his face right in her "tayu-uns."

Naturally, Shari immediately started chasing him around, screaming, "What do you think you're doing?!"

...Dammit, you lucky protagonist. Getting a 'Royal Road' trope junior like that is just cheating.

Just then, something was thrust into my field of vision.

"Senpai! Thank you for the match! Here, have some Melomelon Juice!"

"...I guess I'll take it."

Well, I suppose having this Excitement Brat around wasn't the worst thing in the world.