“Now then, the moment you’ve all been waiting for! It’s the first match of today’s Newcomers’ Tournament! What’s your take, Caroline-sensei?”
“Hmm, let me see… For now, I’m just looking forward to it~☆”
“Right! Thank you for that perfectly safe answer! The match is scheduled to begin in ten minutes, so please stay tuned!”
That announcement echoed throughout the venue.
Two matches from the first round of the main tournament had already concluded, and we were about to move into the Newcomers’ Tournament.
The overall schedule for the Magics Chevalier was set to span two weeks. The first four days were dedicated to the first round of both the main tournament and the Newcomers’ Tournament. After a one-day break, the second round would take place over another four days. Then came the semi-finals over two days, another one-day break, and finally the third-place match followed by the finals.
Today was only the first day, but Amelia’s match happened to be the very first opening bout of the Newcomers’ Tournament, so it was attracting an incredible amount of attention. Not only was the arena packed to capacity, but since the eldest daughter of House Rose was competing, I’d overheard nothing but talk of Amelia on the way here.
In the Magics Chevalier, matches were usually handled by a play-by-play announcer and a commentator.
The announcer was Natalia Ashley, a second-year student at Arnold Magic Academy. Apparently, she was an active idol, and her work as an announcer last year had been so well-received that she’d been brought back for this tournament.
The commentator changed depending on the schedule, and today was Carol’s turn.
Regardless of her personality, she was still one of the Seven Grand Sorcerers. She was more than capable of providing magical analysis, and though I couldn't wrap my head around why, she was a remarkably popular sorcerer.
There were even people in the stands who had come just to see her.
“President. Shall we?”
“Indeed. The timing is perfect.”
With that single command from the Club President, we began our activities as a cheer squad.
“Just as planned. Let’s go!”
“““Yeah!”””
Cheer squads were allowed to operate until the competitors finished their entrance. It wasn’t that shouting during the match was forbidden, but organized group cheering was strictly reserved for the pre-match period.
To welcome Amelia’s entrance, we began our routine exactly as practiced.
The Club President blew a long blast on his whistle—Peeeeeeeeeee!—and we kicked off with the San-san-nana-byoushi. Our synchronized clapping was flawless, without a single beat out of place. We had refined this performance to the level of high art.
“Good, everyone’s in sync. Next!”
“““Yeah!”””
We moved straight into the next phase.
“Who is the victor?!”
“““Amelia Rose!”””
“Who will take the crown?!”
“““Amelia Rose!”””
“That’s right! The winner of the Magics Chevalier Newcomers’ Tournament will be…!”
“““Amelia Rose!!”””
“Banzai for Amelia!!”
“““Banzai for Amelia!!”””
Led by the President’s prompts, we shouted with everything we had. Flexing the overwhelming muscles of the Environmental Research Club, we sustained our cheers at a deafening volume.
Evi was in charge of waving the squad’s massive flag, while the rest of us put our hearts into it, armed with headbands and custom-made Amelia Cheer Squad fans.
Elisa and Clarice’s voices were somewhat buried by our sheer volume, but they were both shouting as hard as they could, their earnest expressions making sure their feminine cheers reached the arena floor.
We were united. Everyone was giving their absolute all to support Amelia.
“Oh! Cheering is one of the true highlights of the Magics Chevalier, and Rose’s cheer squad is incredibly fired up! This might even rival the support for Rebecca Bradley!”
“Mm-hm! Everyone’s so amazing~☆ Maybe I should join in too? Kyapi☆”
“Sensei, please remain impartial and provide a fair commentary.”
“Ehh. Well, I suppose I have to, kyapi☆”
“…”
While drawing the attention of both the announcer and the commentator, the competitors finally made their entrance.
We wound down our organized cheering at that moment, though individual shouts were still allowed. Each of us called out to Amelia, making sure she knew we were there for her.
“Amelia!”
“Amelia-chan! Good luck!”
“Amelia! You’re shredded! Looking sharp, looking sharp!”
“Amelia! You can win this! Believe in yourself!”
As the squad yelled her name, Amelia gave a soft smile and raised her right hand toward us.
Her poise suggested a certain composure. She seemed to be overflowing with confidence.
And so, Amelia’s match finally began.
“I, Abby Garnet, will serve as referee. The match ends when a participant is knocked out of bounds, the rose on their chest is scattered, or a participant is rendered unable to fight. Additionally, I will end the match if I judge that combat cannot continue. Do both of you understand?”
“Yes.”
“Understood.”
Following Abby’s declaration, the two competitors took their marks. Amelia’s opponent for the first round was a male student from Diom Magic Academy named Teo Girard. I had actually seen him fight before.
I’d witnessed his match against Ariane while I was undercover in my girl disguise.
I had already briefed Amelia on his style and how she should approach the fight. I hadn’t given her an exact step-by-step guide, of course. A battle is a fluid thing that changes by the second. The key was to give her the basic information while letting her remain flexible enough to adapt on the fly.
Abby raised her voice, and the match was officially underway.
“Begin!!”
In that instant, Girard charged straight at Amelia.
“Whoa! Is Girard going for a preemptive blitz?! He’s closing the distance with Amelia instantly!”
He must have already had his Inside Code running. He closed the gap with startling speed. Amelia was well aware that he was a close-quarters specialist.
The choice she made was…
“She dodged! Amelia is strictly focused on evading Girard’s attacks! However, she isn’t parrying at all… What do you make of this, Caroline-sensei?”
“Hmm~. Amelia-chan probably doesn’t have the raw power to block that heavy sword, so she has to dodge~. But she’s using her agility to evade quite skillfully~. I don’t think Amelia-chan’s proficiency with her Inside Code is any lower than his~☆”
“I see! Girard’s power versus Amelia’s speed… is this going to be a battle of attrition?! When will the deadlock be broken?!”
“Hmm~, it’s probably already over~☆”
“Wait, what do you mean by—?”
“Just watch. Kyapi☆”
As expected of Carol.
She had already seen through it. At a glance, Amelia was just dodging. To an untrained eye, it might even look like she was simply running away, being overwhelmed by Girard’s pressure. After all, Amelia hadn’t thrown a single attack yet.
However, during that exchange, Amelia had been meticulously preparing her ground.
Then, she finally made her move. She swung her sword in a counter-motion, forcing Girard to flinch and take a single step back.
But right there… was the Delay Magic Amelia had planted.
In a flash, a pillar of flame erupted from the ground, soaring toward the sky. Girard dodged the first burst—it was a tactic he’d seen Ariane use, and he’d likely prepared for it—but Amelia’s Delay Magic traps numbered well over ten.
The moment the first one triggered, the entire sequence was unleashed at once.
“Wha-aaaaat?! Delay Magic, but look at the number of them! And they’re closing in perfectly on Girard’s chest, one fire pillar after another! When did Amelia set up this many Delay Magic circles?!”
The flames grazed precisely against the rose on Girard’s chest. The flower ignited instantly, crumbling into ash.
Gray flakes drifted from his chest. It was a shockingly abrupt conclusion. Yet, in that single sequence of offense and defense, Amelia had completely incinerated her opponent’s rose.
The gray remnants of the rose signaled her victory.
“Winner: Amelia Rose.”
As Abby made the announcement, a massive roar of cheers erupted from the Colosseum.
“The match is over! What an incredible turn of events! Rose finished it perfectly with a single magical sequence! And to control such high-difficulty Delay Magic with that level of precision! Her opponent predicted the first strike, but she completely outplayed him! An absolute rout! Is this the true power of the Head of the Three Great Noble Families?! Caroline-sensei, your summary please!”
“Yes, yes~. Right. As for when those Delay Magic circles were placed~, it was immediately after the match started. In other words~, Amelia-chan had already planned all of that before the first clash of swords~☆ Though I suspect she was setting more while she dodged~. Truly amazing~☆ This is the kind of thing you can only do when you have intel on your opponent, but you know~, Delay Magic is very deep~. People who aren't good at it stay bad forever. It’s a matter of constructing the Code Theory; first, in the processing stage of the elements that form the Delay Magic…”
“Right! Thank you, Carol-sensei!”
“Hey! Natalia-chan, that’s mean~☆ I’m still talking! I’m pouting! Rawr!☆”
“I learned from the previous matches that Sensei’s explanations go on forever! Well then, we will continue with the first round of the Newcomers’ Tournament shortly!”
With the announcement finishing, Amelia walked off the arena floor, her crimson hair fluttering behind her with an air of composure.
That tactic was one Ariane used. But Amelia’s version had completely surpassed her rival's. Most notable was the intricate construction of her Code Theory. To target an opponent so precisely with that many Delay Magic circles required transcendent skill.
To pull that off in the middle of combat required both immense technique and mental fortitude.
The fact that she chose to use that specific method was a clear declaration of war.
I hadn't given Amelia any specific orders; I’d only mentioned that this was how Ariane fought.
After seeing her use magic so calmly on such a grand stage, every other competitor would surely mark her as a threat.
And Ariane was no different. In fact, knowing her, she was probably smiling right now.
If you’re coming for me, then come. I’ll crush you head-on.
That was how she would surely interpret Amelia’s challenge.
“Incredible! Incredible, Amelia-chan! It was a total victory!”
Elisa was hopping with excitement, holding hands with Clarice as they shared the joy.
“Yeah! She was amazing, Amelia was! She’s definitely going to win the whole thing!”
As I watched the two of them celebrate with a smile, I suddenly felt a sharp, piercing gaze directed at my back.
“…? What’s wrong, Ray?”
“No, it’s nothing. More importantly, Evi, are you okay waving that flag? Aren’t you tired?”
“Heh. This is great training! It’s just right!”
“Haha, I see.”
The gaze I’d felt… there was nothing particularly hostile about it. In fact, it felt similar to the looks I got when I was in my girl disguise. Was it possible someone had realized I was the same person? It wouldn’t be a total surprise if they had.
Or was it something else…?
Hoping it was just my imagination, I watched Amelia until she had fully disappeared from view, her gait steady and firm.