The Magics War.
The entry period had officially closed. In one week's time, the tournament brackets would be revealed to the world.
Predictably, speculation was already running rampant across every academy regarding which team would seize the championship.
Unlike the Magics Chevalier, this was a team-based competition. Because of that, predicting the outcome was proving to be a challenge of unprecedented difficulty.
"Who do you think will win, Rebecca-sama?"
The question echoed through the Student Council Office.
Rebecca's engagement had yet to be formally annulled, and the friction between noble factions remained a lingering issue.
Despite this, the other student council officers hadn't completely abandoned their posts as they had before. Dina had seen to that, personally confronting each member and—with a touch of her characteristic force—bringing them back to the table.
She had acknowledged the political tensions among the nobility. However, she had also pointedly questioned whether neglecting their duties was truly befitting of their status as nobles.
Though some resentment still simmered beneath the surface, her confrontation had worked; the Student Council had returned to its regular operations.
In the recent elections, both Rebecca and Dina had been re-elected to their positions.
The rest of the former council members had stepped down after the election served as their final duty. This transition saw the inclusion of first-year students among the new officers—one of whom was Amelia Rose.
However, given the looming Magics War, Amelia had barely been able to make an appearance at the office, as her schedule was consumed by intensive training.
"Why, Ray-san's team, of course. Who else?"
"...I mean, I expected that answer, but the other teams are quite formidable too, aren't they?"
"No. I cannot fathom any outcome where Ray-san's team doesn't win."
"I see..."
The rapport between Rebecca and Dina had undergone a subtle transformation.
While there had always been a certain degree of distance between them, they had recently grown much closer. Both had become comfortable expressing their unfiltered opinions to one another.
However, that closeness had brought a certain "problem" to the forefront.
"Dina-san."
"Yes? What is it?"
"Regarding the Carol Festival... do you think it would be considered unladylike for a woman to invite a man?"
Rebecca asked the question with a faint flush creeping across her cheeks.
That was the problem: Rebecca Bradley had fallen in love with Ray White.
For Dina, this was an exceptionally complicated matter. Had Rebecca been enamored with some man of unknown character, she would have likely opposed it. But since the object of her affection was Ray, Dina found it difficult to find any fault.
In fact, Dina held him in such high regard that she felt he was the only man she could truly trust to look after Rebecca.
"Well, the Carol Festival takes place the day after the Magics War. There's also a formal party for the nobility on that day. Even if you were to invite him, I wonder if your schedules would even align."
"I will find a way to make it work."
Rebecca spoke with a firm, unyielding resolve. There was no doubt that she intended to bend her schedule to her will, regardless of the effort required.
"To be honest, I would usually hesitate to suggest a woman take the lead... but when the person you're dealing with is Ray, being anything less than direct might be a mistake."
"...That is a very good point."
"Yes. It might be best to just state your intentions clearly."
"I see... I suppose you're right."
Dina's feelings remained a bit tangled.
However, above all else, she wished for Rebecca's happiness. If offering advice could help achieve that, she was more than willing to provide it.
"Very well! I shall take action in the near future!"
"I'll be rooting for you, Rebecca-sama."
"What are you saying? You're going to help me, Dina-san!"
"Wait, what!?"
And so, Dina found herself destined to be swept up in Rebecca's whirlwind of romantic plans for the foreseeable future.
◇
"Heh heh heh... Finally, the set is complete..."
"Yeah. Looks like it."
Clarice Cleveland let out a smirk.
Her golden twin-tails bounced expressively as she and Elisa Griffith pored over a collection of documents.
They had spent their time compiling data on every athlete participating in the Magics War.
It had started because Elisa, a devoted fan of magic competitions, wanted to know everything she could about the participants of the Magics War. Clarice had claimed she was merely helping because she was "bored," and together, they had created an exhaustive independent dossier.
Initially, they had considered sharing the data with Ray and his teammates. However, since Albert and Evi were also competing, they had ultimately decided to keep the information to themselves.
They had reached a pact not to show favoritism to one side over the other.
"Still, looking at this again, the sheer abnormality of Ray's team really jumps out at you..."
"It really does. Ray-kun and the others are a very rare combination."
Rare was an understatement.
"I mean, just look at it... an Ordinary sandwiched between two daughters of the Three Great Noble Families."
Ray White.
Since the list of entered participants was public, anyone could see the names. Among them, Ray was easily the most anomalous figure.
Within the Magic Academy, he was famous for all the wrong reasons. While his classmates and friends recognized his worth, the general student body knew nothing of his true nature. They judged him solely by the superficial label of "Ordinary."
The fact that an Ordinary was teaming up with the eldest daughters of House Algren and House Rose had already become the talk of the academy.
Currently, the team led by Lucas Forst was considered the heavy favorite to win. Even though Albert and Evi were unknown first-years, Lucas's individual prowess was considered so overwhelming that it outweighed their lack of experience.
Yet, in terms of pure notoriety, Team Algren was undoubtedly the center of attention.
Per tournament rules, team names were derived from the representative's family name.
"I wonder if Ray-kun and the others will be okay with all the talk..."
"They'll be fine. I can't speak for Amelia or Ariane, but this is Ray, remember? He won't care in the slightest."
"Haha... I guess you're right."
Elisa gave a wry smile.
Her concerns were valid, but the trio in question was likely oblivious to the gossip. All three were currently buried in grueling training sessions. Amelia and Ariane, in particular, were so drained by their daily regimen that they didn't have the mental energy to entertain rumors.
Their every waking thought was consumed by one question: how to survive the training.
"So, Elisa, who are you actually rooting for?"
"Everyone, obviously!"
"I thought so. But there's a good chance they'll have to face each other in the finals."
"That... well, that can't be helped."
Elisa and Clarice both sincerely wanted all their friends to succeed. But in a tournament, winners and losers were a mathematical certainty. One group would taste victory; the other would know defeat.
It was an unavoidable truth of the path they had chosen.
"We shouldn't underestimate the other teams, either."
"Yeah. There are several teams made up entirely of upperclassmen."
The two girls flipped through their notes.
Ray's team and Albert's team were outliers, being composed almost entirely of first-years. Most of the competition consisted of third- and fourth-year students.
The conventional wisdom suggested that the seniors possessed a level of mastery and coordination that the juniors couldn't match. While the first-years were individually exceptional, the Magics War was a team sport.
One person's strength wouldn't be enough to carry a whole team. This tournament was designed to test a group's collective synergy.
There were plenty of championship contenders besides Team Forst, and Team Algren wasn't currently ranked among them. Publicly, that was the standing evaluation.
"I just hope they all do their best."
"Yeah! I'm with you on that!"
Clarice and Elisa wouldn't be standing on that stage themselves. Instead, they would do what they could from the sidelines, moving forward with their own small roles.
Watching friends battle one another was a nerve-wracking prospect.
But to be a sorcerer was to grow through the friction of competition.
And so, with bated breath, they waited for the tournament to begin.