“The finals are finally here.”
“Yes. You seem to be enjoying yourself as well, Senpai.”
“Of course. I get to see Ray in action again!”
The day of the Magics War finals had arrived.
The turnout today was the largest of any match held so far. While the arena had been nearly full every day, today saw a massive number of spectators in the standing-room sections.
Naturally, everyone was focused on the matchup for the finals.
Team Forst.
Its members were Lucas Forst, Albert Alium, and Evi Armstrong.
They had been appraised as an undefeated team since the qualifiers, having effectively shut out their opponents in nearly every match. They had climbed their way to the finals without ever appearing to be in any real danger.
Among them, the most focused upon was undoubtedly Lucas Forst.
His combat style was a rarity for a sorcerer, as he wielded a katana instead of a sword. Furthermore, he held the prestige of being a previous Magics Chevalier champion.
Many remembered him well.
They remembered how he had fought his way through the brackets with just a single strike per match, winning the championship with overwhelming dominance.
Consequently, Lucas had a massive following. Combined with his neutral, elegant features, he was incredibly popular with women—so much so that a fan club had been formed during this Magics War.
The evaluations of Albert and Evi were also steadily rising, even if they didn't stand out quite as much.
The Magics War was a team effort. Lucas couldn't do everything alone. The mere fact that the two of them could keep up with Lucas proved that they were exceptional sorcerers in their own right.
“Hmm. It seems the public’s evaluation of Ray and his team is unexpectedly high. Heh.”
Lydia smirked from her seat in the spectator stands.
By the time she had reached her place in the Colosseum, she had overheard several rumors regarding Team Algren.
It was a given that the evaluations of Amelia and Ariane, daughters of the Three Great Noble Families, would be high. If anything, the bloodline elitist sorcerers were singing their praises, claiming they were exactly what one would expect from such noble lineages.
However, the one who had stood out most in Team Algren throughout the tournament was undoubtedly him.
Ray White.
In the qualifiers, he had defeated Charlotte, a daughter of the upper nobility. In the main tournament, he had crushed Aster, the top student of Mercrose Magic Academy, in a head-on clash.
His skill was undeniable. No one could dismiss him as a mere Ordinary anymore. Such opinions were now the consensus.
In fact, rumors were spreading that he wasn't an Ordinary at all, but perhaps the illegitimate child of some high-ranking noble. Ray’s reputation had risen to such heights.
“I wish to see Ray posthaste! Is the match not yet upon us!!?”
Françoise Claire.
At a glance, she looked like nothing more than a young girl, but her actual age was sixty-two. Furthermore, she was one of the Seven Grand Sorcerers—the Sorcerer of Dual Wings.
Since she had been adamant about seeing Ray, Lydia had apprehended her and reluctantly agreed to watch the match together.
“Fran-san. It will be just a little longer.”
“Is that so!? My, Lise is always such a kind and polite child!”
“I am honored by your words.”
Fran was the most avoided person among the Seven Grand Sorcerers, largely due to her eccentric personality.
“Hey. Can't you stay quiet and wait a bit longer?”
“Lydia! We are about to witness Ray’s match! It is only natural that I should raise my voice in joy!”
“...”
Lydia realized that a normal conversation was impossible. She pressed a hand to her forehead and looked up at the sky.
She was well aware that they were incompatible, and talking to the woman always made her want to freeze her in a block of ice. Lydia was barely managing to restrain herself.
“Even so, how is Ray’s condition?” Fran asked, suddenly becoming calm as if the previous commotion had never happened. Her voice carried an unusual note of gravity.
Lydia then spoke of Ray’s current state.
“His Overheat is nearly cured. Furthermore, he no longer requires Chronos Lock.”
“What! He is already recovering from an Overheat of that magnitude...? As expected, Ray is special indeed!”
“Yeah. Ray is a special sorcerer. One that we cannot even begin to compare ourselves to.”
No one raised an objection to those words.
Lydia Ainsworth.
Lieselotte Eden.
Françoise Claire.
Even these three, who stood at the absolute pinnacle of the world’s sorcerers, understood that they could not reach Ray. No—it was precisely because they stood at the pinnacle that they could grasp the truth.
The sorcerer named Ray White was a kind of ultimate existence.
“Now, the match is starting.”
And finally, the finals of the Magics War began.
◇
The finals. The moment had finally arrived.
Both teams were already lined up, waiting for the coin toss. It seemed Abby-san would be acting as the referee for the finals, as she stepped out to face us.
“Now, for the pre-match coin toss. Which side do you choose?”
Team Algren chose heads. Team Forst chose tails.
With a sharp ring, Abby-san caught the flipped coin on the back of her hand. When she moved her hand away, it showed heads.
“In that case, we choose to attack,” Ariane declared.
“Very well. Team Algren will follow the rotation of attack, defense, attack. Team Forst will follow defense, attack, defense.”
With the order decided, the defending team immediately moved into the preparation phase.
But before that, the three members of Team Forst walked toward us.
“Ray White. I see you’ve made it all the way here,” Lucas Forst said.
“Yes. I look forward to our match.”
“Haha. Well, I’m looking forward to it as well.”
Lucas then shook hands with Amelia and Ariane before briskly disappearing into the ancient castle.
Next up was Evi.
“Ray! We’re finally in the finals!”
“Evi. Yeah. I’m looking forward to fighting you.”
“You bet! Me too!”
Evi also exchanged brief greetings with Amelia and Ariane before following Lucas into the castle.
The last to approach was Albert. His expression was entirely different from how it used to be. He had piled effort upon effort, and that was clear to anyone who had seen his previous matches.
“Ray. I’m counting on you today.”
“Albert. Yeah. The time has finally come.”
“Ah. I’m not the same man I was back then... or so I’d like to say, but I’m still a work in progress. Regardless, we’re the ones who will win.”
We exchanged a firm, powerful handshake.
Both of us were wearing bright expressions. If anything, we were both itching to start the match as soon as possible.
Albert shared similar sentiments with Amelia and Ariane before disappearing into the ancient castle.
Watching him go, Ariane spoke up.
“Albert has truly changed, hasn't he?”
“He really has,” Amelia agreed. “He used to be so prickly... like he believed talent was everything. But people really do change when they meet Ray.”
“Yes. That is quite true.”
For some reason, the two of them seemed very convinced of this.
Thinking back, my first encounter with Albert wasn't exactly a pleasant one. But he had re-examined his life and worked his way here. That kind of dedication was something I truly admired.
But of course, we weren't planning on losing either.
“Amelia. Ariane. It’s finally time for the finals.”
“Yeah. We’ve come a long way.”
“Now, we have only to claim victory!”
The three of us put our arms around each other's shoulders in a huddle. Thinking about how this would all be over today made me feel a bit lonely, but we were going to secure a win—and the championship.
I want to believe that I, too, can accomplish something great alongside my friends.
“We’re definitely going to win—!”
““YEAH—!!””
The three of us shouted together.
We will definitely win this championship.
Amelia, Ariane, and I—the three of us will achieve it together.
And so, the curtain finally rose on the finals of the Magics War.