"—Is that all you've got?"
My first-round opponent was a woman named Sentinel. I couldn't tell her exact age, but she looked to be somewhere in her twenties. She was a Fire Magic user who favored a simple yet high-output style, launching waves of intense heat at me.
The interesting part was that the flames I evaded didn't just go out; they lingered on the ground, still burning. At the very last second, she commanded them to surge toward me from all four directions. It was her ultimate spell—a cleverly laid trap.
"Now you're finished!" she screamed.
Except I’d noticed the trick long ago.
The eyes granted by Time Lapse are special. I can tell at a single glance whether mana is flowing through something or not. Still, it was a technique I’d never seen back at the Academy. Remote-controlled magic... how intriguing.
First things first: I'm stealing that move.
I waited for Sentinel to exhaust her energy, then knocked her unconscious with a single blow. Naturally, there were no such things as "training uniforms" in this tournament. You wouldn't even be disqualified for killing your opponent, but my primary goal was to raise the profile of House Fanscent. Specifically, I needed to make the name "Weiss" known far and wide.
Rather than a desperate, bloody struggle, isn't it much more exciting for the crowd to witness someone being pinned down by overwhelming, effortless power?
[Winner: Weiss Fancent!]
Cheers erupted from the stands. Apparently, this Sentinel woman had won tournaments in other countries before. Not that she was anything special. By the standards of the lowerclassmen at Noblesse, she was mid-tier at best.
Still, there was plenty to learn here. Every mage has their own quirks. Even with the same Fire Attribute, combat styles vary wildly from person to person. By the time this tournament ended, I was sure I’d be even stronger.
I won't let the Demon Race escape during the next Calamity. I need to be able to overwhelm them alone, even without Eva or Teacher Milk.
"Lord Weiss, that was incredible! Your movements were breathtaking!" Cynthia gushed as I returned to the sidelines.
"I suppose so."
"Weiss, you were as dashing as always. Here, let me dab away the sweat... dab, dab."
"I’m not even sweating, Lilith..."
The venue was packed with adults and the cheering was thunderous, but Cynthia and Lilith remained their usual, eccentric selves. The tournament was divided into Northern and Southern blocks; I had come from the North, while Sentinel had hailed from the South. It wasn't quite a team-based split, but it made the brackets easy to follow.
"Look at that guy, he's even got two incredibly cute girls with him."
"God really does give with both hands, doesn't He? Actually, that looks like more than two gifts to me..."
Well, I don't exactly hate being praised by the masses. Go ahead, keep the compliments coming.
I spent the second and third rounds spectating. Apparently, that Sentinel woman had actually been one of the more competent fighters. Most of the others were nothing of consequence.
Then again, magic is largely a matter of compatibility. You can’t measure everything by a simple difference in raw power. Take "Debi," the Demon, for example. He has that "Immortal" unique magic, which lets him eventually outlast and defeat enemies much stronger than himself. Even Carta’s Flight Magic is basically a cheat code.
Victory or defeat wasn't decided by mana capacity or levels alone. In terms of pure monster-hunting speed, someone like Sentinel might actually be more efficient than me. I could use Fire Attribute magic, but its destructive power wasn't anything special yet.
I have so many weaknesses to address, and I can't stop obsessing over them. During a Calamity, monsters swarm in massive numbers. Next time, the Demon Race will likely be playing for keeps. Currently, I lack a high-yield technique for exterminating enemies over a wide area.
I had entered this tournament hoping to find a solution, and I’d already found one lead. Magic is a world of mental imagery. If I can use Time Lapse to understand the formula and then reconstruct it myself, I can imitate it—provided I put in the effort.
Well, it’s impossible for small fry, but I’m different. It’s not a perfect system, though. Just like in the fight with Tucker, the more high-level the magic, the closer I have to be to truly grasp it. Whether or not I can "steal" a move during a match is largely up to luck.
Still, this was getting boring. There really wasn't anyone impressive in the ring. On second thought, I’ll eventually run into the heavy hitters if I just keep winning. I might as well conserve my energy until the later rounds.
"Cynthia, wake me up when my next match starts, okay? I couldn't get much sleep on the ship."
I’m a delicate soul. I really regret forgetting my favorite pillow.
However, Cynthia was staring off into the distance. Lilith was doing the same. Following their gaze, I looked toward the far side of the arena and saw a familiar face standing there. He seemed to have noticed me, too. Wait, has he been watching my matches this whole time?
"Why are those idiots here...?"
The man on the opposite side of the bracket was called to the ring. He instantly obliterated his opponent.
His name was—
[Winner: Allen!]
"Nihehe!" He let out a goofy laugh and shot a grin in my direction.
Duke and Shari were there as well. They didn't seem to be registered as participants; they were likely just spectating, much like Cynthia and Lilith. It was a bit of a headache for high-ranking nobles to compete in adventurer tournaments. Since their families were prestigious, they probably couldn't get permission from their parents.
But such things don't matter to a commoner.
Come to think of it, I haven't had a serious fight with that guy since the entrance ceremony. We only faced off during the very first exam. I hate to admit it, but we've spent more time fighting on the same side.
...Actually, this is perfect.
Allen, I’m going to crush you. You’ve been trailing behind me in grades this whole time, so you must want to beat me more than anyone. But I won’t let you. I’m going to use this tournament to hammer our hierarchy into your head once and for all.