When I thought of nobles, I thought of people who like to throw their weight around . Money talks, and all that…
And watching Alenbia did little to rid me of those prejudices . In spite of her low rank, she had great equipment and could use high-level magic . Courtesy of hiring skilled teachers, I presume .
“Hah!”
Another eight arrows shot towards Levee .
“Hmph…!”
However, Levee hit them out of the air with little effort . She was called ‘Light Dew’ for a reason . Her thrusts had all the precision required to knock the ice arrows out of the air .
“So, it’s no use after all . ”
Alenbia said through gritted teeth . She maintained a level of class while also showing a vicious side . The spectators seemed to love it .
She hit her staff against the ground and sent blue magical energy through it . Levee watched this with glee . However, she wasn’t letting her guard down . She was just looking forward to seeing what kind of attack it would be .
“How about this…!”
The energy gathered together at the tip . The mana robbed the heat from the moisture in the air as it formed . It was a block of ice that was at least one meter in diameter .
“Frost Meteor!!”
The finished Frost Meteor went towards Levee in a straight line . I always thought of meteors as things that fell… But this was like a truck running at full speed .
Still, a threat is a threat . It wasn’t something you could just smash with a sword…
“That’s what I like about you . But…”
The Frost Meteor shot toward Levee as she muttered to herself .
“That’s not good enough . ”
She raised her sword arm until the blade was level with her face . Her elbows pulled back, she took aim, and thrust . That was all that I saw . A mere thrust . A thrust…
“Are you serious…”
And with that, the block of ice split into two pieces . The ice flew passed her and off the stage . The spectators screamed as it shot towards them . Thankfully, it stopped just in time .
I looked back at the stage . Levee had returned to her normal posture . Alenbia looked on in disbelief .
“No…my strongest spell…”
“I might have lost had I underestimated you, due to your rank . But, well… As I was looking forward to this fight, I did not hold back or underestimate you in any way . Still, you need more in order to beat me . Spamming magic will not do . I would suggest that you think of a strategy next time . You are too predictable . Surprise me . Entertain me . ”
There was a silent madness in her speech . A madness for battle . The fact that she was so calm about it somehow made it more unsettling .
“A match lasts fifty minutes . We still have thirty-seven minutes remaining . So, let’s enjoy it until the end . ”
“Hhh…!”
Levee smiled gently, while Alenbia took a step back and scowled .
I had thought Alenbia had a short temper, but there was no longer any anger to be seen .
The rest of the battle was atrocious . Adlus muttered about it being child’s play, and he was unfortunately right . It was that bad .
She launched dozens of ice arrows into the air, and all of them were struck down . As were her ice boulders that rained from above . She even tried building walls of ice, but they too were smashed . Once, she tried to freeze the ground her opponent stood on, but Levee only had to send the same energy into the ground in order to cancel it . Once Alenbia realized that ranged attacks would not work, she created an ice blade at the tip of her staff . However, her abilities in close-quarters combat were not good enough, and she could never hit her target .
Finally, she shouted angrily and created a blizzard with all of her power . But Levee also canceled it out .
I had been wondering if Alenbia had a trump card . That blizzard was probably it . I would have probably been very shocked by it . But I would have still dodged it . However, Levee didn’t move out of the way . She just annihilated it .
It was a phenomenon that occurred when you hit a spell with the same amount of energy . Levee did it so casually that Alenbia had to admit defeat . She had used everything and still lost . She fell weakly to her knees . At the same time, the referee announced that the fight had ended .
Fifty minutes . Levee had enjoyed every moment of it . She was soon announced as the winner .
Alenbia rose weakly to her feet and walked up to Levee before falling into her arms . She had probably been drained after using so much magic . At least, that’s what it looked like… Alenbia was looking at the ground with eyes that seemed scared . She couldn’t even look Levee in the face .
“Hehe . It was interesting . ”
Levee said as she came back to her seat . She was still holding Alenbia and helped her sit down . She looked terribly uncomfortable . Well, it was none of my business .
As for the actual fight… There had been a lot of magic that I’d not seen before . Even something as simple as creating ice boulders to throw was something I had yet to do . I hadn’t even thought of doing it . And the blizzard… Using it to slowly bring the temperature down and dull their movements… It could work .
Levee had been great with the ice rapier as well . She cut down blocks of ice and ice spears as if it were nothing . Seeing both of their styles had been enlightening . I was glad to have watched it . Now, I just needed some time with Jack of all Trades, Master of None .
So, on to the next fight…
“Y-you bastard!!”
Just as I was trying to recall who the next group would be, someone started shouting .
“You insulted Alenbia… A Quingeria lady!!”
It was one of her guards from the preliminaries . I think… The guy who tried to protect her and was pushed out of bounds .
He was now facing Levee . Of course, there were soldiers here to protect the contestant .
“I don’t know who you are, but Miss Alenbia came at me with everything she had . And so I only returned the favor . You have no right to talk to me…”
Levee did not look amused about these accusations . However, she was quickly interrupted .
“Liar! You were not fighting with everything you got!!”
“…”
All expression seemed to withdraw from Levee’s face . It was as if her previous anger had been a lie . Then she stood up silently and gathered magic energy towards her right hand .
“Stop it, Zackus . We were both fighting hard . If you’re going to complain about that fight, then I might have to launch a few complaints of my own . ”
“…Lady Alenbia…”
While her shoulders slumped, she looked hard at this man called Zackus . His eyes went from Alenbia to Levee and then back again . Then he hung his head in resignation .
“…I was mistaken . I am sorry . ”
“Then you may leave . ”
“…Yes . ”
While he did not seem satisfied, Zackus withdrew . Alenbia saw him being escorted out and then she opened her mouth weakly .
“I’m sorry about that . I will make sure he doesn’t do anything like that again . ”
Then she sat back down . No one said anything .
None of that mattered . My mind was preoccupied with the chilling, deadly energy I had felt from Levee . That seemed incredibly excessive for an Adventurer like…
“…Alenbia saved that man’s life . ”
“Yeah…”
Heinrich muttered, and I agreed . Had she not intervened, a certain rapier would have found its way into his head before anyone had the slightest idea about what was happening .
“…”
Levee remained quiet as she sat in her chair… She was strange for a person with an alias . The only thing I was sure of was that she loved to fight and she hated being insulted for it . I would have to be careful… Well, it was true that she hadn’t been fighting at full power . She looked so calm throughout . I didn’t want to think about what someone who was obsessed with battle would look like when pushed to the brink .
“…So, who’s fighting next?”
“Ah…that would be me . ”
I turned around and saw a thin man raise his hand . He was holding a staff . Yes, yes . He was the fire user who had pushed that guard guy out of bounds . Newt Erangute . And he was fighting…
“Me!”
A man in a blue bandana stood up . It was Baz Rockwell . He was the lowest ranking of us all and had reached this position by using controversial strategies .
The two of them now headed for the stage .
At a glance, Newt’s fire magic seemed the most dangerous . Baz’s style was mostly effective in a melee . How would he fight in a one on one battle… I was very curious to find out .