hotmtlnovel Chapter 232 : Chapter 232
Chapter 232 : Chapter 232
After the fierce Magical Beast Ball match ended.Academy students gathered in the vacant lot to watch the next match.
“When does this match start?”
“They say in an hour. If you don't go quickly, you'll miss the front seats.”
“Watching this from the front is the real deal.”
A makeshift stage was installed in the previously empty lot.
Even though the match hadn't started yet, many students were waiting for the players in front of the stage.
The match that was about to start soon was the Spirit Talent Show.
It was such a popular match that if one was even a little late, there would be no seats to watch from up close.
Students conversed while looking at the list of representative players hanging on one side.
“Pasion isn't on the list?”
“Yeah. They said he is only participating in Transmutation Magic for this sports festival.”
“You know I voted for Senior Alphonse last year.”
“Was it an ice spirit that Senior Alphonse summoned back then?”
The students chatted about the players they were cheering for or the players who participated last year.
They heated up the conversation by recalling impressive matches.
“Wasn't the ice spirit a bit boring? It's a spirit often seen at the Academy.”
“What are you talking about. Did you not watch the match properly? Doing a somersault on ice doesn't come easily.”
“Wasn't it 9 points even after doing that.”
“It's out of 10 points, so 9 points is doing well.”
Listening only to the students’ stories, the content felt more like a contest than a sports festival.
In fact, it was no different from a contest.
Above all, audience scores were included.
After all matches ended, students cast votes for the most impressive player and stage.
And the final winner was decided by combining the scores of the professors who served as judges.
In particular, the Academy Professor Judging Panel was famous for grading coldly.
They decided the score by considering not only the artistic score items but also the spirit's unique ability and how much of the spirit's potential was drawn out.
The Academy Professor Judging Panel was provided next to the stage.
Professors selected as judges for this match were sitting there, talking while looking at the player list.
“Is this the final list?”
“That is correct. They say they will participate in this order.”
“I see quite a few notable players.”
For accurate and fair evaluation, not only major professors but also general subject professors sat in the judges' seats and observed the players.
“Let's see... Among the 1st-years, the 9th Prince is also participating...”
“We will finally be able to see the 9th Prince's skills. I heard he contracted with all 4 major element spirits?”
“Not just contracted with all of them, but spirits lined up begging him to contract with them.”
“Wow, is that true?”
Professors who had not yet taught Leon, the 9th Prince, marveled as they listened to the story.
“Since the nature of his magic power must be similar to a dragon.”
“As expected, you can't beat an innate Ability.”
“Isn't Double Chanting also possible for the 9th Prince?”
“That's right. For a few basic elemental magic spells, voiceless chanting is probably possible too.”
“At this rate, there would practically be almost nothing to teach in the 1st-year curriculum.”
The Academy professors exchanged glances and nodded.
Although no one said it, the 9th Prince was practically no different from a completed magician.
Of course, even at the Academy 1st-year level, they were skilled enough to be treated as decent magicians outside, but Leon's Ability was special.
Overwhelming magic power infinitely close to a dragon.
Talent to realize things on his own without a teacher.
However, all the professors sitting here were people who had been called geniuses during their Academy days.
Ordinary geniuses couldn't move their hearts.
Because of that, the professors were rather attracted to types of students other than geniuses.
“...Hmm? The 8th Prince is coming out too?”
“The 8th Prince?”
“That he contracted with ‘that spirit’?”
When someone brought up the story of the 8th Prince, the atmosphere changed.
‘That spirit!’
One of the Imperial Magic Academy's taboos.
A spirit whose existence all faculty and students of the Academy knew, but must absolutely never speak of.
No one knew exactly when the Great Spirit had been in the Academy library.
However, everyone knew what that spirit's personality was like.
The professors spoke with interest.
“He will probably come out with ‘that spirit’, right?”
“That's right. Since they say there are no other contracted spirits.”
“Hah, my... How did an Academy student, and a 1st-year at that...”
It was surprising enough that a 1st-year student contracted with a Great Spirit, but the fact that it was ‘that spirit’ in the Academy library was a huge incident even among the professors.
Normally, it was something that would turn the magic world upside down, but thanks to the Academy's taboo, the professors couldn't speak of this amazing event.
They just implicitly called it ‘that spirit’ and talked about it.
But for him to participate in this Talent Show just in time.
It was a golden opportunity for the Academy professors to verify the truth of the rumor.
“But I heard the 8th Prince has low magic power.”
“Then even if he contracted with ‘that spirit’, it would be difficult to draw out and use all its power.”
“Well, isn't he participating just for show rather than having a special talent?”
While conversing, the professors secretly glanced at where Professor Marianne of Summoning Magic was sitting.
They were curious about the evaluation of Marianne, who taught Radel herself.
However, Professor Marianne was looking only at the stage without caring about the other professors' conversation.
She had already selected the player.
Now, all she had to do was trust and wait.
* * *
Finally, the Spirit Talent Show began.
The spirits of the 4th-year player who appeared from the first stage were very seasoned even to the eyes of the 1st-years who knew nothing.
“Did you see that just now? A rainbow?!”
Inette asked Gusto in surprise.
Gusto nodded his head.
“To think it is not Illusion Magic... it is surprising.”
“Exactly! How does he float such a big rainbow!”
The 4th-year senior was showing various tricks using a fire spirit and a water spirit.
When the senior gestured, the spirits jumped and spun in the air.
- Giggle!
- What are we doing this time?
The spirits asked their contractor with innocent appearances.
The spectators watching it whispered in surprise.
“The spirits are asking what to do first!”
“Don't tell me the spirits are enjoying this match too?”
It was something that couldn't happen if spirit affinity was low.
Indeed, befitting a 4th-year representative player, he was a senior with excellent communion with spirits.
“Can you make it rain now?”
Upon hearing the senior's words, the water spirit curled its body, gathered energy, and raised its small arm high.
At the same time, a drizzle began to fall on the stage.
- Exciting!
Then, the fire spirit flew up into the rain and turned a somersault.
One turn, two turns.
As it cut through the rain at high speed while turning somersaults, a beautiful rainbow appeared over the stage.
“It's a double rainbow!”
“It's a symbol of luck!”
The spectators rejoiced at the spirits' tricks and sent praise to the stage.
The atmosphere among the professors sitting in the judge's seats was also as if they had no choice but to acknowledge it.
“Indeed, a 4th-year is different.”
“He created a splendid stage with purely the power of spirits without using magic.”
“His communion with the spirits is also excellent.”
Hearing the professors' comments, Professor Lilian turned to look at Professor Marianne.
She was wearing a confident smile.
“What to do? It seems our dormitory will win again. Since the Magical Beast Ball was also our Red Wolf Dormitory's taking.”
“We'll know after watching more.”
Despite Professor Lilian's words, Professor Marianne just looked at the stage without any change in expression.
Then Professor Lilian raised the corners of her mouth and giggled.
“I trust you haven't forgotten the bet we made before?”
“You are hasty. The winner hasn't been decided yet.”
At Professor Lilian's words, Professor Marianne had no choice but to frown slightly.
This was one of the reasons why she absolutely had to win this sports festival.
The pride of the dormitory was on the line, but if the Black Falcon Dormitory lost to the Red Wolf Dormitory, she had agreed to have a duel with Professor Lilian.
Usually, she would have just let it slide, but that day she had fallen for Lilian's provocation.
‘Oh my? Are you not confident?’
‘What did you say?’
‘While having two integrated majors. Are you not confident you can win?’
Even knowing clearly what kind of trick Lilian's provocation was, Professor Marianne couldn't ignore those words.
In the end, she had accepted the bet with a duel if Lilian won, and a one-year ban on duels if Marianne won.
“Don't say useless things and just watch.”
After spitting out a word to Professor Lilian, Professor Marianne shut her mouth.
Following the 4th-year, the matches for the 3rd and 2nd years ended, and finally, the player who would save Professor Marianne's pride appeared.
One of the players Professor Marianne selected herself, the 1st-year Leon Silvert Cretian.
* * *
FLARE!
“Spirit Summon!”
Leon, who summoned a water spirit and an earth spirit following the fire spirit, waved his staff again.
WHOOSH!
Then, a strong wind raged and a wind spirit revealed itself.
Seeing that, other grades had no choice but to doubt their eyes.
“A 1st-year contracted with all 4 major elements?”
“That's not all. He summoned spirits without resting, yet he is that fine?”
“Just how much magic power does he have?”
Every time a spirit was summoned from the spirit world to the human world, the contractor's magic power was cut away exponentially.
It wasn't easy even for high graders to summon spirits continuously without leaving even a little time gap.
However, for Leon who possessed ‘Dragon’s Blessing’, it wasn't that difficult a task.
Leon waved his staff again and continued to summon spirits.
“Spirit Summon!”
Then, not only the 4 major element spirits, but also the light spirit, dark spirit, and other spirits that had lined up to contract with Leon appeared one after another.
“Wooooah! Prince Leon!”
“You are cool! This is real summoning magic-!”
“Prince! Priiince!”
Leon's followers were on the verge of losing their minds at Leon's performance.
“Oh... it's no joke.”
Radel was also watching Leon's dazzling spirit summoning from behind the stage.
Leon was poised to summon every single spirit he had contracted.
The spectators went wild at the endlessly continuing spirit summoning.
“WHEEEW! Cool!”
“Just how many spirits did he contract with?”
“I've never seen spirit magic like that!”
Leon was now giving instructions to the summoned spirits.
People were surprised once again seeing the spirits line up in rows in front of Leon.
“Spirits move like an army like that?”
“Goodness, it's so fascinating.”
“Indeed, it's the 9th Prince!”
At the spectators' hot reaction, Radel felt a slight sense of crisis.
‘The next stage won't be easy.’
Unfortunately, the player to go up following Leon was none other than Radel.
Since Leon had raised the spectators' expectations like that, Radel had to show a stage even more amazing than that.
But unlike Leon who surprised people by summoning countless spirits, Radel had only one contracted spirit.
The conversation he had shared with his spirit came to Radel's mind.