"...Incredible."
Watching the scene unfold, Sara couldn't help but let out a small exclamation of awe.
Albert had won.
According to Ermes, he was the hardest opponent to defeat aside from Katia — and Albert had done it without any assistance from Ermes whatsoever.
Moreover, the magic he had used in that fight was nothing short of beautiful, refined in a way that would have been utterly unthinkable from the Albert of two weeks ago.
Sara felt a pure, genuine sense of admiration.
For the enormous effort it must have taken him to reach that level of magical mastery. For the strength of heart he had shown in delivering his best when it truly counted.
...And for Ermes, who had been able to change him that much.
"...I couldn't have done it."
She hadn't been able to do a thing.
When they had first enrolled, Albert's heart had brimmed with noble resolve. She had watched, step by step, as that resolve began to rot away — and she had been powerless to do anything about it.
...She truly thought it was incredible.
Ermes possessed, above and beyond his own abilities, a truly extraordinary talent for changing the people around him. Sara was certain of it.
Countless people had benefited from that gift. Katia certainly had. Albert, too. Everyone in Class B.
...And herself included.
That was why it had been so wasteful — so painfully wasteful — to see him choosing not to form deep connections with others. To see him so perpetually alone, drifting toward the lonely existence Nina had described, the kind of existence Sara herself understood all too well.
That was why she had tried to stop him, even if it meant being forceful about it. ...She knew it was an terrible act of arrogance. She wouldn't deny that part of her motivation was wanting him to save Class B, a class she herself had been powerless to help.
But — she had also believed it would be good for Ermes himself. That was why she had acted the way she had.
If it had managed to change something inside him — then that alone was a source of immense joy.
Just as she had wished, Ermes had transformed this class. Those ripples would surely not be contained to Class B alone; they would spread throughout the entire school before long.
If that was the case, then she — as someone who had, in a sense, "drawn him in" — would do everything she could to support the first result he had achieved.
She would pour all her strength into guiding this battle — the culmination of his efforts — in the direction he desired.
...And perhaps, one day.
Perhaps she could give form to the admiration she had felt in that moment. Perhaps she could become someone strong, someone worthy of the hero she admired.
With that feeling swelling in her chest, she turned her attention forward and sprang into action.
First — it wasn't her strong suit, but she raised her voice as loud as it would go.
"— Albert has won!"
It was the best possible news for Class B, and a devastating blow to Class A.
The strongest fighter on this battlefield had just been defeated. Panic was inevitable.
Conversely, Class B rallied in an instant, their flagging morale surging to its absolute peak.
At the razor's edge — the critical juncture where the tide of battle would be decided — this was enormous.
Without missing a beat, she continued.
"It might be tough, but we only have to hold on a little longer! If you see someone you can take down, press the attack! If you're up against someone tough, hold your ground! I'll heal you, and Albert will be there to back you up!"
With Albert's victory, the balance had undeniably tipped in their favor.
But it was far too early for complacency. The raw strength of Class A was still an indisputable fact, and their own battle plan was far too sharp-edged and one-dimensional.
...They simply couldn't afford to have everyone win. When someone in Class B eventually fell, the question would be how much reserve support could be mustered. That would be the turning point.
Then she would stake everything on that.
Even for her, it was impossible to maintain perfect awareness of the entire battlefield. The number of allies and enemies was nothing like the last time she had fought alongside Ermes. No matter how vigilant she was, there would inevitably come a point where her healing couldn't keep up.
But she refused to use that as an excuse.
First, she focused with everything she had. She minimized the gaps as much as possible, took in everything within her power to assess, established priorities, and poured out her magic power without a shred of hesitation — blue light firing off in rapid succession.
At the same time, where her magic fell short, she would supplement with words. With feelings.
"While Ermes holds Katia in place! I know you all can do it! He believed you could — and I want to live up to the trust he placed in me!"
You can do it too. I know you can.
Her implicit encouragement and fierce conviction — the words of the girl who had been supporting the battlefield and the class all along — ignited a fire in every member of Class B.
Those who spotted an opening poured magic into it with everything they had, determined not to let it slip. Even those on the verge of defeat clawed at their opponents with desperate tenacity, determined to bleed them of every last drop of strength.
That ferocious determination threw the Class A students into disarray. And yet, their innate, overwhelming advantage — the sheer power of their Bloodline Magic — allowed them to push back, willpower and all.
But Class B had anticipated that from the very start, and only redoubled their fighting spirit.
At last, a Class B student went down. The Class A student who had felled them turned to reinforce another front, and it seemed the balance was about to shatter — but Albert arrived in the nick of time.
Meanwhile, elsewhere, another Class B student fell — but Class B simultaneously claimed their second major victory, and the two winners clashed.
Finally, casualties began mounting on both sides, and the battle accelerated rapidly toward its conclusion.
Resolve and power. Cultivated passion and inborn privilege. The two forces collided, grappled, intertwined.
And at last, the moment of resolution drew near.
◆
Breathing hard, Ermes murmured to himself.
"...This is bad."
Ermes had gone straight for his original objective: pinning down the greatest threat, Katia.
Up until this moment, he had more or less succeeded in that goal — but
the cost had far exceeded anything he had imagined.
His body was already riddled with countless wounds, all from the charge of her phantom soldiers and their magic cannons.
Deflecting their relentless assault from every direction was utterly impossible, and trying to fight back was worse — the Enhanced Universal Magic he wielded had abysmal compatibility with these unnaturally durable soldiers.
Even if he tried to thread the gaps in their charges and attack Katia directly, she always kept phantom soldiers posted around her as sentries, leaving no openings. Breaking through her offensive, let alone mounting a counterattack, was a fantasy under this onslaught.
...He had expected a hard fight. He had even suspected he might lose.
But to be this utterly helpless — not even a single effective move at his disposal.
(...Should I be glad, or should I despair?)
In a sense, it was bittersweet — he had known this girl intimately, had watched her struggle with her inadequacies in magic, had taught her. To see her display this level of power was deeply moving. But he couldn't help thinking that this was perhaps not the ideal time or place for it.
As that thought crossed his mind, Katia approached and spoke.
"I'm sorry, Erm. I've hurt you so much."
Her voice was tinged with guilt. And yet, in stark contrast, her expression bore the faintest trace of a smile.
"But it's strange. You've always been so strong, and you never paid me any attention — you were always busy with other things. And now, seeing you like this... it feels rather nice, actually. So nice that I almost think it might be worth hurting you a little longer."
(...Yep.)
The situation had firmly and completely shifted into "this is really bad" territory.
It was probably just a temporary side effect of the excitement from the inter-class competition, but fear was fear regardless.
He would need to give some serious thought to how to handle her from now on — that thought was running through Ermes's mind when Katia raised her hand.
"Don't worry. Once the competition's over, I'll make sure to heal you properly. Every last injury. I'll stay by your side the whole time. The whole time. Okay?"
At the same time, phantom soldiers deployed in a ring around him. ...He couldn't shake the feeling that their killing intent had taken on a particularly heated edge, all directed squarely at him.
But this was genuinely dire.
Ermes was already past his limit, battered and barely standing. Whether he could even weather the next assault was questionable — borderline impossible, really.
And yet no effective countermeasure came to mind. With no recourse, the phantom soldiers lunged from every direction —
— when a streak of silver light blazed past him.
"—!!"
Katia's eyes went wide. She instantly raised phantom soldiers as shields. A sword flash struck them without a breath's gap — and behind it, the girl who had delivered the blow.
Nina fixed Katia with her golden eyes, brimming with defiance, as she channeled force into her blade.
"Hey, Katia. Sure, he might be your master, but that's no excuse to treat our Ermes like —"
"Our
Ermes? My, aren't you bold for a little parasite."
"— Oh no, this one's bad."
She had opened with her usual light-hearted banter, but one look at Katia's response sent a jolt of alarm through her. Nina clamped her mouth shut and leaped back.
As she planted herself in front of him as a shield, Ermes managed to speak.
"...Lady Nina. How are you here —"
But perhaps it was because he was already teetering on the edge of collapse — his body swayed, and he could no longer hold himself up. He toppled forward —
— and a soft, warm sensation enveloped him.
"...You did wonderfully, Ermes."
A gentle, modest embrace — one that conveyed sincere respect and admiration for his hard-fought effort. The golden-haired girl, Sara, held him lightly as her blue light washed over him in healing magic.
When his restored body allowed him to lift his head, he saw that behind Sara — a number of Class B students had arrived.
And behind them, no one was giving chase. The only person near the crystal was a single Class B student standing guard.
The meaning of that scene was clear.
As if to prove it, the Class B student walking at the front — Albert — spoke.
"We won, Ermes. Got any objections?"
Delivered in his characteristically calm, understated manner — and yet with unmistakable pride.
Naturally, Ermes's response was already decided.
"...No. Not at all. Well done."
He separated himself from Sara with a nod of gratitude, then straightened up and turned to face the rest of Class B once more.
"You fought magnificently. ...But let's not let our guard down just yet."
With that, he turned his gaze to the other side — toward where the last and greatest opponent from Class A remained.
Ermes had made three miscalculations.
The first was that the Class A students were even more foolish than he had anticipated. Thanks to that, he had managed to steer the initial chaotic melee — in which he had braced for some sacrifices — with virtually no cost.
The second was that Class B's fighting spirit had far exceeded his expectations. That not a single one of them had collapsed outright when Katia joined the fray, and that they had rallied from there to defeat every last Class A student while still keeping this many people standing — that was a welcome surprise.
But the third — the last and greatest miscalculation — was one that filled Ermes with conflicting emotions: part delight, part genuine concern.
"...Lady Katia was far stronger than I had anticipated. Honestly, I thought I could have pinned her down for a bit longer."
"No, I mean, we were winning, so you did hold her long enough... I think?"
Albert murmured with a look of exasperation, but Ermes privately analyzed that a significant factor was simply Katia's obsession with him personally.
At any rate, he straightened up and addressed the group.
"The competition isn't over yet. ...With this numerical advantage, I'd hate for us to lose — but our opponent is Lady Katia. We should stay sharp until the very end."
Seeing the Class B students nod in agreement, he turned back to face the remaining eight — all that was left of Class B — along with Katia.
"...What a shame. Our little one-on-one time is over, then."
Katia, apparently having grasped the situation at a glance, let out a sigh and said as much.
But she quickly lifted her head, that earlier smile returning to her face.
"Still, I have no intention of losing easily — if anything, I honestly want to win this. Hey, you former classmates who became so incredibly close with Erm behind my back?"
"...Yeah, I think even Ermes would admit he messed up there."
Nina, having roughly grasped the situation from Katia's demeanor, muttered with a touch of exasperation.
"Katia might look like that, but — well, you can see it — she's actually pretty single-minded when it comes to things like this. Push her the wrong way and she goes off the deep end like this. I'm sure it's temporary, but once the competition's over, make sure you take care of her properly, okay?"
"...Yes. I'll reflect on it."
Ermes could offer no argument to that and nodded contritely.
Now that he thought about it, the Duke who had visited him before the competition had warned him about exactly this. Pushing those thoughts aside, he shifted his focus back to the task at hand.
"Then Lady Nina and I will take the lead. The rest of you, look for openings and attack with Bloodline Magic. Lady Sara, handle overall coordination and support."
In an instant, everyone internalized the roles through the understanding they had built together.
And so, determined to secure victory in the competition once and for all, they threw themselves into the final battle.
The competition's decisive conclusion comes next time. Look forward to it!