Chapter 173: Sword versus Spear

"What?"

"Did you hear that?"

"I did!"

"It seems like the Weapon Mastery Exam would be interesting once again."

"Still, to think that they’ll be opponents back-to-back."

"Maybe that box is rigged?"

"Idiot, do you think the academy would allow that!?"

"Makes sense..."

...

The students spoke among themselves the moment Dahlia revealed who she had drawn.

Last semester, Freya was the one who had drawn the lot with Dahlia’s name on it, which intrigued almost everyone in their batch.

Especially the students who pursue the path of aura.

It was also the first time they witnessed an epic battle between first years, to the point that there were even some instructors and upperclassmen who made time to spectate the battle.

The sight of Freya’s broken spear still remained vivid in their minds.

This was when the rivalry between Dahlia, the sword genius, and Freya, the strongest of the new generation, began.

And because of Freya’s reputation as the king’s daughter, their rivalry quickly became popular.

"Silence."

The instructor with the clipboard said loudly, to which the students quickly obeyed.

One by one, the students resumed drawing lots.

It did not take long before they all finished picking their opponents.

"You can head to the cafeteria or warm up on your own. Just make sure you’re back here at least ten minutes before your match starts. If you’re late, points will be deducted. And if you’re still not here after ten minutes, you’ll be disqualified by default."

The instructor with a clipboard announced in a loud voice.

***

In the locker room inside the training hall...

"Hmmm..."

Dahlia used her fingers to trace the air in front of her, making complex patterns.

Wung— Wung— Wung—

A sword could be seen floating in front of her, following her every action.

This was one of the abilities of her gift that she had discovered a few months after she had attended the Royal Academy.

When her Aunt Glorietta showed her Sword Kinesis, which she learned instantly, she had difficulty using it.

The reason was the unimaginable amount of aura it consumed with every second of making a sword float.

Thus, there was a time when she wished she could make swords fly without using aura.

And to her surprise, a sword did indeed fly as she willed it.

That was when she focused on studying her gift and was reminded of one of the memories she received when she awakened it.

[Every sword in the world will obey your will]

’No matter how many times I see this, it’s indeed powerful...’ Dahlia could not help but smile.

Not because she was proud of her abilities, but, ’If I can already do something like this... then Regis surely can do something way more amazing.’

Creak—

At this moment, the door to the locker room opened.

"Hey Freya, just tell me please, please, please~" A high-pitched voice sounded curious.

Freya pouted, "What do you mean, Alisa?"

"Oh, come on~ We’ve been friends since like forever! Of course, I knew that’s the expression you make whenever you feel guilty."

The girl with a magenta bob haircut and green eyes, named Alisa, replied with a teasing voice.

As if fed up, Freya nodded, "Ugh, fine. I admit it. I used my father’s connections to rig the drawing process..."

Before she could finish her sentence, she saw Alisa’s widened eyes.

A bad premonition enveloped her heart, "H-Hey, don’t scare me like that. Surely there aren’t any students— Oh, hi Dahlia."

"Hi." Dahlia’s pale-pink eyes squinted as she smiled.

Sensing the situation that was getting more awkward by the second, Alisa slowly inched towards the door.

’This is fun.’

Dahlia thought as she saw Freya, who always seemed like a prim and proper student who was serious all the time, express her emotions through her face.

A few minutes went by in silence, and Freya’s face soon started to tremble.

"Pfft—" Unable to hold it any longer, Dahlia burst out laughing.

"Huh?"

Freya and Alisa glanced at each other, both with confused expressions.

"Don’t worry, I don’t mind it. I wished earlier that I would draw your name too, since I know that I can do my best if it’s a battle with you."

Dahlia tapped Freya’s shoulders, "But you owe me one now, okay? See you later~"

Creak— Tap!

Freya and Alisa remained in their positions for quite a while after Dahlia left.

"Pfft— Hahahaha! She totally got you!! I didn’t think she’d be that funny~"

Alisa held her stomach as she laughed.

However, she soon noticed Freya’s pouting expression and stopped.

"I-I’ll stop now— Haha— Ehem..."

"Hey, Alisa. You know about my gift, right?"

Hearing her serious tone, Alisa replied, "Of course. Your gift is a Diamond-grade that only a handful in the whole Acheron Kingdom have."

"My gift, Spear of Victory, ensures that I will win no matter what, for as long as I hold a spear."

Freya continued after a moment of pause, "But Dahlia defeated me."

"Well, that hardly means anything since your gift isn’t activated to its fullest." Alisa rebutted.

There were gifts that had both passive and active effects.

Even though the Weapon Mastery Exam forbids the use of aura and gifts, they couldn’t do anything if said gifts had a passive effect.

"That means that her gift is more powerful than mine..."

"Well, now I think it makes sense for the Grava Familia to adopt her..."

Alisa turned to look at her friend, only to see her smiling.

Seeing this, she understood, ’So you’re excited, huh?’

She felt happy for Freya.

"Oh! And maybe this is the time to make friends with her. She seems fun and didn’t we have our eyes on her since she entered the academy?"

Hearing Alisa’s words, Freya pondered, "You’re right. The Special Field Activity in preparation for the Grandella Tournament will start after the semestral vacation..."

The two of them then went to their lockers while conversing about the team they would make.

***

Later that day...

"Go Dahlia!!"

"Go Princess Freya!!"

Thwack–

"Aw, why did you hit me?"

"Did you forget that we shouldn’t make use of titles on academy grounds!?"

"Oh, I forgot. Sorry."

"Go, my goddess Freya!!!"

"What the..."

...

The bleachers surrounding the sparring platform of the Weapon Mastery Exam were filled to the brim with students of various years.

There were even some instructors who made time to spectate the battle.

On the sparring platform were two girls.

One had shell-pink hair that flowed past her shoulders, while the other had brilliant-gold hair that flowed to her waist.

Dahlia held two long swords while Freya held a spear with a tight grip.

The pair of pale-pink eyes radiated with confidence, while the pair of brilliant golden eyes shone with competence.

At this moment, the referee spoke in the middle of the platform.

"Steel weapons will be used by both participants."

"The match will end when one side surrenders or when a participant’s weapon is rendered unusable or destroyed."

"The use of aura arts... mana, or the activation of any gifts will be treated as a breach of the rules, and a challenge to the integrity of the Weapon Mastery Exam and the Royal Academy itself."

The referee glanced at Dahlia before adding the word "mana" since it was only her who had two hearts in the whole Royal Academy.

Taking a step back, the referee glanced at the two participants and nodded before calling out in a clear voice, "Begin in three... two... one... commence."

The moment everyone had been waiting for—the match between the sword genius and spear prodigy—had finally started.

Woosh—

Dahlia and Freya instantly dashed towards each other, unwilling to waste even a second.

In the bleachers, a man with golden hair and eyes sat beside an elegant woman with black hair and brown eyes.

"Your daughter would be sad if she knew that her father didn’t want her to see him."

"Well, it’s for her own good, Glorietta. She would only be pressured if she were to know that I’ll watch her match today."

"Anyways, didn’t you have an important meeting with the Royal Treasurer, Wilhelm?"

"What could be more important than my own daughter’s examination?"

"I get that, but what excuse did you tell them?"

"I just told them I got to take a shit."

"You know you’re a literal king, right?’

"That’s precisely why they have no choice but to take my word for it silently."

"Humanity is doomed."

"And so it seems."

The man was none other than Wilhelm Artorius, the King of Acheron and a doting father to his daughter.

On the other hand, the elegant woman was Duchess Glorietta Grava, Dahlia’s aunt and Gustav’s mother.

Currently, the two of them were wearing cloaks to avoid other people from recognizing them.

Normally, people from outside the Royal Academy would not be allowed to spectate at events such as the exams of the students.

It was just that these two powerful people were abusing their authority.

Observing the serious expression on his daughter’s face, Wilhelm could not help but ask, "I’m really curious as to where you met that child... To think that there’s someone who’d make my daughter make that kind of expression."

"Well, I’m sure you already know this, but my brother found that girl in the forest near the now fallen Toran City."

Feeling proud of Dahlia, Glorietta could not help but smirk.