Chapter 248: The Practical Assessment [5]

Wolfram von Drachenau’s opponent had made the mistake of assuming that a quiet person would be an easy opponent.

The young nobleman had barely spoken since entering the arena, and even when his opponent began preparing a spell, he showed no particular interest in taking the initiative.

Garen was beginning to grow impatient.

"Is he planning to attack at all?"

"Give him a moment," Ma?lle replied. "You know how Wolfram is."

Ilya watched the arena with interest. Wolfram had always been deliberate in his approach to magic, particularly when constructing spells that required several stages of preparation. He rarely rushed his work, although that habit sometimes made him appear slower than he actually was.

His opponent, a fire mage, apparently interpreted the lack of aggression as an invitation.

Several fireballs shot across the arena.

Wolfram raised a stone barrier, intercepting the first two before stepping aside to avoid the third. He then constructed another barrier several meters away, leaving it standing even after moving beyond its protection.

The fire mage continued advancing, sending more spells toward him.

By the end of the first minute, four stone barriers stood throughout the arena.

"He’s building something," Lisbet observed.

Ilya had reached the same conclusion.

Wolfram’s barriers were positioned too carefully to be ordinary defenses. Each stood at an angle to the others, creating narrow passages across the arena floor.

The fire mage noticed the arrangement as well and immediately changed his approach. Rather than pursuing Wolfram through the passages, he began destroying the barriers from a distance.

A sensible decision.

Unfortunately, Wolfram had already finished preparing the spell he needed.

The ground beneath the destroyed barriers suddenly shifted, and several stone projections emerged from the rubble, forming a series of obstacles around his opponent.

The young wizard attempted to retreat, only to discover that the remaining barriers restricted his movement.

Wolfram raised his hand.

A compact formation appeared above the arena, releasing several stone projectiles toward the trapped student.

His opponent managed to destroy the first two with fire magic, but the third struck his protective seal before he could escape.

The instructor announced Wolfram’s victory.

Garen immediately began applauding.

"Why didn’t you tell us you could do that?"

Wolfram returned from the arena looking slightly tired.

"You never asked."

Ma?lle laughed.

"That’s because you take forever to explain anything."

"I was going to explain the formation afterward."

"Of course you were."

Despite the familiar exchange, Ma?lle was clearly pleased with his performance. She had spent enough time working alongside Wolfram to recognize the planning behind his technique, and the two soon began discussing how he had concealed the spell beneath his defensive barriers.

Ilya left them to it.

Wolfram’s victory had been impressive, especially because his opponent hadn’t behaved foolishly. The fire mage recognized the developing threat and attempted to destroy the barriers, but Wolfram had already prepared for that response.

It was the sort of engagement that rewarded planning without making the opposing student appear incompetent.

The instructors continued preparing the remaining arenas, and shortly afterward, Lisbet Rosenkrantz was called for her assessment.

Unlike the others, Lisbet showed little interest in discussing her opponent beforehand. She reviewed the assignment card, returned her notebook to her bag, and entered the arena without making much of a fuss.

Her opponent specialized in wind magic.

The engagement began with several compressed blades of air sweeping toward Lisbet.

She raised a defensive barrier and intercepted them, then moved toward the side of the arena while her opponent continued attacking from a distance.

For the first minute, her approach appeared almost disappointingly ordinary.

She defended, repositioned, and occasionally released a small spell whenever an opening appeared.

Garen was beginning to wonder whether she intended to spend the entire match doing that when Ilya noticed something unusual.

Lisbet had been changing the position of her defensive barriers after every exchange.

At first, the adjustments seemed insignificant. However, as the match continued, the barriers gradually formed a curved arrangement around one side of the arena.

Her opponent apparently recognized the danger and moved toward the opposite side.

Lisbet immediately followed.

A few more exchanges passed before the wind mage attempted to launch a stronger attack.

That was when Lisbet activated the formation.

The defensive barriers she had positioned throughout the arena began resonating with one another, creating a narrow field that interfered with the surrounding mana.

The wind mage’s spell lost stability before it could fully develop.

Lisbet released a compact projectile through the opening.

Her opponent attempted to retreat, but the disrupted circulation delayed his response just long enough for the attack to strike his protective seal.

"Victory, Lisbet Rosenkrantz!"

The result drew a round of applause from the spectators.

Ilya was impressed.

Lisbet had spent the entire engagement gradually arranging the battlefield while allowing her opponent to believe she was simply defending. Her final technique wasn’t particularly powerful, but it had been used at exactly the right moment.

When she returned, Garen immediately congratulated her.

"That was amazing! I didn’t even realize you were preparing something."

"That was the idea," Lisbet replied.

She sounded perfectly satisfied with the explanation.

Ilya smiled.

Of all the people in their group, Lisbet was probably the least interested in attracting attention. Yet her performance had demonstrated that her quiet demeanor had little to do with a lack of ability.

With the afternoon’s engagements drawing toward their conclusion, the instructors began organizing the remaining results.

Several students had already completed their matches, while a few were still waiting for their assigned opponents.

Ilya’s group had performed reasonably well.

Garen had lost, but Solveig, Ma?lle, Wolfram, and Lisbet had all secured victories. Their different approaches had also given Ilya plenty to think about.

He had spent much of his time studying magic through personal instruction and research, which meant his practical experience differed from that of most ordinary students.

Watching his classmates compete had been useful.

Their techniques weren’t always powerful, but they were familiar with the fundamentals and understood how to apply them under pressure.

There was no reason to underestimate that.

As the spectators began moving toward the central courtyard, Ilya noticed Elise approaching from the opposite direction.

She had finished watching another engagement and appeared to be looking for him.

"You’re still here."

"I wanted to see how everyone performed."

"How did they do?"

"Better than Garen expected."

"Hey!"

Garen had apparently heard that.

Elise laughed before joining them.

Although she was acquainted with several members of Ilya’s group, she had rarely spent much time with them outside their shared lectures. Her own social circle within the Magic Department was quite different, consisting largely of students from noble families who had known one another long before entering Holy Trinity.

Nevertheless, she seemed comfortable enough remaining beside Ilya while the others discussed their matches.

The conversation eventually turned toward the next stage of the assessment.

According to the instructors, students who had performed well during the controlled engagements would be eligible for additional practical exercises, including cooperative scenarios designed to evaluate teamwork.

That immediately attracted Garen’s attention.

"Does that mean we can work together again?"

"Assuming the instructors allow it," Solveig replied.

Ma?lle seemed interested as well, although she pointed out that their previous research group hadn’t been organized with combat in mind.

Ilya agreed.

They had worked well together during Spell Construction, but practical engagements would require a different arrangement. Their abilities varied, and simply placing everyone in the same group wouldn’t guarantee effective cooperation.

Still, they already understood one another’s strengths and weaknesses better than most students.

That was an advantage worth considering.

Elise listened to their discussion before mentioning that the instructors might allow students to nominate preferred teammates.

"If that’s true, we should ask before the assignments are finalized," she suggested.

Ilya considered the idea.

There was no reason to wait until the instructors announced the groups if they could express their preferences beforehand.

However, he also knew that the department might deliberately assign unfamiliar teammates to test their adaptability.

"We can ask," he said. "But we should be prepared to work with whoever they assign us."

The others agreed.

Their conversation continued as they made their way toward the department office, where the preliminary results were expected to be posted later that afternoon.

Ilya wasn’t particularly concerned about his own ranking. He had already secured a victory during his first engagement, and the instructors’ evaluations would determine the rest.

More interesting was the possibility of participating in cooperative exercises.

During the Basilisk examination, he had witnessed how effective even a loosely organized group of students could become when their abilities were coordinated properly.

With enough preparation, a smaller team could accomplish far more than several individuals fighting independently.

And unlike the previous examination, this time they wouldn’t have to worry about a giant magical creature attempting to eat them.

That alone was a welcome improvement.