Vol. 14 - Ch. 757 - Lana vs. Eirosel: The Team Battle—Where’s My Partner?

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"I'm Lana from Class-1. Let's have a fun spar."

"Eirosel from Class-2. The pleasure is mine."

Lana looked completely at ease, while Eirosel wore a stiff, stern expression. Or maybe that was just his natural face? He had a certain gravitas about him, an intensity that reminded me of a leader.

"Eirosel was born into the lineage of village chiefs. This is just his default expression at his age. There's not a shred of cuteness in him."

"Now, now, Celia. You can’t go asking for 'cuteness' from a guy."

I'd guarantee they would prefer being judged by their 'coolness.'

Still, for a sixteen-year-old, Eirosel had an impressive amount of presence. Then again, Mert had the same presence, maybe that’s just the norm for some.

Anyway, enough about his face. I was talking about recruiting him. I turned back to Celia to inquire more details.

"So, you said he turned down the invitation? What’s the reason?"

Not to toot my own horn, but Eden was incredibly popular around. The sheer number of applicants we get proves that. So, If someone was turning down a direct invitation, there ought to be a specific reason. And «Eden» would be more than happy to lend a hand!

Or so I thought, but the reason Celia gave was short, and completely south of my expectation.

"There's nothing much. Rozel is the Sub-guildmaster of the B-rank guild «New Emerald Village», and is expected to take over as its guildmaster next year."

"Ah, so that's it."

Yeah, recruiting him would be nigh impossible. Being a Guildmaster was a heavy responsibility; I know that better than anyone. You couldn’t just walk away from your guild on a whim. That would be tantamount to abandoning them.

"I'm honestly surprised you still tried to scout him, Celia."

"It was a shot in the dark. There's almost no chance to recruit him as the situation stands."

"I see. That’s a shame. Guess we’ll keep looking for someone else."

"Agreed."

"You two, enough chatter. It’s starting." 

Ester interrupted. At her word, Celia and I turned our attention toward the sparring ground.

"Just so you know, I’m in an Advanced Job and I can use offensive magic. A direct hit would be a game over."

"I appreciate the warning. I’ll treat this as a chance to learn from you."

Even his way of speaking was grizzled. How old was this guy again? Oh, right, sixteen.

"Rozel is as stuffy as ever. He could try to act like someone of his age atleast."

"Rozel, you’re in front of Her Highness. Can you stop with that brooding expression?" 

The two of them were asking for the impossible. If anything, it proved to be counter-productive as I noticed Eirosel’s expression getting even stiffer.

"...My apologies to the onlookers. I was born with this face."

"No need to apologize for that. More importantly, it’s

time to fight! Are you ready?"

"...*Haa*. Of course. Whenever you would like."

For Lana, the duel was the only thing that mattered; everything else was a triviality. Perhaps touched by her straightforwardness, Eirosel let out a faint chuckle. In his hand, he gripped a wooden two-handed staff similar to Celia’s.

Heh, he got good gear. That was the «Lightning Staff of Laurel». It was an impressive piece of equipment that boosted both healing and lightning-element performance.

Seeing both were ready, the researcher in the white lab coat, Ramielas, stepped

forward to announce the start. Wait, she was the one officiating?!

"Ready... set... GO!"

And this wasn't a marathon though?!

"Let's start with a warmup! «Sword of Radiance»!"

"This was barely giving the impression of a spar between two healers."

Both were supposed to be healers, but Lana’s opening move was purely an offensive 3rd order spell. A single sword of light streaked toward Eirosel.

"«Alf Minor Barrier»!"

"Oh!"

That was the classic Elf barrier magic you see in high fantasy! It’s a staple that Elven elders could use barriers to protect their tribe. The «Alf Guardian» job, as the name implied, excelled in protection and barrier arts. It overlapped quite a bit with Misato’s role, but Misato beat him down when it came to variations in barriers. At the end, «Alf Guardian» was simply a high-mid ranking job unlike Misato's top-ranking job.

As I analyzed the fight, Lana’s sword slammed into the barrier Eirosel had erected in front of him. Both skills had nearly off-set each other, but—

"Ngh! To think an Alf Barrier couldn't stop it completely..."

Eirosel's barrier fell a bit short of Lana's attack, and his HP bar slashed down a bit. The damage was trivial, but Eirosel appeared pretty shaken at the result.

"Then it's my turn. «Elf’s Magic Arrow»!"

"«Sacred Barrier»!"

«Alf Guardian» had a few offensive spells under its belt, and it appeared Eirosel had unlocked some. 

As soon as the spell was activated, countless arrows materialised out of thin air. This was an almost-certain hit, but in exchange, its damage scaling was so-so. 

The arrows slammed against Lana's barrier, but neither of them managed to leave a single crack on it before they dissipated. 

"Hmph, not a scratch! But I wonder how you're going to deal with this—«Rise of the Sacred Tree»!"

"Rgh. «Forest's Healing»!"

After an effortless defense against her opponent's attack, Lana followed up with a counter-attack which erupted from the ground like a growing sapling, and took out nearly one-third of Eirosel's HP. 

He retreated instantly to cast a self-heal.

"«Light Blade»!"

"«Verdant Gale Blast»!"

Eirosel tried to intercept Lana’s attack with a counter-spell. The mass of wind collided with the blade of light, sending it spinning off into the distance where it flickered out. But Lana didn't miss a beat; she chained her spells with total composure.

"«Pillar of Light»!"

"Argh!"

The moment he blocked the first attack, a second one hit from right under his feet. Unable to defend against it, Eirosel took a decent hit. Lana wasn't really missing a chance today. She'd surely come a long way.

"«Alf’s Healing»!"

"«Sacred Shining Saber»!"

"—!! Such a... massive gap—"

A healer’s biggest opening was always while they’re casting a heal. Immediately after Eirosel triggered his recovery magic, Lana unleashed her fourth order skill in one fluid motion.

Ultimately, this became the deciding factor of the match. 

Having locked into activation of another skill, Eirosel had momentarily left himself open for another attack, and the giant swords of light knocked him out of the fight, draining his HP to zero.

"Lana-sama was so brilliant!"

"She had completely pinned down Eirosel with her shrewd timing alone."

"That just explains Rosel has a long way ahead."

Ester, I, and Celia each expressed our impression. To be fair, Eirosel fought well for a standard player. He was just inexperienced and had the misfortune of Lana.

"...Magnificent, Princess Lana. If the opportunity arises again, I look forward

to a rematch."

"Fine by me. But if you want to win, you’d better get an Advanced Job first. Not that I’ll let you win even then."

"Heh, a harsh critique. I shall strive to improve."

With those final words, Eirosel headed toward the Citrus-sensei. In a "Combat Inability" state, players couldn't access their skills and spells—not even a self-revive. Someone else had to cast it on them.

"Nice work, Lana. That was some sharp handling. The timing on that finisher was

perfect."

"Right?! I'm improving everyday! That felt great to pull off!"

"You were very dignified, Lana-sama." 

Ester’s praise knew no bounds, but she wasn't wrong. Lana looked genuinely cool out there today. I made sure to give her plenty of credit.

Meanwhile, on the other fields, the results were trickling in:

1. Jay (Class 2) vs Gou (Class 3) — Winner: Gou

2. Kajmal (Class 2) vs Koburo (Class 3) — Winner: Kajmal

3. Keel (Class 1) vs Remi (Class 2) — Winner: Keel

4. Haku (Class 1) vs Highwood (Class 3) — Winner: Haku

Class 1 was dominating, eh?

"Next, Zephyr from Class 1 vs—"

"Oops, that’s me. I’m up."

"I’m coming to watch!"

The individual sparring continued. I went through four matches—two against

Class 2 students and two against Class 3. Needless to say, no one could touch

me. I felt sorry for them, but alas, all the matches were over in under a minute.

Still, the place was crawling with talent. Heh heh... I can already see these guys becoming great rivals in the future. Just thinking about it gets me hyped.

Once the individual matches wrapped up, it was time for the party battles.

"Next is 5-on-5 party combat. We’ve pre-selected the teams, so gather up when

your name is called."

This time, Classes 2 and 3 were being mixed in. Instead of staying within our own class, we were forming joint parties, with a maximum of two people from each class per team. It looked like the teachers had handled the balancing.

The rosters were announced one after another. My name wasn't called for a while, while my Class 1 classmates excitedly joined their groups.

"K-Keel? We're in the same party? L-Looking forward to working with you."

"Likewise, Lacritta. Having a strong Shielder like you is worth a hundred men. Do you plan on using that technique you used on me?"

"Um, i-if the situation calls for it."

The first I noticed was Keel and Lacritta, an odd pairing, but they seemed to be hitting it off.

"U-unbelievable, Mert-sama! So you'd rather have Haku than me?!"

"What nonsense are you starting, Misato? I am not making the decision, teacher did."

"Aww, it’s tough being away from Misato-han. But don’t you worry, I’ll make sure

to support Mert-sama in your stead."

"Mgnhf-rgh!"

Over there, Mert and Haku were paired up. This had Misato grumbled as she had been put in a different party.

"Oh, Lamda-dono, we're in the same party. It’s been since the inter-class competition, hasn't it? I look forward to your support."

"The pleasure is mine, Ekatrina-dono. There is no one more reassuring to have at my back than you."

"Fufu, leave the rear-guard command to me. I'll leave the front line in your capable hands, Lamda-dono."

"As you command."

Wait, Lina and Lambda in the same party? Damn it, why wasn't I with them?!

"My partner is... Sedan? From opponent to allies, eh? I'm counting on you, Sedan."

"Likewise, Rika-san. To be honest, I’ve actually wanted to talk to you. I’m a member of «Thousand Sword Freckles», and I heard you were the younger sister of the our sub-guildmasters."

"Now that you mention it, you did say that during introductions. How are my dear sisters?"

"Lively... to say the least. Since I lost to you, their training has become even more hellish. I’m being put through the wringer every day."

"Hahaha! So you've been dragged into Kirie onee-sama’s hell training. Well, um, my condolences."

Rika and Sedan were getting along and seemed to be having just as fun! Seriously, just when was my turn?!

"If it ain't Celestine! My muscles are rejoicing to be with you in a party again!"

"I look forward to working with you, Alan."

Yeaaah.

Anyway, where was I—oh, right. When was my turn?!

"And lastly, Zephyr and Myu from Class 1; Ady and Remi from Class 2; and

Highwood from Class 3."

At long last! So it appeared my partner from Class 1 was the Sniper, «Hard Ranger» Myu.