第２７１堀：決闘祭り始まる (Part3)
"Oh, Aslin. Were you waiting here all by yourself?"
I asked as I lifted Aslin up.
Since they usually move in a group of four, this was quite rare.
"Today, I'm going to take good pictures of you with Ria-oneechan, Big Brother. I’m the only one allowed in the waiting room, so I’ll do my best for the other three, too."
"I see. Then I’d better do my best to put on a good show for you."
"Yeah. Good luck, Big Brother."
Watching Aslin munch on some karaage while I held her, I felt my heart warm up.
Wait, I shouldn't get distracted. I need to check on the condition of the duelists.
"So, how are you two doing? Any issues with your physical condition?"
"Not at all. I'm as ready as ever."
"...I'm... okay."
Taiki-kun is fine, but Eoid is stiff as a board.
It’s not just the duel; he’s nervous because of everything piling up at once.
I should try to alleviate that as much as possible.
It’ll make things smoother with Amanda for whoever wins.
"Alright, Ria. I'll leave Aslin to you."
"Understood. Aslin-chan, let's do our best today, okay?"
"Yeah. Let's do our best, Ria-oneechan."
" "Okay!" "
Ria and Aslin both let out cute voices in unison.
Watching them, Cleena and Samantha approached Ria, who was holding Aslin...
"Aslin. You can come to me and take pictures together if you'd like."
"Indeed. You are welcome to come to me as well."
Aslin looked puzzled for a second, but then she understood and flashed a sweet smile.
"Yeah. Let's take pictures of Big Brother together."
"...Mm. Promise."
"Yes. Oh, how adorable."
Aslin is amazing. This must be the charm of a little one.
But Aslin went even further.
"Jessica-oneechan. Can I go to your place too?"
"Eh? Yes, of course. But please be very careful when you do. It would be terrible if you got hurt."
"Yeah. I understand."
"Yes. I shall look forward to that time, then."
She even said that to Jessica, who was fulfilling her duties as a knight, bringing a lovely smile to Jessica’s face.
Well, I suppose I have my own duties to attend to.
"Now then, what to do about Eoid?"
"Indeed."
"Eh? E-eh!? Did I do something wrong?"
"You know the answer to that yourself, don't you?"
"You're stiff as a board from nerves."
"...T-that is..."
Well, I suppose it can't be helped.
But at this rate, it’ll be hard for him to show the full results of his training.
This calls for... that.
"Taiki-kun. Plan B."
"Understood. We'll leave him no room to be nervous."
"W-what do you mean by that!?"
" "Exactly what we said." "
Yes, exactly that. We’ll make sure he has no time to be nervous.
The dueling grounds have a space for contestants to warm up.
"Magic is convenient, isn't it? Since both of us can use recovery magic, we can go all out without holding back."
"D-don't tell me..."
"Eoid's match is last. Until then, I'll take the first match, Taiki-kun the second, and whoever is free in between will whip you into shape so you won't have time to be nervous."
"Don't worry. We'll make sure it doesn't interfere with your actual duel. Though, I suspect you'll have worked through your nerves by then."
...It’s what you might call a "better the devil you know" situation.
In this case, I’ll make the training so intense that he’ll think the actual duel is a relief.
"U-um, won't Yuki-san's match end immediately?"
Eoid, who was reluctantly following behind Taiki-kun, muttered that while looking at me, but...
"I told you it was Plan B from the start, didn't I?"
"Eh?"
"Don't worry. I'll drag the match out as long as possible!!"
I told him that with a bright smile.
"W-wait, I'm not nervous!! I'm really not!!"
"Well, well, you need to loosen up your body anyway. Just give up."
Eoid let out a shout, but it was already too late.
*Thud!!*
"Come on, get fired up!!"
"Guh. A-are you serious!?"
"I'm serious."
*Thud-thud-thud!!*
As Eoid and I swapped places, Lara entered the waiting room.
"Yuki-san, the first match is about to begin, so please head to the stage."
"Understood."
"...? Oh, where are Taiki-san and Eoid?"
"They're in the middle of training to warm up."
"I see. That makes sense. Then, please follow me."
With that, I took my four escorts and headed out to the stage.
*ROAR!!*
As I passed through the doors amidst the cheers, I saw that the crowd was on a completely different scale than the dueling incident with Eris last time.
Last time, it was only people related to the academy, so the seats weren't full, but this time, the general public was invited, and it was a full house.
Looking around, there were plenty of people standing, too.
And this duel wasn't just about our fight.
Giant screens were set up at the north, south, east, and west sides of the stage. Flat-screen TVs were installed, and Eris and Ratz were being broadcast on them.
『Yes. This time, these TVs and video cameras are provided by the Huge Ducal House of Roday.』
『Also, we have warned you repeatedly, but we will state it again: the footage being recorded by the video cameras is being broadcast on these four TVs, so please do not interfere with these four cameras or the cameramen. As this is a joint experiment between the Huge Ducal House and the Academy, intentional interference or obstruction will be strictly punished by the Academy.』
As Ratz said that, the cameras placed at the four corners and the wives took turns appearing on screen and waving.
Wait, Seraria is participating as a cameraman too!?
For the record, the other three sides were Deryu, Kirue, and Tori, while the rest were handling camcorders or providing support.
Plus, they were wearing blue jackets and armbands that said "Camera Crew" to make it easy to identify them.
...They’re certainly well-prepared.
『...Yes, yes. Since both participants for the first match have arrived, we will now introduce our guest.』
『Today's guest is, needless to say, the person who made it possible for not just academy staff, but also the townspeople to enjoy this duel: Principal Popuri!』
As Ratz said that, the Principal appeared on the TV, and a thunderous cheer erupted.
I guess the Principal is popular after all.
『H-hello. As introduced, I am Popuri Lancer, Principal of the Lancer Magic Academy.』
Yeah, she’s clearly nervous, too.
『Yes. Thank you for being here today. Now, for my first question: why did you decide to open the duel to the general public like this? I understand this is part of the curriculum?』
『Y-yes. As Eris-san said, this dueling system is part of the students' curriculum, designed to help them understand how to use magic in combat and to help them improve each other. However, I felt that wasn't enough.』
『Not enough?』
『Using magic in combat is limited to defeating an opponent, but the very fact that one can handle the special skill of magic means one can act more appropriately in a crisis than others. It was devised to remove enemies and obstacles—in other words, to protect people. In particular, this Magic Academy exists in the Monster Forest, which is a threat on a completely different level from other countries. Many mercenaries and academy mages go out to hunt, but reports often reach us that there is much discord because they don't know each other. Furthermore, there are not a few people in town who have doubts about the closed nature of the Magic Academy. To remove that discord and those doubts, I decided to open the duels to the public regularly, let the townspeople enjoy them, let the mercenaries get to know us better, and let the students realize what it means to stand at the forefront and protect others.』
The way she spoke so fluently, even while glancing at her notes, really showed her years of experience.
『I see. I think that is a wonderful idea. Now, I will explain the rules of the duel to the audience...』
And so, Eris continued to explain the rules of the duel, such as the restriction to using magic for attacks and the rule that falling off the stage results in disqualification.