"Damn it! What the hell is that guy?! He must be cheating! How can that kind of firepower be rated as C Rank Magic Power? Are the people at the League's Rating Agency all useless?!"
Though the Clown's tone was harsh, he didn't seem upset by the defeat.
On the contrary, while subtle, he almost seemed... pleased?
The black-haired man beside him snorted coldly. "Just make sure you are not late for the Eve Festival."
The Clown waved his hand, looking helpless. "Who could have predicted that the Calamity would be such a monster? It seems Alice's intel wasn't entirely accurate. Of course, its also possible the Calamity was deliberately hiding his true strength."
"I'm not interested," the black-haired man replied with cold arrogance.
The Clown chuckled.
"Only a monster among monsters like you could be so nonchalant, Ouma. In my opinion, the Calamity's strength is on par with the Crimson Princess. You're so focused on her, you might just overlook the real threat."
"You wouldn't understand since you're not A-Rank. The strong have their own standards of judgment."
With that, the black-haired man stood up and left the room.
The Clown was left alone, staring at the closed door.
He muttered to himself, "As expected of Japan's only A-Rank Knight, the Sword Emperor of Wind, Ouma Kurogane. He's so arrogant."
Speaking of which, he just wanted to kill some time, and now he had lost a valuable Relay Station.
Calamity.
He would make sure to settle this score at the Festival.
....
Noah approached Renren and Utsutsu, who had sustained minor injuries from the blast wave.
He also glanced at Utakata, whose clothes weren't even dirty.
Renren, who could reach supersonic speeds, and Utsutsu, with his powerful close-range attacks, were both in rough shape.
Yet Utakata, with his hidden Causality Interference ability, remained unscathed.
"I will heal you."
Noah didn't deactivate Raven Feather.
Instead, he channeled water elements and magic power into the gauntlet's array.
As a gentle blue light enveloped them, Renren and Utsutsu watched in astonishment as their bruises and scrapes healed at a visible rate.
Even the thick dust on their uniforms was washed away by the water elements.
"A-Amazing!"
"This healing skill is even more efficient than an academy medical pod!"
Tohka was also amazed to see Noah using healing magic.
'This guy... he really is versatile.'
As expected.
"Noah-kun, you are not really a Natural Interference System Blazer, are you?" the President asked tentatively.
Noah didn't hide it. "For now, I'm still officially classified as a Natural Interference System by the League, but I think Conceptual Interference Type is more physically accurate."
"If you had enrolled a year earlier, you might have already become the Seven Stars Sword King," Tohka said, sounding somewhat regretful.
Noah countered, "It sounds like you don't think I can win it all this year, Tohka-senpai."
Stella also looked over, sensing a hidden meaning in the President's words.
She had no intention of losing to anyone other than Noah.
If Noah was underestimated, she would feel underestimated herself!
Tohka wanted to explain but didn't know how.
She could only shake her head and say, "I'm not saying I'm confident I can defeat you. It's just that this year's Seven Stars Sword Art Festival has an unprecedented number of powerful contestants, unlike any previous tournament."
She began listing them off on her fingers. "Stella-san, Noah-kun—you two, plus Ikki-kun, Alice, and Kanata. If you add me to the mix, Hagun Academy's lineup alone is already stacked."
Hearing this, Noah's eyes flickered.
That's right.
According to his research on the school network, no A-Rank Knight had ever appeared in previous Seven Stars Sword Art Festivals.
Even B-Rank Knights were rare.
C-Rank Blazers were typically the main contenders for the ultimate title.
But this year...
Setting aside the A-Rank Stella, there were already several B-Rank Blazers.
The weakest main contenders were C-Rank, a level that would have been considered top-tier in previous years.
And that was just Hagun Academy.
From what the President said, the other academies' top contenders seemed to have similarly formidable lineups.
If that was the case, this year's Seven Stars Sword Art Festival would truly be a clash of titans.
"President, have you already gathered intelligence on the other academies' participants?"
"Yes. Since the other academies did not use public open-bracket selection battles, their representatives were decided by the faculty long ago."
In the past, Stella would never have participated in such a cautious conversation.
She had absolute faith in her own A-Rank strength.
But as she encountered more and more powerful opponents, she began to realize that if she continued to be so arrogant, she might suffer an early humiliating defeat and miss her chance at the Seven Stars Sword King title.
As the only known A-Rank participant, if she were to lose, her title as the "Strongest Genius" might be tarnished forever.
It wasn't just the title she cared about, but the homeland it represented.
The Vermillion Empire.
With the honor of her nation on the line, She had to win!
"Tohka-senpai," Stella said, turning to the President. "Would you... spar with me?"
Tohka didn't seem surprised by the sudden request.
In fact, her eyes lit up with excitement, as if this was exactly what she'd been hoping for!
"I would be delighted!"
Grrrrowl...
Noah sighed and patted Stella's head as her stomach roared. "Before that, let's get some food in you."
"Uuu..." Stella's face flushed red, and she didn't dare protest.
...
Back at the Training Camp Center, the group recounted the day's events to Kanata, who had been the only one to stay behind and guard the base.
Tohka then took charge of making the massive pot of curry.
Since all the ingredients had been prepped in advance, it wasn't a difficult task.
Meanwhile, Noah took his student handbook, found an empty spot to sit under a tree, and dialed the Chairwoman's contact number.
After hearing Noah's detailed report, Kurono Shinguuji's brow furrowed.
"A Wire Puller, you say? Tsk... Trouble always seems to find us at the worst possible times. How annoying."
"The Student Council President said she tried to track them with her electromagnetic signals, but they are at least a hundred kilometers away."
"A hundred kilometers?" Kurono's expression turned grim.
Wire Pullers typically operate by transmitting their magic power through relay stations to manipulate inorganic matter, but their range is usually limited.
An average Wire Puller cannot even reach five hundred meters.
Yet, this mastermind could transmit their magic power over a hundred kilometers.
For the former third-ranked Blazer in the world, this ability wasn't entirely unheard of, but it was enough to tell her that their opponent was no ordinary foe.
Even Noah, a layman in this specific field, understood the implications.
Someone capable of such a feat couldn't be limited to merely controlling rock golems.
"I understand the situation," Kurono said. "I will ask a contact to investigate the area. For now, I am just glad you are all safe. I will give you an extra day off classes. Rest up at the Training Camp Center."
'A day off?'
"You've got to be kidding me, Chairwoman! This place is covered in dust."
"Hehe, just clean it up before you stay. Problem solved."
"Huh? Wait, don't tell me you..."
"Ah, someone is at my office door. I'm hanging up now! Remember to clean the Training Camp Center thoroughly before you leave!"
Click.
The call ended.
Noah stared blankly at the student handbook in his hand, a dull ache forming in his head.
'We've been had.'
The "investigation" was just a convenient excuse.
They were brought out here to do the faculty's manual labor!
"Noah! Dinner is ready! Are you done talking to the Chairwoman?!"
"Coming..." Noah sighed and rejoined the group, digging into the surprisingly delicious curry.
As they ate, he relayed what the Chairwoman had said. The four Student Council members reacted as if they had expected it all along.
"Haha, we're used to it," Kanata said, sipping her tea. "The Student Council actually has a surprising amount of odd jobs to do."
Stella stopped after finishing her seventh bowl, feeling about eighty percent full.
She deliberately held back, saving twenty percent of her energy because she had a sparring match with the President coming up and didn't want a full stomach to affect her performance.
"Let's worry about the cleaning later," Utakata said, looking thrilled. "This is the Academy's Strongest versus the Strongest First-Year! You wouldn't even see a matchup like this in an official tournament!"
Judging by his expression, he had faith in the President's strength.
Renren suddenly proposed, "Hey, let's bet on who wins! The loser has to run down to the convenience store at the foot of the mountain and buy popsicles. If they melt on the way back, that person has to clean the Training Camp Center's massive atrium!"
Noah glanced at her, raising an eyebrow.
'This girl... she looks like a hot-blooded sports idiot, but she is pretty cunning.'
'She's already scheming to get out of work.'
Though she was in the center of the yard, Tohka overheard Renren's words and sneered, "I heard that, Renren. No need for a bet. The atrium is all yours!"
"Huh!?!?"
"No, no, no! You can't do that! That is not fair!"
Tohka replied, "This is your punishment for being the ringleader in disrupting the council's discipline today. It's non-negotiable!"
"No way..."
Renren suddenly deflated like a salted fish that had lost all its dreams, her entire body wilting until she looked pale and weak.
"Ahem."
Noah stood at the edge of the training area, looking from side to side.
Stella was on his left, the President on his right.
He was the referee.
"Alright, then. The match will begin the exact moment the water sphere hits the ground. Is that acceptable?"
He glanced left, then right, and saw both of them nod in agreement.
With a casual gesture, he summoned a heavy water sphere and suspended it high in mid-air.
"Then... ready."
Snap!
With a crisp snap of his fingers, the clear water sphere lost its buoyancy and plummeted to the dirt.
"Aid me! Lævateinn!"
"Roar! Narukami!"