One Hundredth Chapter: The Tenbram Begins
A little more than two weeks had passed since Alus and the others had come to the Fable mansion, and it was finally the day of the Tenbram.
A lot of nobles had gathered at the Womruina family’s vast grounds, where they would be watching the outcome of the Tenbram.
Regardless of outcome, the power balance of Alpha’s noble society was going to greatly change, and noble families of all sizes would need to consider their courses for the future.
“What are they doing? Are they really coming?” Tesfia asked with an irritated sigh.
The order list had already been submitted, and anyone not present when the match began would be treated as absent.
And the Fable team was currently missing one of its members.
Even Alus, who did things at his own pace, hadn’t expected this. Not only had they not participated a single time during the training, even now they were cutting it close.
Frose, the head of the Fable family, was also reaching her breaking point as she waited for the final person.
“Are they trying to rile up their allies before the enemy? Like you’d expect from the shrewd elderly, they sure are carefree.”
At that, Selva suddenly spoke out. “Master Frose, it would appear that they have finally arrived.”
Just as he finished speaking, a gust of wind passed and a small figure landed before them—a rather displeased-looking elderly woman.
“Who are you calling a crafty schemer? I’ve brought my elderly bones all the way to the Womruina grounds. You should be thanking me before you complain.”
Selva cracked a rare joke with his usual smile. “My Master didn’t say that much. Perhaps your loss of hearing has gotten worse, Miltria.”
The woman standing in front of him with a cane was Miltria Tristen.
She had once run Aferka together with Selva, making a name for herself in the underworld. After Selva left, she’d remained as the last leader to support the organization. She had also been the one to teach and guide Lilisha, and even now, she remained on in the new Aferka as a consultant. Her abilities were formidable.
Frose wore a wry smile as she turned to face the elderly woman who was also the teacher of her old friend, Sisty. She walked to her and bowed.
“I would like to thank you for coming to Fable’s aid, Lady Tristen.”
Despite her history, Miltria was actually a noble.
Aferka had been the previous ruler’s right hand, and she’d been given her status back then, but she preferred to stay out of the public eye, so only a handful of people in Alpha knew about her.
Sisty had also asked Miltria, so she had completed some troublesome paperwork to temporarily become affiliated with the Fable family.
“Hmph, I was only responding to my disciple’s request,” she said. “It also seems like that kid took care of Lilisha.”
She harshly stared at Alus, but when she talked about Lilisha, she was serene, like a grandmother talking about her granddaughter.
“Good grief. If you do feel any obligation you could at least arrive sooner,” Selva said with a shrug, but his tone of voice wasn’t particularly harsh.
Although they had been like mortal enemies after Selva had broken the blood oath and left Aferka, the life-threatening challenges the two had gone through together left a certain comfort between them. At the very least, their relationship was complicated and delicate.
It was practically off-limits, and it wasn’t anyone’s place to intervene.
“That’s none of your business. Still, to think you were still alive, Greenus. Are you even able to walk on your own feet?” Miltria sarcastically asked.
But Selva remained gentlemanly. “That would be my line. It sure took you a long time to crawl out of your shallow grave.”
“Hmph, I am getting up in the years here. But to think I would receive an invitation to come here. It’s worth living a long life, even if you have one foot in the grave.”
As Miltria finished speaking, she looked around her surroundings and pointed her cane at Cicero Bronche.
“You there, young one, you will do. Come here for a moment.”
“Y-Yes, ma’am!”
Cicero was the father of Minasha, Tesfia’s personal maid, and was around fifty years old. He was a large, middle-aged man, but to the monstrous elderly woman, he was practically a greenhorn.
Cicero hurriedly ran over to her and took her hand to guide her to a nearby chair.
“Thank you, young one. This is a fine side perk.”
“It’s to be expected!” said Cicero.
Selva sighed in dismay at Cicero standing on ceremony.
“Lord Bronche, that old woman is not as decrepit as she might look.”
“Oh my. It’s been decades since we last met, and you are still merciless, heh heh heh.”
“And your suspicious laugh hasn’t changed.”
They were adjusting to Miltria’s pace, but at this rate these two would be catching up on old times until the Tenbram began.
Frose cleared her throat and began speaking. “Lady Tristen, I am truly grateful that you have come. Your aid is worth a million men. You have my deepest appreciation.”
Frose spoke from the heart, but she didn’t actually know how strong Miltria was. Sisty had given her seal of approval, but Selva was being tight-lipped about her, so she hadn’t heard much of anything from him.
“Oh it seems like you have grown up into an impressive head of the Fable family. But that is enough of these stiff formal greetings. We should move on to the main topic.”
Miltria waved her hand, prompting Frose to give her a light explanation before handing the lecturer role over to Alus.
Some time passed, and it was finally moments before the Tenbram began.
“These clothes are pretty stiff,” Alus complained, pinching the sleeve of his clothes, which were made of unnecessarily luxurious materials.
“You can’t help it with the place being what it is. We can’t show up poorly dressed,” Tesfia whispered in response.
The Fable family team had Alus and Tesfia at the forefront, and they were wearing uniforms specifically tailored for this battle. Prepared by Frose, who had military experience, the clothes were almost like formal wartime attire worn by nobles. They were intricately designed to be very functional and protective.
“I can give you that, but aren’t there too many onlookers?” Alus asked in exasperation, looking at the nobles who had gathered.
There weren’t as many people as had been at the Seven Nations Friendship Magical Tournament, but to someone who hated nobility as Alus did, it was an annoying situation.
“That can’t be helped. This is a fateful match for the Fable faction and the Womruina faction,” Tesfia explained, and Loki nodded.
“So it would seem. They can’t help themselves when their future is on the line.” Loki wouldn’t be taking part in the match, but she would stay by Alus’s side until it began.
Alus gave her a heavy sigh. “This isn’t some cheering match. How ridiculous. They come out here in a show of loyalty all to protect themselves.”
“It’s the nobles’ way to start by appearance... Anyways, it looks like the signing ceremony before the match is starting,” said Loki.
Tesfia, the leader of their team, nervously asked, “Al...are you sure you’re okay? You’re not distracted, are you?”
“There’s nothing to worry about. Besides, even if I weren’t, would Womruina really delay the match? You need to steel yourself,” Alus told her.
“Y-You’re right. All right, let’s give it to them!”
“That’s the spirit. Mrs. Frose is calling for you. Get to the signing already.”
The signing ceremony was where the leaders of both teams gathered and reconfirmed the conditions and wagers for the Tenbram. Frankly, it was just a headache, but it was part of the official paperwork, so Alus could only obey.
◇◇◇
“You two sure are talkative. Today is the perfect weather for the Tenbram,” Aile von Womruina smiled calmly and called out to them, noting the pointlessly impressive signing ceremony.
Accompanying Aile for Womruina were Cicila and Orneus as well as a figure nobody on Fable’s side had seen before.
Alus gave the figure a perplexed stare. It was a middle-aged man wearing a white vestment and a cheerful smile.
“I believe you’ve heard about this before, but this time there will be a two-judge system. Lately, the Frusevan family has been leaning more over to your side, so the process would be unfair for us. I trust you have no objection,” Aile said, putting on airs.
Lilisha, as the Frusevan family representative, was meant to be neutral. She smiled wryly at his words, but Aile was telling the truth.
Lilisha had even received a very high-class AWR from the Fable family. It was unclear if Aile’s side knew about that, but if they opposed him too strongly he could talk about the judge being bribed and bought out.
That being the case, they could only accept the conditions.
“Allow me to introduce this man. This is Archbishop Silvette of the Einhimmel sect,” said Aile.
Silvette wore a good-natured smile and followed Aile’s lead. “I am here at the young scion’s request. It is a pleasure to meet you. Please be at ease. In the name of the god I serve, I swear to be a fair and impartial judge.”
Alus had no way of knowing his origin, but Frose’s doubtful expression told him everything he needed to know.
He was a big enough fish, but he shouldn’t be welcomed.
The Einhimmel sect, huh? Haven’t heard much about them in Alpha. At the very least, I haven’t heard about them when doing shady jobs. Even if such an organization starts out clean and innocent, they can easily be corrupted depending on the qualities of the people at the top. There have been plenty of evil sects.
When Fiends had first appeared, humanity had been terrified to their core. As the influence of Fiends further expanded, fear among people began twisting, until heretics appeared who worshiped them as messengers of god, gave them sacrifices, and even tried to get society to accept them.
The majority were designated as dangerous organizations and placed under strict control by the state. But Alus had heard plenty of ugly stories about horrific incidents through his work behind the scenes, so he couldn’t shake off his suspicion.
If the leader was an upright person trying to save people, things were fine, but if they gave up on fighting for their survival and escaped reality by hoping for relief in the form of miracles, they were nothing more than an irresponsible harm spreading misinformation.
I can only hope that he’s not a good-for-nothing. Well, if it comes down to it, Lilisha will just have to put in some effort, Alus thought.
“Now that introductions are over, let us get to signing. I hope this Tenbram will be fun, don’t you...Fia?” Aile asked, and once done he looked over.
On the surface, Tesfia brushed off his stare like it was nothing, but Aile didn’t overlook the bead of sweat that dripped down her forehead.
“Oh...have you changed your mind?” Aile asked as if that were enough for him to see right through her.
It was like he could tell that she had become tougher than before, but she still hadn’t attained complete strength...
He gave her an unsettling feeling, like something inhuman was observing her. Tesfia desperately stopped her trembling legs and squeezed out her answer.
“What does it matter?!”
“That’s more like it. We’re about to fight it out, so we can’t be defeated in mind before the match begins. Still, you seem quite motivated, as elated as a child. I feel bad for Alus, you must be causing him a lot of trouble,” Aile said, implying he knew quite a bit.
He might have known that Alus was giving Tesfia all sorts of advice, but surely there was no way of knowing that he’d increased her mana...
“It’s been an interesting experience for me too. I can only hope the match won’t be a letdown,” said Alus.
“Ha ha ha, I’d expect nothing less,” Aile responded. “Perhaps we could have more fun if there was nothing on the table.”
“Don’t you mean that you’re really feeling the pressure now?” Alus replied as if having seen through everything regarding his family.
Aile looked surprised for a moment before putting back on his usual smile. “You can say that again. But for better or for worse, we’re able to hold this Tenbram.”
“It would be a complete embarrassment if you couldn’t after all that talk.”
Cicila glared at Alus after his repeated rude remarks. Aile glanced slightly over his shoulder to get her to back off and smiled softly again.
“That is some good provocation from someone who is not even a noble. I don’t hate that kind of incitement. But let’s save the passion for the match,” Aile joked and shrugged.
Seeing that the explosive situation had been defused Lilisha stepped in.
“Let’s leave it at that... Can both sides reconfirm the conditions and apply your seals to the document?”
Lilisha was wearing a judge’s uniform. She put the document down on a small desk. The document was on expensive parchment and detailed what the winner of the Tenbram was entitled to.
Lilisha read its contents out loud.
Tesfia’s side wanted to officially annul the engagement to Aile.
Aile’s side wanted to confirm the marriage to Tesfia Fable as well as the guarantee of Alus’s freedom.
That meant that the military would lose any ability to command him. On the surface, that was something Alus would love, but there was naturally a hidden side to that condition—an unspoken agreement that once Alus was free, he would be forced to “voluntarily” affiliate himself with the Womruina family.
Of course, Aile didn’t expect that much from Alus.
But just getting Alus to leave the military would mean depriving the Governor-General of his ace card.
It wasn’t just Womruina either. Morwald, the leader of the old noble faction, was also supporting them in this prime chance to kick out Berwick, their political enemy.
Once Lilisha had read out the conditions, she looked at the two parties for the final confirmation.
Suddenly, Alus raised his hand and spoke.
“I almost forgot. Our side only having one condition while they have two is unbalanced. So I’d like to add another condition.”
As Aile stared at Alus with suspicion, Alus spoke with a smile. “If we win, I want you to never interfere with me again. Having you wandering about within my line of sight is an eyesore. Make sure to write that into the document and swear on it.”
Alus was going out of his way to remind Aile what they’d talked about at the Institute.
Aile looked exasperated for a moment, but shortly after, he looked like he was enjoying himself as he nodded at Lilisha.
Lilisha looked a little stunned but ultimately relented and wrote in the condition by hand.
After that, Tesfia and Aile pricked their fingers with a golden needle formally used for signings and stamped the document with a blood seal.
After confirming the seals, Lilisha held the document aloft and loudly declared, “With this, Lilisha Ron de Rimfudge Frusevan and Archbishop Silvette of the Einhimmel sect confirm the oath of the Tenbram under the agreement of both the Fable and Womruina families.”
Then both teams went through checking their bracelet devices for the competition as well as their Orb.
The grounds where the Tenbram would be held were slightly low. At the site itself dense trees separated the inside and outside, making the view from the outside somewhat obstructed. There was also a series of staircase-like spectator seats. Since the site was part of the Womruina family’s grounds, there were quite a few servants standing by.
Alus had figured that if the enemy was going to do anything, they would tamper with the equipment, but surprisingly Aile’s side wasn’t doing anything of the sort.
Lilisha is sensitive to any tricks relying on mana. Well, I doubt they would rely on any shallow tricks that would be found out right away, Alus thought as he looked at Tesfia, who looked more nervous than the others.
Finally, both teams took their places in their respective areas, and the match started.
The Tenbram’s Orb Struggle was a strategic battle of twenty-one versus twenty-one, when the commanders were included.
The most important task in the beginning was ascertaining the enemy’s strength and the location of their Orb. To do so, the commander and members would search the field and map the information to the virtual screen that each person possessed.
Once a mark was dropped on the map, the enemy or Orb would be visible as long as it didn’t leave each member’s search range.
Tesfia’s team set out as instructed, spreading out in an orderly formation to more effectively search.
Meanwhile, Tesfia ordered a summoning spell be cast on the Orb as they had decided earlier.
Having trained their initial actions repeatedly, their combination was swift.
Cicero was the first to cast a summoning spell.
The stock default summons of the Guardian could be performed by anyone, but its performance would somewhat change depending on the skill of the summoner. Naturally summoning something of a different attribute would cause its power to drop considerably.
The light of mana burst forth from Cicero’s hands, causing a spark of flame to erupt from the Orb, transforming it into a small firebird. This was one of the default summons available, a bird-form Guardian carrying the Orb inside of it.
Less mana was being expended than during the training, so it would last longer as well.
“Lord Bronche, be careful not to expend too much mana,” said Tesfia.
“Understood, young lady.”
If the Guardian and summoner were too far away, the spell would automatically be dispelled, so Cicero needed to stay by the Orb at all times, but if he was constantly on the defensive, that meant one less person searching.
In that regard, using a bird as a more mobile form, he would have an easier time to evade ambushes because he could constantly move around.
In the beginning the team would be more focused on offense... It wasn’t just Cicero. Even the commander, Tesfia, would be joining the search to some degree.
Five minutes after the match began, their allies on the front detected a few enemies, and the virtual screen of the bracelet device was reacting. It was a stroke of fortune because they could guess from the positions of the enemy what their formation was and launch the first strike.
“But we still haven’t confirmed the location of the Orb!” said Cicero.
Because of the rule, capturing the enemy’s Orb was the top priority, discovering its location at the start of the match was the standard strategy.
If the Orb or enemy Guardian is still out of detection range, they must still be quite far away, thought Tesfia.
For the time being, both sides would be closing in on each other.
After some searching, both sides would naturally split up into an attack team and a defense team. The attack and defense over each other’s Guardian would be key to the development of the match.
“Young lady, we received the signal!” Cicero pointed to the sky, where sparks were flying in the air.
“That’s Fire Arrow, which means...!”
The location of the Orb was still unknown, but an enemy had been discovered.
The key forces on Aile’s side were Cicila and Orneus, and the Fire Arrow was the sign that one of them had been discovered.
Tesfia hurriedly input the information into the virtual screen, and a red light symbolizing a key figure on the enemy side appeared on the map. It was still unclear if it was Orneus or Cicila, but having discovered just one of them was good fortune.
“Lord Bronche, it’s begun! From here on this will be a battle against time.”
Cicero and Tesfia spoke through the Consensor, and she was heading closer towards the front while paying heed to the defense of Cicero and the Guardian.
◇◇◇
Meanwhile, elsewhere:
Alus was acting separately from the team members who were searching, circling around the outskirts of the field, advancing on his own into the right wing of the enemy.
The Orb Struggle focused on fighting for Orbs rather than wiping out the enemy. Because of that, there was a restriction on the spells that could be used, and the device on their wrist would adjust the output of the spells.
Furthermore, the HP-system that substituted any damage in the name of safety functioned as a way to gap the bridge in ability between Alus and the enemy.
Even if their abilities were leaps and bounds apart, the damage they could deal to one another would be the same.
Meaning that even Alus could find himself at a disadvantage if he charged in alone and found himself surrounded by several enemies.
“There’s a signal already. Things are going well.”
Alus moved as swiftly as the wind, looking at the Fire Arrow in the sky out of the corner of his eye, and changed the direction he was traveling in.
At the same time he could hear Tesfia’s voice from the Consensor in his ear calling out to him.
“We found one! Head over there!” came a short message over the Consensor.
Since it was a one-way call Alus headed into the forest without replying.
Alus had seen a signal using Fire Arrow with his own eyes, so he knew that Cicila or Orneus would be at his destination.
A few seconds later he encountered the enemy.
“How kind of you to be waiting for me.”
As Alus came out of the trees, he was greeted by a lone man wearing a tailcoat. Orneus had possibly deliberately shown himself to have a fight with Alus. He took a few soundless steps forward and lightly bowed.
“Yes, everything has proceeded as I expected. But I didn’t think we would get a chance to exchange spells so soon,” Orneus said with a fearless smile.
“I would have preferred if you were with the girl and your commander. Destroying you one at a time will be a pain,” responded Alus.
“Oh my. I thought you would be aware that it is strategically ineffective to take out members. So to think that you would still use brute force.”
“It would take some effort, but it’s not impossible.”
“Knowing who you are, I somewhat expected you would use such a high-handed method,” said Orneus. “That said, my lord isn’t foolish enough to push his strongest pieces against you just to have them crushed. Moreover, with the restrictions of this match, even I will be a match for you.”
Orneus leisurely removed his white gloves and neatly folded them before putting them in his pocket.
“So it would seem,” said Alus. “Unfortunately, having one more of you might make for a decent handicap.”
Orneus smiled broadly at Alus as if he’d heard a funny joke and rolled his hands as if to warm up.
“Let’s begin,” he said and took a fighting stance Alus had never seen before.
However, Alus had a feeling it was an old martial arts style meant for fighting people.
An all-out magic battle was one thing, but in the rules of the Tenbram and in a one-on-one fight, it would likely be useful.
As if responding to the smooth movements of his upper body, Orneus’s mana smoothly covered his hands.
Alus’s expression turned serious as he felt the wildness of his enemy’s mana and the sharpness in his glare.
They were the opposite of his smooth behavior and gave off the impression of darkness and viciousness.
This guy has definitely killed quite a number of people, thought Alus.
Faced with that strange bloodlust, Alus unsheathed the AWR at his waist and ran mana through it.
In that same moment, mana light burst forth from up in the trees behind Alus. Several spells seemed to have been cast by Tesfia’s team, and explosive sounds rang out. They seemed quite powerful, considering the restrictions of the match.
However, despite sensing that, Alus didn’t move, focusing his attention on his opponent.
Orneus on the other hand interpreted the irregularity as a signal to begin their match and kicked lightly off the ground.
It was a step so seemingly natural that it escaped Alus’s caution. He accelerated quickly with his next step and closed in faster than Alus had expected.
He’s still not drawing at this distance. In that case...!
It was possible that Orneus was a martial artist who didn’t have an AWR, and thus Alus, with Night Mist, his short sword AWR, should have had the advantage. But that was only against the usual opponent.
And who knew how it would play out when their spells were restricted like this?
Alus had momentary misgivings, but his opponent’s speed was faster than any cunning thoughts. His body moved purely on instinct, and he reflexively thrust Night Mist towards Orneus’s fist.
Surprisingly, Orneus didn’t flinch; he simply moved his hand. It only slightly touched the side of Night Mist, but the sword was pushed aside like it had been shot by a bullet.
What is this?! thought Alus.
Even if it was some form of mana-control technique, Alus had been on guard for it.
Yet Orneus had easily repelled Night Mist.
It’s not a spell or some sort of mana control?!
Alus didn’t even have time to be lost in thought as his opponent made his next move. He skillfully wrapped his arm around Alus’s, lifting the elbow up to constrict it. In one quick but flowing movement, he then thrust his palm against the fixed elbow.
Hmph, so he follows up with attacking a weak point.
Seeing the enemy go for his elbow, Alus followed the flow of his opponent’s power and instantly moved his body to avoid a fatal blow.
While being lifted into the air, he pulled Night Mist back and slashed against the hand holding his arm.
Orneus let go, as Alus had intended, and deflected Night Mist with the back of his hand just in the nick of time. The unexpected force of the impact knocked Alus’s arm backward.
Seeing his opening, Orneus thrust out two fingers like claws towards Alus’s throat.
The accuracy and speed of Orneus’s attack made it clear he was used to fighting. Moreover...
The shape of those fingers... Is he not covering them in mana so that he can thrust them through the barrier field?!
Orneus had found a loophole in the rules of the Tenbram. In the brief realization, Alus imagined his windpipe being completely crushed.
Breathing was important to keep your body moving and focus your mana, but he could see the future of it being crushed by his opponent’s piercing claw.
The artificial HP that participants had acted as a barrier made from state-of-the-art technology. They reacted to magical attacks as well as impacts and blows with mana, but when the complex fields around participants overlapped and blurred, their ability to detect attacks were weakened.
Because of that, any sort of extended grapples were typically forbidden, but all of Orneus’s attacks were instant. If he said that it had happened while they were tangled up, there would be no proof of the opposite.
If Alus had been a student who only fought according to the standard theories, he wouldn’t have seen through Orneus’s dark intentions.
Alus controlled Night Mist’s chain in the air to block Orneus’s clawlike attack. A simple physical attack would never be able to break the chain strengthened through overwhelming mana control.
However...just like water changed shape to follow a river, Orneus’s offensive changed as well.
The chain, which was supposed to catch the two fingers, didn’t even flex and the force of the impact was all transferred to Alus. The explosive impact seemingly ignored the chain’s defense, and before he knew it, Orneus’s hand had changed from a two-finger claw attack to a palm strike. It struck Alus.
Having been blown back, Alus used a branch of a tree behind him to fix his posture midair. In the next moment, Orneus, who’d been pursuing him to follow up on his attack, seemed to sense something and jumped backward.
As distance opened up between them, Orneus took a deep breath.
He patted his bangs, where he was missing a few strands of hair as a result of the sharp kick that had passed in front of his face.
When he closed in, he’d been prepared for a counterattack if he could destroy Alus’s windpipe. Since Alus had seen through his intentions in an instant, the No. 1 Magicmaster had changed to a frontal attack instead. Moreover, the kick had been faster than Orneus expected and too sharp for him to allow it to hit his head or neck.
Artificial HP or not, taking a critical hit would deal considerable damage and influence the future of the battle. The emergency evasive maneuver had temporarily stopped Orneus’s offense.
“I guess it won’t be that easy. Unfortunately, not even the barrier compensates for self-inflicted joint dislocations,” Orneus said, looking at Alus’s arm hanging from his shoulder.
Alus had forcibly twisted his body to kick at Orneus, but the chain had tangled around his arm and tightened. Alus had forcibly pulled his arm free, but as a result, his shoulder was dislocated.
One of the arms of his clothes had been ripped off, revealing a black-and-blue scar, the traces of where his chain had been around his arm.
“I imagine it was an unexpected price to pay for the counterattack. Your HP might not have been affected, but it must be very painful.”
Orneus let out a low laugh as if everything were going to plan and took a fighting stance once more.
Meanwhile, Alus used his free hand to pop his shoulder back in place and tried clenching his fist. After confirming that the joint was back in, he raised his hands to a fighting stance.
Tsk, what a dirty way to fight, thought Alus. He doesn’t care that it’s just barely not illegal. If he hits, he’ll call it an unfortunate accident. And it looks like he changes his movements up to make it look like a “legitimate” attack. His offense is very calculated.
The attempts to crush his elbow and throat were nefarious, but the explosive palm strike using mana was not. Since it used mana, it was considered an effective hit and reduced Alus’s artificial HP.
A glance at the device told Alus he had 76 percent left.
I thought he was only using quick strikes, but he has some big blows too... The damage is more than I expected.
Alus’s own attacks were being repelled by Orneus’s strange moves. It was similar to Alice’s Reflection, but that wasn’t all.
The level of the spell might be within the restrictions of the match, but its nature was nothing but normal.
There’s something strange about his defensive technique. And considering his experience, I’m somewhat at a disadvantage in close combat.
Alus remembered the magic that had appeared in the air at the start of the fight against Orneus. It was probably from his team, but at that scale, there might be something unusual happening.
Based on the light and the attribute, it was probably a lone Magicmaster and someone who uses the wind attribute. When it comes to who could be that absurd...
Tesfia and Theresia used ice, and it was too much of a feat for the known members. That left only one candidate, the old woman Miltria.
Considering the power he’d seen, her opponent was likely the other target to watch out for, Cicila. Although Alus hadn’t seen a signal for it.
Still, that was a ridiculous amount.
Alus could barely perceive them without relying on his eyes, but the sheer volume of arrows of wind had been overwhelming and the control of their movements had been tremendous.
They were spread in different directions and had tracked their target. She had practically free-flowing control.
If Cicila could dodge all of those, she was very impressive too, but there was no doubt about Miltria’s ability. She was a reassuring member for the Tenbram.
After taking all of that into consideration, Alus made his decision and muttered.
“Then I’ll do this.”
Wind enveloped him as he took off in a certain direction.
Orneus called out to him, “Oh are you running now? You won’t be able to shake me no matter what you’re after.”
Tsk, I know that. Alus kept his cursing inside his mind and he focused on sprinting.
While evading the magic flying wildly behind him from Orneus, Alus listened to the Consensor in his ear, but all he could hear was the sound of battle. He didn’t hear Tesfia.
It seems like they’re in a free-for-all as well, Alus thought to himself while noting Orneus’s bloodlust closing in from behind.
◇◇◇
“Now then, how will Fia move...?”
Shortly before Alus and Orneus faced off, Aile had taken up position in a previously-decided-on area with the Orb and several subordinates in tow. He was now sitting on a protruding rock and looking at the virtual screen in front of him with an innocent smile like a child enjoying a game.
Surprisingly, they had quickly withdrawn the Guardian after moving the Orb, and it was now completely defenseless.
Ha ha, conserving mana is key for our ace card. If we blast off from the start, the summoner won’t last.
As Aile smiled, red dots symbolizing enemies appeared on the map one after another. Through their position, he could anticipate their formation and guess the remaining enemies’ positions to make assumptions about their strategy.
Moreover, seeing how Orneus had stopped, it was very likely that he was facing Alus, the strongest pawn the enemy had. There was no way there could be anyone other than Alus who could make Orneus concentrate that much.
It was a first for Orneus to make a request like the one he had. As a natural-born slaughterer who wanted nothing but blood and strength, this was likely his only chance to fight a Single like Alus.
However, Aile was composed and levelheaded. Restrictions or not, Alus was ranked first. He was literally the strongest. He probably had tricks up his sleeves, and Aile didn’t believe in Orneus’s certain victory.
Orneus probably won’t like it, but this is a Tenbram. In a battle of information, the more pawns you can move the better.
From Aile’s point of view, as long as he could stall Alus, that was enough. After all, he also had Cicila on his team.
Once Orneus is motivated, he can be very persistent. In the meantime, we will buy some time... thought Aile. Ha ha, you messed up your strategy, Fia. You shouldn’t have sent your strongest force against Orneus. You should have made some strategy to keep him from sinking his teeth into Alus. I would have made full use of Alus’s mobility to search and strike the moment he discovered the Guardian. That would be the only way to break the trump card that I have prepared.
Aile wasn’t wrong. The Orb Struggle was not just a battle of strength; the key was to search for the location of the enemy’s Orb.
Look, my scout has found your soldiers. But what about you, Fia? Aren’t you panicking because you haven’t even found a clue to the location of our Orb? Aile thought to himself and smiled.
They were in a large depression, concealed from sight. Not summoning their Guardian had been a daring tactic to hide their presence as well as save mana.
“Still, it looks like Orneus is planning on going all out. From the sound of it, he didn’t want any help...and if I try to help it could end up biting me. Hmm, trying to keep him under my thumb here would be a bad move.”
Aile already knew the limits of his own strength when it came to magic, which was why he wasn’t stepping out himself.
Still, that’s not a good location. If they go all out there, it could get in the way of my plans.
Orneus was giving chase to Alus to the east side of the area filled with trees. Aile would rather not have the attention of the match gathered in a place filled with obstructions. But he couldn’t expect that kind of consideration from Orneus, who was a combat junkie.
“Still, Fia,” Aile muttered, “now that Alus has his hands full dealing with a hunting hound, there’s a limit to the strategies you can pull off. Meanwhile, I have Cicila on my side, so it’s only a matter of time until your Orb is found... At least try to endure for as long as you can. It would be boring if this was too one-sided.”
Shortly after that, he saw the light of mana in the air, the sign that the battle between Alus and Orneus had begun.
“Huh? What is that?” Aile asked a man that looked to be his adjutant.
The man, who looked to be around his thirties, answered in surprise, “My lord, I believe that is multiple novice-level spells being used simultaneously.”
“No, that’s more than you could call multiple. Did they bring an entire army division of Magicmasters with them?”
“Based on the attribute and mana light, it’s probably done by a single person... Regardless, since each spell is a novice-level spell, it’s within the rules.”
“That’s close to where Cicila is. If that’s not Alus, who Orneus has his hands full with, who is it?” Aile asked nobody in particular.
The man next to him opened his mouth.
“I would surmise that it’s Miltria Tristen. I have heard that she researches how to manifest multiple spells at the same time.”
“Ah right, but to think it’s to that degree... What an energetic old woman. Still, I never imagined that she would lend her strength in a Tenbram.”
It was probably thanks in some way to Alus for resolving the problem with Selva Greenus leaving Aferka to join the Fable family. Through his intervention, the problem between Aferka and Fable had been resolved in a matter that didn’t please Aile.
But that wasn’t all... That vixen Cicelnia, had unraveled the series of interconnected schemes. She’d skillfully used Alus and even the plot on her own life to take control of Aferka.
Miltria’s participation was an unexpected by-product of that.
Still, not even Aile could imagine that the history between Aferka and Selva could be resolved so cleanly.
“Should I be welcoming these sorts of unknown variables? Or should I perhaps lament my misfortune? Oh well, at least it’s getting a little more fun.”
Aile sighed to himself while the adjutant and several other subordinates cleverly kept their mouths shut.
Aile’s forces continued locating the members of the Fable team.
“It’s about time... Look, we finally found our main target.”
Seeing the mana light shooting up from an ally, Aile smiled in satisfaction. He’d estimated where the enemy’s Orb was based on their formation and had gotten it right on the first guess.
Moreover, their commander, Tesfia, was right next to it.
“I see... A wide line to expand your search radius. Fia is right there to not just keep the Guardian and summoner isolated, but also to inspire her allies...or rather, it’s to make up for her lack of forces. It’s a very proactive strategy. Now things are getting fun,” Aile said with an innocent smile.
“However,” he continued, his smile growing wider, “the more teased a motivated opponent has been, the easier they will fall for a trap. If a delectable feast appears in front of the hounds that have been kept waiting, they will gather while drooling.”
Everything would be determined when Tesfia and her team’s bold offensive didn’t go as planned.
“Still...”
Cicila’s movements on the virtual screen looked poor. She was likely up against Miltria Tristen, and she appeared to be struggling.
Well, with that number even Cicila would struggle. But it should be fine.
At the moment, Orneus was chasing Alus, continuing his attack. So Cicila being slowed down shouldn’t affect things too much. It could even be interpreted as Cicila stalling Miltria, who had launched an unexpected ambush.
Aile trusted Cicila a lot. She could be overly serious at times, but her loyalty was undoubtable. If she understood Aile’s true intentions, she wouldn’t screw up by dropping out right away.
“Now then, we’ve got an eye on their location, so it’s about time I do some work too.”
Aile stood up and lightly stretched before looking at his adjutant.
“Sure, Miltria Tristen was unexpected, but I’m sure Cicila will handle it. More importantly, now that Alus has his hands tied with Orneus, it’s our chance. In a while we’ll be using that.”
The adjutant and other subordinates nodded. “Yes, sir, you can leave that to us. That is why we’ve conserved our mana.”
“Ha ha, I can’t wait to see the surprise on Fia’s face. Still, we never know what could happen. I’ll be making some preparations of my own just in case,” Aile said to his subordinates with a confident smile.
◇◇◇
Meanwhile, in the bleachers for Tesfia’s side, Frose and Selva were nervously watching the match.
Loki was equally on edge, but she was keeping a vigilant guard of their surroundings just in case, as instructed by Alus.
There was no sign of anyone suspicious blending in just yet, but the place being what it was, she couldn’t use detection magic, so she was ready to move if she needed to.
Frose and Selva spoke in hushed tones in front of a large screen displaying a map of the whole field. The specially made monitor used the same confidential information retention system as military command did. As such, no information would leak to either team during the match.
“The front lines have moved up a lot because of Fia’s aggressive strategy,” said Frose.
“However, the young lady’s team hasn’t discovered their Orb yet,” answered Selva.
“But the Womruina team probably has... This might be bad.”
“Their side were the ones that supplied a map of the area beforehand. The disadvantage didn’t appear that big, but they might have a sizable advantage.”
“But their devices were checked ahead of time, so there shouldn’t be any blatant cheating. Although the Orb’s position might have a geographical advantage that’s not visible on a map.”
“That’s true,” said Selva. “While it may be inappropriate to say, I was somewhat worried about the composition of members. Although in overall strength, there shouldn’t be a large disadvantage.”
“Indeed, it’s not balanced overall. Having Miltria join was a big help, but it’s a top-heavy team.”
Aside from Miltria, Alus was the team’s ace who stood out by far. Compared to him, Tesfia, Theresia, and Roderich appeared lacking.
When contrasted with Womruina’s team, which had Cicila and Orneus leading the flanks with an overall superior average strength of their forces, the balance was a little disheartening.
Alus had enclosed several summoning formulas for the Guardian in order to protect the Orb, but they had been adapted to the average capabilities of the members, with no outstanding abilities.
Moreover, although Alus was rank 1, Orneus was being surprisingly persistent. The rules and restrictions made it impossible for Alus to dominate the Orb Struggle on his own.
“How long will Fia’s formation hold, I wonder. And will Lady Tristen aid her?”
Selva stroked his chin and feigned ignorance. “Perhaps the latest rules of Tenbram are a little too difficult for that senile old woman.”
“That may be, but that barrage of long-distance magic was impressive,” said Frose. “Despite her opponent being rather impressive, she’s perfectly controlling the distance, nor is she out of breath. It is truly a stroke of luck that she is participating.”
Miltria had a complicated relationship with Selva, and it was a strange connection that brought Miltria her to the Tenbram.
Lilisha was like a granddaughter to the old woman, and the girl had been saved by Alus, who attended the Institute where Sisty was the principal. And she was Miltria’s former student as well as Frose’s old comrade in arms.
Frose sighed as she thought about how a lot of people were helping them with this Tenbram. It was all the more reason they couldn’t lose.
Frose faced the direction of her daughter and closed her eyes to pray.
Do your best, Fia!
As she opened her eyes again...
“There’s movement!” Selva muttered, one eye opened wide.
Frose sensed the same thing and instinctively stood up and narrowed her eyes as she looked at the monitor that showed the movement of mana.
“It looks like they finally discovered the enemy’s Orb! But what is that...?!”
With the location of both Orbs discovered, the match shifted from a battle of information to a struggle for said Orbs.
Tesfia’s team had rotated between summoners, and was now back to being Cicero’s turn, who summoned a fire tortoise.
As for Aile...
“What, Jurai?! How...”
Loki had been keeping calm, but it looked like her patience was gone as she ran up to Frose and asked her while staring at the screen, “Do you know it Lady Frose?!”
“Yes, that is a lightning-attribute summoning spell. No, I suppose it would be called a Guardian now. But its size is anything but normal.”
“What do you...?”
Selva followed up to answer Loki’s question. “As she said, its size is far too different from normal. Guardians have a difference in the amount of mana they require, but there are strict limitations on the total mana. Yet that Jurai’s humongous size is abnormal.”
“It’s too big... What’s going on with the regulations if they can summon something like that?”
As Frose spoke, a giant lightning tree grew on Aile’s side. Its branches started to form, and sparks of mana shot out as the branches spread out. Before long a huge tree had taken roots and spread out like an umbrella of lightning covering the field.
“It’s less of a Guardian and more of a fortress! Most attackers won’t even be able to get close,” said Frose.
“Even a long range attack could be canceled,” Selva explained. “And did you notice? Using the wide effective range, their commander and summoner have gone under the Jurai’s umbrella.”
“What?! But then...!” shouted Loki.
“Then it would be impossible to take down the summoner or the commander to send their command into chaos! In that case, isn’t it impossible to get at their Orb...?” Loki asked.
And while Selva appeared collected, he furrowed his brow. “They’ve outwitted us. If the Jurai’s protection is perfect, then it will be impossible to target the commander or summoner, and they won’t need any guards. Which means that they can devote many more forces to their attack.”
Like Selva said, the Jurai looked sturdy and showed no weaknesses to exploit. Meanwhile, enemy attackers were closing in on Tesfia’s team’s fire tortoise, and the defenders were at a disadvantage.
After all, Aile’s team didn’t need to devote anyone to defense.
Meanwhile, Tesfia’s side wouldn’t be able to strike at the enemy’s Orb or commander until the Jurai ran out of mana. In addition, it would be difficult to forcefully defeat the summoner or pull them away from the Orb.
“Fia...!” Frose muttered with a pale expression.
“Hey, what are you losing your head over? A child is naturally a parent’s treasure, but they are only able to shine because of your trust. She’s your daughter, have some faith in her,” a man suddenly roared.
His deep, dignified voice resounded and overpowered the restless atmosphere. Frose looked surprised, but soon sat down on a nearby chair. She then gave an irritated look to the large man resting his chin in his hand on the table where the monitor stood.
“Oh, how unexpected. I didn’t think you would come, Vizaist.”
Vizaist had suffered a serious injury to his stomach after a battle against Noir recently and was supposed to still be hospitalized, yet there he was. That should have been impossible if the rumors of the severity of the injury were true, but the giant had extraordinary stamina and resilience.
He was holding what looked like crutches, so Frose figured that he must have snuck out of the hospital.
Vizaist responded with a snort as if it were a matter of course. “That’s quite a welcome. I heard you were so worried about your daughter that you even got your future son-in-law involved, and I couldn’t even rest easily in my hospital bed.”
While the word “son” bothered her, Frose looked back at the monitor as if ignoring him.
“If you’re here to get in the way, then you can rest there. Once it’s over, Selva will wake you up.”
However, contrary to Frose’s antagonistic remark, Selva had skillfully prepared a large seat for Vizaist, who waltzed over and boldly sat down. Loki gave him a quick bow.
He lightly raised his hand to her and then entrusted his crutches to Selva.
Frose wouldn’t so much as look at him as she exasperatedly spoke.
“I thought you would mellow out with age, but you are still an unruly child.”
“Those at the time can be a little reckless on the front. But this time I screwed up a little.”
“Is that so?”
Vizaist and Frose were both heads of two great noble families, but their relationship wasn’t entirely positive.
During Frose’s military service, she’d had overall command, while Vizaist had been doing as he pleased at the front lines, leaving her at a loss. Even so, they got along well enough to have an inseparable bond of sorts.
“So what business do you have?”
“You’re as cold as always.”
They sounded somewhat exasperated, but their back and forth was a bit nostalgic. Vizaist had a broad smile as he gulped down the cup of tea that Selva had given him.
“Despite how something looks, you might come across someone out on urgent business,” hinted Vizaist. “A certain stupid major general leader of the old noble faction is on the verge of going ballistic. If he’s going to make his move, it will be here, after the match is over.”
“So it’s in preparation for a flashy ‘war’? The military spirit is alive and well I see.”
Frose glanced at Vizaist, who raised his hands.
“I’m off duty today. In my state, I can’t properly move, but I’ll be present if something does happen.”
So Vizaist said, but seeing how he was acting like normal even after giving away his crutches, he would probably be fine even if his wounds opened to some degree.
“I am not particularly knowledgeable on Tenbram. What kind of trick did you use?”
“What are you talking about?”
“With Alus. He hates nobility and any trouble, so how did you get him to shoulder this situation? Don’t tell me you...” Vizaist asked with anxiety unbecoming of his face.
“Yes, I’ll have him get engaged to Fia,” Frose answered calmly, causing Vizaist’s eyes to shoot open.
He shouted, “What! I won’t let you get a head start! N-No, I mean... Ahem.”
Vizaist started but stopped himself as he glanced over to the silver-haired girl sitting diagonally across him, having taken her feelings into consideration.
That was when Selva interrupted.
“Lady Frose is only jesting. This was a suggestion from Womruina, and Sir Alus’s participation happened due to the flow of events.”
Vizaist let out a deep sigh of relief.
Seeing that Frose spoke in cynicism. “Unfortunately it is just as Selva says. Well, I wouldn’t have any problems with it, if it were to happen. That said, Fia is terrible at seduction, and it seems like she has a lot of rivals. Regardless, that’s a matter for after the Tenbram has been won.”
“That’s true,” said Vizaist. “The situation looks somewhat bad, but I’m sure that Alus will do something. That’s the kind of guy he is. Besides, even old lady Miltria was dragged out just in case things got out of hand.”
Frose snorted. He must not have known what was on the line in this match.
“Still, Womruina’s son really did end up like this.”
Frose didn’t respond.
“He’s surpassed his father, in a bad sense of the word. His older brother was a fool but he still had a cute side to him. Moroteon messed up his education policy when it came to the smarter younger brother,” Vizaist said like it had nothing to do with him, but he had quite the sharp insight.
Having looked over a freethinker like Alus for so long, he could see through Aile’s true nature from a glance. It was also in part due to his interactions with the Womruina as a result of being from one of the three great noble families.
In the past, Aile had been arrogant and very ambitious, and he had the air of a cunning old king. He was particularly skilled at maneuvering. He used his cards in the form of influence to get the best results, and if he saw any opening, he would manipulate the hearts and minds of people.
The atmosphere around the young Aile had struck Vizaist as bizarre.
Since their family was former royalty, the people around them abased themselves. And while it looked like he was being elevated through flattery, that wasn’t the case.
He had a hard time believing that a child could be so intelligent. Vizaist still remembered the bad feeling he had gotten back in those days.
That said... Vizaist glanced over to the seats for Womruina’s side and tightened his expression.
What he’d said to Frose wasn’t an exaggeration. Depending on the outcome of the Tenbram, the Womruina family’s authority could be greatly undermined. If their supporters sensed that they’d weakened, Morwald might come to his own conclusions and make some kind of move.
He hasn’t shown up as a spectator, but who knows what he is plotting. Then there’s that woman who cornered me at that mansion. She is probably a bodyguard or something that he hired, but just who was she.
Vizaist had infiltrated a mansion to get a lead on Morwald when he’d encountered the girl.
He recalled her cold expression and his expression turned bitter as the injury on his stomach stung.
◇◇◇
“Archbishop Silvette! As judges, surely this is not something we can overlook! The Womruina team’s Jurai might exceed regulations!” Lilisha shouted out from the judge’s seat, which was on high ground.
In contrast, Silvette calmly tilted his head.
“If you say so, I will support it, but what doubts do you have? The Orbs and devices were checked before the match, and there hadn’t been any problems.”
“Th-That’s true! The amount of mana in the Orb had been within regulations...”
The Orbs for both teams had been limited to a set total mana—the combined amount of mana necessary to summon the Guardians within.
If a skilled Magicmaster was to fill the Orb with powerful Guardians without limit, the Orb Struggle would be unviable.
But there was a concern that the Jurai summoned was too powerful.
Lilisha furrowed her brows to think, while Silvette calmly spoke to her.
“The rules I read mention nothing about the numbers of Guardians loaded into the Orb. So isn’t that what this means?”
Lilisha’s eyes opened wide with the realization.
“Do you mean that the Womruina team has extremely few Guards...? And all of the mana is being put into that giant Jurai?!”
“Indeed. From what I can tell they must have spent eighty to ninety percent of their total mana on it. They probably used multiple summoners with an affinity for lightning.”
“You mean it’s not against the regulation, then.”
It was only natural that Lilisha would be aghast. The Orb Struggle was a team battle with a lot of players, and the size of the field meant that situations could rapidly change. Since anyone might need to summon a Guardian, it was standard practice to have a variety of summons prepared.
Lilisha was spacing out when Silvette continued with a calm smile, “It might certainly deviate from typical strategies. But those with innovative ideas and plans will have an advantage in battle. As judges we must accept new strategies like these.”
His attitude was mild, but his words left no room for argument.
Lilisha broke out into a cold sweat and, trying to avoid being swallowed by the pressure, shot back, “You have a point, Archbishop Silvette. But it is a move that could still be suspected of violating the regulations, so there is no doubt no small amount of confusion among the participants and spectators. So I believe the judges should announce their decision and their basis for it.”
Silvette rejected Lilisha’s proposal in a natural fashion.
“...Hmm. However, the Tenbram has a holy ceremony to it. So you could say that everything is as our Lord wills it. We are but mortals, there is no reason for our pretentious decision to put a damper on these events.”
Lilisha struggled to find the words, but she desperately latched on.
“With all due respect! If your god really is that omnipotent, would their divine will not naturally be apparent without us taking any actions! If so, then is there even any point in questioning that will through a Tenbram?!”
“Our Lord is always testing us. Is that not all there is to it?”
“Yes indeed. In which case it is important to strive to do something of our own and not leave everything up to God.”
“...Hmm.” Silvette groaned, having been tripped up.
Seeing her chance, Lilisha continued, “I am not a god nor am I well versed in the Einhimmel sect, but as a judge, I have a responsibility. That is why it is my duty to make a fair judgment of my own volition under these circumstances and communicate my decision to everyone!”
Lilisha rushed this out in a single breath and directed a particularly sharp stare at Silvette’s old face.
His soft smile stiffened up for a moment, but in the next moment, he returned to his usual good-natured smile and nodded.
“If you are going to say that much, then I suppose it’s unavoidable. Let us immediately issue a joint statement to the entire field.”
Lilisha gulped and nodded, while thinking as hard as she could.
That said, this should be a gray area. If I had looked closer at not just the overall mana in the Orb but how it’s divided up between the Guardians, I might have been able to see it beforehand... I still lack experience.
Silvette was a judge who was there at the behest of the Womruina family. He must have either known beforehand or guessed something was up and let it go. He was surely grabbing every opportunity that he saw.
By publicly announcing the trick, she should be able to prevent them from taking things further, but it wouldn’t have much of an impact on the future of the match.
After all, the statement was an act of acknowledgment, not an accusation of wrongdoing.
Lilisha felt embarrassed over her own actions.
Is there anything I can do?!
Lilisha’s voice rang out among the restless spectators, announcing the judge’s decision on the Jurai and their basis for it.
At the same time, a text message was sent out to the participants.
“This is an explanation from the judges regarding the Womruina side’s summoned Guardian. It does not go against the regulations of the match. The reason is because the Womruina team has a very limited number of Guardians. The control of the Orb beforehand showed that its total mana did not exceed regulations...”
Lilisha was as calm as she could be as she made the announcement, but her words were slightly barbed towards the end.
“That said, if we consider the spirit of the Orb Struggle, there is room for doubt. We ask that they refrain from such actions in the future...”
Sensing the confusion in the venue settle down, Lilisha thought to herself. I tried my best to criticize them, but Womruina is probably used to these sorts of methods. The best I could do is give them a warning and control the atmosphere of the venue.
Having thought that far, she realized something.
It’s a loophole in the rules...but the performance of the Orb itself hasn’t changed, so maintaining the Jurai should wear one out faster than usual... Hmm?!
With a start, Lilisha added another announcement from the judge’s side.
“To repeat, the Jurai uses the capacity of several Guardians. Naturally, that means that it would require multiple people to maintain it, which is why it is not a regulation infraction. Also, please note that the irregular lightning is expected to cause atmospheric turbulence and strong winds.”
In her attempt to resist, she hoped to reveal the details of the Jurai to Tesfia’s team in her explanation to the audience.
Finally, the last part of her message, which was disguised as an alert, had the most advice that she could incorporate into it. She had carefully chosen her words, but nonetheless, she glanced over at Silvette’s face. It didn’t seem like he had noticed.
With a sigh of relief, Lilisha relaxed.
I hope they get the message. But the Womruinas might be reading into this closely and be on guard for them. In any case, considering my position, this is as much as I can do. The people on the field will have to handle the rest.
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