The Grand Festival (4)

❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱「Act 8, Chapter 1, The Grand Festival」

Players could choose from various sports events.

Depending on their choice different events would occur, ensuring that one could always play the sport one wanted.

Regardless of the scenario, one could freely play various mini-games themed around the sports events of the Grand Festival. I remember having quite a bit of fun with them.

Among them, the sport considered the highlight of The Grand Festival was the Arcball Race.

Going into the detailed rules would be headache-inducing, so to put it simply, what was the Arcball Race?

It was a race where you passed an 'Arcball' among team members while running a designated course, and the order of arrival at the destination determined the ranking.

Arcball was a magic tool in the shape of a ball that was tightly packed with lightning mana. It was about the size of my fist.

This ball must be caught with a unique netless racket, which combined the appearance of a tennis racket and a butterfly net. Physical contact was considered a foul in this game.

An Arcball caught in the racket was incapacitated for 2 minutes, meaning it regained its functionality and escaped after 2 minutes.

Therefore, passing between team members was essential to keep the Arcball continuously incapacitated.

Amidst the chaos, I moved my feet, blending in with the participants.

"Let's go!!"

"Everyone, move aside!!"

"Wowww!"

In the meantime, Lisetta Lionheart, a Class A delinquent with an orange ponytail, pushed forward. Being robust, she didn't lose out in the physical altercation.

Then, in front of the large passage leading out of the stadium, mana concentrated, and with a crackling noise, it formed into a ball emitting currents.

It was about the size of my fist. It was the Arcball.

"Now!! The Arcball has been generated!! Who will take the lead?!!"

Whoosh─!

As expected, a female student with light purple hair swiftly swooped in and scooped up the Arcball with her racket.

A myriad of colorful stars swirled around her.

"Nihihi."

The goddess stretched out one arm towards the students, spreading her index and middle fingers into a v-shape.

Dorothy pressed down on the witch hat on her head and smiled brightly. The Arcball, passing through her racket was caught and couldn't move due to the crackling lightning mana flowing from the racket.

"Is it as expected?! Our Märchen Academy's celebrity! Player Dorothy Heartnova is the first to catch the Arcball!!"

As announcer Amy Holloway shouted, cheers from the students spread, especially from Dorothy's fans.

On the other hand, several participants stood in a daze or clicked their tongues.

Of course, I was happy.

Dorothy, do whatever you want.

With Dorothy in the lead, the participants, including myself, passed through the stadium corridor and went outdoors.

From the passage, mana particles shone brightly, forming a very long track.

The rule of the Arcball race was to pass through the track with the Arcball and reach the destination.

Each time a team completed the race, the mana particles would move around, and the track would be reconfigured to be shorter. Thus, the first track was the longest.

We ran along the track.

"You guys, hurry up!"

Dorothy couldn't rashly push forward.

After all, if she took the Arcball first, she would have to pass it to her teammates within 2 minutes.

Teammates using physical contact or magic on each other was considered a foul. it was a regulation to prevent solo runs.

But what if it wasn't between teammates?

'They can hit each other.'

As long as one got past the safe line, and as long as the path wasn't blocked, it was possible to attack competitors with 1 and 2-star magic. It was going to turn into a mud fight.

Ah. Physical contact was allowed between competitors unless they were holding each other, and this was independent of the safe line.

Anyway.

'It's all about teamwork.'

That was why everyone was watching each other.

Dorothy's team strategy was clear at a glance, so much so that there was no need to use [Psychological Insight].

Her speeding ahead as the leader meant her team members would also be moving forward.

If Dorothy's team kept the Arcball and stayed ahead until they crossed the upcoming safe line, the race would inevitably turn in her favor.

But the folks here were not easy fools. Already frustrated at losing the lead to Dorothy, would they let things go her way?

Dorothy, being in a small class of A, was placed in a team mixed across classes, indicating her teammates were not at her level.

As expected, other participants began to closely monitor and challenge the third-year students who were dressed like Dorothy. Dorothy was formidable, but her teammates were seen as easy targets.

This was why taking the lead early on was not good.

"What should we do…?"

Dorothy, flying with starlight mana, broke into a sweat as she watched her teammates, rendered helpless by the strategic checks and challenges from many students. Her distress was evident.

Soon.

Squeak─.

"Ugh!"

After 2 minutes, the lightning mana flowing through Dorothy's net faded, and the Arcball regained its function, quickly escaping.

The Arcball, swift as a fly, zipped through the air.

The Arcball moved busily back and forth along the track, within reach if one only jumped high enough.

Dorothy hastily chased after the Arcball, but…

"Aaaargh!!"

As if they had been waiting, many students rushed at once towards the Arcball that had been freed from Dorothy.

Thud.

Crash.

Thump.

There was a fierce skirmish, with students pushing and tackling each other. While students from the Knight Department with their superior physical abilities took the lead, those flying with wind magic were almost as fast.

"Everybody move awaaay!"

Woong─!

Rock pillars shot up from the ground.

The delinquent of Class A, Lisetta Lionheart, soared up on a rock pillar and quickly jumped down.

With her rock-element magic weapon, Rock Bat, slung over her shoulder, she sprang up, hopping from one male student's head to another.

Weapons were allowed as long as they weren't swung at other participants, but most didn't use them because they were cumbersome along with the racket.

'The important thing is quick action and mobility.'

Moreover, handling a magic weapon like Rock Bat required complex mana mastery. It was not quite suitable for the Arcball Race, where combat wasn't a main element, as it would only be a distraction.

However, it seemed Lisetta felt uneasy without Rock Bat in her hand.

The poor male students served as Lisetta's stepping stones, giving her momentum before falling backward.

She was also one of the athletic types in the Magic Department, a fact anyone could tell just by looking at her body.

With her orange gym shirt half-undone, assertively emphasizing her prominent chest, Lisetta was the epitome of confidence.

Crackle.

The Arcball was caught in Lisetta's racket. She landed on the ground with a thud, laughed heartily, and dashed along the track with her teammates.

The participants sighed.

"What a mess."

I nodded in agreement with Tristan Humphrey's calm tone.

Our team leisurely ran and watched the scene unfold.

That was our strategy, to observe during the fiercely competitive early stages and start making our move after crossing the early to mid-part safe line.

'Strategy aside.'

I naturally planned to strike a blow on Pierre Flanche. Yes, I was focused on taking down just one guy.

Amy's voice, broadcasting the progress of the Arcball race, reached us there.

The race situation had to be shown to the audience in real-time through messengers. It was possible, given the structure of the stadium, to see what was happening outside.

A giant map made of mana particles unfolded in the sky. The position of each participant was marked on it like a GPS.

Soon, several participants dashed forward, trying to surround Lisetta's team.

"Hey! Catch!"

"Hya!"

Lisetta, leading the way, swung her racket as if were a game of tennis towards her teammate, and the Arcball flew fast like a baseball.

Lisetta's teammate was surprised but managed to catch the flying Arcball with the racket. The lightning mana sparked up instantly, securing the Arcball.

Grrrrrr──!

Lisetta pulled up rocks from beneath her feet. A pillar of rock shot up diagonally in front of her, startling the students who failed to intercept in time.

The teammate immediately swung the net, throwing the Arcball back towards Lisetta.

Lisetta tried to catch the Arcball, which flew like a tennis ball, with her racket leisurely.

Thud.

Dorothy swooped in swiftly and snatched the Arcball away.

Lisetta grimaced fiercely and yelled irritably, 'Aaang?!'

"Nihihi! Go on, try to catch it if you can…!"

Beep─.

"Huh?"

As Dorothy hastily flew too high, a warning beep sounded from her scoop.

"Ah! Dorothy Heartnova has violated the height limit! Oh no! Unfortunately, that's a disqualification!"

"…Eh?"

Announcer Amy shouted.

Due to the disqualification, Dorothy's racket was forcibly disabled. The Arcball immediately left her racket.

"Ah…!"

Realizing the situation, Dorothy trembled with a look of utter despair, just watching the Arcball drift away.

Such a pity.

In the Arcball Race, one must not ascend beyond a certain height on their own or with the help of teammates.

This rule also prevented solo runs and was a major issue that undermined the fundamental fun of the Arcball Race, resulting in immediate disqualification.

Dorothy seemed to have been so focused on securing the Arcball that she failed to gauge the height limit.

The sight of third-year students from the Magic Department and Dorothy's fans screaming in the stands was vivid in my mind.

'I'll have to comfort her after the race ends…'

The fleeing Arcball was caught by a male student. He moved forward, chuckling with his teammates.

Of course, they too had the Arcball snatched away by another team before long.

And so, the struggle for the Arcball continued.

Suddenly, the light green line on the ground, the safe line, began to appear. It was time to prepare for battle.

The ones ahead, fighting over the Arcball, started hurling 1 and 2-star elemental spells at each other as soon as they crossed the safe line.

Being only 1 or 2-star, the magic wasn't as lethal as during a duel. It was used merely for checking each other.

Note that using magic against students who haven't crossed the safe line or blocking their path was against the rules. That was why those ahead only fought among themselves.

It was almost time. The safe line was getting closer.

Pierre Flanche, the Clover Paladin, and Snow White, my mentee, were also nearing the safe line.

As Pierre's teammates began to move ahead, excluding him, I exchanged glances with my teammates and nodded slightly.

I circulated mana within my mana circuit, gathering ice mana and spreading my right hand.

I could feel the mana of the students around me gradually spreading.

And then, the moment we crossed the safe line.

"…!"

"What…?"

Whoosh.

As a powerful mana burst forth, students felt a chill run down their spines.

The source was, of course, just one person. Excluding the disqualified Dorothy, he was the strongest among the current participants.

A man with beige fine hair and light green eyes.

It was Pierre Flanche.

Whooooosh──!!

"Aaaaah!"

"Eeeek!"

Water elemental magic burst forth from Pierre, swirling with terrifying force. It was massive. Despite being a basic 1-star spell [Water Generation], many students were helplessly swept away.

Simultaneously, high waves surged along the track.

His basic water magic devastated the surroundings in an instant.