Team combat (1)

The days passed and my training to perform a "Perfect Hit" paid off, Although I did not get the true power of my hits, I managed to control and understand to a greater extent the limit of my current strength.

Besides that, the Level Test continued its normal course, My group and I tried several times to sabotage the opposing commoners and nobles but all our attempts were stopped by Beatriz and the protagonist group, although they could not expose us since there was not enough proof of our participation.

Freydis also met Kein at one of the trials and they became friends, I have not been able to talk to her due to my busy schedule but we still got along well

But the most important day comes now: the last test of the Level Test, the team fight, As the name says, this test will be based on a fight between two teams of 10 members each, The team that manages to defeat the members of the other team will win and advance to the next round; it's something like a tournament.

But in this test, there will be something special, and that is that the students' families can come to watch the test, This was done as a measure of the academy to motivate students and also so they can see their families after a long time, although the real purpose of doing this is to demonstrate the quality of the students and further raise the name of the Athena Academy

"Although I am a little worried about this,"

In the original story, there was no mention of whether any members of the Reclesia family came to watch the tournament, though most likely they didn't, However, things have changed a lot from the original, with the Reclesia family aware of the moves I've been making over the years

"They could send someone to keep an eye on me."

Though I already thought of a plan for that,

A smile appeared on my face as I read a letter that was sent through the secret channels used by Miss Lissa to transport information, All letters, whether mine or Miss Lissa's, are sent through this secret channel; not even the emperor would be able to intercept them if he didn't make an effort, I am inconclusive if he succeeded, there are hundreds of measures to prevent the contents of the letters from leaking out 

"My older brother, uh?"

In the letter could be read information sent by the spies placed in the Reclesia family; it seems that my third older brother will come to see my party, something that did not happen in the original novel or at least was not mentioned. 

Woosh-!

The letter in my hand caught fire and turned to ashes, destroying any trace of the message written within

"What do we do, young master?"

"Well, there is someone we have to meet during this test and we can't let the Reclesia family know about it; we will have to find a way to draw their attention away."

 Arthur smiled, apparently having an idea.

"Livia, hand me a leaf and a quill."

***

The days passed and finally the day of the last level test arrived, The doors of the academy opened, allowing people from outside to enter, The surroundings were livelier than usual, with several food stalls scattered in the streets and with the students meeting their parents, siblings and family members.

The preparations were already finished; the groups were decided in advance, taking into account the specializations and qualifications of each student and giving them several days of preparation to polish their teamwork.

Inside a carriage could be seen a young man with red hair, narrowed eyes and a smile on his face, but despite having a smiling expression, if anyone paid some attention, they could tell that his mood was not the best

"Why did they have to send me to guard that useless jerk?" 

This person was Avalon Reclesia, the third son of the Reclesia family and Arthur's older brother.

He is known for his excellent work administering the lands of the south, where the circulation of merchandise is greater than in other places, Using his brilliant mind and his silver tongue, he managed to get the highest profits in each deal, and thanks to this, he earned the nickname of Red Snake, a nickname that fit him like a glove because of his red hair, a distinctive characteristic that every member of the Reclesia family possessed.

But behind the scenes, he was also the one responsible for transporting slaves, drugs, weapons, scrolls and magic stones to various criminal groups like The Order, He's the one who watches that nothing goes wrong and that transactions are done under the utmost secrecy 

"I don't even know why father wants me to keep an eye on him; that jerk has done nothing but cause trouble and embarrass the family name."

A jerk who only drinks and plays with women—that's how Arthur's brothers see him, despite never having seen his face for all these years, He didn't know why his father would spend time keeping an eye on someone like that 

"The but is that they called me when I was about to close a deal with a group of terrorists; what were they called? The Wolves of I don't know what, or some shit like that."

" Sir Avalon."

His insults stopped when a middle-aged man with vacant eyes and dressed in a black robe caught his attention

"I ask you to please refrain from saying such things out loud; we don't know who might be listening."

"Ah? This carriage has the best soundproofing and defense enchantments on the market, and even if someone were listening, you're here, aren't you?"

"..."

The middle-aged man simply kept silent and said nothing more, knowing that all of that was true, but he didn't like his reckless behavior anyway

The rest of the trip was spent in silence until the carriage stopped and one of the servants opened the door, When the door opened, only Avalon got out; the middle-aged man was no longer inside the carriage and seemed to have disappeared. 

'So this is him, huh?'

In front of him stood a man with red hair similar to his own and golden eyes; next to him stood an expressionless maid with short white hair and a fringe that covered her left eye.

'He's disgustingly weak'

Avalon almost frowned as he felt the low amount of mana that the brother had in front of him; although for a normal person it might seem like a lot, for someone of the nobility and especially for a member of one of the Ducal houses, his mana was insignificant.

'How the hell did he even enter the academy? Ah, yes, connections' 

"I welcome you, big brother!"

He snapped out of his thoughts when the brother in front of him greeted him by bowing.

'Heh, at least he knows how to behave.'

"Haha, you don't have to do that; we're brothers, aren't we?"

"Ah, y-yes."

Arthur replied nervously as sweat beaded on his forehead.

"So, are you going to leave me standing here or take me back to my dorm?" 

"Ah, you'll excuse me! this way, please."

Acting like a helpful servant, Arthur led Avalon to his residence, which he had purchased for him to stay in during his time at the academy

"Hmm, it's a bit drab, but I guess it's the best you could get being you."

"I-I apologize."

The residence actually had no problem; it was one of the most expensive within the academy city and had everything a person could ask for and more, but Avalon only made that comment to annoy Arthur

Entering his room, he sat down on a comfortable couch. 

"Aren't you going to bring tea for your guest?"

"R-right, hey! Why the hell haven't you brought my big brother a tea yet!" 

Arthur shouted to his maid and she quickly ran to the kitchen to make some tea.

"Anything else you want, brother?"

Arthur asked in a nervous tone and Avalon just smiled and said.

"No, I'm fine; don't you have a test to participate in? You should go and prepare yourself as much as possible, because if you lose, it would really be a huge disappointment." 

Arthur felt a shiver for Avalon's words understanding his meaning and quickly shouted. 

"Don't worry, brother! There's no way I'm going to lose in this test!"

"Is that so? Well, I trust you."

He said, and the next moment Livia arrived along with tea and poured it in a cup, he grabbed the cup, took a sip and had to admit that his stupid brother's maid knew how to make good tea.

"Why are you still here? I don't like people looking at me while I'm enjoying my tea."

"Y-yes!"

Arthur nodded and quickly left the room, leaving Avalon alone to drink the tea Livia had served him.

***

"A snake."

"Completely a snake."

Arthur and Livia began to talk when they got far enough away from Avalon's residence.

"His stupid grin makes me want to hit him in the face."

Livia said with annoyance

"Me too, but believe it or not, he's pretty strong."

"It is?"

"Yes, he is able to use the aura, and although it is to a small extent still dangerous."

"I see."

"Anyway, we have to hurry; the main event is about to begin."

Arthur said with a smile as he looked at the huge academy building in the distance.

***

"Is everything ready?"

"Yes princess"

"Good."

Beatrice was talking to Leticia as they prepared to meet their teams. 

"This time we have to make sure we catch them; we can't allow them to continue their dirty deeds."

She said with a firm look on her face, determined to expose those noble cheaters and expel them from the academy

"Don't worry, princess, we'll catch them this time."

"I hope so."

While they were getting ready, Beatriz decided to change the subject to make the conversation more relaxed

"Your big sister is coming to see you, isn't she, Leticia?"

Shudder-

Leticia's shoulders shook as she heard Beatriz's words.

"Ah, yes, my sister is coming."

"Oh, come on, she's very sweet on you."

"Yes, but the problem is that she is VERY sweet on me; I'm embarrassed." 

She said this as her cheeks became slightly flushed.

"Haha, I envy you; I wish I had a brother like that."

Beatriz said with a somewhat sad look on her face, but quickly pulled herself together without Leticia noticing it

"Believe me, it's not that good, I love her very much but sometimes she can go overboard."

"Hahaha, you're right about that, I remember when, in your first real combat practice, a goblin hurt your arm, The next day, the goblin population in the area decreased by 80%."

"Yes, dad scolded her severely for that because finding goblins for my practice became more difficult."

As the girls talked about the past, they finished getting ready and headed off to meet their respective groups.

"Good luck, Leticia."

"To you too, princess, I won't go easy on you, even though I'm your guard."

"Hehe, I expected nothing less."

The students were preparing thoroughly for the test, going over their strategies, warming up and practicing to do their best and achieve the best result

Spectators were anxious to see the tournament begin, and family and friends of the students were ready to cheer their acquaintances on to boost their spirits.

All unaware of the storm that was about to occur.