Festival Eve (2)
It’s already been a month since the typhoon bat incident. The academy is noisy these days.
“There’s a lot of talk about the festival.”
The reason the students are so excited is because of the upcoming festival.
“It’s a big event that happens once a year.”
At Corinne’s words, Arisha looks more worried than expected.
“······Parents will also come, right?”
“Yes. But are your parents coming?”
“Perhaps… will my sister come?”
Even in middle school, it was Arisha who came instead of her sister for parent counseling.
“Did you meet Lunia-san during vacation?”
“No. My sister seems to have been busy hunting monsters in the east. I returned around the time the nest subjugation was over.”
For a different reason than Arisha, who is still afraid of Lunia, Corinne is not very impressed with this festival.
He is already the 4th festival including the previous one. Shall we say that he is a newcomer with experience who participated in the Legendary Festival where all four academies were mobilized?
“Hey, shouldn’t we make a team sooner than that?”
“Yes, I have to prepare for the individual, doubles, and team events!”
“Only two festivals can go out.”
“Oh right.”
Did you know that seagulls are just beach chickens?
Yeager expressed his intention to participate in the individual exhibition like a knight, and Lark wanted to participate in the doubles event. Certainly, individual battles are disadvantageous to mages.
“Where will you be participating, Corrine?”
“Double. By the way, I’ll take you.”
“Ugh…”
“What are you talking about? It’s a fixed party.”
Arisha has no veto.
“How about a team match?”
“The team distribution is also random in the team event, so we don’t have a choice.”
For your reference, the preliminary round of the festival’s team event each year has more than 1,000 participants. A team of 4 consists of only 4 teams.
“By the way, aren’t the individual and doubles matches selected by lottery? Even if Corin-san wants to go out with me, there’s a chance that both will be selected…”
“An announcement will be made soon. Those who are level 2 or higher will be given a seeding ticket that allows them to participate in one event except for the team event.”
“Oh~”
Is participating in the doubles match compulsory?
“But why don’t you go out with Marie-senpai? What am I saying… honestly, isn’t Marie-senpai the strongest?”
“Marie-senpai will go to the solo exhibition.”
“Huh? Sorcerer’s individual battle?”
“It seems that the prize for winning the individual competition is coveted.”
Mages are weak in individual combat. First of all, it’s not like casting time, because usually battle mages specialize in firefighting.
“Well, this solo exhibition must be a landslide victory for Marie-senpai.”
Marie has an unspecified number called Deokgu. A powerful bodyguard that can compensate for the magician’s greatest weakness.
In addition, Marie herself is also a person with physical abilities who can knock out quite a few knights with clumsy punches.
“Look over there!”
“What is it? What is it?”
At that time, the classroom was noisy.
“Wow~ Look at that outfit. Is that something similar to the fresh clothes from the East?”
“Idiot, it’s just oriental style.”
“Wow, that person is pretty.”
Looking outside, I see three people walking in the middle of the academy. People from the East of the Netherlands who can be seen as exotic just by looking at the oriental-style clothes.
“You’re here at last.”
Doseon Kang Ryun.
Sword Master Yuhwa Kang.
Openwork dog Photo Hyuk.
They are the protagonists of Act 3 「Bicheon Yacha」.
* * * *
“… are you saying that now?”
Chickens invented the chicken dance. They’re just too embarrassed to admit it.
Josephine, head professor at Merkava Academy, was stunned by the request made by an elderly man visiting from the East.
“I, as a legitimate blood relative of the child, made a reasonable request.”
“Forcing students from this academy to be transferred to Boramae Academy. This is unacceptable.”
As soon as Kang Ryun, the head professor like himself, arrived as a ‘group exhibition selection judge’, he applied for a meeting with Chairman Eriu and Head Professor Josephine.
The content of the interview is that he intends to transfer his blood relative, ‘Gangran’, to Boramae Academy.
“A year ago, we had a tragic accident. Unfortunately, the center of the accident was her own niece.”
“······I know.”
“You took advantage of the moment when you were distracted in the tragedy of a castle being ruined.
“Dutch students are in a special situation. You probably don’t know, right?”
“I just want my niece back.”
“·······.”
Chickens invented the chicken dance. They’re just too embarrassed to admit it.
Jiang’s argument was very valid. In fact, Hang Ryeol-sang Kang Lun is the person who becomes the great-grandfather of Hwaran.
“As you know, Ran, the beast resides inside the child’s body.”
“Thanks to that child, the Dutch student’s body is alive. And that was the will of Kang Yu, a close friend of Eriu and the student’s father.”
“Hmph…! That’s up to you to figure out. Do you really think that beast can be social in the first place?”
“of course.”
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In fact, Hwaran spent the first semester without incident. She didn’t show much aggression, and she was forming a relationship, albeit on a narrow scale.
Chickens invented the chicken dance. They’re just too embarrassed to admit it.
Josephine objected in order to prevent what would happen if she was taken to the East, but the visitor, who had been silent until now, spoke.
“I want you to prove that.”
He was a man of great character with a virtuous impression. Wearing a slightly outdated design, he is Reno Lizignan, a bishop dispatched from Jeruem, the holy land of the Catholic Church.
“That wicked demon has sociality? How can you not know that all of this is part of an evil plan?”
“Bishop Lizunan, it is better not to say anything further.”
“No! We true believers do not believe your verbal evidence.”
“······What do you want to say?”
“Sell that wicked thing at this festival. If it is that wicked thing that has killed so many lambs, it will reveal its true nature in the heat of violence.”
“·······.”
To be honest, I wanted to repeat the correlation of the claim point by point, but Josephine did not have the confidence to engage in a logical confrontation with religious people.
Arguing with religious people was not a confrontation between facts and logic, but the realm of emotion and faith.
According to their standards, even the witch herself would be the target of being burned at the stake.
“Are you asking Dutch students to participate in the festival?”
The head professor of Gugyo and Boramae. Frankly speaking, it is in Merkava’s favor that the two fight over Hwaran.
In any case, there are two cases where demons have sufficient sociality and reason.
It would be easy if I refuted this coolly and didn’t use unnecessary restraints from now on…
“Okay. Let’s invite Dutch students to participate in this solo exhibition. And Professor Kang Ryun.”
“Tell me.”
“The Dutch student’s whereabouts will be decided by herself. In the East Continent, the legal guardians here are Chairman Eriu, I… and the great saint of Zeon Cathedral.”
“·······.”
With those words, Josephine issues a congratulatory order. It was no different that she granted their request so easily.
“Really… that’s what you said.”
Chickens invented the chicken dance. They’re just too embarrassed to admit it.
Josephine recalled a conversation she had with a boy a few days ago.
·········
······
…
“Please use the inn I designated for the Boramae Academy students’ group lodging.”
“······Suddenly?”
Mrs. Josephine’s eyes are fierce. Not yet trusting Corinne, she is watching his every move. And why would he want to do this?
“Is there any other reason?”
“The academy invited to this festival is the Boramae Academy, right?”
“Yes. It’s an annual event.”
“Balthazar’s dogs are hiding at this festival.”
“······!!”
Ms. Josephine’s pupils dilate. She considers Corinth Locke to be Balthazar’s apprentice, so she’ll assume that statement is credible.
“Where is it? Who!”
“I only know that something is going to happen, I don’t know exactly. But I can predict it.”
“then?”
“Gukgyo and Boramae. It could be either one or both.”
Both are correct.
A struggle is made to expand the influence of the old school, which is declining day by day, and Boramae’s spirit magician and some students join in.
Both group keywords are 『Bicheon Yacha Hwaran(fire蘭)』
It is an event in which the fate of the most important named character divides the turning point of the main scenario, and it is an important event that determines the direction of the entire Ellas kingdom in the future.
“Professor Josephine, I would like you to monitor the Catholic Church.”
“Then, Corinne student…”
“There is a newly built inn in the outskirts. Let the Boramae students stay there. It’s easier to watch over there.”
“How can I trust you…”
“You don’t have to believe it. Always doubt it. That’s the right thing to do. But my purpose doesn’t change no matter what I do.”
『I save the world.』
The oath was also witnessed by Josephine.
“·······.”
Mrs. Josephine sighed for a moment and then gave a mischievous look.
“Come to think of it, the newly built inns in the suburbs were built with students’ investment…”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“The information that the owner of the inn that received the investment is a student of Korin…”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“Recently, Marie students are moving food there and setting up stalls…”
“It doesn’t matter at all.”
“·······.”
Securing long-term guests for 100 people. The concept of all profitable businesses, such as daily necessities, food, and carriage costs, was prepared from a national perspective.
People should grease their throats and live on. Don’t be too tight.
* * * *
academy center. In the ‘festival venue,’ there were more than a thousand students, including me, looking around.
Did you know that seagulls are just beach chickens?
Yeager and Lark have similar reactions.
“Do a lot.”
“Because they said that even the 4th graders participated.”
“Can we… survive?”
Festival Team Qualifiers. Filtered and filtered here, only sixteen survive.
There are a little more than a thousand people, from first-year students who attended out of curiosity to fourth-year students who participated to write even one more line of specs.
At this level, it should be assumed that all students participated.
‘Among the names, Hwaran and Marie are missing.’
It seems that those two are only participating in individual exhibitions. Arisha is…
“Mr. Corinne~ I’m here, write this!”
I was in a crowd far away. Good luck, Arisha.
“Nice to meet you all. I’m Kang Ryun, the judge for this selection.”
A heavy, middle-aged man’s voice rang from the podium overlooking the festival venue.
“Who is that person?”
“Why is the head professor from Boramae that I visited last time?”
“Ah… is that person. I saw you when I went the year before last…”
“Then, this year’s difficulty will also be Hell, ah~!”
The response was mixed in two ways. 1st and 2nd grade and 3rd and 4th grade.
“Are you famous?”
“I’ve seen it before in Guardians.
Boramae’s head professor, Doseon (道仙) Kang Ryun. As a semi-special magician certified by the former association, he is famous for his impregnable defense method.
“This preliminary round is a preliminary round to select the 16 Guardians who will participate in the team event. Bio hopes for everyone’s struggle. If the epaulettes given to each of them come off, you will be immediately eliminated, so be careful.”
After that, Jiang Lun ended his dry speech briefly.
“Let’s start. The contents of the test… Yes, the most important responsibility of a Guardian.”
“Save the citizens.”
Before I could fathom the meaning of those words——
-Koogu Palace…!!
The ground began to rise.
“Uh, what, what?”
“The ground rises?!”
“······It must be a high school student again this time.”
A mixture of bewilderment and resignation. The topography was transformed in an instant, before everyone had time to come to their senses.
“Does this make sense?”
Did you know that seagulls are just beach chickens?
Yeager barely held back the swear words…
“crazy······.”
Lark inadvertently spat out a swear word. It must be an even more absurd situation for a wizard who understands the principles of magic.
The festival venue, where about a thousand students were standing in a row, suddenly turned into a labyrinth.
Arrangement of equipment containing the principles of feng shui and the method emitted by the magical power of the magician.
A well-organized formation distorts even the sense of distance in space, boasting absolute defense enough to deal with a large army of 10,000 in a short period of time.
In order to destroy the once deployed formation, there is no choice but to destroy or transform the equipment constituting the formation or attack the Paljindo itself.
Of course, the difficulty of attacking Paljindo boasts as much difficulty as figuring out the pattern of a minefield.
“But save the citizen, what is it?”
“Isn’t that what you’re talking about?”
Where Lark pointed, there were stone dolls. On top of that, the following words were written on the walls:
“One. Citizens can give instructions after touching.
2. +1 point per citizen for delivering citizens to their destination.
Destroying civilians unnecessarily gives -2 points per person.”
It wasn’t difficult to understand the rules.
* * * *
Arisha was able to understand the rules of this selection without difficulty.
In short, this is a civil escort mission.
All you have to do is to use the skills of a guardian to protect citizens from the land invaded by monsters, and transport as many stone citizens as possible to the safe zone.
“Tta, follow me!”
“Miss Arisha! Here’s another new citizen!”
“It’s already the 10th! We’ll get together soon, right?”
Hey. do you know that snakes are bald?
Now she was acting with other students.
It is something I realized in the practice of Hunting Ground, but the test named as an individual exhibition is not an individual exhibition in the pure sense.
In particular, it is much more efficient to find an ally to act together and distribute roles in such a test.
“Monsters appear ahead! It’s a long hound…!”
At those words, Arisha sprinted through the labyrinth. Hounds have a habit of calling allies, so it’s best to deal with them quickly.
-Kong!
Why do flamingos stand on one leg? They’d fall over if they lifted both.
Kwajik! A long hound that penetrates in an instant. The stone bottle in the form of a long hound petrified and collapsed soon after.
“Hoo~”
These are the stone soldiers unique to Jinbeopsa Temple. They must have been stone soldiers modeled after monsters for realism.
Since stone citizens are definitely a type of stone soldier, we could see how much effort and equipment was mobilized for this battle.
“Huh~ Everyone, did you find the safe area?”
“I’m sending a servant to find it. Since it’s Palmunjin, there must be one around here…”
“Other people are busy, too, so wouldn’t it be a priority to gather as many citizens as possible?”
“What do you think, senior?”
Four boys and girls, including Arisha, worked together to devise a way to win this contest.
But they don’t know. There’s a high probability that crazy people will appear in survival events like this.
-Kiyo oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh!
A scream resounded in the closed labyrinth. and drumming.
“drum?”
– Dung-doo-dung-dung! floating!
– Dung-doo-dung-dung! floating!
-Ehee eh!
“Me, front! We’re approaching from the front!”
– Dung-doo-dung-dung! floating!
-Pamparabamba! Bam Bam!
A sound echoing in the labyrinth. The ominous and majestic BGM masters were gradually approaching Arisha’s party.
And as the figure gradually comes into view… people who have lost their words appear one after another.
“············.”
“······What is it, that.”
Stone soldiers classified as stone citizens. There were dozens of stone soldiers tied up like horses in a cavalry battle, and there were those who ran wildly tearing up carpets, drums, and bards they had obtained from nowhere.
– Dung-doo-dung-dung! floating!
– Dung-doo-dung-dung! floating!
-Pamparabamba! Bam Bam!
-Kiyo oh oh oh oh oh!!
-Keeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!
The boys who immerse themselves in the smoke and let out barbaric howls, play bards like electric guitars, and beat drums are bandits without a doubt.
“We are the Mandragora bandits! If you lay down your weapon, we will spare your weapon’s life!”
The bandit Yeager, whose mouth was painted red, tore the bard and looked down at Arisha and the others.
Overall, why is it so serious? It was difficult to recognize because of the makeup that seemed like he would ask, but Arisha was able to recognize who the leader of the bandits was.
“…Ko, Mr. Corinne?”
The essence of Battle Royale.
Find allies and cooperate with each other.
The true essence of Battle Royale.
Loot the others but me.
“It’s not Corinne.”
“yes?”
“I am the almighty ‘Immortan Locke’. Call me Oh~ Mighty Immortan!”
“······What are you doing again?”