“Okay… I will do my best.”

The short young woman gulped down her saliva and nodded, bashfully looking up at her comrades.

“!!!”

“…do you need some help…?”𝑂𝑽𝐿xt.𝗰𝒐𝐌

She wasn’t a stunning beauty that would grasp the hearts of everyone, but no one could dismiss her innocent charm – still, Noex’s reaction was so overblown, again, that Terez approached him and asked with a confused expression.

With at least one problem being solved, the entire group moved towards the place where the opening ceremony was going to take place…

——–

After being sent to the person responsible for the event and informing them about the order in which they will be fighting, the five representatives moved to the waiting spot while the rest of the magicians was guided to take their place amongst the audience of other new students.

“I am Bevan former member of the Twelve Heavenly Guardians of the Heavenly Star nation. Taking the position of the principal of the Heavenly Star Academy, I would like to welcome all of you promising youngsters who decided to pick up a new challenge!”

A one-armed man walked over to the podium and addressed the gathered students, causing a small commotion.

It looked like basically, everyone from the Heavenly Star nation knew who Bevan was but basically, no one knew how and when he lost an arm and stepped down from his spot amongst the Twelve Heavenly Guardians.

“It hasn’t been long since the dissonance of the line of death, giving us access o the fabled land of mana and vice versa! After long negotiations and hard work put in by both sides, the Heavenly Star Academy was created and a delegation of students from the land of mana was able to join us in their pursuit of knowledge and strength unknown to their homeland! As we are a nation of warriors and martial artists what’s a better way to welcome than then exchanging blows in a friendly exposition duel? Without further ado, I leave the rest in the capable hands of the teachers who organized the whole thing!”

Bevan announced with a very much forced excitation and stepped down while grasping his right side missing an arm and frowning, clearly fighting the pain.

“Hmm… I guess their equivalent of healing magic can’t regrow limbs.”

“So it seems.”

Terez pointed out innocently while looking at the one-armed man who seated himself among the group of much older marital artists meant to be the teachers, to which Devios discreetly breathed out and nodded.

“I believe that everyone can’t wait to see fabled magic in action so let’s leave the bothersome introductions and details to the side for now and just start!”

A middle-aged marital artist with graying light-brown hair stepped on the podium after Bevan announced and the students baffled by the one-armed principal responded with a cheer.

“For the first out of five duels – Miss Reo Serentii from the kingdom of Bellcephora will face the rising star of the Raging Bull sect, mister Roger Hooves!”

The teacher announced and a portion of the audience from the Raging Bull sect erupted in cheers hyping up their representative.

“Relax, if something will happen I will take care of it.”

Terez patted the nervous girl’s shoulder speaking with a reassuring voice without changing his blank expression.

“If he hurts you just give up. If anyone will have a problem with you, I will make them see reason!”

Noex approached Reo from the opposite side and declared without being able to keep proper eye contact with her.

“Umm… umm… th-thank you…?”

The short young woman responded to the two younger boys’ support with confusion while nervously taking out and putting back the various artifacts that she stuffed in her clothes beforehand and hurried to the arena while clenching one magic device in her trembling hand.

Reo’s opponent was already waiting for her.

It was a muscular young man with short blond hair and blue eyes. Just in the terms of normal strength, even without the augmentation of laws or spells, Reo stood no chance.

“Let’s have a good fight.”

“L-lets…”

Roger bowed his head politely from his side making Reo fidget in unease and respond in a bashful voice.

“Begin!”

The teacher called out for the start of the duel.

“Law of Aries! Law of Taurus!”

Roger began with immediate activation of his star power, while Reo…”

“HNNGH!”

…bit her lips and threw the artifact she held on to at him with a focused expression.

“Your aim is off!”

Roger called, winding up his fist for a hit – it looked like he was intending to break the attack with his bare hands.

“NO! WAIT! DO NOT HIT IT!”

“Hmph!”

Seeing that, Reo panicked and shouted but she was too late as the young martial artist have already punched her artifact…

*crack* *WHOOP* *WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH* *WHAM*

“!!!”

As the artifact broke apart under the power of the attack it unleashed a bright green light and a sound of violently sucking in the surrounding air – after which the compressed air was unleashed in a massive wind erruption that sent Roger flying into the audience that barely moved away in time as he slammed into the ground creating a crater, like some sort of human meteor.

Everyone was speechless, both the martial artists and the magicians.

“M-miss Reo wins…”

“Mister Rogires!”

The teacher announced the result in a stunned voice, but Reo was already halfway through the arena, calling out in panic to her defeated opponent.

She jumped off the platform and hurried towards the crater from which the very much confused young man was climbing out off.

“Mister Rogires! I am so sorry! The thing that I used was filled with a pressure-sensitive magic trigger! It was meant to only cause a small wind-bomb-like burst of air that would make you trip and fall, but since your attack was so strong the spell gained far too much power! Are you alright?!”

The short young woman cried out apologetically while grabbing the martial artist’s arm and helping him stand back on his feet.

“I… umm… I see. Don’t worry about me, my law of Aries is firmly at the third star, I was just… Taken by surprise…”

Roger looked at Reo’s face, then at her breast pressing onto his arm, then back at her face and responded while blushing, reassuring the clearly worried girl.