**Chapter 71: A Mock Battle, but Anger Ignites**
The lesson on swordsmanship had begun. It was the first session, and one by one, students from the Magic Department were being thoroughly defeated by their counterparts from the Knight Department. Each time, Rest tended to the injuries of his classmates.
“Hey, Rest. Are you sure your magic power is alright?” his friend Ruido asked, concern etched on his face.
“I’m fine. I have confidence in my magic capacity, so don’t worry about me,” Rest replied. Despite having treated over ten injured classmates, his seemingly infinite magic power showed no signs of depletion. In fact, it was his patience that was wearing thin.
“Still… those Knight Department guys are really going overboard. What grudge do they have against the Magic Department?” Rest’s frustration was mounting as he watched his classmates fall one after another. It was becoming increasingly difficult to hold back the urge to unleash a spell.
“Yeah… I’ve heard that some students from the Knight Department harbor a strange rivalry against the Magic Department, but I didn’t expect it to be this extreme,” Ruido agreed, his expression filled with anger.
Among the Knight Department students, there were those who felt inferior to the Magic Department. Most aspiring knights and warriors had little magical power, making it difficult for them to pursue a career as mages. Those born with abundant magical power often aimed to become wizards instead. Consequently, the Knight Department students carried a sense of being “those who couldn’t become mages,” fostering a bitter rivalry with the Magic Department. Of course, not everyone felt this way. Some possessed high magical power yet chose to become knights, wielding swords and spears without any inferiority complex towards mages.
(But… this teacher Oddman doesn’t seem to be one of them.)
“Alright, next up is Bedley from the Knight Department. Ruido Jistal from the Magic Department, step forward!”
“It’s my turn… I’ll get my revenge, so watch me!” Ruido declared, his fighting spirit ablaze as he strode onto the field. Armed with a wooden sword, he faced off against the Knight Department student. Rest observed closely; while Ruido wasn’t scrawny, his physique clearly lacked the muscularity of the Knight Department students.
(Without magic, he’s at a complete disadvantage… What’s he planning to do?)
“Let the match begin!”
“Hyah!”
As the match commenced, Ruido sprang into action. To everyone’s surprise, he threw the wooden sword he had been holding.
“What the…!”
Even the Knight Department student hadn’t anticipated this. He hurriedly raised his arms to guard against the wooden sword hurtling toward his face.
“**Body Enhancement!**”
With that, Ruido kicked off the ground and dashed forward. Taking advantage of the Knight student’s limited visibility due to his guard, he maneuvered behind him and locked him in a chokehold.
“Guh… You… let go of me…!”
“Like hell I will! Don’t get too comfortable!”
Ruido enhanced his body with magic, securing the hold while wrapping his legs around the Knight student’s torso. The Knight student struggled desperately to break free, but the situation was dire. No matter how much of a physical advantage he had, the precision of magic was where the Magic Department students excelled. Unable to shake off the magically enhanced Ruido, the Knight student eventually collapsed backward, eyes rolling back in unconsciousness.
“……The match is over,” Oddman announced, his face showing dissatisfaction as he declared the end of the bout. Ruido exhaled heavily, distancing himself from his opponent.
“Phew, that was close. I barely won,” he said.
“Come on, you won pretty comfortably, didn’t you?” Rest replied.
“Not really. That guy dug his claws into my arm… I was worried about when he’d finally shake me off.”
Looking closely, Rest noticed scratches on Ruido’s arm, blood seeping from the wounds. He cast a healing spell, and the injuries vanished without a trace.
“Thanks, I owe you one.”
“No problem… That’s the first victory for a Magic Department student.”
With over ten classmates already defeated, Ruido was the first to claim victory.
“Right, next up…”
“It’s my turn,” came a voice as Yuri Cattleya stepped forward, having been tending to the injured.
“It seems they’re calling us in order of attendance, so I’m next, right?” she asked.
“Uh… are you sure about this, Yuri?” Rest inquired.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” she replied, surprisingly smiling. Rest had assumed she would be filled with righteous indignation after witnessing her classmates being defeated, but she hadn’t reacted strongly at all.
“If I’m strong, I win. If I’m weak, I lose… that’s all there is to it. It’s not a life-or-death situation, so there’s no need to worry,” Yuri said calmly, picking up a wooden sword. Though she appeared cheerful and carefree, her perspective was surprisingly pragmatic.
(Oh right, she’s the daughter of the knight captain… She might have a rather serious view on competition.)
Perhaps she thought that the defeats of her Magic Department classmates were simply the nature of competition. Rest felt as if he were witnessing a new side of his friend as he watched her walk toward the field.
“Hey, Lyubase…”
“Hmm…?”
Meanwhile, Oddman was beckoning one of the Knight Department students, whispering something to him.
What could they be discussing? Rest discreetly activated a spell to eavesdrop on their conversation.
“Make sure to win the next match.”
“I’ve been told not to let that person hold a sword…”
“But don’t use any attacks that could cause injury. Absolutely not!”
“…………?”
That was a strange directive. While it was understandable to insist on winning, what was the intention behind not letting her hold a sword or causing injuries?
(Oh right… Many of the Knight Department teachers are former members of the knight order.)
They had referred to “that person,” which might imply that Marquis Cattleya, the captain of the knights, was involved.
(I wonder if it has anything to do with Yuri running away from home… No, it’s pointless to speculate.)
It was a family matter that didn’t concern him. More importantly, he should focus on watching how the match would unfold.