Chapter 85

Chapter 85: Preparing for the Main Tournament (3)

Having found common cause in our own way, we exchanged opinions on how to beat Team 1.

In the preliminary rounds, we had been able to pass easily by summoning Undead Goblins around the arena before the undead were destroyed, then pushing forward with sheer numbers.

But we could not use such a simple strategy against Team 1.

“Even if I summon a large number of undead like in the preliminary rounds, they will be turned to ash by Holy Magic faster than anything else.”

“Hmmm... so you mean we should go for quality over quantity?”

“It would be difficult even with only Mid-Rank Undead. It is true that undead are vulnerable to Holy Power......”

After briefly thinking, Lloyd’s eyes took on a strange gleam.

“Even so, it is not as though I have no method at all.”

“Are you thinking of using an Artifact?”

“...Hoh, you knew?”

“I had a guess. You got it from the Joint Class, didn’t you?”

“I have not used it even once after purchasing it. How did you know?”

In the Survival Joint Class from before, Lloyd had taken second place, and that had not been much different before my Return to the Past either.

His score back then had also been ‘250 Points,’ so the Artifact he obtained was probably the same too.

However, the Lloyd before my Return to the Past had never once used the Artifact he obtained then until an important moment came.

Why?

“It’s basic combat sense to save every card you can use for as long as possible.”

“That is correct. I looked into it, and while using a separate combat Artifact is forbidden in the tournament, they say even a combat Artifact can be used if it is registered as your main weapon.”

Lloyd cracked the knuckles of both hands.

“This is a chance to crush those Inquisitor bastards in front of everyone. There will be no better time than now to use it.”

Maybe I should say he was worthy of being a Direct Line of the Four Great Houses, but when it came to matters like this, he was extremely thorough.

“Then I shall show you.”

Lloyd took an Artifact out from inside his clothes.

“Uh... isn’t that a staff?”

As soon as Karin saw Lloyd’s Artifact, she tilted her head.

It made sense. 

That Artifact looked similar to the staff used by mages.

Its length was roughly fifteen centimeters.

What stood out was that a blue gemstone was embedded at the end of the rod made of silver metal.

“Is it not too early to judge by appearance alone?”

“What kind of Artifact is it?”

“Watch.”

Lloyd held the staff Artifact in one hand and pointed toward one corner of the Training Hall floor.

CRACKLE—!

An ice spike about two meters long surged up from the floor.

“...Ice-attribute magic?”

“When I tested it, the user holding this staff could create and control ice according to what they imagined. I was able to create ice with only an image in my mind, without using a formula.”

Karin let out an exclamation.

“Wow... the Headmaster really is amazing. She made an Artifact that lets you use magic without using formulas?”

“It is not impressive enough for that. I could not fire off powerful ice magic with this.”

Lloyd looked down at the staff with a regretful expression.

“Ice was created as I imagined it, and I could adjust the ice’s hardness as well, but that was all. If I used it excessively, the staff immediately went out of order. Even using it as weakly as possible, the duration was about ten minutes. Once its effect is completely exhausted, one must wait a full hour before using it again.”

“So you can’t use it for long.”

“That is why I am troubled as well. Its usability seems extremely high, but I do not have a suitable way to use it properly in tomorrow’s match.”

While Karin and Lloyd’s faces sank into concern, I approached Lloyd with a bright expression.

“Lloyd, you got something perfect, didn’t you?”

“Perfect? Are you saying there is an efficient way to use this?”

As a rule, seeing something directly was better than explaining it in words.

“Hand me the Artifact for a moment.”

I took Lloyd’s staff Artifact.

As I gripped the Artifact, my head tingled, and a strange sense of elation ran through me.

The principle was that if, in this state, one imagined ice within the visible range of space, ice appeared exactly that way.

“Summon one Mid-Rank Undead too.”

“Out of nowhere?”

“I thought of a brilliant way to make use of this.”

“Hmm......”

THUD.

When Lloyd stomped once, black fog rose from the floor, and an Undead Orc appeared.

Mid-Rank Undead, Undead Orc.

Grooooan......

Aside from the rotting stench of a corpse, the sight of it holding a wooden club as large as its own torso was imposing no matter how many times I saw it.

“Why did you tell me to summon an undead?”

I smirked and lifted the corner of my mouth.

Well, he had reason to say that.

The time when Lloyd properly showed this technique was about a month from now.

Honestly, teaching this technique in front of Lloyd felt a little awkward.

Originally, this technique was something Lloyd had personally developed and shown in the previous timeline.

Since he had only learned Summoning Type Black Magic, it had taken him quite some time to think of this.

Still, as a Regressor, there should be no problem with moving that moment of realization a little earlier.

“You’ll know when you see it.”

At the same time as I pointed the staff at the undead.

Crack, crackle......

Ice wrapped around sections of the undead’s skin and began expanding in area.

The most important thing when handling this staff Artifact was the image.

Crunch.

Set the ice’s hardness to the maximum currently possible.

Crack.

Smoothly spread ice along the curves of the undead’s body, and increase its thickness.

Creak.

Pay special attention to the joints and the spaces between them, layering them over and over.

As someone who had learned every type of Black Magic, I had long since mastered the body structures of undead made from monsters.

Because of that, creating armor that fit an Undead Orc was not a particularly difficult problem for me.

Crackle.

“...Done.”

Undead Orc, ice armor equipped.

Before long, an Undead Orc wearing thick ice armor stood before us.

“Is this... armor?”

“You made armor out of ice?”

“That’s right.”

I spun the staff Artifact.

“There’s no need to use this Artifact for attack.”

“Amazing......”

Lloyd reached his hand toward the Undead Orc and manipulated it this way and that before letting out a hollow laugh.

“Ha, haha... This truly is amazing. Are you saying the undead’s body is being protected by ice armor composed of mana?”

Lloyd turned back to me.

“Damon, have you not never handled undead before? How did you cover the undead with ice that cleanly? There is not a single point where its movement catches.”

“I read some books on monster anatomy. I thought doing it this way might work.”

“Fascinating. This is something I can try to imitate as well.”

Lloyd was a child of House Desmond, which specialized in the Summoning Type. 

He could manage this level of difficulty quickly.

He had simply failed to notice the proper method of use.

“If I cover them with ice like this, I can raise the durability of the undead. Thanks to you, I have learned something useful.”

“Do you think durability is the only thing that went up?”

“Hmm?”

I wore a meaningful smile and told them another method of use.

After hearing my explanation, Karin and Lloyd’s complexions stiffened.

“That’s possible?”

“...Is that truly possible?”

“Don’t you think it’s worth trying? If we want to win, we need to try everything.”

“If it works, our odds of winning will increase considerably......”

After briefly sinking into thought, Lloyd looked at me and twisted his mouth into a smirk.

“But to think you would think this hard and devise a strategy with this one Artifact. It seems it was no lie that you intended to keep the wager you made with Elysia.”

“How does it turn into that?”

Even you, Lloyd?

Sigh, fine. Think whatever you want.

“Karin, you come here too. Let’s practice together.”

***

The next morning.

BOOM! BA-BOOM! BOOM!

WAAAAAAH!

Starting with the fireworks announcing the opening ceremony of the Magic Department Tournament’s main tournament, cheers burst from the stands as if they would shake the place apart.

In contrast to the bustling stands, the professors’ seating was quiet and solemn overall.

Unlike the spectators who had come to enjoy themselves purely for entertainment, the professors’ purpose was heavily focused on judging the current students’ abilities through the eyes of professors, so it was only natural.

However, this time, the professors’ seating included not only Magic Department Professors, but also many Professors from other departments.

That was because starting from the main tournament, Professors from other departments could watch matches from the professors’ seating through the recommendation of a Magic Department Professor.

“Thank you for accepting.”

“There is a Black Magic Department student and a Holy Magic Department student in the first round, so we invited you to sit near us.”

“Since you have come, show us good match analysis.”

Veroniel, Orwell, and Potrick seated the three Professors they had personally invited near them, then exchanged businesslike greetings.

Wooooo......

However, invisible killing intent was surging between two of the three invited Professors.

The Professors around them were not showing it outwardly either, but most of them were glancing with worried faces toward the seats where a storm was raging.

And at the center of that eye of the storm of murderous intent, Professor Noel, who was seated between them, forced herself to ignore her hand that felt as if it might tremble and adjusted her glasses.

‘Ugh... Should I say I need the restroom and bolt?’

Professor Noel was among the best Holy Magic Department Professors at Saengterminum when it came to theoretical understanding and explanation of Holy Magic. 

Because of that, when the three Professors in charge with the greatest influence in the Magic Department invited her, she had gladly accepted.

But if she had known that the two Professors seated on either side of her had also accepted the invitation with her, she would never have come.

No matter how she thought about it, was this not too cruel a treatment for her?

Professor Noel rolled her eyes left and right.

Glance.

Sitting to her right was the Grade 1 Black Mage ‘Dave Boris.’

Glance.

Sitting to her left was the Grade 1 former Inquisitor ‘McDowell Bacchus.’

...Professor Noel desperately wanted to appeal to anyone, anyone at all, to please switch seats with her.

“How amusing. To think an old man of the Royal Lords would sit this close. Thanks to that, I can see your wrinkles better.”

“Hohoho, surely they cannot compare to someone with scars on his face.”

Aaaagh......!

At the subtle war of nerves between the two Professors with Grade 1 Licenses pecking away from both sides, Professor Noel screamed inwardly.

A seat of thorns would be better than this.

“Hoho, perhaps because this is Saengterminum, the students are full of passion. Professor Noel, did you not hear about what happened yesterday too?”

“Ah, yes. If you mean what happened yesterday......”

If it was something that had spread among the Professors yesterday, there was only one thing it could be.

Professor Noel sighed with a complicated expression.

“You mean the wager Damon and Elysia made with each other, yes?”