by Yuu Miyazaki
Helga Lindwall, for example, was known for her beauty just as much as her overwhelming skills, and Orphelia Landlufen had a sinister character that struck fear in the hearts of all those who watched.
And Team Lancelot, two-time champions of the Gryps, were known for their great nobility. Or at least, that was what Laetitia Blanchard thought.
No matter who they were facing, the Silverwinged Knights never underestimated their opponents, never jumped at petty illusions, and always reached the path of victory through strength and strength alone.
“Haaaah!”
Ernest Fairclough, the very symbol of those ideals, was at that very moment engaged in battle in the center of the stage.
He swung the Lei-Glems in a wide arc, the silver blade leaving a long, pale afterglow in its wake.
His opponent tried to defend himself with his own sword-type Lux, and though he twisted his body around as quickly as he could, he was still too slow.
The Lei-Glems passed straight through him as if carving through thin air.
His school crest, however, split in half.
“It’s only been a few seconds, but the Runesword has already claimed its first victim! But shouldn’t Fairclough’s opponent have known about this ability, Shizuna?”
“Even knowing about it, in the thick of combat, your body will react according to instinct. Moreover, Fairclough is Asterisk’s strongest swordsman. There would be very few people with the ability to defend themselves against that in their first match against him.”
“Well now! The Lei-Glems really is impressive—being able to cut through only what its user desires! And that user, Pendragon, is beyond extraordinary!”
Laetitia, only half listening to the live commentary that echoed throughout the arena, focused her prana.
Mana gathered behind her, and two pairs of brilliant white wings burst from her back, easily more than twenty yards in width.
They were the Ailes d’Ange, the namesake of the Witch of Shining Wings.
The huge, diamond-shaped wings carved through the air, straight into the center of the stage, shielding Ernest from an oncoming barrage of bullets fired by the opposing team’s rearguard.
Lionel Karsch, alias Rhongomiant, took advantage of that opportunity to launch a surprise attack from the opposing team’s left flank, breaking straight into their formation. With his towering pole-arm-shaped Lux, more than twice his own height in length, he took down both members of their rearguard in one fell swoop.
The purpose of the attack wasn’t to bring the team down so much as it was to throw it into confusion.
“Agh…?!”
As soon as their barrage ceased, Ernest leaped out, cleanly slicing through the school crests of both members of the other team’s vanguard in a single strike. He was so fast that the term lightning speed was for once no mere exaggeration.
And then—
“A halo of mercy and atonement I give to thee!” Percival called out solemnly, one hand raised to the sky, as Kevin Holst, alias Gareth, shielded Ernest from attack.
A huge chalice-shaped Orga Lux was floating on a slight angle above her. Something that looked like a thorn rose above it, its tip emanating a golden light. It grew brighter with every passing moment, with light filling the chalice, until finally it became a torrent, spilling out with tremendous force.
“Ah—!”
The golden light swallowed both members of the opposing team’s rearguard, striking them like the wrath of an angry deity.
When finally the golden glow dissipated, they both lay flat on the ground unmoving, though they appeared to be physically unharmed.
Percival’s Amalthean Goat, the Horn of Atonement, was, like the Lei-Glems, a school-owned Orga Lux. Its ability was known as soul removal. The light emitted by it was capable of rendering an opponent completely unconscious while leaving no physical injury.
“End of battle! Winners: Team Lancelot!”
With the opposing team leader down, the automated voice announced the end of the match.
It probably hadn’t lasted even three minutes.
“Th-that’s it! But what strength! What strength Team Lancelot has! Those are our defending champions for you, folks!”
No matter their opponent, Team Lancelot would always face them with respect. They never hid their cards. Their opponents could research them as much as they liked, could try to devise whatever countermeasures they saw fit. None of that mattered. Team Lancelot would rise to meet them.
It was that, more than anything, that made them the reigning champions of the Gryps.
CHAPTER 5
DILAPIDATED RUINS
It was the seventh day of the Gryps at the Sirius Dome.
Team Enfield had just passed safely through the third round, making it into the main tournament.
“Phew… It’s going well so far,” Julis said upon returning to the prep room, flashing them a tired yet satisfied smile.
“Indeed, and we’re all in good condition, too. Let’s keep it up.” Claudia seemed to be relieved as well.
Galaxy was still showing no sign of activity, and Ayato had begun to wonder whether Claudia’s worries weren’t misplaced.
Or maybe…the interview after the first match really did achieve something…
At the very least, they should have been happy that everything was proceeding without incident.
“But it looks like the other favorites have all made it through as well,” Kirin said uneasily as she scrolled through an air-window displaying the results of the preliminaries.
There were still several matches yet to take place, and the teams that would enter into the main tournament hadn’t all been decided. The favorites, including the Silverwinged Knights and Team Yellow Dragon, however, had all managed to proceed without any hiccups.
“We’ll need a good strategy, no matter who we go up against…”
With the exception of Team Lancelot, the favorites had each been able to win their respective matches without having to show off their true strength, and so the only data that they had to plan with came from their members’ various individual matches over time.
“Well, we still don’t know who we’ll be facing next, so why don’t we discuss it again tomorrow once the new brackets have been drawn up?” Claudia asked. “I’ll need to attend the event myself, but you can all take some time off to relax.”
Just like in the Phoenix, there were no matches on the eighth day of the tournament, both so the contestants would have a chance to take a break and so the brackets for the main tournament could be decided.
“…Ayato.” Saya pulled at his sleeve softly. “Can you take me shopping on the way back?”
“Shopping? I guess so… What do you want to buy? Given how busy the city was last year, I think we’d better make it quick.”
The commercial area had been incredibly crowded during the Phoenix.
And with Saya’s total lack of direction, things would only be more difficult for them.
“…I want to finish one of my Luxes tomorrow. I still need some more parts.”
Her work finally seemed close to completion. Ayato had been quite worried about her over the past few days, as she seemed to be cutting into her sleep to work on them, but he felt as if he could finally breathe a sigh of relief now that the end was in sight.
“I see. I guess we should go buy what you need, then.”
“It’s this store here,” Saya said, bringing up a map on her mobile.
“Hmm… It looks like it’s close to the redevelopment area. That probably means there won’t be many tourists around, but you know what it’s like around there. We’d better go before it gets dark.”
Saya nodded happily. “All right.” She started pushing Ayato from behind. “Let’s go.”
“S-Saya…?”
Both Julis and Kirin looked like they wanted to say something, but they merely let out long, resigned sighs.
“Take care, you two,” Claudia called out as she watched them leave.<
br />
“Thanks for your business,” the stern-faced shopkeeper said as they left.
He seemed to specialize in secondhand gun-type Luxes and spare parts. When it came to the latter, Ayato had no idea what they were supposed to be used for, but Saya’s face had shone with glee upon setting eyes on them.
“…Yep, these will be good. I should be able to wrap things up now.” Saya, holding the bag of parts in her arms like a small child, was smiling with joy.
They had both put on nondescript hats to try to disguise themselves. That might not have been necessary were it not the middle of the Festa, but they couldn’t help that, and so they’d had to take precautions.
“That place has all kinds of stuff. It was worth coming.”
“Have you gone there before?” Ayato asked.
Saya nodded. “Once, last year, to get my dad a birthday present.”
“…Don’t tell me you came by yourself?”
Saya had absolutely no sense of direction, after all. Ayato doubted whether she would have been able to make it there by herself even with a map and navigation system.
“Kirin came with me.”
“Ah, I see… Wait, then why didn’t you ask her to come today…?”
“Hmph…” Saya puffed out her cheeks. “You still don’t understand how girls feel.”
“S-sorry…”
“We haven’t been out together since we were kids.”
Now that she mentioned it, it had been a long time since they had gone shopping together.
“Ah… It feels a bit different, though.”
Thinking about his childhood, he realized he’d spent almost every single day with her. That wasn’t just because they had lived next door to each other; her difficulty with directions had been apparent even then, and so he had often been asked by her parents to help look after her.
And in exchange, Ayato, who had been barred from attending the dojo by his father, had had someone to practice sparring with.
Saya nodded nostalgically as they reminisced over their childhood.
“Right. I told you I was more comfortable with a gun, but you insisted I use a sword.”
“Ah, ha-ha… But you’ve ended up besting me now. Your winning percentage has shot right up since then.”
Back then, Ayato had taught her the basics of the Amagiri Shinmei style so they could practice together. She had taken it in quickly, and on top of that, she’d incorporated it all into her own individual fighting style. She now used close-range fighting techniques to support her shooting and, as a result, had been able to increase the breadth of her offensive abilities.
They had engaged in countless bouts against each other, but Ayato had won more often than not. Now that he thought about it, that was when they had started to really get serious with their wish-coupon system.
“You should have joined the dojo officially. You were certainly skilled enough, and given where you are now, you could even learn the hidden—” Ayato, sensing a strange presence, paused there.
That’s…
Someone was watching them—but no sooner had he sensed it than it disappeared.
“What is it?”
“No, it’s nothing. Let’s go.” Despite his words, he signaled to her with his eyes.
That alone was enough for her to take in the situation.
They kept on walking, and they felt it again, albeit only faintly.
“…Are they targeting us?”
“They’re certainly tailing us.”
“…The people Enfield mentioned?”
Saya seemed to be suspecting Galaxy. It wasn’t unlike what he had felt in Lieseltania with Gustave Malraux.
However—
“It might be… But I doubt it.”
“Why?”
“This feeling… I’ve felt it before.”
It didn’t feel particularly dangerous.
If anything, it was more similar to when he and Sylvia had been followed during the school fair.
“What do we do?”
“Hmm…”
Probably because they were so close to the redevelopment area, there were far fewer people around than in the center of the commercial area. It certainly wasn’t deserted, but there were no crowds to blend into.
Last time, he and Sylvia had split up, but with Saya, that wasn’t an option. If anything, that would only make the situation worse.
In that case…
“We should just confront them.”
“Huh?”
Before Ayato had a chance to think, Saya came to a sudden stop, turning to look behind them, and took a deep breath before shouting, “You, over there! Come out!”
“S-Saya?!”
She had called attention to them. Passersby in every direction stopped what they were doing, glancing toward them.
“Damn, they noticed!”
“Retreat! Retreat!”
They could hear a flurry of panicked voiced from behind a nearby building and, after a brief moment, footsteps running down an alleyway.
“…Ayato. We’re going after them.”
“What? G-going after them…? Saya, wait!”
He couldn’t deny that he wanted to know who they were, but chasing after them here was too risky.
There was every possibility it was a trap, and even if it wasn’t, they couldn’t afford to make a scene. The consequences for causing trouble during the Festa were severe, particularly for participants.
Moreover, they had already had a match that day, and Ayato had already released his seal. It might not have been for a long period of time, but he couldn’t afford to overdo it with more matches coming up.
And yet, he couldn’t let Saya go off on her own.
“Saya!” he called out, chasing after her.
Still running ahead of him, she turned her head for a split second. “Ayato! They’re really fast!”
If it had been a sprint, Saya would no doubt have beat them easily, but the alley was filled with obstacles and turns. Moreover, whoever had been following them must have already been familiar with the route, as they were moving down it without any difficulty.
This reminds me of what happened during the Phoenix last year…
Although back then, it was he, along with Priscilla, who’d been chased.
Before they knew it, they found themselves surrounded by row upon row of abandoned buildings. The streets were empty. They must have reached the redevelopment area.
Every now and then, they would catch a brief glimpse of their erstwhile pursuers and then lose sight of them once more, until finally the alleyway opened up into a wider space.
“…Hmm.” Saya, still ahead of Ayato, slowed her speed so he could catch up.
The building before them looked like it had collapsed, blocking the way forward.
In front of it, a group of what appeared to be five young girls stood facing them.
They were hiding their faces with large-rimmed sunglasses, but their uniforms and school crests—as long as they weren’t fake—belonged to Queenvale.
Which means…
“Heh-heh-heh…” The girl in the center of the group, who looked to be their leader, flashed them a dauntless grin. “Looks like we got lost.”
At that, the four other girls all collapsed to the ground.
“Ah… I knew it…”
“…Of course.”
“We should have been fine with you in charge…”
“Aw, come on, Miluše!”
Ayato didn’t really know what was going on, but they didn’t seem to be particularly dangerous.
Or at the very least, he didn’t sense any hostility.
“Um, and you are…?” Ayato asked cautiously.
With that, the five girls huddled together, deep in discussion.
“What do we do…?”
“Now that it’s come to this…”
“The chairwoman’s gonna be mad…”
“We’d be better off…”
“Honestly…”
Ayato and Saya must have waited for close to five minutes, catching only incomplete snippets of conversation.
“Ahem!”
Having finished their discussion, the one who looked like the group’s leader cleared her throat and slowly took off her sunglasses, followed a moment later by the other four.
Ayato let out a deep sigh. “…Just like I thought. Team Rusalka.”
Perhaps Saya had expected as much herself, as she merely snorted in disappointment.
“H-huh? You aren’t surprised…?” The pony-tailed girl—Miluše—blinked in confusion.
The first thing that came to mind for anyone who encountered a five-girl group from Queenvale in the middle of the Gryps would no doubt be Rusalka. Moreover, in height and build, the five girls were almost identical to what he had suspected based on their data, so their disguises did little to hide their true identities. It was almost blindingly obvious.
“…So you were scouting us out?” Saya demanded softly, glaring at them.
Spying on one’s opponents to try to work out their weaknesses wasn’t against the rules, per se, but Ayato had never heard of a team doing it themselves. Generally, such activities were left to the various schools, both in order to prevent any incidents and so contestants could focus on other matters.
Miluše, however, looked back at them blankly before shaking her head. “Scouting? We weren’t scouting…”
“Huh?”
“Huh?”
An uncomfortable silence settled around them.
“Argh, you idiot, Miluše! If that’s what they thought, you should have just agreed with them!” the smallest of the group—Monica—rebuked her.
“Ah…” Miluše looked embarrassed for a moment but quickly regained her composure. “I-it’s fine! Now that we’re here, we might as well go all out!” She took a step forward, pointing a finger toward him. “Ayato Amagiri! Tell us, what’s your relationship with Sylvia Lyyneheym?!”
“Wha—?!” Ayato found himself shrinking back.
“Oh-ho… I want to hear, too.” Saya turned her glaring eyes toward him.
“Wh-what kind of relationship do we have…? I mean, what does that have to do with you?”
“Th-that’s…none of your business!”
It wasn’t a particularly good justification, but if that was all they were willing to say, then he had no reason to explain himself, either.
