600 points, Cadmus ruminated, that was what was at stake here.

Well, 200 of those 600 points had already been earned due to him passing the qualifier rounds, but the remaining 400 were far more important. When Professor Mackenzie had first announced that the winner of this tournament would earn 600 points, for a split second, Cadmus had been disappointed.

600 sounded far too little in relation to his 1,832 points. However, then sense had kicked in, and he quickly realized that him earning a majority of those points in one go had been a huge anomaly. He had been uniquely underestimated while also simultaneously being overestimated, and had taken full advantage of that fact. Such a trick would never work again.

This helping of 600 points was beyond important; nothing proved this fact more than Rex Optime himself. At the start of this school year, Rex Optime had possessed 3,021 points. Assuming he won the Twin Peaks Magical Tournament every year in his three years as an Academy student, that would mean he had earned 1800 points from just a single event once every year—that was more than half his total points!

Adding on top of that, who knew how many more events the Academy would offer throughout the year. Combining all those events and this tournament, it may even be possible to reach Rex Optime’s number of points through just that.

Cadmus felt his focus sharpen with the whittle of determination. He had to win. These 600 points were not something he could afford to lose.

Ardea Regis, Arthur Pendragon, and Cadmus Guiles VS. Gale Holland, Shin Ito, and Mark Tempor

Once the final match-up of the Twin Peaks Magical Tournament had been announced, the two teams were led into separate rooms under the Coliseum stands. The room Cadmus and his team had been given was bare but luxurious, and he imagined it was the same for the other team as well. The couches, chairs, and fine wooden table in the centre offered comfort, but conveyed the intention that this was only a room for utility well. There were also staff members waiting right outside the room, in case any of them wanted for something.

They had been told to wait here and plan while several entertainment shows were performed outside, and from here, they could hear the muffled cheering and singing from the crowd above them. Apparently, there were multiple reasons for delaying the final battle, but one of the most important of them was to allow all the contestants to recover some of their mana. The entertainment displays were packed so they would be given more than enough to at least recover enough mana to put up a decent fight.

“This is rather convenient,” Ardea said, taking charge the instant they took their seats, as though it were only natural for her to do so, “We have been pitted against opponents of similar make. I will fight Gale Holland, their strongest mage; Pendragon, you will fight Ito Shin, a swordsman comparable to yourself; and Guiles, you will fight Mark Tempor, a mage known for his innovation and research.”

Arthur nodded, seeming almost relieved, “They do fit us rather well, don’t they?” His lips stretched into a hollow smile, “As long as one of us wins our battle, we can go help out the others and win the match itself.”

“Our opponents are decided then,” Ardea said, “Now—”

Cadmus raised his hand, “I disagree.”

Ardea’s eyes narrowed menacingly, “…What?”

“I believe Arthur should fight Holland,” Cadmus said, “And I believe that you should face Ito.”

Arthur leapt to his feet, “What? There’s no reason for me to face Holland! As a swordsman, it is far more fitting for me to face Ito—against Holland I would simply be at a disadvantage!”

Cadmus and Ardea both stared at Arthur’s reaction, which was so unlike him. Arthur seemed to notice, because he coughed embarrassedly and sank back into his seat.

“It’s just… I don’t understand why you would wish to avoid the perfect match-ups right in front of us.”

“Is it perfect though?” Cadmus asked, “I think what you said was wrong: it’s in fact Holland who would be at a disadvantage against you. We all witnessed your battle against Elis Holland, and we all saw how your Caliburn managed to overcome even the Raijuu’s Strike. Your defense against that spell surpasses even Lancelot’s; you are the obvious choice to face him.”

“I… but that was… faulty—”

“Yes, it was, but I have seen the Raijuu’s Strike many times, and the power behind the spell seemed to be the same,” Cadmus said, “What Elis mishandled was most likely the size to mana ratio. He may have put in too much mana, and that’s why the spell jumped beyond his control.”

“That is true…” Ardea hummed, “The power behind the spell looked no different to me than when Connor or Gale Holland used it. It seems likely that Caliburn would be able to defend against a correctly utilized Raijuu’s Strike just as well as Elis’ faulty one. And even if the power output is somehow different, Caliburn did not struggle in the least defending against the faulty Raijuu’s Strike, so it should have no trouble defending against a slightly stronger one.”

“You would have an advantage with your swordsmanship skills as well,” Cadmus said, “Gale Holland used another spell in tandem with the Raijuu’s Strike to defeat Lancelot; he called it Thunder Edge. But it was clear to even me that Lancelot was the far better swordsman. You should be skilled enough with the blade to combat Thunder Edge’s speed-enhancing capabilities as well. And now that you’ve seen it in action, you also know its final trick, so you won’t be caught off guard like Lancelot.”

“It certainly makes sense,” Ardea said thoughtfully, “Your abilities and equipment are a valid counter to Holland. It may even be that the lightning defense circle on your Caliburn can dispel Thunder Edge. At the very least, it will serve as a far superior defense to the Raijuu’s Strike than Du Lac’s Redirection.”

“Furthermore, I believe Ardea holds a clear advantage against Ito,” Cadmus said, “As you said, Ardea, he’s a swordsman. In every battle of his that we’ve seen, he has had to get close to his enemy to defeat them. The only long-range spell he seems to have is that weak cutting spell on his Kazekiri. With your instantaneous magic circle creation, you should easily be able to keep him at bay and stop him from utilizing his key strengths.”

“Ito Shin is skilled,” Ardea said, “Even though I may be able to stop him from engaging me at close range, it will take time to defeat him. But it is true that my abilities are far more suited to defeat him than Gale Holland.”

Arthur banged his fist against the table, “Enough! These are all simply assumptions and rationalizations! We must stick to what clearly makes sense! I, as a swordsman, am suited to fight Ito Shin; and as our most powerful mage, you must defeat Gale Holland, Ardea!”

The air seemed to still, and Ardea levelled a heavy glare at Arthur.

“I have excused your strange behaviour for some time now, but you would dare to command me?”

“We must win, Regis,” Arthur said, “And to do so, we must do what is necessary, what makes sense; not entertain thoughts of experimental strategies. Cadmus may be able to take such risks, but neither of us can afford to lose.”

Cadmus tilted his head curiously, “What makes you think I can afford to lose?”

Arthur shook his head, “I know you want to win and gain enough points to access the research materials you need to revive your sister. However, you can still earn those points later. It’s different for us: if we lose, the political ramifications for our respective nations have the potential to be enormous.”

“If that’s what you think, you’ve misunderstood,” Cadmus said, “The amount of points offered in this tournament is not something I can afford to lose—it will comprise a huge portion of my overall points. If I lose, I may never be able to achieve first place. Besides, if I start thinking that I can give up certain opportunities because I can earn points later, I will never actually be able to earn those points.”

Arthur looked a little taken aback, “In… in that case, it’s best if we follow the most sensible plan at hand. With that, we can earn the victory that you so desperately need as well.”

Cadmus nodded, “I agree, that’s why I suggested you face Gale Holland. Everything we have seen indicates that we will have a better chance of winning if you do.”

His words seemed to anger Arthur, and he glared at him, “You seem keen on having me face Holland, Guiles. How would you like to face him instead?”

Cadmus blinked confusedly, “But that wouldn’t make sense. My abilities don’t counter Holland as well as yours.”

Strangely enough, that explanation only seemed to annoy Arthur further.

“Just—stop! Let’s just all face the people we clearly should! Please! Ardea, there are none in our age group who can defeat you, which means you can defeat Gale Holland! I will fight Ito Shin, and once you’re done with Holland, you can come help me and Guiles out.”

And, it was only now, under the weight of Arthur’s insistence did Cadmus get the full picture. He could tell that ever since Lancelot’s loss, Arthur had been far more worried about the outcome of the tournament than before—Arthur had explained the importance of his victory before the tournament had even started after all—however, now Cadmus understood that it was a little more specific than that.

Arthur was not just afraid of losing, he was afraid of losing to Gale Holland.

Gale had managed to defeat someone Arthur had had utter faith in, and to make matters worse, he wasn’t he even among the list of people it was acceptable for Arthur to lose to. Arthur believed if he faced Gale, he would undoubtedly lose; that was why he wished to face Ito Shin instead, even though everything they had seen indicated that it was in fact Arthur who held the advantage over Gale.

“It seems we have no choice,” Ardea said, “If Pendragon refuses to fight Holland, then there is nothing we can do. No matter, I don’t mind defeating Holland myself; Ito and Holland are both powerful opponents who I would be glad to face.”

Cadmus shrugged, “Alright then. But… the Golden Prince of Victory, was it…?”

Arthur remained silent.

“I wonder what that victory is worth, if this is how you’ve achieved it all this time?”

The next hour passed quickly, with talks of strategy swirling throughout the room. However, Arthur could barely focus, Cadmus’ judgement ringing louder in his ears than the words being spoken right in front of him.

“The Raijuu’s Strike’s aim is precise, Ardea, it will only strike where the circle is pointed when it’s first activated, so use that to determine where the attack will land. The swing is an obfuscation of sorts, to hide when the circle is activated so that the enemy doesn’t realize where the target has been set. Lancelot realized this quickly, which was why he was able to redirect them away so well.”

‘I wonder what that victory is worth…’

It hadn’t even been an actual judgement. There had been no bitterness, no condemnation in Cadmus’ voice back then, only curiosity.

“Mark Tempor is trained in the art of swordsmanship, Guiles, at least to an adequate degree. Combined with his Time Acceleration and Time Dilation spells, he will make for a dangerous foe.”

‘…If this is how you’ve achieved it all this time?’

This was not how he had achieved victory all this time. His victory, the one that had earned him this title, had been a battle against desperate odds, and only Merlin and Caliburn’s support had allowed him to barely come out on top.

He had been thirteen at the time. Ever since then though…

“Time Dilation’s range is great, so our battle may end up interfering with yours or Arthur’s. Watch out for that.”

But there had been no choice, it had been that very desperate victory which had sealed his reputation as the strongest youth in Avalon (Lancelot had only burst onto the scene later, and even still there was a large amount of ambiguity there), if he lost… if he showed even an iota of weakness…

Avalon would not be able to bear that hit in reputation. Arthur Pendragon was the strongest youth of Avalon: he could not be allowed to lose.

‘I wonder what that victory is worth…’

But… if this was how he achieved victory, by avoiding powerful opponents… then did that victory even mean anything? Wasn’t he just like Morgana—?

“PENDRAGON!”

Arthur flinched, and looked up to find himself being stared down by an enraged Ardea. She almost looked as though she was only just holding herself back from burning him into ashes here and now.

“If you don’t wish to participate in this battle, then leave! We don’t need an unreliable teammate who can’t even pay attention to where he is and what he should be doing! I would rather face two powerful mages knowing that they are people I must worry about instead of trusting my back to someone who will not properly protect it!”

Arthur resisted the urge to wince and nodded his head, “I apologize… I—”

The door to the room opened, and a member of the Academy staff poke his head in.

“Please, follow me. It’s time.”

The three stood and followed the staff member. As they walked Arthur tried to pull his focus together, Ito Shin seemed to be a powerful warrior as well, and nothing but his best would do.

Cadmus leaned in and lowered his voice, “Arthur, we were saying that—”

His narrow green eyes met Arthur’s, and words seemed to blur together.

‘I wonder what that victory is worth—"

“—You should hold the same advantage as Ardea over Ito Shin. With Caliburn you can keep him locked in long-range combat, which he seems to be weak at.”

“—If this is how you’ve achieved it all this time?’

Arthur nodded vaguely, “I understand.”

They came to a stop in front of a set of doors, and from here they could clearly hear the enthusiastic voice of the announcer carry over the noise of the crowd.

“Ready?” The staff member asked.

“Yes,” Ardea said shortly, looking as though she was still fuming.

The doors opened, and the sun’s bright light beat down upon them as they emerged onto the battlefield. There were two massive banners hanging from the edges of the stands, the size of them literally dividing the stands into two halves of blue and red.

The banner behind them read: ‘Ever Forward, Ever Upward!’, in large, bold letters. From across the battlefield, Arthur saw Gale Holland, Ito Shin, and Mark Tempor emerge from a doorway as well, and the banner behind them read: ‘Let Your Yesterdays Pave The Path To Tomorrow!’ in similarly bold letters.

“And here they are, here they are!” The announcer said, “The final contestants of the Twin Peaks Magical Tournament! On one side we have Ardea Regis, the Dragon Princess; Arthur Pendragon, the Golden Prince of Victory; and Cadmus Guiles, the Necromancer! They are the greatest warriors that the first years of the Laurucian Academy of Magic has to offer, and we’ll finally get to see them battle together!

“And of course, on the other side we have Gale Holland, Shin Ito, and Mark Tempor! Carmenia isn’t big on titles, but as we have seen, title or no, these three have more than enough skill to stand against those who do! The Carmenian Institute of Sorcery must be supremely proud to have students of their caliber! Who knows what kind of a team they’ll make?”

Both teams were led onto the stone battlefield in the middle of the field, and were placed on the opposite ends as usual. The other team must have been thinking the same thing as them because Gale Holland stood in the centre, opposite of Ardea, and in the flanks, Ito Shin stood opposite of Arthur, and Mark Tempor stood opposite of Cadmus.

“And here we are at last!” The announcer said, “The final battle! Which team will come out on top? Which school of magic will be named the best in the first-year division? Which mages will finally grab hold of that coveted victory! Let’s watch and find out!”

The referee stepped forward as the arena-wide shield was being set up behind him.

“Okay, since this is a team battle, the rules are a little different. I will be watching all six of you, and whoever I declare defeated will be forced to step away from the battlefield. The winning team will be the one that has at least one member remaining on the battlefield by the end. This also means that if you’re declared defeated, but your team still wins because of your teammates’ efforts, you too will win. Any questions?”

Seeing no one ask any, Ardea said after a moment, “None.”

The referee nodded, “Good. Fight to win with whatever skills and tools you have—this is the final spurt.” He stepped away, and raised his arm, “Ready yourselves!”

Arthur took his stance, watching as Shin did the same opposite of him. The noise from the crowd, the cool wind blessed by autumn’s chill, and the shine of the sun above all did a wonderful job of helping him drag his focus where it belonged.

But Cadmus’ words lingered still, like a stubborn taint.

‘I wonder—’

“AND—BEGIN!”

Disoriented, Arthur took a moment to unsheathe his sword and saw that Shin was already charging at him with his blade bared. Instinctively, he fired off a few quick Fireballs with Caliburn to stop Shin in his tracks, but Shin easily danced past them as any skilled swordsman was wont to do.

Explosions of flame began raining down on Arthur’s right, it was, he saw from the corner of his eye, Ardea beginning her assault on the nimble Gale Holland. Behind her, he saw Cadmus and Mark Tempor merely staring each other down.

Back to his own battle, Shin approached ever closer with a swiftness Arthur had rarely ever seen. However, Caliburn’s powers were not something that could so easily be avoided. Increasing his mana output, Arthur launched another volley of Fireballs. However, not only were these far larger and faster, but they were also accompanied by a helping Rock Spikes.

With this, for the first time, Shin was stymied. He backpedalled slightly to give himself space to dodge, and as he did so, he experimentally fired a Wind Blade at one of the Fireballs. As expected, it splashed pathetically against it and vanished.

Frowning, Shin finished dodging the last of Arthur’s attack and resumed his charge. Once again, Arthur raised his blade for the next volley. As Cadmus had said, if he could keep Shin at a distance, he wouldn’t even have to contend with his skillful swordplay.

‘I wonder what that victory is worth—’

SHUT UP!

A flame of defiance burned in Arthur’s chest and boiled his blood. He shifted his blade into a stance of close-ranged combat and allowed Shin to approach. He would prove it here and now, the worth of his victory—one achieved without unfair advantages or anything else!

Shin’s eyes narrowed in confusion, but he closed in nonetheless. Kazekiri flashed, and Caliburn rose to meet it.