The competition field was immense.

  It had everything—a dense forest section, a sizeable lake, some hills, and even small mountains visible in the distance. The terrain variety was staggering, clearly the result of years of magical construction and maintenance to simulate every possible combat environment.

  The spectators would apparently watch from an auditorium inside the academy itself, leaving the actual field completely empty except for the two competing teams. I wondered what sort of magic they would use to view the competition.

  The emptiness of the landscape felt less like privacy and more like isolation, as if we were specimens in a vast experiment.

  A guard led me to my team's starting position: a castle. Though calling it a castle felt generous.

  It was more like an oversized house. It had just two floors with enough space to be comfortable for maybe twenty people, but nothing like the fortifications the word "castle" usually implied. The stone was clean, new-looking, without the grit or moss of age. The few narrow windows were more for light than for defense. A single, vulnerable-looking wooden door served as the entrance.

  Most of the team had already arrived when I entered, gathered in what looked like a main hall with high ceilings and several windows.

  Aurora stood near the center of the room, pacing slowly. She wore light armor that looked both functional and elegant, silvery-white to match her hair. A sheathed sword hung at her side, and her perfectly white uniform was visible beneath the armor. Her expression was composed, serious, almost mask-like in its neutrality.

  I spotted Nico in the corner, leaning against the wall in complete black clothing, a black mask covering his mouth and nose. If I hadn't been looking for him specifically, I might have missed him entirely. He gave no acknowledgement when I glanced his way.

  Most of the other students wore different gear from their usual academy uniforms, mostly practical clothing, light armor, enchanted accessories. It made me feel distinctly out of place in my standard gray unranked uniform, though I noticed a few other first-years who apparently hadn't gotten the memo either.

  After a few minutes, everyone except Erick had arrived. Aurora seemed to decide she'd waited long enough and stepped forward to address us.

  "Thank you all for coming." Her voice was polite but carried conviction, like she'd rehearsed this speech. "I hope I can honor the expectations you might have."

  She spoke to the room at large, not making eye contact with anyone, her gaze fixed somewhere past us on the far wall.

  "The only things I'll ask you to do are stay safe and don't lose hope. Our opposing team is strong, but there is no battle that can't be won when you're a mage."

  The words were resolute, confident. Then she looked toward another A-rank student at the side—a girl with bright pink hair tied in a short ponytail, her platinum uniform decorated with numerous handmade accessories and colorful details that somehow worked together.

  The girl rose with an energetic smile that completely contrasted Aurora's reserved demeanor.

  "Kaaay! Now that you've met our fearless leader, let's do some introductions and get organized!" Her voice was warm and friendly, the kind that immediately put people at ease. "I'm a third-year, my name is Mira, and I specialize in defensive magic. Barriers, shields, protective enchantments, that's my thing!"

  She started moving around the room with infectious enthusiasm, having each person introduce themselves.

  I tried to avoid eye contact, hoping she'd call on me last. It didn't work.

  She went around methodically, and each person shared their name, year, and specialty. Some were confident, others nervous. A few B-ranks mentioned combat experience. One C-rank admitted he was "still figuring things out" which got sympathetic nods.

  When Mira reached me, I had to improvise.

  "I'm Kai." I paused, buying time. "First-year. Still... trying to find out what I'm good at."

  Mira's smile didn't falter even slightly. "Don't worry about it! We'll find something perfect for you to do. That's what teamwork's all about, right?" She gave me an encouraging pat on the shoulder before moving to the next person.

  Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

  When the introductions finished, she politely excused herself and returned to her seat. The room settled into quiet conversations and nervous energy.

  With nothing else to do and not wanting to waste mana on training, I found a spot by one of the windows and sat down, watching the entrance. Erick still hadn't shown up. Was he going to be late to the actual competition?

  To my surprise, Mira came over and plopped down across from me with that same bright smile.

  "Hey Kai! Mind if I sit here? The pre-competition jitters are real and I can't just sit still, you know?"

  "Uh, sure. Go ahead."

  "Thanks!" She settled in, looking genuinely relaxed despite claiming to be nervous. "So, first big competition, huh? How're you feeling?"

  "Honestly? Terrified," I admitted.

  "That's totally normal! I puked before my first one. Not my finest moment." She laughed easily. "But you'll do great. The fact that you're here means you've got something going for you."

  “I hope I do”

  “I mean, everyone knows about your bet with the prince, you must be really nervous, but don’t worry, we are surely going to win” She gave me a reassuring smile, that made it all not seem so hopeless.

  There was a brief pause, where I just processed what she said. Apparently even my bet was no secret to everyone.

  Then, she leaned in slightly, her tone shifting to something more curious but still friendly.

  "Soooo... I gotta ask, and feel free to tell me to mind my own business, but what's your deal exactly? The whole 'unranked but beat Mary' thing has everyone super curious."

  "I..." I hesitated.

  "I know, I know, secret mysterious power, can't talk about it." She waved her hand dismissively but smiled. "Aurora probably wanted to ask you herself but she's way too shy about that kind of thing. She's like, aggressively non-confrontational about personal stuff."

  "Aurora is shy?" That seemed at odds with her S-rank status and commanding presence.

  "Oh totally! She's amazing in combat and super confident about magic, but talking to people about anything personal? Forget it." Mira grinned conspiratorially. "That's why we third-year A-ranks kind of adopted her. Someone's gotta look out for the socially-awkward prodigy, right?"

  "So you all just... decided to join her team?"

  "Pretty much! We've had classes with her for years. She doesn't let anyone get close, exactly, but she's helped all of us at some point." Mira's expression softened with genuine fondness. "Aurora sees someone struggling and she just... helps. No expectations, no wanting anything in return. So when she ends up in a competition against the Prince? Yeah, we're gonna have her back."

  "Aren't you worried about making the Prince mad?"

  "Eh." Mira shrugged. "He can be intimidating, sure. But Aurora's done way more for me than he ever will. I can't exactly abandon her because some guy with a crown might give me the stink-eye, you know?"

  I found myself smiling at that. "That's... actually really cool of you."

  "We try!" She glanced around the room. "Most of the first-years here got assigned because they didn't pick a team, but the A-ranks? We chose this. We know what Aurora's capable of when she actually tries."

  I looked around the room, there was a handful of A-ranks, and truly all of them seemed to be more serious about the competition. While the other students wavered between determination and nervousness, the A-ranks just showed focus and conviction.

  Before I could respond, the door opened.

  Erick strolled in exactly one minute before the scheduled start time, looking like he'd just rolled out of bed. He wore his normal modified uniform, hair slightly more disheveled than usual, no special gear whatsoever.

  "Hello Erick!" Mira's smile brightened, her posture straightened slightly. "You made it! And with time to spare!"

  Calling it "time to spare" was generous, but I noticed the genuine pleasure in her voice.

  "Yo," Erick said, giving her a casual wave of acknowledgement before scanning the room with his usual indifferent expression. "This place is tiny. Can barely fit everyone." He spotted an empty corner and walked over, dropping down to lie on the floor like he was taking a nap.

  Mira watched him settle in with an expression that was fond despite the exasperation. "Classic Erick," she muttered, then caught herself and cleared her throat. "Anyway! Looks like we're all here. Good luck out there, Kai. Stick close to the group and you'll be fine."

  She returned to her spot near Aurora, and I noticed her glance toward Erick's corner once before focusing forward.

  At the exact starting time, there was a shimmer of magic near the entrance. Stacks of parchment appeared on a nearby table—one note for each team member, materializing out of thin air.

  The room went silent.

  Everyone seemed to hold their breath, waiting for Aurora to take hers first. She stepped forward with measured grace, picked up the top parchment, and began reading.

  After about a minute that felt more like an hour, her eyes left the parchment and rested on the group.

  “We have half an hour for preparations.” She said simply, and walked towards the entrance, while everyone rushed to get theirs to read the rules.

  Erick was still lying down in his corner, but Mira made sure to grab his copy and deliver it to him personally. He took it without sitting up.

  I went towards the table, now with only one parchment remaining, and picked the parchment up, ready to read the rules. Behind me, Aurora was already giving instructions and assigning roles to the students.

  The competition was about to begin, and the reactions in the room made it clear that it would be way more complicated than everyone expected.