Chapter 160: The Crushed Stage

「We are sorry, but we are going to need some time to repair the stage. The schedule for the second semifinal match is――」

The announcement from the broadcasting department echoed in the venue. In the meantime, the spectators are still excitedly discussing the previous match. In everyone’s eyes is the stage that tells the fierceness of the match. The semifinal between Chinatsu and Weerel is over, and the stage that had supported so many of the matches had been completely destroyed.

「My~, that was amazing.」

「Yeah, I didn’t really understand what was going on, but it was amazing!」

Most of the spectators did not understand what had happened during the match. Their impression was that something shone brightly, unidentified water monsters came out, and finally, a giant whale crashed into the stage. There seems to be no end to the stories that could be told about, and even now, there are gestures and conversations going on all around the venue. In one corner of the venue, two female students are also talking about it.

「That whale in the last moment was magic, right? I’ve never seen a magic like that before.」

「Yes, I heard that it’s one of the most difficult kinds of Water Paint Magic! At that time, I was unable to stand and I thought I was going to die…」

「I know, right~? That was scary. I’m glad that the whale only damaged the stage and the surrounding lawn…」

「I was so scared that I couldn’t do anything, you know? So, I saw the moment the whale fell on the stage and the two of them were almost crushed by it…」

「And then?」

「… I didn’t understand, but as you can see, the stage was destroyed and they both survived.」

「Hey, you’re leaving out too many details.」

「It can’t be helped! I was so shaken that my brain couldn’t understand when I was looking at it!」

Speaking the facts that the girls don’t know, Chinatsu took the water whale, which was created by Weerel’s magic, head-on and extinguished it. The reason the stage was shattered was because the aftermath of the impact of the fire and water colliding reached the scaffolding.

Just before Chinatsu took it, she was chanting her Radiant Magic 『Alma Divine Bless』. This magic, which is the highest ranked magic that Chinatsu currently has, puts invisible armor on the target. Even though it is armor, it’s not something hard and uncomfortable that will restrict the movement, but something light just like clothes. However, its durability is incomparable to that of low-level magic, and it provides tremendous defense and physical resistance. At that time, Chinatsu would have been able to match Therese’s defense.

「Isn’t it fine as long as we know the winner? The winner is Chinatsu! Cutting down Weerel’s greatest magic and forcing her to run out of magic power is not something a human can do.」

Yes, it was Chinatsu who won the first semifinal match. After she extinguished Waalwaal, Chinatsu pointed the flame sword toward the throat of Weerel, who was unable to move due to lack of magic power, and made her say her give-up declaration. Immediately after, Chinatsu also put her knees on the ground, so it can be said that it was a close fight.

「I thought that the top five of the Golden Generations were above the clouds, but there are people above them, huh… Haa, I’m losing my confidence.」

「No, you don’t have to compare them to that level… Besides, there’s still one left! Prince will play in the next match! Prince, the number two of the Golden Generation!」

「Aah, you are a fan of Prince, right?」

「I’m not a fan, I’m his retainer!」

「Sorry, I don’t understand…」

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

「Chinatsu-chan, congratulations on advancing to the final~!」

This is in the main guest private room of Nell. Haruna’s cheerful voice could be heard from there because she was rushing in to congratulate Chinatsu’s victory. If this was Lily, she would’ve been driven away. But, since Haruna came purely to congratulate Chinatsu, Nell welcomed her with open arms.

「T-Thank you, Haruna. But for now, let me concentrate on my recovery. After all, my magic power is close to empty…」

「That’s because you couldn’t use Pluto well. You unnecessarily wasted magic power and it felt like you were the one being brandished by the sword instead. You should use this match as an opportunity to improve yourself.」

「Uh, I can’t argue with that…」

「But well, I will praise you for defeating Joseph’s granddaughter. Well done, Chinatsu! You are my best disciple!」

「Yes, Chinatsu-chan, you are my best friend!」

As Nell patted Chinatsu’s head, Haruna also started to pat Chinatsu’s head. She’s half embarrassed to be patted at her age, but also half happy. Anyway, her face is red.

「By the way, Haruna. What about Deris? Next is your match, right? Do you not have a briefing session or something?」

「About that, I couldn’t find Shishō… Just a while ago, we were watching Chinatsu-chan’s match together, but――」

――――Knock Knock.

When they were talking about Deris, a knocking sound on the door could be heard. However, the one who knocked the door was not Deris.

「Excuse me, is Haruna Katsuragi here?」

What came next from the other side of the door was a voice from Haruna’s next opponent, Nevel Faji. Nell looked a bit annoyed, but then realized something and let him in. To be exact, there are other students with him.

「W-Whoa… Knight Leader Nell is really here…」

「I want her autograph. I wonder if I can get one?」n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

「More importantly~, Chinatsu and Haruna are really here, huh… But, if she’s really her disciple, then I can understand that power.」

「I’m sorry for making so much noise. My name is Nevel Faji. As you already know, I will be facing Haruna Katsuragi in our next match. When I heard that she was here, I came to say hello. Please don’t mind the people behind me.」

「S-Sure…?」

The students, with Prince in the lead, came into the room one by one. All of them are familiar faces, and it’s clear that they are working together as supporters, just as they had done before in Dry’s match. Normally, Nell would have hated having such a large group of people in her room and wouldn’t have given them permission to enter in the first place, but for some reason, she allowed them to enter. To this, Chinatsu tilted her head slightly.

「… I’m not going to interfere with Haruna’s match as much as possible, but I will just say this. What are you doing there, Deris?」

「Eh?」

A sudden question from Nell. She sent those words outside the room.

「I guess Nell can sense it at this distance even if I try to hide seriously, huh. Yo, Chinatsu. Congratulations on advancing to the final.」

From the back of the opened door, Deris appeared by poking out his face.

「Ah, um, thank you?」

「That last magic surprised me, and I think you were getting better at handling that sword. I think that’s a good result for a first time.」

「――Deris.」

「Don’t glare me so seriously like that… See, you are scaring these good students who are standing between us. Okay, I get it. I’ll explain.」

Deris was quite panicked when Nell was approaching while raising her fist. The students were exposed to Nell’s bloodlust, but she adjusted it well so that they didn’t faint.

「Good grief… So, what’s going on?」

「Shishō, I don’t think it’s a good idea to put on airs more than that…」

「I also realized that, so you don’t have to worry. Let’s see, I will say it to the point… Sorry, Haru. In the next semifinal match, I will be supporting Prince together with his friends.」

「…Eehh!?」

Haruna raised a surprised voice to Deris’s sudden opposition declaration.