Chapter 280.1

Chapter 280.1. The Martial Arts Tournament Has Begun!

The opening ceremony, which I thought would be boring, is interesting. Magical fireworks lit up the sky, and phantom petals filled the air. Dancers gracefully performed in the sky.

Until last year, I used to refuse when mama told me not to watch the opening ceremony in my room, thinking it would be dull. What a mistake.

Come to think of it, I heard that even in the Olympics in my past life, the opening ceremony was extravagant. I’ve never seen it, but I wish I had.

“Countess Takano, which events will you watch?”

“Probably the ones with my school friends.”

“By the way, I heard many athletes are participating in the Free Class in various events this year.”

I got out of my seat because they removed the round. They set up sofas and small tables, and I had the freedom to move around in the observation restaurant.

Mii-chan was very popular and surrounded by many adults. It’s as if she could drown in the attention.

“I’ll be cheering for Ninny-chan and Elizabeth-chan in the Free Class Float Board. And for Yamiyo-chan and Tamamo-chan in the Free Class Dungeon Attack!”

All 4 of them will compete alongside professional athletes. It’s a unique story in the world of magic. If they have enough mana, even children can beat adults, regardless of their experience.

“Hey, Countess Takano, you should also cheer for my son. He’s participating in the Freestyle Class Battle Tournament.”

“We’re classmates too!”

Uncle Enraku laughed and slapped my shoulder. Don’t worry; I plan to cheer for him. I even brought a tape measure to check his height.

“I heard that Duke Kanna’s son is also participating, but lately, I haven’t heard any good rumors about him.”

“Oh, Suzu-chan’s here.”

“Yeah, I lost in the preliminary round of the Battle Tournament.”

Suzu, who had come over without me noticing, said in a relaxed tone. It seems she’s already back after losing.

“You lost on purpose-nya. I want to see you show a bit of motivation-nya.”

“I’ll think about it if Mom stops talking like that.”

I thought it was quite different from the original story as I watched the mother and daughter exchange words. I remember Suzu was supposed to participate in her age-group tournament and win.

She used to be an ambitious and competitive girl, like a wildcat, but now she has become a carefree and laid-back girl, like a domestic cat.

Mii-chan prefers her this way, so it’s fine.

“What do you think of the Racing Team and Dungeon Team?”

“The Racing Team is mostly short-distance races, except for the finals. The Dungeon Team is like a short-distance race in a simple dungeon, so those 4 won’t lose.”

“Well then, let’s just relax and watch. You can control the walls to turn them into monitors with your bangle.”

“Yes, let’s cheer them on.”

I nodded in agreement with Uncle Enraku’s old man’s words, sat on the sofa, and operated the bangle. Then, the event I wanted to watch was displayed on the wall.

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The qualifying race has started, but…

“Is this really the same regulation?”

“Lug insisted it was the same.”

Grandpa Odin, who continued to drink wine, gave a vague answer.

It’s natural to have doubts.

It seems the qualifying race is a 10-kilometer race, but Ninny and Elizabeth are leading by a wide margin.

It’s a race where 10 people are divided into groups and run. They’re running on the water’s surface, creating splashes, at about twice the speed of the other racers, leaving them far behind.

We can even hear their conversations as if they were right beside us thanks to magic drones.

“Hey, you! Isn’t that Float Bard a unique Ulhara model? No pride, huh!”

“Ohohoho. How much is pride worth? There are only 2 words here, ‘victory’ and Menou Marquisate restoration. What would happen if you, using your unique custom model, were to lose to me?”

“Wait a minute! There’s no way this genius Ninny-sama would lose!”

Elizabeth laughed heartily while Ninny raced with a frustrated look. The other racers were getting left further and further behind.

It doesn’t look like they’re following the regulations at all. Did Elizabeth also buy hers from Ulhara?

“Their skill in using magic and the results of exploiting loopholes in the rules. They’ve created each part by shaving off magic stones, so their output is in a different league.”

When I look closely, the board has the appearance of obsidian. They must have used magic stones to create the board. It’s easy to imagine that it’s incredibly powerful.

Exploiting loopholes in the rules, huh? In an official race, it would bring a little guilt.

“We’ll have to change the rules for this. I didn’t expect there would be craftsmen of this caliber.”

As we watched the 2 leaders racing ahead, Ouga said with a wry smile, and Sena spoke to Grandpa Odin with a cheerful smile.

“Making parts with magic stones may be easy for the Arch Mage-sama, but normally, they would shatter or not become the desired parts, even if shaved. Someone named Rug-sama is your disciple, right?”

“She’s what you call an ungrateful disciple.”

“All of Arch Mage-sama’s disciples are outstanding. I hope we can all have a meal together sometime.”

Nobunaga-kun wore a refreshing smile. But don’t expect anyone to accept the invitation. Poaching is strictly forbidden.

“It’s clear that the winner will be one of them even before the main event.”

There was never such a solo race in the novel. Totocalcio will focus on one of them.

If I consider it as Urhara’s promotion, it’s not so bad. Let’s regain my focus. How about the qualifying round for Dungeon Attack?