章 238: National University League (5)
"..., huh, bro?"
Sinclair looked puzzled. It was a rare occurrence.
Vikir looked down at Sinclair wordlessly.
He had grown quite a bit since he had entered the school, and now there was quite a height difference between them.
Finally, Vikir's mouth opened briefly.
"Door."
For a moment, Sinclair didn't understand what Vikir was saying.
And then.
"Oh, get out of the way so I can open the door, okay, sorry!"
Sinclair took a large step to the side.
Finally, Vikir nodded, opened the door, and stepped out across the compartment.
And then.
"...."
Vikir didn't close the door after he crossed the divide, but kept it open.
Sinclair nodded again.
"Oh, so you want me to stop arguing with students from other schools and just get over here?"
At Sinclair's interpretation, Vikir nodded in silence.
'There are participants from Themiscyra Women's University in the carriage back there, and I want you to avoid contact with them as much as possible before the tournament, in case they want to challenge you.'
I can't pretend I didn't see the conflict, given Dolores' advice earlier.
And Sinclair had been a regular source of help with the genealogy and scope of the note test.
Just then.
Vikir was grabbing Sinclair to take her away.
"Wait! Who are you to interfere in women's affairs!"
The female students of Themiscyra began to protest Vikir.
At the forefront of the chorus was Ms. Lovegood, the student council president.
She turned to Vikir and said sternly.
"This boy has insulted our school, and we need him to play nice with us. If you interfere with that, you will be held accountable. First, give us your class number, your affiliation, and your name. I'm making a formal complaint to the Colosseo Academy...."
Lovegood was just about to declare war on Vikir.
Whirring-
A gust of wind rushed in from the second floor window that Vikir had opened.
It rushed down the stairs and blew the hair of the people on the first floor all over the place.
And Vikir's as well.
Fluttered.
The hem of his black coat fluttered, and soon his tousled black hair fell back as well.
Vikir's bare face was exposed.
For a moment, the faces of the students at Themiscyra Women's University went blank.
They didn't know what they were seeing or what they were staring at.
"What is that?"
"Is that a human face?"
"How is it so small?"
"But it's got all the features in it...."
"And it's so clear and deep."
"Isn't it a painting or a statue?"
After a moment of silence, I hear a small murmur from behind me.
... but only one. Only Lovegood, the student council president of Themiscyra, remained unmoved.
"Oh, I forgot, in order to resolve this dispute with the University amicably, I need to ask you for some personal information again. First of all, your class number, your affiliation, your name, and...."
Lovegood remained calm, cool, and rational as she asked Vikir for the procedurally necessary information.
"Year, month, and city of birth. Height. Weight. Blood type. Hometown. Horoscope. Love interests. Hobbies. Specialties. Favorite foods. Animals you own. Do you currently have a girlfriend, and if not, do you have a crush? What type of woman do you usually idealize? When was your last relationship. How many relationships have you had so far. When do you plan to get married. What your parents like to receive as gifts. How many children you would like to have. Whether I want a boy or a girl. And whether I'm a good name match. And...."
Really. It's necessary. It must have been a bureaucratic procedure to ask.
* * *
The Magic Train had finally arrived at the Magic Tower in the eastern part of the continent.
[Ding ding ding ding ding ding ding ding ding ding ding ding~ The continental circulation, continental circulation train is now entering. This station is Magic Tower, Magic Tower Station. The exit door is on the left. For passengers who are transferring to Dortsmail Station, please transfer to the inner ring train here. Please be careful when exiting the train as there is a large distance between the platforms at this station. Thank you for riding our trains today. Goodbye]
The train stops for a while.
The passengers inside begin to trickle out.
Naturally, there were students from the Colosseo Academy, Varangian Boot Camp, and Themiscyra Women's University mixed in with the crowd.
They were greeted by a welcoming crowd from Magic Tower who came out to greet them at the station.
Meanwhile. Vikir also got off the train and looked around.
Behind the masses of people, the city was quiet.
Dortsmile City in the southeastern part of the empire is also famous as the area where the Magic Tower exists.
The cozy city is bathed in a reddish sunset, making it even more dreamy and idyllic.
And in the center of the city, I saw a soaring tower that seemed to pierce the sun.
'... That's the Magic Tower.'
Vikir stared at the tower in the distance, overwhelmed with emotion.
At first glance, it is just a narrow and tall building.
But inside, the tower was filled with so many different rooms that its width and height were endless.
The interior space of the tower, said to have been created by a primordial mage, must be nearly infinite.
It involved a dimensional distortion of such a high order that even modern mages do not fully understand its principles.
'I have something similar.'
Vikir looked down at the ring on his finger.
/ Ring
-Finit hic Deus -Off
-Finit hic Deus, the realm of the gods ends here.
It is a relic from Andromalius that can warp dimensions and create subspace.
However, once used, it is very costly in mana, and the time it takes for the power to return is very long, so it should not be abused.
Vikir is looking down at his ring, thinking about this and that.
"...Hey, bro."
A hand patted Vikir's back from behind. It was Sinclair.
She hesitated for a moment, then smiled, looking like her usual self.
"Thanks for your help earlier."
Vikir nodded, and Sinclair let out a small sigh.
"Actually, I was very scared. They seem like strong sisters."
"I was scared too."
"Ahahaha- lie."
Sinclair smiled brightly as usual and pulled on Vikir's collar.
"I know. You must have been nervous, too. It was Lovegood, after all."
When Vikir didn't respond, Sinclair spoke up.
"Oh, look, there's the welcome party from Magic Tower, meeting the contestants from Varangian and Themisqyra."
Sure enough, the contestants from the four schools were gathering together.
At the head of the line was Dolores L Quovadis, the student council president of Colosseo Academy.
She led the students with her calm, gentle charisma and soon found herself in the center of the welcoming crowd.
"It's been a while, everyone."
In the direction of Dolores' greeting, the student council presidents of the other three schools stepped forward.
First to step forward was the student council president of Varangian.
He was tall, with shaggy long hair, muscular, and covered in scars.
"Wahahaha-it's been a while, hasn't it been a little less than a year?"
He was 'Juragio Bakiraga', the Varangian student council president.
He had been participating in the tournament since his freshman and sophomore years and had consistently placed in the top tier, but this time, as the third-year ace, he was going for the win in earnest.
And his fierce rival was at the forefront of the welcoming crowd at the Magic Tower.
His face is clean-shaven, his height is perfect, and he exudes a chilling aura.
"Eleven months and three days, to be exact. Eleven hours, 42 minutes, and 12 seconds. From the time I last laid eyes on you at last year's tournament to the time I spotted your face in the crowd just moments ago."
"Philippus Aureolus Theophrastus Bombast von Hohenheim," the student council president of Magic Tower.
But instead of using the name Hohenheim or the surname Aureolus, he mostly used his baptismal name, which is unique to the Magic Tower.
'A smart-ass with a high nose.' This was Hohenheim's current name.
There is a tradition at Magic Tower where seniors give baptismal names to their juniors, and the students at Magic Tower use these baptismal names more than their real names over the course of four years: "The Talented Piglet," "The Curly Broom," "The Baby Bird in the Lecture Hall," "The Palm Tree in the Hallway," "The Curiosity Clogging the Toilet," "The Drunken Gorilla," "The Dwarf in the Flask," etc.
It was a culture that showed how much pride they had.
"This is actually why I didn't go to the Magic Tower. ...I don't know if they'd call me a 'fluffy cotton ball' or not."
Sinclair whispered in Vikir's ear.
Meanwhile.
Hohenheim and Bakiraga began to exchange glances as soon as they saw each other.
Bakiraga spoke first.
"Hahaha- we're the aces this time. Last year we didn't make it to the top 10 because the seniors played so much, but this year will be different. I've been training like crazy for the past year, the championship is mine!"
"Well, with your ignorant strength, you might be able to get a top ten finish, but no more than that. Our elite will take the first through ninth spots, and the artifacts are ours."
Hohenheim is equally confident.
Naturally, a 'warriors vs. wizards' matchup was forming.
"...."
Vikir watched the confrontation from the crowd in the distance.
Sinclair gave Vikir a quick rundown on the two men next to him.
"Juragio Bakiraga is a warrior known for his fierceness. Apparently he took over the school when he beat up all the fourth years in a senior-freshman assembly. I've heard that the only thing he lacks is experience, and now that he's in his third year, he should have some of that."
"Well, he certainly looks strong."
"A combination of natural talent and hard work, I suppose. Rumor has it his grandparents were barbarians who lived in the depth of the Red & Black Mountains, but I'm not sure."
Sinclair shifted her gaze to look at the man beside her.
"Actually, Bakiraga is also a figure of interest, but... I'm a mage, so I'm more concerned about that Hohenheim guy."
"I see."
"That's right. Not even the great President Dolores could beat him in the entire University League. And Hohenheim has already been accepted to graduate school. I'm told he'll automatically be appointed to a professorship at Magic Tower, and I hear he's aiming to become the youngest Magic Tower Master ever."
A Master of the Magic Tower is a position that is comparable to the head of a House of the Seven Families.
Hohenheim was certainly an ambitious man.
Sinclair continued.
"I'd like to see a first and second place tie between myself, Hohenheim, and Bakiraga, with a high probability of third place going to our President Dolores. Fourth place would be Lovegood of Themiscyra."
Now that I think about it, I don't see Themiscyra's Lovegood.
Sinclair looked up and around.
...?
And there it was.
Merlini Lovegood. And the female warriors of Themiscyra who followed her.
Their faces, usually solemn, stern, and serious, seemed slightly blank today for some reason.
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