Chapter 576: The Grand First-Year Combat Festival: Building Anticipation

"Goodbye, my lovely Britannians!!!"

High-Ember George Sailor shouted brightly while waving both hands toward the crowd, a wide smile spread across his face.

The enormous arena responded almost immediately.

The cheers that had already been filling the air rose another level as thousands upon thousands of spectators answered him from their seats. Some raised their hands, others waved toward the platform, and many simply shouted whatever came to their minds in the excitement of the moment.

"We love you all!!"

High-Emberess Margaret Sailor shouted just as brightly as her husband while waving both hands toward the cheering crowd.

"We love you too!!!!"

The crowd shouted back with excited smiles and cheers.

"Your voices are so beautiful!!!"

"The Sailor House is just the best at music."

"Well, with the sole exception of Lady Selena Galehart..."

"Hahahahaha."

"You guys are the best!!!"

"Please, can I get a handshake!!"

"The melody was amazing!!"

"What a way to start today, honestly, I’m so excited!!"

Hundreds of thousands of voices overlapped throughout the arena.

The sound was so loud that the walls seemed to carry the cheers back toward the crowd, creating a constant wave of noise around the enormous structure.

The High-Ember House had already finished their performance, but the spectators were still reluctant to let them leave.

For many people, the opening entertainment had become part of the Combat Festival itself.

The music had brought energy into the arena before the first match even started, and now the Sailor couple stood at the center of all that attention.

"Thank you all!!"

Margaret Sailor replied while laughing lightly at some of the funny comments coming from the spectators.

She did not seem bothered by the attention.

Instead, she appeared to be enjoying the atmosphere.

She turned slightly toward her husband, took his hand, and then turned toward the seating section occupied by the Royal Academy students.

Her eyes searched through the many students until she found her children..

"Kids, hope you are doing well!!!"

She shouted with a warm smile.

The message immediately caught the attention of the Children she was looking at.

At the Third-Year and Second-Year joint seating section...

"Haha... Haha... Haha..."

Preston Sailor laughed lightly as he waved back at his mother.

His hand moved above the crowd as he answered her gesture.

"Your parents are a fun set of people."

Catherine Bergwyn, a Mainline noble and one of the daughters of the Duke of Bergwyn, said with a pleased smile.

She looked toward the platform and then back at Preston.

"They are more interesting if you meet them back at home."

Preston replied while still waving his hand.

There was a faint smile on his face as he watched his parents continue interacting with the crowd.

At the First-Year seating section...

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh."

Cherry groaned in complete embarrassment.

She held onto Maxwell’s arm and pulled it toward her face, using it to hide herself from the attention of the entire arena.

Her cheeks had already turned red.

"You are so red, Cherry."

Maxwell said teasingly.

He looked down at her with a smile, clearly finding the entire situation amusing.

Cherry’s parents had called out to them while standing on the central platform, and somehow, she felt like she was receiving the most attention, between her and her older brother.

It was already embarrassing enough.

But then things became even worse.

The technical team controlling the four enormous Holographic Screens noticed the interaction and decided to display both Preston Sailor and Cherry Sailor for a brief moment.

Their images appeared across the screens while their parents waved toward them.

The reaction from Cherry was immediate.

She pressed Maxwell’s arm even closer against her face.

Maxwell could not help himself.

He found the sight surprisingly cute, and a smile remained on his face as he watched her try to hide.

Princess Stella, seated in the column behind Maxwell and Cherry, noticed the interaction as well.

She pouted slightly while looking at the two of them.

Her golden eyes remained fixed on Maxwell’s hand as it rested against Cherry’s hair.

She did not say anything.

She simply watched.

Back on the platform...

"Hahaha... she’s still not over her stage fright."

Margaret Sailor laughed warmly at the sight of her daughter’s reaction.

Her eyes softened as she watched Cherry attempt to hide herself.

"But who is that guy holding my baby girl?"

George Sailor said while still smiling warmly toward the crowd.

His expression looked harmless, but his thoughts were not.

Inside his mind, he was already imagining himself walking directly toward the young man and questioning him about why he was holding his daughter.

Margaret continued waving toward the spectators.

"You know that is the Maxwell kid who uses that Alchemy Path that we used to listen to in stories, but those stories suddenly vanished for some kind of reason. Back when we were kids."

She replied calmly.

George’s smile remained.

"You don’t say."

He replied.

He was clearly still having trouble accepting the fact that his little girl had suddenly become close to someone.

And it was not just anyone.

The person standing beside her was Maxwell, a Young Alchemist who had already shocked the entire Royal Academy and Kingdom with an Alchemy Path that had become the subject of countless discussions.

To George, that made the situation even more complicated.

His daughter had found someone to become close with, and that person was either already a major figure or was rapidly becoming one within the Kingdom.

Margaret tightened her hold on her husband’s hand.

"We will talk about this later, let’s round things up."

She said.

George looked at her.

"Okay... Okay... Okay..."

The High-Ember replied, calming himself down.

The two of them turned toward the crowd once more.

Their smiles widened.

The arena had already reached a fevered level of excitement.

The next stage was finally beginning.

"Let the Tenth Round of the Grand First-Year Combat Festival... BEGIN!!!!!"

The High-Ember and High-Emberess shouted loudly.

"YEAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!"

"LET’S GO!!!!!"

"GLORY TO ASHENLOCKES!!!!"

"GLORY TO BERGWYN!!!!!"

The crowd responded even louder.

Their voices spread around the entire arena, rolling from one seating section to another.

Some spectators were already standing.

Others waved House banners.

Several groups began shouting the names of their favorite Young Alchemists.

The atmosphere between the supporters of the different Houses was already becoming noticeable.

The Sailors left the platform.

Then...

"As they have said, let’s get the semifinals on the road!!!"

Patrick’s voice echoed from the arena speakers brightly.

He was seated in his usual section, the commentator’s area of the arena, with Professor Kent Preacher sitting beside him.

Patrick turned slightly toward Kent.

"Before we start the first match..."

He paused and looked at the professor.

Kent, however, was sitting lazily in his chair.

His attention was not on the crowd.

It was on the snacks he had placed across the commentator’s table in front of him.

Patrick looked at him for a moment.

"Did you think these four students of yours were the ones you already believed would get into the Semifinals?"

He asked with a curious expression.

The question also caught the attention of many spectators.

A large portion of the crowd wanted to hear Kent’s answer.

After all, these four Young Alchemists were already and had become some of the biggest names of the First-Year Combat Festival.

Ezra Ashenlocke.

Vera Ashenlocke.

Diane Bergwyn.

And Maxwell.

Kent finally glanced toward Patrick.

He slowly leaned forward and placed one hand on the microphone resting on the table.

"Well..."

He paused.

For a moment, he looked as though he were considering how to answer.

Then his mouth curved into a confident smirk.

"I obviously knew that they all would reach the semifinals. I’m their instructor, of course."

Kent said with a confident expression.

The smirk on his face made his answer sound completely natural.

Patrick immediately nodded.

"As expected of the Main Professor of these amazing First Years, already knowing the strength of his own students."

Patrick said while praising Kent.

The crowd also joined in.

Cheers and approving voices came from different parts of the arena.

However, the First-Year students themselves didn’t join them.

Several of them narrowed their eyes toward the commentator’s section.

It’s obvious, he’s just lying.

Many of them thought the same thing.

Their expressions said enough.

Kent felt something sting his back.

He shifted slightly in his chair, then he placed a hand behind his neck and rubbed it.

"Hmm... Why does it feel cold for some reason?"

He asked himself in a low voice.

He looked around for a moment.

Nothing seemed unusual.

Kent eventually brushed the feeling aside.

He returned to his lazy seating posture and looked down at the snacks on the table again.

The matches had not even begun, and he was already deciding which snack would be best to eat while watching his students fight each other.

Patrick continued.

"Now... welcoming the fighters for the first match of this morning."

His voice came out lower this time.

He deliberately slowed his delivery, allowing the anticipation to build through the arena.

The crowd settled down.

The loud conversations gradually disappeared.

Some spectators continued looking toward the commentator’s section.

Others turned toward the entrance where the first Young Alchemist would soon appear.

Many of them were already waiting for their favorite fighter.

The Holographic Screens above the arena changed.

The entrance area became the center of attention.

Patrick raised his voice.

"LADY DIANE BERGWYN!!!!!!"

The name echoed throughout the arena.

And almost immediately...

"THE ICE SLEEPING BEAUTY!!!!!"

"You got this, my beautiful Ice Queen!!!"

"Glory to the Bergwyns!!!"

"No one is beating you!!! Not even that Golden Flames guy!!"

"You can do this!!!"

The fans of Diane filled the arena with their voices.

Many chanted her name.

Others shouted the Titles that had been given to her.

The support from the Bergwyn side became a single mass of sound.

Diane then appeared from the entrance on the left.

She walked toward the platform with her usual tired expression.

There was no dramatic change in her face despite the thousands of people shouting her name.

She simply raised one hand and waved tiredly as she continued walking.

Her steps remained steady.

The cheers followed her.

Diane eventually reached the platform.

She stepped onto it without changing her expression.

Once she finally stood in the left corner of the Combat Festival platform, Patrick’s voice echoed through the speakers again.

"Vs..."

He paused.

The pause lasted long enough for the entire arena to feel it.

The fans of Vera waited.

Members of the Ashenlocke House waited.

Those aligned with the Ashenlockes waited.

Even spectators who had no connection to either House leaned forward slightly.

Across the arena, the fans of Diane continued cheering her name.

The anticipation between the two sides grew stronger.

Then Patrick finally raised his voice.

"LADY VERA ASHENLOCKE!!!!!!"

He shouted the final fighter’s name with excitement.

"YEAHHHHH!!!!!"

"LET’S GO, LADY VERA!!!!"

"You got this, Jewel of Ash!!!"

"I know you can win this!!!"

"We all believe in you!!"

"You have grown stronger since the last time you two faced each other, so now I’m sure you can win!!"

"JEWEL OF ASH!!!!!"

"Beat her!!!"

The fans responded with the same level of energy as Diane’s supporters.

Their voices crashed into each other from opposite sides of the arena.

The cheers for Diane came from one direction.

The cheers for Vera came from another.

Neither side seemed willing to become quieter.

The two Flowers would stand at opposite ends of the platform, and even before that had happened, the arena already felt divided.

Vera finally walked out from the right entrance.

Her expression hadn’t changed from the one she had worn inside the waiting room.

She looked bored.

Vera lifted one hand and waved lazily toward the crowd as she made her way toward the platform.

The cheers continued around her.

Vera did not seem particularly interested in matching their energy.

Her steps remained steady as she crossed the distance.

Once she stepped onto the platform, she lowered her hand.

Her dull black eyes immediately settled on Diane.

Diane’s half-closed light-blue eyes met hers.

For a moment, neither Flower moved.

The noise of the crowd continued around them, but the two Young Alchemists simply looked at each other.

Their semifinal had finally begun to take shape.