Chapter 612: The Grand First-Year Combat Festival: Reactions

The spectators remained on their feet, clapping as the final battle slowly settled into its aftermath.

The cheers had not completely died down yet.

Some people were still shouting Vera’s name, while others were still discussing the final clash between the blue lightning and the White Flames. The enormous arena had gone from a battlefield filled with explosions to a place where the ordinary people were finally beginning to realize just how much damage had been done.

The platform was almost unrecognizable.

Large sections of the ground had been torn apart, several deep holes had been left behind by the Sun Vortexes, and cracks ran across the surface like lines drawn through stone. Pieces of broken rock were scattered everywhere, while small areas still released hot steam from the heat that had soaked into the ground.

The Medic staff finally made their entry.

They wore protective clothing designed to keep them safe from the heat that was still flowing heavily through the fight area. Even with the protective equipment, some of them raised their arms slightly whenever a wave of hot air passed across their faces.

One of the Junior Medics looked around at the destroyed battlefield.

"Damn, this place is a complete mess."

His eyes moved across the holes, broken ground, and scattered pieces of stone.

The Craft-based Royal Academy Staff walked in just behind them.

They were also wearing protective gear.

Unlike the Medics, however, their work was already clear.

They had to restore the arena.

Six of the Craft-based Royal Academy Staff moved to different positions around the fight platform and took out their Frost Alchemy Scrolls.

The scrolls opened in their hands.

Their fingers moved across the surfaces as Cognis flowed from their bodies into the drawn lines and symbols.

The Alchemy Circles on the scrolls ignited.

A cold breeze spread from the six scrolls.

It flowed across the battlefield and pushed back against the remaining heat.

Steam began to thin.

The hot air that had been hanging over the arena slowly lost its strength.

Several staff members continued moving forward as the Frost Alchemy worked around them, allowing the Medics to approach the two fighters.

The Medic staff first moved toward Maxwell.

He was still lying on the ground outside the fight platform where Vera’s final punch had sent him.

Several Medics crouched around him.

One checked his breathing.

Another examined his face.

Another looked at his arms and stomach.

Other than his broken nose, the blood dripping from his mouth and nose, and the cuts and burnt marks covering his arms and stomach, Maxwell was in fairly good condition.

His injuries looked worse than they actually were.

The bigger problem was his Cognis.

He was close to complete Cognis exhaustion.

Even so, Maxwell remained conscious.

His chest moved with each heavy breath.

His eyes were still open as he stared toward the distant arena.

The Medic beside him carefully wiped some of the blood away from his face.

"Stay still."

Maxwell did not answer.

He simply continued breathing.

His body had already reached its limit.

Meanwhile, on the platform...

The other Medics approached Vera.

She had sat down, legs folded, plainly looking at the sky.

The position almost made it look as though she had simply decided to rest after the match.

But her condition told a different story.

The V-01 VOLT Rifle in her hands began to crumble.

Small blue sparks crawled across its surface.

The long, slim weapon lost its form piece by piece before finally collapsing.

The blue lightning faded.

Vera watched the weapon disappear.

Then she exhaled out.

"Ahh... Ahh... Ahh..."

Her breathing was heavy.

Blood dripped from her eyes.

More blood had gathered around her mouth, ears, and nose.

Her hands were damaged as well.

Burn marks covered both of them and continued up toward her forearms.

The sleeves of her training clothes were partly burned away, exposing some of the damaged skin beneath them.

Vera looked like she had been dragged through a battlefield.

Yet even in that condition, her expression remained mostly unchanged.

She simply sat there, breathing through the pain.

The Medics hurried toward her.

"Lady Vera, please stay still."

One of them knelt beside her while another prepared the medicine.

They applied first-aid medicine to the burned areas.

Flora Alchemy was then used to treat the damaged skin.

A gentle green light covered Vera’s hands and forearms as the healing process began.

The smell of burned cloth and heated stone still filled the air around them.

After treating the worst of her injuries, the Medics wrapped healing bandages around her arms.

Vera did not flinch in pain or any discomfort.

She simply allowed them to work.

Once they finished, they carefully moved her onto a stretcher.

Just like Maxwell, Vera was carried away from the arena.

The crowd watched as both Young Alchemists were taken away.

Only after the two fighters had left did the Craft-based Royal Academy Staff begin their real work.

They spread throughout the battlefield.

More Frost Alchemy Scrolls were brought out.

The cold air continued flowing across the arena, cooling the remaining heat while the staff members began repairing the damaged ground.

The fight had ended.

But the entertainment had not.

Within a short time, the four large Holographic Screens changed.

The screens displayed slowed replays of the best moments from the final match between Vera and Maxwell.

The first exchange appeared.

Then Maxwell’s White Flames.

Then Vera’s V-01 VOLT.

The screens repeatedly showed the blue bolt tearing through the White Flames.

Every replay brought another wave of conversation.

"Honestly, what was that power the Jewel of Ash unleashed with that firearm?"

A Nobleman of the Novice Alchemist Rank leaned forward as he watched the moment Vera first fired the blue bolt at Maxwell.

His eyes remained fixed on the screen.

"The concept behind that firearm feels completely complex."

The Nobleman seated beside him nodded slowly.

"I don’t think I have ever seen anything like it."

Another spectator joined the conversation.

"As expected of the Jewel of Ash. She not only displayed her combat strength, but also showed why she deserves to be called the Jewel of Ash."

"Maxwell’s White Flames were also impressive."

"I got the whole explosion on my Starlix."

"Let me see."

"Wait, look at this part."

The voices continued overlapping as more people discussed what they had seen.

Some focused on Vera’s weapon.

Others focused on Maxwell’s White Flames.

Some were still arguing about which attack had been much cooler.

While the replays only made the discussions louder.

At the seating section of the Elders and High-Board members of the Duke Houses, the atmosphere was more serious.

Elder Ivanhoe watched the Holographic Screen with an expression that showed how pleased he was.

"First, Ezra shot a bullet coated with the Law of Inversion, using the law to break through the Sun Alchemy attack, which one has to at least have an understanding of the Alchemy to be even able to affect it."

His eyes remained on the screen.

"Then Vera created a rifle so powerful that it even outclassed something like the White Flames, which seems to be a more advanced form of the Golden Flames of the Sun."

His smile grew wider.

There was genuine satisfaction in his expression.

The two children of Ash had displayed something that had not been seen in Britannia for a long time.

New knowledge.

New possibilities.

And new weapons.

"Hmph."

Elder Fredricks folded his arms.

"Obviously, it was already a fact that Little Vera would win, but that other child should learn from her, so that next time he doesn’t embarrass us like he did by losing to a commoner."

His irritated expression made it clear that he was not joking.

"Shut up."

Elder Portia’s voice cut through the conversation.

Her right hand moved sharply.

BAM!

Her fist landed directly against the side of Fredricks’ cheek.

"Argh!"

Fredricks was knocked sideways.

His chair shifted beneath him before he fell from it and landed on the ground.

Several servants nearby froze.

A few Royal Academy staff members turned their heads.

Portia stood looking at Fredricks with cold eyes.

Her fist remained clenched.

Cognis flowed gently through her body.

"Speak one more time and I will beat you in front of the whole Kingdom."

Fredricks looked up from the floor while holding his cheek.

His eyes carried anger.

He wanted to respond.

He really did.

But he knew Portia was not the type to make empty threats when it came to beating people up.

They were already old.

Both had long passed the age when most people would expect them to settle arguments with their fists.

But Fredricks remembered what Portia had been like when they were children.

She had bullied him back then.

And apparently, getting older had not changed that part of her personality.

"Tsk."

Fredricks clicked his tongue.

He pushed himself up and straightened his clothes.

The servants around them moved closer.

One checked whether he had injured himself from the fall, while another began cleaning the blood that had appeared on the floor.

Others helped straighten Fredricks’ robes.

"I will get you back for this."

Fredricks glared at Portia before returning to his seat.

Elder Paul looked as though he wanted to laugh.

His lips almost moved.

Then Portia glanced in his direction.

Paul immediately stopped himself.

He looked away.

He had decided that staying alive was more important than laughing at Fredricks.

Portia turned toward the other Elders and High-board members around the area.

"I’m sorry for the inconvenience, my fellow Elders and High-board members of the other Duke Houses."

She bowed politely before taking her seat again.

The incident ended almost as quickly as it had started.

Elder Ivanhoe, Tabitha, and Yestin did not pay much attention to it.

They continued their discussion with several High-Board members of Ash.

Their attention was focused on something far more important.

The new knowledge that the two children of Ash had revealed before the entire Kingdom.

Ezra’s Law of Inversion-coated bullet.

His Gadgets.

Vera’s new firearm.

The power displayed by the Gun Alchemists.

Every piece of information opened another possibility.

Their eyes showed the excitement they felt as they continued discussing what should be done with the knowledge they had gained.

Of course, not everyone was pleased.

Some of the Elders of Drakes watched the Ashenlockes’ reactions with complicated expressions.

They were certainly happy about the possibility of new things being introduced into the military power of the Kingdom.

That much was undeniable.

But if those developments had to come from a Family, then they would have preferred it to be the Ashenlockes.

That was the part that made the situation difficult.

The Ashenlockes already had Vera.

And somehow...

They now had a child of Ash, like Ezra.

And now both Young Gun Alchemists had displayed something that could influence the future of Britannia.

Back at the First-Year seating section, some time had passed.

The excitement had not completely disappeared, but the students had begun settling back into their seats.

Cyrus had returned to his normal expression after spending some time processing everything that had happened.

He leaned back slightly.

"When do you think they will release all the rankings?"

Ezra looked toward the battlefield.

"Maybe tomorrow."

His voice remained as plain as usual.

Diane was still sleeping beside him.

A strand of her light-blue hair had somehow found its way across Ezra’s face.

Ezra lifted his hand.

He carefully moved the strand away from his face and gently placed it back where it belonged.

"Yeah."

Cyrus stretched his hand upward.

His body sank lazily into the seat.

"Seeing Diane sleep peacefully even now is making me want to go back home to my bed and sleep."

He looked at Diane for a moment.

Then a mischievous smile appeared on his face.

"My Lady Ezra, would you kindly let me lay on your elegant shoulder?"

Cyrus blinked his eyes three times.

Ezra turned toward him.

His expression remained plain.

"My Lady Cyrus, you should know that actions have consequences."

His eyes narrowed slightly.

Cyrus’s smile disappeared.

"Tch."

He side-eyed Ezra.

"Says the person who let Diane sleep on his shoulder. Discrimination against gentlemen."

He shook his head as if he had suffered some terrible injustice.

Ezra did not answer.

Cyrus leaned back again.

The Holographic Screens were still playing replays of the final match.

The students around them continued talking about Vera and Maxwell.

Some were already beginning to discuss the possible rankings of all the top first year students.

Others were discussing the battles that had taken place throughout the Combat Festival.

Cyrus glanced toward Diane.

"I wonder if the Sleeping Beauty even knows Vera won."

He leaned forward.

Diane’s light-blue eyes were half-open.

Her face remained relaxed and her breathing was slow.

Cyrus stared at her for a few seconds.

"You awake."

Diane did not immediately respond.

Ezra glanced toward her as well.

He noticed the small pout forming on her cheeks.

Diane’s eyes opened a little more.

"She hid that power, not using it to face me."

Her voice was light, but there was a faint displeasure hidden beneath it.

Ezra looked at her.

He raised his right index and middle fingers, pointing it towards her forehead.

"You realize you didn’t open your full eyes even during the fight."

Diane shifted her head toward him.

"Oh."

Her eyes moved slowly.

"I didn’t."

She said it plainly.

But her expression showed that she still was not convinced.

There was still a slight pout on her face.

Perhaps she was still thinking about Vera’s hidden ability, to realize she didn’t use her own hidden ability during her fight against Vera.

Cyrus watched the two of them.

Then his eyes shifted toward the Holographic Screen.

His expression changed.

"While the two of you are busy being in your own world, you might as well know you’re about to send the whole arena into chaos."

Cyrus tapped Ezra’s shoulder lightly.

He pointed toward the large screen at the front of the arena.

Ezra and Diane turned their heads.

Their expressions were almost identical.

Plain and basically Unconcerned.

Then they saw the screen.

The Holographic Screen was showing them.

Not the battle.

Not Vera.

Not Maxwell.

Them.

Ezra and Diane were sitting close together.

Their faces were much closer than either of them had apparently noticed.

The replay had caught them at exactly that angle.

For a brief moment, neither Ezra nor Diane moved.

The surrounding First-Year students began noticing it too.

Then the nearby spectators started turning their heads.

One person pointed.

Another whispered.

More eyes shifted toward the First-Year seating section.

The attention that had been focused on the winner of the Combat Festival slowly began moving toward Ezra and Diane.

Cyrus leaned back in his seat.

A mischievous smile returned to his face.

Ezra stared at the Holographic Screen.

Diane stared at it too.

Neither of them immediately said anything.

The arena had just finished watching the greatest battle of the First-Year Combat Festival.

Yet somehow, the next source of entertainment had already appeared without either of them asking for it.