I got my first ever ko-fi for translating novels from Suzy! š„°š„°š
In order to express my gratitude and show my appreciation, hereās an extra chapter for you guys. š
Characters in this chapter:
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Sapphiras Perfectio, 2nd son of the Earl of Aldridge
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Percival Belisario, 3rd son of Margrave of Vanderwall on the Eastern Frontier
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Riley Spotts, class leader of Class C
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Floyd Holden, magic tournament representative of Class C
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Jonathan Strange, magic tournament representative Class C
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Behati McCartney, magic tournament representative Class C
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Earl of Aldridge, advisor of the Royal Order of Magicians
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Veritas Perfectio, 1st son of the Earl of Aldridge, Sapphirasā older brother
āāāThank you very much for watching.āāā
When the three of them took the ladiesā and gentlemenās salute, everyone cheered and gave a grand round of applause.
Today, as a preliminary exercise before the competition, the whole class moved to a clearing in the forest to watch the performance they would perform in the real event.
It was worth everyoneās effort, and I think it was a brilliant performance. And, as an added bonus, the magic of everyone in the class had also improved a little. Apparently, my advice was of some use.
āItās amazing! Really amazing!ā
āIt was so beautiful. It really was like being in that worldā¦ā¦ā
The handkerchief girl was so moved that she was shedding tears.
We all shared our opinions and decided on the composition of the performance. Everyone in this class is involved in this performance in some way. It was truly a class effort.
āFloyd, Jonathan and Miss Behati, I hope you enjoy yourselves to the full tomorrow.ā
Riley, on behalf of the three of them, gives them a pep talk. Even if you donāt win the Stella Award, itās enough if you have fun. Thatās the consensus of everyone here.
āIām going to enjoy myself to the fullest.ā
When Miss Behati said this, Floyd and Jonathan nodded vigorously.
The magic performance will take place in the same large outdoor sword arena where the sword tournament will be held. In addition to the academy students, many other spectators had gathered in the large circular hall. Among them, the Knights and the Magicians from the Orders could be seen here and there. The judges are not only from the academy, but also the Commander of the Order of Magicians. It is certainly understandable that students who aim to join the Order of Magicians in the future would be very enthusiastic about this. And to add insult to injury, I heard that my former father, the Earl of Aldridge, is also on the jury, but I donāt think he is capable of making a proper assessment. Well, itās none of our business who that man judges.
We send off the three slightly nervous representatives with a smile and tell them to take it easy, and we enter the spectatorās gallery. The sky is covered with dull clouds and itās a dreary day. My classmates are disappointed because they know that the water birds and fairies that Floyd creates shine brighter in the sunlight, but as I look up at the sky, I have a small feeling of foreboding.
The venue, which had been buzzing with excitement and anticipation for the magical performance that was about to begin, quieted down as the opening address was given. The principal and the Commander of Order of Magicians gave opening speeches, but I was a little surprised to find that the Commander of the Order of Magicians was very different from the person I had imagined him to be. His sturdy and splendid physique is so muscular that I was convinced that he was the Commander of the Order of Knights.
Although I was the same in my previous life, many magicians are slender. The reason is that they do all the rough work with magic, so they donāt need much arm strength.
āThat was a knightās mistake, wasnāt itā¦ā¦?ā
When I muttered unintentionally, a classmate sitting next to me told me. That Commander of the Order of Magicians seems to be a rather strange person, but he has a great personality, and it seems that the knights trust him deeply. Come to think of it, I remember hearing that story before. That makes me wonder more and more about the existence of the advisor. Itās natural to talk in this way. After all, the Earl of Aldridge is the furthest person from a person of character.
While we were talking about this, the performance began. The order of the performances is not decided by grade, but by the academy in advance. I donāt know how they decide and on what basis, but the order of our class, the first year C class, is in the middle of the whole group.
As expected, most of the performances are with offensive magic, with each of the three performing magic they are good at, and so far no class has cooperated to perform a single performance. When you are a representative of the fourth year, you use a certain amount of magic, so itās quite a sight to see.
As I was thinking that itās about time for our class, Veritas appeared on the sword-fighting arena. The two representatives who came out with him were the ones who were involved in the accident in the cafeteria that time.
Veritasā magic was there, just because he won a star last year, but it not that good. There was nothing particularly interesting or uplifting about it. Perhaps they havenāt grown since last year. I donāt think Veritas will win the Stella Award this year.
And now itās time for our representatives.
The three of them bowed in perfect unison in the same motion, and then chanted in unison.
āāāUnder the law of the Goddess, I exercise my power!āāā
āWater, lightly flap your wings and dance!ā
āLight, shine brightly like a star!ā
āFlowers, bloom brilliantly!ā
As soon as the three had finished their chanting, small water birds and spirits rose into the air, and a colourful flurry of flowers and twinkling lights spread across the sword-fighting arena. The magic is activated quickly, even though they have to create a number of small but complex shapes. The results of their practice were evident.
The atmosphere in the hall changed dramatically as the little birds and spirits danced around the sword-fighting arena accompanied by light and flowers. The audience blinked at the fantasy world that had suddenly opened up. The three wielders of the wand waved their wands in perfect unison, as if the three magics were one magic.
Although not as spectacular as the offensive magic, this fantastic scene and the smiling faces of the three performers will leave something in the audienceās hearts.
Finally, it was time for the finale. Blue sky peeked out from a part of the sky that had been overcast, and the sunlight quickly shone through.
The clouds were thinning here and there, so I knew the sun would shine at some point. What perfect timing!
The little birds and spirits soared just in the direction of the sunlight. The water glistening in the light forms a rainbow, and the birds and fairies disappear as if sucked into the clouds. The flowers fade away, leaving behind a lingering echo, and finally the light silently disappears.
The arena is silent.
Floyd, Jonathan and Miss Behati bowed beautifully together, just as they had done before they began their performance.
āāāThank you very much for watching.āāāā
I stood up and applauded with all my might. It was very nice and fun magic.
All my classmates stood up and applauded too. The audience must have finally come to their senses. Everyone stood up as well, cheering and applauding them. I wonder if the people watching the performance got to know, even if only a little, that magic can be dreamy and fun.
After our representativeās performance was over without incident, I relaxed my shoulders and watched the other classesā performances, and there was one class that I thought had won a star. The three representatives performed magic as a mock battle, and while they showed a flamboyance that excited the audience, the subtle manipulation of magic that didnāt hurt their opponents was wonderful.
Whatās more, they were representatives of Percivalās class. I see, itās just as Percival had praised them. They were this skilled in the first grade. In the future, they might be wanted in the Order of Magicians.
Even after that, no performance surpassed that of Percivalās class representatives. This yearās Stella Award will undoubtedly go to Percivalās class.
After all the performances, it was finally time to announce the Stella Award.
Weāre easy going because we donāt have any star expectations. Which class will it go to this year? We were completely at ease as we chatted about it.
āWe had a really good time watching all the magic again this year. All the performances were wonderful, and it is hard to say which was better. Among them, there was one class that performed with very fine magical manipulation.ā
The Commander of the Order of Magicians announces this yearās Stella Award with a general comment.
āā¦ā¦The representatives of Class B of the First Year. I will give you the honour of a star.ā
Uwah! The audience goes wild with excitement.
Class B is Percivalās class. Itās a well-deserved award. I applaud with respect.
āAnd this year, I would like to award another class representative with a star honour.
The arena is abuzz at the words of the Commander of the Order of Magicians that follow. The star honour is awarded to one class every year. But it is unusual for two classes to be awarded star honours.
āClass C representatives of the first year. Your performance was very beautiful. It made me remember how much fun magic can be. Thank you.ā
ā¦ā¦What? What do you mean?
Everyone looked at each other, as if they didnāt understand what had just happened.
āRepresentatives of the First Years, Classes B and C. This way please.ā
The three representatives of our class, who did not understand what was happening, were urged by the representatives of the other classes to step forward to the principal and the others.
I donāt understand it either, but anyway, the representative of Class C got a star. This is definitely a happy occasion, so we give the star-winning representatives the highest praise and applause from the audience.
Our class was filled with unexpected joy that we didnāt realise until the last minute that one of the judges, the Earl of Aldridge, wasnāt at the star award ceremony.
ā¦ā¦Well, it didnāt matter at all whether he was there or not.