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Chapter 20: Practice pays off

I was watching the training field from a distance, away from the noisy students who had been told that they had passed the practical test.

In order to avoid the attention of my surroundings, I magically assimilated into the scenery and soared into the air.

In addition, I used wind magic to pick up the sounds of the training field and set up the necessary elements for spectating.

I put up a transparent barrier in the air, which I used as a chair and sat down.

Now I can watch His Highness Grayson's practical test.

I clenched my fists as I cheered for His Highness Grayson in my heart, "Good luck!”

Aside from me getting a little nervous, His Highness Grayson stood in the center of the boundary, facing the teacher.

“Now then, we will begin Grayson Lee Soleil's practical test: ──── <<Fireball>>.”

Immediately after declaring the start of the event, the teacher deployed flame magic and manifested a ball of flame the size of a fist.

The bright red flame flew toward His Highness Grayson.

The ball of flame was right in front of his eyes and nose, and he avoided it with an extremely natural ──── movement to the side. The ball of flame that passed by him flew straight ahead and collided with the barriers that the teacher had deployed. And then it disappeared without any particular incident.

“Ah...."

Unable to hide my agitation at this unexpected turn of events, I started to harmonize my voice with that of the other students.

I was absolutely mortified at the sight of what I could only assume was an avoidance.

But the most surprised person seemed to be His Highness Grayson, who repeatedly blinked and crackled.

He covered his mouth with an awkward movement as an indescribable atmosphere spread over the place.

“I just avoided it out of usual habit.....”

Muttering this in a daze, His Highness Grayson looked down at his own body, which had moved unconsciously.

Apparently, his abundant experience in battle had been triggered. Even though he knew in his head that it was a "practical test of magic" he reflexively avoided the attack.

I guess even ...... geniuses have a hard time with magic activation and this case. Or should I say, in this case, it is a tragedy that happened because he is blessed with talent?

I sympathize with His Highness Grayson, who has a surprisingly large number of difficulties and I say to myself, 'Well, he’s only just begun’.

Needless to say, he got off to the worst possible start, but he still had a chance to make up for it.

“Go for it!" while I encouraged him in my heart, the teacher, who had suddenly regained his senses, coughed once as if to regain his composure.

<<Water Arrow>>

With a delicate air, the teacher continued the test and fired a water arrow at His Highness Grayson.

The arrow flew through the wind with a swoosh and the distance between the arrow and His Highness was getting shorter and shorter.

The arrow flew through the air with a whizzing wind, closing the distance between the two of them. He held his palm out in front of him, anxious.

<<Fire Breath>>

After somehow activating the magic, His Highness Grayson shot a jet of high-heat flames from the palm of his hand.

It flew straight out like a jet of water, vaporizing the water arrow in an instant.

A cloud of white smoke and heat spread out, further accelerating the midsummer heat.

Phew......... seems to be all right for now. He’s been practicing and it's paying off. Well, he’s still not at his best,....... But I think he can avoid a red mark.

I was so relieved. I looked at the cold sweat on my palms and smiled bitterly.

I was as nervous as the person in question, but I held my hands tightly and continued to work on watching the game.

<<Wind Cutter>>

<<Firelance>>

While the teacher deploys wind magic, His Highness Grayson instantly activates flame magic.

Since he has good judgment and instantaneous power, he was faster than anyone else in deploying the magic.

The wind blade and the spear of flame collide.

Then, with a bang, a small-scale explosion erupted, scattering gusts of wind and sparks around the area.

His Highness Grayson took one look at the scene and glanced at the teacher who had moved to the rear, taking advantage of the explosion. To him, who is sensitive to the presence of others, deception and surprise made no sense at all.

“Hahaha. I knew you were aware of me. ...... Well, good ──── 《Rock Attack》."

Halfway through the process, the teacher deployed earth magic to manifest a small stone with a pointed tip.

He aimed the glistening tip at His Highness Grayson and released it in a single motion.

Facing the stone, which seemed to have a sharp edge, Grayson calmly increased his magical power.

<<Water Shot>>

Pointing his index finger at the approaching stone, he chanted.

As he chanted, intermediate water magic was activated and clear water sprayed out from his fingertip with great force.

Although this magic does not have much killing power, it seems to have the power to repel flying stones and he shot them down to the ground.

He seems to be showing the results of his practice without regret. At first I wasn't sure what was going to happen, but with this, I think he can handle the final blow with no problem.

As I was feeling relieved that His Highness Grayson was showing his ability as he had practiced──── the teacher finally moved on to the final attack.

<<Fireball>>

Coincidence or inevitability..... the teacher manifests a ball of flame as if to reproduce the first blow.

His Highness Grayson's eyes widen slightly and he stops moving for a moment, but immediately returns to his poker face.

He faces the attack head-on to dispel his sense of dislike.

Then, the teacher mercilessly unleashed a ball of flame, slightly more powerful than usual, at His Highness Grayson.

Facing the ball of flame that closed the distance at once, the beautiful black-haired young man let out a single breath. He just looked straight ahead and opened his mouth to take revenge.

《Water Barrier》.

Releasing more magic power than usual, His Highness Grayson deployed his familiar water magic. He created a large amount of clear water and stretched a thick film of water over it.

His Highness Grayson, never moving from his position and looking ahead, projected a ball of flame in his lapis lazuli eyes.

The approaching red mass collided with the film of water with great force and disappeared as if it were melting.

As a cloud of white smoke rises, His Highness Grayson relaxes his shoulders and releases his magic. With a splash, a large amount of water was sprinkled on the ground, moistening the soil.

Good. Now he’s over the trauma of the "Fireball" ...... or rather, he’s over his dislike of it. And, his second half comeback was great. Well, I still think it's a shame that he avoided the first blow. ......

“If only that hadn't happened, he would have gotten a perfect score," I quipped in frustration.

But I think the most regretful person is His Highness Grayson, who is the one who did it.

“With that, I conclude the practical test for Grayson Lee Soleil. He failed to prevent the first blow, so his score is eighty points. You did your best. Good job.”

“...... Yes. Thank you very much."

His Highness Grayson, who bows his head lightly, clenches his fists tightly to cover his frustration.

Although he did not show it in his expression, I could feel his feelings painfully from the atmosphere and attitude he wore.

I let out a breath as I watched His Highness leave the training center quietly.

From the looks of him, he's probably going to take the retest. At Flugel Academy, you only get the right to retake the practical test. Of course, you don't have to take it again if you're happy with your current results, since it's only for students who want to.

“I believe the retest takes place tomorrow for two days. ......? I don't have anything to do anyway, so why don't I go watch the game?"

I decide that although I am satisfied with the results of the test, I am concerned about the movements of His Highness Grayson.

After all, having accepted the role of instructor, I wanted to see it through to the end.

All right! Once that's decided, let's get out of here! Get some rest for tomorrow!

Gripping my fists tightly, I jump down from my barrier, no, from the chair ...... I made in the air.

With wind magic assisting my body movements, I landed on the ground and headed straight home to my dormitory.

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