Since Jaeger Manor secured three victories in a row, there was no need for the Fourth Years to fight.
This allowed them to proceed to the Semifinals where a Round Robin Match between the three semifinalists would be conducted.
“Now that the preliminary matches are over, we will end the tourney for today,” Professor Barret declared. “But, before that, may I ask the Head Prefects of Terra, Jaeger, and Dud Manor, to come up to the arena, so that we can schedule the order of the upcoming matches.”
The Clash of Manors would be held for a week.
Every two days, a battle between the three factions would commence, allowing the participants to get plenty of rest before their next match.
Although some injuries could be healed by magic potions, there were some cases that an additional day of rest would be needed in order to get a full recovery.
In order to let the participants fight to their fullest, the Clash of Manors was spread throughout the week to accommodate a day of rest.
“I’ll let you decide the order, Irene,” Eren said in a confident tone. “Since all of us will be fighting, it doesn’t matter who fights who first.”
Irene nodded and looked at Professor Barret with a smile. “Terra Manor will first fight Jaeger Manor.”
Professor Barret nodded in acknowledgement of Irene’s decision. “How about you, Henry?”
“We’ll fight Jaeger Manor first too and save Terra Manor for last.”
After consulting the Head Prefects of the three Manors, the schedule for the Round Robin Matches were finalized.
First Match – Terra Manor vs Jaeger Manor.
Second Match – Dud Manor vs Jaeger Manor
Third Match – Dud Manor vs Terra Manor.
The Manor that won twice would automatically be declared as the Champion of the Clash of Manors.
If all three of them got one win and one loss each, they would draw ballots to determine who would get a free pass.
The two remaining Manors would then have an elimination match, and the winner would be fighting the one that got lucky due to the ballot draw.
Whoever won that final match would become the Champion.
After the schedule had been posted, the students, and the guests left the Coliseum.
Some of them were quite happy, while some of them had disappointed looks on their faces.
This was especially true for the students belonging to the Eques and Schwartz Manors, who didn’t manage to reach the Semifinals.
The rest of the students were ecstatic and hailed their candidates as heroes who made them all proud.
Although the number of their members were the smallest of the bunch, that didn’t stop Dud Manor from celebrating their victory inside their Manor’s dining room.
“Hahaha! You were both amazing, Ethan, and Noah!” Oliver said as he refilled the mugs of the two handsome boys with fruit juice. “You made us all proud. Am I right, George?”
George, who had somewhat recovered from the injuries he received during the match, but still considerably weakened, raised his mug in agreement.
“Cheers to the heroes of the new generation,” George stated. “Now, I can retire with some peace of mind.”
“What nonsense are you talking about?” Henry snorted. “After I graduate you will become the Head Prefect. It’s too early for you to retire. You can retire after two years.”
“Bummer.” George lamented.
Ethan and Noah chuckled after seeing their seniors’ disappointed faces. However, they knew that George was just joking, and everyone in the Manor continued to enjoy the victory they gained after fighting with everything they had.
“Truth be told, I don’t want to dampen everyone’s mood,” Henry said after placing his mug on top of the table. “But there is something important that I must tell all of you, especially you, Ethan and Noah.”
Ethan and Noah looked at their Head Prefect with serious expressions because they could feel that whatever Henry was going to tell them was truly important.
“This is about Jaeger Manor,” Henry stated. “With the exception of Lily Langley, I have a rough idea on how strong those guys were in the past. But, after seeing today’s battle, I can tell that they had grown considerably stronger.
“Of course, it is only natural to become stronger the longer you stay in the academy. But, this sudden boost of strength is uncanny. Arthur also mentioned in passing that the current Jaeger Manor isn’t the same Jaeger Manor that we knew in the past. It is safe to say that they might be the greatest adversary we will be facing in the tournament.
“I’m not saying this to make you guys feel anxious. I am only doing this, so that all of you will understand how strong the competition is right now.”
Ethan and Noah, who had seen Lily and the rest of the candidates of Jaeger Manor, understood what their Head Prefect was saying. However, the only thing they could do was do their best in the upcoming matches.
The only silver lining was that the first match for the Semifinals was between Terra Manor and the Jaeger Manor. 𝒩𝔬𝑣𝒍xt.𝗰𝓞𝓂
They were hoping that they would be able to see more of what their competitors could do during the battle that would be held in two days’ time.
“What are your chances of beating Lily without using Partial Resonance?” Noah whispered in Ethan’s ears.
“None,” Ethan replied in a flat tone.
“How about you? Can you deal with that summoner?” Ethan asked.
“I have a small chance of winning if the right conditions are met,” Noah answered.
The two then clinked their mugs together before drinking it down in one swig.
For now, they would not think about their upcoming battles and just focus on enjoying their victory party.
——————————
Somewhere in Brynhildr Academy…
“You think hiding in your room will save you from me, Langston?” Zack asked in a contemptuous voice.
“… No, Father,” Langston replied with his head lowered.
“You have disappointed me terribly,” Zack said. “I asked you to make a name for yourself here, so that the sons and daughters that belong to the Faction opposite ours would see your greatness and convince their parents to not get in our way.
“However, not only did you lose to that Scarlet Witch, you even lost to a Dud twice! Can you still raise your head in the Academy? Can you still uphold our Family’s name and honor? Mark my words, Langston. I will only give you one last chance.”
Zack placed his finger on his son’s chin and raised his head up until the teenage boy’s gaze met his.
“One last chance,” Zack stated coldly. “Disappoint me one more time, and you can kiss Brynhildr Academy goodbye. I have no need for useless tools. Do I make myself clear?”
“Y-Yes, Father,” Langston replied as he tried to keep his voice from trembling. “I will not let you down.”
“You already did.” Zack sneered. “Lie low for a while, and make sure to not cause any trouble again. If I hear another report that you are shaming our family’s name… I’ll make you regret it.”
Zack said the last words very slowly, sending a shiver down Langston’s spine.
Only when his father’s figure disappeared from his sight did the handsome young man use the wall beside him as support.
His legs had almost given up on him, but fortunately they held until his father was gone.
“It’s all your fault, you Filthy Dud.” Langston clenched his fists in anger as Ethan’s image appeared inside his head. “If only you didn’t exist.”
Langston never felt so helpless in his life, because he had everything he needed due to his family’s wealth and influence.
Only after arriving in the Academy did he suffer hardships, and because of this, he cursed Ethan’s name under his breath.
Wishing that the blue-haired boy hadn’t enrolled in the academy, and foiled the delusions of grandeur that Langston had imagined for himself