I never thought we'd have to fight.

I could have seen this coming if I'd seen the other guys in the game.

It's always been the same with you.

　Me and Megri were facing each other on the match stage.

'This is a match. Then just fight as hard as you can. Even if that opponent is Mina.

　Yes, this is a match between me and Megri.
　I knew it could happen because it's a tournament system, but I didn't expect that anyone would make it to the semifinals without losing.

Mina and Meguri, do your best!

Good luck!

　Gyro and the others cheer me on comfortably from the audience.

''Totally, I'm a wizard, so it's not in my nature to fight head-on like this.

　A wizard's job is to cover you from behind with magic.
　This is the reason why it's impossible for them to engage in close combat with an enemy when there's no vanguard in sight.

　It's not only that, but also that Meghri is aware of our skills, and both of us can use flying magic, so we can't be unilaterally attacked from the air.
　It's a good thing that we are at a severe disadvantage, frankly speaking.

　........Honestly, there's no reason we have to win this tournament, so it doesn't matter if we lose at a random place.

I'm going to win.

　Megri wants the prize though, and he's ready to go.

'Don't lose, Minnaar!'

　The idiot was so carefree and supportive of me, without even knowing I was there.

"Oh well, let's get serious for a minute.

　No, it's not because that idiot is rooting for you, okay?
　I just don't like losing on purpose.

So let the semifinal match begin.

Phew!

　As soon as the signal to start, Megri jumps in with the force of an arrow.
　It looks like Megri is going to use her body-enhancing magic to strengthen her body to the maximum extent and decide the game before we can use our magic.

''But that's to be expected!　Stormburst!

　Anticipating Megri's actions, I unleashed a wind-attribute range magic that instantly created a storm.
　The good thing about this magic is that it doesn't need to concentrate on controlling the jutsu, so it can be activated quickly, and it's the best magic to use against Meghri, a ranged magic that is difficult for the opponent to avoid.
　It also has the effect of pushing the opponent backwards by the storm that is released.

''In other words, it's the best magic for stalling!

　Until the magic weakens, Megri's invasion speed can be slowed down.
　Taking advantage of that small gap, I activated my main magic.

''Freeze Earth!''

　Ice rises up from the floor of the game stage and covers me protectively.

This is⁉︎

　Ice fills not only my surroundings, but the entire match stage.

''Whoa!''

　The referees, startled by the rising ice, hurriedly evacuate the scene.

''Kuhki⁉︎''

　Megri tries to avoid it, but the ice is coming up from the entire match stage, so there's no escape.
　More importantly, the magic from earlier keeps Megri in the center of the match stage.
　There's no room for you to run out of the field like a referee.

Then the sky..........

　Meghri was about to run away to the sky, but was shocked to find that the sky was already covered in ice.

''Huh, this ice can be moved according to my will.

'Then!　Windblast!

　Megri destroys the ice wall with wind magic, but it's a scorcher.
　The speed at which the ice is created is faster than the speed at which Meghri destroys the wall.

It seems like Lex taught you that magic, but it wasn't a good match. At least if it was a fire-based magic, it could have melted the ice.

　Megri continues to destroy the ice without giving up, but the wall of ice finally covers him and makes him invisible.
　The ice was even thicker and covered the match stage, finally trapping Megri completely.

''Yes, it's over.''

　I announce my victory on the ice that fills the game stage.



'Great! The game stage has been put on ice!

I've never seen magic like this before!

　The crowd was amazed to see the icy match stage.
　Huh, as a wizard, I can be a little proud of myself for being able to bring the crowd to their feet with my magic.

　Well, thanks to that, I was able to gobble up my magic power.
　To be honest, I wasn't as comfortable as it looked!

　All of the magic Rex teaches me is powerful, but the problem is that the amount of magic power it consumes is too high.
　I've received the training to increase the amount of magic power, but I've been forced to learn magic that consumes a lot of magic at the same time it's increasing, so I don't feel like I've gained much magic power.

　However, if you eat this, there's nothing you can do about it, even if you're a Megri.
　This magic that does not allow you to evade and confines you is a natural enemy for light warriors and thieves.

But is the trapped girl okay? Are you sure it's not frozen?

　I'm sure you don't have to worry about that.
　I'm sure you'll be able to find out more about this in the future.
　I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to make the most of it.

　I'm sure you'll be able to find a good deal more than you think.
　If you want, we can have the gyro help us melt the ice after the winner has been decided.

''Referee, can you check on the winner?''

'What?　Oh, yes!

　The referee, who was looking at the game stage in a daze, comes back to me at my voice.
　Then I go around the outside of the match stage and look for Megri, who is trapped in the ice.
　The ice is cloudy and white, so I can't see Megri even if I did that.

'But the ice was clear when Lex used it.

　When Lex had used the same magic, the larger ice was as clear as a jewel.

'What's the difference?'

　I guess I'm good at that, huh?
　It's a bit frustrating to admit.
　As I was thinking about this, the ref circles back around.

'I can't see Megri, but I've decided it's impossible to move under the circumstances. Hence, this match! It's Mina's...

　Victory, that's what the ref was about to announce.

　Bogong!

　The ice beneath my feet shattered.

'What?'

Huh!

　The one who emerged from under the ice was Megri.

'No!　Why?

! "He sharpened it with a dagger!

What?

　What is that?　You cut it out?　How did you do that!
　I'm completely off balance, and I'm easily knocked down by Megri.

''How did you........''

'I used my magic to break the ice and create a lot of gaps. This dagger was made by Lex, so it's very sharp.

''That's what it was!

　I see, the reason Megri kept destroying the ice with magic wasn't to create an escape route, but to make it easier to chip away at the ice when we were trapped.
　And with the body-enhancing magic and the stupidly sharp dagger Lex made for me, you mean it's not impossible to dig through the ice.

''That was a bit of a bypass. I should have been more vigilant about the performance of Lex's equipment.''

　If they knew the performance of the armor and made this move, then they should have taken the performance of the weapon into account.
　The reason the ice was unnaturally white is because Meghri was shattering it at random.
　Could that thing have been a distraction as well?

'I mean, I wasn't expecting them to dig through a block of ice with a dagger.

　Huh, that's my mistake for underestimating Megri's ability to think.

I lost.

Mina gives up a giveaway and Megri wins!

""Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh!"

　The crowd was abuzz with excitement as the referee declared.

'It's over in a second, but that was a great match!

'Yeah, that girl who won in that situation was awesome, but the magic of the girl who lost was awesome too!

''I didn't think I'd ever see such an awesome match outside of the Dragon Princess's fight!

That's what I'm talking about, ladies!

The loser's sister is going to have to fight again!

　Oh?　I don't know what it is, but that's a favorable response to a loss.
　I'm a little surprised.
　That said, when I see the crowd's reaction, I realize I've lost.

"Oh, I've lost.

　Oh, I'm still a little frustrated.
　But it can't be helped.
　It's wrong when wizards are in close combat in the first place.
　Rather, it's wrong that we've been able to win the match so far.

''Congratulations Megri.''　

　I change my mind and congratulate Megri.

'Thank you. But this victory was still in my favor, so I was able to get it. If this wasn't a match in a small hall, I think I would have lost because I couldn't even get close enough to the magic from a distance.

That's what they say about you. You've won, you should be proud of yourself.

...Yeah, thanks.

　Maybe Megri is feeling bad about winning against his friends, too.
　But that being said, I'm doing quite a bit to win, so I can't blame Megri for that.

　It's just that it's a bit of a shame that I lost, since she gave me her support.

　◆.

Good night.

Good job!

　When I return to the bleachers after the game, I'm greeted by Liliella and the others.

'Where are Jairo and the others?'

Those two excused themselves from their seats because their game was about to start.

　I see, the guys have a game to play, too.
　They came all the way down to the last minute to watch the game.

He was cheering for you at the game.

　Grinning, Liliella smiles.

'You were rooting for Megri too anyway, weren't you?

Yeah.

　I know. I've known that idiot for a long time.
　I can tell you that I was rooting for both of them just because they were on the same team.

　I was just thinking about that when Liliella added, though.

When you lost, he was very upset about it.

...Is that so?

Yes, I do.

　...you were frustrated, huh?
　Yeah, well I lost, but I think I'm a little less regretful now.