Chapter 361: The Focus of the Banquet!
According to the agreement, all five Hagun representatives were supposed to arrive at the venue today.
After all, the official notice for the Seven Star Sword Art Festival had stated that competitors should arrive two days early if possible.
Although it was not a mandatory rule, most competitors generally followed it.
In any case, two days was not enough time to train any meaningful results.
However, someone like Stella was an exception.
And such exceptions were one of the main reasons the Sword Art Festival officials did not make early arrival mandatory.
Clearly, these two days were enough for her strength to grow even further.
However…
"Is forcing herself like this really a good thing?"
Shizuku's sudden words pointed out the most important issue.
Her tone carried hidden concern, and her gaze shifted from Ikki to Luke.
"In another two days, the Seven Star Sword Art Festival will begin. I believe everyone here has also gone through strict training during this period."
"These two days should originally be used to rest, preserve energy, and adjust one's condition."
"But Stella is using them for training…"
At this point, Shizuku hesitated for a moment.
She seemed to be considering whether she should interfere with someone else's plan.
But in the end, out of concern for her friend, Shizuku continued.
"Even if she becomes stronger because of it, the fatigue or even damage left behind after training will still remain in her body. If she can't participate in the Seven Star Sword Art Festival in perfect condition, then what meaning does becoming stronger have?"
"If she accidentally loses… isn't her judgment a little rash?"
Shizuku looked at Luke.
She was sincerely worried for Stella.
And among the four people present, only Luke, as the delegation leader, was qualified to report the situation to the director and forcibly call Stella over.
Having always followed behind them, Shizuku understood the meaning this Seven Star Sword Art Festival held for Ikki and Stella.
All this time, Luke had stood before the two of them like a towering mountain.
Ever since the mock battle at the start of school, Luke had always been the target Ikki and Stella dreamed of surpassing.
However, although the three of them often trained together, Ikki and Stella had never truly had a chance to prove themselves.
This Seven Star Sword Art Festival was the best opportunity the two had been waiting for, as well as the most perfect stage.
But if Stella could not stand on that meaningful stage in her best condition…
Shizuku was worried that it would become a regret for her.
After hearing Shizuku's words, Ikki and Touka beside her also looked at Luke.
It had to be said that Shizuku's words did make some sense.
Rest was just as important to the growth of strength.
Balancing work and rest was something everyone understood.
On the eve of such an important competition, if one did not guarantee their condition, it was possible to suffer an unexpected upset.
However, Luke was not too worried about this.
"Stella's condition is far better than you imagine."
"Besides, with Nene-sensei following her, and with Director Kurono having approved this matter, there's no way they wouldn't think of the problems we can think of."
"There's no need to worry too much. We only need to look forward to what kind of surprise Stella will bring us."
Luke's words temporarily reassured them.
However, there was actually one most important point he did not say.
That was, the current Stella was probably just like him.
She no longer needed to take this so-called Seven Star Sword Art Festival seriously.
According to what Kurono had relayed over the phone, Nene had reported the situation in an extremely proud tone.
Between the lines was her certainty and confidence that Stella would defeat Luke.
Luke did not even need to analyze it to understand.
Stella had definitely mastered the technique of Dragonification, and she had even developed a new Noble Art on that foundation.
If that was truly the case, then she really did not need to preserve her energy.
Because fighting those other competitors would probably be no different from resting to the current Stella.
…
They did not chat idly for long before the elevator reached the top floor.
The moment Luke and the others stepped out of the elevator, they saw a large door directly facing them.
Two servers stood at the entrance, welcoming them with natural smiles.
"The four of you are representatives from Hagun Academy, correct?"
"The banquet venue is ahead. Please continue forward."
The servers clearly recognized them and opened the door very politely, making a "please" gesture.
Luke and the others did not waste any time either.
After thanking the servers, they stepped inside.
The sound of noise entered their ears.
Because Luke and the others had wasted quite a bit of time chatting, even if they were not the last to arrive, they were close to being among the final group.
Those who arrived first had already started the banquet.
This kind of not-too-formal and not-too-important buffet-style banquet was, to put it plainly, not much different from a high-class buffet.
Generally speaking, when facing an atmosphere that had already become lively, latecomers like Luke's group would not draw too much attention.
Everyone would be chatting with one another, and not many people would deliberately watch the entrance.
Normally, that should have been the case.
However, the instant Luke's group of four passed through the door and appeared in the banquet hall, all noise abruptly stopped.
Countless gazes swept over immediately.
At that moment, Luke and the others seemed to have become the center of the entire venue, as though everyone had been specifically waiting for their arrival.
The gazes and silence only lasted for a brief moment.
Soon, the noise began to appear again.
However, this time, the content of the discussions in the hall was completely different from before.
"It's Raikiri! She really came after all!"
"Last year really was such a shame. She should've had the qualifications to compete for Seven Star Sword King, but this year's Raikiri should be even stronger, right? I'm really looking forward to a rematch between Raikiri and him."
"The one beside her is the legendary Worst One, right?"
"What terrifying sword energy. There's no doubt he's definitely a national-level knight, and at the very least, someone with top-eight strength…"
"Top eight? Are you kidding? Just based on that sword energy alone, at least more than half the people here wouldn't be able to take a single slash from him. Last year, the only ones who could do something like that were probably Seven Star Sword King and Raikiri."
"What on earth was Hagun's previous director thinking? How could someone this strong possibly be held back a year?"
"Hey, hey, hey, all of you are focusing on the wrong thing. The Falling Star Sword Emperor in the middle should be the one you pay the most attention to, right?"
"Do you even need to say that? Of course we know the A-rank Falling Star Sword Emperor is definitely strong. After all, his record of defeating Raikiri is right there."
"But… I can't feel anything from him! If I didn't clearly know that he's the Falling Star Sword Emperor himself, I might even think someone brought a family member inside."
"…In other words, has his strength already far surpassed the national level?"
"You've got to be joking. Add in the A-rank Crimson Princess who hasn't arrived yet, and just how many monsters does Hagun have this year?!"
"Did that inexplicably appearing Akatsuki Academy really defeat this group of monsters??"
…
(PS: Vote for more chapters this week. If this fanfic reaches 100+ powerstones, I will increase the daily upload frequency. Also, don't forget to write a review!)
---
Read more than 20 chapters in advance:
patréon.com/tom22
Replace "é" with "e" on your web browser.
---
For Audiobook:
youtube.com/@animefic22