Two weeks had passed and William finally got used to his daily life in the academy. The lessons were very informative, especially the class that described the wild Spirit Beasts that roamed around the Southern Continent.
William took these lessons seriously. He memorized the safe way on how to fight against these beasts as well as their weaknesses. Since he had no powers right now, knowing this kind of information would be beneficial for him.
Today, Grent took the First Years to the Coliseum in order to teach them the proper way to fight mages. All the first years lined up in a row, while Grent and Andy looked at them with serious expressions on their faces.
"Do any of you know how to effectively fight against mages?" Andy asked.
Spencer raised his hand and stepped forward. "Sir, the best way to fight mages is to get close to them. Once you engage them in close combat, most mages will start to panic. Once that happens, it will be easy to neutralize them."
Andy smiled. He didn't agree nor disagree with Spencer's answer.
"While it is indeed true that fighting mages in close combat will help you defeat them, this is not always the case," Andy answered. "Only people who are confident with their close combat skills will be able to pull it off. Anyone else have an answer?"
Priscilla raised her hand and gave her opinion about the matter. "The spells of mages have an effective range. Even if they cast powerful spells, they will disappear once they reach a certain distance."
Andy smiled and nodded his head. "A textbook answer, but only those who are proficient with their archery skills will be able to say these things. Is there anyone else who can give me an answer?"
Andy's gaze landed on William who had his eyes closed while caressing the side of the Angorian Goat beside him.
"William, what do you think?" Andy asked. "How can a martial fighter fight against a mage?"
William opened his eyes as he looked at Andy with a smile.
"The answer to this question is really simple," William replied. "It will depend on certain conditions and the ability of the one who is fighting against the mage. There is no clear cut answer on how to fight mages, but as Martial Fighters, you must consider everything including the weather, the terrain, and even the mentality of your opponent. If you think that you have no chance of winning then you should just run and escape."
William smirked and added a few more words. "If you think that running away is shameful. You can just pay them back once you become a Saint. By then, even Archmages would have to think twice when fighting against you."
Grent clapped his hands. "Good answer. Physically, mages are at a disadvantage because they rely more on their magic power, compared to their physical prowess. However, don't forget, there are mages who are proficient in wielding weapons too. Magic Swordsmen, Battlemages and the likes are good examples of Magicians who can fight in close quarters with an expert fighter.
"In short, the one who is going to win is the one with more battle experience. Once you've become proficient in fighting mages, you will learn a few tricks on how to neutralize their strong offensive magical powers."
Grent gave everyone an encouraging smile as he looked at the other side of the stadium. "Today, we are having a joint class with the First Year Magic Division Classes. This is a good opportunity for all of you to learn how to fight against mages, and they in turn, will learn how to fight against Martial Fighters.
"Make sure to open your eyes and learn from this experience. It is not everyday that we can use terrain like the Coliseum to fight in a real battle against mages."
Just as Grent finished his speech, the Magic Class Division, led by Est, entered the stadium. The haughty mages looked at the warriors of the Martial class with arrogant expressions. Some of the students of the Martial Class frowned, but they didn't say anything and simply watched them from a distance.
It had been a widely accepted rule that magicians would always be superior to those who didn't have the ability to wield magic.
"Today, you are going to learn how to fight against fighters," Layla explained. "This is a joint class with the Martial Classes so make sure to observe them carefully. Although they don't have magic powers, that doesn't necessarily mean that they are pushovers. Remember, a single arrow can end your life if you are not careful."
"Don't worry, Professor Layla," a handsome boy, who seemed to be a noble, said as he flicked his hair with confidence. "As one of the Generals of the Magic Division, I'll show you how to handle these small fries."
"I'll be looking at your performance then, Sir Edward," Layla said with a smile. However, her smile never reached her eyes. She was someone who hated arrogant nobles the most.
"You can count on me, Professor." Edward gazed at the Martial Class as if he was looking at a bunch of bugs that he could easily crush under his foot.
'Edward Yole Aerich. Grade S Talent in Magic, and second son of Marquess Aerich,' Est thought. 'According to the information, he is the most promising among the First Years when it comes to Magic Affinity.'
Est, Ian, and Isaac, only had Grade A Affinity to Magic. Compared to them Edward was a level higher and his family had gone all out to give him the necessary resources in order to pave the way for a future Archmage.
'Let's see what you can do.' Est smiled. He wanted to see just how capable his second in command was. Honestly, Est was hoping that the one who would get to fight Edward was William.
Although the latter's power had been sealed, Est wanted to see just how much he had grown over the few years that they hadn't seen each other.
A few minutes later, Grent, Layla, and Andy met at the center of the Coliseum and exchanged pleasantries.
"Looks like you're not having it easy, Layla," Grent teased. "You're starting to look your age. You better apply your night cream before going to sleep."
Layla sighed and nodded. "These brats will be the death of me. I hope your students can bring them down a peg, so they will understand that they are not the center of the universe."
"Oi, you're supposed to side with your students," Andy reprimanded her. "Are you sure you want your own class to suffer a loss? It might reflect badly on you as their teacher."
"Don't worry. Even if that really happens, so what?" Layla replied. "I can simply say 'Aren't you ashamed that you got beaten up by the same magicless warriors you ridicule everyday?'. As long as I say that, everyone will shut their traps and just focus on their magic training."
Grent and Andy shared a knowing glance and shook their heads helplessly. Layla was quite brutal to her students, but this was the right way to curb their arrogance while they were still young. Of course, they were also worried about their own students because magicians were not pushovers.
"Let's just make this a challenge match," Layla proposed. "We will take turns in challenging each other. You guys can start first."
"Okay." Grent nodded. "This sounds like a good plan."
The three instructors returned to their respective Divisions and explained the rules of the "exchange of pointers".
Both sides could choose to fight one on one, or in a group battle. Just like what happened when the Martial Class elected their Vice Prefect, the magic formation inside the Coliseum would prevent anyone from dying.
With this assurance, both sides would be able to unleash their full power without worrying about their opponent's safety.
"We will be the first one to challenge them," Grent said with a serious expression. "Who wants to take the first victory for our Martial Class?"
"Me!"
"No! I will do it."
"Step back, I'll handle this."
Drake, Spencer, and Conrad were itching to teach the mages a lesson or two about fighting strong fighters like them.
Everyone was getting heated up, and even Grent was starting to have a headache about who to choose. It was then that a lazy voice spoke out and gave out an order.
"Priscilla, you will fight first," William ordered. "Don't hold back, and crush them."
Since the Head Prefect had spoken, everyone reluctantly stepped back and stared at the beautiful girl carrying a bow behind her back.
They had recognized Priscilla's strength during the Vice-Prefect competition, so none of them thought that William's decision was out of place.
Priscilla didn't say anything and stepped forward. She then looked at the Magic Class Division and issued a challenge.
"My name is Priscilla Nerelle Grandfall," Priscilla declared. "I am the Vice-Prefect of the Solaris Martial Division. I would like to challenge the Vice-Prefect of the Magic Division!"
Edward grinned when he saw the beautiful girl who had dared to challenge him. He then swaggered forward and gave Priscilla a smirk. "I guess the Martial Class is not lacking in beautiful girls. Since you dared to challenge me, how about we make a little bet? If I win, you will become my subordinate. Don't worry, I will treat you really well. What do you say?"
Priscilla sneered as he gazed at the handsome blonde-haired boy in front of her. "I don't mind. But, if I win, you will become my subordinate. What do you say?"
"Hah! You've got guts!" Edward grinned. "Very well. I accept your condition. Let everyone here be a witness!"
After making his declaration, Edward took out a golden magic staff from his storage ring. It looked so cool and amazing that William was very tempted to touch it and see if he would be able to learn a new Job Class from it.
Priscilla held the bow in her hand and gazed fearlessly at the arrogant boy in front of her. With a glance, everyone could tell that she was not the least bit nervous about the bet they had just made.
William smirked when he saw this scene. Although Priscilla lost to him, he was sure that the girl still hadn't used all of her hidden aces during their battle.
William and Est exchanged a glance and smiled at each other. This was not only a contest between their Divisions. This was a fight between the two of them as well.