And just like that, the Student Council had come to a conclusion regarding how to resolve the dispute between the candidates to choose as representatives of the Colohen Branch. They hadn't expected that both candidates would endorse the other as representative of the magicademy, especially Vilryd going out of his way to vehemently support Cæ over himself.

However, given that both candidates had agreed to the proposal that President Mileila had given to them, none of them had any qualms about the arrangement. Indeed, given that the final decision would be made by a battle between the two of them in a final match before the registration due date was up, there was no better way or time for estimating which one of them was more fit for the position of combat representative.

"However, since we are unable to resolve this right here and now," President Mileila continued. "It would mean that both of you will have to participate in training in one other event."

Cæ and Virlyd grew serious as they understood what President Mileila meant.

"One student is only allowed to partake in one event at a time," she explained anyway. "That means that whichever one of you is not able to bag the spot as the combat representative of the magicademy will have to participate in another event. Even if you weren't chosen for that event, the two of you are strong enough that you will be valuable in almost any event. However, we can't just simply toss you into another event without adequate training, so you will have to train for that event to a lesser extent as well."

Cæ fell into thought as he pondered the point.

The good thing that came out of it was that he would not need to forsake the benefits of being a representative of the Colohen Branch of the Elendir Institute of Magic. After all, it didn't matter if he was the representative of the magicademy in the Vertir Combat Competition or another competition as long as he got to show off his skills as a mage to countless interested third parties who would be looking to scout good young mages who had yet to graduate and be claimed by some entity.

"Still, training for two events…" Cæ muttered. "That sounds rough."

He already had so much on his plate for the rest of the year, including his magicademics, his Trinity Housings obligations, not to mention his new project idea and the market research that he was currently conducting in that regard.

He also had to train in his combat magic in preparation for fighting Virlyd in the final battle at the end of the year.

Now, adding another event to train for on top of that, he would be truly pushing himself as hard as he possibly could.

Still, he knew that it wasn't impossible.

"…I can do that," Cæ remarked.

"As can I." Vilryd nodded. "I will prepare Capture The Flag. I believe that my magic will be quite useful in that regard."

"Very well then." President Mileila nodded, turning towards Cæ. "What about you?"

"…I can't decide on the spot, unfortunately." Cæ heaved a sigh. "I'd need to look into it."

"Very well then," she replied. "Let me know when you have decided. Please try to make your decision as soon as possible so that we can commence training as soon as possible. Some of the other magicademies have already begun training their chosen representatives for the Vertir Combat Competition, so I don't wish to delay commencing training."

"Understood, Mileila."

She smiled at him with a nod before continuing with the rest of the meeting.

Cæ zoned out as he pondered his options deeply, wondering what competitions he ought to consider applying for.

There were plenty of options at his disposal.

He considered some of the other competitions that appealed to him, like Tag, Capture the Flag, Treasure Hunt, and even Hide and Seek.

There was also Siege Wars, Contest of Wills, as well as the Contest of Creation.

He wasn't particularly interested in the latter since it was exclusively about artificing, a field he was just taking a single foundational course to learn about.

If he were going to choose an alternative, he would rather it be a field that made full use of all his other areas of competency. By the time the year ended, he was bound to have a foundation in a lot of fields; thus, a competition that allowed him to display a vast diversity of competencies might have been in his favor.

'If not for the prestige associated with the Vertir Duel Contest, I might have actually chosen one of these other contests,' he realized. 'It's a shame that clout is such a powerful variable that I can't ignore if I want to achieve my ultimate ambition.'

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He immediately ruled Siege Wars.

Even if he did shine in this particular field, the only interest it would incur would be that of the Elendir Magicarmy and the Elendir Magic Corps. He wasn't interested in attracting such dangerous attention, especially when he had such a large secret to hide regarding his magic abilities.

That left Tag, Treasure Hunt, Capture the Flag, Hide and Seek, and the Contest of Wills.

The latter was a hyper-specific contest where the contestants would be subject to increasingly intense forces that would strain them to great degrees. The last one standing was the winner, and it was a highly one-dimensional competition that Cæ had no interest in, so he ruled it out as well.

'Hide and Seek is certainly more complicated, but it still focuses on stealth and divination and doesn't give combat power any consideration. It doesn't allow me to display the breadth of what my expertise will be by the end of the academic year.'

Thus, he ruled it out as well.

'Tag is also in the same category, not something that really allows me to display the full depth of my magic mastery. It is largely hyper-focused on maneuvering and speed. Besides, I bet Miera is applying for it, and I don't think I can beat her in that regard.'

Thus, he ruled out Tag as well.

That left Treasure Hunt and Capture the Flag.

Personally, he found both options to be equally alluring.

They both allowed for diversity in their competitions and were even inclusive of a lot of abilities that could be applied to both competitions. They didn't favor any one field overwhelmingly, and that was good for someone who aimed to be a jack of all trades, barring his combat prowess.

With both Treasure Hunt and Capture The Flag, he would display his mastery in divination, combat magic, the six elements, alchemy, healing magic, and even his alchemy. Because the contest was so open-ended, most fields of magic could be applied to the contest in one way or another to yield beneficial outcomes.

The largest difference between the two, more than anything else, was that Treasure Hunt was a solo contest while Capture the Flag was a team contest. The latter allowed him to also display his leadership abilities in a contest featuring multiple students.

If not for combat, then he definitely needed to go for Capture the Flag.

This way, if he ever needed a way to convince any investor or party to invest, partner, or engage with his business ventures in any way, he could point to his performance in the Capture The Flag as a way to demonstrate his ability to lead a team to victory by overcoming all the challenges and enemies in their way.

'It's going to be difficult to train for Capture The Flag if I'm not confirmed as partaking in the contest yet, but it is worth having such a powerful backup option.'

He was eager to claim the leadership spot of the Capture The Flag team, but that would also be difficult for the same reason that he wasn't committed to the competition yet. Why would a team want to spend that much time preparing and training their strategies and tactics with a captain who might not even be their captain?

'Virlyd is also applying for Capture The Flag.' Cæ noted with an amused gaze. 'I see, with his combat prowess, he would definitely be a brilliant vanguard or rearguard. His domain magic is quite suited for Capture the Flag. And given that he is the Vice President of the Student Council with a great reputation, the students of our magicademy will respect his authority and leadership. At least, a lot more than they would respect mine.'

While it was still worth it to partake in the contest even if he wasn't the leader, he had the most to gain from the contest if he were the leader of the group. Thus, he immediately made it his goal to be chosen as the leader of the team that he was going to be a part of.

'Unlike Virlyd, however, I will have to earn the respect of my team from scratch because they don't already have that kind of respect for me,' Cæ narrowed his eyes. 'Still, to think Vilryd and I would be in contention for the same two different spots.'

They were the two candidates for both the Vertir Duel Competition and Capture the Flag.

Whoever won their final duel would become the combat representative, and whoever lost would go on the Capture the Flag duel.

"…And with that, we have tackled all the agendas on the docket for today's meeting," President Mileila announced with a nod as she skimmed through a document before her. "If there's nothing else then—"

"President Mileila," Cæ remarked, drawing her attention. "I have made my choice regarding what competition I would like to be a part of if I lose to Virlyd in our final battle."

Virlyd opened his eyes as he studied Cæ with a hint of intrigue in his stoic eyes.

"Oh?" Mileila raised an eyebrow. "That was quick, go on."

"I would like to participate in Capture The Flag, too."

A small smile cracked at the edge of the Virlyd's face, disappearing as fast as it came.

The members of the Student Council remained silent as they gazed at Cæ with pointed gazes.

"You…" President Mileila tilted her head with a wry smile. "Are you trying to pick a fight with Virlyd? Why are you choosing the same alternative as him?"

Cæ shrugged. "He has nothing to do with the reason. I chose Capture The Flag because of the wide diversity of fields I have chosen to get a foundation in. Besides…"

He threw her a knowing glance.

"It works out perfectly, doesn't it? After all, if I win our final battle, then I will be the combat representative while Virlyd will lead the Capture The Flag team. If I lose, then he becomes the combat representative while I go to the Capture The Flag team. There are only two possibilities, and that minimizes the waste in resources and training time. If I chose another competition, then another person would have to be unconfirmed, waiting for the consequences of our final battle. That person would then need a backup, too, and whatever they have as a backup would also have people who are unconfirmed and would need a backup as well, and so on. The number of people affected by this problem would rise exponentially if I chose anything other than Capture The Flag."

"That's true…" President Mileila realized. "If both of you choose Capture The Flag, then there are only two uncertainties in position, while everybody else will remain confirmed in their positions. This is perfect."

Cæ and Virlyd's eyes met as they glanced at each other with a knowing gaze.

The outcome of the battle would alter the manner in which they would participate in the Magic Contest. There was no doubt that both of them were going to do their very best to train and attain the combat contest position, but if that didn't work, then they would move to Capture the Flag.

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