The run probably didn’t even take a few minutes, yet they reached the base of the clock tower without being attacked once.  Then, just like that, they all dashed up the stairs, reached the open top of the clock tower, and looked around in all directions.  There wasn’t any sign of combat anywhere.

However, at that height, they should be able to spot the enemy.

“—Over there, Lutiya!  At one o’clock, in the shadow of that building!  They have the flag too!”

Lutiya visually confirmed what the vice class leader spotted from behind a wall.  A single figure with what appeared to be a flag hanging from his waist was hiding in the shadow of rubble cleverly shaped to resemble a building.

“Don’t attack yet.  I don’t want them to realize that we’ve noticed.  Send a messenger to the left and right squads.”

They had already determined how they’d be signaling the others after taking the clock tower.  Instead of flashing a normal light, they used light created from magical power.

“Looks like they never planned on taking the clock tower in the first place.”
“Well, we were a bit closer to it. –They’re moving!  They’re coming this way!”

They had been noticed, but it was tad too late.  Signals of acknowledgement came from both the side squads.  Now they could launch a pincer attack.

“What about Noin?”
“Not there, but they have the flag— That’s the Vice-Class Leader of the Gold Dragon Class!”
“—Begin the attack!”

Even though Noin still was nowhere to be seen, informing each squad of the flag’s location was to their advantage.  More than anything else, the Vice-Class Leader of the Gold Dragon Class was second in strength to Noin himself.  Crushing her here would move the situation in their favor.  Coming to that conclusion, Lutiya gave his command.

Each squad had been assigned users skilled in long-distance attacks such as bowmen and magic attackers.  Magical bombardments from both directions brought the Vice Leader and flag of the Gold Dragon Class into sight.  Arrows immediately rained down upon that spot from the clock tower, but the Gold Dragon Class used the cover of the smoke to slip into the building’s shadow.  Both flanking squads continued their pursuit, destroying the cover as they advanced.

At first glance, they appeared to be attacking wildly, but there was a certain spot where their attack was repelled by a magical barrier.  That was their target.

The Blue Dragon Class was no longer so naïve as to overlook such a spot.  Their magic attack on it was relentless, as if they wre saying, “Don’t move.”

“Have the right squad charge.  The left squad will provide cover—”
“Class Leader, please wait.”

The best archer in the Blue Dragon Class interrupted the order with a low voice, bowstring still drawn.

“Something’s wrong.  I can only find two figures.  Isn’t a squad of just the vice class leader and one other person too strange?”
“Well, that could mean there are hidden troops lying in wait.”

“Maybe we should observe a bit longer incase they’re lying in wait for the assault squad.”  Nasser murmurs as he watched the battlefield.  Smoke was still rising from it.

“But if we destroy the flag, it’ll be our victory.  Even if that tough ponytail girl from the Gold Dragon Class is just a decoy, she’s still worth crushing.”
“I know, but what if it really is just the two of them…?  And there’s something about that flag too, it feels… off…”

At that moment, Lutiya heard the sound of a barrier being blasted aside.  With it, a flag was blown away and fluttered up into the air.

“—Shoot the flag!”

As if the hesitation from a moment ago had never happened, an arrow released in a straight line from the clock tower pierced through the yellow cloth.  As the cry, “Got it!” rose up, Lutiya released the breath he had been holding.

However, he immediately felt something was off.  Nasser clearly put that feeling into words.

“—Where’s the signal to end the match?”
“Lutiya!  On the left, someone has a flag…!”
“Ha!?”

“He’s the one who was just with the vice class leader!  That guy, he has a flag!”

Flustered, Lutiya looks down at the battlefield that had just been blasted.  Sure enough, a student with a yellow flag hanging from his waist was running straight toward the left-hand squad, carrying the vice class leader on his back.  As long as a student’s school crest wasn’t directly hit, they wouldn’t be counted as dead and could be moved without issue.  However, the flag that had just been pierced by an arrow was indeed lying on the ground.

That should have signaled the Gold Dragon Class’s defeat and brought the match to an end.

Yet upon straining his eyes and looking more closely, he saw that bits of yellow cloth embroidered with the school crest had been tied to the legs of chairs and scattered everywhere.

“…No way, fake flags.”
“Hey, on the right!”

A flash of magical light seared Lutiya’s eyes the instant he turned his gaze.  Smoke billowed up on the right side which had been burned away in an instant.  Within that smoke, cutting down the students was, as suspect, Noin.  From his waist hung the flag.

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