The Rebirth Of The Hero’S Party’S Archmage [EN]: Chapter 95

The Reincarnated Great Magician of the Hero Party – 95

95

“Y, you said you got dumped by Wiber?”

During lunchtime, Logan, whom I met again as promised, stammered, looking utterly dumbfounded. Lillian Karain was also with him, as planned.

“Is that a problem?”

“It’s not a problem, it’s normal! Wiber’s personality is so cowardly and dirty… You’re probably better off without him.”

However, Lillian calmly offered a different opinion from the excited Logan.

“Still, Wiber is a necessary choice. Isn’t he the starting setter at Lionheart [presumably a school volleyball team]?”

Logan had to concede that point.

Wiber’s position was setter.

Not only was he good at volleyball, but he also had an excellent ability to read the game, which allowed him to secure a starting position despite being a freshman.

“I also learned from the school since I was young, but that’s it. Wiber, who has received professional training and gained practical experience at school, is definitely a necessary force.”

“But there’s nothing we can do if he says he won’t do it…”

Logan had a habit of trembling his voice when talking to Lillian. Rain chuckled and nudged him towards the gym.

“We’ll have to find another person separately. Let’s go to the gym first. The other guys said they’d come too.”

Then, he turned to Lillian and expressed his gratitude.

“And Lillian, thank you for helping. You saved me.”

Lillian shrugged her shoulders as if it was nothing, with a faint smile that only she could see.

“I have to do this much. I owe you a debt.”

“Debt? What debt?”

“It’s something. Don’t be petty and pry, you little man.”

I wondered what the debt was, but there was no time to ask further. The other three were waiting in front of the gym door.

As usual, Nora waved her hand with a bright smile, and Cayden was just taciturn… Oh, there was another person next to him.

Wiber of the Rohinum School. He looked several times more sour than usual.

“What, Wiber! Did you come to help?”

When Rain greeted him kindly, Wiber snorted and coldly turned his head away.

“Help? No way, I just came to see.”

“See what?”

“I heard you’re working so hard, so I came to see if it’s true or a lie. That’s all.”

In fact, Wiber himself didn’t even understand why he was here. The story goes back to the break time in the second period.

– Why would you help a guy like that? I can’t understand it no matter how I think about it, Cayden. You hate nobles too!

At Wiber’s roar, Cayden stroked his chin for a moment and wrote a strange phrase in his notebook.

[Rain Ludwig is a bit different.]

– Different? What’s so different about that guy?

[When nobles deal with us, I don’t feel the contempt that is commonly seen. ㅇㅇ]

“You’re kidding me.”

What is that bastard…….

As he was about to retort firmly, he suddenly closed his mouth, startled by a memory that flashed through his mind.

‘Come to think of it, have I ever been ignored by that guy?’

He did get angry once, but that was a common reaction that could be seen between ordinary students.

Rather, it could be said to be a sincerity that can be shown because he thinks of the other person as equal.

If it had been a typical noble in that situation, he would have made him kneel for being rude.

[And the fact that Insung Gongja quit the student council for the commoners may not be the whole truth, but it is true, so I’m helping.]

The reason I came here is to confirm that truth… to distinguish between what Wiber said and what Rain said.

That’s all, I’m not here to help. In the first place, even if I did help, the opponent is Griffin Valor [presumably another school team].

‘But how are they going to win with this hastily formed team?’

Lillian and Cayden may have learned the basics of magic volleyball from the school, but they haven’t been active in clubs since coming to school, so they are not immediately ready to fight.

To make matters worse, Insung Gongja is new to magic volleyball.

I wondered where he had faith in if this wasn’t a joke and was serious… As I sighed, Nora suddenly came up to me and smiled brightly.

“Then, Lionheart’s freshman super setter Wiber will give the team consulting from now on★”

“What? Don’t be ridiculous. Why would I?”

If it was just Nora’s request, I could have easily refused… But for some reason, even Lillian joined in.

“Hmm, I agree. Wiber, isn’t your purpose to see Insung Gongja’s sincerity?”

“……?”

“Then, shouldn’t you make him do his best whether he wins or loses and then see the result?”

Then, Logan twitched his sternocleidomastoid muscle [neck muscle] and nodded, and even Cayden, who could be said to be an ally, said this.

[Seems like there’s no refuting it lol]

No, these guys are all together…….

In the end, Wiber, pushed by the atmosphere, examined the skills of the four in a 2:2 practice match. Wiber, who watched the game closely with Rain, finally gave his assessment.

“Not bad for this level.”

Logan and Nora knew each other’s skills since they were both from Lionheart, but Lillian and Cayden also displayed unexpected talent.

“That being said, it’s just ‘not bad.’ With this lineup, we can’t beat Griffin Valor, not even if we were resurrected.”

“Why?”

“Because we don’t have a setter.”

Setter?

Then, the latecomers from the Eight Great Factions, who had gathered before I knew it, tilted their heads in turn.

“Isn’t that what you’re supposed to do?”

“Right♣”

“Hmm, I also thought Wiber would be the setter.”

[For real…….]

Wiber, dumbfounded, let out a roar that sounded more like anger than a scoff.

“Like hell I will? I can concede everything else, but not this. I only set for magicians I acknowledge.”

“There he goes again, with Wiber’s nasty personality★”

“Shut up! I can compromise and set for you idiots somehow, but not you. So, there’s no way I’m going to be the setter. I wasn’t planning on taking this seriously in the first place.”

Wiber turned to Rain with a provocative gaze, drawing a firm line. It was a moment filled with tension, but Rain surprisingly brushed it off coolly.

“A setter is someone who sets the ball for the spikers, right? Doesn’t seem that hard?”

“I’m so speechless at your ignorance that I want to sigh. Setter is not that simple of a position.”

As Rain tilted his head at Wiber’s annoyance, Logan stepped up to explain.

“If the hard receiver is the core of the defense, then the setter is the core of the offense, you see.”

[The setter makes it possible for the spiker to break through the opponent’s block.]

“The dictionary just says it’s a position that tosses the ball, but more broadly speaking, it’s the commander role that directs all attacks on the court♬”

Lillian also nodded lightly, conveying her knowledge.

“It’s to the point where people say magic volleyball is all about the setter.”

*Since when have these guys been so close to Insung Gongja?* While feeling a hint of doubt, Wiber took over the baton.

“In the first place, you lump them all together as spikers, but they all have different personalities and play styles. The setter is the one who coordinates all of that.”

“Oh.”

“And Griffin Valor’s Maya Snark is a nationally recognized setter with overwhelming talent. The match itself won’t even be fair.”

“……”

“Do you now understand who you’ve picked a fight with?”

After finishing his explanation, he sneered even more than usual, but Rain stroked his chin as if lost in thought, staring into space.

“So, the setter is that important of a position. We can say that Griffin Valor is so strong right now thanks to that Maya Snark.”

“……”

“It must be difficult as it is important, right?”

Logan, who was bouncing the magic ball against the wall, nodded.

“It goes without saying that it requires both the ability to read the game and physical ability, but the setter is a difficult position for magical reasons as well.”

“Magical reasons?”

“A competent setter can mentally calculate mathematical formulas for the spiker, you see.”

“Mentally calculate mathematical formulas instead?”

As I understood it, there were two cases where you had to calculate mathematical formulas.

1. When receiving or blocking the opponent’s serve or spike, you have to calculate the mathematical formula ordered by the opponent.

2. When serving or spiking a ball passed by the team, that is, when attacking, you order a mathematical formula on the ball.

But instead of calculating it myself, is there such a case where the setter calculates for the spiker?

“The spiker originally has to instantly order the mathematical formula to be used for the attack right before hitting the spike, but the setter can calculate about 90% of it during the set-up motion and then send it over♬”

“……!”

“Then the spiker only needs to lightly order the last 10%. If they have more time, they will have more room to avoid blocking♬”

Then Lillian, who had been listening to the explanation as carefully as Rain, raised a question.

“But as far as I know, the setter has to calculate the coordinate equation when tossing the ball to the spiker, right?”

“That’s why setters are divided into two types.”

A type that sends tosses accurately with coordinate equations, and a type that builds mathematical formulas instead, even if the toss is a bit ambiguous.

“A truly competent setter is said to mix the two well depending on the situation★”

Lillian, who clearly understood what Nora and Logan were trying to say, nodded her head.

“In short, it is an undeniable reality that the team with the strong setter dominates the game, and if we can’t bridge the gap in skill between the setters, we won’t have a chance of winning.”

Now the question is, which of the four of us will be the setter… Cayden and I have little practical experience, so we’re excluded, so it must be Nora or Logan.

However, judging from the game just now, Logan was a wing spiker who showed strength in spikes with the power coming from his huge physique, and Nora was a role that solidified the defense with solid receives using her flexible body.

This is a dilemma, should I find another teammate? That was when.

“That sounds fun?”

An unexpected voice was heard.

Of course, it was Rain Ludwig who said that.

“I’ll be the setter.”

A silence, as if cold water had been poured over everyone, swept through the arena. It was immediately followed by an explosive uproar.

“Young master, have you even been listening to us?!”

“You haven’t even played magic volleyball since you were a kid! Are you not planning to win?”

[For real……]

“Ahahaha, I’m in favor★”

In an instant, Rain, now the center of the commotion, raised both hands to calm his teammates.

“This is a game I started, so I can’t just pass the important stuff onto you guys.”

“Even so……”

“And our team has the best setter of the first years. I think I can learn everything from him in ten days?”

Rain gestured with his chin towards Hubert, and in an instant, everyone’s attention turned that way. Before Hubert could even panic, Rain grinned and extended his hand.

“Hubert, you said you couldn’t play as a setter, but you can teach me, right? We’re on the same team now.”

* * *

“So, is the preparation going well?”

Casena Page asked.

Since Rain had been busy practicing volleyball from dawn till late at night, it felt like a long time since they had sat facing each other in the classroom.

Casena was just as busy with her duties as a member of the organizing committee. It was even busier since one member of the student council was missing.

“Well.”

Rain raised both arms, covered in scratches, as if to prove it.

“It feels like I’ve been working hard, but I don’t know if it’s going well.”

Casena watched the scratches with a worried look for a moment, then cleared her throat importantly.

Then, she carefully glanced at the other students, especially towards Hubert, before bringing her lips close to Rain’s ear and whispering softly.

“This is a secret, okay?”

“?”

“This is absolutely, positively, completely a secret! Don’t tell anyone!”

What is it? Why is she shouting so loud when everyone can hear… It’s not just my eardrums that are about to burst; my head is ringing.

“My mom is away for a bit, so I’m the acting president in the meantime.”

“Acting president? Where did she go?”

“Shh! I don’t know. Something big happened, and she took all the administrators with her and hasn’t come back yet.”

Administrators? His eyes narrowed slightly.

Is it something related to the city rather than the university… Maybe they found the bodies of Rivadin and the Special Task Force.

‘This could be troublesome,’ he thought, but Casena smiled as if to tell him not to worry.

“Since that’s the case, don’t worry too much! Even if Rain loses and loses the right to participate in the festival, I can just reject the result! With the president’s authority! Because I’m the acting president!”

And she gave a thumbs up as if to say, ‘Just trust me,’ before getting up with her crutches. It was time to go to the executive committee.

These days, Casena could walk with only one crutch. She was working hard on rehabilitation training, and perhaps because she was drinking Chaihark’s Magic-Protein, her recovery was fast.

Watching her leave, Rain let out a short laugh, feeling dumbfounded.

‘Since she’s such an honest person, she must be serious.’

Even if I really lose, she’s the type of person who would stubbornly reject the results. Without even thinking about the aftermath.

‘To prevent that from happening, I have no choice but to win the match in a week.’

And so, a week passed, and finally, the day of the decisive battle arrived.

* * *

Since it was the Griffin Valor’s club disbandment match, the game was traditionally held in Griffin Valor’s No. 1 Gymnasium.

Those who had never seen Griffin Valor’s gymnasium before couldn’t help but gape as soon as they stepped inside… and for good reason.

“Wow, it’s huge…!”

“Everything is shiny…!”

“The magic facilities are all state-of-the-art…!”

As it was a place where the youths of the Five Great Families and the Ten Great Clans passed through, the support activities by the OBs [alumni] were also active, and the facilities were truly unparalleled.

Also, even though spectators were gathering one by one as evening approached, the noble students’ training was orderly without the slightest disruption.

Students practicing spikes, students practicing serves, students practicing tosses……

“Tighten your core! You call that a spike? Again!”

Griffin Valor moved in perfect order under the guidance of the second-year’s tiger professor, Elin Ludwig. The spectators were amazed by the disciplined and precise training.

“Do you think Inseong Gongja [Rain’s nickname, meaning ‘virtuous young master’] can win?”

“I don’t know. Griffin Valor’s power this year is amazing……”

“Idiot! That’s why we came to cheer! What are we going to do if we get discouraged first?”

Then, Rowenbelt Kanwer, who was eavesdropping on the spectators’ conversation, chuckled as if amused.

“Our Young Master Ludwig has become a hero to the commoners, huh?”

To that sneer, a third-year student named Yors, with a rather large build and a gentle impression, replied.

“We were expecting this situation. Only the person being admired has changed.”

Yors Bautel.

He was also a member of the Ten Great Clans.

Maya Snark, sitting on the bench and putting on her knee pads, clicked her tongue in annoyance.

“It doesn’t change anything just because the underlings are talking. We just need to crush that arrogant nose of theirs.”

The cheers suddenly shifted towards the entrance. The challengers, having lost all sense of fear, had appeared.

She expected only irresponsible cheers to pour out, but stifled gasps leaked from here and there.

That grated on Maya’s ears.

“W-What is that……!!!”

“Those six are a team……?!”

“The golden generation of freshmen all in one place……?!”

Even Maya, upon confirming their identities, couldn’t help but raise her eyebrows in momentary bewilderment, as it was a team with a combination that no one had expected.

Hubert from the Rowenbelt School.

Lillian from the Rivendell School.

Logan from the Chihawk School.

Nora from the Melev School.

Cayden from the Hariman School.

The sight of the top freshmen from the Eight Great Schools all gathered together… but the identity of the person walking at the very center of the formation, seemingly leading them, was even more shocking.

“How did Rain Ludwig get that squad together……?!”

Rain Ludwig, as the heir of a powerful family, shouldn’t he be standing at the opposite end, not gathering disciples from the schools?

“Sigh…….”

Elin Ludwig, watching her nephew and sighing as if she couldn’t help it, soon blew her whistle to line up the players.

The eleven selected for Griffin Valor’s starting lineup this time were the most elite selection, to the point where losing was unthinkable.

Bradley, the captain of Lionheart, who knew that better than anyone else, let out a short sigh.

“Maya Snark as setter, Yors Bautel as middle blocker, and Sandra Keppel and Gertrude Fanton as wing spikers… they have the power to become aces on any team.”

Even excluding those three, this year’s Griffin Valor is full of formidable players. The fact that Krista Warden is absent, using student council duties as an excuse, is perhaps the only good news….

Meanwhile, the team facing such Griffin Valor was incredibly modest.

There’s no need to argue about Hubert, Logan, and Nora’s skills, but volleyball isn’t a sport played by three people, but by six.

‘Cayden was in the music club, Lillian didn’t do any club activities at all… and Rain only learned it ten days ago.’

And in contrast to Griffin Valor, with a total of eleven players lined up, including the hard-receiver and other substitutes, the challenger team had only six members.

“Even a layman in magic volleyball can clearly see where the disadvantage lies.”

At the voice that suddenly rang in her ear, Krista Warden was startled and turned around.

“P-President……?!”

It was Valensidice, the student council president.

Not only Valensidice but also Vice President Felix Drake was with him, and he sat down and immediately asked a strange question.

“So, who did you come to cheer for?”

“Yes?”

“You seemed angry at that slick guy last time. I’m curious what you’re doing, even hiding in this corner.”

“H-Hiding? It’s not like that!”

“You were angry, weren’t you?”

At that question, Krista could only bite her lip miserably.

“……It wasn’t that I was angry.”

From the beginning, it was unclear whether she was angry or not. Perhaps Krista was angry at herself at that time.

Why couldn’t she step forward like Rain Ludwig at that time? As a student council member, at the moment when the student council, the student council president, was being ignored.

Rain threw away the student council badge without a moment’s hesitation. He sacrificed his personal honor for the sake of the student council. But herself…….

“…….”

Valensidice quietly stared at such Krista, then quietly smiled. This kid is a noble worth watching too.

“Both teams, bow!”

It was around that time that Professor Iverne had both teams salute. He is the advising professor of the magic volleyball club, Snakemast, in the Third Gymnasium.

For fair judgment, it was a natural course of events that he was chosen as the referee, not Elin, who represents the nobles, or Owen, who represents the schools.

Handshakes that were merely superficial, with no trace of genuine goodwill, were exchanged. Only the handshake between the captains was different.

“Rain, I was so excited that I couldn’t even sleep! Let’s have fun together today!”

According to Griffin Valor’s tradition of the person with the highest status becoming the captain, Sandra Keppel, a second-year student and descendant of the Five Great Families, is the captain.

“If you get me this excited and then disappoint me, I might get more upset than you think!”

“Even if you faint from surprise, it’s not my fault.”

“Ahahaha! Rain is always so funny! Oh, and you know it’s cheating to use Bell Siderius [Rain’s magical artifact, possibly related to sight], right?”

“Yes, I know. You can’t use the Evil Eye.”

“Oh my, you’re so smart! Our Rain is always so smart, that’s why I like him!”

While Sandra was laughing and hitting Rain’s back, Professor Iverne flipped a coin.

Tails.

The challenger team has the first serve.

Up to this point, it was a typical development that could be seen anywhere, but in the next moment, a breathless silence covered the arena.

“The first serve is… Prince Inseong?!”

Receiving the ball from Professor Iverne, Rain immediately activated the magic within the ball.

Whoosh…!

The magical sphere, instantly emitting a blue force field, bounced elastically off the floor and was caught in Rain’s grasp.

“That guy is the first server…”

Krista stroked her chin as if she also found it strange, while Valenci tilted his eyebrows slightly.

“Isn’t that an unusual choice?”

“The first serve is important as it can seize the momentum of the set at once.”

“You mean it’s also used to gain the upper hand.”

“Yes. Generally, they don’t use a beginner.”

There’s only one possible scenario.

Is he taking his turn now to prevent Rain’s serve from costing them the momentum in a crucial moment later on?

But as if to mock such calculations, Rain stepped back five steps from the end line.

“Crazy, is he thinking of doing that…?!”

“Is he going to do a jump serve…?!”

Professor Owen, who had taken the Lionheart players to a spot among the audience, couldn’t help but narrow his eyes.

‘The jump serve is truly the realm of the skilled. It’s not at the level of basic skills like receiving or spiking?’

There’s a saying in magic volleyball:

Receive for 3 months, spike for 6 months, jump serve for 12 months.

In a double meaning, it meant that it was learned last among those steps, and it also meant that it took that long to master.

‘Can you really do that, Rain Ludwig, when you’ve only just taken your first steps?’

The Griffin Valor players currently on the court were more aware than anyone else of the difficulty of the jump serve.

That’s why the three players in the back row subtly took a step forward and formed a new formation.

A sure judgment born from long experience, because there’s no way a ten-day beginner would do a jump spike serve or a jump floater serve.

Hubert, who was clasping his hands behind his head in preparation for a service error, also nodded at Griffin Valor’s choice.

‘Of course, they’d judge it that way. Because that’s normal.’

I used to think so too.

Until I taught that monster myself.

“Your Highness, nice serve!”

At Logan’s cheer, Rain lifted the ball he had placed on his palm high into the air and stepped forward.

One step, two steps.

On the third step, he powerfully pushed off the ground, launching his body high into the air. That series of movements was… so smooth.

‘Perfect approach…?!’

The moment she saw that, a cold chill ran down Maya Snark’s spine, who was standing in the front row.

“Get back, one step further back──!”

Before Maya’s urgent shout could finish, it was all over.

The magic sphere, scattering blue afterimages as it crossed the air, crashed into the corner of the court line as if crushed, painfully emitting electricity, and then bounced high, soaring all the way to the second-floor railing.

Gertrude Panton’s forehead was beaded with cold sweat as she stared blankly at the corner where the magic sphere had struck.

‘No, are you kidding me….’

In the silence that overwhelmed the audience, as if God had momentarily stolen sound from the world.

“…Court in!”

The moment the two linesmen, who were judging in and out from the court’s end line, shouted that.

“NOOO TOUCH, ACE───!”

The gymnasium erupted in cheers as Logan shouted, clenching his fists in both hands, breaking the silence.

‘Is it talent?’

Owen, who knew better than anyone that Rain Ludwig was a beginner, could only let out a hollow laugh, wondering what on earth had happened.

‘Is it talent, is this what they call overwhelming, no, violent talent?’

But Elin Ludwig, who had anticipated that a roughly similar situation would unfold, had a smile mixed with complex emotions on her lips, which quickly disappeared.

“Rowen.”

At Elin’s call, a boy sitting slovenly on the bench stood up as if he had been waiting and warmed up with light jumping jacks.

Rowenbelt Kanwer.

He was short but clearly a third-year student, and his gym uniform was slightly unusual. It was definitely Griffin Valor’s gym uniform, but the color scheme was reversed.

If the typical Griffin Valor gym uniform was white with brown and gold as auxiliary colors, this one had the exact opposite combination.

This wasn’t a special case, but a sign that the wearer, Rowenbelt, was the team’s dedicated receiver [a player specializing in receiving serves and spikes].

“If it’s a serve like that just now, you can definitely catch it, right?”

At Elin’s question, Rowenbelt glanced at Rain Ludwig and grinned leisurely.

“If I face it directly two or three times, I can EASY-ly lift it while picking my nose.”