Heroine Creation: All My Summons Are Custom Made

Chapter 213: This is Ours

The next morning, lessons presumed as usual.

In the Summoner-D homeroom, Miss Maecil had just finished her lesson on how to care for one’s Summons properly, how to notice strain before it became damage, how to maintain trust, energy, and discipline so that the bond did not become a burden on either side.

Miss Maecil’s voice softened as she brought that topic to a close.

The room went quiet for her to speak.

"Alright," she said, folding one hand over the other, "listen carefully."

The students straightened.

Lancet did too, though only slightly.

Miss Maecil’s gaze moved over them once before she continued. "I’m ending today’s lesson early so we can spend the extra time discussing strategy for the upcoming challenge."

That got a stir out of the room immediately.

One-on-one combat tournament.

It was the most exciting challenge in the Inter-Class Competitions yet. Everyone was driven by the idea of magic and violence.

Miss Maecil nodded toward their reaction, then went on in a steadier voice. "For those of you that don’t know, it’s less of a tournament and more of a table point system."

She continued after a pause. "Each Class Group will face the others directly, which means three fights for each group. Every win is worth one hundred points. That means the group with three victories ends the tournament with three hundred points, and the group with the highest total wins."

She let that sink in before continuing.

"There will be three participants from each Class Group, each one assigned to a separate fight."

A few students started muttering already, testing out the numbers, the implications, the likely matchups. Miss Maecil waited until they quieted again before she added, "And yes, I know what you’re all thinking. This is the hardest challenge for Summoners."

That got a few knowing looks.

"Every Class Group has one challenge that is least favorable to them," she said. "This is ours."

Her tone did not change, but the room listened more closely.

"This time, you will be doing the fighting yourselves," she continued. "Not your Summons. You. There is no hiding behind another fighter. No delegating the battle to a stronger being. No using the usual safety net that people expect Summoners to rely on."

The words hung there.

Lancet could feel the shift in the room the moment she said it. Some students looked worried. Some looked strangely excited.

Miss Maecil smiled faintly. "Everyone expects us to fail. I’m not saying we will win. But I am saying we will exceed their expectations."

She looked at everyone. "We have to."

The classroom lit up a little with some hope.

"Before we go any further," Maecil continued, "you need to decide who your three participants will be. Training can begin before the event, and I want us to use that time wisely."

Then she lifted a small note from her desk.

"I’ve already taken the liberty of writing down a few names. So far, some of you have shown yourselves to be particularly capable in combat."

She glanced at the paper.

"Dane. Kasto. Min Tu Akaran. Luke Travers. Lancet Leogardt."

At each name, one or two students shifted in their seats.

Lancet’s gaze moved across the room. He could already feel what Miss Maecil was doing. She wasn’t forcing a decision on them. She was guiding them toward one. That was her way.

She lowered the note slightly. "Now, I have my own ideas," she said, "but you are the ones who spend time with these students. You know who are the best fighters amongst yourselves."

Lancet looked up at her from his seat and thought, not for the first time, that professors always knew about the underground fighting arena.

They pretended not to talk about it in front of students, and students pretended not to know they knew, but nobody in an academy like this stayed ignorant of where talented fighters sharpened and injured themselves.

Headmistress Danistasia was the one who passed the silent rule that no professor was to talk about it.

Miss Maecil folded the note once and set it aside. "So I’m asking you to vote with honesty. Select the students you have faith in."

The room stirred at that.

Hands began to rise immediately.

"Luke Travers!"

"Min Tu!"

"Lancet!"

The names came up over and over, several students speaking almost at the same time. One or two voices tossed in "Dane," "Patton," and "Cassandra" but even when Dane himself raised a hand, and even when Kasto lifted his, they still chose the same names again.

Luke. Min Tu. Lancet.

The repeated pattern made it clear enough.

Miss Maecil watched the result with quiet satisfaction. "Good," she said. "That helps."

Then she looked at the three students whose names had gathered the most support.

"Can you three stand?"

Lancet rose. Luke rose. Min Tu stood as well. The three of them faced the room while the rest of the class looked on.

Miss Maecil’s expression became more serious.

"This is going to be our hardest challenge," she said. "Elementalist-D has the raw elemental force of Frieda Castleloft. Enchanter-D has the control and adaptability of Amira Vineheart. Specialist-D has Renan Falconhart and the heavenly powers that come with him. Those are not easy odds."

She let the pressure settle for a moment before continuing. "But I want you to do your best. That is all I am asking. I want you to represent Summoner-D."

Her gaze rested on them with quiet pride.

"We have already gone very far in this competition. We have already proven that we belong here. The odds being stacked higher does not mean we will surrender to them."

Her voice softened just slightly.

"Do you accept?"

Min Tu answered immediately. "Yes."

Luke answered just as fast. "Yes."

Lancet looked at the class, then back at Miss Maecil, and said, "Yes."

Miss Maecil nodded once, as if the answer had been obvious from the start. "Good."

Then she lowered herself into the edge of her desk and folded her hands, shifting smoothly from reassurance into strategy.

"Now," she said, "let us begin with the likely representatives of the other Class Groups. That way I can better predict which of you will be facing whom."

The class leaned in.

Lancet sat up a little straighter.

Not only did Miss Maecil have to guess who will be chosen, but she also had to guess who amongst the chosen three for the three other Class Groups would be selected to fight them, Summoners.

Miss Maecil tapped her finger lightly against her chin. "For Elementalists, the obvious choice would be Kallan Kallahan. His control of lightning certainly puts him in the best three combatants in their Class."

Lancet opened his mouth at once. "I think it’s going to be Frieda Castleloft."

Miss Maecil blinked. The room blinked with her.

Kasto and Anita, seated nearby, tilted their heads. A few other students looked between Lancet and Miss Maecil. Even Min Tu’s expression shifted slightly.

Miss Maecil’s brow rose a fraction. "Frieda? She’s unquestionably the most powerful student in Elementalist-D. Doesn’t it make sense that she would be placed against Renan Falconhart?"

Lancet’s expression sharpened.

"It does, but she won’t," he said. "As of recently, her control of her overwhelming power has been really bad. Professor Phiodor doesn’t like risks when he can get an assured win. He’ll save her for the fight where raw power matters most and where he thinks she’ll be able to overwhelm the other side."

A few students in the room started nodding slowly. Miss Maecil watched him carefully.

"He won’t waste Frieda on a fight that needs finesse," Lancet continued. "If she’s in a matchup where brute force can carry her, he’ll use her there. If not, he’ll put someone more controllable in front."

Miss Maecil looked genuinely thoughtful now. "That makes sense, Lancet. But are you certain?"

"I’m positive," he said. "I’d bet all the Notes I earned from the Hebthej Raid on it."

The class chuckled.

Of course Lancet knew.

In the webnovel, that was exactly what happened.

Frieda’s lack of control had always been part of her setup. It was the reason she got shoved down for matchups that needed precision. It was the reason she was not placed in the fight that would have sent her against Renan.

That had likely been an excuse because the readers would have hated it if Renan had fought one of his harem girlfriends.

But, Frieda’s inability to control her huge power has always been her character flaw.

And the original story used that to stop her and Renan from clashing at the competitions even though she was the best representative for Elementalist-D to face him.

Lancet had no reason to believe that pattern would change now.

The only thing that would change was that Renan would not be facing Elementalist-D this time.

He would be facing Lancet.

Lancet’s eyes narrowed.

He had not expected a rematch so soon.