Chapter 155: Chapter 155 - Damon Vs Lucian (3)

The moment Eric finally began running, the entire training ground erupted into noise.

Students who had been silently observing the tactical exchange between Damon and Lucian suddenly found themselves shouting all at once as the match transformed from a calculated battle of positioning into complete chaos. Several students pointed toward Eric while others immediately stood up from where they had been sitting, unable to remain still as the situation unfolded before them.

Because nobody—

Absolutely nobody—

Had expected Eric of all people to become the most important player on the field.

Least of all Eric himself.

The orange-haired boy sprinted forward while clutching the ball against his chest as though it were a priceless treasure someone was actively attempting to steal from him.

Which, unfortunately, was exactly what was happening.

"I HAVE THE BALL!"

His voice echoed across the field.

The next moment his expression changed.

"WHY DO I HAVE THE BALL?!"

The realization seemed to arrive considerably later than it should have.

Meanwhile, the entire opposing team immediately reacted.

The two defenders who had previously focused upon Damon abandoned their positions.

Another player changed direction.

Even Lucian’s gaze shifted toward Eric.

The situation had transformed completely.

The field that had previously revolved around Damon and Lucian now revolved around the one person neither side had expected to become decisive.

Eric.

Meanwhile, Damon calmly watched the unfolding chaos while standing only a few meters away from Lucian.

The faint smile that had appeared earlier still remained.

Not because the play itself was particularly complicated.

In truth—

It had been remarkably simple.

Throughout the entire match, every player on the field had unconsciously categorized the participants.

Damon was dangerous.

Lucian was dangerous.

Zarhka was reliable.

Vaelith was competent.

Mira was harmless.

And Eric—

Eric was irrelevant.

That assumption had persisted for the entire match.

Which was precisely why Damon had chosen him.

People rarely defended against what they had already dismissed.

Meanwhile, Eric continued running.

Or perhaps fleeing.

The distinction had become increasingly difficult to determine.

Several defenders rapidly closed the distance behind him while the orange-haired boy repeatedly looked over his shoulder, each glance causing his running form to become more unstable.

"DAMON!"

His voice cracked.

"DAMON THEY’RE COMING!"

The answer arrived immediately.

"Of course they’re coming."

"THAT DOESN’T HELP!"

"Run faster."

"THAT ALSO DOESN’T HELP!"

The spectators burst into laughter.

Even several students from the opposing team looked exasperated.

Meanwhile, Eric somehow continued advancing.

Not elegantly.

Not efficiently.

But undeniably advancing.

The goal zone steadily drew closer.

At the same time—

The defenders steadily drew closer as well.

Then suddenly—

One of Lucian’s teammates surged forward from the side.

The interception route was perfect.

The timing was excellent.

And for the first time since receiving the ball—

Eric’s face truly lost all color.

Because unlike before—

There was nowhere left to run.

The defender arrived.

The angle disappeared.

The path closed.

And the goal zone remained frustratingly distant.

The spectators collectively held their breath.

Meanwhile—

Eric’s eyes widened.

Then something unexpected happened.

Instead of panicking...

Instead of freezing...

Instead of making the sort of terrible decision everyone had come to expect from him...

He shouted.

"VAELITH!"

The elf immediately looked offended.

"Why are you screaming my name?"

"TAKE IT!"

Without hesitation, Eric launched the ball.

The pass wasn’t beautiful.

It wasn’t elegant.

In fact, it was objectively terrible.

Yet somehow—

It worked.

Because while everyone had focused upon Eric—

Nobody had noticed Vaelith quietly repositioning himself throughout the chaos.

The elf received the ball cleanly before immediately straightening his posture.

A dramatic motion.

An unnecessary motion.

A very Vaelith motion.

Then he looked toward the approaching defenders.

And smiled.

Not warmly.

Not kindly.

But with the sort of expression that usually preceded an insult.

"You truly are a disappointing species."

Several defenders looked furious.

Then—

Vaelith passed.

Immediately.

Because despite his personality—

The elf possessed excellent judgment.

The ball flew once more.

This time toward Zarhka.

The goat beastwoman caught it while already moving.

No hesitation.

No wasted motion.

Her hooves dug into the ground.

Her body leaned forward.

And suddenly she exploded through the remaining opening.

The field erupted.

Students shouted.

Barrack laughed.

Teaching assistants exchanged impressed looks.

Meanwhile, Lucian immediately began moving again.

His team followed.

The final stretch of the field transformed into complete chaos.

Everyone sprinted.

Everyone adjusted.

Everyone reacted.

And standing amidst all of it—

Damon quietly observed.

Because now the match had entered its final stage.

No more positioning.

No more preparation.

No more subtle manipulation.

The pieces had already been moved.

The board had already been arranged.

Now—

The outcome would be decided.

Meanwhile, Zarhka continued charging toward the goal zone while defenders converged from every direction.

One moved from the front.

Another from the left.

A third from behind.

The opening rapidly disappeared.

Yet strangely—

The goat beastwoman showed no concern whatsoever.

Instead—

She smiled.

A small smile.

One that immediately caused Damon to understand.

Because just as everyone had focused upon Eric earlier—

Everyone was now focused upon Zarhka.

And once again—

The field had forgotten someone.

Far behind the advancing defenders.

Far away from the chaos.

Standing completely alone.

Mira.

The healer blinked.

Then pointed at herself.

"...Me?"

And the moment she realized nobody was guarding her—

The entire training ground collectively understood exactly what Damon had been building toward since the beginning of the match.

The realization spread across the training grounds almost simultaneously.

Students.

Teaching assistants.

Even members of Lucian’s own party.

One after another, their gazes shifted away from Zarhka and landed upon the same person.

Mira.

The healer.

The least threatening member of Damon’s team.

The one who had spent the majority of the match looking confused.

The one nobody had bothered marking.

And now—

The one standing completely alone.

A collective groan immediately spread throughout the spectators.

"No way..."

"They forgot about her again."

"How did they forget about her again?"

Meanwhile, Mira herself looked even more surprised than the audience.

She pointed toward herself.

Then toward the approaching chaos.

Then toward herself again.

As though she genuinely needed confirmation that what was happening was real.

Meanwhile, Zarhka had already seen the opening.

The goat beastwoman’s amber eyes narrowed slightly before she immediately shifted her footing.

Several defenders converged upon her position at once.

One attempted blocking her advance.

Another reached toward the ball.

A third prepared to tackle.

Yet Zarhka never intended to force her way through.

Instead—

The ball left her hands.

A clean pass.

A perfectly timed pass.

The leather ball cut through the air while countless students instinctively followed its trajectory.

Then—

Mira caught it.

Or more accurately—

The ball landed directly into her arms before she had enough time to react.

For several moments she simply stood there.

Frozen.

The goal zone stretched only a short distance ahead.

The defenders remained behind.

The opening remained completely clear.

And yet—

She wasn’t moving.

"Mira."

Damon’s voice carried calmly across the field.

The healer immediately looked up.

Then pointed toward herself.

"Me?"

The question somehow sounded even more confused than before.

"Yes."

Damon sighed.

"You."

Several students watching from the sidelines immediately covered their faces.

Meanwhile, Eric looked horrified.

"Run!"

The orange-haired boy practically screamed.

"FOR ONCE JUST RUN!"

The words finally broke Mira from her daze.

Then—

She moved.

The entire field erupted.

Students began shouting.

Several defenders immediately changed direction.

Lucian’s teammates desperately attempted recovering their positions.

Yet it was already too late.

Because everyone had committed elsewhere.

Everyone had focused on the obvious threats.

And nobody had accounted for the possibility that the harmless healer would become the deciding factor.

Meanwhile, Mira continued running.

Her form wasn’t elegant.

Her movements weren’t athletic.

Yet the determination visible upon her face somehow caused several spectators to begin cheering.

"GO!"

"YOU CAN DO IT!"

"DON’T DROP THE BALL!"

That final piece of advice only seemed to make her more nervous.

Meanwhile, Lucian immediately understood.

The moment the ball reached Mira—

The match had effectively ended.

Yet despite that realization, he still moved.

His body accelerated forward.

Several teammates followed.

Not because victory remained likely.

But because surrendering before the end wasn’t part of who they were.

Damon quietly observed the scene.

Then unexpectedly—

Lucian’s eyes met his once more.

Neither spoke.

Neither smiled.

Yet understanding passed between them regardless.

The game had already been decided.

The only question remaining was whether Mira would realize it before reaching the goal line.

Fortunately—

She eventually did.

The moment she crossed into the designated zone and placed the ball down exactly as Barrack had instructed earlier—

The whistle immediately echoed throughout the training grounds.

The match was over.

For a brief moment—

Silence followed.

Then—

The entire field exploded into noise.

Cheers.

Laughter.

Shouts.

Even several teaching assistants looked impressed.

Meanwhile, Mira simply stood there staring at the ball.

Then slowly looked around herself.

Then back at the ball.

Then finally toward Damon.

"...Did we win?"

The question immediately caused half the spectators to burst into laughter.

Meanwhile, Eric collapsed dramatically onto the grass.

"We did."

His voice carried profound relief.

"We actually did."

Several members of Lucian’s party simply shook their heads while laughing helplessly.

Because despite all their preparation—

Despite all their planning—

Despite all their coordination—

They had somehow been defeated by a healer who barely understood the rules.

Meanwhile, Lucian finally approached.

His teammates followed shortly afterward.

The blue-haired young man stopped several meters away from Damon before glancing toward the celebrating members of his party.

Then toward Mira.

Then back toward Damon.

A faint smile finally appeared upon his face.

"Interesting strategy."

The words were simple.

Yet genuine.

Meanwhile, Damon looked toward Mira, who was still trying to understand what had happened.

Then toward Eric, who looked moments away from kissing the ground.

Then toward Vaelith, who was somehow acting as though the victory had been entirely his achievement.

Then toward Zarhka.

Finally—

A small chuckle escaped him.

"The strategy was letting everyone underestimate the wrong people."

Lucian’s smile widened slightly.

Then he nodded.

A gesture of acknowledgment.

Nothing more.

Nothing less.

Meanwhile, the students surrounding the field continued discussing the match excitedly.

Many had expected a direct confrontation between Damon and Lucian.

Others had expected Zarhka and Lucian to become the deciding factor.

Almost nobody had predicted Mira.

And that alone made the outcome far more memorable.

Meanwhile, standing near the edge of the field, Barrack observed everything with a broad grin spread across his face.

The massive beastman waited until the noise settled slightly before crossing his arms.

"Good."

His deep voice rumbled throughout the training grounds.

Immediately, students quieted.

Barrack’s gaze swept across the gathered first years.

"This..."

He pointed toward the field.

"...is exactly why teamwork matters."

The beastman then pointed directly toward Mira.

Half the students turned toward her.

The healer immediately panicked.

"M-Me?"

Barrack nodded.

"Ye."

Then his gaze shifted toward everyone else.

"A battlefield ain’t a story."

The atmosphere gradually calmed.

"A battlefield doesn’t care who looks strongest."

"It doesn’t care who gets tha most attention."

"It doesn’t care who thinks they’re tha main character."

Several students subconsciously looked toward Damon and Lucian.

Barrack’s grin widened.

"The person everyone ignores..."

His finger pointed toward Mira once more.

"...is sometimes tha person who wins ye tha battle."

And as the students reflected upon the match they had just witnessed—

More than a few realized that perhaps the lesson had never been about the game itself.

It had been about people.

About assumptions.

About judgment.

And today—

Those lessons had been taught remarkably well.