According to Diana's intel, there appears to have been an incident between Erina and Zerix's factions.
Zerix, irritated that the tournament date had been pushed ahead, suddenly stormed Erina's factions stronghold with his entire faction to deal with her once and for all.
This sparked a huge faction war between the two groups.
Zerix's faction had the upper hand because it outnumbered Erina's faction and many members had already switched sides to join Zerix.
However, just when it appeared that Erina's faction would be defeated, our protagonist Lucas Eugene, along with other first-year students, joined the fight and helped prevent Erina's faction from being completely eradicated.
'...It was about time they met each other,' I thought inwardly.
"Did everyone blindly follow Lucas' orders and join the fight without a fuss?" I inquired of Diana as I was curious.
"Well, Livia and I were already aware of your arrangement with Erina, so we decided to assist her," Diana responded.
"As for the rest, they joined of their own volition. Lucas, inspired by his chivalry, is determined to assist Erina. Claude joined because Erina is his sister, and Kevin most likely followed Claude as he always does.
And I don't think I need to explain why Ziona joined, do I?" Diana stated.
"Yeah, that's true. Where there's a battle, there's Ziona," I said and chuckled.
Also, I was impressed by Diana's precise assessment of them, despite her reputation for being dumb.
"Exactly! Oh, do you want to watch the video of their fight? Diana exclaimed enthusiastically.
!?
"...Wait! You have a video of the incident?" I asked, confused.
Diana puffed her breast with pride and said, "Duh, of course, I do, as I already obtained the information that Zerix was about to attack Erina's stronghold, so I made arrangements to capture the footage for you to view."
"...."
I merely remained motionless when I heard her.
"So, let me ask you this... you already knew Zerix was going to attack Erina's stronghold, right?" I asked.
Diana nodded her head proudly in agreement,
"Umu umu!" "As I've stated before, I already received that information from the elves," she claims.
"...And you merely utilized that information to set cameras and film the fight?" I asked with a serious expression.
Diana affirmed, "Yeah, the cameras are high quality with numerous spells like invisibility and camouflage cast on it, and it can capture footage as if we are viewing a movie."
"...."
"...She can't be serious right?" When Irethiel heard her, she was left flabbergasted.
'I take back what I said earlier about being impressed by her intelligence,' I thought to myself.
As she could have already alerted Erina to the impending attack, and armed with that knowledge, Erina could have devised a trap and dealt with Zerix for good.
"...All right, let's see that movie footage of yours," I said as I shook my head in disbelief.
Hearing me, Diana hurriedly took out the crystal ball, set it on the table, and launched the recording.
Camera footage!~
The scene starts with a wide shot of a fortress-like building, with tall walls and guards standing watch.
Soon, the sound of an alarm can be heard blaring in the background, indicating that an attack is imminent.
The camera then moves inside the stronghold, where Erina's faction members, dressed in matching yellow uniforms, were seen training and preparing for the upcoming tournament.
The serenity was abruptly broken when they heard an alarm and saw the gates of the stronghold smashed open by Zerix's faction members, who were clad in the same set of uniforms but in red, charging in with their weapons drawn.
The camera moves to quick shots of intense hand-to-hand combat and weapon clashes between members of both factions.
Zerix, on the other hand, moved alone with a broad grin on his face.
Erina's side seemed outnumbered and outmatched, with many of their members being overwhelmed by Zerix's faction.
The camera moves to Erina, who appears determined but also worried as she attempts to organize her faction members.
Just as it appears that all hope is lost for her, a group of first-year students wearing black uniforms arrives at the stronghold.
The camera focuses on a close-up of our main character, Lucas Eugene, charging into the conflict with a determined expression on his face. The camera pans to fast glimpses of Lucas, Claude, Kevin, and Ziona battling skillfully and passionately, taking down several members of Zerix's faction instantly.
The appearance of Lucas and others changed the tide of the battle. Erina's faction was now seen to hold its own and even push Zerix's faction back.
As the tide of the battle swings against him, Zerix can be seen in the backdrop of the scene, looking enraged and desperate.
And when he spotted a blue-haired girl sitting casually on the bench outside eating a sandwich and yet to make her move, he realized that his plan to eradicate Erina's faction today has failed and that he needs to make a quick escape.
His beastly instincts screaming him to flee before she finishes her sandwich.
"Retreat!!"
He shouts out to the remaining members of his faction before fleeing.
The camera changes to a shot of Lucas and Erina, both looking relieved as Zerix and his remaining faction members flee the stronghold.
"Thank you so much; you arrived just in time. We couldn't have held our grounds without you," Erina turns to Lucas and said with a captivating smile.
"I-It was nothing, Erina. We're all in this together. W-We have to stick together if we want to win the tournament," Lucas replied quickly while blushing.
It was noticeable that his heart skipped a beat when he saw Erina's smile.
Erina nods in agreement and turns to address her own faction members, "All right, everyone. Let us tend to the injured."
As the camera pans out, we see the members of Erina's faction tending to the wounded.
...
...
Screech!— (Footage ends)
"What are your thoughts? Wasn't it like we were seeing a movie scene?" Diana inquired.
"...Yeah, that was definitely movie-like, alright!" I responded, a grin on my face.
Not because I enjoyed the high-quality footage, but because I witnessed something more interesting than the entire battle sequence.
...Which was Lucas' demeanor while conversing with Erina, it revealed that he is already attracted to her, which gave me an idea for finally breaking Ayla's grip on him.
"...By the way, I can see every single person in the video except for you. What were you doing?" I shook my head and asked after getting my thoughts together.
"Oh, I was controlling the cameras; they can be set to automatic as well, but I enjoy doing it personally since it allows me to record scenes that interest me," Diana explained.
"...."
"She's a lost cause," Irethiel remarked.
'Why does she want such perfect shots? Is she planning on becoming a video maker or something?' I leaned back in my seat as I thought to myself, unsure of what to say to her.
On the one hand, her quest for perfection was annoying, yet I couldn't deny that her video had been beneficial to me in some way.
So I made the decision to keep my thoughts to myself and not criticize her.
"And after that comes the serious part," I heard Diana's voice interrupt my thoughts.
!?
"What? Are you still not finished?" I asked, confused.
"No, this is when things start to get interesting!" Diana said, catching my attention.
"It's now time for Erina's counterattack and the involvement of that sly bitch- I mean Ayla Eugene," Diana stated.
"...."