Isekai Mahou wa Okureteru! (LN) - Volume 8 - Chapter 1

Chapter 1: After Being Found Out 

The clash between the Nelferian Empire and the invading demon army, before the decisive battle in the foothills could even take place, ended—rather unbelievably—with the demons’ retreat. 

To the humans who were supposed to take part in the decisive battle, where a considerable amount of casualties were expected, this was great news. But the price for it had been thousands of lives on the front lines. 

No, saying that was the price made it sound like those lives had been paid for. And they weren’t. They had been stolen by Lishbaum’s magicka, Cross Dimension—the magicka that made him the Greed of Ten. It had severed everything, both heads and the tops of mountains. And it wasn’t even part of the demons’ plan. It was nothing but a sideshow, a whim of Lishbaum’s as he was withdrawing. It was almost like his way of saying that the humans shouldn’t even think of his retreat as a victory. He wouldn’t even let them have that much. 

Suimei and the others had been spared Lishbaum’s Cross Dimension technique, Phase Severance. As such, once the demons retreated, they ended up swamped with work in the aftermath. After the immense death toll, the encampment was drastically shorthanded and there was plenty to be done—they had to deal with the corpses of the demons, hold memorial services for the fallen soldiers, and call for reinforcements, all while remaining vigilant of the surrounding area. There was so much to do that even Suimei and the others were recruited to help, and things had only just now finally started to calm down. 

While the surviving soldiers were still tirelessly running about, having been temporarily relieved of work, Suimei and Reiji were behind a tent in the middle of taking a break. 

“Well, how do I put it...? What I mean to say is, you know...” 

“Uuhhh, yeah, I, uuhhh...” 

They were standing shoulder to shoulder with their backs against the tent. One was talking like they were scolding the other, and said other was sweating profusely. Of course, the former was Reiji, and the latter Suimei. 

Things had ended up this way because it had at last been revealed to Reiji that Suimei was a magician during the conflict with Lishbaum the other day—and, moreover, that he’d been hiding it. Logically, Reiji mostly understood why Suimei had kept him in the dark. But emotionally, as his friend, it wasn’t something he could stay calm and logical about 

“I know I’m also in the wrong for deciding to fight the demons without even consulting you about it, but you know...” 

“Y-Yeah, mmhmm! That’s right! That was horrible, you know? Of all the terrible shit you’ve done to me, I’d put it in the top three.” 

In a complete one-eighty from his sheepish and apologetic attitude a moment ago, Suimei poured it on thick with a feigned triumphant expression. Reiji, however, being the honest and sentimental guy that he was, couldn’t deny Suimei there. 

“Ugh... That’s why I’m saying I know it was my bad...” 

“But you know...” 

“But nothing! To keep a secret like that all this time... Isn’t that just a little too cruel?!” 

“What? N-No, no, no! I keep telling you there were circumstances I had to consider...” 

“Even after Mizuki ended up like that? Don’t you think that would have been the right time to come out to me?” 

“Th-That’s when I first thought about telling you, honest! Ask any of the girls; they’ll tell you!” 

To prove his good intentions to his best friend, he was willing to drag the others into this. And in doing so, he did himself the disservice of doing what was conventionally known as shooting oneself in the foot. 

“Er...” 

By the time he realized what he’d done, it was too late. Reiji was already looking at him through narrowed, critical eyes. 

“Hmm? Oh yeah? That means, other than me and Mizuki, everyone knew, huh? Even Tia and Graziella-san...” 

“Uhh... Sorry ’bout that. I’m super sorry.” 

Having backed himself into a corner, Suimei’s only real option now was apologizing. Reiji was right, and Suimei knew it. He should have come clean when Reiji appeared with Io Kuzami and the Sacrament. That would have been the ideal time... And the fact that he hadn’t done it was completely on him. 

“Look, I know you split ways with us... And I know you. I know you did it for our sake. But, even so, don’t you think you should have at least told us the truth?” 

“I don’t have anything to say for myself... I was just too scared.” 

Being confronted with such a perfectly sound argument, Suimei repeatedly apologized as he deflated into a tiny, tiny man. Perhaps somewhat gratified upon seeing his friend reduced to such a state, Reiji let out a heavy sigh. And then... 

“Well, like I said, I was also in the wrong, so... let’s just call it even.” 

With that, Reiji brought the discussion to a close. Or, at least, he tried. Suimei looked like he wasn’t ready to let it go yet. 

“No, hang on! Where do you get off saying those are even? What you did was way worse, you know?” 

“What?! Can’t you read the room, Suimei? This is where we’re supposed to agree that it’s all water under the bridge! But if you want to rehash it all, then fine! I still have plenty to say, you know?!” 

“You think you have plenty to say?! Well then, buckle in, mister! This is gonna be a long ride!” 

And there, they got into it for real, attacking each other with a litany of perceived mistakes and wrongdoings that went back well before they’d come to this world. About how Reiji was always swarmed by girls and how Suimei always just abandoned him. About how Suimei had to go through all sorts of trouble because a girl who liked Reiji was bothering him. It was one stupid thing after another, and the list went on and on... Long enough that they exhausted themselves shouting at each other. 

“Hahh... Hahh... Hey, could we... just stop?” 

“Ughh... Well, yeah... This does seem a bit stupid...” 

The heated dispute that had left both of them out of breath came to an anticlimactic end when they both realized it wasn’t getting them anywhere. Agreeing to move on from the pointless quarrel, they collectively let out a regretful sigh. Disheartened after getting blasted like that by his best friend, Reiji sank to the ground where he was and looked up at the sky. 

“All sorts of things have happened before today... But this is really the first time we’ve ever been so honest with each other, isn’t it?” 

“...Yeah, you’re right. So with this, let’s not keep any more secrets between us.” 

Following Reiji’s lead, Suimei also sat down with a thud. His heart felt lighter after clearing the air with Reiji; he genuinely didn’t want to go back to the way things were between them. And Reiji seemed to feel the same. They shared a quiet moment under the open sky before Reiji shifted his focus to the unnaturally empty military encampment. Just a few days ago, it had been bustling. But that was before... 

“Lots of people... died right here, didn’t they?” 

“Yeah... That was hard for you, wasn’t it?” 

“It’s not quite that... How should I put it...?” 

Reiji trailed off, mumbling to himself like whatever he was trying to say was hard to express. Just what emotions was he holding on to? Suimei had an idea what Reiji seemed unable to digest deep in his heart. 

“It just doesn’t feel real, right?” 

“...Mm, yeah. I know it’s not right for me to think of it that way, but the fact that all those people died just feels like it was a bad dream. But I even helped with their memorial service, so why do I still feel like that?” 

Reiji was troubled as to why he couldn’t seem to process the sorrow of such a terrible loss of life. Perhaps he was simply bewildered. Or perhaps he was just worried that the situation didn’t really allow him time to grieve. Or perhaps because so many people had died so abruptly, his emotions simply couldn’t keep up. It was a difficult loss for someone who’d never experienced anything like it to get their head around. And Suimei could think of a reason that might be especially difficult in this case. 

“I think it’s because... this is a different world from ours. I think...” 

“Because it’s a different world?” 

“Yeah. To put it in the simplest terms possible, this isn’t our world. Everything we’re seeing, hearing, and taking in... it’s literally a world away from where we’re from. I think that’s why it all feels so surreal to us. It is a lot like a dream.” 

That was it. Suimei had pinned down the unease mounting Reiji’s heart. And he’d done it all too well, which made Reiji realize something. 

“Does that mean... it’s the same for you, Suimei?” 

“Yeah, a little.” 

“Even with all your experience in the occult?” 

“That’s just how much of a shock the existence of another world is. And it’s not just me. Even the magicians of our world reject the idea of other worlds and parallel universes.” 

It was just too far removed from reality—or, at least, it felt that way. It was even more remote than entertaining the idea of life on distant stars. It was a fantasy born of fantasy—pure imagination. The stuff of dreams. 

“It really is like a dream, huh?” 

“If it was like that this time, it will surely be the same in the future. However...” 

“However?” 

Though Reiji questioned him, Suimei didn’t reply. 

Losing someone precious to you is what it takes to wake up from that dream. 

That was how it had been for Suimei. It had taken losing his father to “wake up” back in his own world. Seeing Suimei’s lonely expression, Reiji seemed to come to some sort of an understanding and reached into his pocket. 

“Suimei, when it comes to the occult... Or mysteries, was it? You know your stuff, right?” 

“Well, more or less.” 

“Then, this... Is it really something amazing?” 

“The Sacrament, huh?” 

Looking at the object Reiji pulled from his pocket, Suimei let out a long sigh. The Sacrament was really what had given Suimei the resolve to come clean about his secret. And here Reiji was, asking if it was something amazing. It was clear as day to Suimei he had no idea what he was really holding in his hand. 

“Fundamentally, that thing is unmanageably dangerous. Okay? But you should know that by now, right?” 

“Yeah? I mean, it does feel amazing, but how do I put it...? It’s like there’s more to it.” 

That was Reiji’s impression of it. He felt like he was in the dark. That there was something he didn’t know. Reiji was likely only aware of the heightened senses and physical abilities it granted, but indeed, the pinnacle of the weapons known as Sacraments lay elsewhere. 

“I don’t know a lot about those things, but I have witnessed the power they hide once before.” 

“And?” 

“...The first time the Sacraments were used for military purposes in our world was about four years ago. From just a single use, the Sacraments blew away forces on the scale of an army division. And there were ten of them.” 

“So... ten army divisions, huh...?” 

“You wanna know what it was like, right? I asked that guy the same question before. He said a single division was between ten and twenty thousand men. So, at bare minimum, a hundred thousand people died that day.” 

Reiji looked completely startled at Suimei’s answer. 

“A-A hundred thousand... Seriously? In a single battle? That’s just...” 

“No kidding. There would have been armored and air force units too, so the damage is just unthinkably absurd, isn’t it?” 

“That’s not what I mean! That’s not what I mean at all! I’m talking about people! Human lives! A hundred thousand people dying in a single battle is just way too many! I thought modern battles were unlike historical ones or the ones in this world where people just stand around and fight each other to the death!” 

“Well, that’s what he said. No matter how high or wide the battlefield was, they could gain total control of an entire area with some kind of technique. And again, we’re talking forces in the tens of thousands. Maybe even hundreds of thousands, and that’s not even counting the hidden magicians, so, in short... I was shown a nightmare.” 

“A nightmare...?” 

As Suimei muttered that last word in a severely cold tone, Reiji audibly gulped. Yes, it was during the war that started about six years ago in Eastern Europe. It was there that the feared allied armies of the Middle East and Southwest Asia triggered the nightmare of war. 

The first event. The Falling Heaven Sword that smashed heaven and earth—“The Night the Sky Fell.” 

The second event. The Polar Vortex Sword that froze all hearts and fears—“The Midsummer Blizzard.” 

The third event. The Tremor Sword that buried everything in sand—“The Giant Tsunami of the Desert.” 

The fourth event. The Lightning-Bringer Sword that lit up the battlefield—“The Flatline Site.” 

The fifth event. The Haunted Water Sword that claimed even those on dry ground—“The Mass Drowning on the Hill.” 

The sixth event. The Anvil Sword that cut through the woods and transformed everything it touched—“The Steel Forest.” 

The seventh event. The Putrid Ash Sword that scattered a dust in the air that ate away at men’s insides like worms, “The Incurable Rotting Lung Plague.” 

The eighth event. The Thirsty Rose Sword that sucked the blood of its foes, leaving only empty husks behind—“The Tomb of Briars.” 

The ninth event. The Berserker Sword that turned all gunfire against allied troops—“The Friendly Fire Incident.” 

The tenth event. The Reapers’ Puppet Sword that turned men’s own shadows against them—“The Killer Doppelganger Raid.” 

That was the catastrophic series of events caused by the Sacraments and their power beyond human comprehension that had been unleashed on Eastern Europe. 

“...” 

Hearing Suimei recount all this, Reiji was left absolutely speechless. There were ten instances that ten thousand plus lives were lost in battle. And he was now potentially holding one such weapon. 

“We got a bit off topic, but the important part is that you recognize that thing in your hand is just that dangerous. I don’t doubt for a minute it’s capable of the same kind of destruction.” 

“That... That much?” 

“Probably, yeah.” 

Suimei had started with a great deal of emphasis and certainty, but ended on a much more ambiguous note. But even if it was uncertain, the possibility couldn’t be denied. If this Sacrament was equal or even close to the paranormal weapons Suimei knew about, it did indeed have the power to stand up to gods. And as for Reiji, its wielder, he just might be the one to bring an end to this fight. As such thoughts crossed his mind, Reiji simply stared at the Sacrament in wonder. And then, with a slightly shaky laugh, he gave his honest impression. 

“Heh, if it’s that amazing, you’d think people would know about it. But that isn’t the case at all, huh?” 

“In our world, anything and everything related to the mysteries is unconditionally kept from the public. Just by becoming well known, the perpetual universal theories would crumble and lose their stability. It would be a grand ole mess. Moreover, the actual number of Sacraments is relatively low. They can’t currently be manufactured.” 

“Is that so?” 

“I’ve heard there are places researching them, but they haven’t had any success in reproducing one. They can’t even make something similar, it seems. But if they could, it would solve the world’s energy problem overnight.” 

“How’s that?” 

“It’s the blue gem embedded in it—the Lapis Judaicus. I think you know that it’s the source of the Sacrament’s power, but it’s also the foundation... Well, it’s the place all consumed energy converges.” 

“The place consumed energy converges? What are you talking about? Doesn’t energy vanish after it’s consumed...?” 

“You’d think, but apparently that’s not the case.” 

At that, Reiji cocked his head to one side and then the other. It was like he couldn’t understand what he was hearing at all, though there was no helping his confusion with a decidedly unscientific explanation like that. His groaning and head-scratching didn’t go unnoticed, however. Suimei racked his brain for a better way to put it, and rubbed his chin for a moment before taking another stab at it. 

“Let’s put aside whether or not consumed energy vanishes for now. The point is that that gem can take all heat energy ever created in the world and—” 

“W-W-Wait a sec! Isn’t that super outrageous?! It uses used energy?! All the energy the world has ever used up until now?! That’s just freaking mind-boggling!” 

“I told you it was dangerous, didn’t I?” 

Reiji losing his cool was rather justified. It was a mind-blowing idea, and the fact that Suimei was talking about it so casually was just as confounding. Suimei took the opportunity to once again reiterate just how preposterous the Sacraments were, but Reiji couldn’t even laugh nervously anymore. The best he could manage was a dry cough. 

“I guess there would totally be wars over that kind of power, huh?” 

“It’s already happening. In Eastern Europe.” 

“Eastern Europe, as in... the Third Eastern European State War?! The one going on right now?!” 

“Yup.” 

Reiji was once again at a loss for words at Suimei’s casual reply. The Third Eastern European State War—the one currently unfolding in their world—was the same war Suimei had said the Sacraments were first used for military purposes in. On the surface, it was a bloody war about race and religion. But in truth, it was over the creation of the Lapis Judaicus to develop a new energy source, and the oil export magnates who feared it. It was the Middle East and Southwest Asia who’d started a war over it. 

And it had already been six years since then, but there was still no end in sight even after all this time. Due to the devilish strategies surrounding that man, it was a mystery why the fighting was still ongoing, but there must have been a reason behind it. They’d been thoroughly chipping away at their opponent’s ability to continue fighting, and the balance between the enemy nations’ military hardliners and peace-seekers was wavering... So if they hadn’t been victorious yet, something else was going on behind the scenes. 

Perhaps it was a magician, or someone else who held a Sacrament. Suimei had no clue, but that was neither here nor there right now. It seemed Reiji properly understood the power of what he held in his hand, and that it was something that would affect those around him. With an exhausted expression, he let out a heavy sigh. 

“I have a headache now...” 

“It’ll be fine as long as you don’t use it the wrong way, you hear?” 

“I get that, but still...” 

He was unable to settle his mounting unease. But Suimei had faith. He didn’t think for a minute that Reiji would ever use it the wrong way. That he’d so readily agreed to take on the demon subjugation was proof enough of how straightforward, well-meaning, and earnest he was. Besides... 

“Being able to use that thing is one of your objectives right now too.” 

“You mean against the demons?” 

“Yeah. The fighting from here will be harder than it was before. He’s here. So a power like that may be just what we need.” 

Against the hordes of the demon army, the massive destructive power of the Sacrament would certainly be useful. They would be able to take control of entire regions at a time. It was an incredible strategic weapon, and even that was an understatement. It was pretty much ideal for taking on large armies. But rather than that, Reiji seemed to fixate on something else Suimei had said. 

“Suimei, by ‘he,’ you mean the demon you were talking to?” 

“Hmm? Aah, yeah. Kudrack... No, he said he goes by Lishbaum here, didn’t he?” 

“Mm, that’s how he introduced himself. And if I remember right, he also said you defeated him once before... Is that true?” 

Hearing Reiji’s question, Suimei closed his eyes like he was recalling something, and eventually began speaking again with a cloudy expression. 

“That’s right. I destroyed him. I took out his hit points and his stock of lives, and denied the unending horror he forced upon us. I even erased his bond to our world. Yet somehow, he’s still alive. And well enough to take on that form.” 

“‘That form’? You mean, he was originally human, right?” 

“At first, yeah. He then became a magician, and then a lich, and god knows what happened after that. But now he’s one of them, apparently.” 

“Is he... He’s strong, isn’t he? How do I put it...? I didn’t sense any tremendous power or spirit from him, but he did all that so casually...” 

Reiji was referring to Lishbaum’s Phase Severance, which had severed the heads of almost all the soldiers at the encampment and the mountain behind it. It was a gory, tremendous attack, and the fact that Lishbaum had done it as easily as breathing left Reiji with some rather outrageous apprehensions. 

“Even in our world, he was completely out of control. It took a team of the best people I knew to actually, finally bring him down.” 

“The Demon Lord, an army of demons, that maneater, and now an undying magician, huh?” 

“Uggghh... When you say it like that, I feel like cutting my losses and just going home.” 

“But...” 

Hearing Suimei talk like he was fed up with everything, Reiji suddenly got worried. And it showed on his face. Seeing his dramatic change of expression, Suimei slapped his shoulder and laughed it off. 

“Don’t look at me like that. I was kidding, kidding! I’ll do my part to fight too. I can’t expect someone else to go cleaning up my unfinished business, after all.” 

“R-Really? Like, really really?” 

“Really really.” 

When Suimei gave him a firm nod, Reiji’s expression became noticeably brighter. 

“What?” Suimei asked skeptically. 

“Ah, it’s nothing. It’s just that, if you’re going to help out, I feel like we have the strength of hundreds now.” 

“Pfft! What the hell are you saying...? Aren’t you being a little too optimistic?” 

Reiji turned his trademark smile on Suimei. Seeing that far too carefree and radiant display, Suimei lost his composure for a moment, but quickly collected himself. The ever-faithful if not somewhat airheaded Reiji, however, was looking at him curiously. 

“You think?” 

“Hell yeah, I do. On top of all that, there’s still those Universal Apostle guys too, remember?” 

“The people who came to help us this time, right?” 

“Yeah, but... Just what are they thinking?” 

Last time they were enemies, this time they were allies. They had no consistency in their battles. Suimei had defeated a demon general with Eanru, and Eanru had even been the one to suggest they work together. Jillbert had shown up to help Reiji and the others who’d fallen victim to the demons’ surprise attack. Sister Clarissa saved Lefille and brought her back to the military encampment. And when it was all said and done, they vanished like smoke in the wind without a word. 

“In the end, we missed the chance to ask about Elliot.” 

“We’re not necessarily sure that Duke Hadorious is a Universal Apostle though.” 

“You’re right. Well, we’ll end up finding out soon anyways, right?” 

From here, they were planning on making their way to Kurant City to save him. It was a mission they’d deferred in favor of coming to save the Empire, but with the coast clear now, it was their most imminent priority. However, when Suimei brought it up, Reiji looked uncertain. 

“About that... It doesn’t seem we’ll be able to head there straight away.” 

“Huh? Why not?” 

“They said we can’t skip out on making a triumphant return to the imperial capital. His Highness Reanat insisted we go with them... And considering the situation, I think we should.” 

“Of course... In the end, they want to forcibly claim victory, huh? I get that they don’t want to report back that they lost, but...” 

“It’s just as you said before the fighting began. Famous people are walking propaganda tools.” 

He knew that, but Reiji’s feelings on the matter were complicated. He didn’t particularly have any reservations about being used so long as it was ultimately for good, but in this situation where it was genuinely hard to say they’d won after what happened, he was a bit uncomfortable. 

“I’m sure you’ll go back first, Suimei, but I want you to wait a bit before going to save Elliot. Tia would also like you to wait. We’re dealing with a noble from Astel, so I think she wants to make sure this is handled properly.” 

“Ohmygosh, Tia’s, like, so serious.” 

Though he said it in a stupid way, that was genuinely Suimei’s impression of her. With her personality, she wouldn’t be satisfied unless she faced him herself. He knew that firsthand because he’d been through a similar confrontation with her once. 

“I know Felmenia will be with you, but I think it’ll bother her if she’s not there herself.” 

“We are dealing with a duke, after all. From a social standpoint, he’s Menia’s superior. If we don’t have someone of higher standing on our side, we don’t have a whole lot of ground to stand on.” 

“...The person in question is planning to do something entirely by force, though...” 

“Ooh, scary. Do you think the little princess is gonna draw her swords on sight or something? No matter how you look at it, isn’t that a little too militaristic?” 

“Hahaha... But, even so, I think that’s one of Tia’s good points, you know?” 

“That’s a good point...?” 

Suimei was left stumped at Reiji’s comment. As always, the overwhelmingly good nature of his best friend was aggravating in its own way. But as their talk of saving Elliot came to an end, they noticed that the entrance to the encampment had gotten rather noisy. Suimei’s ears in particular perked up. 

“What’s all that?” 

“Looks like people are gathering. Is it additional reinforcements?” 

“Now? After everything’s over?” 

“It doesn’t really seem like it... I sense a whole lot more people than that.” 

“You sense them...?” 

Suimei was skeptical about his use of that word, but it had a certain credibility coming from Reiji. Perhaps he was finally beginning to show signs that he’d entered the realm of the extraordinary. 

Suimei and Reiji headed towards the entrance of the military encampment to investigate what was going on. They passed by soldiers who were bustling about and a fresh stack of supply crates as high as a pyramid. And eventually, they spotted Felmenia in the crowd. 

“Yo! Hey, Menia, what’s all this?” 

“Oh, Suimei-dono. It’s reinforcements. And a whole lot of them. A whole, whole lot.” 

Felmenia turned to him with a bright smile as she answered. Since this was still technically the front line, reinforcements were always a welcome prospect. Looking at the newly arrived troops, however, Reiji seemed to notice something. 

“Those people aren’t imperial soldiers, are they?” 

“Hmm? Now that you mention it, yeah, you’re right. Actually, that uniform looks kinda familiar...” 

Suimei felt a strange sense of déjà vu upon seeing the reinforcements. There were mages mixed in with the ranks of the imperial soldiers, who were all lightly outfitted for the sake of employing skirmish tactics. But the reinforcements who’d just arrived were all well armored, and the vast majority of them were heavy swordsmen. There were very few mages among them, and their uniforms were indeed familiar. That was because he’d spent a long time stuck looking at them before returning to the Empire. 

“Yes. They came through the hick area of the Empire to the north—” 

Felmenia was chattering away in such high spirits that she unintentionally said something quite rude. But Suimei wasn’t paying her any mind. His attention had been captured by a certain figure stepping out of the formation of soldiers. She had long, beautiful, golden hair, and was wearing a school uniform and red gauntlet. It was someone he knew very, very well—his childhood friend and summoned hero of the Alliance, Kuchiba Hatsumi. 

“Suimei, you been doing well?” 

Approaching with a gentleness that seemed oh-so out of place in a military encampment, Hatsumi cheerfully called out to Suimei. He hadn’t at all expected to run in to her here, and the surprise showed on his face. 

“H-Hatsumi?! Why are you here?” 

“Why? Isn’t it obvious I came to bring reinforcements? Though it looks like they’re not needed...” 

With that, Hatsumi took a look around. She’d come all the way from the Alliance, and probably hadn’t expected to walk in on the cleanup phase of the Empire’s supposedly dire battle with the demons. 

“Never mind that. How are things with the Alliance? Aren’t there still demons in the northern parts there?” 

“About that... they just suddenly pulled out. Just what are they thinking, I wonder? But thanks to that, I was able to come here to help.” 

“Then what about your companions?” 

“Weitzer and Gaius are watching the house, so it’s just me and Selphy here.” 

At that, the half-elf who had been standing behind Hatsumi removed her hood and smiled. Suimei had a little bit of a weak spot for older women, and was rather flustered for a moment by her charming smile. It didn’t go unnoticed by Felmenia and Hatsumi, who both proceeded to jab him in the ribs. Hatsumi then turned her attention to Reiji. 

“You must be Shana-san. This would be our first time meeting like this, no? I’m Suimei’s childhood friend, Kuchiba Hatsumi.” 

“It’s nice to meet you. I’ve heard a lot about you from Suimei.” 

Reiji gave her a cheerful greeting, but Hatsumi flashed something of an impish grin. 

“I’ve also heard a lot about you. Including that little stunt you pulled ’cause the other countries wouldn’t send any reinforcements.” 

“Should you not send us aid or reinforcements in our time of need, I will not come to save you either.” 

Suimei recalled the ultimatum Reiji had issued the Empire’s allied nations. But hearing it brought up to his face, Reiji panicked a little and fingered the true culprit. 

“Th-That... You see, Suimei...” 

Reiji awkwardly looked to Suimei. When he did, the lightbulb seemed to come on for Hatsumi, and she sighed in exasperation. 

“So that’s what it was... I thought so. Suimei’s about the only one who could come up with such a devious scheme.” 

“Hey, what do you take me for?” 

“Someone who looks completely harmless, but is really actually a supervillain, right?” 

“Huh, yeah. You’re totally right.” 

Reiji reflexively agreed with Hatsumi’s assessment without a moment’s hesitation. Hearing that, Selphy was unable to hold it in and burst into laughter. Once she got a hold of herself, Selphy, who seemed to have come as Hatsumi’s aide, humbly introduced herself to Reiji as well. She then revealed something interesting. 

“In truth, we planned on arriving earlier than this, but we ran into a bit of trouble on the way.” 

“Trouble?” 

“Yes. At first we thought that someone on the demons’ side had marked us, but...” 

Selphy’s expression turned grim. Now that the demons had retreated, she wasn’t fully convinced. In fact, it was only because the demons had retreated in the Alliance that they’d been able to leave for the Empire in the first place. If the demons had really wanted to stall them, they could have just continued their invasion in the Alliance. There might be something else afoot. As Selphy fell quiet contemplating such matters, Hatsumi turned to her. 

“It seems our services are no longer needed here. What should we do now?” 

“That’s true, isn’t it? But as long as we’re here, creating a debt of gratitude from the Empire and forcing them to recognize their mistake would be an excellent plan, no? Heh heh heh...” 

With a creepy laugh, the half-elf suggested some political maneuvering. Ready with a counteroffer, Suimei tapped Hatsumi’s shoulder. 

“Well, if you don’t have anything better to do, I’ve got a little request.” 

“What? If it’s some sinister plot, I won’t have any part of it.” 

“It’s not, damn it! It’s a proper rescue mission.” 

“Huh...?” 

Hatsumi looked genuinely bewildered, which made Suimei furrow his brow. 

“What is it this time?” 

“It’s just... Hearing you talk about a rescue mission is a little refreshing.” 

Hearing Hatsumi say that, Reiji also chimed in. 

“You’re right. He’s normally the type to act like he doesn’t want anything to do with things, and then somehow or other always ends up sticking his neck out anyway. A total tsundere.” 

“Damn it, you guys...” 

Seeing Reiji nod repeatedly, Suimei slumped his shoulders. It would be a long day for him for more than one reason. 

After talking to Reiji and reuniting with Hatsumi, Suimei took his leave of the front lines in the northern Empire and returned to his base in the imperial capital. 

Originally, after returning, he and the others were planning to immediately go and rescue Elliot. However, at Reiji and Titania’s request, they were now waiting until Reiji was also able to return. They’d reported the delay to Christa, and were now left with the decision of what to do in the meantime. Felmenia and Liliana were making use of their connections to gather information. And as for Suimei... 

“Let’s see... Putting the transcribed magicka circle here and disassembling that diagram...” 

He had a singular goal in mind: the quest he’d left Royal Castle Camellia for in the first place. He was currently analyzing the hero summoning circle and attempting to devise a similar one to send him back home... But things weren’t going well. In fact, at present, progress had come to a standstill. 

“This part goes like this, and if I change the equation with liturgy... Ah, crap. That won’t work, will it?” 

Taking the information he’d gathered in the form of various sheets of parchment from his desk, he spread them out on the floor. He was moving the sheets around, trying various arrangements and muttering to himself 

“Wrong, wrong, wrong... No, that’s wrong too... It’s all wrong...” 

In short, he’d hit a wall. 

“It’s gonna suck if I can’t get back, and soon... I can’t just get stuck here after getting this far...” 

The impatience was audible in Suimei’s voice. But he had a good reason to be in such a hurry. Despite defeating two more demon generals and taking a considerable bite out of the demon forces, it felt like there were new enemies arising at every turn. Formidable ones. In addition to the mirage man, there was now Lishbaum—the Greed of Ten, Kudrack the Ghosthide. Both of them were magicians who’d staved off Suimei. If he was going to go head-to-head with them, the fight wouldn’t be easy. Since the mirage man’s position was still unclear, Suimei couldn’t be sure about him, but that wasn’t the case with Kudrack. He and Suimei had a long history, and Suimei was determined to settle the score—determined enough that his appearance had shaken things up quite a bit for Suimei. He couldn’t just sit back and be content with the way things were progressing anymore. The status quo was no longer good enough. 

Because as long as Kudrack was around, Suimei knew there would be trouble. There was no doubt that Kudrack would stand in his way. Fate dictated they would be butting heads again. It was simply a matter of when. And if that time came while Suimei was still like this... that would be the end of him. 

So Suimei needed to do something. But even now, while his companions weren’t with him, he was unable to utilize the full extent of his powers. The discrepancy of the stars, the existence of spirits, the distortion of space-time, the ley lines... The circumstances of this world were just too different. Restrictively so. Even Suimei’s grand Enth Astrarle magicka was only a mere shell of itself here. It could never reach its full potential in this world devoid of the stars it relied on. Here, the best Suimei could hope for was half its actual power. 

And Enth Astrarle was just the tip of the iceberg. Psychic Tempest, the supreme fist Lag Line Bells, the cursed Stella Maris, and the infinite conversion of the mana furnace... There was plenty else he either couldn’t use at all, or could only use in a severely compromised form. 

He didn’t know if he’d be able to fix that after returning to his own world or not, but at least there were guides there he could use to help him. Markers to light the way for those who dared to peek into the abyss of the mysteries. Surely such things existed here too. And if he asked someone to teach him, it might give him a clue to solving the problem or at least help him find an alternate power he could use. However... 

“It doesn’t exactly sit well with me to have to rely on someone...” 

It was expected— No, it was only natural for a first-rate magician to solve the problems thrown at them on their own. But Suimei didn’t have the leisure to mind his pride here. The situation had deteriorated, and things were much more dire now than he’d ever imagined they would be. If he took too long trying to handle things himself, it was very likely that not just Reiji, but all the people of this world would end up being annihilated by Lishbaum. But before Suimei could even think about stopping him, he’d have to master the spell to get back to his own world. 

“Now, just how am I supposed to do this...?” 

At hand, Suimei had a transcription of the magicka circle used to summon him to Astel, as well as a copy of the oldest known version he’d found in the northern Alliance. He compared those with his knowledge of summoning magic in this world and spiritualism from back home. Putting it all together, he began drawing out a magicka circle of returning, but... 

Just one more... I’m missing just one last thing... 

Seeing that the puzzle before him was still missing an essential piece, Suimei gritted his teeth. He began unwittingly tapping his foot on the ground in irritation. He was nearing his limits. All he was missing was a definitive mental image of the way the spell would manifest. Would it be a warp gate? An opening door? A drilled hole? Or maybe just straight up teleportation? Unable to grasp the form the spell would take, he was unable to pin down that last piece. 

Naturally, he could try and forcefully activate the spell as it was, but that came with a dangerously high risk of failure. Without a form, the spell was nothing but empty theory. As long as he couldn’t picture the way it would manifest, there would be an element of uncertainty in the casting. That uncertainty inevitably meant instability, and it wasn’t hard to imagine where that would lead. Just like that experiment in Philadelphia, the phenomena would contort and rebound, and all that calamity would fall squarely on Suimei as the caster. 

“An incomplete spell is the Pandora’s box of magicka.” 

That was the admonishing warning the leader of the Society, Nestahaim, had given Suimei a long time ago. Suimei had a tendency to place his bets on the long shot when he was in a disadvantageous situation. In his fight with Eanru, for example, he’d tried to use Infinite Light Without End. And it was precisely because he took such gambles that he’d been so warned—because he was the type to seek out hope in the mysteries, use power that was beyond his means, and end up suffering for it. 

But in a situation like this where he was perfectly calm and easily able to distinguish between what was safe and what wasn’t, he would never make such a desperate play. That being said, the current predicament he was in certainly felt desperate. Tackling this conundrum felt like being trapped in a dark tunnel with no light at the end. 

“Aaaaah, I can’t think of anything good! Everything is this damn heat’s fault...” 

Suimei’s brain was overheated, and it wasn’t just from too much thinking. It had been cold in the northern Empire, but Suimei had had a rude awakening upon returning to the city. Despite it only being early summer, a searing heatwave had rolled in. They hadn’t been affected in the mountains because of the wind and elevation, but the imperial capital was positively boiling. It had spiked to an unbearable thirty degrees seemingly overnight. 

As Suimei was griping about the heat, someone called to him from the other side of the door to his room. 

“Oh, Suimei-donooo! Is now a good time?” 

“Menia? Come on in. What’s up?” 

When Suimei called out to Felmenia, she quietly opened the door. 

“Pardon the intrusion, but how are things going? Have you been able to make any progress on the return magicka circle?” 

“None whatsoever. I’m stuck. I’ve hit a total dead end.” 

“O-Oh, ahaha... You don’t say...” 

Suimei slumped his shoulders in a perfect reflection of the defeat he felt, and Felmenia began laughing awkwardly like she didn’t know what to say. 

“There’s no easy answer. This spell is eluding me. And the liturgy is too convoluted. It’s not working. Also the form... The mental image just isn’t coming to me.” 

“I understand the task is difficult. Even in this world, I do not think anyone has ever been able to create a magic circle of returning... But might I ask what you mean by a mental image in the context of summoning magic?” 

“Think of it as a blueprint for the foundation. A vacuum... Wait, no, you wouldn’t get that. Using an example from this world, it would be like creating a powerful current with wind magic forcefully pulling on something.” 

“Then why not just visualize the reverse of that?” 

“No, that won’t do. In the case of sucking air in to bring something to you, the arrival point is fixed and stable. But in pushing air out to send something somewhere else, it goes all over the place. We’d never be able to return to the right location that way.” 

“I see... Then how about a tunnel from this world to yours?” 

“I’m worried that would just get clogged up... Damn, it really is a vacuum, isn’t it?” 

When he recalled first being summoned to this world, the pull of the spell felt like a vacuum that was sucking things in. And that was a large part of Suimei’s troubles. After thinking of it that way, it was hard to un-think of it that way. He was stuck on his own preconceptions, essentially. 

Suimei let out a grand sigh, but Felmenia clapped her hands together like a delightful little bell to clear away the gloom. 

“Well, Suimei-dono, how about a change of pace? If you can clear your head for a time, you can come back to this with fresh eyes. That might help you see something you hadn’t before, no?” 

“A change of pace, huh? You certainly have a point there... But what should we do instead?” 

“Heh heh heh... Regarding that, I have a plan.” 

“O-Oh yeah? Well, what is it?” 

Felmenia was smiling somewhat creepily, and Suimei looked at her suspiciously. But it seemed she was doing it on purpose. In the blink of an eye, her creepy grin was replaced with a bright and cheerful one. And the first thing to come out of her mouth after that... 

“The change of pace I’d like to recommend for you, Suimei-dono, is... the pool!” 

“Huh...?” 

And thus Felmenia Stingray announced the grand opening of the pool to kick off the summer. 

Bowled over by the completely unexpected word that had come out of Felmenia’s mouth, Suimei stiffened up for a moment before his emotions caught up with him. 

“Sorry, what? Did you just say THE POOL?! Like, where you take swimming lessons in the summer and go to have fun with your family?! That kind of pool?!” 

“Indeed! Before we left the northern military encampment, I heard all about them from Io Kuzami-dono! She told me that, in your world, in order to beat the heat, everyone intentionally goes into enormous containers of water to cool off their hot bodies together!” 

“Please don’t speak of summer’s greatest pastime in such a tasteless way...” 

Hearing Felmenia parroting Io Kuzami, Suimei was at a loss for a response. He certainly wanted to cool off, but she made it sound like they were going to go on a polar bear plunge after hanging out in a sauna or something. 

“In spite of it only being the start of summer, we have this oppressive heat weighing on us. So how about it?” 

“How about it? Yeah, okay, sure. Now, where exactly are we going to find a freaking swimming pool?” 

“If you’ll step outside, Suimei-dono, you can see for yourself. Follow me!” 

And with that, a high-spirited Felmenia tugged on Suimei’s arm. She looked like a small child trying to drag her parent along. It was quite cute. Even though Suimei had no idea what he was getting into, he didn’t resist as she escorted him outside. And when they opened the door... 

“HAAAAAH!” 

“HYAAAAAH!” 

A great sword and katana clashed as two women both let out war cries. 

“...” 

Just outside, a furious exchange of blows was taking place. Beholding this unexpected spectacle, Suimei stood stock-still in surprise. There was a heated swordfight going down right outside his front door. But because Suimei’s room was soundproofed, he’d been completely oblivious to all of Lefille and Hatsumi’s shouting. And considering their skill levels, it was an especially intense match. 

One of them was wielding a massive broadsword and the other an extremely long katana. They were weapons that seemed unsuitable for the girls, but they both made wielding such tools of war look exceptionally easy. They certainly weren’t lacking for speed and power, either. If some careless fool dared to get between them, they’d be rendered mincemeat in the blink of an eye. Their exchange was just that fierce. A grand display of clashing steel and fighting spirit. Absolutely nothing about it said “pool.” If anything, Suimei was only getting hotter watching them fight like that. 

“...So the pool was just a trick, huh? All I see is something super dangerous. Swords, swords, and more swords...” 

“No, Suimei-dono! You are being too hasty! Lefille and Hatsumi-sama are just having a bout; the pool is somewhere else!” 

When a disheartened Suimei slumped his shoulders and began grumbling, Felmenia reassured him that the pool was quite real. Meanwhile, the duel in the open space in front of the house—live steel and all—continued. Lefille took a stance with her large sword held aloft, and in response, Hatsumi lowered her long katana to the ground. There was a moment’s pause. And then, without any warning, they both lunged at each other. 

“HAH!” 

“HYAH!” 

A series of remarkably loud metallic clangs rang through the alleyway. Hatsumi was defending herself with her katana while Lefille was trying to create an opening by striking it repeatedly. Lefille’s heavy sword eventually won out, knocking Hatsumi’s katana to the side. However, Hatsumi was shrewd. She wasn’t just the daughter of the fourth seat of the Sword of Swords—she was a worthy swordswoman in her own right. Her blade knocked aside, she took a graceful step to move with it, maintaining a fighting posture all the while. 

“Hmm... How about this, then?” 

“Your katana... It’s...” 

Lefille began swinging her sword anew at a different angle. But something was different this time... There was no longer the loud, gong-like sound of clashing metal. She could see the katana with her eyes—it should have been there—but whenever she struck at it with her oversized blade, she couldn’t hit it at all. 

“So this is your technique?” Lefille asked, her face contorting as she racked her brain. 

“It is,” Hatsumi replied with a bold smile. 

The reason their swords appeared to be crossing each other but never actually made contact was because of Hatsumi’s Phantom Sword of the Kurikara Dharani techniques. Just like the name “Phantom Sword” implied, her blade was a bewitching, ethereal one. If her opponent relied entirely on their mortal sight, they would be misled. They would be too focused on the wrong things. Where the blade was going rather than where it really was, for example. For a swordswoman of Lefille’s caliber, this was ordinarily something she could handle without a problem, but... 

Lefi can’t keep up with those sword strikes? 

Suimei found it rather surprising that Lefille was dancing in the palm of Hatsumi’s hand. Hatsumi was an extremely capable swordswoman herself, so it wasn’t like the situation was unthinkable. But considering Lefille’s skill and experience, she should have been performing better. 

Hatsumi’s even holding back... 

Suimei could tell. He knew what kind of outrageous swordplay Hatsumi was really capable of. And he knew Lefille was perfectly capable of putting up a fight... she just wasn’t. As he was pondering this, Hatsumi abruptly put an end to their duel. 

“Lefille-san... Let’s call it a day.” 

“Yeah...” 

Despite the match ending with her at a disadvantage, Lefille accepted it without protest. She was ordinarily the type to keep fighting for the win, so her silent resignation now was a telling sign that her mind was somewhere else. Putting her sword away, she shut her eyes. Hatsumi then spoke up in an apologetic tone. 

“Sorry. It just felt unmotivated.” 

“Truly? It certainly seemed like your fighting spirit was overflowing, Lady Hatsumi...” 

“It may be a bit rude, but I was talking about you, Lefille-san.” 

“...” 

Having that pointed out to her, Lefille sighed bitterly and winced. She must have thought so too. Seeing that response, Hatsumi carefully chose her next words. 

“I can’t say for sure, Lefille-san, but it seems like you’re restless.” 

“Restless...?” 

“It’s like your emotions are taking the lead. That’s what it feels like. Of course, I’m not criticizing your form or your strength, mind you. But in our fight just now, it was like you weren’t looking at me.” 

“That’s... My apologies. Even though it was our long-awaited bout, my sword was clouded.” 

Her sword was clouded. The sword was like a mirror that reflected a swordsman’s heart. If they were shaken, so too was their blade. If they were weighed down with sorrow, their blade would be sluggish. And if they were restless, their emotions would run ahead of their sword, making it unreliable. As Suimei suspected, what had Lefille so agitated was nothing other than her defeat at the hands of the demons during the clash in the northern borderlands of the Empire. 

“Are you alright? Is this about what happened...?” he asked. 

“...I know... I know that I...” 

“Lefi...” 

“I couldn’t win against her. I thought I had gotten stronger since that day, but even summoning everything I had, it turned out that...” 

As Lefille leaked out her vexation, she suddenly seemed to realize something and vigorously began shaking her head in a fluster. 

“No, I’m sorry! I can’t talk like that!” 

Attempting to brighten the mood, Lefille put on a smile. However, in the end, it was nothing but bravado. Wiping away such gloomy feelings wasn’t something that could be done so halfheartedly. The frustration of defeat was something that could only truly be overcome by devoting oneself to their art and attaining victory. 

But all such discussion was interrupted by Felmenia clapping her hands together loudly to get everyone’s attention. 

“I know! Lefille should also join us for some recreation! We’re going for a change of pace, and it certainly seems like you could use some refreshment yourself!” 

“Lady Felmenia, but you know...” 

“We all understand what’s weighing on your mind. Besides, is it not better to be surrounded by friends? Things may just work out yet. They certainly did for me.” 

Felmenia was quite empathetic. She too had recently been frustrated by her lack of power. The trigger for her becoming stronger was her evolution from a mage to a magician, so ultimately, she’d obtained the power she desired by leapfrogging a few steps. But nevertheless, she was right. Lefille was in the perfect environment to become stronger. She just needed to refresh herself and get back to it like always. Yet as Felmenia did her best to cheer her up and inspire her, Lefille flashed a somewhat lonely expression. 

“You’re right. I have to do the same. For only you to become suddenly stronger like that... I feel like you’ve somehow stolen a march on me, Lady Felmenia.” 

“Oh, no, er...” 

When she put it like that, Felmenia wasn’t sure how to respond. At all. She was worried she’d gotten too caught up in the heat of the moment and had hurt Lefille’s feelings. Seeing her in such a fluster, however, Lefille cracked a smile and began laughing. 

“I was only joking. But I must say, Lady Felmenia, your reactions are as cute as ever.” 

“AAAAAH! You tricked me!” 

Felmenia yelled out and stamped her foot, but Lefille only laughed more. Yet even as she did, Suimei felt like he could see the sorrow deep in her eyes. Maybe it was just his imagination. As Lefille took to trying to appease the unexpectedly outraged Felmenia, Selphy, who had also been watching the match, joined the conversation. 

“As I suspected, White Flame-dono,” she said with a serious look on her face. “You’ve grown even stronger, haven’t you?” 

“Oh? Well, yes... Stronger than before, I suppose...” 

Felmenia spoke like she wasn’t so sure, but Selphy seemed convinced. She likely sensed it from the aura Felmenia gave off as a mage. 

“Truly, White Flame-dono,” Selphy continued in a serious tone. “Right now, I can tell that you’re one or two levels higher than before. You have gained something... No, you have arrived at a new stage, have you not?” 

“Just by reworking some of the functions of my body a little, my output has increased. That’s all. True strength will follow afterward. Or, how do I put it...?” 

While Felmenia was struggling to express herself, Lefille posed a question. 

“My, Lady Felmenia. Even if increasing your output is all you’ve done, isn’t that in and of itself a remarkable increase in skill?” 

“No, not exactly. For mages and magicians, mana is critical. But in order to effect grand results, so is output. I have always possessed a great deal of mana, but my output was far too sluggish. And now that I’ve taken measures to correct that, I was simply able to make some other improvements.” 

“Hmm... What do you think, Lily?” 

Glancing over her shoulder, Lefille called out to Liliana, who had been sitting on one of the patio chairs as she played with the alley cats. Setting down the cat that had been lounging in her lap, she came tottering over to the others. She’d overheard most of their conversation and, without thinking too deeply about the question, responded immediately. 

“Yes, of course... Being able to produce grand results... is very important to a mage... A magician.” 

“Is that something that can be achieved so easily?” 

“Felmenia is skilled... but the speed at which she memorizes things... is fast. Her strength... lies in her power to adapt... For me, I was only ever able... to use dark magic... so I always think of things... using that as a foundation... As a result, my spells always... end up closely resembling... what I used before. But in Felmenia’s case... I believe she’s tremendously widened... the arsenal she has at her disposal.” 

Liliana was right. Up until now, Felmenia had been limited as a magician by her output and mana capacity. But with those inhibitors overwritten, she could now easily manipulate the powers of the Elements. As proof... 

“You’ve already perfected the eight attributes, right?” 

“Yes. I’ve learned to call out to the Elements with a different approach, so I can use them freely now.” 

“You mean to say you’ve mastered all the attributes, White Flame-dono?!” 

“Yes, well, that was the result.” 

“I see... That means you now have power rivaling one of the heroes of salvation...” 

Hearing Selphy speak with such admiration, Felmenia was humbled. Seeing this unfold, Suimei decided to butt in. 

“Aaah, don’t praise her too much.” 

“I-I won’t let it go to my head or anything!” 

“Yeah, you’re not exactly convincing with that face...” 

Completely carried away in the moment, Felmenia was all smiles. She was tickled pink to be so praised. That part of her hadn’t really changed much since they’d first met at Castle Camellia. But after being called out like that, Felmenia brushed her embarrassment under the rug by completely changing the topic. 

“M-More importantly! The pool!” 

The first to react to that word was Hatsumi. 

“Now that you mention it, the plan was for everyone to go in after we were done, huh?” 

“Wait, you all knew about this?” 

“Only you didn’t, you recluse.” 

“Ugh...” 

When Hatsumi tossed him a sidelong glance and grinned, Suimei faltered. Right now, he wasn’t sure how he felt about her getting her memories back. Of course, he knew in his heart of hearts that it was a good thing, but he couldn’t deny these little exchanges of theirs vexed him. 

“Now then, allow me to reveal the pool! Everyone, please look over there!” 

At Felmenia’s behest, everyone present turned to look in the direction she was pointing. There was an ostentatiously large piece of cloth laid out just a bit down the alley. 

“That’s...” Suimei said skeptically. 

“That’s right! The pool! Now, for the grand unveiling...!” Felmenia shouted spiritedly. 

“Oooh...” Liliana cooed indifferently. 

And with that, Felmenia invoked some magicka to create a gust of wind that rolled the cloth cover neatly up into a bundle. Underneath it was a stone water tank large enough to monopolize a good portion of the open area between buildings. It was also installed in such a way that it looked like it was partially sunken into the ground. 

“You really went a made a damn pool... And what’s with the size?” 

“I was told that bigger was better.” 

And it wasn’t just large; it was deep. It looked like Liliana could stand in it without her head breaking the surface of the water. 

“But... how did you make this?” 

“It was an easy feat with magicka! We just borrowed some materials from the surrounding walls, drilled into the ground, and...” 

“That’s all... kinda bad, isn’t it?” 

“It is fine if nobody finds out. All is well. I did not take so much that the buildings will crumble. So to use an expression from your world, Suimei-dono, ‘No harm, no foul.’” 

Really...? 

While he was initially unsure, Suimei didn’t honestly care if no trouble came of it. That being said, there was one major problem. 

“Even if you have a pool, there’s not much we can do with it if we don’t have swimsuits, you know?” 

Surely they weren’t planning on going in naked. Suimei’s heart started to pound a little just imagining it, but that obviously wasn’t going to happen. 

“Not a problem. While you were busy being a recluse, we all went out to buy some.” 

“Huh?! They sell swimsuits in this world?!” 

“Mhm. Apparently only in the Empire, though. But I guess that makes sense. This is the only real nation that uses baths, so it’s not that much of a jump to think they like swimming too. Check it out.” 

Hatsumi pulled out a swimsuit. Compared to what he was used to seeing in his own world, the materials were low quality and it was somewhat nonsensical functionality-wise, but it was indeed a swimsuit. 

“But what about me?” 

Suimei hadn’t gone shopping with them, so even if all the girls had swimsuits, he still didn’t. Or so he was worried. Immediately following up on his question, Liliana opened up the bag she was holding and showed him its contents. 

“We didn’t know... what you would want... so we bought... several kinds.” 

“Aw, you didn’t have to do that for me... Wait, you’re this serious about it?!” 

“Of course... we are.” 

Liliana proudly stuck out her chest. It was just like her to be exceptionally prepared. 

“With this... everyone can go in... right?” 

“Then let us get changed and do so forthwith!” 

Hatsumi picked up her paper bag and followed Felmenia inside. Even she seemed to be in high spirits over this whole pool debacle. But once they were inside, Selphy turned to Suimei. 

“Though this is a rare opportunity, I will refrain.” 

“Oh? You don’t wanna go in, Selphy? How come?” 

“As long as the kitty cats are here, I don’t need anything else.” 

The half-elf’s heart had been stolen by the clowder of cats. She wanted to spend time with them even more than she wanted to get in the pool. And it seemed the attraction was mutual, for the mewing felines were all gathered around her. It had been this way since she’d arrived. Thanks to her magical specialty, the air around her was always nice and cool, so the cats clustered around her to escape the sweltering heat. It was a win-win relationship. And Suimei was usually the one to provide for the cats, so he certainly didn’t mind someone else minding them for a time. 

Hearing that Selphy was perfectly content with the cats, Liliana nodded her head repeatedly. As fellow cat lovers, they understood each other well. 

“Come now, everyone! Let us get ready!” 

As Felmenia summoned the others, the Yakagi residence in the imperial capital became a glorified dressing room. 

Everyone seemed fairly excited about the pool and got changed in a flash before lining up left to right in front of Felmenia’s manmade oasis. 

First up was Felmenia, who was wearing a bikini that left her midriff exposed. It did an incredible job of emphasizing her already incredible proportions. 

Lefille was also wearing a two-piece swimsuit, but a much sportier type, as denizens of the modern world would call it. And perhaps because she was getting into the water, she’d let down her usual ponytail. 

Hatsumi, meanwhile, looked like she was ready to enjoy a weekend at a private beach in a tropical country. She was wearing a skirted swimsuit and even had a decorative flower in her hair. The overall effect was rather elegant. 

And then there was Liliana, who was wearing a cute swimsuit with frills. He didn’t know where she’d found it, but she also had on something like a bathing cap. She had even let down her hair, which was quite rare for her. But what really stood out the most was the leather innertube squeezing around her waist. 

“Liliana, that...” 

Suimei, wearing trunks with a strange pattern on them, pointed to her float, and Liliana averted her eyes. 

“I’m, um... Swimming... isn’t really my specialty, so...” 

“So you can’t swim?” 

“I-I only said... that it was not my specialty!” 

“If it’s just ‘not your specialty,’ then you don’t need the float, right? You do know how to swim, right? Right?” 

“Th-This is just a necessary safety precaution... in the event of a dangerous situation! There is... absolutely no meaning beyond that!” 

“Mmhmm...” 

“It’s true!” 

Suimei looked like he didn’t believe her at all, and Liliana turned bright red as she puffed out her cheeks and desperately pleaded her case. Seeing this unfold from start to finish, Hatsumi couldn’t stand it anymore. She had to say something. 

“What are you picking on a kid for?” 

“Huh? Uhhh, I just... You know?” 

He was probably grinning too much, but he couldn’t help it. It was too cute. 

“...I shall remember this...” 

That was when Suimei caught sight of the black aura flickering behind Liliana. It seemed she was far more bitter about her inability to swim than he’d realized. As her mana began to swell, he could feel a prickling sensation on his skin. It was psychic acid, the signature proof Liliana’s mana was filling the air. Just that one little joke had set her on the warpath. Seeing that, Hatsumi whispered to Suimei. 

“So, uh, Suimei... At this rate, aren’t you going to end up cursed by Liliana-chan?” 

“That’s seriously not funny...” 

“Yeah, I wasn’t kidding.” 

When he glanced back over at Liliana, the very air around her had turned as dark as night. It was the raw embodiment of her grudge. Both Suimei and Hatsumi were trembling before the little girl’s mighty rage when Felmenia cast them a lifeline. 

“A-Anyway, everyone is ready now, so let us get in without further delay!” 

Liliana was still brooding, but the pool was now open. The girls had all been looking forward to it, and each got in the water however they pleased. Felmenia used magicka to leap in, while Lefille and Hatsumi sat on the edge of the tub and slowly lowered themselves in. As for Liliana, perhaps because she knew the pool was quite deep for her, she only timidly climbed in after making sure that her float was secure. 

“Ahhh... It feels nice to get in the water in the summertime!” 

“You’re so right. This kind of bath really is nice once in a while. It’s all thanks to you, Lady Felmenia.” 

“Man, I never thought I’d end up wearing a swimsuit and getting into a pool in another world...” 

“As I thought, m-my feet... can’t reach...” 

As each of the girls gave their impressions, they began to move around and get used to the water. Once they were all in, Suimei stuck his toe in. 

“Oh, it’s surprisingly cool...” 

Because of the heat, Suimei had assumed the water would be on the warm side. But to his surprise, it was pleasantly cold and refreshing. Upon closer inspection, he spotted a magicka circle drawn at the bottom of the pool, and realized that it was responsible for maintaining the water temperature. 

Moreover, he could tell that the water in the tank wasn’t rainwater, but fresh water created with magicka. Because of that, unlike a regular pool, there was no need to add chemical agents like chlorine. The crystal clear water was already perfectly free of impurities, and the surface of it sparkled brilliantly in the afternoon sun. 

All in all, the pool turned out to be much more pleasing that Suimei had thought it would be. Admiring Felmenia’s meticulousness as she had been prudent down to the finest details, Suimei took up a position at the edge of the pool and began to use magicka to create himself a seat. While he was working on that, the girls were enjoying swimming around or just floating on the water. 

“How is it, everyone? Do you like the pool I made?” 

“Aah, this really has to be the best way to beat the summer heat. Honestly, it was really starting to get to me. Thank you, Lady Felmenia.” 

“I was wondering about that. Is this weather tough on you, Lefille?” 

“I was born and raised in Noshias, after all. I’m not used to the heat.” 

“Heehee... So it was the right choice to make the pool. Let us make one every year.” 

While Felmenia was resolving to make the pool a summer tradition, Hatsumi turned to Suimei. 

“So you can even make this kind of thing with magicka, huh? How convenient. Hey, Suimei, when we go back, why don’t you make one in the garden for me?” 

“I’m a magician, not a damn contractor.” 

“I know! How about Yakagi Public Works? Oh, or Yakagi Construction? If the family business doesn’t work out, it’s always good to have a backup plan, you know.” 

“Family business? Just what do you take a venerable line of magicians for...?” 

Suimei was having his back-and-forth with Hatsumi, but unlike the girls, he wasn’t swimming. For him, just the fact that the pool existed was heaven... But a heaven he wasn’t fully prepared for. 

“Somehow, I feel out of place...” 

Perhaps it was because he was the only guy present, or perhaps it was just because he wasn’t experienced in this kind of situation with girls. But in spite of that, he wasn’t going anywhere. He was perfectly happy where he was. 

All of the girls present were bona fide beauties. Moreover, they were playing and splashing about in the water... All sorts of things were on display, particularly when they bent over. The view was incomparable. And it was all his. If he couldn’t take it and walked away, he was pretty sure a portal would open up and every other guy his age would show up to kill him in a jealous rage. 

As Suimei was taking in the sights, the girls who had all been enjoying themselves while swimming around were now starting to get excited about something else. For some reason, Felmenia had taken up an imposing stance at the edge of the water tank. She thrust a finger out at Lefille, who was rising out of the water’s surface. 

“Lefille, I challenge you to a duel!” 

“Hmph, a duel with me?” 

“That’s right! Here in this very pool! A match without sword or sorcery!” 

Hearing that declaration, Lefille replied with a fearless smile. 

“Interesting... Very well.” 

The two girls then put some distance between them. Felmenia jumped into the pool from the edge and moved away, while Lefille waded through the water towards Suimei at the opposite end of the pool. When she got closer, he called out to her in a listless tone. 

“You gonna be okay?” 

“There was no way I could refuse such a challenge. Battle is the very livelihood of a swordswoman like me.” 

“Livelihood, huh? More importantly, what are you guys even up to...?” 

That was his primary question. He had no idea what kind of battle they could be having in a pool. He’d assumed it would be a swimming match at first, but since they’d moved away from each other, it didn’t look like they were going to race or anything. 

“Now, as for the rules, the winner shall be the last one standing with their upper half above the water’s surface!” 

“Understood.” 

“Wait, hang on, you two! Why does it have to be such a violent battle?!” 

As the conversation rapidly advanced, Suimei didn’t hesitate to throw in a quip—especially not one he thought was reasonable. But when he did, Felmenia and Lefille both looked at him curiously. 

“Suimei-dono, are not battles inherently violent?” 

“Lady Felmenia is right. Just what are you saying, Suimei-kun? As a magician, you should understand that as well as anyone. Any true fight has a true victor—the last one left standing.” 

“No, no, no! I don’t get it at all! Why are we even talking about fighting?! Just what are you two trying to start?!” 

As the atmosphere in the pool grew tenser, Suimei began to panic a little. As for the two girls... 

“This is a fight that I cannot lose.” 

“That’s right. Our pride as women is at stake.” 

“What even...?” 

Suimei’s bewilderment and groaning fell on deaf ears, and he was oblivious as to what kind of pride could possibly be on the line concerning anything involving a pool. Meanwhile, the girls seemed to finish their preparations. And then it began... 

“Here I go!” 

With no warning, Felmenia started to amass mana. Ripples rose to the surface of the water, and within mere moments, they gave rise to a wave that caused the whole pool to undulate. Responding in kind, Lefille began to summon her own power. 

“Oh spirits. Become my guardian...” 

The Shrine Maiden called out to the spirits to bring forth her red wind. It swirled deep crimson around her and pushed the water away from her in ripples that mounted into a wave of their own. One that was headed for Felmenia’s side. 

The two waves met in the center of the pool, crashing against one another in a glorious spray. The air was flooded with incredible tension. It was like a sudden storm was blowing through an otherwise sunny day. 

It would be a real shame to let them continue like this. It would be a complete waste of the relaxing day they were finally having. As such thoughts stirred in Suimei’s mind, he shifted his attention to the remaining two girls who should be on his side about stopping such barbarism. However... 

“Hey, Liliana-chan, who do you think will win?” 

“Prior to today... I would have said Lefille... But based on what we were talking about earlier... with the mana furnace... Felmenia has also become quite strong... So I don’t know... who will be victorious...” 

By the time Suimei turned to them for help, it was too late. They were already in spectator mode, analyzing the fight from a distance. It was clear they had no intention of interfering, meaning Suimei was on his own. He had one last potential ally, but she wouldn’t be any help right now. She’d practically been rendered putty by the cats. Moreover, being quite cunning, she’d already moved to safety with her feline friends without Suimei even noticing. 

And so the showdown between Felmenia and Lefille continued. Perhaps because Felmenia had begun gathering her mana first, she took the initiative. Pooling even more mana in her hand, she skillfully twisted the water around it. 

“Here I go! Hyah!” 

With a shout, she fired the water at Lefille on the other end of the pool. It was a small torrent that twisted into a vortex and stretched out like a snake as it sprung towards its target. But Lefille wouldn’t be defeated so easily. She quickly used the power of the spirits to defend herself, obstructing the incoming water with a wall of wind. However, the two forces began struggling for supremacy. 

“That really is a mysterious power, isn’t it?” 

Felmenia’s attack was magicka, so Suimei understood how it worked and what was going on behind the scenes. But Lefille’s was a different story. He had already established that the source of her power was the power of the spirits, but what she used that resembled magic didn’t even necessarily even use command words. She could use it for offense, defense, and even utility. Its unparalleled versatility in battle left Suimei wide-eyed. And that wasn’t even touching on how strong it could be. Even a magician like Suimei felt a power like that might be cheating, but... 

“HAAAAAAAA!” 

“Urgh, that’s some serious pressure... So this is what you meant by increasing your output, is it?” 

Even with the power of the spirits shielding Lefille, Felmenia’s spell seemed to be pushing her back. Felmenia’s skills were nothing to be sneezed at, and Lefille was feeling the brunt of that now. Just as she began to appreciate her companion’s true abilities, it seemed the water spell was dying down—and Lefille had endured it splendidly. 

“As one would expect of Lefille. However, I still have more to go.” 

“So the interval between spells is short...” 

“That’s right! I have accomplished a so-called level up!” 

“Even so, I won’t just stand down!” 

When Lefille fired out that gallant declaration, Suimei had to wonder what she was planning to do. And while contemplating the possibilities, he suddenly found himself grabbed by the nape of the neck. 

“Gueh!” 

The next thing he knew, he was making a weird noise like a crushed frog. It was because Lefille had grabbed him by the neck and thrust him out towards Felmenia. 

“Heh... It’s unfortunate for you, Lady Felmenia, but I have Suimei-kun over on my side.” 

“Hey, who said I’m on your side?! Hey! You’re just using me as a shield!” 

Suimei squirmed and struggled, but he couldn’t escape Lefille’s firm grasp. Whether it was through sheer strength alone or whether it was the power of the spirits aiding her that allowed her to wield it, Lefille’s weapon of choice was an unreasonably large sword. And keeping a good handle on one’s weapon was integral to swordsmanship, so Lefille’s grip strength was proportionally large. 

“No, you’re not a shield. Absolutely not.” 

“Then what the hell am I?! A hostage?! Am I a freaking hostage?!” 

“You’re a reliable knight who protects me.” 

“What kind of knight do you hold by the neck?!” 

Before he was a knight or anything else, Suimei was a magician. But he wasn’t the only magician on the scene now. 

“Grrr, to use Suimei-dono like that... What a cowardly act!” 

Despite Felmenia’s complaint, Lefille’s move proved effective. Felmenia immediately went on the defensive, skillfully using magicka to create a foothold in the water and bracing herself. It was all she could do with Suimei in the way. With little other recourse, she switched up her tactics and tried going for a psychological attack. 

“Lefille! Using such underhanded tactics... Do you not find that embarrassing?” 

“Sometimes you have to be underhanded in battle. You have to utilize every resource and every opportunity. Besides, Lady Felmenia, just as you used the pool’s water, all I did was use Suimei-kun.” 

“Hey! You just said yourself that you’re using me! How does that make me a knight?! What kind of knight gets used like this?!” 

Suimei was yelling, but Lefille wasn’t listening. She seemed to be completely ignoring him on purpose, and Suimei glared at her as she looked the other way and whistled. 

“Ugh... My hands are tied...” 

Felmenia began grumbling. Suimei was a little touched that she was having mercy on him, but her attacks weren’t the only thing he needed to worry about. 

“Take that,” said a childish voice with little inflection. 

And with that, a large wave of water came crashing down on them. The culprit was Liliana, still clinging on to her float. Being blindsided, Lefille and her shield—Suimei—were unable to defend themselves and took the attack full force. 

“Pbbbt!” 

“Buhaaaaa! M-My nose! Water went up my nose!” 

Lefille was mostly unscathed because she was standing behind Suimei, who felt like he’d swallowed the whole wave. It really seemed like the attack had been aimed primarily at him. 

“Beh! Bwugh! Pah! What the hell are you doing, Liliana?!” 

Even with Suimei yelling at her, Liliana’s stoic attitude remained unchanged. 

“Suimei... I told you before... that I would remember... what you said.” 

“So this is payback?! That’s so mean!” 

“Revenge is mine. Victory cannot be had... through mercy... or holding back.” 

Liliana stuck her finger out pointedly and lectured him like a petty villain. As for Lefille who was also struck by her attack... 

“Ugh, even using Suimei-kun as a shield didn’t help, huh?” 

“Hey, I thought you said you weren’t using me as a shield! What gives?!” 

“...Oops.” 

Lefille had unintentionally let the truth slip, and went back to whistling again instead of answering Suimei. Hearing all this, a vein visibly popped out of Suimei’s forehead. 

“Lefi, you damn...” 

“N-Now it’s time for your payback, Lily! Taaake this!” 

Ignoring the livid Suimei, Lefille began conjuring a sphere of water in her palm. It must have been something accomplished with the power of the spirits. Seeing it, Suimei’s face stiffened in surprise. 

“Hey now, what’s with that skill...?” 

“Teehee... Are you surprised, Suimei-kun? This is something I worked out just for a time like this.” 

For a time like what, exactly? 

Though Suimei was dying to get in a quip, Lefille took a stance like a water polo player brandishing a ball before the words ever left his mouth. The watery ball stayed with Lefille’s hand through some sort of unseen power. It looked like an orb of swirling plasma as she held it aloft. And then... it started to make crackling sounds highly uncharacteristic of water. The colorless and transparent ball then gradually turned red. 

“Here I come, Lady Felmenia! Lily! Have a taste of Ishaktney’s Red Ball!” 

“WAAAAAAAAIT! You can’t hit them with that! They’ll—” 

What Lefille was about to hurl at them was without a doubt a killing technique. The red hue consuming the watery ball was proof it contained the power of the spirits. And seeing that manifest before his very eyes, Suimei couldn’t help screaming. Felmenia, however, seemed to be more prepared. 

“Lily! Defense!” 

“Under... stood!” 

Faced with Lefille’s lethal attack, Felmenia and Liliana joined forces to create a defensive formation together. Just what had happened to having a fair match...? 

Using magicka, they created a bulwark and awaited the incoming attack. And it wasn’t long before Ishaktney’s Red Ball, or whatever this alleged technique was called, collided with their combined magickal bulwark. As the powerful energies clashed with one another, they emitted such a bright light that it made the rest of the open space between buildings in front of the Yakagi residence look as dark as night. A hail of sparks rained down from the collision. It looked like there was a fire atop the water’s surface. And as the two intense powers continued to vie for dominance, a shadow suddenly swooped in. 

“Hyah!” 

The shadow let out a sharp, spirited yell, and the red ball trying to penetrate the magickal bulwark was cut clean in two. Just what happened? As the column of water settled down and the steam from the used mana dispersed, the identity of the interloping shadow became clear. It was none other than Hatsumi, who was holding her hand out in front of her like a blade. 

“Do you all plan on just ignoring me while you all play? You can’t just do that, right?” 

“Hmph! So even Lady Hatsumi is joining the war... Three against two is cowardly!” 

“Hey, no! Don’t just casually count me as part of this!” 

As Suimei shouted, Lefille frowned. 

“But Suimei-kun... Without you, I’d be all alone...” 

“There are only two sides here! People who care, and people who don’t want to be involved!” 

Suimei unrelentingly continued to shout at the pouting Lefille. They were supposed to be relaxing in the pool, yet their peaceful afternoon had somehow devolved into all-out war. Frankly speaking, he wanted nothing to do with it. Lefille suddenly seemed to think of something, however, and leaned in closer towards Suimei. 

“Wh-What?” he asked nervously. 

“...Then how about this?” 

“Urk!” 

Lefille let go of Suimei’s neck and wrapped both of her arms around him, embracing him from behind. Feeling her softness pressing against his back, Suimei unintentionally made a rather strange sound. As for Felmenia and Hatsumi who were watching this happen... 

“AAH!” 

“Wh-Wh-Wh-Wh-What are you doing, Lefille?!” 

Looking like they were in complete disbelief, both girls yelled out. Paying them no mind, Lefille brought her lips closer to Suimei’s ear, and despite being a good spirit, she whispered to him like an evil one. 

“So, how about it, Suimei-kun? You are on my side, aren’t you? Won’t you help me?” 

“Uh, no... I mean, yes... Just a bit... Yeah, I’m starting to think I could try for a little bit... Yeah...” 

“Mm, that’s a good Suimei-kun. You should have just said so from the beginning.” 

Before the devil’s temptation, Suimei capitulated without resistance. Satisfied, Lefille finally let go of him. 

“How dastardly... Unscrupulous! That is thoroughly despicable behavior from the Shrine Maiden of Alshuna who carries the power of the spirits!” 

“Lefille-san! Th-Th-That’s against the rules! H-Hugging him is...” 

Felmenia and Hatsumi were trembling with a mixture of anger and other feelings, both of their faces turning bright red. But in response, Lefille simply shrugged like the outcome was unavoidable. 

“I simply cannot afford to lose here, and I will do everything in my power to avoid it.” 

“Ugh! I’ll still win!” 

“But I know you won’t raise a hand against Suimei-kun, Lady Felmenia.” 

“That’s why I won’t be the one facing him!” 

Bobbing up and down in the innertube beside Felmenia as she made that bold declaration, Liliana moved forward and raised her hand. 

“Suimei, prepare yourself...! Behold the resentment... I feel for being teased!” 

“Didn’t you pay me back for that already?! I can still feel the water in my sinus cavity!” 

“One strike... was hardly enough! It’s only polite... to pay people back threefold! I will personally teach you... the fear of drowning!” 

“That’s some messed up resentment!” 

Realizing that Liliana was out for revenge, Hatsumi moved to her side. 

“Count me in!” 

“H-H-Hatsumi?! Wait, you too?!” 

“Isn’t it better this way? This will help even things out if you’re on Lefille-san’s side. After all, it was supposed to be a fair match.” 

“But their stupid match has nothing to do with us!” 

“What fun would it be to just sit it out?” 

“You can swim, yeah?! We’re in a freaking pool!” 

“But, you know... I gotta say I’m still a little unhappy over you keeping secrets from me...” 

“A little, my ass! Fuck me... Aah, Reiji, you really are a good guy after all...” 

Reflecting on how kind Reiji had been to him after coming clean, Suimei shed a single tear. But it wouldn’t save him from Hatsumi’s attack. 

“Phantom Sword of the Kurikara Dharani! Visions of Rust!” 

As Hatsumi swung her hand held out like blade towards Suimei, the illusion of an invisible slash appeared hidden behind a spray of water. It was the phantom created by her technique: an ethereal blade that bewildered her opponent’s senses. It was the same technique she’d used to disorient Lefille in their sparring match earlier. 

“Shit...” 

Suimei’s eye caught a glimpse of a flicker between the countless droplets of water. It looked like the sun reflecting off a blade, but it wasn’t real. It was simply the illusion of Hatsumi’s phantom blade. Yet even knowing it was an illusion, Suimei’s senses told him he was in danger. This was the Phantom Sword of the Kurikara Dharani, after all—a hidden technique of one of Japan’s strongest sword styles. He reflexively dodged, giving the strike a wide berth. He then heard a sudden loud noise behind him. Turning to see what it was, he saw the aftermath of the strike colliding with the edge of the water tank. 

“Eep!” 

“What’s with that pathetic yelp? That wasn’t some amazing skill you should be scared of, you know.” 

“You... Wasn’t that supposed to be a damn illusion?! More importantly, if that had actually hit me, I’d be dead right now! Don’t do incomprehensible bullshit using your hand like a sword like that!” 

“You have no room to talk. You’re the last person I want to hear that from. Seriously.” 

Hatsumi cut another slice of the water with her hand and sent it flying at Suimei. She wasn’t using her special technique this time, but it was still fast and sharp. It was also enough water that it would be a considerable blow just from the impact. 

“Why is everyone using crap like special techniques and magicka anyway?!” 

“Isn’t that because they’re more powerful?” 

“That’s not what I mean!” 

“No? Then what’s the problem?” 

“We’re here to relax, aren’t— Huh?!” 

In the middle of shouting at Hatsumi, Suimei suddenly sensed mana near his feet. Looking down, he realized that Liliana had used her signature stealth to conceal her presence and sneak up on him. She then grabbed both his feet. 

“Bububugu, buubu.” 

[Negative Touch.] 

As Liliana was submerged, her words rose to the surface of the water in bubbles. Her keywords, to be specific. 

According to the rules of magicka, a spell would never trigger unless the proper procedures were followed. That ordinarily included activating the relevant keyword or words, which meant that a magician needed to be able to speak freely in order to cast spells. Liliana couldn’t exactly speak underwater, so it seemed she’d thought this out ahead of time and made the appropriate adjustments to the spell she was using. 

And that spell was Negative Touch. She’d bestowed it on his legs when she grabbed his feet, and it suddenly robbed him of the strength to stand. Unable to keep himself upright, he sank into the water. 

“Uguoooo... Liliabufuubububu, uppu!” 

“Negligence... is a powerful enemy... Suimei.” 

Resurfacing, Liliana used magicka to pull her float to her and clung to it as she admonished Suimei. She then turned an unbelievably charming smile on him and playfully tilted her head to the side. 

“What’s wrong... Suimei? Could it be... that you can’t swim?” 

Grinning broadly, she ostentatiously made a display of her float. It was like she’d planned this all out from start to finish. It was undoubtedly her vengeance for him teasing her over not being able to swim. 

Suimei was rapidly taking in water through his nose as he sank, but calmly used his own magicka to undo the effects of Liliana’s Negative Touch. He got back on his feet and began coughing up all the water in his lungs. 

“Blurgh... Ack, hack! Liliana... I gotta say... You have a terrible personality...” 

“Thank you.” 

“I’m not praising you, damn it!” 

Liliana gave Suimei a thumbs up with her usual stoic expression as he shouted out at her. Selphy’s ears perked up as their little exchange carried on, though it seemed their use of magicka had gotten her attention just as much as their shouting had. 

“It sounds like they’re all having fun, huh? Th-Though it seems like we shouldn’t get any closer... It looks dangerous, after all.” 

While playing with the cats, Selphy had taken to talking to them. Though, even as outdoor strays, they didn’t like getting wet and were keeping their distance from the pool without being told. Things were indeed lively over there. Even with things quieting down between Hatsumi, Liliana, and Suimei, there was another battle going on that was just really starting to heat up. 

“You’re quite good, Lady Felmenia! Is this also because of the addition of your mana furnace?!” 

“Indeed! Up until now I have been falling behind in output, but no longer!” 

“Fascinating!” 

“How did this turn out like some kind of battle manga?!” 

As Felmenia and Lefille both rose to each other’s challenges, their fight shifted into the next gear. And during that battle for supremacy, Lefille suddenly took a stance that was noticeably different from what she’d been using. 

“If there isn’t an obvious victor after we compare our powers, then it’s time for me to find another solution... You said the loser is the first one who cannot stand, right?” 

With that, Lefille raised her right arm aloft and held her hand up to the sky. Red wind began coiling around it. Just as everyone watching was thinking, “She wouldn’t...” 

She did. 

Suddenly and without warning, Lefille swung her arm downward and unleashed the gathered red wind. 

“Eat this!” 

“Wha—?! Whoa!” 

Lefille’s red wind moved as fast as any squall. Before it, Felmenia looked like a sitting duck, but... 

“H-Huh? I thought I got hit?” 

The red wind should have smacked right into her, but she felt no impact. It left her rather confused. She was looking around in bewilderment as if trying to find an answer, but no one else knew what had happened either. 

“Heh heh heh...” 

Meanwhile, Lefille simply stood on the other side of the pool laughing creepily. Seeing this, Felmenia questioned her. 

“Lefille, just what was that...?” 

“Hmm, I wonder... Just what was it?” 

“Please stop making that evil grin like Suimei-dono!” 

“Hey now! Don’t just go casually saying such rude things! Who’s evil?!” 

Suimei raised his voice in protest, but the girls continued to ignore him. 

“Well, setting that aside, Lady Felmenia... You shouldn’t move around so much, you know? It could be dangerous.” 

“H-Huh? Lefille, just what are you talking about— W-Wawawa!” 

As Felmenia continued to question Lefille, there was a small swishing sound as her swimsuit top came undone. And then, with a boing—or at least with enough vigor that it felt like it should have been accompanied by such a sound effect—her bountiful breasts spilled out into the open. 

“Pffft!” 

With a front row seat for this unexpected turn of events, Suimei reflexively did a spit take. Meanwhile, having lost her upper layer of protection, Felmenia wrapped both her arms around her chest and slouched over slightly in an attempt to conceal herself. Naturally, she didn’t understand why her swimsuit had come undone. 

“Th-This... Just what...?” she muttered in absolute befuddlement. 

“Isn’t it obvious?” Lefille replied coyly. 

Lefille was suggesting the answer should be self-evident, but Felmenia still didn’t understand. Lefille then cracked a rather unladylike smile, and Felmenia finally seemed to get the hint. 

“Th-Then that red wind just now...?!” 

“Exactly. Using the red wind, I severed only the delicate keystone of your swimsuit. Now, Lady Felmenia, you can no longer stand properly, can you?” 

“L-Lefille, your behavior today has been one heinous act after another... I have doubts about your title as the Shrine Maiden!” 

“It’s fine to cut loose a little when we’re relaxing, isn’t it? This is nothing, just some light teasing. Even Alshuna would smile upon it.” 

Saying that in and of itself was rather inappropriate for a shrine maiden. Suimei always thought of them as women of great reverence and grace... neither of which Lefille was exhibiting right now. As he couldn’t help thinking so internally, Felmenia seemed to pick up on something else entirely. 

“S-Suimei-dono?! What are you doing?! Please do not look this way!” 

Suimei had been staring at them this whole time and was rightfully scolded with a scream. The far too insensible boy then, likely because of his inexperience, began to bashfully break down in a fluster. 

“What? No, uh, I, uh...” 

“Now, now, Suimei-kun... It’s not nice to ogle a lady like that,” Lefille said, eyes narrowed in his direction. 

“Is that something the culprit should be saying?!” he argued. 

However, the red-headed girl who was blind to her own shortcomings didn’t relent in her reproachful attitude at all. She simply let out an astonished sigh. Feeling backed into a corner, Suimei only grew more defensive. But protest as he might, it wouldn’t save him from the powerful wave that was about to hit him. 

“Oof!” 

It hit him with enough force to pitch him forward in the water. The surprise attack had come from behind, and when he turned to see who the attacker was, he found Hatsumi looking at him with an extremely severe expression. 

“Suimei, you perv!” 

It seemed she’d taken personal offense at Suimei staring at Felmenia’s bare skin. But since Suimei didn’t think he was really the one at fault, he began making excuses. 

“I-It was just by chance! Just by chance, I caught a glimpse! By accident!” 

“Don’t lie! You were totally gawking! Idiot!” 

“B-B-B-B-But that’s because— Bwuh?! Wh-What now?!” 

As he deteriorated into a complete tizzy, Suimei took another surprise attack. This time it came from the side, and when he turned to look... 

“That one... was from me.” 

“You’ve just been doing whatever the hell you want all afternoon...” 

“Hmph. It turns out... that teasing you... can be fun. I now understand... why Lefille wants... to do it all the time.” 

“Right?” 

Coming to some sort of understanding, the two girls gave each other thumbs up. And while a teasing alliance was being formed against him, the abused Suimei... 

“God damn it... You guys really need to cut it out...” 

Between having his nice, refreshing afternoon interrupted by all this nonsense and either Hatsumi or Liliana coming for him whenever he let his guard down, Suimei’s patience was beginning to reach its limits. Seeing that he was suddenly accumulating sinister-looking mana, Hatsumi sensed impending danger and issued a word of warning. 

“Liliana-chan! Suimei’s started to snap! Look out! When he’s like that, you don’t know what he’ll end up doing!” 

“Right!” 

“Don’t talk about people like they’re wild animals, damn it!” 

But alas, yet again, the girls simply ignored Suimei. Just how many times did this make now? Before Suimei even had time to add it up, Hatsumi and Liliana initiated a combo attack together. They were moving around at an incredible rate despite being underwater. 

“Scurrying around like pests...! Actually, how can you guys even move like that?! Ain’t that weird?!” 

“Before we made our move, Felmenia-san cast magicka on us.” 

“Felmenia made the pool... so with her on our side... we are perfectly prepared.” 

As one would expect of the meticulous Felmenia, she’d really thought of everything. She was so clumsy that she hurt herself sometimes, but despite that, she was extremely capable when it came to exercises of the mind. She was so scrupulous, in fact, that the image of her falling on her face at Castle Camellia seemed like a lie. 

“Ugh, I’ll really be in trouble at this rate... No, if I just steal away their freedom, there won’t be a fight or any other bullshit!” 

Two experienced combat specialists were coming at him underwater and trying to trip him up. Normally, a situation like that was justifiable cause for concern. Especially when one’s opponents were attacking relentlessly like Liliana and Hatsumi were. 

However, if they couldn’t move, that would put a swift end to things no matter how tough they were. And when Suimei finally arrived at that simple conclusion, he immediately took action. 

“Oh moisture that fills to the brim far and wide. Thou art a snake given the role of rope—a rope that binds all free will. Conform all to thee and shackle them so.” 

This last wave of relentless attacks had pushed Suimei over the edge, and he began seriously chanting a spell. As if floating in the water, a magicka circle expanded around him. All the water it touched rose up to the surface and began braiding itself into ropes. Seeing this, Hatsumi stopped moving and observed the strange phenomenon in bewilderment. 

“Wait, what are those? Tendrils of water?” 

“This... isn’t good. Hero Hatsumi, quickly evade—” 

“It’s too late! Eat this!” 

The numerous sinewy ropes of water hanging the air suddenly dove under the water’s surface. They quickly went to work restricting Hatsumi and Liliana. 

“Y-You’re kidding, right?! Is water hardening inside water?!” 

“In that case... I’ll do something... with mana.” 

“No, Lily! It’s useless!” 

It was Felmenia that shouted a word of warning, but she was already too late. As if to reiterate this, Suimei explained... 

“That’s right; you can’t cut it. Well, you can cut anything meant to be cut, but...” 

“Lily, there is no point even if you cut the water!” 

That was the real problem. Even if she could sever the ropes of water, they were in a pool full of water. That realization set in on Liliana as she cut through a few of the ropes to no avail. She and Hatsumi were then both seized by Suimei’s magicka without any chance for resistance. 

The binding tendrils took hold of the two girls and lifted them up out of the water. The mastermind behind all this, Suimei, seemed to be content with his handiwork. In all seriousness, he’d used a needlessly intricate spell for the situation, but he was still pleased that everything was going according to plan. So pleased, in fact, that he began to laugh loudly like some villain. 

“HAHAHA! How’s that?! You can’t move anymore, now can you?! With this, do you feel like calming down a—” 

“You pervert! What kind of magicka are you using?!” 

“Suimei, you’re... the worst. I’ve been... disillusioned.” 

“Huh?” 

Suimei was confused as to how this had suddenly gotten turned around on him. He thought it was a rather impeccable strategy, but it was just like him not to have considered that he was ultimately tying the girls up. Not that that seemed to be their main complaint... 

“If you’re going to tie us up, at least do it normally! Th-The tendrils... are going weird places...” 

Hatsumi was turning bright red, and Liliana was just silently trembling. After stopping to pay attention to what he’d really done for a moment, Suimei saw that the rope hadn’t just wrapped around them normally... In order to make sure the girls were fully restricted, it had wormed its way everywhere it could—in their cleavage, between their legs, under their armpits, around their waists. Upon finally realizing that, Suimei immediately dismissed his spell and tried to make excuses. 

“N-No, I didn’t particularly do it with that intention, really...” 

“What do you mean by ‘that’ intention?” 

“After looking at Felmenia-san’s breasts, I don’t want to hear it from you, perv!” 

“That’s not related, is it?!” 

“Are you denying it?! Last time you also leered at me while I was naked too, didn’t you?!” 

There, Hatsumi dropped a bomb. The instant she frankly admitted to it, the air around the pool suddenly turned cold. 

“Suimei... Like I thought, you’re... just the worst.” 

“Gwah!” 

And there came the strongest blow yet—the judgment of an innocent little girl. Her words felt like a sharp knife in Suimei’s heart, but he was in for a lot more than just that. The cold atmosphere radiated out from where Suimei, Hatsumi, and Liliana were standing... right over to Felmenia and Lefille. 

“Lady Felmenia, let’s call a temporary truce. We need to work together to punish Suimei-kun instead.” 

“Understood. Suimei-dono, I misjudged you just a little!” 

Tacking on the naive “just a little” part was just like Felmenia, but nevertheless, she joined the other girls as they all assumed attack stances. Felmenia was gathering her mana, Lefille was conjuring the power of the spirits, Hatsumi was unfurling her fighting spirit, and both of Liliana’s hands were aglow with the dark energy of Negative Touch. Feeling the pressure from all directions, Suimei panicked and began stepping back. 

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry! NOOOOOOOO!” 

In the end, the one-on-one showdown between Felmenia and Lefille became a four-on-one brawl. You could say Suimei’s peaceful, relaxing afternoon was dead in the water. 

“How did it end up like this...?” 

After being worn to tatters by the four girls, Suimei was slung over a poolside chair like a piece of laundry left out to dry. When he eventually came to, the day was already over. He recalled having fun at some point, but that was long over and done with by the time he was conscious again. He was supposed to be relaxing, but now he was just spent and exhausted. 

Taking a look around, he saw that the girls had changed from their swimsuits back into their regular clothes, and were currently warming themselves by the fire as they waited for their hair to dry. He was happy they were all getting along well and giggling together, but the way they’d abandoned him and left him for dead felt cruel. However, he knew damn good and well that saying so would only earn him a punishment several times worse than what he’d just been through. So he decided to be smart and keep his mouth shut as he got up. 

“Ah, Suimei-dono! You’re awake now?” 

“You guys... No matter how you look at it, that was just mean...” 

In the end, Suimei couldn’t help it. He had to say something, so he watered it down as much as possible. Seemingly aware they’d gone overboard, Hatsumi replied in a somewhat awkward tone. 

“W-Well, I do think that we went a bit too far, but fundamentally, you deserved it.” 

“But it was all accidents and happenstance! I’m innocent! Besides, all of this only happened because you guys had to have some match...” 

And there it went. He’d tried to hold back, but the floodgates of his griping burst. And, as expected, his complaining was met with harsh words in return. 

“Suimei, you’re damaging... your manly image.” 

“That’s right, Suimei-kun. A man should be magnanimous about everything.” 

“Uuugh...” 

He knew exactly what he’d walked into, so all Suimei could do was groan while he listened to their criticisms—still standing there in his trunks, mind you. But fortunately for him, the tongue-lashing wasn’t as bad as he thought it would be. Lefille and the other girls weren’t that mad anymore, so they soon switched from scolding him to smiling and patting him on the head. 

“Please stop patting and stroking my head.” 

“Don’t pout. I was also concerned that I went a little overboard.” 

“After going completely wild like that?” 

“At the time, I was kind of... in a trance.” 

“A trance, huh?” 

That was just proof of how much fun she’d been having, and ultimately it was a good thing she’d been able to cut loose and blow off so much stress. Knowing that, Suimei bit his lip and didn’t say anything else. Liliana, meanwhile, poked him in the ribs. 

“I won’t... forgive you though.” 

“That bad, huh?” 

“That’s right. The next time... we get in the pool... You’re on,” she declared, thrusting her finger out at him. 

“Hey, don’t point that at people.” 

He was joking around with her, but what she’d said made him think... If they’d be doing this again, maybe he should teach her how to swim. Flashing a slightly nihilistic smile, Liliana abruptly turned her head to the side. Seeing her like this with her hair down, she gave off a very different impression from normal. It was refreshing. Felmenia then clapped her hands together to get everyone’s attention. 

“Now that Suimei-dono has regained consciousness, it’s about time that we clear away the pool.” 

“Yeah, let’s. Suimei, you were last, so get changed already and get to it.” 

“Aren’t I being treated too roughly here...?” 

Hatsumi gave him zero concessions, and Suimei let out a disheartened sigh. It seemed like he was going to get the short end of the stick, but Felmenia quickly came over to help. 

“Shall we extract the water?” 

“How are you gonna do that? Dry it up with magicka?” 

“No, no. We’ll empty it out into the nearby drainage. With this and this here...” 

As she explained, Felmenia used magicka to connect the bottom of the water tank with the alley storm drain. The water in the tank then began to swirl around as it slowly started draining away. 

“After the water is emptied, all that’s left is to smooth out the ground and return the materials to where they were before.” 

Surprisingly, Felmenia even had the cleanup plan in place. She must have thought this all out while she was building it. 

“Menia, to orchestrate all of this... Didn’t it take quite a bit of effort?” 

“Yes, well...” 

She flashed a humble smile. With everything she’d done today, it wasn’t hard to imagine that coordinating it all had taken a considerable amount of forethought, planning, and work—not to mention mana, considering all the prototyping, testing, and trial-and-error she must have done in preparation for it. 

“Thanks for all your hard work.” 

“O-Of course!” 

She seemed quite happy to have her efforts acknowledged, and brightened up immediately. Her footsteps even grew lighter. She was practically skipping as she made her way over to the edge of the pool. Her pool. It had been a smashing success, so she must have felt great about it. However... 

“Hey, it’s still wet around there, so be—” 

THUD! 

“Uwah!” 

Faster than Suimei could warn her, Felmenia slipped and fell face first. As expected, there was quite a bit of water in the area from all the splashing around they’d done. She wasn’t seriously hurt, but was rubbing her cheek with her hand. It seemed she’d scraped her face. 

“Owowow...” 

“...What are you faceplanting for? Here. I’ll lend you a hand.” 

“Hnnngh... Thank you very much.” 

After healing her bleeding cheek, the clumsy, teary-eyed magician grasped Suimei’s extended hand. Compared to when this had happened back at the royal castle, Felmenia had grown tremendously, but in the end, this part of her might never change. In a sense, it was kind of relieving. As Suimei helped Felmenia up, Hatsumi called out to him as she watched. 

“So it turns out you’re actually pretty nice when it comes to stuff like this, huh? If you were always like that, everyone would like you, you know?” 

“Don’t say that like everyone hates me.” 

“But you do have a lot of enemies, don’t you? Not being honest is a bad thing, you know. That’s why the other pupils feel the way they do about you, too.” 

By “the other pupils,” Hatsumi was referring to the students at Kuchiba dojo. Suimei showed up from time to time, but it wasn’t like he was earnestly following the path of the sword. The other students could sense that in him. They thought less of him for it, even if he did have a good reason. 

“There’s no helping me being shunned at the dojo. The instructor told me from the get-go that I shouldn’t get too absorbed in the sword in the first place because it would affect magicka.” 

“But there are still ways to get along with everyone, aren’t there? I’m saying it’s not good to act like you don’t care. You don’t get that, do you? Jeez...” 

While playing with her long, golden hair, Hatsumi let out an exasperated sigh. Suimei replied with a shrug. 

“It’s fine. Getting along too well with normal people isn’t something magicians should be doing anyway.” 

“Then what about Shana-san and the others?” 

Having that shoved in his face left Suimei at a momentary loss for words. He managed to eke out a few, but they sounded like they were stuck in his throat. 

“R-Reiji and the others are an exception.” 

“Aah, there it is! Your tsundere side is coming out.” 

“Shut it! Don’t say tsundere! I’m not one, damn it!” 

Suimei vehemently denied Hatsumi’s accusation, but no one was on his side. It was a word Suimei’s party had heard before, so even Lefille and Liliana were stifling their laughter. As the pleasant atmosphere turned somewhat awkward for Suimei, Felmenia threw him a lifeline and timidly bowed her head. 

“Sorry...” 

“Well, I don’t mind. Look, you have water on your face.” 

“Oh...” 

As Suimei began wiping Felmenia’s face with a handkerchief, Lefille walked over to the two of them. 

“Lady Felmenia, leave the remaining cleanup to Suimei-kun. Just grab on to my arm.” 

“No, I can...” 

“You’re tired, right? You made the pool and did quite a bit of clamoring about.” 

Lefille too knew what kind of work she must have put into everything, and showed her consideration with an offer of support for the clumsy Felmenia. 

“Then, if you don’t mind...” 

Though reservedly, Felmenia took Lefille’s arm. They looked like a costumed knight and princess from an all-female acting troupe or something. 

“So the rest of the cleanup falls on me, huh?” 

“Duh. You’re the only one who can do it other than Felmenia-san, after all.” 

“Listen, when you put it like that, I’m not so inclined to help anymore...” 

When Suimei took a stance against Hatsumi, three pairs of eyes locked on to him. 

“Mmhmm...” 

“...” 

“You...” 

“...Sorry. I was just kidding. I’d love to help.” 

It was Hatsumi, Liliana, and Lefille. Pressured by the three of them, Suimei immediately buckled and yielded. Feeling them stare holes into his back as he walked away, Suimei started dispiritedly tending to cleaning up the pool. 

With evening approaching, Suimei squatted down in his trunks in the waning sunlight. His shoulders were drooped and a gloomy air hung over him—he wasn’t quite himself. But nevertheless, he began to drain the rest of the water from the water tank. 

“Let’s start with draining the water... This’ll take a while since the hole is so tiny...” 

Mumbling to himself, Suimei widened the hole in the water tank a little and used magicka to hasten the drainage in order to speed up the process. The remaining water in the tank began to swirl more noticeably, now draining several times faster than before. With that, it should be completely empty soon. The water was being drained nice and evenly, sucked up through the connection to the storm drain. 

Hmm? Sucked up...? Why do I feel like I was thinking about something similar recently? 

Those two words—“sucked up”—seemed to tickle something in the back of his mind. It reminded him of something. And it was something recent... But what was it? Was it just déjà vu? No, it was much more than that, and it suddenly dawned on him, hitting him like a revelation. 

“Aha!” 

Suimei unwittingly exclaimed at his realization. It was the obligatory gasp that came with any eureka moment. He finally had the missing piece of the puzzle. 

“That’s it! A whirlpool that can suck things up... In the shape of a mortar... No, a turning hourglass!” 

As Suimei grew louder in talking to himself, Hatsumi turned a suspicious glance his way. 

“Suimei? What’s wrong?” 

She seemed concerned, but as though he didn’t have time to stand around and explain anything, Suimei sprang up from where he’d been squatting and darted off towards the house. 

“Sorry! I’ll clean up the pool tomorrow! Just leave it like that for today!” 

“Huh? Wait, Suimei!” 

“Also, I don’t need dinner tonight!” 

Not a moment later, Suimei was already inside. He’d left the girls in the dust, and they stood there in confounded silence. Hatsumi was the first to break it as she cracked a wistful smile. 

“Man... It’s been a while since I heard Suimei say he didn’t need dinner.” 

Hearing the deep emotion in Hatsumi’s voice, Felmenia raised a curious eyebrow. 

“Oh?” 

“Yeah. When he says that, it means he’d going to shut himself up in his room all night. I see... Those are the nights he suddenly had some idea about magicka, huh?” 

For ages, it had been a common occurrence for Suimei to impulsively sequester himself in his room. Sometimes for long enough that he’d take time off from school. But whenever Hatsumi had asked what he was so invested in, he was completely mum. She’d always been curious, but this finally explained everything. Felmenia, on the other hand, seemed to be fixating on something else entirely... 

“Grrr... Hearing him tell you he doesn’t want dinner like that... It’s...” 

“Well, it was always my mother’s cooking, not mine.” 

“Regardless, it still means he totally thinks of you as family.” 

The one to let out a sympathetic groan was Lefille. It seemed she felt the same impending sense of crisis Felmenia did. And confronted by both of them, something stirred in Hatsumi. But since she couldn’t bring herself to be totally up-front about her feelings, she grew flustered. 

“H-Hang on a sec! Please don’t just let your imaginations run wild like that! I’m not particularly...!” 

As Hatsumi continued to protest, Lefille looked at her through narrowed eyes. 

“Then let me put it this way, Lady Hatsumi. You don’t enjoy seeing us getting along with Suimei-kun, do you?” 

“Th-That’s, well... That’s true, but...” 

Squirming anxiously, Hatsumi was reduced to a mumble. Seeing her so indecisive, Liliana let out a grand, near disappointed, sigh. 

“Hero Hatsumi, is also... not honest... about her own feelings. It seems... she’s the same as Suimei.” 

“Liliana-chan! Don’t lump me together with him!” 

“That argumentative part... is also the same.” 

As Hatsumi tried to sweep Liliana’s accusation under the rug, Lefille and Felmenia nodded in some sort of agreement. 

“We must settle this matter.” 

“So it seems.” 

They continued to nod repeated in perfect sync. They were speaking to each other in stern voices as though something serious was afoot, but their expressions brightened up not an instant later. 

“In any event, today was fun, wasn’t it?” 

“It certainly was. It’s been a while since I’ve had a breather like this. Thank you, Felmenia-san.” 

“Certainly. It seems to have helped Suimei-dono as well. Now all that’s left is to wait for Her Royal Highness and Reiji-dono.” 

That evening, Suimei completed the magicka circle to return to his world... and proudly came down to the living room to announce it while still wearing his swim trunks.