Saikyou Mahoushi no Inton Keikaku (LN) - Volume 1 - Chapter 4

Fourth Chapter: The Ball at Night 

Alus left the principal’s office to return to his room. 

He hadn’t brought it up back then because it would’ve been poor taste, but he had gotten Sisty’s word that she would keep quiet about the measures he’d taken to keep Loki alive. However... was that enough against the Witch? 

He left the main building as he mulled this over. By now, the sun had almost set and more than half the sky had gone dark. 

Alus continued to walk, dragging a long shadow behind him. 

In order to save Loki from the taboo she’d committed, he had taken emergency measures that needed to be kept confidential. 

Not even Sisty who’d been watching from the sidelines should know exactly what he’d done. She should only have seen the end result of it. 

But the truth was that he had overwritten all of Loki’s mana with his own to save her. And he was well aware this was far worse than a taboo. 

The superpower—if you could call it that—that Alus had been born with was that his mana had the nature of devouring mana. Like the way Fiends worked, the devoured mana strengthened him. 

He now had it under control, but it was this nature of his that had forced him to learn mana control. 

Alus had two types of mana inside of him. One was the energy everyone had inside of them... and the other... 

The strange wriggling mana that Loki saw during the mock battle was Alus’ real mana, and it had a will of its own. It had only one craving and desire... and that was to devour, feasting on any and all mana. 

In that sense, it moved as it desired. And only Alus and Governor-General Berwick knew how much he’d trained to bring it under control. He’d only used it this time because it was unavoidable. 

On top of that, this danger had befallen him because he’d acknowledged Loki’s talent and strength of will. As a result, he used this power to devour Loki’s mana, while also pouring normal mana into her. If her body had rejected the foreign mana, there was a chance that she could have died. 

Fortunately, it had meshed well with her—but perhaps that wasn’t an accurate description. As Loki had run out of mana, Alus’ own mana was able to enter her body and substitute for the remaining mana being drained by the catalyst. 

Alus predicted that the remaining mana inside of her would eventually decay, and its remnants would be pushed out by the new mana generated within her. It would depend on Loki if the results ended up as good or bad, but it wasn’t a gamble Alus ever planned on using again. 

Aside from that... Alus was puzzled by his own change in behavior since entering the Institute. He was doing things he’d never have done in the military, one after another. 

To begin with, he would’ve refused to help Tesfia and Alice with their training in the past. In fact, he’d always rejected all kinds of relationships. 

Alus wasn’t one to cling to his No. 1 rank, but he’d received quite a few benefits from it. As Magicmasters active in the Outer World received a high salary, he had an excessive amount of money. So even if he were to lose his position due to the politics in play, he didn’t think it would hurt him that much. Not even Sisty could really get in his way. 

In fact, he’d never thought about protecting humanity even once. If humanity were to die out, he could just spend the rest of his days alone... but that kind of selfish feeling wasn’t as powerful inside him nowadays. 

He found himself strangely acclimated to that change, and rather than struggle against it, he was fine with letting it carry him away, almost as if he’d stopped being himself. 

Alus didn’t know if this was what they called ‘growing up.’ But even with the times being as unreasonably hectic as they were, he could feel a kind of satisfaction growing in a corner of his mind. 

Well, Alus’ grand plan wasn’t going to change. As long as he could take it easy, it was fine. 

The other things didn’t really matter. Though that’s what he told himself, he came to the somewhat illogical conclusion that he could at least enjoy himself for now. 

* * * 

“Hey, my laboratory isn’t your hangout,” Alus said in an exasperated manner at the three girls sitting about. 

“I’m very sorry, Sir Alus,” Loki shot up from her seat and apologized. 

It hadn’t been that serious a thing, and Alus had been thinking about talking to Loki about the way she addressed him and such. 

“What does it matter? We were getting to know each other better.” Tesfia was sitting next to Loki and was patting her silver hair. 

Loki’s eyebrows twitched for an instant, but only Alus noticed. 

“Dear little Loki is so cute, after all.” Next it was Alice’s turn. She was standing behind Loki and brushed Tesfia’s hand away to hug the smaller girl. 

Loki raised her eyebrows again, but maintained an emotionless expression, like a doll. 

Alus was fine with them getting along, but that was if it took place outside the laboratory. If they were going to be here and not train, he wanted them to get out. 

But he didn’t start with that. First, he had to make Tesfia and Alice understand their place. The edges of his lips raised to a grin. “Just so you know, Loki’s highest ranking is 157.” 

“—!!” 

It seemed they finally understood what they’d done. Alice’s eyes opened wide and her expression froze. 

“N-No way...” Tesfia said with a trembling voice. If they hadn’t been the words of the current No. 1, she probably would have laughed at them. 

“Since she’s participated in a lot of battles, her abilities are on par with a Double Digit.” 

“Really?” Tesfia was flustered. She looked at Loki, who was awkwardly being hugged by Alice. 

“They’re not, compared to Sir Alus.” That’s when Loki’s expression softened for the first time. She tried to play it off as being modest, but having Alus himself acknowledge her efforts filled her with happiness. 

Alus used this truth to light a fire under the two. “Loki’s a year younger, but the principal gave her permission to let her transfer into the same year as you, which means that you two are now second to her.” 

Tesfia’s expression froze when she imagined her position being in danger. It was at times like these that a noble’s pride got in the way. 

Alice was simply happy to have Loki enrolled at the Institute, but she wasn’t sure if she should honestly express her joy. 

“I know you two are competent, but I have no obligation to monitor anything other than your training, so at this rate I’d be better off spending time on Loki.” 

“—!!” 

Alus didn’t think he was being even a little mean. In fact, Loki looked more likely to be able to guide him to a bright future as his support. With Loki as his partner, he probably didn’t have the time to train her as well as the other two. 

That said, it was up to the girls to accept that as the truth, and decide what to do. But if their wills were weak enough to break over this, they likely never would have asked him for his guidance. 

Alus had intended them to keep up with the training, and it seemed that it was working perfectly. 

“We were just taking a little break.” Tesfia rolled up her sleeves, as if to say they’d been training until just a few minutes ago. 

“... That’s true. I guess we’ll have to save our discussion on enchantments with dear Loki until another time.” Alice was still clinging onto Loki and carefully stroking her hair. Her words and actions weren’t matching up. It seemed her urge to cherish the tiny Loki had overpowered her reservation based on Loki’s rank. 

“I don’t have the time, so get to your training and then leave.” 

After that, the sight of training Alus was so familiar with returned to the room. Alice still hesitated to let go of the adorable doll that was Loki, but with Loki herself moving away from her, she got to training with slumped shoulders. 

That’s when Alus remembered the exam the two had been so fired up about. “By the way, how did your mock battles go?” he nonchalantly asked. He wasn’t that interested, but he wanted to confirm how depressed the two would get due to their difference in strength. Bluntly put, his question was meant to harass them. 

The two girls twitched, and the flow of mana they were training on dispersed. 

“...” 

“Ahaha...” 

Considering their responses, they hadn’t been able to win. 

“Do you want to know?” Tesfia asked. 

“That’s fine. I can more or less guess how it went. I’m glad you went through a bitter experience.” 

Tesfia responded to Alus’ sarcasm with stubbornness, determined to tell him how it went, and she took Alice down with her. The gist of it was that Tesfia’s examiner was that Delca Base that they’d talked about during the exam. And it ended in a crushing defeat. Tesfia had gone at it enthusiastically, but hadn’t even gotten close. She cast spells, which were then blocked, and even her Icicle Sword was skillfully evaded. 

After that, Tesfia was forced on the defensive and then defeated without being able to do anything. 

Meanwhile, Alice’s opponent was Felinella, the strongest student in the Institute aside from Alus. 

Alice had gone at it, knowing she was dealing with someone superior to her, but everything she did was easily sidestepped. Once it was over, Felinella told her “Good work” with a composed expression, and urged her to take her leave. 

The two had convinced themselves that they’d be able to hold their own, but the results spoke for themselves. There was always a bigger fish out there. And just having understood that was a valuable experience. 

After Alus confirmed the results of the exam, he sat down at his desk and spread out a map. Half a step behind him was Loki. It seemed she wanted to make that her personal spot. 

Of course it wouldn’t disrupt Alus’ focus, but even if she was his partner, wasn’t it unnatural for a male and a female to be together around the clock...? 

“Is that supposed to be an enchantment?” Loki asked, glancing at the two girls. She was referring to their unsightly training. 

Alus answered her, without looking up from the map. “It seems like those two have gotten complacent because of me. Well, I guess it’s not just them.” 

Loki vehemently denied Alus’ self-criticism. “Not at all! You saved humanity, Sir Alus... it’s their fault for lacking awareness. It’s not your fault at all. Alpha’s rising population is all thanks to your efforts. Those girls just don’t understand.” 

Alus glanced at Loki out of the corner of his eye, as she moved past resentment and straight into sadness. “What can you do... if I go away, what will Alpha do? If an S-class shows up, it won’t even last a few days.” That’s what the military’s top brass had their misgivings about. They tended to prioritize self-preservation, so with Alus requesting retirement, they’d had to revise their plans. 

That resulted in Alus’ time being stolen, but the extracurricular lesson they’d proposed could also be considered a plan for the sake of the country’s future, depending on how you looked at it. “I don’t care what happens with the top brass, but in order for me to have a quiet life from here on, I’ll need to do something about that concern.” 

Loki now realized why Alus had left the military to devote himself to research. She then decided to ask him about something even more perplexing. 

But before that... she moved her gaze from Alus to the girls. When Loki had been in the military, she’d done similar training; but the way the girls looked, their results were limited and ungainly. 

“So will those girls really be useful?” 

“Possibly. They’re supposedly among the excellent students of the Institute,” Alus said, as if it didn’t concern him. He used a red marker to draw lines and signs on the map. 

“Then why would you be teaching them the basics?” Loki said in a blunt tone. It was less of a question and more of an expression of dissatisfaction. 

“The principal pushed them onto me. Besides, this is another way.” 

“What is?” 

“If they become at least Double Digits, that’ll mean I can take it easier, right?” Of course, the seeds sown now might not bud until much later. But Alus figured it would at least work as a backup plan. 

“Then you mean, they have that much hidden talent?” 

“Who knows.” There were walls that couldn’t be conquered by talent and effort alone. Alus believed it would be their will to live that would determine if they could overcome them. “In the end, it’s those that survive that reach the top.” 

Having experienced several battles, Loki could somewhat understand what Alus was saying. Anyone could lose their life in an instant, no matter how strong or talented. A surprise attack, encountering an unconfirmed Variant, and so on... there were countless possible reasons. 

Both Alus and Loki had seen plenty of Magicmasters go like that. Very few Magicmasters went out in a blaze of glory on the battlefield. They’d been made painfully aware that the only thing that mattered was if you won or lost, and if you survived or not. 

Finally, Alus tapped a point on the map. “And we’ll find out soon enough.” 

“...” Loki didn’t know the meaning behind his gesture, but she also didn’t think Alus would tell her all of his intentions. She didn’t want to overstep her boundaries. As his partner, she only needed to help Alus. She’d never asked to do anything more. And for his sake, she’d gladly be a sacrificial pawn if need be. That’s why she made her own will clear. “I will follow you, Sir Alus.” 

“I see... I understand your determination.” 

Loki was satisfied with just that exchange. After all, she was finally living the life she desired. 

However— 

“In that case, you’ll need to gain enough skill to be suitable for me too, Loki,” Alus said, sitting deep in his chair, with his eyes on the map. “Normally, I wouldn’t choose someone at your level as my partner. But the reason I did anyway is because I have hopes for your future.” 

“—!!” 

Alus had brought up his expectations for the future to stir up Loki’s sense of danger, but Loki didn’t hesitate to answer. “I will definitely live up to your expectations.” 

In contrast to her powerful words, her expression was the same as normal. Loki’s inner thoughts were concise and clear, with no doubts. She said exactly what she intended, with no other meanings mixed in. At the very least, there wasn’t a hint of concern about her ability to live up to Alus’ expectations in her voice. 

“Your detection radius is around 1 km, isn’t it.” Alus wasn’t attempting to confirm it. He had said it being well aware of her capabilities. 

Loki nodded. 

“I’m around the same, depending on the situation.” That range was more than good enough for practical use. When Alus was in the military, there were rumors that he didn’t take on partners because he was good at detecting on his own. 

Apparently that was the truth. Having it confirmed by the young man himself shook Loki. 

“I need you to have a detection radius of at least 5 km.” 

The only spotters that had such a high detection radius were Single Digit spotters, and you could count all of them on one hand. And Loki knew how reckless of a request it was even more so than Alus. But even then—“I understand.” 

She didn’t say it was impossible. It was no longer a matter of possibilities. She had to do it, and she had the determination for it. If she couldn’t, she would lose her will to live. 

Alus knew how difficult it would be to achieve the level he was demanding. But at the same time, Loki wouldn’t be of any use to him in combat otherwise. 

“Of course, I’ll have you increase your combat skills too, but we’ll prioritize your detection radius.” He drew a semicircle at the 1 km mark on the map. That suggested Loki wasn’t unrelated to this matter. But he didn’t say anything else, partly because Tesfia and Alice were still in the room. 

Thinking it was a good time, Alus called out to the girls. “Let’s leave it at that for today. I have business with the principal.” 

It seemed they were finally making progress. And since Alus had ended it just as she was getting into it, Tesfia turned around with a frown. But if she wanted to continue, she could just do it in her room, so Alus ignored her. 

As for Alice, she appeared to be getting a feel for it, as she was focusing and didn’t appear to have heard him. 

Geez, thought Alus. 

In the end, it took some time to forcibly send Tesfia and Alice home. 

But in the next moment... “What are you doing?” Tesfia turned around in the doorway and called out to Loki with a suspicious look. 

Alice followed suit, glancing at Loki still in the room, with a puzzled expression. They were returning to the girls’ dorm, and as an Institute student the two assumed that Loki would be coming back with them. “Loki, dear?” 

Loki remained expressionless. As she was transferring in today, the preparations for her moving into the dorm weren’t complete. But that aside, she was in Alus’ room. In other words, they couldn’t leave a girl alone in a boy’s room as night was approaching. 

“I am Sir Alus’ partner, so it’s only natural we would live and sleep together. So don’t worry about it.” Loki was perfectly composed, speaking without a trace of resentment. 

The two girls were surprised, while Alus slapped his forehead with a “Damn it” and a sullen look. To him and Loki this wasn’t particularly unusual. It was common in the military, and even if they shared a room nothing would happen. “Loki, normally you’re supposed to live separately.” 

This was a difference in perception due to growing up in the military. It was to be expected, as Loki lacked even a general education. Even Alus first found out about it when he entered the Institute, and realized the dorms were separated based on gender. 

In the military they were usually separated as well, but neither Alus nor Loki focused on those kinds of subtleties, and there were plenty of exceptions when it came to partners getting to know each other better. 

“...” Loki closed her mouth. While she didn’t let it show, she was holding a vote inside her head. And after a moment’s pause—“I refuse.” 

She declared this without hesitation. The opposing view had been voted down in her mind. 

As far as Alus was aware, this was the first time she’d gone against his opinion. The fact that it was his opinion had weighed heavily in her mind, but there were exceptions to everything. And in her mental vote, her own desires were given the top priority. 

There was no doubt that she’d manipulated her decision by the justification of being able to help Alus more by staying close to him. The goal of supporting Alus had expanded to his life in general, not just combat duties. As such, Loki’s mental vote was unanimous. With nobody to raise a different opinion, the bill to live together was immediately passed. 

“But... Won’t that be inconvenient in a lot of ways?” Alice asked in a roundabout manner, after glancing at Alus for a moment. 

“It’s common in the military. There won’t be anything inconvenient for Sir Alus.” 

Having understood the hidden feelings within Loki’s words, both Tesfia and Alice blushed. 

“Absolutely not!” Tesfia snapped back with an objection. 

But Loki showed no signs of backing down. “This has nothing to do with you. It’s a matter between Sir Alus and myself, so you bystanders can kindly go home.” 

“...!!” 

“B-But...” 

Neither Tesfia nor Alice could say anything back to that clear statement. 

And Loki continued to attack. “In that case, why don’t you two also live together with Sir Alus? Like I said, this happens a lot in the military.” She meant it as sarcasm, but being expressionless it was difficult to tell if she was serious or joking. Partly because of that, it gave way to an unexpected misunderstanding. 

“You... don’t tell me you’ve already...” Tesfia said. 

“...!” 

The two turned their eyes toward Alus. And they took a step back. 

Alus didn’t really care how they saw him, but frankly put, it was distressing. He came to the conclusion that they’d only waste time at this rate. For the time being... “Anyways, you two go home. I’m going to bring Loki with me to the principal either way.” 

The two girls still weren’t satisfied, and they argued for a while longer. But in the end, Alus bringing up the principal proved effective, as they reluctantly went home. 

“Pervert...!” 

It was unclear if Alus heard Tesfia’s scornful grumbling. But she was fortunate that Loki hadn’t, because if she had, she almost certainly would’ve come out swinging. 

And even if she didn’t go that far, she’d never let an insult against Alus go unchecked. 

* * * 

Alus was overcome with mental fatigue, having finally managed to send Tesfia and Alice home. 

Meanwhile, Loki was pumping her small fist. Her expression was unchanged, but her cheeks were flushed, and she appeared to be boasting her victory over her rivals. But only Loki knew the truth. 

Next, Alus would need to take her with him to the principal’s office. He got up from his chair and left the laboratory with heavy steps, followed by Loki. 

The round moon shone down monotone light from a single point. It was the only source of light in the night sky. 

Walking down a path, Alus looked up at the sky with vacant eyes. That was because he was gazing at a fake moon. The barrier separating the Outer World from the inside didn’t let anything through. That’s why this sight was just an added-on projection. At the same time, it was reproduced to the level where it was almost indistinguishable from the real thing. But even so, Alus felt this was wrong... that it was fake. 

It was at times like these that he was nostalgic for the reality of the battlefields in the Outer World. That height of the moon, this precious illusion, which was unreachable to him even now as No. 1, certainly existed outside. 

Behind the rhythmical footsteps walking on the pavement was another quieter set of footsteps. 

Suddenly, Alus smelled the faint, sweet fragrance of flowers. 

Despite having gone down this path several times before, this was the first time it registered in his mind. While wondering if he’d smelled this before, he immersed himself in the aroma. 

Alus and Loki headed for the main building without exchanging a single word. It wasn’t like they were being quiet because they had nothing to talk about. 

It was just that Loki had been captivated by Alus’ looking longingly at the sky. 

A blissful smile appeared on her face. 

* * * 

As was her custom, Sisty was waiting in the principal’s office, fully prepared. 

On her desk was a detailed map of the area where the extracurricular lesson would take place. Next to it was a list of high-ranking students. She wasn’t going to leave everything up to others, but preparing this thoroughly would have the opposite effect. 

And though she wasn’t relying on him completely, Alus could faintly tell that maybe seventy percent of the work relied on his participation. It was something anyone would get annoyed over, but as a result they could get to their own work quickly, so Alus didn’t complain. “I’ll have Loki work on this too.” 

Sisty nodded in satisfaction. 

That’s why he had brought Loki with him. With her, the Institute’s No. 1 and 2 would be supporting the students. 

Alus had made the rough plan in his room. But as it was labeled as a lecture, approval from above was needed to put any changes into action. Though detailed arrangements could be made later, general countermeasures urgently needed to be addressed. 

“Let’s start by making this place our headquarters,” Alus said, pointing to a location on the map. “Loki will stay there and continuously detect Fiends. Apart from the supervising upperclassmen, we’ll have additional personnel at headquarters that Loki can direct as reinforcements, as necessary.” Having someone who excelled at detection like Loki was a godsend for this plan. 

Loki stood next to Alus, listening to him. 

Next, Sisty turned to look at Alus, as if to say ‘What about you?’ 

“I’m going to reduce the number of Fiends. Since I can’t differentiate classes like Loki, I’ll start by destroying any B and C-classes that she detects. I’m sure the students will be able to handle D-class and below.” 

The principal gave him a look that was a little timid and uncertain. 

But Alus couldn’t babysit them that much, so they’d just have to brace themselves. Normally, it was unreasonable to force this kind of live combat training onto first-year students. 

Alus had a thing or two he wished he could say about having to cover for this careless plan, but since this was the military pushing their will through, nothing would come from complaining to the principal. In a sense, they were both victims. 

“So, are you not going to do something, Sisty?” Alus said in retaliation. If the principal could move about, the plan would be easier to carry out. 

“I need to stay at the main building in case of emergency. I’m planning on confirming the overall situation from there.” 

That was to be expected. As the principal was overseeing the exercise, she couldn’t be wandering around in the Outer World or she’d risk being unable to respond in case of unforeseen events. Moreover, there was no guarantee that Sisty would need to seek the direction of the top brass. 

Alus picked up the list of upperclassmen. It appeared to contain detailed information on the personnel. When he gave Sisty a ‘Are you fine with this?’ look, she easily confirmed it with a confident but baseless, “I’m sure you won’t say anything.” 

It was a give and take situation. There was no way the students’ personal information could measure up to the top-secret method Alus had used to save Loki. It wasn’t an equal trade, but Alus simply looked through the list for now. 

At the top of the list, of course, was second-year student Felinella Socalent. Not only was she the only Triple Digit student in the Second Magical Institute, but she also had live combat experience. That was probably because her father, Lord Vizaist, was a general. If she had live combat experience, her ranking made sense. 

“So the highest she’s subjugated is B-class Fiends, huh,” Alus said. 

“Oh, so you’re talking about Ms. Felinella. What are you going to ask her to do?” 

At that level, Alus could at least use her. “I’ll have her supervise a team like the others. It’ll be fine as long as the reinforcements are somewhat capable. But I want numbers. In order to help decrease the strain on Loki, I’d prefer to have plenty of available reinforcements.” 

There were no objections as of yet. Loki seemed to have a good grasp of her own role as well. 

“It’ll be a burden for you, Loki, but I’m still going to have you do it.” 

There was no way Loki would refuse. Instead, she said, “Don’t I have to go help subjugate Fiends?” 

“That won’t be necessary. You just need to focus on giving out instructions. After all, someone greedy wants the students to get some experience too.” 

If Alus and Loki were to go at it, there was a chance they might subjugate too many of the Fiends. Alus on his own would need to make adjustments on the fly, so that problem would only be exacerbated with the two of them. Loki would get less time to shine, but her expression remained unchanged, as she nodded her consent. 

“I’ll leave the selection of supervisors to you, Sisty.” 

Sisty replied, “Since we’ve got the results of the exam in, I’ll give the weaker teams the stronger supervisors.” 

Alus had intended his remark to be sarcastic, telling her to at least do that, but it seemed she’d already thought about it. That was a little disappointing... but with this, the parts of the plan that needed resolving quickly had more or less been settled. “Then it’s decided. If there’s nothing else, I’d like to leave. Is that all right?” 

“I don’t mind.” 

“Understood, madam.” 

Sisty smiled wryly at Alus’ condescending and cynical answer. 

But this wasn’t the end. He was going to have the principal do her share of the work as well. At the very least, she would need to bring the alterations to the plan to the top brass. 

“Then this is where we take our leave.” There were still a lot of nitty-gritty details left undecided, but they’d managed to revise a lot of the plan. 

“Good work today.” 

Loki returned the principal’s words with a polite bow, while Alus gave her a sloppy wave. He’d done this much, so his attitude should be overlooked. 

The principal sighed with an exasperated look, but that was none of his concern. 

As Alus got moving, Loki respectfully opened the door for him. He didn’t think that was how he should be treated, but since he didn’t want to let her good intentions go to waste, he awkwardly moved out. He heard a giggle from Sisty behind him, but had no choice but to ignore it. 

However, just as he crossed the threshold, he turned around and said, “That’s right. Do prepare a simple combat uniform for me so my identity’s not exposed.” This somewhat problematic suggestion was his attempt at payback. 

“Yes, yes.” But Sisty’s immediate response easily shut down his revenge.

On the way back, Loki stared at the black hair, slightly moving in the wind, in front of her. 

That black hair that blended into the night hadn’t changed since that day. This made her happy, and she found even their shared silence endearing. But unlike their walk to the principal’s office, the silence on the way back didn’t last long. 

“Loki, where are you planning on staying tonight?” 

“Uhm...!” 

She was surprised. Not because the silence was suddenly broken, but because she’d assumed she and Alus were on the same page about this. “Can I not stay in your room, Sir Alus?” Just as Alus couldn’t see Loki’s face behind him, nor could she see his. They were connected only by their voices. 

That said, Alus wasn’t so dense as to miss Loki’s timid desire. “And could you do something about that ‘Sir’?” He wasn’t one to mind titles, but if she was going to be at the Institute as a student, it would draw unnecessary attention. Not everyone would understand their relationship, either. Which would earn unwanted animosity from those around them. 

“I can’t budge on that,” Loki firmly declared, as if she’d turned into a completely different person. 

He couldn’t see her expression, but could feel her unbending will. Sensing that it would take time to convince her, Alus shrugged as he continued to walk. 

* * * 

However, upon their return to the laboratory, a call signal rang out on the private channel, ending the silence between them. 

“Sir Alus, I will answer it.” 

“No, it’ll be faster if I get it.” 

If the ring tone had been more cheerful, the atmosphere wouldn’t have felt this pessimistic. On second thought though... probably not. For starters, there were very few people that could call the laboratory. 

And it was inevitable that gloom would overtake Loki’s expression. “Then I’ll prepare dinner...” she said, trying to be of as much use as she could. 

It was commendable, but it was a different story if it would have any impact on Alus’ decision to keep her around him. It had been a long time since Alus had had a proper dinner, though. That said, Loki’s cooking skills were a mystery. 

However, there wasn’t much in the way of ingredients to cook with. While Alus hesitatingly told Loki that, she declared, “Leave it to me,” with an unchanged expression. 

As if trying to escape this conceivably bloodcurdling situation, Alus stood the virtual liquid crystal up, but it didn’t show the other party’s face. This was a private channel, and therefore it was confidential. 

“Is something the matter, Gov...” 

Alus swallowed the words he was about to say. Since this was a direct call from a key military figure, Governor-General Berwick, it was only natural that Alus would be careful. As of late, his bad premonitions had often come true. And having Loki at his side would make it more difficult to keep information confidential. 

He wasn’t worried over petty things like that, but it hadn’t even been a day since Loki arrived. And he felt like he was skipping several steps in the procedure for sharing information. 

He put the intercom in his ear. “So? Did you call me for an update report?” 

“If only that were the case, I could sleep easy.” The Governor-General’s tone sounded apologetic. But he’d only been able to let Alus stay away because of cases like this. 

Alus had a general idea of what was going on, and cut straight to the chase. “Is it inside or outside?” 

“Outside. I’m sorry this had to happen just as you were getting used to the Institute.” 

“Is that supposed to be sarcasm?” 

“It’s not. But from the sounds of it, this has been a good experience for you.” 

“Nothing has been going my way, you know.” 

After a stifled laugh, Alus heard Berwick warmly say, “I see... So you’re enjoying it.” He then continued in a businesslike tone, as the situation didn’t allow him to be more casual: “Alus, I’ve sent you the coordinates. As for your squad—” 

“I don’t need one.” 

“That’s true. I don’t have any squads available that could properly deal with it, in any event. We never thought it would invade this quickly.” 

It was late at night. And considering the general characteristics of Fiends, having Alus go alone was the best choice. In fact, Alus had never had a squad accompany him. But that was in part due to his refusal to have one. 

“I guess you can take it easy now, Governor-General.” 

“You don’t need to say it like that. This isn’t a choice I enjoy making either. If possible, I’d like not to rely on you all the time. Your target is an A-class. Our detectors picked up on it. It’s too far for us to detect if there are any small fry with it.” 

“Understood. I’ve got to get up early tomorrow, so I’ll make this quick.” 

“We’re counting on you. End of communication.” 

Alus exhaled. Perhaps because he’d been too relaxed lately, he felt the need to empty his mind for a moment. 

He then quickly got to work on preparations. He didn’t need all that much equipment, but at the very least he would have to depart before someone started questioning him. 

“Sir Alus?” Loki looked his way with a face that said she’d been expecting this. As his partner, she would normally accompany Alus whenever he was summoned by the military, but... just a simple “We’re going out for a moment” would have been enough for her. Especially when she saw the imposing AWR hanging off of his waist. 

She wiped her hands and turned off the stove. “I’ll prepare right away.” 

Alus stopped her as she passed by, placing a light hand on her forehead. “Hold up. You’re not officially my partner yet. It will only take effect once you’ve been registered with the military. Besides, there’s a lot we don’t know about each other. So it’s going to take more time if both of us go. On top of that, you’ve only just recovered. You know nothing good will come from forcing yourself.” 

“...” 

He had a point, but Loki couldn’t help but lament her helplessness, even if Alus was only worried for her. Alus was skilled enough at detection that he had never needed a partner. It was a harsh realization, but since she was actually unnecessary, it couldn’t be helped. 

Having seen her skills up close, Alus knew she was good enough. But the Outer World was a terrifying place, and a general lack of preparation could be fatal. “Would you mind if I go alone today?” Most of all, he didn’t want to bring her. “I’ll be back soon. And then we can discuss how we’ll handle this in future... and my title, too.” 

“I understand. Then when will you...” Loki stopped herself. A Magicmaster in the Outer World couldn’t make any estimations. 

However, Alus gently patted her head. “I’ll be back before dinner cools.” With that, he left the laboratory. 

Loki respectfully bowed to his retreating back.

It might have been just to put her mind at ease, but it had been a long time since Alus put a deadline on a mission. It was a refreshing feeling to have a place to return to, however new and undefined it was. 

As being discovered by the teachers would be a pain, Alus stopped going down the stairs. He climbed through a window out on the veranda, and used the railing there to jump up to the roof. 

There were still lights on at the Institute’s facilities that he could see. And the wind blowing past his neck invigorated him. 

The air was moving through the gaps in his clothing, and rustled his hair, helping him to change gears. The slight updraft cooled off his mind and body, taking his gloomy feelings with it. 

* * * 

A rare scene was playing out this evening, as Tesfia sat on her bed and mulled over the thoughtless words she’d thrown at Al. 

She’d come to regret saying them. Why did she always say whatever came to mind as her emotions dictated? She’d never minded it before. But now, she was starting to second guess herself. 

It couldn’t be dismissed as simply a bad habit; and as she thought back on it, she began to hate herself for those flippant words unfit for nobility. 

“But... he’s still a pervert.” 

However, even saying it out loud didn’t alleviate that strange sensation in her chest. She’d used that word in reaction to the idea of Alus and Loki living together. That wasn’t something she could overlook, and in that sense she didn’t think she’d said anything improper. 

However, as a noble lady, wouldn’t using that word itself be discourteous? 

After thinking for a while, she shook her head, as if to say this wasn’t like her. 

Tesfia stood up, whispering to herself that she should apologize for letting her emotions get the better of her and cursing at Alus. These kinds of things should be dealt with on the same day. Her mother, or some other wise person, had once said that settling things that happened on the same day was the secret to keeping any ill-will from remaining tomorrow. 

She was nobility, and thus, determined to live up to those words. 

Tesfia got permission from Felinella, the dorm supervisor, to leave the dormitory.

But considering the time—there was no one walking the grounds at this hour. 

Tesfia walked fast. She wanted to settle this as soon as possible and return to the dorm. The sound of rustling leaves made her anxious, and even the street lights weren’t much help. 

“I should have just left it to tomorrow.” She felt disheartened, then forcibly shook her head to dispel the feeling. She shrank inwardly at the thought, but in the worst case scenario she could ask him to escort her back to her dorm. 

It would be a reasonable request, but a little shameless from someone who’d come to apologize. 

Not again! There’s that bad habit... besides... 

But Tesfia was still concerned. She just couldn’t overlook Loki staying in Alus’ room. It went against the Institute’s standard of ethics. 

In the end, she hadn’t realized at the time that using that as an excuse for her actions was wrong. And normally, Tesfia would have corrected herself for it on the spot. If not, she would have settled for apologizing the next time they met. 

In short, it wasn’t so urgent a matter that she had to request permission to leave the dorm. So ultimately, it wasn’t just for this reason that she wanted to go. However, she was so busy making up excuses for herself that she wasn’t aware this was the case. 

“—Ah?!” Suddenly a gust of wind blew up, and Tesfia held down her hair as she turned her face away. “—!!” 

In the next moment, she glanced around the night sky and spotted a shadow under the moonlight. 

As Tesfia squinted to get a closer look, she drew in her breath. 

There was somebody on the roof at this hour when nobody else was out. A silhouette that blended in with the darkness stood at the edge of the roof, peering into the distance. 

No—she couldn’t tell if that shadowy figure was looking anywhere. But it seemed as if it might leap off the roof at any moment. 

“Who’s there?” If it was an intruder, the correct response would have been to yell for help, or ready her AWR if she had it with her. But Tesfia picked a simpler action. She just asked. 

She might have been shaken up... but it was more likely because that silhouette and atmosphere reminded her of someone. 

“Al...” 

That was her answer as to his identity. And once she said it aloud, her doubts began turning to conviction. Believing it was him, she was about to ask, “What are you doing up there...?” 

But in that instant, he looked down and their eyes met. 

While he may have been a shadow, his gaze was emotionless. 

Tesfia’s mind froze as if she was being stared down. The words she wanted to say disappeared. 

There was no doubt it was Alus. Yet her instincts were telling her he was different from normal. There was an overwhelming and absolute distance, keeping her from easily calling out to him. 

“...” Alus, looking down at her, didn’t say a single word. 

He narrowed his stare sent through the darkness. Not because he was trying to identify Tesfia. Instead, it was as if his eyes were saying he had no interest in her. 

Tesfia stared up at the roof, unable to turn her gaze away even if she wanted to. 

Then another strong gust of wind brought her back to her senses. Her hair fluttered in the wind, blocking her sight, and she hurriedly pushed her hair back. 

But when she looked at the roof again, the shadow was already gone. 

“Al... but...” 

The face he showed at the Institute wasn’t everything there was to him. She’d thought she knew that. Yet she suddenly found herself mortified at her own naïve thinking. 

Loki knew. In one sense, being a Magicmaster was like living in true reality. 

Tesfia couldn’t put what his gaze said into words. But she could tell that, as Loki had told of Alus’ deeds, those deeds didn’t result from a simple straightforward journey. They weren’t on the level that could be described with plain words like amazing, extraordinary, or excellent. 

No, the size of Alus’ achievements wasn’t that big of a problem for Tesfia. A boy her age giving her that kind of expression spoke volumes about how much harshness he’d experienced, or maybe it was sorrow and despair. And she had no idea of the reality that had created that gap between them. 

“...” It was so painful, heartbreaking and vexing that she felt like crying out. Her dislike of her petty side was greater than her desire to blame herself. 

She was embarrassed at having been in such high spirits over her four-digit ranking at the Institute. But in the end, that shame wouldn’t bring any solution about. She would need to readjust her perception of the world she was about to step into as being over-exaggerated. 

She looked at the roof where Alus had been with determination. Then the reaction set in. Her legs started shaking, making her drop to the ground.

“Fia... from the looks of it, you couldn’t do it. But it’s okay. I don’t think Al minds, and it’s not too late to do it tomorrow.” 

Alice began comforting Tesfia when she returned to the dorm. The gloom on her face made it clear she hadn’t seen Alus. But rather than outright asking her what happened, Alice decided to let it go until tomorrow. 

“... Yeah. I’ll do it tomorrow,” Tesfia said. Her body still felt stiff and weary. Maybe it had just been his atmosphere, but to Tesfia, Alus had looked like he was carrying the world’s heaviest burden on his own. Her eyes were downcast, thinking about it. 

Alice spoke out as she looked at Tesfia being in a daze. “Fia, your habits from back home are coming back. I’m not your maid.” She had a smile as if poking fun at Tesfia. 

“Ah!” As a condition of enrolling at the Institute, Tesfia had to take care of her daily life on her own. She’d never cut corners since enrolling, and had even learned how to live a common everyday life from scratch. Including changing her clothes when necessary. 

It was probably an embarrassing situation, but Tesfia simply said, “That’s right,” and meekly entered the bedroom. 

Still wearing her uniform, she collapsed onto her bed. The reality she’d been given a look of had exceeded her capacity to process. No matter how much she thought about it, she didn’t feel like she’d ever reach a conclusion. She wasn’t tired, but she didn’t want to move and wanted to be left alone. 

Alice knocked on the open door, out of consideration for her. The two of them were roommates, so there were, of course, two beds in the room. “Fia, if you’re going to sleep, at least shower first. I’m not sure trying to appeal to Al with a smell fetish is going to work... and just imagining it makes me wonder if a crack is forming in our long friendship.” 

“That’s mean! That’s going too far... our friendship isn’t that cheap... is it?” 

“Nowadays, appearance is the same as friendship, you know.” Alice spoke her mind in a teacher-like fashion, but when Tesfia glanced her way, she flashed her a mischievous smile. 

“That’s not what I’m trying to do! I always keep clean, too. You always see me after a bath, don’t you? A-Ahem... anyways, I always smell nice. It has a healing effect!” Embarrassed over imagining her immodest appearance, Tesfia forcibly brought the topic back on track. 

“There you go again with that boyish ideal... well, it works for me.” 

“Hey, that’s unfair.” 

“Come on, get going. Smell aside, you need it, right?” 

“Urgh... okaaay.” Tesfia sloppily raised her arms in response, as Alice looked at her in amazement. 

These two went back years. Whenever Tesfia, who normally never dwelled on things, had her heart seized like this, it was usually out of Alice’s hands. But she knew Tesfia didn’t usually obsess like this, so she quietly let her be. 

Knowing Tesfia, she probably hadn’t told the dorm supervisor she’d returned, so Alice decided to let her know and snuck out of the room.

Tesfia got up and pulled a change of clothes from her drawers. Perhaps because she wasn’t used to folding clothes, the clothes were in there all asymmetrical. 

There was no bathtub in their bathroom. In the dorm it was normal to use the public bath for that. But Tesfia didn’t have the energy to walk that far. 

She undid her hair, and unbuttoned her shirt. Putting her clothes into a basket, she entered the shower and blankly stared at the steam rising up into the ventilation. A warm stream of water washed over her head as she closed her heavy eyelids. 

“Hahh...” 

Tesfia was painfully aware of what her sigh was about. It certainly wasn’t because she’d led a careless life since entering the Institute. While she might have been nobility, she had no duty to attend the Institute. In fact, there were quite a few families that preferred home lessons. 

Of course, that required that they be affluent families with sufficient wealth and connections to call upon famous Magicmasters with the right know-how. And the Fable family was one such family. 

Despite that, she had chosen to attend the Institute together with Alice, and somehow managed to convince her mother. In the process, she’d had to give up her spoiled life as a noble and take care of everything herself. And she’d put more effort than most into the path of becoming a Magicmaster as well. 

Her ranking wouldn’t just reflect on her, but also on her reputation. That’s why the nobility were so fixated on rank. 

However— 

“That was... I...” She felt as if her efforts had all been just playing around. 

Tesfia had experienced that a high-ranking Magicmaster was far from what she believed them to be. Everyone admired them and polished their magic for that sake. 

But... 

She pressed her arm against the wall, leaning against it. Neither the sensation of water running down her pale skin nor the sound of it could interrupt her thoughts. 

“I did my best, I’ve tried harder than anyone else... what more am I supposed to do?” 

The words she muttered were probably a reprimand and excuse for herself. When she saw Alus, she understood that he was living in the real reality, and that her world was a cradled world being carefully protected. 

She traced a finger down the wall, then her arms went limp. 

She no longer knew what she needed to do. She didn’t know where she was headed. 

Nor did she know what a Magicmaster truly was. 

I continued to strive toward it, just like mother said... 

Feeling like her existence was unneeded, Tesfia embraced her trembling shoulders in the thin steam.

Having finished her shower quicker than usual, Tesfia emerged from the bathroom in a pastel-colored negligee. Despite her shower, she still had a gloomy look on her face, and the bath towel slipped out of her hand. 

Alice had returned to the room, and with her mischievous smile, used the bath towel to dry Tesfia’s hair. 

“Thank you, Alice.” 

“It doesn’t hurt, does it, my lady?” 

“Oh, don’t be so mean.” 

“Then don’t make me worry. You’re just yourself, Fia,” Alice calmly said with an insolence-tinged smile that silenced Tesfia. But it still didn’t sit right with her. 

“Are you making fun of me?” 

“Oh, I wouldn’t dare. I don’t know what’s on your mind, but I’m sure it’ll be fine. I’m here too, you know.” As Alice said this, she hugged Tesfia from behind, not minding the wet hair. 

“Come on, you’ll get wet.” But Tesfia felt like a weight had been dropped from her shoulders. Her hesitation left her, and she sighed. 

She and Alice probably weren’t even at the starting line yet. Which meant that it would be up to them if their hard work had any worth. Tesfia must have felt a little too cornered if she hadn’t even been able to reach such a simple conclusion. She thanked Alice in her mind. 

But even then, she didn’t tell Alice about what she’d seen and felt. 

That wasn’t just because Alice didn’t ask her about it, but the day ended without Tesfia realizing that. 

* * * 

Alus’ thoughts remained the same as he quickly traveled through the Outer World. 

His gloomy, cold emotions left no room for excess feelings to worm their way in. His brain focused solely on eliminating the foreign elements. 

At times like these, he couldn’t even feel the refreshing breeze. Only the tense, disquieting portions of the atmosphere surrounding him could reach him. 

“So it’s around here.” 

The thicket was noisy. It wasn’t due to the wind, but rather, the leaves were rustling in an odd way, as if the ground was shaking. The leaves moved as if something was looking for a way to invade. 

As the heavy sounds got closer, Alus could hear something truly strange. 

It wasn’t, as expected, the sound of a massive creature traversing across the ground. It was as if something was using the tree trunks to move. Instead of the trees in the way collapsing, the big trees were unnaturally swaying to the sides. 

It’s coming. 

“Sorry, but there’s a roadblock in your way.” The edges of Alus’ lips curled up. 

At the same time, overwhelming mana burst forth like a shockwave and moved through his hair. He drew his short sword AWR from behind him, mana flowing into it at a frightening pace. 

As if slashing the darkness away, a beam of light flowed into the AWR, and Alus raised his free hand into the air. It was the kind of pose a commander would take after giving the order to charge. 

‹‹Gravity Cliff›› 

The Fiend made a bizarre sound as it moved closer. 

But when Alus swung down his arm, the ground shook as if a giant’s feet had stomped on it, and a colorless wall distorted the view of the sky. Closing its distance with the ground, the wall mercilessly descended. 

The trees in the way didn’t even serve to slow it down, as they were destroyed as soon as the wall touched the treetops. Cracks ran down the tree trunks as they were easily crushed beneath the pressure, and a large area was flattened along with the Fiend. 

A thunderous roar unsuited to the silence of the Outer World rang out. 

Alus stared expressionlessly at the circular depression that had been created. Pieces of wood stuck out of the ground where they’d been forcibly driven in. 

This was a fearful power that could directly interfere with space, available only to Alus. Only a few people knew about this. 

In the past, he’d crushed a one-eyed Fiend with a practical application of Gravity Cliff. It worked by having a pair of walls progressively narrow in their position to one another. That hadn’t been on the level of interfering with space, but more like commanding space. 

Even now, as the Outer World’s appearance had been mercilessly and cruelly changed, nothing was different in Alus’ mind. He simply stared straight forward. 

In the next moment, a huge object flew into the sky, kicking up dirt all the while. The black thing fell down in front of Alus. It was heavy like a boulder. 

The four legs supporting its body sunk into the ground each time it stepped firmly. Its legs stretched out from its grotesque, gigantic body like spider’s legs. At the tip of each leg were five fat fingers that resembled human fingers. The torso was in the form of a distorted ellipse. 

What made Alus furrow his brows was the face sticking out of its stomach. 

The wriggling face spotted him. It gradually projected itself out from the body, sticking out from the stomach. It was easily three times the size of a human head. It crawled down to the waist part of the elongated torso and then stopped. 

The black, lustrous body stiffened. The head split open, and countless eyes peeked out from within. Bizarre lips flapping to the left and right in the opening formed the mouth in the center. And a continuous noise like ultrasonic waves leaked out from it. 

“I see you just transformed your body,” Alus said, as if it didn’t concern him, but this was a rare encounter. 

Fiends absorbed mana, and once they exceeded a fixed value, they used the mana inside to remake their bodies. In other words, they went up in class, but the extent and degree of the change depended on the mana information absorbed. 

The body stiffening was a characteristic of the transformation. Fiends were like the ultimate form of a receptor. 

The military’s information was that this was an A-class, but that was likely due to observing the results of the mana being released. Having found Alus, the perfect prey in the form of high purity mana, the Fiend’s body was immediately completed. It was probably just a B-class a while ago. Which was why it had been discovered so late. 

Alus thought to himself that they would’ve been fine with someone else instead of him. But then he recalled that high-ranking Magicmasters had recently been positioned in the Outer World, rather than at the defensive lines. 

If it had been an A-class like the military had estimated, then a squad of Double Digits would be required. But even then, it was hard to say that would be enough. So he could kind of understand why he’d been called for this. 

At the very least, Alus imagined that since he’d only recently left the military to enter the Institute, the formation of an urgent response team hadn’t been completed. If he was being honest, he’d prefer that they at least be able to deal with something like this on their own, but he knew it wasn’t that simple. 

An A-class Fiend wasn’t a threat that could be eliminated without sacrifice. 

Cursing his bad luck, Alus stared at his target. Seeing what species it was, he was disappointed, thinking this Fiend wouldn’t be able to satisfy him either. Its form was similar to a species called a many-legged ogre, but it was unshapely and unfinished-looking. 

That was another characteristic of Fiends. This one still had the base it had been formed out of, and it was a common phenomenon for accessories to be added on when the creature transformed. 

But none of that mattered to Alus. In the end, all he did was come up with the most effective strategy and put it into action. 

The weaker Fiends that hadn’t been killed by the first attack crawled up from the ground. At first glance, thirty of them remained. 

Gravity Cliff wasn’t a compression spell, and with the ground being relatively soft, the Fiends and their hard outer shells only got pressed into the dirt. However, it was enough to crush the lower-class Fiends along with their cores. 

“Right. Let’s end this, then.” 

The moment he said that—Alus seemingly disappeared from where he was standing. 

The many-legged ogre’s multitude of eyes could see him, but it was a couple of milliseconds behind. 

And several Fiends collapsed into ash after Alus passed by. Their bodies grinded and twisted as they were killed one after another. Slaughter, atrocity, and trampling were all apt descriptions, but they would be slightly off. Even Alus’ allies might shrink back in fear if they saw this scene. 

They were exterminated as if it were mere child’s play. 

It was inevitable for this scene to look gruesome, like a human crushing ants underfoot. 

Having finished off most of the weaker Fiends, Alus relied on his senses to dodge the ogre’s leg swinging down from above, swiftly swinging his short sword... however. 

His jet-black blade emitted a high-pitched sound. “Tsk,” Alus chided. “You’re pouring stupid amounts of mana into it.” He snapped his wrist to shake off the numbness of his sword being deflected, cursing the Fiend, fed up by its pointless resistance. 

In an instant, the many-legged ogre’s leg approached from the darkness. The leg’s five fingers spread out as it closed in. 

Without missing a beat, Alus slid backwards to dodge, moving at a speed equal to the leg. 

The five fingers moved irregularly as they gave chase. The fingers were just barely long enough to reach him. The fingers closed like a bear trap, but Alus slipped past them and moved alongside the stretched-out leg, going in to strike at the body. 

The long leg turned around to chase after him. 

Perhaps to counter the approaching foe, the Fiend’s head started swaying. It swung back and forth rhythmically like a metronome, making it even creepier. The noise it was making turned to an even higher pitch, gradually becoming a strange voice. 

What was it planning? 

“That’s some good resistance. It’ll help you survive a few seconds more.” 

The AWR in Alus’ hand quietly shone in the darkness, and as the power flowed into the chain, Alus whispered as he dodged the leg coming from behind. 

“‹‹Volcanic Flare››” 

He flicked the small fireball born from the palm of his hand with his thumb. 

Like a comet, it tore through the night, turning into hellfire in the blink of an eye, and impacted the Fiend’s mouth. 

Alus fixed his gaze on the Fiend whose mouth and upper body he’d blown off with the explosion, as he ran. 

The Fiend desperately tried to put out the hellfire bursting from inside and outside with its legs, all while squirming in pain. 

“There it is.” 

As the legs raised, Alus saw a glimmering light through the torso. Having spotted the Fiend’s core, he jumped high up. Leaving his body to gravity, the jet-black blade flashed under the light of the moon. 

He exhaled sharply. He was now standing atop a rock that was the perfect size to sit down on. 

Alus bent a knee, resting his arm above it, still holding on to his AWR. A fight had taken place just seconds ago, but there was no blood on his clothing, and his breathing was perfectly regular. If anything, the way he stretched his body made it look as though he’d only gotten some light exercise.

The vast pillar of light shining down from the full moon reached all the way to the horizon. 

It was a soft light unique to the Outer World. Behind it were countless twinkling points of light. 

“Ah, this is the first time I’ve seen this sky.” 

It was a completely silent moment. And he felt relief wash over him. 

Life stopped moving as if it had fallen asleep. The way everything stopped and fell silent satisfied Alus’ senses. The silence made him feel like nobody, not even he, could violate this world. 

In that sense, the grotesque Fiend having been cut out of the cycle was like a foreign substance. As Alus thought this, he realized that he wasn’t much different... and let out a laugh. 

Alus realized he could never become a part of this world, as the majestic nature’s breath brought life into the world. It would eventually clean away this damage from itself. 

Everything here had come to an end. 

Around the rock Alus sat on were the corpses of several Fiends. Their green blood flowed across the ground. 

However, the bodies of the Fiends of all sizes soon turned into ash. The remnants of their mana mixed, and drifted high up into the sky. 

And Alus simply stared at it, as if it were part of the night sky. A portion of the world was laid bare before his eyes. 

His usual habit kicked in, and Alus unconsciously sought water, reaching for his waist. 

Surely he couldn’t be looking to pour water over himself at this hour... but going against expectations, Alus felt something thin and hard. He reached into his pocket and pulled it out between two of his fingers, furrowing his brow at it. 

It was a familiar card. The only thing that proved his current position, his license. But now it was also his ID as a student. 

He held it up against the moon, and let out a heavy sigh here in the Outer World where he didn’t need to worry about the eyes of others. He lamented over how things had turned out, but didn’t seem that upset by it, as a thin smile spread across his closed lips. 

Alus’ busy life at the Institute had been full of unexpected events, unlike the ones you’d find in the Outer World. But even with that, he hadn’t imagined that peaceful world where he didn’t have to worry about life and death would feel so comfortable. 

In terms of age, Alus had the right to that kind of life, but he was unable to throw away the way he’d lived up until now. He was already immersed in the way of things in the Outer World. So he was unlikely to change. 

Even if it was a false peace, it was fulfilling being at the Institute where your life wasn’t constantly being threatened. 

And Alus began to think that entrusting himself to that kind of life one day, wouldn’t be too bad. 

However—that would take him farther away from what he desired. 

Stepping into the Outer World like this made him reaffirm that, but still, he wanted to spend just a little more time peacefully. 

Only the sky was beautiful, while the surface was chaotic. That’s why he admired it. Why he looked up to it. Why he reached out to it. 

That said, this world wasn’t without its worth. It was still fair and beautiful. 

Even the wind blowing the traces of mana into the sky couldn’t reach the moon and twinkling stars, leaving them untouched. 

But the wind blowing without end knew all of the land laying unseen past the horizon. 

* * * 

On the day after the exam, Tesfia and Alice, for some reason, came to visit Alus early in the morning. 

Finding it annoying, Alus ignored the sound of the knock... but he could see Tesfia with a tense expression, and Alice looking like her guardian by the door, or rather through the screen displaying the two visitors. 

“Talk about a troublesome pair so early in the morning.” 

Alus worked a console by the wall and opened the door. But despite him making this effort, the two didn’t enter. Wondering what they were scheming, Alus peeked over at the early visitors, in a fed-up mood. 

Tesfia and Alice stood at the doorway. Seeing Alice’s apologetic expression, Alus walked all the way over to them. And considering how reluctant Tesfia was behaving, when her liveliness was her sole merit, Alus figured it was about last night. “What is it?” He leaned against the wall, waiting to see what happened. 

Contradicting his expectations, Tesfia lowered her head so fast that he was at risk of her ponytail slapping him in the face. “I’m sorry for saying something so thoughtless yesterday.” 

Alus had a puzzled look. But if she wasn’t going to explain herself, he wouldn’t be against simply going along with it. If anything, he wouldn’t bring up a complicated matter and rub salt in her wounds. And ignoring it whenever it was referenced would be wasted effort. 

So while he didn’t know what it was about, he replied, “Yeah, it doesn’t bother me. I don’t mind you being so meek... either, but...” 

After hearing him say this, a tuft of hair sprang up, and Tesfia put on a forced smile as if a weight had been lifted. “Phew, well, that aside...” She stepped inside with a polite, “Excuse me.” 

Alice followed suit, leaving Alus to close the door. 

“—!! I knew it.” Tesfia looked around the room, and raised her voice when she spotted Loki preparing breakfast like it was only natural. Loki was wearing her new uniform, with an apron on top. 

Alice exclaimed, “Oh, Loki, that looks so good on you! I want to hug you... mmm, for now, I’ll just help you with breakfast.” 

“Thank you very much. It’s still morning, but you’re so energetic. It’s all right, I’m already done.” 

Alice had squealed in a strangely excited fashion, and offered to help Loki, but Loki deftly stopped her. As the two girls could see, preparations had started quite a while ago, and were almost all done by the time Alus got out of bed. 

The table was small, but had room enough for four. Loki first served food to Alus, and then served herself. “What about you two?” Loki asked, before sitting down. This was, of course, simply out of courtesy, with no deeper meaning attached. There was no friendliness in her expression, and the question was just for the sake of appearances. 

“We ate before we came, thank you, dear Loki.” 

“No, that’s fine...” 

Having expected these answers, Loki had already sat down at the table. Since their visit had been so sudden, it was uncertain if there was even enough for the two of them, but either way, Loki’s intentions were clear. 

Tesfia and Alice sat down like it was normal, then Tesfia began, “More importantly...!” She almost slammed the table, but her hand suddenly stopped in midair... and after glancing at Alus, she cleared her throat and modestly tapped the table instead. 

She must be showing some consideration after yesterday’s events... that said, it didn’t stop Alus from eating. Loki, sitting opposite to the two, glared at Tesfia. If she’d been glaring because of Tesfia’s lack of dining etiquette it would have been fine, but as some other emotions seemed to be mixed in, Alus felt his stomach hurt a little. 

However, Tesfia shrugged off Loki’s glare and continued, “Where did Loki stay yesterday?” As she was asking the only male at the table, her criticizing question was delivered in a roundabout manner. 

But answering the question wasn’t Alus, but the silver-haired girl next to him. “In Sir Alus’ room, of course.” Loki’s ‘what of it?’ stare felt overwhelming, and it seemed to be saying, ‘this has nothing to do with you’ just like yesterday. 

After Alus returned last night, the two of them had quickly eaten the dinner Loki made—he’d had to be convinced to do so, actually—and then discussed the matters of how to address each other and where each would sleep. 

Their discussions didn’t reach any conclusions, and as their stalemate continued to midnight, Loki stayed in Alus’ room for the night. 

That didn’t mean anything happened. They simply shared a bed, and nothing of the sort that Tesfia or Alice had worried over had taken place. 

That said, it was still something to be frowned upon.

In the end, Tesfia’s questioning was cut short by Loki’s stubbornness, and Loki and Alus quickly finished their food and prepared for class. 

As this was her first day, Loki had a lot to prepare for. She would receive her materials from the Institute, and since she’d need to introduce herself during homeroom she had to arrive early, too. 

Having been cut off, Tesfia reluctantly followed behind them. Of course, the topic came back around to where it had begun on their way to the main building, for a rehash of her doubts. “I don’t believe it. You better not have done anything to Loki.” Tesfia looked like she was staring at a pervert as she glared at Alus walking next to her. The intense stare was like radar measuring him to make sure nothing inexcusable had happened. 

Alus felt like he was being investigated. 

Tesfia had her own issues, but the one of impure relationships between men and women bothered her, and her expression was skeptical. 

Alice had her usual wry smile as she pacified Tesfia. But considering Tesfia had that kind of attitude despite knowing Alus was the current No. 1, it was amazing in a sense. Though she’d apologized to the Magicmaster she should show respect to, it took a bold kind of person to call someone like him a pervert. 

Alus felt like all of this was stupid, but for some reason he didn’t completely hate this unproductive discussion. As a man, he had to deny these suspicions, or else it was clear he’d see hell for it. But before he could— 

“I personally would love nothing more...” 

Hearing Loki’s muttering, the group stopped dead in their tracks. Tesfia especially was left shocked with her mouth wide open. 

Alus shrugged, and pretended he hadn’t heard it. “As if it would happen.” ... or at least, he wished he could, but he couldn’t ignore this, and so he firmly rejected the notion. 

“O-Of course it won’t. In fact, that’s indecent...” Tesfia said with blushed cheeks. 

Alus was dumbfounded that she could keep arguing this far, and gave Tesfia an unamused look. 

“Loki, dear, how would you like to move to our room?” Alice suggested. 

The dorm had two people per room. Just two made it cramped enough, but the fact that they had enough room to add Loki was a sign of Tesfia’s influence at work. 

Alice’s polite suggestion did have a good point, though it was unclear what she herself was expecting out of this. Everyone decided not to press her on why she looked like she’d just gotten her hands on an adorable little animal. 

But even then... “Don’t mind me,” Loki said, coldly pushing Alice away. 

Alus personally wanted to see Alice keep it up a little more, but it seemed Alice wasn’t going to try anything forcibly. 

“You say something too!” Tesfia insisted, as if Alus shared her opinion. 

“I don’t care either way anymore.” 

“—!!” 

This was because, regardless of whether he generally acknowledged it or not, Loki’s presence didn’t get in the way of his research. If anything, she was rather thoughtful. Whenever he looked for material, she’d find it right away; and she’d prepare something to drink at a moment’s notice. 

He wouldn’t be particularly troubled without her, but he honestly had no reason to treat her coldly. 

“...!! Since Sir Alus says it’s fine, you have no reason to complain anymore.” The reason Loki hadn’t latched onto Alus’ remark immediately, was probably because she’d been surprised by it herself. But now that she had a powerful pledge to back her up, she kept up the offensive. 

Of course, Tesfia still couldn’t accept it, and the two argued all the way to the main building. 

Alice joined in on the attempts to persuade Loki partway through, but being as weak to pressure as she was, she didn’t amount to much help, and was completely unable to help convince Loki. 

Being indifferent to the matter, Alus ignored the noisy girls arguing, and went over the results he’d gained from his discussions with Loki yesterday. 

First, she was going to drop the ‘Sir’ in front of other students on the Institute grounds, and just use his nickname Al. However, just reaching that compromise had taken several hours of negotiation, a failure in its own rights. 

The compensation for that agreement was a costly one, as Alus lost a lot of validity and superiority when it came to Loki living with him. On that point, Alus had been unable to use common sense to convince her (or rather, she had completely ignored it), and he had no choice but to accept it. 

* * * 

Thanks to the principal’s thoughtfulness, Loki ended up in their class. And she got through her introduction without any problems. She didn’t make any mistakes, but the class getting fired up was something that just happened at the Institute. 

Loki’s feminine looks seemed to hit home with the girls even more than the boys. However, her calm smile that should’ve been directed at her classmates was solely pointed toward Alus. 

Students at the Institute were in the same age group, but there were no actual restrictions on age. As long as the person had the potential to become a Magicmaster, their age didn’t matter. 

But since general education was part of the curriculum, those much older weren’t accepted in order to avoid a waste of time. In those cases, it was common for the person to undergo training at the military’s facilities. 

Even Loki’s short self-introduction only served to make her more popular. And her innocent smile, the intended for Alus smile, that she showed from time to time made her nearly irresistibly charming. 

Captivated by her charm, the boys, and even the girls, sighed with an indefinable expression. It wasn’t a yearning sigh, but rather one of universal affection. 

On top of that, Loki’s ranking was another point of interest. As the students strived to become Magicmasters, rank was something always kept in mind. So the matter of Loki’s rank being brought up was inevitable. 

However— 

“570!!” 

It was unclear who said it... but it had come from one of the students near Loki. 

Hearing that, even Alus was surprised, but he soon realized why. The mock battle yesterday must have resulted in her being measured again. Then there was that large spell she’d used. While it was a taboo spell, it did use magic, and likely had been included in the measurement. 

She had used the vertex of thunder, Naruikazuchi, the strongest spell of the lightning attribute. 

Loki’s ranking had originally been in the 100s, so it wouldn’t be strange for her ranking to jump straight up to the middle of the Triple Digits. 

As if waiting for Loki’s rank to be brought up, the screen at the front of the classroom displayed the results of the exam’s top scorers. The screen was used for class, but also for important announcements pertaining to the Institute. 

Suddenly, all the students around Loki scattered, with their licenses in hand. While they wanted to know what ranks others had, they didn’t want their own to be known. 

In that opening, Loki moved over to Alus and smoothly sat down in a vacant seat next to him. Most of the time, that seat was always free during class. That was likely because, lately, everyone was starting to think something was fishy with him. 

As the classroom filled with the quiet voices of joy or disappointment, Loki wondered aloud why her own rank had gone up, and asked Alus what he thought. 

He gave her the answer he’d come up with before, to which she smiled in satisfaction. 

Alus found Loki, a soldier, being worried over her ranking like a student to be unnatural, and looked at her quizzically. Being fixated on your rank was normal at the Institute, and Tesfia and Alice had done the same in the past. But that wasn’t necessarily the case in the military, where actual battles took place. 

Meanwhile, Tesfia’s and Alice’s rankings were revealed. And the ones that overreacted weren’t them, but the ones with lower rankings around them. 

“Ranks 4500 and 7833, huh. You two really are way ahead of us,” a female student who often asked Tesfia and Alice for their advice said in admiration. 

“You’re almost in the four digits too, Ciel,” Tesfia said. 

Ciel, a petite classmate that had a different kind of adorableness to her from Tesfia, blushed. 

However, there was some disappointment in Tesfia’s voice as she praised her classmate. This was due to her own rank not going up all that much. 

At the same time, her partner—the two would be unhappy at being lumped together like that, but Alus didn’t see much difference between them so it wasn’t that off the mark—Alice had shown a remarkable ascent from her former ranking of 8867. 

But that in itself wasn’t all that surprising. They’d only received a simplistic ranking during the entrance examination, after all. This more accurate measurement put them closer to their actual prowess. 

Having finished checking their own rankings, the classmates looked around the room searching for Loki, the target of their attention. When they finally found her, the reason there was a pause before anything happened was likely because she was sitting next to Alus. 

It couldn’t be helped that they’d look at him so cautiously. Even more so, now that they knew Loki was a Triple Digit. 

“Are you acquainted with Alus, Ms. Loki?” Ciel asked. 

As Alus was thinking she was more courageous than she looked, he saw Tesfia and Alice behind her. 

“Yes. Alus and I were close before we enrolled at the Institute.” 

That was one of the answers they’d prepared ahead of time. 

You’d think such a statement would be said in a lively voice and with a big smile, but in reality Loki said it in a monotonous tone with an emotionless expression. Either way, since it was a harmless statement they’d prepared beforehand, all that happened was that Ciel was a little surprised. 

But being as calculating as they were, once Ciel got the ball rolling, their classmates came over in droves to surround Loki. A transfer student being bombarded with questions was an unavoidable fact of life that likely happened everywhere. 

Of course, Alus had no experience with that. 

Anyway, as Loki’s rank was close to Felinella’s, she became an immediate star to those that didn’t know about her circumstances. 

While Loki was surrounded, Alus quietly snuck away... all while wearing a sympathetic smile. 

Noticing this, Loki gazed at him with puppy eyes, but Alus left her behind as if to say, ‘get used to it,’ and stepped out of the classroom.

... I guess she really is in a bad mood. 

Alus glanced over from his book to Loki during morning class. Her silver hair was hanging down, keeping him from seeing her face, but it was likely as expressionless as usual. 

While she didn’t have an easy to understand personality like Tesfia, she was equally as difficult to handle. 

That said, Alus wasn’t going to use his time to cheer her up. After all, the same thing was going to happen during lunch. 

Once the chime signaling the end of class rang out, the students came around as expected. There were even some on standby at the doors. 

And the first to come running was... Alice. She couldn’t endure staying away from Loki any longer and was now rubbing her head. “Ahhh... You’re so cute, and your hair is so silky.” 

Tesfia, exasperated, asked the grinning Alice, “You’re not going to spend all of lunch doing that, are you?” 

“Just wait a little more, so I can get my fill.” 

Alus refrained from asking anything about that comment, and decided to head to the cafeteria to get lunch. Not planning on making the same blunder twice, he’d even brought his license. 

Loki had been passively letting Alice pat her head, but when she saw Alus leave the classroom, she quickly chased after him. 

Of course, another two followed suit, but strictly speaking Alice was chasing after Loki, while Tesfia was just tagging along. 

That essentially meant that the top three of the first years were walking together in a group, but nobody else chased after them. 

But Alus, forced to hide his abilities that surpassed the three, walking with them, was exposed to even more strange looks.

As expected, the cafeteria was as crowded as always. 

Not only did Alus not repeat his mistake, he operated the vending machine with the familiar motions of a regular, giving Tesfia a satisfied look before sitting down at a table big enough for ten. 

She responded with an exasperated expression, but Alus didn’t pay any attention to it. 

He could understand Loki seating herself next to him. “But why are you guys coming along, too?” 

“It’s lunch, so it’s fine. Besides, this was your first time, right? This was thanks to me, you know.” 

“It was my first time operating the machine alone, but that has nothing to do with you.” 

Tesfia tried arguing her case with logic that made no sense. But it was true she had helped the time before, and only Alus understood what she’d meant by that. 

As they argued, Alice put down her tray on the table as well, making Alus realize he was the only one being uncivilized in this situation. “Pardon the intrusion,” Alice said. 

While it was crowded, there were still open seats. The cafeteria had the capacity to seat everyone, so long as not all the students came barging in at once. 

The four were tucked away at the end of the table, with Tesfia defiantly sitting down across from Alus. He couldn’t help but let a sigh escape. In fact, after this, Alus would be letting out one sigh after another. 

“May I sit next to you, Mr. Alus?” a familiar voice said. 

The group stopped eating and turned their attention to the newcomer. Surprised expressions appeared on their faces, but they weren’t seeing things. 

Standing there was Felinella with her tray in hand, waiting for Alus’ answer. Despite the crowded cafeteria, there seemed to be an inviolable air around her. 

Alus glanced over at the other students, who appeared to be looking away out of envy or awe, and thought to himself that being this charismatic was scary. 

Unsure of how to interpret Alus’ reaction, Felinella came right next to Alus with a perplexed look. “Is that not acceptable?” As he turned to look, she bent down and moved her hair behind her ear, bringing her face close to his. 

Astonished gasps came from the surrounding area, followed by excited voices mixed in as well for some reason. 

It was easy to be smitten by her beauty. Alus wasn’t very good with Felinella. She was somewhat like Sisty, with a bewitching body and an elegant tongue. It was hard to say no to her. Just looking into her eyes was enough to draw you in. “Go ahead and do as you please.” 

This curt response was his way of defending himself from being dragged into Felinella’s orbit... but he was aware it was a frail defense. 

“Thank you very much,” Felinella said politely, but with a hidden meaning behind it. She herself might not have been aware of it, but the elegance she was born with made people give up their initiative to her. 

As a result, Felinella secured a seat next to Alus. The only reason she didn’t sit down immediately was because there was someone at the table she hadn’t met before. “Nice to meet you, Ms. Loki.” 

After paying due respects to Alus, Felinella greeted Loki with a smile. It seemed rumors of Loki’s transfer had spread throughout the Institute. 

Loki saw that beguiling smile and got the same first impression of her that Alus had, but her own expression remained the same without a hint of friendliness. “Nice to meet you, Lady Felinella.” 

During her briefing with Alus yesterday, Loki had looked through the upperclassmen’s register. That’s why she was aware of Felinella, including that her father was a member of the military. 

After that, Alus gave Felinella, as well as Tesfia and Alice, the bare minimum of information on Loki, ending their introductions. But it need not be said that Alus was bombarded with hostile stares from the other students witnessing this bizarre scene. With four beauties around him, it was only natural he’d become their target of envy. 

But in the next moment—those stares stopped. 

The cafeteria, which could seat 1,000 people, had five large screens so that everyone could view at least one. After a beep signaling that new information was about to be revealed, the announcer came on to announce the details. 

“This is an announcement regarding an extracurricular lesson that will be put into practice. On the 28th day of the fifth month, after graduation, students will take their first steps as Magicmasters, taking part in live combat training.” 

The articulate voice continued, “We will have you take part in the actual elimination of Fiends. We will distribute detailed information for each class. I repeat...” 

Eventually, the announcement ended, and the screens returned to normal, as a wave of commotion shook the cafeteria commons. 

In the uproar, more than a few students dropped their tableware onto the floor. 

To students looking to become Magicmasters, live combat was something they couldn’t avoid, but at the same time it was their biggest obstacle. 

Those with a backbone were raring to go, but the majority of students found themselves at a loss. 

As for Alus’ table... as he and Loki already knew, they continued eating like nothing had happened. 

Felinella, with her combat experience, was surprised at the sudden news, but soon muttered, “The principal sure has it rough.” After that, she calmed down and returned to her meal like the first two. 

As for the other two— 

“Y-You sure are... composed,” Tesfia said. Her spoon had nothing on it, and drifted in the air without a place to go. She spoke in a stiff tone, completely the opposite of being composed, still staring at the screen. 

“Why now?! This has never happened before...” Alice said with a bewildered look on her face. 

She seemed to be looking for help, and the only one present that could answer her was Alus, but explaining the situation to her wasn’t going to change anything. Instead it would only make her anxious and frustrated, so Alus kept quiet. By now, both Alice’s and Tesfia’s faces were quite pale. 

“I wonder what they’ll do. It seems the other institutes are already doing something similar, but this will be this institute’s first attempt,” Felinella said in a quiet voice, but made sure it was loud enough for Alus to hear. She shifted her eyes in his direction. 

It was a bother, but Alus responded in an equally low voice, “I’ve already had some of the pain shoved onto me.” He had no obligation to respond, but she was a candidate to be a supervisor for a freshmen team... he couldn’t hold out on all of the information. 

“I see. Sorry for causing you trouble.” 

“You can say that again.” 

However, Felinella didn’t dig any deeper into it. She cast her eyes down and ended the conversation. It seemed she was looking out for him. 

That’s why Alus felt at his ease with her, and closed his eyes. Even if it was just for a moment... before this tumult died down... he wanted to rest. 

The sensation of being unable to keep up with the ever-changing scenery around him took him over. These were restless days, even without the responsibility of being the strongest Magicmaster with its corresponding sense of duty. Anything he did brought something with it. Like the hands of the clock that continued to move, the peaceful days were being driven away with a tick-tock, as if in tune to his beating heart. 

Just what did he desire? 

Having lived a practical and utilitarian life, Alus had no way of knowing what he’d been missing. That’s why he was trying to accept the difficulties that came with relationships. He didn’t even need to confirm his own state of mind by now. 

After all, these turbulent days were turning into a completely new everyday life. 

But there was no time to notice that change... 

“Al?” As he had stopped eating, Loki worriedly called out to him, bringing him back to reality. 

There was no time to rest... but it was never boring.