Saikyou Mahoushi no Inton Keikaku (LN) - Volume 11 - Chapter 62

Sixty-Second Chapter

Cloudy with a Chance of Rain

The industrial city of Folen was located in Alpha’s outer perimeter region. On their way back to the Institute, Alus decided to make a stop there.

Being so close to the Outer World, the city had been built with resisting an invasion in mind. There were residential areas, but the residents there were typically looked down on as being lowlifes. Rich people and nobles tended to live closer to the Tower of Babel, so areas like these more or less attracted the lower classes.

Folen also had a lot of military buildings that had been built a long time ago, so it functioned as a spare headquarters. That’s why it was considered the second defensive line.

The city also featured a defense system modeled after the Tower of Babel, though it was an inferior copy compared with the original. If Fiends broke through the first defensive line it wouldn’t be strong enough to hold the flood back.

However, it wasn’t because Alpha’s technological level was behind the rest. That was just how great Babel was. Its power exceeded human comprehension. At the moment humanity was fully reliant on Babel, and since it was rumored that its power was weakening, the current peace was fragile.

Because of its proximity to the Outer World, Folen had a unique sense of tension that differed from cities closer to the Tower of Babel. People here were far from complacent. And the fact that the city specialized in producing AWRs and magical tools for Magicmasters was not unrelated to that.

That’s why Alus liked this city. Just looking at the stores selling AWRs lining the streets was enough to get his heart beating. Since it was a detour, he wasn’t here to walk the main street and look around like before. But he did take Loki with him to let the scenery sink in for a minute.

“Sir Alus, it’s about time...”

“I know.” After gazing at the people on the streets for a few moments, Alus began walking. The two left the main street and headed for the Circle Port that was the quickest way back to the Institute.

The device silently activated...and as the realization hit that he was finally returning to the Institute, Alus looked glum. He’d missed a lot of lessons. Even though he was using the post-campus festival holiday, regular classes had already started.

He’d been working for the military, but Berwick wasn’t all-powerful. While he could help with some credits, Alus knew it wouldn’t cover all of them. “Not to mention that I was just there as Lettie’s help this time...” Strictly speaking, it wasn’t at Berwick’s request and the achievements were attributed to Lettie. Although he didn’t care about the achievements, maybe he should’ve tried negotiating with Berwick.

Alus let out a small sigh, to which Loki swiftly responded. “Are you worried about the lessons?”

“There’s that. And then there is their training...”

“I believe you told them to study on their own? I’m sure they’re practicing as much as they can.”

It wasn’t as though they’d been gone for a month or anything, so Tesfia and Alice shouldn’t have fallen too far behind. That said, Alus wanted to follow the schedule he’d made to the letter if possible. Though he hadn’t given them any real training, he felt that they’d probably reached his anticipated level anyway.

He’d noticed it before, but the two girls’ growth was extraordinary. It was a blessed position for a mentor to be in. But if asked why...Alus would struggle to come up with a reason. He wasn’t so full of himself to think that he was a good teacher. If anything, it was the opposite.

So perhaps it was because they showed a lot of potential? Well, that’s what anyone would assume. In the beginning they didn’t even know about mana manipulation, but now they’d already moved on to duration, and were gradually improving their record. Before he’d set out for Vanalis they’d become able to sustain it for quite some time. In that sense, his original goal of training them to be Magicmasters who could fight in the Outer World was looking to be accomplished at a tremendous speed.

“So at least they have something to do, huh,” Alus said to nobody in particular.

Loki softly sighed. “Sir Alus, worrying about those two is fine, but aren’t you forgetting about that girl who transferred in?”

“Hm? The one the Governor-General sent, you mean?”

“Yes. You didn’t mention her when you were making your report, and I didn’t want to say anything impertinent...”

However, it would’ve been pointless to ask about Lilisha then. After the report, Berwick had taken advantage of Alus’s asking for a reward and limited their discussion to just that. And Alus was well aware that Berwick was a tough nut to crack when he was like that. “I could easily see him just brushing it off. Also, Berwick doesn’t really have any strong reasons for wanting to keep an eye on me.”

“Excuse me...?” Loki tilted her head, giving Alus a questioning look. She’d first come to the Institute as a watchdog, so she struggled to understand what he meant.

“After the mock battle against Elise, Lilisha revealed part of my circumstances to that group of students, remember? She said I was helping the military like some of the more skilled third-years do.” His rank as No. 1 had been kept hidden and the situation had been defused. By releasing a portion of the truth in a more deliberate manner it had been easier for the students to accept. “That made it so that we don’t have to hide everything at all costs.”

Even this time, the fact that Alus had disappeared from the Institute to reclaim Vanalis could be passed off as part of that. By making everyone think that Alus was a special student who sometimes helped the military on missions, there was no longer any need for him to be so nervous about his identity. “So from Berwick’s point of view, he’s doing what he can even as he’s being denounced by annoying nobles in the top brass. If anything, I think there’s another reason for it.”

“Such as?” Loki’s expression remained firm. She wouldn’t take Alus getting caught up in anyone’s scheme sitting down. She felt uneasy and also that her anger towards the situation was justified. But she suppressed her displeasure, showing a mysterious expression instead.

Even in her stubbornness she was thinking of Alus, and he couldn’t help but smile. “Well, for example, ‘I look forward to your guidance and cooperation,’” he said in a joking tone, hinting at a third student joining his study group. He glanced at Loki to observe her mood.

“And would you teach her in that case?” Loki struck back with a cold and sharp retort.

Alus raised his hand, shrugging like he was giving up. “Surely not. I have no intention of doing so and I doubt she has the time for it either. It would only hurt both sides.” He’d decided this after remembering his brief exchange with Lilisha. Thinking back, he thought that Sisty had successfully cajoled him into taking on Tesfia and Alice. There wouldn’t be a second time...probably.

“I’m relieved to hear it. It looked like you would repeat the same mistake,” Loki declared. Her steps were steady and resolute.

True, if he did as Loki said, he’d get plenty of time to spend on himself. What a reliable partner she was... However, Alus decided to flip the topic on its head. “That said, I doubt that’s the approach they’re going with. Either way, she’s the one Berwick chose to send. She might appear to be the same age as us, but there’s definitely something going on.”

“Is it something to do with the Frusevan bloodline rather than the Rimfuge, perhaps?”

“I don’t want to get involved with a noble family’s business, so I just hope it’s nothing.”

“In that case, I will...” Loki began forcefully with a sharp look in her eyes, as if anticipating something unsettling.

Alus thought that if something happened she might actually lose control, so he secretly considered putting an investigation of Lilisha into his plans. Regardless of what sparks might come flying his way, there wouldn’t be any harm in doing some research beforehand. But he was determined not to stick his head into noble affairs. At the same time, he recalled the girl in question.

Lilisha Ron de Rimfuge Frusevan. She was difficult for Alus to deal with. He’d seen nobility as being nothing more than a group of malicious people, but he was beginning to understand that they were more varied than that.

In fact, he couldn’t judge the nobles he’d met since enrolling in the Institute by his old standards. There was the friendly Felinella, and even Tesfia, despite appearances, differed from what he was used to. That said, he struggled to place her in the noble category. However, someone like her who was straightforward and simple, that he could do whatever he wanted with, was cute for a noble. He could only wish all nobles were as easy to handle as Tesfia was.

But in reality they were the opposite. They blocked his ability to push through, using force and scheming behind his back. In short, it was better to act on the side of caution. This time in particular, Berwick seemed to have an ulterior motive, so Alus could easily imagine getting caught up in some trouble.

If it comes down to it, Loki alone might not be enough. Well, if Berwick has taken the worst-case scenario into account, he’s already thought of me fighting back and using force. So he probably wouldn’t push for anything reckless. 

Before long, Alus and Loki had arrived at the Circle Port leading to Beliza in the middle district where the Institute was located. As soon as they stepped onto it, their mana information bodies were analyzed and recorded. Once that was over, all information was duplicated and transferred. It was like their bodies were reconstructed after a full scan.

As mana particles filled the Circle Port, Alus muttered, “Since we took care of Vanalis, I hope we can live in peace and quiet for the time being.” That was what he truly felt.

“That’s true. It’s been very busy lately... I’m sure we’ll be able to take it easy for a while. We’ll go back to normal,” Loki said to console him, but Alus couldn’t even tell what was normal and abnormal anymore. “Normal” probably meant living an ordinary student’s life at the Institute.

But when he thought that, he couldn’t really bring himself to agree with it. Even so, the Institute was the place where he’d ended up in his attempt to distance himself from the military, seeking a more normal life. So in the end it wasn’t a bad life, even if it was a little stressful and oddly busy.

Alus forcibly pushed his doubts away. But he was at least sure that the laboratory at the Institute was the place where he belonged for now.

“You could also think about it this way, Sir Alus,” Loki said, holding up a finger. “Even if you can’t take it easy, you can see minor problems as spicing up a boring everyday life for a change of pace.”

Loki’s suggestion certainly had its uses. Alus did spend most of his time doing magic-related research. And he tended to lose himself in his research, pulling all-nighters if necessary, so it was clear that he led an unhealthy lifestyle. In that case, getting caught up in trouble was a chance for him to take a break from his research, almost as a way of distracting himself.

It was easy to guess Loki’s intentions. The point was that she wanted him to improve his lifestyle, to go outside and get some exercise. She’d talked his ears off about that.

Still, I feel like things are a little different than before. She shouldn’t want him to get caught up in trouble. That much was clear when he’d joked about teaching Lilisha. Loki hated everything that took Alus’s free time away. She felt resentment on his behalf. So it was strange for her to suddenly change her tune. Is it going to rain? Well, in Loki’s case I’m sure there would be lightning , he thought with some amusement, before forgetting it and getting back on topic. “No thanks, I’ll pass on any trouble.”

“Not to worry. I’m sure that anything that befalls you won’t be any trouble, and if by chance it’s something harmful you can just eliminate them,” Loki declared with a fearless smile. The fact that it suited her was a little scary.

“Yeah,” Alus said, after a pause. It appeared there wouldn’t be any change to the policy of eliminating anyone who got in his way.

Loki was being strangely aggressive. Maybe it was a result of the lingering influence of the mission to retake Vanalis. Lettie’s recruitment effort probably had some effect on her too. Lettie had acknowledged him as a human being, offering to push through with it even if the military tried to get in the way. That showed her sincerity, respect, and trust. There was no way something like that wouldn’t impress Loki. That’s why Alus decided it was best to obey her, and nodded his head.

Naturally there were things he agreed with as well. “I want to avoid any quarrels as much as possible. I have no idea what Berwick’s thinking either. Of course, if the line is crossed, don’t show any mercy.”

“Of course!” Loki clenched her fist, holding it in front of her chest as a display of her motivation.

“Just avoid doing anything rash.”

“Please don’t worry. I know how to do it in moderation. I’ll even hold back.”

Alus didn’t know who she was imagining, but felt a headache coming on as it sounded like she was ready to punish them. Seeing Loki’s bright smile, he realized that any further conversation was pointless. He forced himself to believe that he could just leave everything to her, and moved on.

A short walk from their arrival point, and they reached another Circle Port. It would take them to their final destination, the Institute. Incidentally, only people connected with the Institute, as identified through their licenses, could use a Circle Port to directly access it.

That said, they weren’t far from it. They could just run all the way there, but Loki’s injuries still hadn’t fully healed. With her body wrapped in bandages, she was strictly forbidden from doing any vigorous exercise. The healing Magicmaster had also told her to rest as much as possible.

After completing their last transfer, the two arrived back on Institute grounds. The hustle and bustle Alus saw around them filled him with a strange mix of relief and gloom.

It was a little nostalgic and also somewhat annoying, a setting unique to the Institute. The students didn’t have much of a sense of reservation or consideration due to their youth, and as a consequence the campus was filled with noise.

Timewise, it was just after noon. The first lesson after lunch hadn’t begun yet.

The weather, artificially generated as always, was clear today with nary a cloud in the sky. The two were sneaking around a bit because of what had happened during the campus festival. Alus’s abilities had been exposed during his supposed mock battle against Elise, and although Lilisha cleared it up with her little act—and it was further forgotten with Lettie’s appearance—he wanted to avoid a second incident if possible.

The two decided to go to Alus’s room in the research building rather than to class for the day.

Once he’d settled in, Alus didn’t have the energy to return to class. That said, he wasn’t going to rest either, as he immediately headed for his desk to begin his own research.

Loki hadn’t fully healed yet, so she took a page from Alus’s book and studied magic on her own. Their latest mission had made her realize that she was nowhere skilled enough to keep up with him...and also that a Magicmaster could easily harm someone with their powers. In other words, they constantly wielded the lethal weapon known as magic.

For that reason, the correct use of magic was always an issue, one that came up in discussions at every turn. The reason why criminal organizations like Kurama—and Magicmasters that strayed from the path—were hated was because they turned the power meant to be used against Fiends on their fellow humans. In the Outer World the concept was somewhat less adhered to, but in the human domain, magic was power that needed to be correctly used and appropriately managed.

However, Loki felt that her powers hadn’t yet reached the point where their use could be questioned. She thought back to the snow man in Vanalis. He’d hurt people without hesitation and she didn’t have the ability to oppose him. And if Alus had arrived even moments later, she could have died. It didn’t matter how right she was, because without power she was helpless against evil.

“Still, the lightning attribute sure has a lot of taboo-classified spells,” Loki said, trying to draw some information out of Alus as she served him tea.

“You could say that the attribute is suited for combat due to its nature,” Alus answered without turning to look her way, his gaze fixed on his work. He was in the middle of accessing the military’s server to gather information on taboo spells, using the authority he’d been granted by the Governor-General.

That said, he had a time limit, and it wasn’t like he was allowed to see all of the documents on taboo spells. The server also contained top secret information but the authority granted to Alus was only for magic. Any unauthorized access would immediately cut off the connection and alert the Governor-General, as well as send out a history of who had accessed the system.

Not that I can’t figure out a way or two to get around it... But for now I’ll just wait and see. With a mischievous smile, Alus’s fingers glided across the virtual keyboard and he was quickly able to find some information.

Oh, now this is... His eyes opened wide. He called Loki over and had her take a look at it. It was indirect, but it wouldn’t hurt to do something nice for his partner.

“Power spells that correspond to the vertex of thunder?! But it looks like they’re classified as taboo. I wonder what the criteria is for that.”

“Well, the criteria differs a little between international law and what Alpha classified on their own. There are spells not known to other nations.” Many of them were born from the military’s dark past...its negative legacy. They were developed for inhuman purposes, using human experimentation, and if the public ever found out about them, trust in the military would plummet.

“The people in the Inner World are carefree,” Alus continued. “They easily believe that the blades used to protect them are wielded with a righteous will and for a greater purpose.” There were spells that were configured to only work on humans, and spells that would result in slaughter if the user was careless. So why even resort to that kind of research? But it wasn’t that simple. “The common way of making new spells is to reconfigure existing spells. In other words, it constantly builds on itself, so even the base research of a horrible spell can be useful.”

“So it’s a matter of ethics, then...”

“You got it. Lettie’s Detonation could easily blow up a city if she’s not careful. It would be the perfect spell for conquering the cities of enemy nations.”

“How ironic. Magic was meant as a weapon against Fiends, but it might end up being used against fellow humans,” Loki muttered.

The thought that this was just how things were came to Alus’s mind, but he didn’t say it out loud. He’d seen plenty of magic criminals, Magicmasters who had strayed off the path, in his work in the shadows. In fact, he’d crossed blades with and killed a fair number of them. Even if they were lowlifes worthy of death, he had used his powers against people rather than Fiends as a result.

That aside, if Magicmasters began to forget what they were fighting for, their role as the ones who carried humanity’s future on their shoulders would be lost. Since they were the only ones who could oppose Fiends, that made the existence of taboo spells all the more frightening.

Alus shook these foolish thoughts out of his head. He would rather leave the image of an ideal Magicmaster to the serious-minded Jean and the other Single Digit Magicmasters. “Speaking of thunder...” he said, looking again at the list of taboo spells.

Since access was restricted, the display’s virtual screen was darker and harder to see than usual, and in order to view magic formulas and other details there were several locks that needed to be undone. Alus’s license code was enough to unlock them, but it took some time and effort. “There are fewer of the eight vertices of thunder that are taboo-classified than I thought. Spells of that class do require a high degree of affinity, so I guess it’s a practical problem since there are so few people who could use them. I imagine not even Sajik has learned one.”

No matter how much one mastered the lightning attribute, the eight vertices were in a league of their own. The expert-level spell Naruikazuchi was pretty much a trump card unique to Loki. “I can just barely use Kuroikazuchi, but it’s incredibly inefficient.”

Of the eight vertices of thunder, Kuroikazuchi was one that was less influenced by affinity. Even so, Alus was the only one who could make up the abnormally precise degree of accuracy in its construction to better suit him a bit. In that sense, not even he could truly use Kuroikazuchi.

However, Loki just honestly praised him. “Amazing! Kuroikazuchi is an ultimate-level spell and its magic formula hasn’t even been released yet!”

Ultimate level magic was in the same class as taboo spells, and just learning the magic formula was a trial. It was said that learning it went beyond what one could achieve by effort alone. In fact, only the military’s top brass knew who could use these spells.

“D-Do you think I could learn it too?” Loki excitedly asked Alus, bringing her face closer. She acted like she’d found a secret remedy that would give her an immediate and massive boost. She only sought strength for Alus’s sake. Her intense gaze was filled with hope and expectation.

However, Alus bluntly rejected her. “That’s not possible. Considering affinity and mana consumption, it’s just not realistic. It’s not really a spell that’s practical for actual combat.” That was one of the reasons why it was only Singles who could handle ultimate-level spells. Not only were they hard to learn, but a normal Magicmaster could never handle them considering how much mana was required.

That was also why Singles were seen as monstrous. They were in a realm of their own compared to other Magicmasters.

“I see...” Despite being full of expectation, Loki had been mercilessly shot down.

“There’s no need to be disappointed. Look, for example, this... Oh, it’s also a taboo spell.” Not all of the eight vertices of thunder were wholesome spells. Even if they’d been developed to be used against Fiends, there were some that were even more effective against humans.

The current military policy was that Alpha had no need for spells that killed people. From that point of view, the very existence of Lettie’s M2-Polaris was a major threat to world peace. But if it’s Loki, she might be able to learn taboo spells on the same level as vertices. Can I really display this data though? It might leak to Berwick... 

This was something worth pondering. If it was revealed that Loki knew a spell like that without being a Single, it would be obvious who the knowledge came from. Berwick gave Alus access privileges because he trusted him, so it would be in complete disregard of that.

Alus scratched his head. “Well, I guess it wouldn’t be the first time.” And so he chose to copy the data. Berwick was still keeping information on Lilisha secret—probably—so it was only fair. Or not... But he could just consider it as another reward for Vanalis.

“Now then, I think that’s enough. I don’t have much time so I’ll just do a quick sweep of the rest.” Alus nudged Loki, who was peering at the screen with intense concentration. He could understand her curiosity, of course. Loki was a Magicmaster in her own right. She couldn’t help but be intrigued by high level spells, taboo or not.

“I-I’m sorry!!” Loki hurriedly apologized and stepped far back.

“You don’t have to go that far. There won’t be any problems if you watch it from just behind me. Keep quiet about what you see, though. If Berwick finds out about it he’ll just use it as leverage to make a deal.”

“Of course!” Loki replied briskly. Unable to hide her excitement, she positioned herself right behind Alus, just a few centimeters from him.

Ignoring this, Alus turned his attention back to his work. He couldn’t fool around anymore. He hadn’t asked for access privileges just for fun, but to look through the taboo magic and get a lead on the snow man’s identity. He was probably a member of a criminal organization like Kurama, but there was something strange about the magic he’d used. The spell to turn Vanalis into a snow-covered landscape, and the way the Fiends seemed to coordinate... It was clearly possible, but how?

I don’t think my chances of finding it this way are very high anyway. The spell is probably fundamentally different from the ones we use. He felt like the construction of the magic involved had been woven through a completely different way of thinking. It’s probably also closer to the essence of magic than our modern magic is. It’s a more complete form of it. 

That was the biggest cause for concern. It was only conjecture, but it meant that the opponent’s magic was closer to the complete form of magic that Fiends used.

The magic humans used was filled with noise from thoughts and emotions. Alus believed this was the biggest factor keeping human magic from being perfected. If that handicap could be removed, the balance between Fiends and humans would change dramatically. And the enemy had somehow managed to get their hands on that.

As he rapidly scrolled through the contents, his brain sped up too. The gap in magic between humans and Fiends was large. A prime example was the Kehenage that the ruling Fiend in Vanalis, the Shem Azah, had used. In terms of amount of mana, Alus could use spells on the same scale, but the accuracy in construction would be clearly inferior.

High level magic was practically the true nature of Fiends. It was the field they excelled in the most. As he’d shown in Vanalis, Alus could still take countermeasures, but that was problematic in itself. He couldn’t protect the entirety of the human domain on his own. They didn’t need to be on Alus’s level, but unless all of the Doubles—no, maybe just the Singles—had enough knowledge and skills to not fall behind, he would never know peace.

The prevailing point of view was that the balance between Fiends and humans should at least be even. But there were plenty of things to worry about, such as the Tower of Babel’s power weakening, the appearance of Fiends like the Devourer, and the unsettling factors they’d seen in Vanalis. The situation didn’t look optimistic to him.

As Loki watched, Alus went through the ice attribute spells. A couple of them caught his attention, but as expected, the ones he was looking for were nowhere to be found.

There was one that seemed promising, but when he looked into it further he found that neither the magic formula nor its effects had been recorded. “Garb Sheep, huh. It’s taboo-classified, but all it says is its name.”

As he scratched his head, Loki asked, “Did you find it?”

“No, this is probably not it either. Well, it’s not like I expected much to begin with.” If there were any others, they would be the spells kept secret in noble families like Berwick had suggested, or perhaps taboo spells from other nations. And if Alpha’s noble families were being secretive, it wouldn’t be strange for noble families in the other nations to do the same. In that case, there’s nothing I can do... No, there is still one possibility. 

An idea came to mind, but it wasn’t very likely to yield results either, so he would just check it later. With that, he slid his fingers across the keyboard to close the virtual screen. “Well, at least I got to look over the taboo spells. If you see any good spells, I’ll arrange a magic formula for you sometime. I can’t just copy it as is, after all.”

“Really?! Don’t take it back, okay!”

“Don’t get your hopes up. I was just thinking of messing with some formulas after getting stimulated by this. It’ll just be a side project in my research.”

“That’s more than enough, Sir Alus!” Loki clapped her hands together and smiled, before she had a thought and her expression changed. “Don’t you think this kind of guidance is more valuable than the Institute’s lessons?”

“That’s obvious, but it’s too late to say anything now.” That was why Alus tended to skip class. He hadn’t planned on skipping that much, but there was no point in attending classes any more than necessary. If he really thought about it, he’d probably reach the conclusion that coming to the Institute was a mistake in the first place.

As Alus wrapped up his investigation, the doorbell rang, just when he was thinking about having a cup of tea to wind down. He could tell who it was just by the way it rang. But he’d already expected them to come, and glanced at Loki for her to get the door.

“Ah! I knew you were back!” Tesfia exclaimed.

“Welcome back. How was the mission?” Alice asked.

A small sigh escaped Loki’s lips as she opened the door to reveal a smiling Tesfia with Alice behind her. It seemed class was done for the day and they’d stopped by on their way home. If Alus had told them he had some business to take care of, they’d have easily guessed it was a mission, which was why he’d left without telling them anything.

“Who told you?” Alus asked. “Only the principal would know, but I doubt she said anything.”

“Should we not have said anything?” Alice put her hand over her mouth and poked Tesfia with her elbow.

“Um... W-Well, it’s fine, isn’t it? Alice and I are the only ones who know. We wouldn’t go telling anyone else.” Tesfia put down her bag and tried to move on to training.

“That won’t fly. If you want me to train you, answer my question.”

The two girls looked at each other. As if giving up, Tesfia spoke with a pout. “Just seeing that smug look gets on my nerves. So I really don’t want to say.”

“You’re not a child.” Alus was exasperated, but it appeared there was someone who’d told the two about their return. This was unhappy news for him.

It was hard to feel at ease if his every step was being watched. It was that kind of thing that forced him to be on guard when viewing confidential information in his private room. That said, they were military secrets, so discretion would be necessary either way. Even so, there was a big difference between having a spy constantly checking on him and not.

The same went for keeping his identity hidden. His relation to the military had been exposed, but nobody knew that he was a Single Digit Magicmaster yet.

Next, he turned to Alice. She could only laugh awkwardly and stick her tongue out a little. Apparently something had happened while he was away. “Looks like they haven’t told you to keep quiet, so hurry up and...” Alus put on the pressure.

...When another voice spoke up. “I believe I would be the one best suited to answer that.”

Tesfia and Alice turned around in surprise, while Alus and Loki just stared at the person. They’d picked up on her presence ahead of time, although she probably wasn’t trying to hide it in the first place.

Pushing open the heavy door and showing herself was Lilisha, her blonde hair fluttering. She made eye contact as if asking for permission to enter.

Was she eavesdropping or just waiting for the right moment to appear? Either way, I can’t tell if she’s trying to be polite, but the fact that she used her foot to keep the door from closing...and still looked for permission to come in...that’s kind of half-assed. 

There was a meek, almost timid atmosphere to her. “Excuse me.” She awkwardly stepped in and looked around the room. “Oh, how interesting,” she said, as if it was her first time in a room belonging to the opposite sex.

The way she seemed strangely impressed grated on his nerves, but Alus decided not to touch on it. The indoor area was Loki’s territory, after all.

“Why are you here?!”

“Oh, don’t leave me out, Fia.” In response to Tesfia’s sharp exclamation, Lilisha answered her in a lighthearted tone with a cheerful smile as if they were friends. Based on the way she was acting, it seemed Lilisha wasn’t trying to antagonize her. As if used to it, she just let Tesfia’s remarks pass on by. However, depending on how one looked at it, her attitude could be interpreted as her not even taking notice of Tesfia. It was that side of her that used others as pawns in a game without any shame in order to plot against her surroundings if necessary. If not for Tesfia’s look of revulsion, anyone would think they were classmates who got along.

“Not to mention that my job is to observe Mr. Alus,” Lilisha continued. “I told you that he was back as a sign of our friendship.”

So she’s the source , Alus thought, and frowned.

“I didn’t ask you to tell me. Besides, have you ever really looked at what you’re doing? You’re like a stalker just sneaking around behind the scenes! Hmph! I guess that’s the way the gloomy and miserable Rimfuges do things!”

“—!!” Lilisha narrowed her eyes and glared at Tesfia. Surprisingly, even though she looked to be good at sidestepping her opponents and keeping her cool, she seemed truly offended now.

Oh, so she’ll react to that. She tried to maintain a friendly smile, but Alus could see how strained it was. It seemed Tesfia’s existence was the reason for that. For better or worse, she and Lilisha appeared to be fundamentally incompatible.

“This is my mission! It’s work, okay! Besides, you’re much more like a stalker than me, just casually walking into a man’s room under the pretense of training. And constantly at that! Just so you know, you’re being ignorant and inconsiderate. You’re acting way too improperly for the daughter of the Fable family,” Lilisha shouted, acting with surprising childishness.

“Looks like you’ve already dropped your mask,” Alus muttered in exasperation, which seemed to snap Lilisha out of it. She straightened up and quickly fixed her messy hair, but it was already too late. Meanwhile, Tesfia was grinning.

Seeing the two of them, the image of nobility that Alus formerly had in his head was rapidly collapsing. He no longer saw his dislike of them as indicating small-mindedness. Tesfia even looked like she was going to pump her fist in celebration, but Alus ignored her and got back on topic. He’d normally avoid this kind of thing but there was nothing else to do in this situation. “So you told these two. Actually my movements—and Loki’s—are technically a military secret, so where did you even get that information from?”

“Oh, that’s good! That way of speaking makes it seem like we’re close. I guess pretending to be students isn’t all that bad.”

“...” As Lilisha seemed to boast, Alus silently put on the pressure. After all, he was a student because he wanted to be.

Lilisha shrugged, then went on. “It’s easy to get your hands on information through connections, Sir Alus. Oh, right, titles are unnecessary...Alus. To tell the truth, my brother is in the military so I just happened to overhear him. Of course, the only thing I heard directly was about military movements. And then Lady Lettie appeared at the Institute and you disappeared with her to the military headquarters...” Her tone made it sound as though anyone could’ve figured it out.

True, it did sound simple when she put it like that, but that attitude might rub Loki the wrong way. Though it was true that he’d told her there was no need to be so formal.

When Alus glanced at Loki he saw she was silent, but her tightly pressed lips and cold gaze made it clear how she was feeling. He wanted her to control herself, but he was afraid of what awaited in the future.

Ignoring Alus’s thoughts, Lilisha continued, “But I only told these two about you because they were so persistent. I want you to at least understand that.”

Tesfia ground her teeth. Unable to stand it any longer, she objected. “That’s because she kept teasing us about it! Like she was flaunting information only she knew about, Al!” she said with a red face, pointing at Lilisha.

“I don’t care,” Alus said. “Don’t look at me.”

In the meantime, Alice only showed a vague smile, acting much more modestly. And Lilisha looked completely composed next to the fuming Tesfia, as if she was ready to further fuel the fire.

It was really hard to tell who was nobility between those two and Alice. If asked who was the noble, Alus wouldn’t hesitate to choose Alice.

Tesfia simply didn’t like Lilisha acting so high and mighty when they were the same age and Lilisha had only just transferred in. Nobles typically competed with each other when they had the time, but these two just didn’t get along. From what Alus understood from Tesfia’s statement, it seemed the Rimfuge family in particular was seen as nonconforming and isolated from the rest of nobility.

That’s when Loki stepped in, perhaps sensing Alus’s mental exhaustion. “Ms. Tesfia, we’re not getting anywhere, so can you please shut your mouth for a moment? It seems Ms. Lilisha’s ways upset you, but can you try not to let her bother you too much? She’s just an observer sent over by the military. Nothing more and nothing less.” Loki sounded like she knew about everything, but it seemed she disliked Lilisha as well, considering the strong tone she used.

“My, even you too, Ms. Loki? Is there no one here who understands me?” Lilisha asked with a sullen look, trying to garner sympathy, but nobody was going to fall for such a transparent act...

...Except for one person. “Th-That’s not true. I want to be friends with you. They just don’t really understand you, but I’m sure as we spend more time together that we can all get along, Lilisha,” Alice proclaimed with a strange sense of tolerance. She took Lilisha’s hand in hers and looked her right in the eye.

“Th-Thank you, Ms. Alice.” Lilisha wiped her dry eyes with her finger as if overwhelmed with emotion. It looked like the ending to a schoolgirl drama where the misunderstanding got cleared up and everyone came together again.

“Oh, Alice... You’re always so easily fooled by these kinds of acts,” Tesfia said pointedly, as her shoulders drooped. Alus couldn’t help but agree with her this time. “Alice, it’s not like Lilisha actually wants to be friends. She just wants to be pretend friends, so don’t bother with her.”

At that, Lilisha complained with an unexpectedly serious expression, “There you go, leaving me out again. Why can’t we pretend to get along in spite of some circumstances and hidden agendas?!”

Alus and the others merely looked at her without saying anything, and she quietly added, “That ‘pretend’ was just a figure of speech.”

“I understand you!” Incidentally, the only one who seemed to “understand” Lilisha’s inner thoughts was a smiling Alice.

“Oh, well. Thanks for playing along with me, Ms. Alice.”

“What?” Alice looked at her with surprise and confusion.

“I love this kind of thing. Don’t you think it’s fun? Let’s do it again sometime.” Lilisha’s unapologetic tone probably revealed her true feelings.

“Do you even know what friends are?” Alus asked her.

“You’re going to ask that?” Tesfia retorted.

But from Alus’s point of view, Lilisha didn’t even seem to understand the meaning of the word. She was only saying “pretend” because she didn’t properly understand it. Like Alus and Loki, there was something off with Lilisha as well. Within noble society, the Frusevans were treated as pests. Alus thought he’d seen part of the reason why that was.

“I don’t want to be seen as some hick. Even I have friends. Like Mama and Papa.”

Everyone froze for a moment...and after exchanging looks, it was clear they all agreed that there was, at a minimum, something wrong with Lilisha’s personality. If she’d said that her only friend was the brother she mentioned from time to time, she could still pass as a little sister who only opened up to her brother. But of all things, she’d brought up her parents. Not even Alus was that out of touch with society. He couldn’t even bring himself to point out that parents didn’t count as friends.

“Still...to think you call your parents Papa and Mama. You have a surprisingly cute side, huh?” Tesfia said, for some reason embarrassingly scratching her cheek.

Lilisha recoiled like she’d taken a gut punch. Her face turned beet red. But in the next moment she shook off her shame and straightened her posture. The way her expressions changed so rapidly it was like her personality had an on-off switch.

In a complete change from her previous attitude, she stood straight up. “Congratulations on your return from Vanalis!” It was truly abrupt, not to mention that the region’s name was also still a military secret... Her blonde hair shook as she lowered her head and gave respect to Alus.

When he saw that, Alus was convinced that all nobles were weird. “I’d like to say thank you, but save it for Lettie.” At this point, he gave up on hiding it. In fact, since he hadn’t received any official thanks from the military, it even made him a little happy.

That said, it was unlikely that Lilisha was praising his abilities for real. It was obvious if you followed her gaze.

“Um, what? Vanalis?!” Tesfia, with her mouth agape, looked at Lilisha and Alus in turn, the confusion clear on her face.

Lilisha spoke up with a ridiculing smile. “Oh, fine. Since you’re an ignorant little first-year, I’ll tell you just this once, Fia. It would be sad if you felt left out after all.”

Seeing how Tesfia’s cheeks were flushing red with anger, Alus looked over at Loki to get her to step in and keep things from getting worse.

“Lilisha, that redhead’s brain might be empty, but we’d appreciate it if you wouldn’t start any trouble.”

Lilisha shrugged, composed now, and shut her mouth. Seeing that, Loki continued to state Alus’s will. “Do you understand too, Ms. Fia and Ms. Alice?”

“O-Okay,” Tesfia said. And Alice replied, “Yes.”

Holding up her forefinger, Loki began explaining it to the two girls with her expression full of pride. “As you might have picked up on, Sir Alus and I went to retake a certain region. To begin with, Sir Alus once retook Covent, but of all things, it was left unmaintained for a long time. It’s in the past now, but back then they just sent Sir Alus in to retake Covent with no plans for what to do with it afterwards. Once Governor-General Berwick took over, Alpha finally embarked on their quest to retake the Outer World, using Sir Alus’s feats and achievements as a springboard for it...”

The way Loki put him on a pedestal made it difficult for Alus to listen, but since he didn’t want to interrupt her either, he remained quiet.

“That’s why that place became much more important. It’s a key location for deploying troops in many different regions. It can also be used as a base in the Outer World in emergencies. And so, half a year ago, Lady Lettie was given the mission to reclaim it.”

“And that place was Vanalis?” Tesfia asked.

Loki nodded. “I will omit the details, but Sir Alus made a personal promise with Lady Lettie and ended up going out to help her.”

“And you succeeded as a result...?”

A pointless question. Alus could see why Lilisha made fun of Tesfia as he took over from Loki. “If we hadn’t, we wouldn’t have come back.”

“Oh,” Tesfia said. “Well, it is Alus.”

While it sufficed to convince Tesfia, Alus only wore a vague smile. Vanalis had been retaken, but there were still many questions left unanswered, so it was hard to be happy about it. Loki also knew this, but didn’t let it slip.

Alice raised her hand. In response, Loki adjusted non-existent glasses like she was a teacher and pointed to her. “Go ahead, Ms. Alice.”

“What kind of Fiends were there? How do you...retake a region...?” Towards the end, she realized she was touching on military secrets and hesitated. It was indeed a hard to answer question.

As such, Loki answered in Alus’s place. “Ms. Alice, I’m afraid I can’t tell you that. I’m sure there will be an official announcement eventually.”

“But even then it will just be an official notice, and it doesn’t necessarily have to be the truth.” Lilisha understood the inner workings of the military, so she got to the heart of the matter.

“You’re going to say that, Ms. Lilisha? Well, it wouldn’t be the first time,” Loki responded, unfazed as always.

Alus only shrugged. “That’s how it is. But I’ll tell you about the types of Fiends and tactics when I have some time.”

“But you can’t now? Is that because I’m here?” Lilisha’s expression darkened. At the same time, she looked strangely sad.

“You’ll just get the information from your brother anyway, won’t you? Besides, it’s pretty clear that you’ll just check whatever I say to confirm it’s valid, as well as get some extra information while you’re at it.”

“Oh, it looks like you saw right through me. But aren’t you going to play along?”

“If you’re done here, go home. You don’t have any intention of hiding it, and being observed isn’t anything fun.”

“Don’t be like that. Let me watch too. It’s not like observing is a big deal. It’s kind of a way to pass the time. If you like, I can tell my superiors whatever you want!” Lilisha’s tone was an odd mix of formal and casual, making it hard to tell how she intended to come off, but it was clear that she planned to stay.

She walked straight up to Alus. He couldn’t tell what exactly was catching her interest, but her eyes roamed all over the room with childish curiosity. Since she’d been looking around for a while, her behavior was easy to read.

“Please? I won’t get in the way of the training,” Lilisha begged, bringing her hands together.

Alus sighed and ultimately relented. “Do whatever you want.”

“Now this is what I’d expect from Alus’s room. State of the art research equipment, valuable documents... Ah, this is Lungdoberg’s magic theory! What?! Isn’t this the paper that caused a controversy at the academic conference?” Lilisha picked it up and furrowed her brow. “Not to mention that all of these books are rare. What’s going on?!”

“The Governor-General arranged it. It looks like you’re pretty learned. Normally people wouldn’t even know the names of these kinds of niche books.” Not even Alus had looked through all of the latest papers. At most, he decided what to read based on the title. Either way, they were all things that Alus already knew about, so there wasn’t much point in it.

“I only flip through anything that interests me. Even if I read them, I wouldn’t understand half of it.”

That was still impressive, and Alus didn’t hate that kind of approach. If anything, it was admirable.

Recently, Loki had started reading up on the difficult books Alus possessed, and had become able to at least discuss them. But because of his scholarly spirit, Alus tended to get carried away in such discussions, leading her to eventually give up.

Some of the books he read were considered heretical, so any discussions on those were even worse. Rare or not, they were the kind no serious researcher would even look at. “I wish Loki would learn a thing or two from you, but I’m surprised you even know of these.”

“Not to act high and mighty, but I am a noble after all. I’m receiving a fair amount of education, you know.”

Talking with Lilisha felt like a low-level discussion with a student, but her reading material was praiseworthy. Alus’s gaze naturally turned towards the other noble in the room.

“No, you’re just asking for too much,” Tesfia responded with fair reasoning.

“That’s right, so you don’t have to take them seriously, Fia,” Alice said. “Only the really weird researchers would even look at the books here.”

Alus had a thing or two he could say to that, but before he could refute her, he was beaten to the punch.

“Well, that is why Alus stands out among the researchers in the field of magic. Although that’s the extent of it, since he rarely uses his real name on his papers,” Lilisha said.

If she knew that much, Alus had no reason to say anything further. She’d done her research on him as much as she had on military information. Even so, Lilisha probably wouldn’t get in the way as long as something else caught her interest. In fact, if she was going to get into another petty quarrel with Tesfia, he’d prefer that she get distracted by taking a tour around the room.

But if by some strange turn of events I end up having to teach her... Well, I guess I wouldn’t mind just talking. Some minor worries sprouted in his heart, but Alus shook his head and denied them. He probably wouldn’t end up teaching or training her, but there was no need to be more antagonistic than usual. She could at least be a decent conversation partner.

For the time being, he wanted to avoid the situation of having to teach Lilisha magic... Alus inwardly steeled his resolve just in case.

Fortunately, that didn’t come about. Although ironically, his other worry about her causing trouble with Tesfia proved to be accurate.

After spending some time going through the laboratory, Lilisha glanced over at Tesfia, who was silently training. “Um, is that mana control training? I’ve been wondering about that for a while, and it might sound rude, but...can you seriously not do that? Do you understand the properties of mana?” Lilisha said with a straight face. It seemed she’d tired of looking around the room, and walked over to Tesfia to pick a fight. The edges of her lips lifted in a sadistic smile.

“I know that! Don’t get in the way,” Tesfia shouted back, but her tone weakened when she saw Lilisha show off her own mana control.

From what Alus could tell, her control was comparable to that of a Double Digit. For her to reach that level at her age, she must have practiced daily since childhood. In terms of pure mana control she might even surpass Loki.

Seeing how everyone was looking at her, Lilisha confirmed everyone’s reactions and then covered her mouth with one hand, using her other hand for mana control to produce a simple knife shape from her palm.

It was similar to the mana blade Alus often used. Its shape fixation was acceptable and there was probably nothing wrong with its durability or sharpness either. Most surprising was that she’d managed to do something so delicate with a single hand.

Magicmasters this skilled in mana control are rare. If anything, it seems like she specializes in shaping mana. It was a high level of mana control ability, but from what he could tell, she put more focus on the ability to freely shape mana rather than on efficient mana consumption. “What’s the matter, Fia? Why are you so surprised?”

“Ugh... O-Of course I’d be surprised! I’ve only seen Al do something like that!” Tesfia replied sharply, having been forced to admit to the difference in their abilities.

“What? I don’t get it.”

Loki frowned at that. “Ms. Lilisha, normal students can’t even control mana. Even their understanding of mana control is vague.”

“What, really?! This isn’t normal?”

“Even I can only give mana a shape for a short period of time without an AWR. I have to admit that it is impressive. Incidentally, giving shape to mana as an extension of the body is still impossible for me... For now, that is.”

The last bit Loki added showed her competitive nature. Either way, she was speaking the truth. Very few if any students truly understood mana and its properties or essence. Also, there was nobody other than Alus who could freely use it as a form of energy.

“I see. I’ll take that as a compliment. On the other hand, I’m a little lacking on the spell side of things,” Lilisha confessed with a wry smile. Admitting to her weakness was surprisingly frank of her. After all, Magicmasters rarely showed their hand.

As a result, the distance between her and the others closed a little. She could show a strange charm or friendliness in a way.

“You don’t have to take it as anything... I was being serious. I can only acknowledge your skill in mana control.”

Alus agreed. “Yeah, what Loki’s saying is the truth. Most people couldn’t compare to you in terms of magic shaping. You must have trained for a long time.”

Lilisha hadn’t expected to be praised so much when all she’d done was to tease Tesfia. Even Alus had seriously acknowledged her. She was dazed for a moment, before snapping out of it and looking away with red cheeks. Then she called out to Alice. “Ah, Alice! Did you know there’s a trick to extending how long you can control your mana?”

“R-Really?” Alice was being used as a way for Lilisha to hide her embarrassment, but the trick did grab her interest.

Like girls sharing make-up tips, Lilisha gave Alice advice and even began teaching her a few things. Since that could lead to further progress, Loki didn’t interfere, and actually joined in to give advice.

Hm, rather than teaching Lilisha anything, it seems I won’t have to do anything for a while , Alus thought to himself, as he watched over the harmonious girls.

However, there was a stubborn redhead to the side who was training on her own, refusing to join the group. Feeling like she was being left out, Tesfia tried to extend her mana some ways out from her body as Lilisha had done. That said, if she could do something like that already, there would be nothing left for Alus to teach her. If she had the skills for it, forming a mana blade wouldn’t be hard, but Tesfia was skipping several steps so there was no way she could do it now.

I can’t watch it. 

As Alus knitted his brow, Lilisha was doing something interesting with Alice. “There you go, you’re getting better. It’s impossible to grasp all of the mana in your body, so just imagine that there are evenly spaced points from your shoulders to your fingertips,” she explained. “Then try to feel the timing in which mana runs through those points. As you do that, you’ll eventually pick up the trick to it. You can feel where your mana is, and ultimately get a feel for the flow.”

While she spoke, Lilisha poked Alice’s arm as if dotting it. She also spoke loudly enough for Tesfia to hear. Tesfia seemed to be getting interested in it too.

“It’s true!”

“See? By doing this you can feel your mana running through you the way you want it to, and that will lead to a longer duration.”

That was an interesting approach. In the past Alus’d pinched Tesfia and Alice to make them more aware of the flow of mana, so this was sort of an application of that. It was a method he never would’ve thought up on his own.

“If it interests you so much, Fia, why don’t you try it too? Just take my word for it.” When Lilisha called out to Tesfia, it was clearly different from how she’d spoken to Alice. Her tone sounded a little condescending. As two nobles, there was some emotional gap at the root of their interactions.

“E-Eventually, maybe. I can do it if I put my mind to it too...”

Tesfia was still being stubborn, but Alice, who’d seen clear results, excitedly called out to her. “Lilisha’s amazing! You have to train a long time to be able to do this.”

Her unreserved praise properly made Lilisha feel embarrassed and happy.

Alice then turned to look at Alus. Feeling compelled to praise Lilisha, Alus shrugged and decided to go along with her. “It’s certainly an interesting method. It’s a never-ending challenge for anyone, but it usually takes more time for a person to get a knack for it.”

“See?” Alice turned back to Lilisha with sparkling eyes and a joyful smile.

“Y-You think so? Aha, maybe so! Yeah, I’m amazing! But to think I was this amazing... At some point I’ve become good enough to rival Alus!” Lilisha said, pretending to be overwhelmed. It was clear she was acting like she was getting carried away in order to hide her embarrassment.

“You’re not that good,” Loki said.

“Right,” Alice added.

Meanwhile, Lilisha fiddled with her hair, a light blush showing on her face. She was like a completely different person from the one who’d spoken before the students that day. It seemed she was pretty unused to compliments when she was being herself. She wasn’t good at keeping up appearances when she wasn’t on the job.

This girl is quite... Alus got the unexpected impression that Lilisha was surprisingly simple, despite her putting up such a complicated front.

Then Lilisha took a deep breath to try and recollect herself. “But I-I really am bad at spells, so it’s just a zero-sum situation.” Because of her excitement, she began gathering mana in her palm, even though she was inside Alus’s laboratory.

Noticing this, Alus called out to her to try to stop her reckless behavior, but with her high-level mana control it didn’t take her long to finish the spell.

Just as everyone held their breath—

A spray of water came out from Lilisha’s palm. It flew up about thirty centimeters towards the roof, before losing all momentum and splashing down on the floor. “See?” she said, sticking out her tongue a bit.

Alus stared blankly. “That’s certainly terrible.”

Everyone nodded in agreement. “You’re going to have to repeat a year if you’re like that.” Tesfia’s dumbfounded statement spoke for all in the room. The Second Magical Institute wasn’t low level enough that she’d be able to pass with that kind of skill.

I see. Berwick forced her in so she skipped the entrance exam, which is why she hasn’t been exposed yet. But this is getting interesting. It looks like his aim is going to miss the mark for once. Alus wore a sly grin.

Meanwhile, Loki showed a bright smile. “To be honest, I had my guard up around you, Ms. Lilisha. But it looks like I didn’t have to worry! It might be hard for you to move on to the next year, but I’m sure you’ll find your way in some other endeavor.”

“We’ve only known each other for a short while, but you still have a chance of getting into some other school.” Even Tesfia prodded at Lilisha with a pitying and compassionate look. That said, seeing as she was stifling a laugh at the same time, it was clear she was gloating.

Lilisha’s cheeks twitched in response to the comments.

After a moment, leaving Lilisha be, Alus glanced up from his research and noticed Tesfia continuing with her training. She had beads of sweat on her forehead, which might have looked unattractive to any onlookers. Night was already starting to set in, but her focus remained unbroken.

However, she had nothing to show as a result. Unable to watch anymore, Alus let out a deep sigh as he put his face in his hands for a moment, before he gave Tesfia some unnecessary advice. “Think of the shape you can most easily imagine. For starters, imagine tracing the outline of that shape.”

“...” Tesfia glanced over at him and nodded. She focused on gathering mana in the palm of her hand. The sheer amount of mana would put her in the top of the students in her year. Many noble students had high magic talents, but in terms of pure mana, Tesfia stood out.

Before long, mana came out of her hand like a haze. It recoiled against the power trying to suppress it, flowing out like a river.

“Looks like it’ll be a while before you can properly shape anything.” As soon as Alus said this, Tesfia’s undefined mana disappeared into the air. “Haah, haah, haah...” She bent over with her hands on her knees. Sweat ran from her forehead down to her cheeks.

That’s when she heard a laugh at her lack of results. Lilisha, still smarting from before, put a hand over her mouth to hide her big grin. “Alus went out of his way to teach you the trick, so shouldn’t you be able to do it by now? Maybe you just don’t have any talent for it?”

“Wh-What’s that supposed to mean—”

“Just as I said. You’re rash, emotional, and clumsy.” Lilisha must have seen this as a way to get back at her, as there was a lot of scorn in her words. “Well, if you’d like, I could thoroughly teach you. That should make it easier for you...and then in return, you can, you know, t-teach me magic... Okay?”

It seemed that Lilisha wanted to make a mutually beneficial exchange. But as she extended her hand with a smile, a sudden sound rang out. Tesfia had slapped her hand away.

And that in turn froze the atmosphere in the room. Lilisha’s eyes widened from surprise, but then she quickly said in an exaggerated tone, “Hey, that hurt!” She frowned as she rubbed the back of her hand.

“Oh, my. Pardon me. Are you okay? You’re not hurt, are you? There there, don’t cry.” Tesfia had an I-dare-you look as she stared at Lilisha. Following up with a sardonic laugh, it was like she was signaling the start of their battle.

“What are you going to do if you scratched my beautiful skin?! Unlike someone as crude as you, my skin’s smoothness is on a different level!”

“Oh dear, to think you’d get emotional over something like that. How improper. But this is a relief. Since our level of control is about the same, I’m sure I’ll be able to shape mana before long.”

Lilisha’s sense of rivalry flared up at that and she raised her voice. “Someone as stupid as you could never understand the essence of mana control. What do you even know about nobility? You don’t have a shred of refinement! I can imagine the pain the head of the Fable family must go through. And I’m sure Alus has a hard time having to teach someone like you.”

“Hm...?” The spotlight was suddenly turned on Alus, but he couldn’t deny it. In fact, it was the first time anyone other than Loki had understood his difficulties.

“Go on, Alus. Say it out loud for everyone to hear! Tell everyone how much trouble such a terrible pupil is causing you! Report to the Governor-General that there’s an obstacle hindering your life at the Institute!” Lilisha demanded with a feverish look, her usual aloofness and cynicism gone.

Before Alus could even say it was too late for that, Tesfia’s high-pitched voice rang out. “Al wouldn’t do that! And too bad! The Governor-General has already given his approval!” She boasted like she’d won. Actually, with her hands on her hips and her head thrown back, Tesfia looked like the real villain of the story.

That aside, while they were free to argue, Alus wasn’t satisfied with being assumed to be entirely on Tesfia’s side. Even so, this time he had to grin and bear it. Unfortunately, he was indeed the one who was teaching Tesfia. He was stuck with her, and it would be impossible to give up on her now.

After that, it was tit for tat as a shouting match began. From where Alus sat, it truly looked petty.

Tesfia was strong in these kinds of situations. As a result of her constantly being chastised by Alus at every turn, she’d become adept at skillfully exploiting her opponent’s weaknesses and had a wealth of sarcastic and abusive words at her disposal.

Lilisha may have had the upper hand in logic, but in an emotional battle like this, Tesfia was one step above. Ironically, her time with Alus had seen her grow in a different way.

Eventually Lilisha was at a loss for words, and Tesfia was convinced of her victory. With a cold smile she looked at Lilisha with pity. “Hmph, how the mighty have fallen. Your family weeps for you, Lilisha. Let’s just stop this here. It’s not worth it anymore.” She looked down on Lilisha like she was a pitiable fool, while pretending to look compassionate.

You didn’t have to be Lilisha to get irritated by Tesfia’s smug face. Alus was surprised by the way she was taking further shots at the loser. Hey, you’d better leave it at that... 

When he glanced at Lilisha, he could see her biting her lip and grinding her teeth. He shook his head as if saying that he’d told her so.

The next moment Lilisha shouted out loud, “I hate you! I bet you’re all talk and all you can do is swing that sword around without a lick of talent for magic! Y-Y-You stupid...meathead woman!” Her face was red.

It was nothing more than an emotional outburst. While she’d declared Tesfia to be a meathead, she wasn’t strictly correct. True, Tesfia preferred to move her body as opposed to using her head, but the main use of her sword-shaped AWR wasn’t to swing it around.

That said, fault-finding wasn’t really the point of Lilisha’s outburst. The two were worse than cats and dogs. It was like mixing two chemicals together and getting a powerful reaction, though from Alus’s point of view it was just a student-level argument.

Nobles really are a handful , he casually thought to himself, as he scratched his head. It felt like children fighting, but to the girls themselves it was a serious deal. It was rare though to see two people hate each other so much after only knowing each other for a short period of time, so that was interesting in itself.

A fight between rare breeds like this wasn’t something you got to see every day. In that sense, Alus made sure to watch from a distance so he wouldn’t get involved.

Their fight looked like it would go on for a while longer, but Loki clapped her hands together as if she had a great idea. “Then how about having a duel?”

Alus felt it was sudden, but then reconsidered, and realized it was surprisingly acceptable. A duel might sound like a battle between children of two noble families with family honor on the line, but Loki was merely suggesting a simple fight to set things straight. In other words, it would be like a normal mock battle.

“I have no objections!” Tesfia said.

“Of course, neither do I!” Lilisha said.

The two girls jumped on the suggestion, making it official. Thinking about it, it almost did sound like the most noble way to settle their pointless fight. Some grudges might remain, but it would be far better than the continuation of their quarrel.

Alice wasn’t used to these kinds of things, so she was flustered, but Alus didn’t want any more trouble in his laboratory.

“I could ask for nothing more! It’ll be over soon anyway. It’s time for this sheltered princess to learn what the pavement tastes like,” Lilisha provokingly said, rubbing her index finger against her open palm.

“Don’t come crying like a baby to me after you’ve lost,” Tesfia replied with a coarse grin and a thumb pointed at the ground.

It was starting to shape up to be quite the spectacle. If they sold tickets, they could make a fortune...but putting those thoughts aside, it was clear that family honor and face had been abandoned long ago.

Loki quickly signaled Alus with her eyes, and waited until she received his nod. “Then it’s decided. We will hold it when we can get some time on the training grounds. I will be in touch with the actual date, so let’s leave it at that for today.”

The two girls nodded at Loki’s courteous suggestion. Then both announced at the same time that they were going home. As they realized their voices were overlapping, they exchanged glares and looked away from one another. They had terrible chemistry but somehow still matched each other perfectly.

Since the two didn’t want to walk out the door at the same time, Alus read the room and called Tesfia over, giving Lilisha an excuse to leave first.

Once Lilisha was gone, Loki whispered into his ear, “Sir Alus, now we can get a look at what Ms. Lilisha can do.”

“?!” Alus was astounded. Loki could be quite shrewd. Sure, she hadn’t been the one who’d fueled the flames, but she’d come up with the duel idea for this opportunity. In other words, she wanted to learn what her enemy could do.

As for Alus, he’d thought Loki had only tried to resolve the situation by appealing to their youth...expecting them to clash as rivals and in the process come to an understanding, and then form a bond of friendship.

That was the ideal of youth that he’d imagined, and what he’d thought Loki was looking for, but... Yeah, this has nothing to do with youth. If anything, he sensed adult trickery at work.

Suddenly he recalled when Tesfia had demanded a duel with him. True, that had been the start of some sort of relationship with her, but he would never admit that it was the start of a friendship. Either way, it’s completely pointless. If possible, I’d like to be left out of it from here on. 

As Alus grumbled internally, Alice reached out to pat the redheaded animal that was always moved by her emotions.

“Alice, I’m sorry...”

“Oh, there’s no helping you, Fia.”

It seemed Tesfia had calmed down and reflected on her actions. However, Alus couldn’t keep himself from voicing a cutting remark. “Feel free to be hot-blooded, but keep it out of my room. And to have a duel of all things... At least keep it within the realm of what students would do.”

“I know that... I’m sorry for making things awkward. Well, neither Lilisha nor I am that serious.”

“Really? Even if you’re not, she might be.” Alus looked dubious.

But Tesfia only huffed and puffed. “Of course not! We were just playing around. Besides, it’s not bad for students to get a feel for each other, although I’m going to be the one who wins. I’ll make her taste the sand of the training grounds she loves so much!”

He was at a loss for words. She had looked like she’d calmed down for a moment, only to show what a sore loser she was in the next. Alus began to think that she just wanted to make the girl she disliked surrender by force.

Tesfia wore a smug face as she prematurely declared victory, but Loki was quick to retort, “The floor of the training grounds isn’t sand.”

“I-I know that! It’s all about enthusiasm.”

“Is that so... Either way, it looks like it’s going to be a pointless contest.”

“Wha—?! You were the one who suggested we have a duel in the first place!” Tesfia fumed.

But that’s when Alice shifted her stance to agree with Loki. “Well, it’s probably going to be just like Loki dear says. Fia’s bad side came out here, but both of you were being immature.”

Her unexpected words made Tesfia panic and retort, “I-It’s fine! I’ll just bring her to the verge of tears. You saw her spell, right? It’ll be easy!”

“I don’t think it’ll be that easy,” Loki returned with a scornful look. “I just hope you’re not going to be the one on the verge of tears.”

Tesfia groaned. Even though Lilisha couldn’t properly construct a spell, her mana control was impressive. Seeing the tide turning against her, she attempted to change topics and glanced at Alus. “Th-That aside, you stopped me when I was trying to leave. Is there something you want?”

The primary reason he’d stopped her was because he couldn’t take Tesfia and Lilisha trying to leave at the same time. That said, it wasn’t like he didn’t have anything to say. “I guess. Well, let’s have some tea first. We can talk after that.” Alus signaled Loki, who began preparing the tea.

Moments later, once everyone had a cup in hand, Alus saw that the mood had calmed down and casually began speaking. “So, Fia, the Fable family has hidden arts, doesn’t it? Are there several types of them?”

“Hm,” Tesfia said after a pause. “I’m not sure where this is going?”

Seeing her furrow her brow, Alus clicked his tongue in his mind, realizing it had been too sudden. His first attempt had completely failed. With Loki’s cold stare boring into his back, he cleared his throat with a dry cough. “Well, uh, I was thinking about new spells. I was wondering if I could find any good ideas for developing new spells for you guys. Like with the spell for Alice, where I used an application of an already existing spell. Fia, you have spells handed down in your family, so if it’s something in the same style as that, it should be easy to handle.”

“Like Icicle Sword, for example.”

“That’s right,” Alus confirmed, with Loki’s added help. He wanted to look around the hidden arts of noble families like Berwick had touched on, but stepping in too deep would get him caught up in their situations. So being cautious was necessary to avoid any trouble.

With that in mind, he had already analyzed the magic passed down in the Fable family to a degree. For example, the spell Zepel that he’d taught her was an evolution of the formula for Icicle Sword. Icicle Sword was advanced, but it wasn’t an unimaginably difficult spell.

However, its construction was unnaturally complex for an advanced-level spell. In other words, it intentionally left room for development to the next level, which was why it had been comparatively easy for Alus to build up Zepel after seeing Icicle Sword.

But there was one thing he realized. The hidden arts passed down in noble families—which he’d thought was nothing more than a way for nobles to kill time—might actually contain unknown potentials.

“I wonder,” Tesfia said. “I doubt my mother would say so easily. Honestly, I haven’t even heard about any next step kind of thing, like from Icicle Sword to Zepel.”

Seeing how Frose had acted around Tesfia, Alus kind of got that feeling too. If he considered that not telling the daughter of inherited magic might be an old noble custom, it started to make sense. In fact, being hidden arts, it would be dangerous and irrational to teach someone who had no chance of learning it.

So I’ll need to turn to my last resort...asking her directly. While it might sound impossible, Alus was currently the top Single Digit Magicmaster, and as a former member of the military he might be able to negotiate with Frose somehow.

While he pondered this, he asked Tesfia another question. “Speaking of that, Fia...the Fable family focuses on molding the ice attribute. It’s an odd approach, but are there any other spells born from unique ideas like that? Say, like something environment altering...?” He was thinking of the snow man, who’d used a spell with a huge range that had transformed Vanalis into a world of silver.

“Environment altering? Wouldn’t that be as hard as your Niflheim? No way, or at the very least, I’ve never heard of it. We combine magic and swordsmanship. That’s why my AWR is an heirloom sword.”

“I guess so.” Even Alus felt like he’d missed the mark. If he went and met with Frose, he wouldn’t want to come home empty-handed after an annoying negotiation.

“Oh, wait! It’s not a tradition or anything, but the previous generation in the Fable family was known as the best swordsmanship family. Was there a term for environment-altering magic back then?”

“No, it’s a relatively recent designation.” Magic was constantly developed and expanded upon, with previously unknown fields opening up, which led to new designations. The Fable family’s previous generation was a few decades ago. Back then, expert-level magic wasn’t even a designation. With the distinctions in magic being in that state, the concept of environment-altering magic wouldn’t have existed.

“I see. But I think my mother is still hiding something. I feel like I’ve heard something to that effect when I was a child. And I think there are more spells handed down to the head of the family than just Icicle Sword. Well, maybe I misheard it.”

Her casual way of speaking implied that her memory wasn’t to be relied on. Despite her family, Tesfia was a student who worked to cover everything other than tuition and living in the dorm. She was a noble daughter, working student or not, but she had a strong sense of independence. She’d also made a bet with her mother and was continuing her student life after winning that bet.

She had carved her future open with her own powers. Thinking about it, her relationship with her mother was so strained that she’d come to the Institute on her own. Apparently she hadn’t thought that she could rely much on her family to begin with.

I guess digging too much into that previous generation might be a bit insensitive. Alus thought about it again. That snow man was using precise coordinate calculations with his own position as an axis in his magic. It resembled summoning spells and was similar to Zepel. They were the same in that they use coordinates as the base of the composition. 

Alus thought this because Zepel worked by using coordinates to freely control a summoned sword of ice. The ice sword the man had used had a complicated construct that interfered with coordinates. In addition to the ice attribute, Zepel had more things in common with the spell the snow man had used. Although that might just be a coincidence.

Seeing Tesfia tilt her head with a suspicious look, Alus spoke again. “Well, I think it might be best to go meet with your mother. I was a bit careless with Zepel, but your mother could have objections to me teaching you spells. It would be bad for your reputation if you kept learning strange spells with mysterious origins, especially if I take into account making any new spells.” He conjured up a plausible excuse to go visit the Fable family.

However, Tesfia ignored his intentions and leaned over his desk with sparkling eyes. “A new spell?! What kind? Like Niflheim? Please tell me the name at least! Like Niflheim, or Niifeelheim...or maybe it’s Heimnifl?!” It appeared that Niflheim was the number one spell that she wanted to learn.

“Talk about being blatant. It’s almost refreshing.” Loki was put off by Tesfia’s excitement.

Even Alice looked exasperated. That said, she was a student and novice Magicmaster too, so new spells caught her interest as well. “Fia’s Niflheim aside, will you really teach us new spells now? Have we finally reached the next stage?”

Seeing both girls’ sparkling eyes, Alus regretted bringing up the topic of new spells. But it wasn’t a complete lie, since he did already have a few ideas in his mind.

Refusing might be for the best, but it would be an interesting research subject, and it wouldn’t be that hard for him to give shape to the ideas in his head. In some ways, he resented his own brain. “Well, once I’ve finished my own business...”

After those words left his mouth, he sensed the passionate stare of yet another person. So he resigned himself to his fate. “Fine, I’ll think up something for you too, Loki.” He’d copied down some formulas while browsing the taboo subjects, so it was already too late. It was almost like he could predict the future.

“Thank you very much, Sir Alus.”

With such a bright smile being directed his way, he wouldn’t be able to take it back. It was something he would’ve had to do at some point anyway, but he’d wanted to push it back as much as possible. Like homework for summer vacation, a new task fell into his lap.

***

A few days later...Alus and Loki were properly attending class, and training Tesfia and Alice. They were settling back into their normal routine.

Like he had somewhat expected, his position in the Institute had been protected. At the very least, nobody knew that he was the current ranked No. 1. People regarded him as someone with a promising future who performed menial tasks for the military. That was unusual but not unheard of at the Second Magical Institute with its deep connection to the military. In fact, Felinella was also working with the military, albeit under her father.

The opinions of the fight Alus had on the training grounds had split into two camps. One side thought it was excellent for a first-year student, putting him rather high up in the Institute. The other opinion was that he was far beyond the level of a student, on par with Double Digits. To further back that up, Loki, who was known to be a Triple Digit Magicmaster, was following him around, and this further bolstered the imaginations of those who had seen the fight.

Although this was closer to the truth, very few held this opinion. That was in large part thanks to Lilisha. Despite being a transfer student, she had the look of a noble with character, as well as—apparently—the principal’s trust, and the influence of having a brother who was in the military. All of that combined to make her the most well-informed person on campus, always at the center of gossiping students.

Just like when she’d helped Alus out, she was skillfully controlling the rumors. Alus couldn’t tell if this had been Berwick’s intention, but he was grateful for it.

Moreover, the students tended to worship Felinella Socalent as a goddess. With the hero Vizaist as her father, her good manners, and excelling at both literary and military arts, she was near perfect and many believed there couldn’t be anyone who surpassed her. That was mostly because the students were young.

As a result, even if they did somehow recognize that Alus’s hidden powers exceeded their limited imaginations, it didn’t feel real. Thanks to that, Alus’s campus life remained peaceful.

However, there were a few changes. For example...

“Hello, Alus, Loki. Teach me how to study sometime!” Students passing by would call out to them like this from time to time. That would’ve been unthinkable in the past. Ciel had probably been the only one eccentric enough to approach someone as unsociable as Alus.

Likewise, Loki was no longer being observed from a distance by the students, as she’d turned into something of an Institute celebrity. If Alus took his eyes off her for a second, it wasn’t unusual for her to be surrounded by female students talking about how beautiful her hair was or how she looked like a doll. She was being treated as a mascot, although Alus felt he was partially responsible for that.

Loki had been troubled by it at first, but lately she’d gotten better at dealing with them. Alus told himself that it was fine. He could feel that Lilisha was pulling some strings behind the scenes, maybe as part of their pretending to be students.

While in public, Alus lost track of what kind of a person Lilisha was. Just when he thought he’d seen her true colors the other day, she would wear the face of a noble lady in front of the students. Even today, she was gossiping with her classmates, and he felt strange when he saw her laughing brightly as she chatted with the others.

She looks like a normal student when she’s like this. She could still be putting on an act, but he didn’t think she was forcing herself to go through with her daily life in the Institute.

***

No matter the time or place, those with status were seen as being at the top, and important people preferred high places. The same was true for the Second Magical Institute.

The view from the top had changed a lot in the past few years. Just from a glance, there were several new buildings, including research buildings for the teachers. The fact that specialized teachers were employed here was one reason, but this was also one of the nation’s research institutions.

The library on campus was the largest in the nation. There were also many books on special subjects that were only available there, so constructing research buildings on the campus grounds was the logical conclusion for the convenience of the researchers and teachers. Not only were there former military members among the teachers, but also famous researchers who published numerous papers. The Second Magical Institute was a fantastic center of magic research in addition to being a great educational institution.

The principal’s office was at the top of the main building, and the office’s owner happened to be in. Sisty removed her coat, having just returned from being off-campus, and slumped down on her sofa.

It was noon and the Institute was buzzing with students eating their lunches. Sisty let out an exhausted sigh, and poured herself a cup of water from a pitcher. After gulping it down, she looked out the large window at the end of her desk.

As the principal of the Institute that trained the Magicmasters who would carry humanity into the future, she was very busy. It wouldn’t be too hard on her if she could only focus just on that, but some of the problems burdening her went beyond her role as principal. In fact, most of them did.

For example, as a result of the Institute being funded by the military, it was necessary to make various adjustments out of consideration for their mutual relationship. It was also Sisty who had to do most of the work regarding Berwick’s deals with Alus. She had to soothe the teachers who didn’t know why Alus got preferential treatment, and in some cases she needed to cover up the fact that he was getting that treatment in the first place.

Then there was the chaos with the incident with Godma, and the campus festival, so questions about the Institute’s safety were being brought up. She’d only just finished the paperwork to increase the Institute’s guard staff.

Many of the students were sons and daughters of nobles, so the problems weren’t just with the students but their parents and relatives as well. Most were fine students, but some arrogantly made use of their parents’ status to act as they pleased. Sisty always strove to treat everyone appropriately, but if she slipped up, she ran the risk of creating a huge scandal.

The reason she remained the principal was thanks to her career. Sisty Nexophia wasn’t only a former Single and one of the Three Pillars, but at present she was also considered nobility. The ruler gave her the title of being the official first head of the Nexophia family.

That said, she had little interest in it. The weight of her name was nothing more than one of the medals that generals wore on their chest. It was just a nice-looking badge. She would throw it away at a moment’s notice to protect something important.

In noble society, every family joined a faction belonging to one of the three great noble families. But Sisty wasn’t part of any of them. She was friendly with the Socalent and Fable families, but remained politically neutral.

Speaking of Socalent...she had some business with the head of the family today. “I wanted to call Vizaist, but once he goes underground it’s impossible to find his whereabouts.” In that regard, no one was as suitable for intelligence work as him. She tended to have his daughter Felinella intermediate, but not even she could get in touch with him.

Socalent was the head of one of the three great noble families, but his image was far removed from that of a normal noble. He was always at the forefront in the military, bold and sturdy, but as in the past, he was also unconventional and unpredictable.

“Perhaps I should ask Frose...” Sisty was thinking about the transfer student, Lilisha Ron de Rimfuge Frusevan. She’d had Loki as a previous example, but she wasn’t sure what Berwick was thinking when he’d pushed Lilisha onto the Institute.

But since he’d also said that it was the ruler’s will, there was no guarantee that Frose would know about it. And even if she did know, it was more than possible that she wouldn’t say.

At this rate, however, it was going to turn into a mess. That was what her instincts told her. Without the necessary defenses in place, she was unlikely to weather the coming storm. And with the ruler Cicelnia’s name being brought up, Sisty couldn’t afford to be complacent.

Cicelnia was known to be sharp, and rumor had it she wasn’t afraid to make ruthless decisions behind the scenes. She didn’t hesitate to use an iron fist and manipulate from the shadows for the sake of national interest or to improve the health of internal affairs, although this was just something that was said between the higher-ups.

Ever since her inauguration, Cicelnia had enjoyed intense support from the common citizens. And she showed not even a fragment of that dark side, so if it was true, it just meant she was all the more cunning.

Sisty had no evidence for these rumors, even with her personal contacts. It was impossible for her to find out the truth of the ruler’s heart. Former Single or not, a mere principal of an institute couldn’t casually meet with the ruler. Even a current Single like Lettie needed an appointment first.

Nevertheless, there was no doubt that Cicelnia was largely responsible for what Alpha was today. Hidden behind her beauty was a frighteningly astute judgment along with the decisive ability to carry it out. She looked only at national interest and logic, cutting and throwing out anything useless, which had turned Alpha into a prosperous nation. The nation’s reputation as a magical powerhouse and the Institute growing as large as it had was thanks to her.

Berwick’s current position was also due to Cicelnia’s authority, which was why he most likely had to make way if the ruler wanted to push something through.

In that sense, Cicelnia’s intentions had all been successful and produced good results. And now that she’d solidified the foundation of the nation, her next step would be...

No, I’m just overthinking it. But I heard lately that Lady Cicelnia is devoting her time to negotiating for the mining of mithril. 

During the Friendship Magical Tournament, Alpha’s best had eliminated the greatest threat to humanity—the Devourer—outside Balmes’ border. They’d done this after Balmes’ army had all but been destroyed, and Cicelnia of course knew that Alus had been part of it.

The deposit was still outside of Balmes’ border, and it was possible to extract high-purity mithril from it. As someone with an eye for national interests, Cicelnia would want a part of it.

It was unclear under what circumstances Alus and the others had been sent out, but Sisty had a good idea. Thanks to Alus, working out the rights to the mithril should be progressing just as Lady Cicelnia expects. But as to why she turned her eyes to inside our borders... 

Sisty could tell that Lilisha had been transferred to the Institute as part of some far-reaching strategy, but she wasn’t sure how it was all connected.

She had gone out to find that information. However, with her busy schedule and inability to leave the Institute for too long, she’d only had a short amount of time for it.

While it may have been Cicelnia’s will, it had gone through Berwick. Sisty trusted him to a degree, not to mention that the military had invested and cooperated with the Institute quite a bit. In return, the excellent novice Magicmasters and new discoveries in magic were highly valuable to the military, which was why Sisty ultimately concluded that Berwick wouldn’t do anything that would negatively impact the Institute.

It might even be Berwick’s own ambitious plans at work. He’d mentioned once that he was thinking of the Magicmasters who would come after them. I wish he’d take me into consideration. The smile on Sisty’s face, as she thought back to that moment, seemed to ask just what he thought people were.

Lettie, for example, was blatantly disgusted when she’d found out that Berwick had gotten Sisty involved for the sake of avoiding risk. Sisty grinned when she recalled how Lettie had described him as heartless. If, at that time, Lettie had seriously asked her how long her plan had been in the making, Sisty would’ve lightly brushed it off as not a big deal. Just like how she’d answered when asked why she’d stepped down as a Single.

However, in order to carry that out, Berwick needed to be Alpha’s Governor-General and Sisty needed to be the Institute’s principal. The Institute functioning as it did now, by taking in the children of nobility, was part of Berwick’s intentions.

One example was the system of having all the students live in the dorms. This was intended to cut them off from the bad habits and warped views of the old nobility. Likewise with a certain thing beneath the Institute that Sisty was managing.

But even these experienced and thought-out plans were just another form of insurance to Berwick. So if the situation didn’t call for it, it would just end up being an unnecessary precaution. However, with Alus enrolling at the Institute and starting to grow accustomed to it, everything seemed to be working out just as Berwick had planned.

It would take more than just the military though to envision such grand plans. It would take the existence of someone who was smart as well as visionary enough to use their ideas and powers from a different position than Berwick’s.

Sisty could only imagine one person who fit that description...Cicelnia. She had put Berwick in his current position, and she might even be looking at the future in a wider scope than he was.

When she had that thought, Sisty shuddered a little. But no matter what unknown movements were taking place, as the principal she at least wanted to know what might happen and make preparations.

For the time being, she would analyze which factors she could predict and try to get a grasp on the situation. “There’s definitely a problem with the Frusevans behind Ms. Lilisha. Knowing their relationship with the Fable family, it wouldn’t be strange for there to be some fighting.”

As far as Sisty knew, the Frusevan family was a special one that was at the head of Aferka, the executive unit. “I wonder if Aferka is functional even now.” She only knew of the organization from back when the power struggles between nobles were raging. The sparks of the conflict even reached the ruler. The result was that the mother organization of Aferka that served as a private army for the nobility was reorganized into an executive force directly under the ruler.

In order to put down the conflict between nobles, the ruler at the time made ruthless use of the blade known as Aferka. Specifically, many nobles were killed in a purge. At that time, they were less an executive unit and more of a hit squad. That was what she’d been able to tell about the hidden history concerning the Frusevans, Aferka, and the ruler, from checking the Institute library and whatever databases she could access.

And there was one more thing... She’d met with a living witness. That had been her main goal. Unfortunately, because of all the pompous behavior and putting on of airs, the real important discussion had to be saved for next time.

“Well, I suppose they were lonely and wanted to see their old disciple again... My teacher can be so terrible. I guess I wasn’t the best disciple either.” Sisty suddenly realized something and smiled bitterly. A rash disciple was one who was more likely to grow. And also that what goes around, comes around.

Thinking back, it was hard to say that she’d been blessed by her disciples herself. And speaking of bad behavior, her former disciple Lettie had caused her quite a bit of trouble. Recently, the biggest problem child was that boy. His very existence was an irregularity, and it was almost like trouble went out of its way to find him.

Although in reality he was also helping Sisty out behind the scenes, so it wasn’t all bad. But she couldn’t take her eyes off him since he was such a problem child. It was a cute side of him, but then again she wasn’t much better...

She exhaled. With a distant look in her eyes, she suddenly came up with an idea. I know, why don’t I just try asking Alus? She put her finger on her chin and considered it. It wasn’t a bad idea. He had a higher rank than Lettie, so arranging a meeting with Cicelnia would surely go much smoother.

Alus’s existence was priceless even to the ruler of a nation. Watching Berwick’s movements, it was easy to imagine that Cicelnia had used him during the Friendship Magical Tournament to expand Alpha’s influence. Besides, as far as Sisty knew, there was no Magicmaster with a strange mask named Ulhava. And considering the show he’d put on, there could only be one person behind that mask.

Knowing Alus, there was no way he’d go along with such a farce just because the ruler wanted it. She didn’t know what kind of deal they’d made, but from Berwick’s moves it seemed that even the ruler had to negotiate with him, which was why Sisty couldn’t bluntly refuse him.

As she entertained these ideas, she spotted her cologne on the shelf. She let out a sigh of resignation. In the past she’d made an attempt at seduction, only to have it completely backfire on her. “I can’t. If I asked him, the negotiation would be too much work.”

In the end, she decided to do what she could and make preparations for the patterns she could anticipate. She wasn’t a godlike being capable of seeing all the pawns in play at once, after all.

Her shoulders slumped. In hopes of refreshing herself, she walked to the window and continued to think as she put her finger on her lip. “Now then, what should I do? Hm? Hmmmm?!”

Sisty held her breath. At the entrance to the main building she saw three figures. In front was a boy, with two followers slightly behind him. She didn’t recognize the male follower, but the names of the boy and his female follower popped into her head. And when she saw them, her cheeks twitched. And of course they would, considering the circumstances.

“This is the worst. Why would that troublesome son of Womruina, the last of the three great noble families, decide to attend lessons now of all times?!”