Saikyou Mahoushi no Inton Keikaku (LN) - Volume 18 - Chapter 102

One Hundred-Second Chapter: The Pure Queen of Ice

I-I thought it was finally time for an all-out battle! 

A bead of sweat dripped down from Tesfia’s forehead as she stood aghast in the center of the field.

But no one could blame her.

Now that the Orbs had been located on both sides, the next step in the Orb Struggle would normally be an all-out clash. But the appearance of the Jurai on Aile’s team had thrown a wrench into those plans. Its umbrella of lightning neutralized any sort of clever little tricks, and it appeared to be an impregnable fortress.

Meanwhile, Aile and the summoner were safely within the protection of the Jurai, requiring no other guards. With that, all other members of the team could join the offensive.

Tesfia’s side had predicted that Aile’s team was planning something. That was why Alus, their strongest player, and Miltria, an unknown, had been given the role of acting on their own as attackers.

Yet that plan was falling apart in the face of the Jurai.

I can’t believe that’s within the rules of the game! How many normal Guardians would you need to make up for that?! thought Tesfia.

The Jurai was like a fortress of lightning that had suddenly appeared on the enemy’s side of the field, and Tesfia ground her teeth as she stared at it.

Lilisha’s announcement had revealed how the enemy had accomplished such a thing, but Tesfia still couldn’t believe it. The imposing appearance of the Jurai was just that impactful. Compared to it, the versatile Guardians that Alus had prepared looked like paper soldiers.

“Young lady! With the enemy’s attack our Guardian isn’t going to last any longer!” Cicero reported in a fluster.

“I know, just hold on a little longer! Roderich squad, once the summon is undone, set up a new summoner and call forth a new Guardian!” Tesfia answered calmly.

While she’d studied the Tenbram as best she could, that was just a stopgap measure.

As a student there was no way she would be able to command as well as her mother, a former military commander.

During this exchange, another two defenders ran out of artificial HP and fell to their knees as they were removed from the list of allies.

Al! ...Are you still not back yet?!

Alus was supposed to be fighting against Orneus, but it was taking much longer than expected. After ascertaining Orneus’s strength, Alus was supposed to either defeat him or shake him off to return to the front.

Offense was more advantageous than defense in the Orb Struggle, which was why Tesfia had been the one to suggest that Alus moved freely.

However...that idea must have been too naive. The rule of artificial HP with the use of the bracelet device had put a limit on Alus, who would be unbeatable otherwise.

Perhaps that shackle had been much heavier than she’d expected. Not knowing about Orneus’s special ability or his use of Chemical Boost, Tesfia started blaming herself.

Did I over-rely on him without realizing it?! Phew, that’s right. Al is still a human. I need to do my best too!

Before she realized it, the contest was turning one-sided and her allies were falling apart.

“Lord Bronche is at his limit. Bring out another summoner!”

Tesfia gave a signal to the Roderich squad that was part of the defensive formation. They didn’t answer, but one of the less exhausted members retreated to the Orb.

“Now!” Tesfia ordered as an enemy spell caused the fire tortoise to disappear and the Orb fell to the ground.

There was a time limit until a new Guardian could be summoned, and combined with the time it would take to construct the spell, it would take dozens of seconds. During that time, the Orb would be completely defenseless.

“Defend, to the last...”

At those words, the enemy offensive increased and the Roderich squad was surrounded and about to be wiped out.

“Roderich, fall back!”

Tesfia firmly gripped her katana, Kikuri, and held it above her head. Without even being aware of it, she had already poured more than enough mana into her AWR.

“‹‹Icicle Sword››”

Immediately, a massive sword of ice appeared in the air and slammed into the ground like a wall to separate the enemy and Roderich squad.

The enemies sensed the spell, and they weren’t mere common soldiers. A group of Magicmasters with the same affinity chanted a spell and brought forth crimson flames with their intermediate-level spell.

“““‹‹Flame Burst››”””

The Roderich squad took cover behind the Icicle Sword, but it wasn’t enough to block all of the flames. A couple of members weren’t able to completely hide behind the Icicle Sword, and their HP was slashed. Their devices glowed red to show that they were reaching a dangerous level.

Meanwhile, the Icicle Sword’s blue blade was melting from the fire. The group of enemy Magicmasters grinned and turned their attention to Tesfia as they chanted.

Just as Tesfia had braced herself for the end, Roderich shouted, “Young lady, please forgive this being my last move! This is a do-or-die situation!”

He raised his arms up high and gathered as much mana as the bracelet would allow, before slamming his hands down into the ground.

“‹‹Grand Veil››”

Just as Icicle Sword was destroyed, a wall of earth rose up from the ground to block the coming flames. Created in the nick of time, it spread out to protect Tesfia and the Orb as well. Making use of his ability to use two attributes, Roderich followed up with chanting an ice spell.

“‹‹Frost Pillar››”

Spears of ice and earth shot out at the enemy Magicmasters from the ground at their feet, blowing them away before they could fire a second spell.

Breathing heavily, he turned to Tesfia, his face pale. “Haah, haah, haah...y-young lady, please—”

But before he could tell her to retreat, he was struck by lightning that fell from the sky.

In an instant, he lost all of his HP and collapsed.

Tesfia knew that lightning spell. It was the same as the Lightning Ray that Loki used.

Naturally, it was weaker due to the restrictions of the device, but it was enough to knock out Roderich, who was also suffering from mana exhaustion.

It had been fired by what appeared to be the leader of the attacking squad. Seeing his fearless expression as he approached, Tesfia made her decision right away.

“Ugh...fall back! Get some distance to buy time!”

They naturally needed to get back on their feet, but she also wanted to buy time in the hope that their ace, Alus, would return. But the moment Tesfia gave her orders, the female Magicmaster who was trying to summon their new Guardian screamed as she was blown away.

Tesfia saw the man from before with his hand stretched out. He had fired a powerful lightning bolt from his hand. Having been cornered, with no time to spare, Tesfia reached out towards the Orb instead of the female Magicmaster.

Fortunately, enough time had passed to allow for a new summon, so in the next moment, a Guardian was called forth. What appeared was a wind-attribute rabbit that specialized purely in evasion.

It had very little durability and it wasn’t even the element that Tesfia had an affinity for. It was frankly rather unreliable, but it was the only thing that Tesfia could instantly summon in the moment.

Next, Tesfia designated Lord Bronche as the leader over a couple of people to serve as the rearguard through eye contact. She gave them an apologetic glance before running away with the Guardian.

She weaved her way through the woods.

Tesfia breathed heavily. They should have returned to their own side of the field by now. I can’t sense any enemies nearby either, so even if they gave chase, they must have lost me...

That was when she heard the sound of rustling leaves and a nearby presence.

“A...Al?!” Tesfia turned around with a smile to look at the levelheaded boy.

“I finally found you, Fia. Well, I figured that you’d return here if you were trying to buy time. I got sick of waiting.”

“Ah...?!” Tesfia gasped.

Standing in front of her wasn’t Al, but Aile von Womruina in formal wartime attire.

“A-Aile! Why are you here?! This is...”

“That’s right, this is the depths of your territory. And you’ve been advancing the front line with even the commander in tow, extending your search area to its fullest. Normally there’d be no way for me to come all this way without being discovered by anyone.”

Aile wore a composed smile. “But here I am. The answer is very simple. I was never discovered by anyone on your team.”

“B-But how...? You mean that even Al and Ms. Miltria missed you?! Is there some kind of secret tunnel?!”

“Not at all. However, Alus was on the right side of the field, and Miltria was on the left, dealing with Orneus and Cicila. So I just boldly made my way through the middle.”

“But we were in the middle!”

Tesfia furrowed her brow, but Aile acted nonchalantly.

“I’m in a great mood right now, so I’ll tell you. The source of transmission of this bracelet is the user’s mana. Its mapping functions the same way, and so does the base for the detection...so what would happen if someone who wasn’t even a Magicmaster was to wear it?”

“What?! Th-That’s not possible.”

“But it is. It’s common sense that everyone who takes part in the Tenbram is a Magicmaster or someone who can control mana. But I am the only exception. I am probably the only civilian in the Tenbram’s history.”

Tesfia was shocked speechless by the confession. While he might not have attended much at all, Aile was a student of the Second Magical Institute, and he was a son of the Womruina family, one of the most distinguished in all of Alpha. Was it really possible for him to have no talent as a Magicmaster?

Yet it was the truth.

Tesfia had no way of knowing it, but the testers had been bought out without Sisty knowing, and Aile had cleared all tests by either using a stand-in or using fake data. He didn’t think a diploma from the Institute would be worth anything, so he had used his feeble appearance to not show up to any lectures.

“My mana is so small that I only show up as a weak light on the device. Most veterans would only see it as some tiny noise during a battle. Not that it’s anything to brag about. But thanks to that, I was able to get to you without anyone noticing.”

Tesfia looked down at the device and shouted out.

“B-But! The mark for the commander is in a completely different place! According to this, you are still under the protection of the Jurai!”

“That’s right. But I am not there. After all, look...” Aile said as he raised his arm to show his wrist and the bracelet on it.

Tesfia’s eyes opened wide from the surprise. Aile wasn’t wearing the specially made bracelet for commanders but one for normal soldiers.

“Do you get it now? I’m having someone excellent serving as commander while I’m out on a casual walk. Of course I’d only be able to fool any mana detection, and if I was spotted by vision it would have been all for nothing. Fortunately, there’s plenty of brushes to hide in, but it was a rather thrilling experience.”

Tesfia was at a loss for words.

What he was saying made sense, but it was so bold that a normal person wouldn’t have the guts to try it.

Tesfia did her best to overcome her confusion and spoke in a strong tone. “S-Sure it was surprising...but don’t you think you’re underestimating me too much?! You’re just hoping to be able to beat me here, right?! Even though you’re supposedly the weakest participant in the Tenbram history!”

Grasping the situation, Tesfia readied her AWR, but Aile spoke in a calm tone. “Maybe so. But it’s pointless...you won’t be able to defeat me.”

There was something ominous in his voice, and Tesfia gripped the handle of her katana harder. Her team’s front line might be on the verge of collapse, but Tesfia herself hadn’t been under fierce attacks so she still had plenty of artificial HP and mana remaining.

But she couldn’t feel any mana coming from Aile.

I thought he was bluffing about not having mana, but it looks like it’s true. So what’s up? How can he be so calm?!

Aile didn’t even flinch when the katana was turned on him instead he walked closer.

Two steps, three steps, and then four...

But four meters away from her, he stopped. In that moment, Tesfia hallucinated Aile’s eyes glowing an eerie purple. In the next moment he snapped his fingers, which sounded distant and muffled.

Ah...?!

Her vision wavered and a haze filled Tesfia’s mind. With each snap of Aile’s fingers, Tesfia’s consciousness dimmed a bit more.

Tesfia gritted her teeth to resist the phenomenon happening to her. “Is this...hypnosis or something?! Hmph, it’s a cheap trick that suits you just fine!”

Seeing her put on a brave front, Aile smiled and spoke with a whisper.

“Well, I suppose you could call it hypnosis. But this one is deep-rooted. The seed secretly implanted into you in the past has already reached the depths of your mind,” Aile said and started walking again.

Forgetting her ability to use magic, Tesfia pointed her katana at Aile with trembling hands.

“I don’t have the talent to be a Magicmaster. So I will make use of anything, even if it’s unfair. That is the wisdom of a king heading into battle. But what about you? What use is the power you have achieved?”

Each one of Aile’s words eerily reverberated in Tesfia’s mind. Tesfia’s face distorted as she resisted having her mind worn down.

Aile furrowed his brow at her resistance and muttered to himself, “Oh? Are the roots not as deep as I thought? No, I suppose the effects of the trigger word have weakened?”

He was using a form of hypnosis that he had taught himself. He’d slowly planted the hypnosis inside of a young Tesfia’s mind over their meetings, with the idea of putting her in a deep state of hypnosis with a single word.

“I’m sure that the technique was perfectly complete, so this is strange,” he said and tilted his head. Everything was Alus’s fault.

Or more accurately, when Aile had met with Tesfia, Alus had noticed something abnormal and gotten rid of the seed within her. Even Aile couldn’t discern that.

And in the next moment.

“Hmm? What?” Aile blurted, puzzled, and in that instant his domination wavered, waking Tesfia.

As the light returned to her eyes, what she saw was a frowning Aile.

“What? The Jurai’s protection was broken?! It can’t be!”

The emergency report from the commander shocked him.

“But how...? If it wasn’t Alus Reigin, then who?”

According to the rules, transmissions using Consensors were one-way, and the lack of details caused Aile’s confusion, which then caused hypnosis to wear off.

Now’s my chance!

Mustering the strength that had waned, Tesfia swung her katana towards Aile, but he dodged it and slipped in up close to Tesfia.

In the next moment, his slender white finger touched Tesfia’s forehead.

“I guess it can’t be helped. It’s a bit of a pain, but I’ll have to plant another seed. I’m in a rush, so I won’t be able to hold back. Do forgive me if you end up breaking a little.”

“Ugh...ahh...?!”

It felt like a black mist was being directly inserted into her skull. Even though he didn’t use much force, Tesfia’s body was deprived of its freedom, and the light faded from her eyes.

“Fortunately, the roots aren’t completely gone. If I put a new suggestion on top of this...” Aile muttered while invading Tesfia’s mind.

“Say, Fia, I wonder who that power of yours is meant to kill. A blade swung down will always bounce back to hit someone precious. Who is that?”

Tesfia’s eyes were gradually turning more and more empty. Her knees trembled, and even holding on to her katana took everything she had... She did everything she could not to, but it was only a matter of time before she dropped her katana.

Aile continued with his technique, and his demonic whispers sunk into her mind.

“Who is going to die? Who do you think will die? But that can’t be helped. That’s what it means to have power. Look, you’ve mercilessly cut down your own mother. Ah, and that butler of yours has had his limbs cut off and is covered in blood. The people of the Fable family sure are unfortunate. But that can’t be helped. After all, nobody could stop you. Tesfia...it’s all your fault.”

“Ah...ahh...”

Tesfia’s knees buckled, and she collapsed, lukewarm tears staining her cheeks.

Aile exposed the depths of Tesfia’s psyche and implanted a seed of fear within her in order to destroy the barrier around her mind. He would then seize absolute control over her defenseless mind.

“What do you see? It’s the people you killed. Even if you only killed a few of them with your own hands, the seeds you’ve sown will lead to the destruction of everyone. Ahh, a group of men are pinning down Alice Tilake. They’re straddling and toying with her...exposing her breasts with a crude knife. Blood has started to flow, and it won’t stop. Nobody is coming to save her. All you can do is stand and watch...”

Guided by Aile’s words, Tesfia stared ahead with wide eyes as she hallucinated frightening and hopeless scenes within her mind. The strength to hold her AWR left her hands.

“Now, Fia. Let me tell you the only way you can be saved. I am the only one who can brush away the pressure and despair weighing down on you. Now say it... You’ve lost.”

This was what Aile was after. There was a rule in the Tenbram of declaring your defeat. While it had mostly fallen out of use, it was still a legit rule.

Eventually Tesfia started to drool as all light left her eyes. Following Aile’s orders, she brought her trembling fingers to her bracelet device.

One had to push a special button on the commander’s bracelet while declaring their defeat in order for it to count.

“I-I...lo...”

Aile smiled in satisfaction as Tesfia began to speak. But it was replaced with a frustrated look because Tesfia wouldn’t utter the last bit of the word.

Aile reached out with his right hand and grabbed her chin and ordered her again.

“What’s the matter? Just say the words, Fia... Say ‘I lose’!”

He urged her, but her lips only trembled. The sound of air left her lips, but no words that the bracelet could detect.

“Even my suggestion can’t break through the final wall?!”

Aile hadn’t expected this. When they’d reunited before, she had still been a mentally weak girl who hid behind her growth as a Magicmaster. That was why his suggestion had easily broken her mind.

What had happened in the short amount of time between then and now?

What had led to such a drastic growth in her?

Irritated, Aile gave up on acting like a noble, grabbing Tesfia and violently shaking her head.

“Say it! Say the words!”

“A...Al...”

Aile was astonished by the name that leaked out in anguish. Thinking about it, that made sense. There could only have been a single reason.

“Alus Reigin!”

As he said that, Aile didn’t overlook Tesfia’s eyelids slightly twitching. He gave a complex smile mixed with an emotion he felt for the first time.

It was a vulgar smile, which was extraordinarily rare for him, a display of human emotions.

“How sinful of Alus. No matter. If that’s the last key to get to you, I have a different method.”

Aile grinned, and started speaking to Tesfia once more like it was a strange incantation.

“Ha ha... Alus Reigin will die very soon. It will surely be an untimely death. With your own eyes, you will see him coughing up blood with a hole in his stomach. There’s no saving him. All of the people close to you are dying in front of your very eyes. Look at their faces as they struggle and die in agony. There’s no longer anything you can do. How does Alus Reigin look as he dies...?!”

“Ah...ahh...!” Tesfia groaned, but Aile didn’t ease up on the application of his power. It was a very rough method, but Aile encroached on her mind, wrapping everything up in the roots of domination.

Just a little more... I have almost reached the deepest depths of your mind. The final door is opening...!

Aile’s smile grew deeper.

In that moment, a faint breath escaped from Tesfia’s mouth. And at the same time, a gust of cold wind hit Aile’s cheek.

Aile put his finger on his cheek, and gasped.

“Is this a droplet... No, an ice shard?”

Something was gushing out of all of Tesfia’s body.

Snow and cold wind were blowing like a blizzard had suddenly appeared. Aile took a direct hit and rolled across the ground before staggering to get up.

“Wh-What is going...?! Ugh...!”

Having rolled so roughly across the ground, he’d sprained his arm, the pain from his shoulder twisted his expression as Aile looked at Tesfia.

Tesfia’s collapsed body rose as if aided by an unseen servant in a vortex of mana and cold air. Her characteristic red hair had turned white like it was covered in frost.

“Ah...?!”

Aile stared in surprise at her obvious change and noticed how abnormally cold the air around him was. Aile’s breath was white, and a stinging cold covered his entire body.

In the midst of the cold, with vacant eyes as if she were walking in her sleep, Tesfia’s arm rose and stretched forward like a puppet.

Hmm, the bracelet is...?

The bracelet restraining her mana had been lost at some point.

Did she take it off herself...? No, it was destroyed!

As he noticed that, Tesfia’s finger pointed towards him. A blue light of mana was gathering at her fingertip, and Aile felt a terrible chill run down his spine.

Not good...! I don’t know what, but something is coming! Urk...!

Aile tried to dodge the attack, but the pain in his arm dulled his movements. In the next moment, a narrow, sharp icicle shot out from the tip of her finger.

“Agghhhh!!!”

The arrow of ice grazed his arm, freezing his bracelet and shattering it.

When he collapsed, Tesfia’s expressionless gaze turned towards him again. As if putting him in her crosshairs, she lifted her slender finger once more, pointing it at the miscreant to be punished.

“Master Aile!”

But in the nick of time, a soft body leaped in from the side and pulled him out of harm’s way. Cicila had leaped in to intervene.

Since her artificial HP had been erased by Miltria, and her bracelet was no longer functioning, she should have been removed from the field.

“...You’re breaking the rules. Good grief. Those eliminated are meant to leave the field immediately,” Aile said with a bitter expression upon seeing Cicila, but she replied with a serious face.

“Forgive me. When I regained consciousness, I had a terrible feeling...but that doesn’t matter now!” With a fluster, Cicila glanced over at Tesfia before continuing. “This is no longer just a game. One misstep and you would have—”

The ground where Aile had been standing had frozen and shattered. It was like a bomb of ice had gone off.

“I suppose so. Thank you, you saved me,” he said.

“I am just glad that you are all right. Truly, from the bottom of my heart.”

“But what is happening? All I can tell is that I must have set off an extra-large trigger,” Aile, having regained some composure, asked Cicila.

“Is her mana running out of control?” Cicila came up with an assumption, but shut it down just as fast. “No, her target is too clear for that.”

Tesfia did indeed look like her mana was running out of control, but the intimidation and pressure she was applying was completely different. Normally a mana overload would be much more terrifying and hard to approach. Plus, as a fellow ice user, Cicila’s instincts were screaming.

“We have to hurry and get away from here! If that thing gets serious, not even I will be able to protect you, Master Aile!”

Even as she spoke, cold air from Tesfia was blasting them, depriving them of their body heat. Their eyelashes froze. The only heat left was in their mouths.

“Haah!”

Cicila decided to at least put up a protective wall, but what happened shocked her. The mana itself froze and shattered, just like everything else.

Cicila immediately realized that the space itself was becoming a frozen sanctuary. There was nothing she could do.

Mana typically ran out of control because of an abnormal trigger in the caster’s mind, but even then it was rare for it to be so powerful. This was something far beyond someone’s mana running out of control.

“This is looking really bad,” Aile said, breaking out in a cold sweat as he held his injured arm. “Ha ha, it is like a real incarnation of divine punishment has descended on the Tenbram meant to question divine will.”

Aile could see Tesfia’s pale face covered in a veil of cold air. A frosty design streaked down her cheeks like war makeup where her tears had flowed. Her eyes were a very deep blue but also the color of a void, nothing reflected in them.

The old Tesfia had disappeared.

Her chilling glance was turned towards Aile. Her hand moved as if inviting someone. And in that moment, Aile could hear a crackling sound.

Before he knew it, the ground had frozen over. He could feel all heat leaving his body. His instincts were screaming at him to run, but the overwhelming pressure from Tesfia, or perhaps the icy air, had turned his body into an unmoving statue.

To think, it ends like this... How pathetic, Aile bitterly thought.

Then something warm covered his body: Cicila. Like a hen embracing a frozen chick, she enveloped Aile’s body in the warmth of life.

“Master Aile! You cannot be allowed to end. Not here! Please, please...!”

“...Cicila.” A soft smile appeared on Aile’s face as his vision started to blur. He thought about how foolishly loyal she was. If she’d tried to run away on her own, she could have probably made it.

In that moment, he felt the presence of someone near him just as he heard an exasperated (but unusually calm for the situation) voice.

“Jeez, what’s going on here? I haven’t heard anything about the climax being killing each other.”

It was “him.” He’d finally arrived.

Just as he noticed the arrival, Aile’s surroundings got a little warmer. It was probably a magic fire, but it felt like there was more to it than that. Even the cold air that the now-inhuman Tesfia was emitting felt like it had changed in his presence. But maybe that was just a trick of the mind.

Regardless, when Aile von Womruina sensed the return of a hero, he also realized his defeat and lost consciousness. Alus had cast a barrier of fire to relieve Cicila and Aile from the deathly chilling air.

“Just get going,” Alus said to Cicila, who was thanking him with her eyes before using the last of her strength to run off with the unconscious Aile in her arms.

After seeing that they had left in the corner of his eyes, Alus looked straight at the existence in front of him and furrowed his brows.

Fia...

Her hair had turned a white that was almost silver. Her usually lively eyes had lost their vitality, as if even her own emotions had frozen. Tesfia was clad in a mysterious presence, like she was possessed by something inhuman.

Is she in some sort of trance? At the very least it’s clear that this goes beyond the level of mana going out of control.

Even as Alus pondered, his breath turned whiter with each exhale, turning into frost and falling.

This will have an effect on the smooth movement of mana and spell construction.

The intense cold froze even the mana within the body, dulling the manifestation of all magic-related phenomena.

Tesfia’s dazed vision unintentionally turned to Alus.

“Hey...” Alus called out to confirm how conscious she was.

In that moment, Alus’s arm turned white from the cold. It felt like one step short of frostbite, similar to the recoil of using Cocytus.

She cast magic just by moving her eyes?! And there wasn’t even any delay before manifesting!

Manifesting magic without any delay was something impossible even for Alus. No matter how much one shortened the magic formula or the time to construct the spell, it would never be zero.

A spell was like an advanced machine program, and some sort of process was unavoidable in order to manifest it. It was a limitation of being human, requiring a person to manipulate magic step-by-step in order to reach the rooftop.

Yet, it appeared Tesfia didn’t require that right now.

Alus quickly looked over Kikuri, the katana-type AWR in Tesfia’s hand. Kikuri’s handle appeared to have cracked, revealing its core. The letters engraved in it were faintly glowing.

Apparently, the magic formula hidden on the core was functioning in some way.

The hidden power of Kikuri... In that case, is this phenomenon caused by inherited spells?

When Alus thought of that something clicked. Perhaps Tesfia was in the final stage of the inherited spell that he had heard about before. He didn’t know what its completed state was, but perhaps its essence wasn’t a physical phenomenon but drawing out a certain state in the caster.

“Either way, you sure are causing a lot of trouble.”

Aile’s hypnosis had likely been the trigger for the current situation. Alus had dispelled it once before, so he figured that Aile must have been much more heavy-handed this time. This was nothing so small as a hornet’s nest. Aile had poked the Fable family’s mystical sanctuary and awakened something best left sleeping. Hornets would have been much more preferable to the disaster that had appeared.

Now that this had happened, now wasn’t the time for a Tenbram.

Alus swung his arm and broke the ice that covered the surface of his arm, freeing it up. While he was at it, he easily destroyed the bracelet and swung his arm to get rid of the debris.

“I won’t be needing this anymore either.”

Once he was done, Alus tapped his shoulder twice.

She’s most likely being used by her AWR.

Alus intuitively guessed the cause for the phenomenon and quickly decided on the best means for the situation, and moved his fingers to construct a spell.

He chose Detonation.

Naturally, he poured an apt amount of mana into it, unlike Lettie. In the next moment, a bright spot that would serve as the point of origin of the explosion appeared behind Tesfia.

It immediately expanded and looked to burst at any moment.

Yet in the next moment, a bizarre phenomenon happened. The glowing spot containing fire and heat was replaced with an orb of ice the size of a fist...that then melted as if nothing had happened.

Being able to freeze an advanced-level spell with maximum firepower behind it wasn’t something Alus had expected. It would appear that Tesfia...or rather Kikuri, which was controlling her, could easily bend the miracles that humans could call forth within its sanctuary.

“This is such a pain.”

Was it a mistake to let her touch her mana territory during the mana vessel expansion? The manifestation of spells has transcended the laws of the real world and has been replaced with the laws of the mana depth.

Mana depth was the original way of using magic, and it was said to be close to the power that the Fiends of Origin wielded.

“Still, to think you could use one hundred percent completed magic,” Alus muttered with a sigh. “Who could have imagined that you would be able to pull off something said to be impossible for humans.”

Alus considered what he’d learned. He was gradually starting to understand what had happened to Tesfia and why she was able to reproduce the spells rivaling the Fiends of Origin.

It’s a spell that freezes emotions and consciousness.

It was a little ironic. The power of magic could be temporarily influenced by human emotions. However those emotions were why humans couldn’t bring out one hundred percent of a spell’s power. This had practically proven theories that emotions were noise for magic.

A bug in a program could create an unexpected result, but if there were perfect programs, there would be no need to ever rely on chance. The program would always create the best and most optimal result, with no up- or downturns. In other words, it was just there, continually producing the perfect result.

But looking at Fia...

Tesfia looked far away from the perfect being to Alus. If anything she was just a puppet.

So this is the completed inherited spell of the Fable family. It’s an insane spell on the same level as a taboo.

While Alus might have gotten a grasp of the principle, that alone wouldn’t help him.

It’s like the ultimate ice-attribute autonomous artillery. She’s automatically eliminating mana or anyone hostile in her surroundings.

While Alus thought about what was happening, Tesfia reached her hand out towards him.

There were no signs of a spell manifesting as an arrow of ice suddenly shot out. Alus twisted his body, pulled on Night Mist’s chain and repelled Tesfia’s spell, but after repelling one, ten more suddenly shot out at the same time.

Alus somehow dodged them and used his chain to block the ones he couldn’t dodge, but each shot felt as powerful as a cannonball and his arms grew numb from the impact. For each arrow of ice that he blocked, large shards of ice flew into the air. Then, they gathered in the form of a mist that coiled around Alus’s arm as if it were alive.

Surprise came over Alus’s face, and he could tell that his right hand gripping the AWR was freezing. He used his free left hand to emit fire and thaw his right arm, but the ice seemed to be made up of a lot of mana, and it wasn’t working very well at the start.

Garb Sheep was supposedly one of the Fable family’s inherited spells, but the same kind of alteration of phenomenon could be seen here. Or more accurately, that sort of event could happen far more easily due to the massive supply of mana granted to the caster.

Because she’s come into contact with the mana depth, there’s a possibility that the boundary of that place and the depths of Fia’s consciousness have blurred. It’s like there’s an invisible pipe connecting Tesfia’s existence with that world... She must have unconsciously met the conditions for triggering it.

Forming a direct link with the mana depth would put the Fable family’s inherited spell at the very top of inherited spells.

It’s like super technology from ancient magic. It’s hard to believe.

As a magic researcher himself, Alus had extensive knowledge, but even he found it hard to believe that such a spell had been created half a century ago.

Still to make a human the connection between this world and magic. It’s a grand idea, but it’s repulsive at the same time.

Alus suspected that the person who’d experimented to create the spell must have had some sort of malice towards humans. Tesfia’s consciousness being taken over and running rampant was proof of that.

Alus wanted to click his tongue, but he was partially responsible for letting Tesfia come into contact with the mana depth.

“I’ll help you right now,” Alus bitterly declared.

Meanwhile, Tesfia raised both mana-filled arms towards the sky. With just that motion, a massive ice sword was created and shot out like a speeding bullet. It was likely the same as Icicle Sword, but with Tesfia under the influence of the inherited spell, its power went without saying.

A normal Icicle Sword was incomparable in strength.

Alus glanced at the flying object approaching him and chose a spell to oppose it.

‹‹Dimension Thrust››

With a slash of an indefensible attack, Icicle Sword was split in two, and based on the resistance, Alus realized he’d made the right choice.

It’s a spell that Tesfia is good at, but it was far more complete than normal. So that’s a perfect spell. If she can repeatedly fire those without difficulty this will be rather difficult...

After inwardly grumbling some more, Alus turned towards Tesfia. Despite the perfect Icicle Sword, she had a perfectly cool expression without any sign of running out of breath.

Maybe I should use Gra Eater to devour the mana itself?

The thought entered Alus’s mind for a moment, but he immediately rejected it. His special ability might appear omnipotent, but it wasn’t all that easy to use. Trying to devour all of the mana in the vast mana depth would be like trying to drink all of an ocean’s water by oneself. Alus’s body just couldn’t handle it, not to mention that Gra Eater was merciless, and Tesfia wouldn’t come out of it unscathed.

While Alus was thinking, Tesfia unleashed a second and third spell.

“Who do you think taught you how to use that spell,” Alus said with an exasperated sigh.

In front of him were a beautiful long sword and a sublime axe floating on either side of Tesfia.

“Ubiquitous and Istar. Both are said to be lost ancient magic.”

Both were relics of the past said to only exist in name in the modern age. The two newly created sacred ice treasures showed characteristics similar to Icicle Sword. Tesfia’s own abilities were reflected to some degree.

Of all things, those two, huh? Then perhaps you can reach one more...

Alus pondered and in no time at all, he was proven right. A third sacred treasure was being formed alongside a foreign mana, but Alus didn’t have the time to quietly watch.

“If this is the result of your own growth, then I’d even be proud of you,” Alus muttered as the traces of frozen tears on her cheeks suddenly looked so sorrowful.

She could be crude and careless at times, but Tesfia was earnest and put in more effort than anyone. She was more noble than anyone as she walked down the path of a Magicmaster on her own strength without being arrogant about her prestigious family.

Yet now she wasn’t using magic. She was being used by magic instead.

Tesfia would never settle for reaching the peak of power while being a puppet.

“Sorry, but I won’t be able to go easy on you. Besides, as your teacher I could never acknowledge getting stronger using such a loophole.”

Alus closed his eyes and called out the name to ward off the two incoming sacred treasures.

“Damocles.”

A massive black sword appeared, the Sword of Damocles. As Alus held it aloft, its brutal mana welled up and swallowed the cold air. While he was at it, Alus kicked off the ground and closed in on Tesfia.

In response, the sacred treasures that had been exuding cold air started moving like they were alive. They cut through the air as if being wielded by invisible sentinels, swooping down on Alus.

Expecting that, Alus swung the Sword of Damocles and smashed them with a single swing. He then swung once more against the third sacred treasure being formed. The characteristic strange sound of the Sword of Damocles cutting through space stopped it from being completed.

It seemed that he’d managed to stop it from activating. The cold air in their surroundings rapidly dissipated and the raging blizzard cleared as if it had never even been there.

Alus moved closer to Tesfia as she started falling. He wrapped his hand around her back to support her, but even as he carried her, she didn’t move. Alus could feel the coldness of the freezing air that still dominated her soaking into his body.

“It has to be cold over there... Come back to us already.”

Suddenly, her body twitched. Next, the freezing air within her body began to steal his body heat as the infiltration of the final ice curse began. It started at his extremities and crawled up his body like a snake before eventually covering him in a thin sheet of ice like a coffin.

However, Alus wasn’t perturbed in the slightest. He ignored the freezing curse as it reached from his chest to his neck and finally to his cheeks. He lightly tapped the back of Tesfia’s head as if to calm her down.

“...There’s never a dull moment with you,” Alus said in a soft tone, and his lips curled up into a smile.

In that moment, vast amounts of mana surged up from within his body, like a small sun had erupted. The mana easily surpassed the limits of a Magicmaster. The mana blew away the cold air as well as the ice covering Alus and filled their surroundings.

A few seconds later, tears that looked like blood seeped from Tesfia’s eyes, and the ice on her face dissipated and blew away. Kikuri slipped out of Tesfia’s hand and stabbed into the ground. Some of her skin had frozen on the exposed core.

At the same time, color returned to her white hair like thawing snow, and before long, her original red hair had returned. The color returned to her lips, and with a final white breath, the cold air disappeared like smoke.

Alus gently put her back on her feet, her body shook ever so slightly, and Tesfia opened her eyes.

“A-Al...?” Tesfia muttered as if she’d just woken up from a dream.

And Alus replied as he gave her a piggyback ride and walked towards the outside of the field, “That was a pretty bad nightmare. The skin from your palm got ripped off, so don’t move it around too much.”

“Huh?” Tesfia frowned at her hand for a moment. As expected, she narrowed her eyes and looked away and frowned. “I don’t really feel much pain.”

“So do you remember what happened?”

“Kind of... I think I was stuck in Aile’s hypnosis? And then Al started bleeding, and then, uhm...”

“I’m doing just fine. Although both our bracelets are broken, and we’re disqualified.”

“R-Really?! But, wh-what about Aile?!” Tesfia asked in panic, but Alus shook his head.

“They’re in the same boat. That Cicila girl was defeated by Miltria, and Orneus just left on his own for some reason. And you did Aile in. Don’t you remember?”

“H-Hmm...”

“Still, I can’t imagine that there’s been a Tenbram where both commanders and all the strongest members were wiped out. I don’t know what the results are, but just get some rest for now. Even if the match continues, I’m disqualified, and you won’t be of any use either.”

“Y-You’re right... Ugh, I feel exhausted,” said Tesfia.

“If you’re going to bring that up, I’m far more tired.”

“Yeah, thank you, Al. Like I said, I sort of remember what happened.” Tesfia grinned and laughed mischievously. “And also, your line. About how there’s never a dull moment with me.”

Alus quietly furrowed his brow. He’d figured that Tesfia was still asleep, so he’d said it without thinking, but hearing someone else say it was embarrassing.

“Tsk, I never should have said anything.”

“Do you want me to repeat it again?”

“If you continue this I’m going to let go of you.”

Tesfia screeched and pushed her body closer, pressing her cheek against his shoulder.

Even if she was just putting on a brave front, Alus couldn’t figure out how she still had the energy. Considering the high-level spells that she had used, it was bizarre for Tesfia to even have a shred of mana left. He found it hard to believe.

“I’m happy that you’re looking at me. So I’m not going to forget a single word,” Alus heard Tesfia whisper.

But seeing how delighted she was, all he could do was sigh. “Save the sleep-talking for your dreams. I was sure you’d grown at least a little.”

“Ah!”

Tesfia must have misconstrued what he said in some way as she lifted her body and chest off of Alus’s back and shouted, “Th-They’re still bigger than they were! I might lose against Alice, but I’m definitely beating Loki!”

“What are you talking about?”

“Th-That’s...! They hit you, right. I can imagine what a teenage boy is thinking!”

“You’re dead wrong.”

“O-Oh yeah? ...Th-Then what did you mean? Give me a brief explanation.”

Tesfia frowned and Alus was at a loss for words after being thrown off his game. He’s said what he truly felt. Tesfia had certainly grown as a Magicmaster and probably as a woman too.

But saying it again, admitting it, was embarrassing, which was why—

“Well, you did well.”

Despite not really being an answer, he could feel the joy from Tesfia on his back.

“All right!”

Tesfia pumped her fists and rejoiced like a child, then instantly lost her balance and almost fell off of Alus’s back and hurried to find her balance again.

While listening to her flustered voice, Alus lightly clicked his tongue in his mind. He’d stopped feeling anything wrong with carrying Tesfia on his back after doing it so many times.

Alus pulled himself together and ignored that thought and walked off the field. Once he was out, he turned towards the judges’ seat.

“Now then, all that’s left is...”

Just as Alus finished muttering, a loud siren rang out from within the field. It signaled the end of the Tenbram, which had completely slipped his and Tesfia’s minds.

Shortly thereafter, Lilisha’s somewhat tense voice rang out.

“There were a lot of unforeseen incidents during the Tenbram, and while it looked like it might be suspended, the outcome has been decided. As such, I would like to announce the winner of this match.”

I didn’t think that this would be settled considering what happened.

Alus had more or less expected the Tenbram to be suspended, so he stopped, surprised, to listen. Tesfia also straightened her back and waited with bated breath for Lilisha’s next words.

“The winner is—the Fable family. I repeat, the winner is the Fable family...!”

“All riiiiiight!!! Al, Al, Al!!! I don’t really get it, but we did it!” Tesfia exploded with joy, and she excitedly pulled at Alus’s shoulders.

“Shut up and settle down, will you? She’s going to go into the details.”

Once they’d heard the details, the two returned to their own area, where they found the members of the Fable team celebrating their victory. When they saw Tesfia and Alus, they ran over with worry. Theresia proudly held up an Orb.

“I see, so you finished it in the end. I was sure it would have been Ms. Miltria,” Alus said to her.

“Great job, Theresia! Just what I’d expect from you!” exclaimed Tesfia.

“Thank you very much, Lady Tesfia,” Theresia replied calmly, but she couldn’t hide a telltale blush. “But this is thanks to everyone’s efforts. The plan had also been made ahead of time, so I didn’t do anything special. In the end we just barely managed to pick up the win.”

Theresia turned to look at the biggest contributor.

“If not for Ms. Miltria, it would have been impossible to break through that Jurai. I can’t thank her enough.”

Miltria, now that the attention was suddenly turned to her, could only shrug and mutter, “You sure do work an elderly lady to her bones. My job was only supposed to be to stop that Cicila girl and take her their trump card after they show it.”

“Until Lilisha’s message, frankly, you and I would be the only ones that could read between the lines,” said Alus.

“It would be impossible to do anything about it with an affinity for air and good mana control anyways. Sisty once asked me to give a lecture on countermeasures against lightning magic in the military, and Lilisha must have remembered that from who knows how long ago,” said Miltria.

“Someone skilled with wind magic can dominate the flow of the atmosphere and create air pockets. In other words, using atmospheric pressure, they can create a gap in the electric field above the Jurai for magic to pass through.”

It was a bit boorish to analyze what she’d done, but with restrictions on what magic they could use, she would have had to make effective use of the characteristics of her attribute.

“Heh heh heh... I suppose I should expect nothing less. If you weren’t so unendearing, you would get perfect marks for that answer. The Jurai used a literal umbrella of lightning, and I blew away a part of it using wind. I am used to passing through pinholes, although this was a wind tunnel.”

“But did you have the mana to spare after fighting Cicila?” asked Alus.

“I can’t believe you’d ask that now,” she said. “You made the choice to throw it all onto me.”

Alus lowered his head with a wry smile.

“Sorry. I guess you saw through it. The situation was what it was. I had my hands full with Orneus and I couldn’t move as well as I wanted, and then I had to look after Fia. After the enemy took himself out, I wasn’t sure if I should deal with the Jurai or back up Fia. But after seeing how you fought Cicila, I figured that you would be enough to deal with the Jurai.”

“Oh, so you’re saying that you could see it?”

“Seeing how you could handle those mana Wind Arrows on your own, I knew you were extraordinary,” he said.

“Heh heh, you sure are overestimating these old bones,” said Miltria. “However, I have been out of action for a long time, and that sort of attack eats up a lot of mana. My whole body is aching despite not doing anything in particular. Ah, the pain of old age.”

Having finished having her palm healed, Tesfia bowed her head apologetically.

“You were a big help, Ms. Miltria. And thanks to you, Theresia got her chance,” Tesfia said.

Miltria nodded. “Well, it is best for the elderly to let the younglings add the final touches. Still, this young lady has a good sense. She has a good understanding of decisive moments.”

Even though she was trying to look serious, Miltria’s lips couldn’t help but rise into a smile.

The Jurai unexpectedly being defeated had left the Womruina team in a light panic. So even though they had the bigger force left, taking an overly cautious stance had backfired on them.

So they had summoned a mobile but fragile Guardian and tried to have the Orb fall back. But Miltria didn’t overlook their movements and had launched follow-up attacks to guide them to where she wanted them.

As a result, Theresia, who’d had plenty of mana and been on the offensive could anticipate their escape route and then strike at their opening. Using all of the power she had, she’d secured the Orb before Tesfia lost control—just in the nick of time.

If Aile had been properly taking command, he wouldn’t have allowed such a blunder, but fortunately for Tesfia’s team, he had been trying to trap Tesfia. Of course, if he hadn’t done so, Alus and Tesfia wouldn’t have gone on the defensive, and they would have joined the frontline fighting. So it was probably a brilliant move.

Aile was far weaker than normal Magicmasters, so he didn’t provide much in terms of pure strength. Instead their plan had been for him to act as a normal member and play the role of assassin. He was supposed to be a trump card against Tesfia.

“Well, it was a big gamble...so I’m glad things worked out,” Alus summarized with a sigh.

And a jubilant Tesfia brought things to a finish. “A win is a win! Now let’s go home and celebrate!”

As if exasperated by her, Loki, who’d appeared next to her, spoke sarcastically. “You sure are energetic. With how brazen you are being, I suppose your injuries were more minor than expected.”

“Aha ha...”

Tesfia let out a dry laugh, and Loki continued in a quiet voice, “Still, you did show some guts. I guess I could at least accept you as the second wife...”

“Huh? What did you just say, Loki?” asked Tesfia.

“...Nothing!”

Seeing Loki and Tesfia’s back-and-forth, Alus smiled wryly. He had a reason to not get carried away by the celebratory mood.

Tesfia’s awakening? It is almost definitely because of the Fable family inherited spell. But the problem is that despite her using spells that used far more mana that she has...

Alus glanced over at Tesfia, who had a dopey look on her face.

She still has mana to spare. It’s just barely, but she’s far from being out of mana.

The incident had a lot of phenomena that should normally be impossible to explain. But there was a lot of guesswork, and there wouldn’t be any point in mere speculation.

There didn’t seem to be anything abnormal with Tesfia’s body, but if she’d continued on as she had been going, something would have broken. Magic wasn’t just a convenient weapon. It always demanded equivalent compensation.

An overwhelming power would have rebounded on Tesfia.

So Mr. Selva’s hunch was dead-on. But that gives way for a different problem.

Tesfia was the candidate to become the successor to the Fable family. The fact that she had manifested an inherited spell, albeit accidentally, wasn’t necessarily a good thing. She was still inexperienced as a Magicmaster, and it wasn’t something she could activate at will. She’d acquired a double-edged sword.

For now, Aile and Cicila were keeping quiet. They’d not only lost face, but couldn’t anticipate the circumstances. All that was left was to hope that the only witness on the Fable side was Alus.

“But I guess that’s not happening,” Alus muttered and looked not at the enemy but at the allied camp.

◇◇◇

“Master, you should at least conceal your mouth.”

Frose jolted as Selva spoke to her. Despite being the head of the Fable family, she’d let a satisfied smile show.

The problem with the secret heir, the Ertlade, had always been stirring deep in her mind. Now that it had appeared in her generation, she could pass the reigns of the head of the family on without concern. The excitement made her want to shout with joy.

That said, she was the head of a great noble family, and Selva’s whispered warning snapped her back to reality.

“I know. But don’t you feel it too, Selva?” she asked. “I couldn’t fully tell from the spectators’ seat, but the cold air covering the entire area was without a doubt the inherited spell. As her mother, it is a shame that I didn’t get to see Fia’s performance directly. With this, we can finally show why the Fable family has its name!”

Selva looked at his master seriously. His concerns around the Tenbram had finally been resolved, but he hadn’t expected a new object of excitement to show itself.

It was too late, he thought. Or perhaps too early. Several generations had failed, but now Tesfia had succeeded while still in her teens.

He had once suggested that they adopt the spell that Alus had created as a new inherited spell, but it was too late for that now.

Kikuri, a sword that had been passed down the Fable family for generations, had been the key, and Tesfia wielding it, combined with receiving lectures from Alus, had sealed her fate.

However, the overwhelming power of the completed form of the inherited spell was sinister. Not even the head of the family had a complete grasp of the inherited spell and its unique magic that was perfected through a series of stages.

That said, what had happened couldn’t be helped.

Even so, Selva had watched over Tesfia since her birth and couldn’t help but worry for her future.

“Master Frose, we should prioritize cleaning up loose ends after the Tenbram. It won’t be too late to deal with the inherited spell after everything else is done.”

Speaking more harshly than usual, Selva finally got through to Frose. She nodded and changed her expression after taking a deep breath.

◇◇◇

With that, the several-month-long conflict between the Fable and Womruina families came to a close.

Having settled in accordance with noble customs, nobody would raise any objections to the outcome of the Tenbram.

Naturally, that included Archbishop Silvette. His personal thoughts aside, he loudly praised the victory of the Fable family, and he and Lilisha confirmed the destruction of all the deeds on the part of Womruina’s side.

But Alus didn’t get a chance to catch his breath until after the final ceremony closing the Tenbram. Aile and Cicila were nowhere to be seen, and neither was Orneus.

Instead, the adjutant for the Orb Struggle was sitting at the ceremony looking bitter.

But why? It’s not like he suffered a fatal wound. But I guess nothing will come from thinking about it.

While Alus was pondering this, enthusiastic applause came from the spectators’ seats. Glancing over, he spotted some familiar faces among the nobles and instinctively frowned.

Even Lord Vizaist is here. But did he get injured?

Vizaist was in a luxurious-looking barracks, thanking Miltria for her efforts.

Part of the Fable team were so exhausted they needed medical attention, and they seemed to be in a deep state of relief and joy.

And before Alus knew it, a line of nobles had lined up in front of them, wanting to congratulate Tesfia and Frose.

They’re so self-interested, Alus thought as he watched. Some cast their eyes down to the ground. Others slightly bowed in the hope of currying favor.

The Fables apparently felt the same way about having to deal with such snobs. Frose, having dealt with the lowly nobles in an appropriate manner by delaying the full-scale feast for a later date, let out a sigh of relief, as if she could finally take a break.

Tesfia headed over and dispersed her team.

“We did it, young lady,” Cicero Bronche excitedly said, having scrambled to Tesfia.

She smiled awkwardly at the middle-aged man, who was moved to tears.

“Mr. Cicero, could you please stop it with ‘young lady’? You are Minasha’s father, and she is like an older sister to me.”

Minasha happened to be watching them with a bright smile and tears in her eyes.

“Anyways,” said Tesfia, “this is thanks to everyone’s efforts. Thank you so much.”

Tesfia deeply bowed.

Seeing her elegant and dignified gesture, Alus felt mildly emotional. The Tenbram itself must have caused a big change in Tesfia’s mind. There’d been a lot of unexpected developments, but now was the time to praise her growth.

Alus decided not to join the circle and instead head for a nearby pavilion to take a break. That was when the small silver-haired girl that had been sticking to him smiled wryly and tried to speak.

“I know, Loki. Jeez, that Major General never lets you down,” he said.

“Should I let everyone know?” she asked.

“No, that would be spoiling the mood. Why don’t we head out to meet him? He’s starting to get irritating.”

Without anyone noticing, they took off running towards the dense forest where Loki had been looking. A strange group with a disturbing presence was hiding there, though Alus had long since sensed their approach.

There were about twenty, and each one wore a black robe and a hood.

The match was settled in front of nobles. Not even Morwald can erase this result. So...is he after me? Alus wondered to himself while purposefully slowing down and walking over.

The group in black robes seemed to be a little confused by their target approaching them on his own, but they soon steeled themselves. The leader-like figure slipped out of the woods and came forth.

In their hand was a crescent-shaped great scythe.

The wind blew off her hood and the girl’s lips curled up. “Heh heh, it would be boorish to play hide-and-seek now. We meet again, my senior...”

Seeing her, Alus narrowed his eyes and muttered, “Noir...”

“Al? Do you know her?” Loki asked, in position, ready to draw her AWRs at any moment.

She glared at the girl. She didn’t know who the other party was, so she used the nickname Al to pretend they were classmates. But she was astonished and bitter.

“No, I just ended up showing her around a little during the campus festival...so she’s a junior at the Institute. Of course, I didn’t know anything about her job.”

Loki looked like she feared another rival had appeared, and sensing the awkwardness, Alus honestly told her what he knew.

“Is that so? You should have told me before.”

“Sorry. I didn’t expect this would happen. Actually, I’d be able to foresee the future if I could.”

If the Womruina family lost the Tenbram, the political balance in Alpha would greatly shift. In such a case, Alus felt it would be likely that Morwald would forcibly make a move.

In fact, if he was going to turn the tables, now was the time. But taking out Berwick’s strongest pawn was a rather reckless scheme. And if Noir was his hunter...

I did think that she was extraordinary, and I did get worn down in the Tenbram. So I suppose this was a good and bold move by Morwald? Alus pondered.

Keeping his calm, he called out to the girl in dark robes. “Noir, this is Loki. She is also my partner.”

If the information he’d gained while guiding her was correct, Noir was one year younger than him, making her the same age as Loki.

“Yes, of course. This might come as a surprise to you, but me and Loki are well acquainted,” Noir said in a sweet voice before her expression changed.

She’d given off the impression of an innocent young lady at the Institute, but now her true, crazed expression was rearing its face.

Holding her index finger to her mouth in a lascivious manner, she scoffed and glared at Loki.

“Heh, heh heh... Loki Leevahl! Unfortunately, I am not interested in you right now! But, well, if you’re fine with being an extra, I will kill you tooooo!”

“If you think you can do it,” said Loki. “But to think I’d meet someone familiar here... I can’t tell if I’m lucky or not.”

“What is this, Loki?” Alus asked, and Loki gave him a frank answer.

“It’s understandable that you wouldn’t know. Noir is from the fourth generation of the Magicmaster-raising program.”

“But that program was meant to be suspended.”

“Yes, I heard as much too. In fact, my generation was the last to go out into the Outer World. But it was the fifth generation that was suspended while the fourth finished training in the facility. I had some mock battles with Noir during that time...”

After being suspended, the trainees had been left in the care of the military. Many were orphans or had no family and could stay at the special facility, which was similar to an orphanage, until they could become independent.

The others chose to go out into the Outer World and become Magicmasters.

Alus and Loki were such exceptions.

Many of them carried scars and distortions in their hearts. They had eventually started to see their value based solely on their ability to fight Fiends. It ground down their hearts and minds beyond their limits.

Only a few would be able to survive until they became aware of the distortion. Noir was one of them.

When Alus realized that, he felt unbearable bitterness well up.

In the end, we are just pawns to do the dirty work.

Since Noir was here, that meant she was almost definitely an assassin sicced on Alus. Calling the work the group in black robes had done shady was probably underselling it by a lot.

Alus felt more than just a thirst for blood and grimness from them, as it seemed the smell of blood had deeply sunk into their black robes. It was the lingering scent of death that Alus could only differentiate because he was used to it.

And the scent from Noir was extra strong. She clearly showed no hesitation or mercy towards her targets.

Noir had long since discarded any sense of how humans were meant to be, and she was just remnants of a broken mind in the form of a human, smiling. She was coldhearted and took pleasure in killing, and she gazed at Alus with bewitching eyes as if hungering for her next feast.

“Let’s have a fun time killing each other. We’ll decide who carves up the other the best. We can start with the arms and legs, followed by the brain and organs. Well, the outcome is clear, after all, nobody can kill better than me.”

Noir had mastered magic for a single reason...to kill. And her sense of justice, no matter how twisted, was all she needed to bury her opponent. There were bad people everywhere, and she felt eliminating them was right and something to be celebrated. With that absolute sense of justice, any action could be justified.

Thinking back, it didn’t feel like it had always been like that in the distant past. At first, it had been about showing off what she could do and getting someone to acknowledge her.

But who? Why? She could no longer remember.

When she was small, she’d thought she wanted to be an amazing Magicmaster. It was really vague, and even her parents’ faces were faint in her memory.

Her mother and father had unconditionally loved their young daughter, giving everything they had for the future, believing in her talent. Or at least she felt like she’d received that love.

But there was no longer a point in thinking too hard about it.

So Noir had made a strong wish. Like someone with a dry throat wanting water, it was predictable. She simply wanted to be stronger than anyone else.

To do that, she had to acquire the power to take the life of an opponent at any time. She could kill whenever she wanted, and better and more brilliantly than anyone else.

After she came to that conclusion, she’d come to belong to Kruelsaith, who saw value in her... And with that Noir stopped thinking about anything else.

The only thing a hunting hound needed to think about was killing as ordered. So she would polish her technique and strength so that she would continue being wanted.

Either her special affinity had led her down that road, or it was all that was left to her. Not even she knew which it was. She’d already ended up where she was by the time she noticed.

She felt like someone had told her, “You are good at killing. You’re more suited for that than anything else.”

It was probably the man who swung his whip on her with a sadistic smile and ecstatic expression.

Anyways...none of that mattered when compared to the urge and joy of the hunt.

Noir’s crazed stare looked to a point behind Alus and Loki. Alus followed her stare and found a person.

There stood a large man, holding up a single finger as if telling his hunting hounds to wait.

Morwald... I never thought he’d show his face in a place like this.

Alus was somewhat surprised, but decided to give him a sarcastic greeting.

“It has been a while, Major General. Still, what an admirable attitude to visit your hounds’ hunting ground.”

“Hmph, what a scandalous thing to say. I am just on a walk in a dark forest to get over the pain of the Womruina family’s defeat. And I just happened to find a felon.”

“Huh? Who are you talking about?”

Morwald simply replied to Alus’s dismissive question with a sly smile.

“So you’re going to feign ignorance until the end, Alus Reigin? But I won’t hesitate to judge evil in the name of justice. Still to think a Single of Alpha would do such things... It is truly a shame. Don’t you agree, Archbishop?” Morwald asked, prompting another figure to show themselves.

With a golden stole hanging down from his shoulders and a gleaming golden staff, Archbishop Silvette smiled and slightly bowed.

“Allow me to introduce myself, Alus. I am Archbishop Silvette of the Einhimmel sect.”

“I know you from the Tenbram. You’re the judge on the side of the losers,” said Alus.

“Oh my, it seems you always have something to say,” said Archbishop Silvette. “I will soon be establishing a cathedral in this land for the sake of a major missionary campaign in Alpha.”

“Huh? I don’t know what kind of scam you’re running, but if some heretical sect like yours is running things, Alpha is done for.”

“Hmm...there appears to be some understanding, but how rude! That has me convinced. He has no intent on reflecting. Morwald, Alus Reigin has a clear tendency of rebelling and dismissing the order of this nation. It is very likely that he is responsible for that mortal sin. He must be restrained and receive his rightful punishment.”

“What are you even talking about? Have both of you lost your minds?” Alus retorted.

Morwald roared back, “Shut up, you criminal! We have already completed our investigation! Alus Reigin, you have abused your position as Single Digit Magicmaster and secretly claimed the lives of many people! All while completely ignoring the proper order of law. What is this if not a crime against the nation and society itself?!”

Alus’s brows furrowed and Loki looked at him in surprise.

Morwald was likely referring to Alus’s work behind the scenes to kill magic criminals. While it was secret to everyone else, it was officially recognized by the military. The orders were given by Governor-General Berwick, and as a senior military officer, so there was no way that Morwald would be unaware of that.

Morwald shouted in a high-handed voice as if deliberately trying to cover up that obvious doubt.

“I had no idea of such things! The Governor-General and even Vizaist are colluding to eliminate anyone who holds secrets inconvenient to you! That is unthinkable for a country governed by law. I will expose all of this, and depending on the circumstances, the ruler who appointed them may have to take responsibility as well!”

Morwald got heated and continued loudly, “We received an appeal from a noble through Archbishop Silvette! We also have bills of indictment from several other witnesses. It is clear that you have committed serious crimes!”

Before Alus could retort, Loki stepped in with resentment.

“You, a mere Major-General, are questioning Sir Alus’s innocence?! This goes beyond your authority! And you’re talking about people who hold secrets inconvenient to him?! Sir Alus has only put down first-class criminals that not even the military could reach! Those witnesses are probably just fake anyways! You’re in bed with the Einhimmel sect and its noble followers!”

Loki shouted just as loud as Morwald, but he snorted and continued. “Hmph, you cheeky little brat... Still, your cooperation in giving testimony against the assassinations is welcome. As a high-ranking official, I have a special right to arrest people within the military. Not even Berwick or Vizaist can ignore this authority! Not even you can escape as long as you’re in Alpha’s military, Alus.”

Alus said nothing.

Morwald seemed convinced of his victory...but he didn’t understand something fundamental.

Rather, he thought he understood Singles in his narrow standard of values. True, they were the shield and sword of humanity, and they followed a set standard of value. That was probably why Morwald thought that he could use them as pawns in political battles or entangled in cunning schemes like with materialistic nobles.

But that was merely a superficial understanding. From Alus’s point of view, all Singles, even the most approachable of them, were monsters in the guise of humans. Trying to control or hold on to them with his own power was nothing but a fool’s dream mixed with wishful thinking.

“You won’t even have a chance to call for the Fables to help. Walking out into the forest of your own accord was the moment your luck ran out. I will judge your crimes and give you the proper punishment,” said Morwald.

The farce was reaching its climax, and Morwald turned to Archbishop Silvette to make his closing remarks.

With a peaceful expression, Silvette spoke up. “Yes, indeed. If everything is as Morwald says, Alus Reigin’s actions are impermissible. The official point of view of the Einhimmel sect acknowledges Your Excellency’s decision. When the time of judgment comes, I declare that I too will be on the stand to testify.”

“How reassuring. Many from the noble faction have become believers of late. Bringing their voices together will have a large influence.”

Morwald grinned, but when he saw Silvette’s expression he looked puzzled and asked:

“...Is something the matter?”

Silvette wore a faint smile and politely answered, “It is nothing in particular... I simply pray that Your Excellency’s justice and our sect’s justice will not differ in position in the end. Now then, I was only here as a judge for the Tenbram. So I will take my leave here. I am sure inquisitors from the sect will visit the military, and you can share the details with them.”

“I understand. Then I will take it upon myself to arrest this villain. I am ashamed to have you see such disgrace within the military, but I hope to swiftly restore honor to the military.”

Morwald bowed, and Silvette took his leave.

Morwald must have interpreted Alus’s silence as an admission of defeat because he turned to Alus with an arrogant and insolent attitude.

“Now then, Alus Reigin, you will accompany us. You are still a Single of Alpha, so at least show your obedience to the nation.”

With that, Alus finally spoke.

“Save your sleep-talking for when you’re dreaming, vermin. I only have one thing to say. Do it if you can.”

Alus’s bloodlust was carried on the wind, and it brushed against Morwald’s cheek, sending a chill down the man’s spine.

Morwald’s cheeks twitched as he put on a brave front.

“Ha ha ha...you’re just an insolent brat until the end! Those of low birth are so irksome. They never know when to give up. That’s enough. If you’re going to resist, then there’s no need to arrest or interrogate you. Noir!” Morwald exclaimed, and he followed it up with a coldhearted order.

“Kill him!”

“How foolish,” Loki muttered to herself, but it reached Alus’s ears.

He was in complete agreement. If he felt anything, it was something akin to exasperation. However...if his opponents were coming at him with the intent to kill, there was no need to hold back.

Perhaps it was because of the events in the Tenbram, but there was still a sense of excitement smoldering within.

I won’t leave a source of trouble behind. All I have to do is kill everyone who wants to die.

Once he’d decided that, Alus calmly accepted the approaching group in black robes. He confirmed that his finger was on the switch in his mind. However, he didn’t need to change gears until the middle of the fight. For now, he warmed up so he could act without restraint.

“Loki, get back.”

Loki was shocked at his instructions, having been prepared to fight alongside him, but Alus coldly continued, “It looks like our redhead busybody is looking for us. There’s no need to hide it, but make sure she doesn’t get in the way.”

Just as he finished saying that, Kruelsaith surrounded Alus.

“Don’t bother with that silver-haired nobody. Just make sure you kill Alus Reigin.”

It was unclear if they even heard Morwald’s orders. Based on how their eyes were clouded over, they were crazed hunters like Noir. They didn’t feel a thing over taking a life... Which in a sense was close to Alus.

But since they didn’t even seem to be conscious, they were more like murder puppets. As proof of that, there was no emotion in the glares directed on Alus. They had probably mechanically discarded any care for whether they won or lost, or whether they lived or died.

They had been thoroughly destroyed as people and had discarded everything. All that remained was their lethal skills, polished to their peak. They were made to be lethal weapons and nothing else.

This is just fine. Having to fight on a leash in the Tenbram wasn’t enough for me.

Alus narrowed his eyes and let a fearless smile show. He was a weapon himself, and he could feel his emotions diluting.

That was when he had a bad feeling.

“Al!”

After winning the Tenbram, Alus and Loki had suddenly disappeared. Tesfia had come running down a pathway, looking for them, when suddenly someone dove at and embraced her, causing her to stumble.

“You can’t!”

Loki was clinging to her arm and holding her still.

“What?! What’s going on?! Let go, Al is...!” Tesfia shouted, sensing that something was wrong.

After a breath, Loki squeezed a response through her clenched jaw to soothe Tesfia.

“Sir Alus will be okay... I was told to bring you.”

“B-But...then why are you stopping me?!”

“You are too careless. You might accidentally step into the blood-soaked darkness of the world. So please promise that you will only watch what’s happening from the forest and nothing else... This will be the revelation of whether you want to be with Alus from now on,” Loki said with the light of resolve in her eyes.

Tesfia was perplexed by Loki’s strength as she held her arm. Even so, her intuition as a Magicmaster was telling her to obey Loki.

“...Let’s see it through to the end,” Loki said with a somewhat sad expression.

Meanwhile, standing in front of Alus, Noir spoke in a bored manner.

“You could have just surrendered.”

“Don’t say something you don’t mean. You look ready to attack me at any moment,” Alus spat out.

But Noir only smiled happily.

“In that case you are resisting to the end, then? Then allow me to learn how a Single fights,” Noir said.

At that moment, a man among the black-robed murderers made the first move. He leaped at Alus like a wild beast, pulling iron rods from his robe. In the blink of an eye, blades slid out from them, and two small sickles appeared.

Anticipating his attack, Alus attacked with a palm strike. Space distorted and a ten-centimeter-square wall shot out and crushed the attacker’s head.

Taking an invisible attack directly to the head sent the man flying. Another assailant immediately appeared behind him, and he didn’t hesitate to use his fallen ally’s head as a stepping stone to gain height to strike with a short sword.

Hmm...that didn’t kill him? thought Alus.

After blowing away the first enemy, he felt a slight hesitation. If he had used Night Mist or a mana blade to strike at the opponent’s vitals instead of using an invisible barrier, it would have been simple. Yet there was something that had stopped him from killing.

He was currently in the middle of battle, and perhaps it was just because he was in the process of switching gears, but he couldn’t shake the feeling of discomfort.

I thought it wouldn’t be a problem since they’re coming at me with the intent to kill.

It was then that he became aware of a slight resistance in him, born from the fact that Tesfia might show up at some point. That was something that had been fostered inside him. Perhaps that was a way he’d grown since coming to the Institute.

Alus practically unconsciously handled the incoming attacks as a bitter emotion welled up inside.

Thinking about it, it wasn’t just Tesfia... But he’d definitely prefer she didn’t know about this side of him. Alus felt like mocking himself as he realized that he might have been holding on to the girls a little too deeply.

What a mystery it was. In the past, he hadn’t felt even a fraction of these emotions. But now he wanted those girls to only see the good version of him.

To think there’d be a side that thought like that in Alus.

Vizaist had in the past mentioned that Alus had become more human, and this was probably the kind of thing he had been talking about.

If that conflict was a sign of growth, Alus was growing even now. However...that was only as long as he was able to entertain those thoughts.

In the next instant, a sharp sickle was brought down from a new enemy, and Alus swung Night Mist in reflex. The black blade cut deeply into the enemy’s neck and scattered crimson blood into the air.

Alus reaffirmed his emotions as he took a life. This time he felt nothing, nor had he hesitated. There hadn’t even been a need to close his eyes. As he confirmed the sensation, his heart sank into a quagmire.

As I thought...this is what I am in the end.

In that sense, he was no different from the crazed murders that were attacking him. He hated people like himself. And he hated himself too. Alus had come to that conclusion without even needing to think about it.

He avoided the incoming sickles and swung his lethal blade without mercy.

“Oh. So you don’t just have some petty assassination tricks but can form mana blades. I see you’re quite well trained,” Alus muttered, impressed that the enemy had at least some degree of skill.

Another man attacked with a mana blade extending from his arm, but a few centimeters before reaching Alus, his arm was stopped in place by Night Mist’s chain.

It wasn’t his short sword, but his mana blade that was the trick he’d hidden up his sleeve. If he’d measured distance between them relying purely on his weapon, the mana blade surely would have caught him off guard.

Night Mist’s chain wrapped up the man’s arm and then around his neck, then twisted them both off. But Alus didn’t seem to care. He could use the killer instinct he’d gained from experience to tell if an attack had brought down his enemy or not.

Alus sensed attackers from either side, but he suddenly looked up. He felt not the light of the artificial sun shining down on him but instead a burning red heat.

In the next moment, countless human-sized fireballs rained down. Kruelsaith had launched a wide area attack with no concern for their allies.

Volcano was an advanced spell, and its overwhelming mass and heat assaulted Alus.

So they don’t even care about the lives of their allies. This entire area is going to be covered in craters.

Pouring mana into his AWR, he compressed a massive quantity of water and deployed it as pale-blue barriers in the sky. This kind of fireball magic was basically the phenomenon of combustion, so it was possible to suppress it by responding in accordance with the laws of physics. In other words, water extinguished fire.

That said, two or three water barriers would be needed to extinguish this amount of fireballs.

White smoke rose up as Volcano lost power, and the spell was unable to be maintained.

Seeing a few black shadows fly past the white smoke, Alus narrowed his eyes. Some enemies had been hiding within the fireballs. With no regard to their safety, they had resigned to setting themselves on fire in preparation for Alus’s response. And since there was no guarantee Alus would answer with walls of water, it was an insane tactic.

In total five people had hidden within the fireballs. Their bodies were wrapped in fireproof robes, but the hand holding sickles and the skin of their faces had been burned red. They could have protected themselves with magic, but they’d chosen not to in order to deceive Alus. He would no doubt have noticed any abnormalities created while protecting themselves.

That was why they’d settled for just covering their faces with their arms to catch Alus unaware.

The frightening enemies fell upon Alus with sickles in hand.

“So you’re resolved.”

Alus bitterly looked up as he sensed a different mana coming from his footing, and then he swiftly looked down.

It was a skilled attack from above and below, but which should he deal with first. He’d need to deal with both at the same time.

As Alus made that decision, spears of earth shot out from the ground, but Alus calmly swung Night Mist against the falling enemies, a vibrating sound emitting from the blade. The swing cut through space and swallowed the layered attacks of the enemies.

Dimension Thrust cut the world in half. For a moment, a strange scene of everything shifting to the left or right but in the blink of an eye space was restored.

Those enemies caught up in the attack lost their weapons and the arms holding them, but it didn’t look like they even felt the pain. Even so, they did flinch, then Alus turned Night Mist around and threw it into the ground. In an instant the earth spears were wiped out.

Railpine activated upon impact, and it destroyed all of the spears from the inside, yet the enemy had prepared a follow-up attack as if they’d predicted that.

In the corner of his vision, Alus could see a group of men in black robes kneeling on the ground with their sickles stabbed into the earth. That meant that Alus’s response had been foolish.

As if to replace the destroyed spears, even more shot out from the ground. But unlike before, they weren’t directly aimed at Alus.

The enemy had rewritten the destroyed formula and changed its purpose.

The light of mana came from the ground, and the spears transformed into earthen walls. They rose up and assembled like eerie bulbs of a plant to trap Alus in place.

They’re trying to capture me...but this isn’t nearly enough!

Alus felt that it was far too fragile for a prison of earth, but as he tried to destroy it, a mana blade grazed him. It had stabbed through the earth wall.

A second and third blade followed. Alus dodged in the narrow space, but his cheek and the back of his hand started bleeding.

It was like Alus was trapped in a small box with blades freely stabbing into it.

He clicked his tongue and swung Night Mist as fast as he could in a full circle. With the walls collapsing, his vision finally opened up. In that moment, he saw precisely what he’d expected, and he used his intuition to dodge.

What awaited him were countless sickles and mana blades all around him.

This is starting to get irritating.

Alus reconsidered his evaluation of Kruelsaith. His opponents weren’t just blood-crazed combatants. They had cooperation and tactics as well. On top of that, they didn’t look back on their allies’ sacrifice, so their inhuman nature gave them forceful strength.

Then there were the feelings holding him back... He hadn’t felt anything during his work behind the scenes or when dealing with Godma’s experimental Dolls. The sense of avoidance brought about friction, like a foreign element had been mixed in and was fighting against the existing structure.

He’d already killed several, but his conscience wasn’t smoothly shifting over to that of a pure combatant. Even now, whenever he tried to finish someone off he could feel himself unconsciously putting on the break.

Yet his thoughts were the same as always, prioritizing the most effective way of eliminating the enemy. It was like his heart and mind were moving in opposite directions.

This situation is a little bad...

When he realized that, Alus let go of his consciousness. With that, it was like his thoughts shifted to a sub-machine, and he began to automatically analyze the current situation like a program that used his many years of combat experience to search for the optimal move while eliminating all noise. His heart was being cooled by what felt like ice cubes being dropped into his stream of thought, one by one.

He had fractions of a second. He wouldn’t be able to use any space distortion spells, nor deploy a barrier, which meant that he only had one thing he could do.

Alus closed his eyes, but naturally, he hadn’t given up. His answer lay in his eyes.

The next moment, his eyelids opened, and a pain ran through Alus’s right eye as he felt a mental oppression, like an overwhelming mass of something entering from the corner of his eye into his brain.

That was likely the price for bringing out knowledge he didn’t have. He was forcibly compensating for information he lacked with information from the outside.

It was a similar sensation to when accessing the Akashic Records. An unknown magic formula was created in an instant, and it became ingrained in his mind like existing knowledge.

‹‹Chrono Stasis››

He was assailed by a bizarre, infinitely expanding sensation, like time had stopped. The incoming blades slowed to the pace of a turtle. Everything within a certain distance of Alus was slowed down drastically, but they couldn’t detect the delay. It was a space that only Alus realized existed.

The moment would only last for a fraction of a second.

Alus held his right eye, which was in intense pain, and swung Night Mist in all directions. The sensation of time was extremely distorted in this space, and Alus was the only one who was free from its effect.

Although it was knowledge brought in from the outside, the spell was similar to the Circle Port. It was said that the technology for copying coordinates that was the basis for the Circle Port was an application of extremely sophisticated magic. The coordinate-related structure was similar to Temple Fall, which had been used against Elise, if this spell were to be categorized as a spell that had complete control over space.

Anyways, a highly advanced spell that slowed down the time in the surroundings had been cast, and when the effect of the spell ran out, the black-robed figures collapsed, and blood flowed from their vitals.

Silence fell on the surroundings for a moment.