Saikyou Mahoushi no Inton Keikaku (LN) - Volume 8 - Chapter 46

Forty-Sixth Chapter 

Tens of Thousands of Hostages 

The first day of the campus festival was a massive success, seeing the highest number of visitors ever recorded, with men and women of all ages taking part. 

The campus grounds were normally too large for the Institute to use effectively, but not today. However, the bigger the success, the more cracks formed in security. And by now the event was so large scale that it was impossible to keep watch everywhere. 

With the Godma Barhong incident earlier in the year, and the increased number of visitors from the other nations, the military had poured more Magicmasters into security for the campus festival than ever before. They secured the outer perimeter and also blended in with the general crowd. Fortunately, there were only a few highly popular spots, and places not used for the festival were roped off with entry being forbidden. 

That said, the areas outside of the buildings were packed, meaning it was possible for children to get separated from their parents by the flow of people. There were also a lot of people falling in the crowd and getting hurt, so there were many heading over to the infirmary. 

In the midst of all the noise and festive atmosphere, that blended in as if it was a matter of course. 

That was a figure dressed in a large robe covering their entire body. Considering how the climate was artificially controlled in the human domain, it would be a stretch to call it just a thick layer of clothing. 

Wearing the large robe was a girl who made use of her small size to weave through the crowds. If she was lost, there didn’t seem to be anyone looking for her. 

Eventually, she picked up speed after leaving the main area and veering off into a side street. She even crossed over a rope denying access to the rest of the Institute, jogging to a less hectic area of the grounds. Before long, the hustle and bustle of the festival was a distant echo in the background, and the main building was so far away you could only see the top of its roof. 

“Well, I didn’t think it would be so easy. I guess they led me on, or I should say, set me up. I never should’ve listened to the drivel of the dead,” the girl spat out in a complaining tone, as she stopped in a grove. 

“Young lady, you’re not allowed in here,” a kind woman’s voice called out to the girl. 

In that instant, the girl quietly clicked her tongue and spun around to face the owner of the voice. She now wore a timid and helpless expression fit for a child of her age. “I-I’m sorry, I got lost,” she said in a cute tone. 

When she heard that voice, the slender young woman that called out to her showed a gentle smile. She had golden hair, and her bangs covered one of her eyes. 

She appeared pleasant, but the moment the girl saw the young woman’s eyes, her stare turned sharper. Her expression became stern, as if she found it all foolish, and immediately gave up on her girl act. “I didn’t think there’d be any security out here... but now I get it. You’re a Magicmaster from Alpha, and rather skilled.” 

Meanwhile, the young woman likewise dropped her gentle act and glared back at the girl. “That’s former Magicmaster, but you’re not wrong. I doubt you didn’t know that this place is under the military’s direct control.” 

“That doesn’t matter to me.” 

“I’ve had my eye on you since you were in the main area because your attitude was so suspicious. I don’t know who you are, but I won’t let you do as you please.” 

The girl, Elise, narrowed her eyes in surprise for a moment, before slightly shaking her robe as she observed her opponent. If she knew her identity, she wouldn’t have that kind of attitude. Since the young woman wasn’t calling for backup right away, it didn’t look like she was just pretending she didn’t know who Elise was either. 

I see. So the information on me didn’t reach the lower echelons of security, or they weren’t told. Heh, either way it’s convenient for me. 

Elise was a wanted first-class criminal, but detailed information on her wasn’t widely known. But even after a series of events, including a fight against Jean Rumbulls in the shadow of the Balmes incident, it seemed the situation remained the same. Perhaps they didn’t want to let information carelessly slip and have those without talent make a move on her—and end up dead—or maybe they didn’t want to spread information on Elise and her appearance, lest she go underground again. 

In any case, it looked like the woman was speaking the truth, and she wasn’t even active-duty military. “Did you think that would make me back down? The world’s not that simple,” Elise spat out, focusing on the noises she could hear around her. “If we seriously fight here, just how many people will die?” A crude smile, unbecoming of her looks, appeared on her face. 

“I don’t know the details behind it, but it seems you’re not as young as you look. But you won’t do anything at this institute, so the answer is zero!” the young woman shouted, closing the distance to Elise in a single step, shaking the hair out of her face. 

She pivoted on one leg, bringing a diagonal kick downwards with enough force to split Elise’s body in half. 

Elise dodged the kick by lowering her head and taking a half-step forward, reaching out towards the young woman’s face with her right hand. 

However, her line of sight was sent in another direction as the young woman acknowledged the incoming danger and turned away, her leg returning for another blow. “A two-step preparation, huh.” Elise caught the leg with her left hand. 

A flash of surprise appeared on her opponent’s face, and Elise didn’t miss it. As expected, she hadn’t known who she was fighting. At the very least, she must have thought of Elise as some thug misusing magic. 

The young woman was experienced, but her attack just now was simply physical. If she knew anything about Elise, she would have gone all out from the start, and it still wouldn’t have been enough. Once she realized her attack had been recognized and Elise’s right hand came for her again, she spun on her pivoting leg to bend her body out of danger. 

But when she did, an unbelievable amount of pressure came from Elise’s small hand and clamped down on her leg. It had been a simple contest of strength, and once Elise let go of the young woman’s leg, she jumped far back. 

Meanwhile, Elise’s calm atmosphere disappeared. “You weren’t monitoring me, were you?” 

The young woman, in the midst of getting some distance from her, couldn’t tell who Elise was addressing. She didn’t realize it until she landed and heard a voice behind her. 

“That’s a dead womaaaan.” 

“—!! Another... one...” The young woman felt a heavy impact to the back of her neck, and in the next instant she lost consciousness, falling forward. 

“Don’t finish her off,” Elise quietly said. “It’ll be a pain later.” 

“I know, Ms. Elise. Well, I wouldn’t get upset over being treated like a dead person either. But that aside, I’m surprised that you really came here. It’s unusual for someone as careful as youuu.” 

Elise kept her guard up, as she stared in the direction of the slow speaking and strangely carefree figure, before saying bluntly, “I haven’t gotten senile enough to actually listen to your bullshit. Besides, I don’t have time for this. I only came here to confirm how much of a threat he is to Kurama. Though I guess I stood out too much.” 

“Weeell, I’ll just leave it at that.” The figure finally came out from the grove, wearing a smile, and Elise properly faced her. 

Contrary to what she’d said, the bullshit wasn’t completely unrelated to her. At the very least, she could take advantage of a dead person’s rambling if it gave her the opportunity to wipe out her past that was shrouded in darkness. 

There were lingering regrets... and even now the intricately intertwined events of her past remained as an unfaded mark in the depths of her heart. As a result, just hearing the name of Alpha was enough to bring out a strong disgust and everlasting abhorrence in her. 

Perhaps that was why... she had stepped foot in this nation where the ranked No. 1 lived. 

However, Elise decided to press her point. “Don’t forget that you’ll always be on the outside begging for your life. I won’t forgive anyone who turns their fangs on me no matter the circumstances, and I always finish them off. And I will make you pay for failing to finish off the ranked No. 3.” 

“Yes, I won’t miiiiind. That’s why I’m exposing my real body like this.” 

Considering the way she was talking, it was hard to tell if she was sincere or making fun of Elise. After all, the way she looked now was nothing like she did before. So it was only natural Elise would feel something was off. 

“Well, no matter. I don’t know why you brought it up, but I’m sure you won’t mind if I kill you,” Elise said sarcastically, turning her back on Dakia Agnois as if to say that their conversation was over. 

Dakia was acting innocently and freely, like she was just another guest visiting the campus festival. Her attitude bothered Elise more than usual this time around. She didn’t want to admit it, but it was possible that she had what Elise wanted... freedom. Which was why Elise had put it so maliciously, trying to dampen her spirits. Yet— 

“Yes, if possible. Please doooo.” Even that sentence from Dakia sounded nonchalant. 

Elise clicked her tongue. She felt like her verbal lashing was completely sidestepped. She didn’t think Dakia seriously believed that she would kill her. She was a hard to read woman. But that also cast doubt on whether or not this was really her true body. 

Dakia, showing no concern for Elise’s inner conflict, casually disappeared back into the grove. 

When she was like that, Elise couldn’t get a read on her whatsoever. With an indignant expression, she glared at Dakia as she faded into the distance. 

But the next moment she forgot all about her and pulled her hood down over her eyes. Dakia’s intentions didn’t matter anymore. She only had to do what she came here to do. 

*** 

After parting ways with Noir, Alus returned to his position in front of the main building. 

He glanced at the stalls, then put his hand on the Consensor in his ear, feeling he should at least make a report. But before that, he looked up at the large clock on the main building to confirm the time. 

—! It’s already been this long? Alus groaned as he realized how much time he’d spent escorting Noir. It was only supposed to take twenty minutes, but he’d gone another twenty minutes over that. He realized he should probably apologize to Illumina. Still, if I was going over the time, they could have just contacted me. 

With that thought in mind, he waited for a response and got one before long. “Illumina? I’m sorry, I just finished guiding the prospective student.” 

“We finally got in touch with you. Alus, you did a good job earlier, but what happened after that was not acceptable. You can’t remove your Consensor during a mission. Please be more careful in the future.” 

“Uh, right.” Alus went with the flow, but he didn’t know what she was talking about. He had no memory of removing his Consensor, either. And he’d even given a report to Illumina after capturing the thieves. 

However... before Alus could question her... 

“Mr. Alus.” 

Alus groaned internally. But it wasn’t directed at the girl who’d called out to him from afar. Strictly speaking, it was towards the first-class danger posed by her abundant chest bouncing up and down. “Feli... Ms. Feli?” he corrected himself, as he was still in the middle of a call. 

Felinella was running towards Alus from the main building with a bright smile on her face. 

The men around them were all gazing at Felinella... or rather at a specific part of her body. Bouncing breasts were just something that attracted men. Incidentally, Felinella was dressed the same as usual in her Institute uniform. But it was rare to see someone like her, always focused on behaving like a noble lady, running and out of breath. 

This was the first time Alus had seen her like this. A comfortingly sweet smell that would surely knock out even the strongest of boys was coming from her glossy black hair that blew about in the wind. 

The vision of a beautiful girl running under the heated gaze of the men was like an image from a fine art painting, as if time itself had stopped. 

Finally, after a short yet long-seeming time, Felinella reached Alus and fixed her appearance while catching her breath. Alus couldn’t understand nobility that would care about how they looked after running like that. 

“Mr. Alus, do you have a moment?” 

“Uh, no, I’m still on guard detail.” 

“—!!” Felinella was clearly disheartened and turned away slightly when she heard Alus’ curt reply. “But I finally got some time to spare...” She tried to hide her disappointment, but her honest words leaked out anyway. 

Alus couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable seeing her like that. Even Illumina on the other end of the Consensor seemed to have picked up on the situation, as she let out a heavy sigh. 

“Alus, could you hand me over to Feli?” 

“S-Sure,” Alus said, obediently removing the Consensor from his ear and handing it to Felinella. Her face looked a little red when he did so, but it must have been his eyes playing tricks on him. 

“What, Illumina?” 

“Alus was just about to return to guard duty.” 

“Come on, don’t be like that. Just for a little bit.” 

“Do you expect that to work?” 

“I adjusted the management committee schedule so that it would. The rest is up to you, Illumina. The security committee only needs to work with our committee a little, you just need to be a little more cooperative, right?” 

Alus silently observed their conversation. They really were best friends, with Felinella’s words towards Illumina being refreshingly frank. 

“You’re too brilliant sometimes...” Illumina complained. 

“Hm? What?” 

“Fine. We’ll handle it somehow! But you better be prepared since you’re shifting the burden onto us.” 

“All right, all right.” 

Illumina sighed. “If I recall, Alus hasn’t had lunch yet, so thirty minutes tops! And make sure you feed him.” 

Felinella happily answered Illumina. “I don’t resent you for giving a rationale for everything you decide.” She giggled, but Illumina responded by hanging up on her. 

It seemed some kind of deal had been made. Looking at Felinella’s expression as she handed back his Consensor, Alus decided not to think too hard about it. 

“Mr. Alus, have you had lunch yet?” 

“Oh yeah, I guess I never had time for it.” 

“Then why don’t we have lunch together? Illumina even gave her approval.” 

Alus wasn’t exactly hungry, but he couldn’t bring himself to say that out loud. 

*** 

In the end, Alus was taken away by Felinella grabbing his hand, so it looked like it would be some time before he could return to his guard duty. 

Most of the stalls in front of the main building were students selling food. But it wasn’t just limited to that area. The road to the auditorium was also lined with stalls. These stalls were operated by local restaurants, so they offered a more professional menu. It cost more in return, but this was a festival for students, and they were only expensive when compared to the students’ menus. 

Thanks to that, there were quite a few long lines for the stalls run by the restaurants. The most popular stalls sold dishes like okonomiyaki and takoyaki, followed by thinly cut vegetables and kebabs. The stall selling skewers was also popular and had a long line of people waiting. As for dessert, bite-sized cookies and small pudding dishes were selling well. 

The student stalls were generally cheap and casual, while the pro stalls competed with quality. 

Donuts that utilized plenty of cream or fruits were also a hit with the ladies. Not to mention that even at this time of year, ice cream and other cool desserts were as popular as ever. With the weather being artificially controlled, the temperature never really got too cold. 

“Then, shall we go?” Felinella had a delighted look on her face, as she pulled on his hand without even waiting for his answer. “We don’t have much time, so why don’t we eat something to recharge?” 

“...” Half-hearted replies weren’t allowed, so Alus gave up and answered with a tight smile. 

Felinella had pretty much promised to make a move on him in the past. If this was related to that—Alus had said he would meet her with the firmness of a fortress. 

Maybe that was exaggerating a little, but in truth, he didn’t have much intention to do so. His dry smile might have been a fortress, but it was one with its gates flung open... it was a sign of his resolve to face Felinella’s offensive without a solid defense. 

This was probably that kind of invitation in the first place. And while he was being pulled by the hand, it couldn’t be called forcible. She might have been hesitant to fully abandon her ladylike dignity to be more assertive, as her hand was gently guiding him. She was unable to selfishly follow through with her own needs... no matter what she might say, she was still a girl. 

And Alus could more or less understand that. Perhaps because she was like that, he had left the gates to his fortress unlocked. 

Felinella may have worn a calm and gentle smile on the surface, but she was anything but calm on the inside. She was writhing in shame, scared that Alus would be able to hear the sound of her wildly beating heart. 

However, that struggle fit for a girl of her age only lasted a moment. She composed herself by the time they arrived at their first destination, and she looked over at Alus, only to see him nodding. 

“Excuse me, can we have two of these?” Felinella said, ordering from a first-year student with a big smile on her face. 

The stall sold regular yakisoba. But despite being run by students, the student in charge of cooking was the son of a famous restaurateur, so the taste was no different from a professional’s stall. Yet it was priced the same as student fare, making it a secretly popular spot. 

“M-M-Ms. Socalent!! T-Two, is it? O-Okay!!” Perhaps unfortunately, it was a male student who was running the stall at the moment. Unable to look Felinella directly in the face, he cast his eyes down, only to have them stop at a particular place on her body. Before long, his face turned red as an apple, and he bowed at a speed that looked like his head might come off, as he loudly apologized for his rudeness. 

Felinella looked at him suspiciously. “I’m not sure what’s wrong. But I’m sorry, we don’t have much time...” she said to hurry him on. 

Those words sent the male student into a rush as he hurriedly began cooking, mixing noodles with the other ingredients. Actually, he already had finished yakisoba at hand, but he wanted to make it as fresh as possible for her. 

Meanwhile, Felinella smiled and turned to Alus. “This was a rather popular stall on the questionnaire, so I’m sure it will taste great.” 

“I see.” Alus could only give an absentminded reply because he wasn’t very big on food, and the yakisoba on the menu was a commonplace item. That said, there were several yakisoba stalls, and this one was very popular, so perhaps that should raise his expectations a little. 

But even that was trivial from Alus’ point of view. If he received nutrition and alleviated hunger, the taste didn’t matter. Lately, however, his taste had become more discerning... perhaps thanks to Loki’s cooking. 

Alus quietly looked over his surroundings and furrowed his brows. He knew how popular Felinella was, but he didn’t expect things to get so noisy just because she’d shown up. It was like a guest of state or national figure had appeared. He could hear the sound of people whispering around them. 

And as he figured that this stall would only get busier, he heard something he couldn’t ignore. 

“Isn’t that a first-year? He was in the tournament.” 

“Why is he with Felinella?” 

The voices of two girls gossiping reached his ear. At this rate, it would only be a matter of time before Felinella and Alus became a scandal. 

The next moment, the male student cooking their lunches timidly asked Felinella, “Uhm, would the other one be for...” 

“Yes, of course.” Felinella’s smile was in full bloom, overpowering the ominous shadows around her. 

“I-I see... he, he... I see.” The male student finished up the first pack. His handiwork was careful and deliberate. The noodles were perfect, with the ingredients mixed thoroughly and evenly together, and the pile of noodles properly centered. It was clear he’d put everything he had into it. 

As for the other pack... the moment Felinella turned her eyes towards Alus, he threw half-boiled noodles into a pack and poured spices over it with anger and resentment. The surrounding male students silently approved of his actions. Seeing as how even the girls did the same, it was clear Felinella was popular with both genders. 

It was a truly gruesome act of cooking carried out behind Felinella’s back. Alus saw it happen but looked away, pretending he didn’t see it. 

Eventually, the two packs were done, and Felinella held her license against the register. The male student who’d cooked the yakisoba thanked her for her patronage and bowed. He then pushed the two packs aside for a moment and brazenly asked for a handshake. 

Felinella of course couldn’t say no, and it was the perfect chance for Alus. Deceiving the eyes of that excited student was a trivial task. He swiftly reached out for the already finished yakisoba packs and grabbed one at lightning-fast speed, replacing it with the overly spiced one made for him. 

Once Felinella was finished paying, Alus brushed off the unsuspecting male student’s resentful stare, and the two of them left the stall. He felt bad for whoever would end up eating that, but it wasn’t his fault to begin with, and if the stall’s reputation bombed because of it, that would be the male student’s own fault. 

This kind of thing was a daily occurrence for Alus. He did have three beautiful first-year girls around him every day, after all. His classmates had begun to acknowledge him lately, but there was no way to avoid the men’s jealous stares, especially from those of other class years. He’d more or less been forced to accept it and was on the verge of resigning himself to it, but he wasn’t really the type to be bothered by things like that. 

Still, thinking about it, Felinella’s popularity was frightening. Not to mention the jealous and hateful stares he received now were on par with the ones he got when he was with the three first-year beauties. 

Just as Alus entertained that thought— 

“Aaaaaaack!!” A scream echoed in the distance. It was truly bloodcurdling. Alus imagined that someone at the stall they just left must’ve had the misfortune of getting the yakisoba he exchanged before. 

“I wonder what that is?” Felinella asked. 

Alus bluntly shut her down. “I don’t think it’s something to worry about.” 

“N-No? Then, why don’t we find somewhere to eat these?” she said, and looked around, but it was hard to see anything with students all around them. “Oh...?!” Apparently, she’d only now realized the situation they were in, and her cheek twitched in a vague expression of joy mixed with annoyance. 

“At this time of day, I’m sure there are a lot of people by the auditorium, too.” 

“I guess it can’t be helped. It’s a bit improper, but what else can we do. That’s right, there’s no other way.” Felinella looked around as she rambled on about something. She then pointed out a place. 

It was a vast lawn a bit out of the way. And it was then that Alus realized what she meant by “improper” was probably sitting on the ground. Though it was questionable if that’s what she really believed. 

To get there, they had to hurry along and shake off the stares of curious onlookers. She even pulled him over to the spot. It need not be said that doing this made her look like the assertive one, another source for rumors. That meant that she’d risked starting rumors just to bring him here. 

“Now then, Mr. Alus...” She sneakily began making preparations, as if she was afraid of being seen. She also spoke in a nervous whisper. Perhaps it was the situation that made her do it, but it did make them look like a couple having a secret rendezvous. 

Felinella brought out a handkerchief from her pocket and spread it out on the grass. “Here, Mr. Alus.” 

For the time being, he decided to forget about asking why she looked so happy. “If I sit down, then there won’t be any room for you, Feli. I don’t mind sitting on the ground, so why don’t you sit down?” 

“We can’t have that. I couldn’t accept having only you sitting down on the ground,” Felinella firmly refused with a gentle smile. 

I guess she was this kind of girl, Alus thought. But he didn’t really get upset about it. In fact, he felt it was a virtue of hers. 

“T-Then, why don’t we both use it?” she suggested, her eyes cast down on the grass. 

Alus agreed, realizing that they wouldn’t get anywhere otherwise, and glanced down at the handkerchief. Isn’t this a little too small for both of us? he thought, but it would be tasteless of him to mention that now. Deciding he wasn’t going to care what happened, he sat down first. 

Felinella then leaned over to take the rest of the space. She neatly tucked away her skirt and slowly sat down, confirming where the handkerchief was while doing so. 

This wasn’t on the level of bumping shoulders. They were so close that they were practically squeezed up against one another. But the thought that ran across Alus’ mind was how difficult it was going to be to eat the yakisoba this way. Instead of touching the pack, he was close enough to hear her beating heart. That said, nothing would come from sitting still. 

“Yes, all right then, thank you for the food,” Alus said to get the ball rolling and awkwardly opened up the lid of the pack. 

“Y-Yes! Please go ahead first,” Felinella urged him, with a strange tension in her voice. 

They were pressed for time as it was. Alus had no intention of wasting more time than he had to by talking, but that didn’t mean he was unsympathetic to the goodwill Felinella had shown. Even when he’d tried to pay for the yakisoba, she had refused, saying it was part of the pay for the security job Illumina had given him. 

Incidentally, the yakisoba that he’d switched out had been made a while back, so it was a little cold. But that didn’t mean much to him. The problem right now was that Felinella hadn’t told him what she was expecting, yet she was staring at him with a serious look on her face. 

He guessed that she wanted his impression of the food. Meaning that he didn’t have much choice. That said, Alus didn’t demand anything other than nutrition from his meals, so he wouldn’t be able to give any interesting responses. 

Anyways, it was clear that Felinella wasn’t going to eat if he didn’t. “A-All right then,” he said in an exasperated tone, eating some of the noodles. 

Felinella watched him intently. Taste aside, it was hard to focus on eating when you were being stared at. He took time to swallow the first bite to figure out what kind of comment to make. But in cases like these, he already knew what to say. After all, whenever Loki or Felinella had questions, the answer they wanted was written on their faces. 

“How is it?” Felinella asked, her expectations clear in her expression. 

So Alus pulled out the canned response he had in mind. “Yes, I can see why they have such a good reputation. It’s really tasty... Why don’t you try eating some too, Feli?” He barely knew what he was saying, simply picking out words that sounded nice. 

In that regard, he’d have to thank Loki later. This was pretty much his stock answer whenever she asked him. He didn’t really know if it tasted good or not. Having only thought of food as a source of nutrition, maybe his sense of taste had gone awry. At any rate, he called anything delicious if it was edible. 

It might sound like he had a refined palate, but when you got down to it, his sense of taste was underdeveloped. It wasn’t like he couldn’t taste anything at all, but he’d never consciously enjoyed a meal. 

“If you say so... I’m glad to hear it! This is my first time trying this type of food, so I was really looking forward to it.” 

Alus stopped thinking for a moment when he heard that. From the way she said it, it sounded like she was making him taste it first, but there was no point in complaining about it. 

This time it was Alus’ turn to look on as Felinella scooped up some noodles and brought them to her soft-looking lips. She then bit them into fine pieces. Her manners were truly elegant, making even stall food look like a high-class dish. She gently put down the fork and covered her mouth. “My! It really is delicious!” she said with relief. 

Before long, they both finished their yakisoba. Felinella put the open boxes to the side so she could throw them away later. Alus thought he’d finally be able to return to work, but that only lasted for a moment. 

“Actually, I bought this too,” Felinella said. In her hand was a small paper plate, with some dainty-looking food on it. 

Alus was aware that this was a common dessert dish. The main ingredient was fruit, sliced into bite-sized pieces, and eaten with syrup, cream, or chocolate. It was like a dessert version of fondue. On the plate was a single toothpick, likely for use in picking up the fruit. 

Seeing this, Felinella, in a very deliberate tone, said, “Oh. There’s only one.” 

Alus gazed quizzically at her awkward words, and at the same time, let out a sigh in a way she wouldn’t notice. 

This was where the true battle began. Even if he searched his mind for references to go by, he didn’t have any experience with this kind of thing. It wasn’t like he hated sweets, but he hadn’t gone through this much with Loki either. But there was no escape. 

“Here you go.” Felinella held out a piece of fruit on the toothpick to Alus. 

“If there’s only one, I’ll refrain. You can have it, Feli.” 

She maintained a smile, completely brushing off Alus’ refusal. The fruit glistened with transparent syrup as it slowly approached Alus’ mouth. 

Being stubborn here would be unproductive. So he gave in to the pressure and opened his mouth. When it touched his lips, he wordlessly chewed and swallowed it. The syrup added a layer of sweetness to the fruit’s sourness. He found it to be unexpectedly delicious. 

Felinella, meanwhile, looked ecstatic over how things were going. 

“Feli, it’s about...” They actually still had some time left, but Alus tried to call it quits in an attempt to get away. Unfortunately, he was interrupted. 

“Oh, excuse me. You wanted another one, didn’t you?” Without hesitation, Felinella picked up another piece of fruit and dipped it in the cream topping. The fruit on the toothpick was covered in sweet-looking white droplets that looked like they would slip off at any moment. Her smile seemed to be asking that he hurry up and open his mouth already. Her expression wasn’t so much seductive as it was innocent. 

Alus’ intuition told him this was bad. Opening his mouth again for any reason was bad. He had a feeling that she would no doubt bring up piece after piece of fruit, dipping them in various toppings, and throw them into his mouth, not giving him any room to object. But as expected, even now any resistance was futile. 

For a time, he gave up on counting the number of defeats he suffered. Suddenly, he found that he’d gotten some chocolate cream on his mouth. Though it wasn’t clear if it had been on purpose or not. But there was no mistaking the gleam in Felinella’s eye when it happened. 

“Y-You’ve got cream... on your mouth,” she mumbled. 

Alus stared at her coldly. It was a scenario that anyone would be envious of, but unfortunately that wasn’t the case for Alus, who’d grown up in the military. He had a feeling Felinella was about to make her final move. Any more than this will be too sugary for me. And how much is she planning on feeding me, anyway? 

Even Alus knew what was likely to happen next in this situation, which was why it was easy for him to follow what had happened so far. To him, the slight increase in the beating of his heart was competing against an impenetrable wall. 

He used reason and logic and tried to wipe it away with his hand ahead of time, but his arm was firmly grabbed by a soft hand. Some mysterious power forcibly made him lower the arm again. 

Felinella’s smile remained unchanged. “I see you have a surprisingly cute, clumsy side.” She giggled, and naturally continued with her next line. “Oh dear, I guess I’ll have to wipe it off.” 

With an image of what would happen next, Alus resigned himself with a “T-Thanks,” and left the rest to fate. He couldn’t even put up a fight. He cursed his lack of experience and admitted defeat. 

Felinella put her hand on the ground and leaned closer. Alus could hear her breathing become uneven. Looking at her up close, he saw her fine skin and lovely facial features. There were times when she looked mature, but when she did things like this, it reminded him that she was still a girl, just like Tesfia or Alice. 

He could affirm that both sides of her were part of her charm. At the same time, he couldn’t help but wonder how Vizaist had a daughter like this. He would never say it out loud, but she’d probably taken after her mother, as she didn’t look the slightest bit like Vizaist. But he could see signs of her father’s blood in the way she composed cautious strategies and launched bold offensives. 

“There, all clean.” 

Alus, who had his eyes closed, realized that she’d gone against his expectations. In her hand was a second handkerchief, which she’d used to clean the area around his mouth. If there had been any onlookers, they might have thought things should have gone a little differently. 

But Alus didn’t particularly mind, which was only natural, because this was a normal result if you thought about it. Wiping the cream off with her own finger and then eating it herself was perhaps too high of a hurdle for the lady-like Felinella. 

Or maybe she was just unaware of what was a common occurrence for couples. Or maybe that action exceeded what she considered tolerable for a noble’s manners... only she knew the truth. Then again, nobody would complain even if she did it. 

It was a frustrating result, and Alus just barely managed to keep himself from shouting out that she had another handkerchief after all. 

After that, they perused the stalls, using up all of the time Alus was allotted for their pseudo date. This was his first time seeing Felinella behaving so innocently, but it wasn’t just him either. Rumors spread across the campus in the blink of an eye, and there were many who came to take a peek at them and confirm the truth. As a result, there were plenty of stunned students with shocked expressions around. 

However, the person at the center of it all, Felinella, treated it like it was no concern of hers. If anything, she seemed to be acting as though she wanted to show off to those miscreants. 

But the truth was that she truly enjoyed this time with Alus from the bottom of her heart. Her wish that their time together would last forever was made clear with her every gesture and expression. 

Alus had been dragged around everywhere, but if asked if he found it unpleasant, he would say he didn’t. Then again, if asked if he was enjoying himself, he’d say that he didn’t know. Just being around Felinella, who was practically exuding bliss, made even Alus feel comfortable. So if asked if he was having fun, he might just nod. In this moment, he felt something akin to peace of mind. 

The surrounding stares didn’t bother Felinella, nor did she make any attempt to hide her joy. With a bright smile on her face, she pulled Alus to new stalls and fun-looking events. And every time, Alus was brought into a special atmosphere that was richly colored by her bliss. 

Eventually, they made their way to the training grounds. Suddenly, Alus looked up at the giant clock on the main building. Felinella, who’d been talking to him with a smile, suddenly fell silent. 

The hustle and bustle of their surroundings, which had been feeling distant, quickly returned. It was like the vibrant feel of the world was rapidly fading away. 

After closing his eyes for a moment, Alus exhaled and spoke out. “It’s a shame, but it’s about time.” 

Felinella nodded as if to convince herself, and brightly spoke up with a forced smile, “Yes. I wish we could go on for longer, but I guess this is it. Thank you for going along with my selfishness.” She’d known this time would come, but now that it was finally here, she wasn’t confident that she’d be able to smile properly. There were still plenty of places they hadn’t been to. And she felt like she was waking up from a dream. She’d returned to a childlike mentality, forgetting about everything, just spending time with him. So for now, she should settle for that satisfaction. 

When she thought of it in that way, she felt a refreshed feeling in her mind. As her beating heart settled down, Felinella was dragged back to reality, realizing her status and position. Don’t feel so down, the next time will be even more fun. It will be even more wonderful. 

This wasn’t the end. It was only the beginning. She was a little proud of herself, devoting herself to a single man. She felt like she’d met a version of herself she wasn’t aware of before. 

That’s why she had to ask. “... Mr. Alus, did you have fun?” She smiled broadly, but she could hear the tremble in her voice. 

Now if only this wasn’t so self-serving. “Yes, it was the most fun I’ve had in a while,” Alus said with a smile. 

He then realized something about himself and smiled wryly. His supposed fortress that Vizaist had talked about didn’t seem so solid anymore. It was more like it was made of papier-mâché. 

Silence fell between the two. However, there was no way for anyone to stop the happy time that was drifting away. Then, an unmistakable breeze of early winter blew past, caressing their bodies. 

Alus was a year younger than her, but he certainly didn’t sound like it. At least, that’s how it seemed to Felinella. As if ruminating over her joy, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath before saying, “I feel the same way.” This time she’d been able to say so from the bottom of her heart. 

Alus answered her with a smile. “Are you going back to headquarters, Feli? I was planning on looking in on those girls at the training grounds first.” 

“In that case, I will accompany you. I’ve only received some progress reports on the mock battles, so I want to take a look for myself, too.” 

“I see.” By “those girls,” he was of course referring to Tesfia, Alice, and Loki. And so the two turned their attention to the training grounds. It was then that they finally noticed the large crowd of people moving towards the grounds, some even in a big rush who ran past Alus and Felinella. 

“It looks to be booming,” Alus noted. 

“Yes. The demonstrations should be over by now, so the mock battles must have started. Still...” The mock battles were the most popular event of the campus festival, but Felinella was a little taken aback by how unexpectedly busy it was. 

Alus figured that was how it always was, but it did seem a little strange. The crowd had been growing for a while now, and the stream of people heading to the training grounds had picked up more momentum, turning into a raging current. At this rate, the training grounds might go over its audience capacity. 

As if proving this, the cheers from inside the grounds were getting louder and louder. The crowd’s passion could practically be felt from here. 

“Oh yeah, weren’t you going to take part too, Feli?” 

“I have my management committee work to do, so I’ll do mock battles from tomorrow onward. The first day is the busiest, after all.” 

“I see.” Thinking about it, Alus remembered Illumina had said something like that too. 

“But if the crowd is going to be this big, then not much might change between today and tomorrow.” 

“Maybe not. Well, good luck with it. I’ll drop by to take a look while working security.” 

“Yes, but you’re free to help out too, you know,” Felinella responded jokingly. She had a friendly smile on her face, still basking in the afterglow of the fun from before. 

“I’m sure Illumina would get angry at me if I did. I haven’t even done any proper work today.” 

“Oh, how modest.” Considering the smile on her face, Felinella must’ve heard about the exhibit incident. “Well, she is scary when she’s angry... but only for a little bit.” She looked inside the training grounds with a mischievous glance, and Alus agreed with a wry smile. 

The abnormal excitement over the mock battles did slightly bother him. Incidentally, anyone was free to join the mock battles, and sometimes active-duty Magicmasters joined in too. Most, of course, let the students shine, but occasionally there were some really strong students, forcing the professionals to get serious, which got the crowd fired up. Perhaps something like that was happening now. 

However, going through the general entrance with this crowd would take too long. So in the end, Felinella used her authority as management committee chairperson to use the back door that led to the competitors’ waiting room. A poster said staff only, but they were in the management and security teams, so there shouldn’t be any problem with that. 

They passed by the waiting and dressing rooms and headed down the hallway to the audience seats. The two came across some people along the way, but everyone in the Institute knew Felinella, so all they did was bow. 

Eventually, they came out of a dim hallway and squinted as they entered the training grounds. Their eyes had adapted to the dark, so the light streaming in was blinding. The area they’d come out into was a space secured for competitors, so it was relatively free of spectators. 

Looking around the training grounds, it was clear that the bleachers were packed. There were even people standing in the aisles. 

When Alus looked over at a certain match taking place, he narrowed his eyes. Mock battles were taking place on four fields, and the match that caught his attention was strange, to say the least. 

Felinella let out a surprised voice. “Two against one...? That’s an odd turn of events.” 

Her words hadn’t been intended for anyone, but someone suddenly called out to her from behind. “I’m sorry, madam chair.” 

The person behind the voice was a male student who was scratching his head with an apologetic expression. His name was Delca Base, and he was a well-known third-year who was one of the strongest students in the Institute. He was also the supervisor for the mock battles. 

“I believe changes to the match format are up to the supervisor to decide to adapt to the situation as needed, so what happened?” Felinella asked, and Alus was curious as to the answer as well. After all, both Tesfia and Alice were taking part in that strange match. Of course, they weren’t fighting each other, which would’ve replicated their match in the tournament. As proof of that, there was indeed a third person present. 

This person wore a distinctive red robe that stood out, even from where Alus and Felinella were standing. The hem was long enough to drag across the ground, and the sleeves were similarly long, so there was a lot of fabric left over. It was clearly too large for the person, who looked like a child in adult clothing. 

Based on the figure’s small stature and the hair peeking out from under the robe, it appeared to be a young girl. Her appearance made her look younger than Loki. She had platinum blonde hair, but with crimson ends, as if the tips were soaked in fresh blood. And of all things, she appeared to be taking on both Tesfia and Alice at the same time. 

At first glance, it might have looked like an innocent child who’d joined in for fun... but the truth didn’t seem so simple. She wasn’t even using an AWR, yet she was on par with—no, she was even stronger than—both Tesfia and Alice together. In fact, they were completely under her thumb, as if she was training them. 

The gap was overwhelming. And excluding Alus and Loki, the two girls were the top of the first-year students. As one could understand from their display at the tournament, it wouldn’t be strange for Tesfia’s and Alice’s combat prowess to be considered in the Triple Digit range. They still lacked experience in the Outer World, but they were being instructed by Alus, so they weren’t unfamiliar with fighting against people. And yet, the girl they were fighting wasn’t giving them any openings. 

Moreover, she had spotted their shortcomings and purposely prodded them, instructing while she fought. And it wasn’t just the power of their magic, but flawed footwork and openings in incantations. She was skillfully taking advantage of points they needed to improve on, while maintaining her overwhelming edge and avoiding making any decisive moves. 

Of course, Tesfia and Alice were giving it their all. That much was clear from all the magic flying around combined with their martial arts, but... it was a bizarre situation no matter how you looked at it. 

With an astounded expression, Felinella’s eyes asked for an explanation from Delca, who scratched his head again and started telling them what happened. “That girl in the red robe just suddenly appeared, saying she wanted to fight the strongest one here. Everyone thought it was a joke at first, but it’s a festival, and everyone’s free to join in after all. So they told her the names of two first-years and asked her to choose, but...” 

“She asked for both?” Felinella said with surprise. 

Delca nodded. “Normally, you request who you want to fight at the reception desk, but it seems she just passed by there and barged in.” Before any commotion could break out, Delca then stepped in. “She was acting kind of self-important if you ask me, but apparently she’s older than she looks. Of course, I asked for her identification, and it appears that she’s part of Alpha’s military.” 

“So that’s why you allowed it.” 

“As the supervisor, I had no other choice.” Like Delca said, there was no reason to refuse military personnel from their own nation. A student like himself was practically guaranteed to join the military in the future, so if they brought up their position, he didn’t have a choice. 

Not to mention it was the girl who had sought to fight two on one. As far as Alus knew, there was no one like that in the military, although his knowledge was admittedly limited in that regard. Since he preferred to work alone, he didn’t know everyone who was in the military. 

As Tesfia and Alice were getting roughed up, Alus observed their opponent’s movements. The first thing he noticed was that her arms never left her sleeves, despite being in the middle of battle. That was likely a strategy to hide her flow of mana, but it meant she was really skilled. 

The next moment, Alus felt a familiar presence approach from behind. 

“Al...” 

“Loki. What is it?” He glanced at her. 

She had a somewhat sullen look on her face. “Where did you go?” She had participated in the mock battles as well, but had taken a break a while ago, and so had set out to look for Alus. But when she searched the areas he was assigned to, she found no trace of him, only to find him together with Felinella when she came back. It wasn’t something she could accept so easily. 

“I was having lunch with Felinella. But something interesting is going on here.” 

Loki glanced at Felinella and snarled like a beast as if to intimidate her, then casually brought herself closer to Alus. It was her usual position, but she was close enough to touch shoulders. Maybe she’d gotten closer to discuss something more delicate. “You mean you came when I was on break?” 

“Yeah, I guess so...” Alus was focused on the match and didn’t react to Loki getting so close, and on top of that his answer was vague. “—!!” 

Suddenly, the robed girl locked eyes with Alus, while dodging Tesfia’s and Alice’s spells. It wasn’t just his imagination either. She had without a doubt reacted to his gaze and was staring back at him. That wasn’t something you could do in the middle of a fight without a lot of breathing room. 

The next moment, her lips moved. “You’re finally here.” 

There was no way to hear her voice from that distance, but that was clearly what she said. Alus also didn’t overlook the fearless smile that appeared on her lips. 

*** 

Meanwhile, before the strange match began... 

Tesfia and Alice were fighting mock battles, but they didn’t struggle in any of them, winning match after match. That was because they were only fighting little more than amateurs. 

The most common type of opponent was someone who was considering taking the entrance exam for the Second Magical Institute. Against these opponents, they naturally acted like seniors, giving them guidance. Sometimes it was by action, and other times they used words too... but only when the person was so apparently inexperienced that they just naturally said something. At those times, a certain person’s habits and way of speaking would come to mind. 

Now that they were in his shoes, they could understand. And they also received an understanding of the difficulty of having an inadequate student. It was more mentally wearing than physically exhausting. 

The mock battles were run in shifts, but as expected, the tournament participants were especially popular. It was enough to make them tired of it, but they still treated all opponents with respect because their innocence reminded them of themselves from a few months back. They hadn’t known left from right, and their knowledge of magic was superficial at best. Even their way of fighting had been unreliable. 

Even now, Tesfia had plenty of energy to spare, as she sheathed her katana AWR. On the other side of the arena was a young boy with his breath running ragged. 

“Thank you very much! I’ll definitely enroll here next year and become your junior!!” the boy declared, to which Tesfia replied with an awkward smile, and the mock battle came to an end. There wasn’t much advice she could give him. But she was pretty elated at having such a straightforward shout-out of respect directed her way. 

When she returned to the waiting room, she was greeted by Alice wearing a mischievous smile. “He was pretty cute. Did you like him?” 

“W-What are you talking about... he’s just a child.” 

“Hmm, really? I was sure he would be enrolling here next year.” 

“... Well, he did say that...” 

Alice’s face lit up as she gave Tesfia a teasing look. “I knew it! Since you hid it for a second, I guess that means—” 

“Y-You’re wrong! I’m not interested in someone that weak.” 

“Then what’s your type?” 

As expected of best friends, they could casually chat about things like love relationships. However, the ideal man Tesfia talked about always referred to rank or strength. But in reality, neither Alice nor Tesfia had a clear image of what that meant. 

Tesfia threw out her already prepared response that she’d used before at her best friend’s question. “I want someone strong, high-ranking, and reliable.” 

“Wouldn’t Al work, then?” 

“—!!” For some reason, hearing that made Tesfia stop thinking, and she could feel her face get hot. A scene flashed through her mind of an idealized future, where the two formed a normal family and cared for each other after returning home from missions in the Outer World. More than anything, Alus felt a bit out of place as the husband in that scene, but maybe that was just the way a girl her age dreamed about things. 

As proof of that, the next scene that played out in her mind was her cooking, despite her lack of skills, with Alus thanking her with a sweet smile. This was something unthinkable in reality... but looking at it, while it was falsely beautified, it was still a fantasy of a normal couple supporting each other. 

That aside, Tesfia tried to cool her head by shaking it back and forth. It was strange, considering how much she disliked him before, and Alice had only asked her a casual question, yet it had spurred her imagination into overdrive. 

This isn’t right at all, this is just a trick of the mind or something like that! Who would enjoy being around that grumpy face all the time? But yeah, I can respect him as the ranked No. 1, he’s overwhelmingly strong enough for that. He’s also smart... and not bad looking... and he has a solid sense of himself... 

As Tesfia laid out his qualities in her mind, her line of thinking reversed at some point. However... But... t-that’s right, my mother wouldn’t permit it so easily in the first place! W-Well, he does take care of me during training, and the Governor-General respects him... wait, wasn’t he the reason the talk about a fiancé for me was postponed too? It had all been thanks to Alus that her mother Frose put off engagement talks. It was only now that Tesfia recalled Frose had taken an interest in him. Wasn’t it because Alus had appeared that she forgot about the engagement talks? Frose wasn’t the kind of person to listen to her daughter so easily, if not for something like that. 

Tesfia desperately tried to think of something negative about Alus to help her deny this line of thought, but the only thing she recalled was the poor impression she’d gotten when she first met him. What’s more, she didn’t really know how to feel right now... even that impression from the past meant little in the present, so she couldn’t put her mind at ease. 

Thinking about it... there was no reason why Alus couldn’t become her fiancé. Though there was no way he would ever take an interest in someone so troublesome. 

Tesfia sighed at that and decided to quit thinking about it. At the very least, she hoped she could have a relationship with someone she wanted, rather than someone her mother had chosen. The conditions she’d told Alice were only secondary, a way to escape from the situation. However, Tesfia had never experienced what it was like to be in love. So even when she thought about Alus in terms of liking or hating, she rather liked him. And it was easy to add the words “as a friend” to that. 

Meanwhile, Alice, who’d seen through Tesfia’s feelings with ease, had a carefree smile on her face as her best friend returned to reality. “You might end up having many rivals,” she said in a lighthearted manner. 

Of course, Tesfia vehemently objected. “Like I said, it’s not like that! Why are you being so persistent?!” 

“That’s because there’s someone who perfectly fits your conditions.” 

“Like. I. Said!!” 

Seeing her best friend lose it, Alice let out a very fake scream and turned to run away. 

That was when Delca Base called out to them, putting a stop to their friendly chat. He was a third-year student who, despite being nobility, wasn’t very boastful about it, and he was the supervisor of these mock battles. Not to mention he was one of the upperclassmen Tesfia had looked up to when she enrolled. 

According to Delca, there was no time for rest, as the next challenger was waiting. There were plenty of students that could be requested for these battles, and Tesfia didn’t feel too bad about being so popular, but she was curious about his unsettled expression. “So, uhm...? Which field is my next match on?” 

“Uh, well, that’s...” Delca was being very evasive. But once Tesfia and Alice heard what he had to say, they furrowed their brows. 

And so they headed for the grounds where their strange challenger awaited. When they arrived, they found a small girl wearing a red robe too big for her. 

Delca had said she was with Alpha’s military, but they found it hard to believe. Loki already looked pretty young, but the girl before them looked even younger. But Delca had already set up the special match, so they had no choice in the matter anyways. 

Tesfia walked onto the training grounds and whispered to Alice, “What are we going to do?” 

“I guess we have no choice but to fight. Don’t forget to hold back, Fia,” Alice said, warning Tesfia. 

But that was only natural. Tesfia was born with a lot of mana, and her level of control fluctuated depending on her emotions. Though when it came to control, Alice wasn’t really in a position to complain about others. 

The two-on-one format might be unusual for students, but it was often used in the military to train combinations and teamwork. Even if their opponent was a soldier, the two were confident that they were much stronger than they had been when they enrolled, thanks to Alus’ training. Fiends were one thing, but a normal Magicmaster would likely struggle to deal with two human fighters. 

Alice had fought an active-duty Magicmaster who’d joined in for fun that morning, and their match ended in a tie. As for the match itself, Alice had nearly overwhelmed her opponent in magical aptitude, but maybe that was only the way it appeared. Being the campus festival, it was possible that the Magicmaster had gone easy on her. 

At any rate, matches were usually one-on-one, so this kind of irregularity tended to attract attention. Even more so when the two students involved had won first and second place at the Friendship Magical Tournament’s first-year division. 

In fact, there were regulars in the audience who showed up for the mock battles each year hoping to see what unexpected twists and turns the new students would bring. That’s why “What’ll happen this year?” and similar statements could be heard throughout the audience. 

For better or worse, the results of many prospective students’ matches were foregone conclusions. At best, the audience would cheer them on to give their future seniors a run for their money. On the other hand, when military personnel or alumni joined in, the audience would cheer for the student and enjoy a thrilling match. 

Some distance away, Delca watched the two step onto the training grounds with a worried expression. He had a manly composure about him, but seeing that the match was already full of anomalies, he suspected that it was going to give him a headache, which was why he felt the need to pay extra attention to this one. After all, he didn’t want anything to happen to the opponent. Nor did he want his own institute’s students to get in trouble, since they were his responsibility as the supervisor. 

Meanwhile, Tesfia and Alice didn’t forget to pay due respect to their senior, the red-robed girl. Yet even now they found it hard to believe she was military personnel. They still found it easier to believe that she’d shown a fake license. But if that was the case, it would far exceed the realm of a child’s playful trick. Not to mention the techniques needed to accomplish it, which certainly seemed beyond what the girl before them should be capable of doing. 

“I’m sorry for being late,” Tesfia said, and she and Alice lightly bowed. 

The girl didn’t particularly seem to mind, as she answered them with a smile on her face. “That’s fine. I’m the one who asked for the impossible... but maybe they didn’t understand me when I asked for the strongest student?” She put a finger against her small well-shaped lips with a questioning expression. 

Tesfia and Alice were surprised by her reaction for a moment but recovered. “I’m sorry,” Tesfia said. “There are certainly competitors who are above us, but they’re not available right now. So could you not settle for us?” 

As far as Alice could tell, Tesfia had the proper aristocratic manners to handle these kinds of situations. Moreover, she was rather confident, as while she’d said there were some above her, she didn’t say that they were stronger. 

Alice wasn’t going to back down either, though she spoke in a mild manner. “We might be inexperienced, but we’ll face you with all our might.” 

The red-robed girl let a grin show. But perhaps because of her childlike appearance, it didn’t look particularly malicious. “I don’t mind. It’ll be a good opportunity to judge Alpha’s current level. Do try your best to help me kill time, young ones,” she said as if to provoke them. 

But neither got angry, as they brushed off her remark. It did, however, feel odd for someone who looked younger than them to take on such an air of superiority. But it was more weird than angering or discomforting. The atmosphere around her felt more like a child forcing herself to act like a villain, which was more adorable than anything. 

That said—a match was a match. The next moment, Tesfia drew her katana and Alice readied her golden spear. 

When the robed girl saw those AWRs, she gave a snort of admiration. Yet she showed no sign of entering a battle stance. She was clearly convinced that she was above the two, showing quite a bit of composure. 

But there was something else on the two girls’ minds. The match was about to begin, so there was something the girl would need—the symbol of a Magicmaster, the essence of magic technology: an AWR. 

Yet the girl didn’t seem to have one. It was possible she was hiding it within her large robe, but it certainly didn’t look like it to them. 

“Uhm, where is your AWR...?” Alice asked. 

There was a pause. The red-robed girl had a vacant look for an instant. This wasn’t an act. She really didn’t seem to understand what Alice was saying. After thinking about it, the girl finally realized the meaning of the question and thought to herself: They must believe that you can’t fight without an AWR. Talk about a stupid bunch... but I guess I should follow tradition. The girl let out an exasperated sigh. There was even a bit of pity in her sigh. 

At some point, magic technology had seen a lot of advancement while she was unaware of it; but at the same time, those looking to become Magicmasters had apparently lost their sense of creativity and flexibility. 

As if to answer the two, she focused mana into her arms. With her childish body, she guessed the two brats before her were trying to be considerate of her. She’d held it in but figured it was about time. She couldn’t do anything but resign herself when even people almost a century younger than her were underestimating her. 

And so, she pulled her sleeve back a little, while directing the darkness within her towards her opponents. The mana in her arm condensed over her slightly exposed hand, instantly forming a sword made of water. After a beat, the sword dissolved into water and was sucked into her sleeve. 

But the next moment... a pure blade made solely from water extended out from her sleeve in combat-ready form. “Will this do?” 

“—!!” “—!!” 

A chill ran down Tesfia’s and Alice’s spines when they witnessed the blade being made from clear water. That was because normally it would be extremely difficult to create and maintain such a beautiful form. It was something made possible only through outstanding skills. The two had had firsthand experience of that, so they knew how skilled the girl was, whether they liked it or not. 

In that instant, their unconscious understanding of who was strong here and who was weak got turned on its head. 

Alice hurriedly apologized. “I-I’m sorry for saying something so presumptuous!” 

“I don’t mind. It’s just that I’m not very good with AWRs. Maybe it’s my old age, but I can’t keep up with these new things...” The way she rubbed her temple while wearing a bitter smile certainly did look strangely old and true to nature. 

Tesfia and Alice exchanged looks and responded with forced smiles. But thinking of it another way, it was a chance for them. If she really was military from Alpha, it meant they could learn under someone other than Alus for a change. After all, just a single glance at the water sword made it clear she was far above the two of them. It was unclear how advanced she was, but maybe they’d be able to fight her to a draw with the two of them. 

Tesfia wasn’t the only one who’d built up some frustration in her mock battles so far. Even Alice unintentionally poured more mana into her gold spear. 

“May I ask for your name? I’m Tesfia Fable. And this is...” 

“Alice Tilake.” 

The girl smiled wryly at the direct question. Instead of her usual name, because she was using a fake I.D. here, she decided to use that name instead. “... It’s Minalis. But I’ll allow you to refer to me as ‘young lady’ when not using my name.” 

She felt a sense of discomfort every time that name was mentioned. The true owner of that name had been eliminated a long time ago. All traces of their existence were gone. It had been the name of a weak woman who’d foolishly wielded false justice without being able to see through it as such and who had been ruined for it. The name of Minalis reminded the girl of that detestable past. 

“Well then, are you ready? It’s only to kill time until my first choice gets here, but I don’t like wasting time, so come at me with all you’ve got,” the girl—Minalis—casually said. At the same time, she opened and closed the fingers of the hand she was pouring mana through. 

The hand was hidden under her sleeve, so it was unclear whether they actually noticed it, but both Tesfia and Alice got serious, releasing their own mana. It was an odd mock battle, but the two worked well together in training, so they might have an easier time fighting this way than they would alone. Because they knew everything about each other, their strength was multiplied. 

The buzzer signaling the start of the match rang out. 

But seconds passed, and neither Tesfia nor Alice moved. They’d been enthusiastic about going all out to fight a strong opponent, but their legs were stuck to the ground, and cold sweat dripped down their foreheads. 

In response, the overwhelmingly powerful Minalis released her own mana. One might expect a twisted, stagnant mana considering how vicious the atmosphere around her was, but it betrayed expectations by being clear and vibrant. And thanks to that, the two were able to sense the obvious difference in ability. 

This was the first time they’d felt that since watching Alus fight up close. Even in training they hadn’t experienced this kind of torrent of mana. And the two girls gulped at the sight of it. 

“Talk about a disappointment! If you’re going to lose your nerve over something like this... sometimes being reckless is a virtue.” Her way with words was rough, but it rode on a wave of mana and pounded the two girls’ eardrums. 

Perhaps that was enough to inspire Tesfia and Alice to entrust themselves to a recklessness made possible by the fact that this was a mock battle. It was also a perfect opportunity for Tesfia to show everyone that her growth as a Magicmaster wasn’t just about magic and techniques. 

After calming her pulsating heart with a deep breath, Tesfia swiftly swung her katana. Immediately the air around her froze with a crunching sound, as thin ice crystals were created. 

Alice spun her spear around to encourage herself with its sound and speed. To avoid being overwhelmed by her opponent, she only needed to bring out all of her power to face her. 

And so, the two resolved to use full force. 

*** 

Alus could see the fierceness of Tesfia’s and Alice’s fight. 

And so could the audience, to the point that they were staring with their mouths wide open. Everyone watching thought the same thing, that they’d become even stronger since the Friendship Magical Tournament and that their teamwork brought out all of that strength. 

Yet the girl who called herself Minalis was always one step ahead. Her water blade was strong enough to compete with their AWRs, and they couldn’t even cut through it with their haphazard attacks because of the torrent of water continuously spinning like a vortex. The moment the AWRs touched it, they were knocked back by the force of it. 

Moreover, the water that Minalis manipulated was practically perfect when it came to defense. Tesfia fired off an Ice Bullet at point-blank range when Minalis showed a minor opening. But despite it being in her blind spot, a wall of water rose up and seemingly absorbed the spell. The difference in mana easily overcame the contrast between liquid and solid, nullifying the Ice Bullet. 

The next moment, a rapidly spinning thorn of water appeared from out of the wall and launched at Tesfia. Even if it was originally made from liquid, it had been solidified by mana and would easily tear through any ordinary objects. 

Tesfia immediately stabbed her katana into the ground, creating an Ice Wall to block the counterattack. The wall of ice that appeared was thicker and more flexible than what she’d shown in the tournament. 

But the Ice Wall built to contain the torrent of water was meaningless in the end. When it clashed with the wall, the water split into two, as if it had a mind of its own. It then circumvented the wall entirely and attacked Tesfia from both her flanks. 

—!! I’ll be down for the count if that hits me. It wasn’t just strong. If not for the training grounds changing damage into mental exhaustion, she would have large holes in her body. 

Tesfia swiftly pulled her katana out and kicked off the ground. Having just barely dodged the attack, she clung to the top of the wall of ice. The force of the impact of the two torrents of water clashing into each other instinctively made her raise her legs higher. She held her katana in her mouth and grabbed onto the edge with both hands, pulling herself up on top of it. 

At the same time, Alice, who’d been waiting for her chance behind Tesfia, swept past the attack and pressured Minalis. They both knew what the other would do, and so they switched over to a pincer attack. 

Having regained her posture, Tesfia kicked off of the Ice Wall and swung down her katana. 

Minalis had gazed at her coldly since Tesfia seemed to be attacking the air, but soon her lips curled up into a smile. The moisture in the air was frozen into a massive sword of ice and traced the path of Tesfia’s attack. 

Hm, she’s pretty used to fighting. The giant blade definitely had the range to reach her. From what she could tell it had tremendous power. She had a feeling she’d seen that technique somewhere before but put away such pointless thoughts for the moment. 

She began racking her brain as to how to handle the attack. Dodging it would be easy, but then she would need to deal with Alice’s attack coming from the side. And answering the girls’ pincer attack just by dodging was a little dull. 

The water blade in Minalis’ hand instantly dispersed and scattered into mana particles. And a hand wrapped in bandages peeked out from the sleeve of her robe. 

Seeing that, Tesfia and Alice felt exalted. Even if their lives weren’t at stake, the joy of fighting with all their might brought up a lot of excitement, which was why they’d flexibly come up with a strategy at the last moment, fully entrusting themselves to the magic. 

Tesfia released even more mana, creating cold air at a breakneck speed, as the sword of ice approaching Minalis changed its shape. The surface of the ice sword cracked, and from within a new sword emerged as if reborn. Its form was truly beautiful, as if it had come from a myth or fairy tale. Having become even sharper, it accelerated quickly as it froze the air around it. 

“‹‹Zepel››” 

As Tesfia swung down her secret weapon, Alice kept her posture low and sprinted. She had her eyes locked on Minalis, determined to strike at her opening even if she dodged Tesfia’s attack. 

The distance between Tesfia’s Zepel and Minalis was reduced in moments, and when it looked like her body would be torn apart, Alice pulled her golden spear back with perfect timing. Pulling it all the way back, she focused her mana on the tip of the spear. 

This was a new spell that Alus prepared at Alice’s suggestion. She’d gotten the idea for it during the tournament. Believing it would give her a wider variety of tactics if she could use it, Alice had added it to her training menu. After consulting with Alus right after his return to the Institute, she was able to successfully incorporate the movements into the spell she was working on. 

It was a spell she’d already been practicing, so it didn’t take long for it to take shape. This was a battle she was already prepared to fail, so she would simply do the best she could. 

Her spell was clearly timed so it would come after Tesfia’s Zepel. It was timed to catch her opponent off guard. 

Alice quickly thrust her golden spear that was brilliantly shining. “‹‹Sirislate››!” 

A flash of light was sent out from the tip. It was an extension of her thrust, clad in light, and the size of a fist. But it moved at the speed of light. And she knew it would reach the opponent faster than Tesfia’s Zepel, which was why she’d adjusted her timing when casting it. 

The plan was to make the opponent think she was aiming for the second after she dodged Zepel, but the speed of the spell would betray her expectations. It was a gamble based on a fraction of a second, but that was why it went just as expected and headed straight for Minalis. If she tried to dodge Zepel, she wouldn’t be able to handle the speed of Sirislate. 

The moment the two pulled off that combination attack, they became convinced of their victory. Subconsciously, the tension in their bodies relaxed all at once. 

However— 

Their conviction was completely overturned as Minalis’ fearless voice rang out. “‹‹Tartarus››!” 

In an instant, black liquid seeped out from the ground. It covered her body, and four tails rose up, growing out of her back and waist. At the same time, the excess liquid dispersed and vanished, leaving only the tails behind. 

“—!!” Two of the elastic-like tails were swung like whips at frightening speeds, and Tesfia reacted as one of them smashed Zepel to pieces. Her spell seemed to offer no resistance whatsoever, as the ice fragments flew through the air before dispersing into particles. 

The other tail headed for Alice. It shivered, as if pulsating, and passed by Alice’s side. 

The next moment, Alice let out a groan. It hadn’t touched her, but the shockwave of it passing by was enough to damage her. Since each tail was thicker than a person’s torso, just by moving fast it created a massive shockwave. 

After passing Alice by, next the tail contracted to protect Minalis. Then it caught up to Sirislate and wrapped around it, constricting the spell, and easily crushing it. The resulting white smoke rose up from gaps in the tail. 

The two tails then slowly returned to normal. There were four long tails made from the black liquid. Even now they wriggled around Minalis’ body as if they had lives of their own. Once they gathered, they entirely covered Minalis and her surroundings. 

Sirislate was meant to be difficult to dodge, yet a tail that showed up after the fact had caught up to it. Alice winced in pain from the shockwave, and she was left speechless from what she’d seen. Tesfia was the same. 

They’d been shown an overwhelming difference in ability. Just a while ago, they were sure they were fighting on an equal level, but the damage they’d taken from this display of force wasn’t only disappointing; it was a big blow to their confidence too. As proof of that, they were in a stunned state, despite being in the middle of a match. 

Minalis, meanwhile, furrowed her brows and showed a bitter expression. Even she felt something akin to surprise. It was a strange sensation surging up from her heart, and even if she wanted to deny it—it was the truth. 

Her heart was pounding, inspired by the passion of youth. 

She’d never expected to be spurred on to such a degree from being challenged in this straightforward fashion. Decades had passed since she’d turned criminal, but how long had it been since she’d felt like this? Which was why she used a portion of her full strength to destroy her opponents. 

More than half a century had passed since she first learned how to ruin an enemy’s morale and how to dodge using the minimum amount of effort. By now it took more time to select the optimal solution from her wide variety of choices, than it took to actually execute it. 

But these two girls had enough potential to force a decision on Minalis. Even she knew that she was being childish using that spell against mere students. She fought against the odd sense of joy she felt upon seeing the budding talent in this young generation that would make up Alpha’s future. While she didn’t regret her choices, she couldn’t help but imagine how she would have stood on the forefront of training Alpha’s next generation, if things had been different. 

That said, it was only a passing thought. No matter how much this situation dug up old wounds, her past was already so soiled in the darkest colors imaginable that she couldn’t feel sentimental about anything. Her past was that defiled. 

So I can still harbor the same feelings as a normal person... such lingering attachments are probably fitting for a defiled one like myself. 

She sneered at herself. This was what happened when she tried to get involved with the mundane world. 

Minalis—now known as Elise of Kurama—believed that the long-range exchange of spells outside Balmes’ border had involved Alpha’s ranked No. 1. And that he had eliminated the Devourer that she’d been so wary of. 

If Alpha’s current No. 1 was that powerful, how much would Kurama end up having to pay? How good was he really? 

Dakia had hinted at it and told her that if she caused a commotion here, the answers to her questions would come naturally. Those words had seemed reckless, but at the same time they were meaningful. It wasn’t like she was being deceived. And she’d knowingly gone along with it. 

Then there was the position Elise was in. She had joined the criminal organization because she had no other choice and wasn’t particularly attached to it. But as an executive, there was no turning back now. 

What she told Dakia wasn’t a total lie. If this farce really lured him out, then as an executive of Kurama, she would measure his abilities and remove him if she deemed it necessary. 

It was too late to be hypocritical. The only path for her was the one that led to her falling as far as possible. With a sword of hatred, she’d taken revenge, and the only thing she had left was the title of a heinous magical criminal. Of course, it was Elise who had chosen that. 

This farce has gone on long enough... Enough reminiscing. She had for a moment immersed herself in the feel of a faintly sweet everyday life that could have been. It was warm, but there was a part of her that completely rejected it. Indeed, she rejected the warm feelings because she was incompatible with the world of the living. She was more or less a walking corpse, after all. 

Minalis glanced to the side and looked at him. That extraordinary gaze had been observing the match for a few moments. And her intuition told her that it was the same magical presence that she’d felt in the Outer World. 

“You’re finally here.” With a grin, she turned her focus back to the match at hand. For something she’d only done to kill time, it had been rather enjoyable. 

But enough of that. Tesfia and Alice were still looking stunned when Minalis spoke up. “You should have been a little more aware of your surroundings.” 

“Huh—?” “...” The two girls looked around upon hearing this. But they didn’t understand what she meant. 

In reality, Elise had been spreading her mana around her, little by little, since the start of the match. The information deteriorated, but it seemed she’d even taken that into consideration. Ultimately, she’d created a massive pseudo-magic circle that assisted in the construction of water spells. She’d spread her mana particles in tiny bubbles made from a certain potion to prevent degradation of the information as much as possible. 

Mana particles smaller than what usually leaked out of the body now filled the grounds. They were hard to perceive and helped prevent deterioration for a time. It was due to preparations like this that she was able to use Tartarus in an instant, but its original use lay elsewhere. 

Tesfia and Alice didn’t sense even a trace of mana until it had already manifested into a spell. 

“—!!” “—!!” It was a bonding of mana particles. Countless small bubbles expanded explosively and scattered, filling the air, and inside them was a clear liquid. 

The bubbles slowly spread out in front of the two girls and their surroundings. 

“Don’t hate me for this,” Elise’s voice rang out clearly. 

Bubbles that had floated behind Tesfia and Alice rapidly expanded upon touching them and wrapped around their bodies. In an instant, they were dragged inside bubbles large enough to fit a person and struggled to breathe. Because their entire bodies were wrapped up, they couldn’t even move. 

The bubbles were magically suspended in the air, and the water inside killed any momentum, making it impossible to move the bubble itself. It was like they were trapped inside water balloons with no way out. 

Upon realizing this, the two girls tried to use their AWRs to cut the bubbles open from inside. However, since the bubbles were formed out of water, they didn’t have membranes. Because of that, stabbing or slashing at it wasn’t going to do anything. Trapped in the bubbles, more and more air escaped from their lungs. 

There were ways to kill people even on the training grounds. Even if the water was made from magic, it didn’t stop the damage taken from the water stopping one’s breathing. 

Tesfia poured mana through her AWR and tried to construct a spell, but with her brain not functioning properly, she wasn’t able to follow the process steps. There was no way that her thinking could work normally when she couldn’t breathe. 

Alice was in the same situation, unable to do anything. As a form of resistance, she stabbed through the bubble with her spear, but the hole just filled back up again. If only someone would grab hold of the spear from the outside and pull her out... 

She kept her mouth firmly shut to use up as little oxygen as possible, wishing for help she wasn’t sure would come. 

Finally, the two could see large air bubbles rising up, as their vision blurred. 

The audience didn’t seem to realize the severity of the situation, as they could be heard cheering. But after two minutes, someone finally had misgivings. “Hey... isn’t this bad?” 

That unease began to spread through the audience. “Aren’t they unconscious?! Someone help, please!” Even if they didn’t understand what the spell was doing, they knew they were seeing something abnormal and began to panic. But no one from the audience could answer the cries. 

Shouting for the other competitors didn’t help either, as they were all at a loss for words, their eyes fixed on the match. The spell they’d never seen before, along with the overwhelming pressure coming from Elise, left them unable to move even as they understood how bizarre the situation was. 

Looking for help, the competitors and staff glanced at Delca Base. He’d been standing in a daze at first, but as he felt all eyes gather on him, he drew his AWR and ran to the match area. “Please undo your spell right now. Their lives are in...!!” 

Delca made it clear that the dangerous spell was against the rules, but he was interrupted in the middle of his warning. Or rather, his mouth continued to move, but his following words didn’t come out. 

The red-robed girl showed no signs of caring, not even pretending to listen to him. 

When Delca realized she was doing it intentionally, he found his legs locking up as her pressure grew even stronger. 

Though the pressure she was exerting increased, the girl had a bored look as she stared at the two powerlessly floating in the bubbles. It was like a child dropping bugs in a puddle waiting for them to drown. 

That’s when Delca overheard her speak in a tiny voice that clearly wasn’t directed towards him. 

“Now what are you going to do, No. 1?” She said words he couldn’t understand, raising her chin and turning her head. She wasn’t looking at Delca but beyond him. 

He finally mustered the willpower to move, but just as he did, he heard the sound of something breaking. At the same time, the barrier of the training grounds shook. 

Elise had asked her target, Alus Reigin, the current ranked No. 1, who had finally appeared: Can you save them? Dakia told her that the No. 1 was still a boy and trying to hide his power for some reason. She was convinced those words were the truth. 

Soon, the answer was brilliantly presented to Elise as she glared at Alus. “—!!” 

A short sword was swung at high speed, pulling a chain behind it. Something seemed to be clinging to the edge of the blade, and in the next moment it flew through the air. The black blade easily pierced the training grounds barrier before rapidly changing direction in front of Elise’s eyes. It then headed straight for the bubble trapping Tesfia. 

By the time it reached her, the sword was moving fast enough to pierce through both the bubble and her, but it moved like it had a will of its own with perfect control, maneuvering through the air to skillfully cut the bubble apart. 

Elise’s sharp eyes saw that he’d done more than just cut it. Ultimately, the bubble was unable to maintain its form and returned to being just a liquid. 

The bubble Alice was trapped in was dealt with the same way, before the short sword rapidly returned to its owner. 

Impressed, Elise raised her eyebrows.