Isekai Mahou wa Okureteru! (LN) - Volume 1 - Chapter 4

Chapter 4: For That Which I Aspire to Be 

On this particular day, in a large corridor of Royal Castle Camellia, somebody was in a hurry. 

It was a man in a splendid robe—the court mage who had reported to Felmenia on Suimei’s movements. After an emergency gathering in the audience chamber, he was now on his way back to his private quarters. His lean figure that looked like it might snap if he moved the wrong way was hustling down the hall with nimble steps. It was as if he was anticipating something, or perhaps like he was feeling high from an irrepressible joy, and that spurred him on. 

“Hmm…?” 

As he walked along in high spirits, something caught his attention out of the corner of his eye. He came to a stop in the middle of the corridor, and then as he focused… 

“…Reiji-sama, Mizuki. Now is our chance. Quickly.” 

The man heard a familiar young woman’s voice and shifted his attention to it. At the end of the training ground on the edge of the wall, he spotted the figure of Princess Titania beckoning the hero and his friend while keeping her eyes out on her surroundings in a furtive manner. 

It was quite suspicious for them to be in such a place without actually doing any training. While the man was wondering what was going on, Reiji arrived and stood before the princess. 

“I-Is this really alright, Tia? Isn’t it bad to just sneak out of the castle on our own…?” 

Reiji questioned Titania in an anxious tone. From the obvious way he was trying to stay low and out of sight, he hardly looked like the heroic figure who could challenge the captain of the guard and the court mages on an everyday basis. 

“It is alright, Reiji-sama. This would not be the first time that I have slipped out of the castle without informing anyone, after all.” 

“No, that’s not really what I mean. It’s just…” 

“It is alright. Please leave everything to me. I am certain you will be able to make some fun memories before departing. Though it is regrettable that Suimei-sama is not coming…” 

As Titania said that, she cast her eyes down in disappointment. It seemed that they were planning to sneak out and go somewhere. Ever since the hero and his friends were summoned from another world, they had been confined to the castle. Knowing they must have felt stifled, this was most likely some considerate arrangement of the princess’s. Just as the court mage was making that deduction, Mizuki noticed his presence and panicked a little. 

“T-Tia, that…” 

“What is the matter, Mizuki? You look flustered.” 

“Th-That… That…” 

Titania didn’t realize what she meant at first, but she saw the man when Mizuki pointed him out. Reiji looked up at the sky with an “oh crap” expression, and Titania’s gaze started to swim around erratically. 

“This is, um…” 

Having been found by someone from the castle, she was shaken and unsure of what to do. Normally he would remonstrate her for her actions, but—to reiterate—right now, this man was truly in good humor. And so… 

“Now then, I thought I heard something, but was I mistaken?” 

Averting his gaze from the three teenagers, the man wondered loudly to himself if he’d imagined the whole scene. He’d let them go this time, and played the fool for their benefit. The three of them didn’t seem to grasp what was going on for a moment, but Titania quickly figured it out and rose to that farce of a stage. 

“Th-That’s right. It’s just your imagination. There is nobody here in the training ground.” 

“That must be it. There’s no way I could be hearing the voices of Her Royal Highness and Hero-dono in the training grounds on a day with no scheduled training. It seems it’s just my imagination after all.” 

With that, he snuck a quick glance and could see Titania sighing in relief. The other two seemed pleased as well. From what he could tell, they were all quite shaken at being caught, and had managed to calm down with this turn of events. 

“Now then, let us go while we have the chance.” 

“Mm, you’re right. Let’s go, Reiji-kun.” 

“Thank you very much.” 

Reiji bowed his head to the man, and the three of them then made use of enhancement magic to leap off the wall surrounding the training grounds. The image of the princess and the hero’s antics as they departed was most unusual and quite amusing. 

“Heh heh… Oh dear, me of all people.” 

Recalling Titania in a complete fluster, the court mage leaked out a stifled laugh. Because something good had happened, he had lost focus and was unable to pin down his emotions. 

“Heh heh…” 

Still in high spirits, the man once more picked up his pace. A glorious court mage could not allow anybody to see them reveling in such a place. At the very least, he’d return to his private quarters before really celebrating. 

Before long, the man arrived at his room and entered, shutting the door soundly behind him. He’d been using the same private quarters in Castle Camelia ever since taking up a position here, and his room was nice, tidy, and well organized. 

“Now then…” 

However, for some reason, he could smell an aroma wafting through his quarters that he’d never noticed before. It was likely that after one of the maids cleaned up, she’d burned some new incense to freshen up the place. It even seemed to be quite high-quality incense. 

“She must have good taste…” 

Thanks to the efforts of some unknown person, the man’s good mood only improved further. When he had some time later, he was thinking of returning the favor with a gift. In any case, the pleasant aroma went a long way to stimulating his mood. Just from smelling it, his spirit soared to near euphoria. Yes, it was just as if his joy had multiplied several times over. 

“Heh… heh heh…” 

Urged on by the intoxicating scent, the man was no longer able to control the sensation welling up inside him. The moment he found himself by the window, that dam called self-control burst, and his joy came flooding out in a fit of laughter. 

“Heh… HUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Stingray, you stupid little girl, did you learn your lesson?! White Flame, my ass! Don’t get carried away just because a stupid girl like you is a little good with magic! This is all your fault for making a fool of me in front of the hero and the princess! HAHAHAHAHA!” 

Yes, the reason this man was in such high spirits was because the court mages had just gathered to discuss Felmenia’s dismissal. Previously, when he was about to take on the role of being the hero’s magic instructor, Felmenia had swooped in to steal the position and embarrass him. It was all petty and unjustified resentment on his part, but now that he’d gotten some good news in the way of revenge, he was unable to stop laughing. And as he ran out of oxygen from laughing too much, he paused to take in a deep breath and began talking to himself once more. 

“Hmph. However, that stupid little girl… I never would have guessed she’d be deceived so easily. There’s no way that cowardly friend of the hero’s would even think of bringing harm to His Majesty. But to think with such simple magic and a little cajolery, she would end up doing exactly what I’d hoped and harming that youngster… It just goes to show it was far too hasty to appoint such a stupid little girl with zero insight as a court mage.” 

Indeed, on the surface, everything was just as he said. It was a hasty appointment and Felmenia was simply too immature for the job. That was what the court mages had discussed in the audience chamber earlier. 

The king explained that after seeing Suimei take zero interest in joining the subjugation mission, Felmenia had gone to give him a little motivation, but took it too far and ended up injuring him. But from what the man knew of the real situation, Felmenia hadn’t gone to motivate him. No, she’d gone to assassinate a young man with no power at all because of the glamor magic and lies he’d used to trick her. 

However, this man was being quite talkative on the matter. It was as if he was being forced to speak all of his thoughts on the real situation out loud. He himself didn’t know why he’d grown so passionate in his monologue, but it didn’t faze him. 

“Heh heh… And it wasn’t just a reprimand, but a full dismissal from the court mages. I would have been fine with just teaching her a lesson, but the king was quite strict in his judgment. He’s favored that stupid little Stingray girl up until now, so his indignation at her betrayal must have been that much greater.” 

The man continued to rant to himself. He had doubts as to why he was doing it, but in comparison to the joy he was feeling, it was a trivial concern. Nothing else mattered right now. 

“At any rate, nothing could have been better than that face she made in the audience chamber! Such utter despair when His Majesty dismissed her in front of all the court mages was just—” 

“Was just what?” 

“Was just the greatest thrill!” 

“Hahaha, the greatest, you say? She really was getting a little too carried away, wasn’t she?” 

“That’s right! In fact, ‘a little’ is being generous! She was completely carried away! But now, even that… Wahaha… HAHAHAHAHA!” 

“My, you seem to be enjoying yourself.” 

“Obviously! If this isn’t enjoyable, then just what is it?! That impudent and stupid little girl of a Stingray who didn’t know her place was knocked down from her seat as a court mage! Do you get it now? This feeling of joy that I… Ah?” 

The man had been completely swept up in his joy. That was why, just like that, he was happy to continue the conversation like he was chatting with a friend. When he finally realized how strange it was that he was talking to someone, however, he stopped and turned around with a dumbfounded look on his face. 

When he did, he spied an unfamiliar man wearing black clothes sitting on the couch in his office. This man crossed his legs, and with a sarcastic and derisive tone, asked him a question. 

“Hmm? Aren’t you gonna continue? You still have plenty you want to say, don’t you? Right?” 

He spoke in a quite casual fashion, first sounding like a small child looking forward to the sequel of a story, and then like a crafty villain who’d laid an inescapable trap. The latter proved itself to be more accurate. Before long, the sunlight pouring into the window dispelled the shadow that had obscured the man’s face. 

“Wh-Who the hell…?” 

“Come on, no need to be so modest, mage. Or should I say Court Mage Sebastian Kran?” 

Yes, the man who addressed him was none other than… 

“S-Suimei Yakagi…?” 

Sebastian Kran stammered his name as he pointed a shaky finger in his direction. Being so recognized, Suimei stood up and took a theatrical bow before him. 

“The very one. It’s a pleasure to meet you. This would be the first time that we’ve spoken face to face, no?” 

“Wh-Why are you…? Since when were you there…? No, how did you get in?” 

“It’s not that exciting. I just opened the door and walked in normally. As for when, it was just a little before you came in yourself, I think? Yeah, that’s about right.” 

As Suimei rattled off an awfully casual response, Sebastian recalled when he had entered the room himself. 

Indeed, he’d entered the room with light footsteps and was so entranced in his mood that he was only looking ahead. He hadn’t bothered to scan the room, but even so, that large couch definitely would have been in his line of sight. Yet no matter how many times he thought back on it, Sebastian didn’t recall seeing anyone there. 

“Ridiculous. When I entered the room, there wasn’t…” 

“Anyone there, you mean? I’m sure you thought that. I made it so that, in a sense, you couldn’t see me. Really, I cast a spell on this room itself. There was no way you’d notice me like that.” 

“Wha… A-A spell? It couldn’t be. A bastard like you can’t…” 

“Use magic? You bet I can. I am a magician, after all. By the way…” 

What’d you think of my herbal magicka. Nice, huh? 

Suimei followed up on his little comedy show by coldly curving his mouth into a grin and explaining what exactly had made Sebastian so talkative. 

It was herbal magicka. In ancient times, it was used by shamans, and from the Middle Ages to the present, by witches. It was a form of magicka that made use of the mysteries hidden within plants, classified under witchcraft. It used magicka on the aroma from herbs, or mystified the herbs themselves by turning them into talismans. Suimei used the former method. It was a minor trap to bring Sebastian down. 

And then, while still standing up from this theatrical greeting, Suimei began walking alongside the wall. Watching Suimei strut around someone else’s room as if he owned it, Sebastian remembered something he had heard before. 

“A-A mage, you said?! Th-That can’t be! I heard the hero’s world had no magic.” 

“I’m sure you did. The world as they know it certainly doesn’t.” 

“The world… as they know it?” 

“That’s right. But you certainly don’t fucking need to know any more than that.” 

As the darkness in the room seemed to be creeping towards him, a cold shiver ran down Sebastian’s back. Just what was going on? The hero hadn’t known anything of magic, and there was nothing to suggest he’d had magical ability and was just pretending to hide it. He was a man chosen by this world and by its goddess to be a hero. He was overflowing with talent and wisdom, yet he knew nothing of magic. So there was no way that this run-of-the-mill boy knew anything about it either. 

Or was that why Felmenia had believed the story about Suimei’s plans to harm the king so readily? Because she knew he was a mage? 

“…” 

Cold sweat traced its way down Sebastian’s cheek. Was such a thing possible? This defied all expectation. After Suimei enjoyed the sight of Sebastian trembling for a while, with his back up against the wall, he began to coldly weave his words. 

“Nevertheless, thank you. I already figured out most of it from looking into it, but thanks to you, I’m now able to grasp the entire truth. It just means that I was used as an excuse to accomplish your idiotic goal. Oh, and by the way, there’s no point in trying to pretend you’re innocent. His Majesty is already fully aware that you’re really the one pulling the strings.” 

“Th-That’s…” 

When Sebastian tried to say something, Suimei mercilessly cut him off. 

“That thing… The automaton that Stingray set up. You were the one who messed with it, weren’t you?” 

“Wh-What are you tal—” 

“I thought I said that there was no point in trying to play innocent. The one who made the thing was your dear master. Golem manipulation is your forte, isn’t it? Setting up a trick like that was a piece of cake for you, huh?” 

“Ugh…” 

Just how much more did he have in stock? As Suimei continued to fluently stab at all his weak points, Sebastian couldn’t even protest. Suimei then unloaded another blow as he shrugged his shoulders. 

“My my, having it suddenly go for the kill like that was a mighty nasty way of setting her up just because you were pissed. But I bet the one who’s the most pissed off now is the victim who was set to be the punchline of your petty little revenge game, don’t you think? So? Do you have anything to say?” 

“…What do you intend to do with me?” 

“I won’t do a thing. The one to take action should be the one who suffered the most from all this, no?” 

Sebastian kept himself on guard as he questioned Suimei, but Suimei turned around and fired off with questions of his own. 

“Just who are you—” 

Before Sebastian could even finish, the door to his office opened. On the other side was none other than… 

“F-F-Felmenia Stingray?!” 

Yes, standing just beyond that door was the young court mage that Sebastian had brought down over his grudge, Felmenia Stingray. Her beautiful and cold face that could hold any man captive, that even the women of the world would be fascinated by, was twisted with righteous indignation towards him, and a voice tense with rage poured out of her mouth. 

“To think that this was a scheme by a bastard like you…” 

Hearing her hiss those hateful words, Sebastian once more turned his attention to Suimei, who met his gaze with a searing sneer. 

“Our special guest has arrived. Isn’t that quite the clever development?” 

“You bastard…!” 

Sebastian shot daggers at Suimei like he was actually trying to kill him with his glare, but Felmenia was more than happy to interject. 

“You had better come quietly! A bastard like you who would bring others down over your wretched envy doesn’t deserve the title of court mage! I will expose all of your damn scheming before His Majesty the King!” 

“Tch!” 

Felmenia moved in to apprehend Sebastian with her valorous declaration, but he had no intention of letting her take him. He leaped over a desk and made a break for the exit. 

“Out of the way!” 

“Kyah!” 

Felmenia was standing in front of the door and didn’t seem to expect Sebastian’s resistance. It took all her wits just to evade him as he hurled himself past her. By the time she collected herself, he was already fleeing down the corridor. 

“H-Huh?” 

Seeing Felmenia looking around trying to figure out what happened, Suimei put his hand on his head and brought her up to speed. 

“Hey, HEY! What the hell are you doing? He ran off, you know?” 

“M-My apologies. It was just so sudden…” 

“Sudden? Aren’t you a mage? Where’s your magic?” 

“Uh…” 

“Come on…” 

In reply to Felmenia’s boneheaded response, Suimei let out an exasperated sigh. This would have been the perfect time for her not to go with the airhead routine, and Suimei was momentarily stunned this was how things had turned out. But then he quickly shifted gears and began moving. 

“Well, whatever. We’re giving chase.” 

“Alright.” 

With an acknowledgment, Felmenia followed Suimei and they went after Sebastian together. Since he had such a light body, he seemed to be good at running. He was already out of their sight, but he couldn’t hide his presence. As Felmenia ran next to Suimei, she took an unusually meek attitude and called out to him. 

“Um…” 

“What’s up?” 

“My apologies, Suimei-dono. Although I was deceived, I have caused you a considerable amount of trouble… I want to apologize for all my impolite behavior up until now.” 

“Hmm? Ah, there’s no need to really worry about that. It was all settled with our fight anyway, and it was sort of my bad for sneaking around in the shadows to begin with. You’re not at fault for trying to challenge me for that, either… Well, let me put it this way. I’m the same in that I was deceived. I was splendidly duped by that man too, after all.” 

“Be that as it may…” 

Despite Suimei telling her it was okay, she still looked troubled. Was that just her earnest disposition at work? Seeing Felmenia like that, Suimei made a very serious expression. 

“Sorry. I really went too far with you in more ways than one.” 

“N-No! Th-There is nothing for you to apologize for, Suimei! You already pardoned my inexcusable rampage, and now you’ve even gone as far as orchestrating this opportunity for me to apprehend the mastermind. If you apologize on top of that, I really won’t have a leg to stand on.” 

“…” 

In response to Felmenia’s excessively humble attitude, Suimei looked at her like he’d seen something quite surprising. Seeing his expression, Felmenia questioned him in a curious tone. 

“…Is something the matter?” 

“No, I just may have misunderstood you quite a bit.” 

“Misunderstood… me?” 

“Yeah. Sorry about that.” 

“…?” 

Suimei apologized as he looked at Felmenia’s curious expression and thought to himself that he hadn’t gotten the right read on her. He never thought she was a bad person, but if this was what she was really like, then the way he’d treated her seemed a bit evil, even if it had been to seal her mouth. Thinking back on it, he may have taken venting his anger too far. Suimei apologized once more and then focused his attention on Sebastian’s presence. 

“Actually, where’s that guy going?” 

“Judging from his current route, it would likely be the north wing, would it not?” 

“…Isn’t that basically a dead end?” 

As Suimei recalled the layout of the north wing and asked for confirmation, Felmenia nodded. 

“Yes, there are no exits there. If there’s anything of note there, it’s…” 

“The room we were summoned to, huh? Ugh.” 

For some reason, Suimei had a bad feeling about this. He grumbled to himself as they ran along. 

Before long, the two of them arrived in front of the ritual chamber that Sebastian had likely entered. Wary of the ambush that might await them, they burst into the room. Felmenia made a declaration to the man crouching down in the center of the summoning circle. 

“There is no longer anywhere to run, you hear?! Surrender yourself!” 

“…” 

However, Sebastian remained silent. He didn’t react to Felmenia at all. Seeing him quiet like that, Suimei pointed a chilling gaze in his direction as he questioned him. 

“Hey, why’d you run somewhere like this?” 

“Heh… Heh heh heh…” 

“What is so funny?!” 

Hearing Sebastian’s scornful laughter, this time it was Felmenia who yelled back at him. But it hardly got under his skin. He simply countered as if seeing her enraged countenance was a delight to him. 

“Naive… You’re too naive, Stingray. It couldn’t be that you thought that I would escape to this room without any sort of plan, did you?” 

“What?” 

“Hahaha, I am also a court mage! I have the means to break through exactly such a situation! Behold!” 

With that, Sebastian activated the summoning circle. With only a mere mutter, a dark glow came out of the magic circle at his feet, and a boundless dark purple light flooded the rugged stone room. Seeing Sebastian’s barbaric act, Felmenia broke into a panic. 

“Wh-What are you doing?! That’s the summoning circle for calling heroes from other worlds!” 

“It surely is! However, if it is able to summon things from another world, then with some revisions, it can bring more than just heroes!” 

“Wha… Then what are you…” 

She was going to ask what he was trying to call instead, but she realized that wasn’t necessary after seeing his behavior. 

“Isn’t it obvious?! It’ll be a little something to rid me of you brats!” 

“Is all you care about saving your own hide?! You’ve shown your true nature!” 

“Enough of your prattling, you stupid little girl! Getting carried away just because you can use a flicker of magic! Just that would have been fine, but to steal the honor of summoning the hero from me, and then, of all things, to make a fool of me in front of so many people! Pay for the humiliation you brought upon me with your death!” 

“Silence! You are nothing but vulgar trash possessed by fame and fortune…” 

As Sebastian finally articulated the dark plan he’d been nursing, Felmenia spat back at him. Seeing her grimace with disdain, Suimei questioned her in a curious tone. 

“…Hmm? You’re not the only one who can use that thing?” 

“Huh? N-No. In case something were to happen to the mage left in charge of summoning the hero, all of the court mages are taught the summoning spell, with the blessing of the Church of Salvation and the Mage’s Guild. But more importantly, we must stop him from—” 

As Felmenia stepped forward to begin to invoke her magic, Suimei grabbed her. 

“Wait.” 

“What?! Why are you stopping me, Suimei-dono?!” 

Felmenia couldn’t understand why he’d do that, so she asked for clarification. Suimei made an expression like the answer should have gone without saying. 

“Of course I’d stop you in a situation like this. That’s obvious.” 

“What’s obvious about that?! That’s a summoning spell he tampered with! We don’t know what will happen if it’s used!” 

It was true the summoning spell and circle that Sebastian was now using were things he’d altered. And since this didn’t conform to the prescribed use for them, it could be completely unsafe. On top of that, the summoning circle was already taking action. The light emitted by the mana filled with power and grew stronger, and there was scarcely a second to waste. 

Spurred by that sense of urgency, Felmenia was practically screaming. Her desire to act swiftly was perfectly understandable, but Suimei folded his arms as he grimaced with a slight amount of perplexity in his face. 

“No, we can’t stop it. It’s been crackling and snapping for a while now, but that summoning circle seems to have a pretty good protection spell on it. Though it doesn’t seem to have any defenses against what’s coming from the other side, the defensive portion against obstructions from this side seems perfect.” 

The feedback was poor. Suimei had also attempted to obstruct the summoning while nobody was looking, but in the end, he couldn’t stop it. 

“Wha… Not even you can do it, Suimei-dono?!” 

“I’ve got a bone to pick with you phrasing it like that, but even if we were able to stop him, forcing him out the ritual right now… something outrageous is bound to happen, see?” 

“Huh…?” 

Hearing that warning from Suimei, Felmenia was struck by an uneasy premonition. The word “outrageous” wasn’t a particularly strange one, but Felmenia felt ominously about Suimei using it in this situation. There was a terrifying disparity between what she would call outrageous and what he would. Suimei gazed at the pillar of light, which had started isolating its target, and tried to explain. 

“That thing’s using the same summoning circle created to call us to this world, but this is what we call a berserk summoning. It’s like a summoning that jumps over the astral plane, or even dimensions. And when that happens, at the time the summoning wrenches a hole open, something called a repellent force is produced to maintain the hole. If we were to forcefully cut things off here without allowing the summoning to conclude, that repellent force wouldn’t have anywhere to go, and it would come right back here.” 

“…If it returns, what will happen?” 

“Let’s see… Well, the worst-case scenario would be the entire region getting blown away.” 

“N-No way.” 

Suimei’s conjecture left Felmenia at a loss for words. She must have been thinking of what would have happened if Suimei hadn’t held her back moments ago. The potential disaster wasn’t just limited to them or the castle. It could have been a national catastrophe. 

“Well, that’s what it means to wrench open the wall between dimensions. From my perspective, the out-of-date technology behind that hero summoning circle that makes such a thing possible for a single individual is far more outrageous, though…” 

“H-Hahh…” 

Naturally, Felmenia was lost. All Suimei got was a bewildered squeal from her. 

“Well, don’t worry about the summoning. The medium being used is only that old man’s mana. Whatever is hailed over by it will likely conform to that scale. It’ll be fine as long as nothing ridiculous comes through.” 

Suimei paused for a moment before continuing. 

“That said, if the summoning succeeds, we’re still probably looking at a portion of the castle getting smashed to bits.” 

“Th-That can’t be! There are still so many people within the castle…” 

Just as Felmenia was about to say something about the impending crisis, as if interrupting her, the purple pillar of light sealing in the summoning circle grew remarkably stronger. 

“It’s coming!” 

“A-Ah!” 

Felmenia shut her eyes before the surging torrent of light and yelped in startled surprise. Perhaps because she lost her senses for a moment due to the wave of power and light, the next thing she knew, she was being strongly embraced by Suimei’s left arm. 

“Ah…” 

As she looked up, she could see Suimei gazing at something with a cold and indifferent look. The blue sky spread out behind him. It seemed it was just as he’d said. A portion of the castle, including the ritual chamber, had been obliterated. And below her… 

“The power escaped upwards. With this, there shouldn’t be any damage to the rest of the castle other than this room. Also…” 

“Ah?! AAAH!” 

Finding it strange that Felmenia suddenly started to raise a fuss in his arms, Suimei gave her a puzzled look. 

“What’s up?” 

“F-Flying! We’re flying!” 

Smack in the middle of the blue sky staring down at the ground, Felmenia let out a surprised shriek. The two of them were indeed flying right now. Suimei had deployed flight magicka, and was carrying Felmenia with him. A glimmer of mana could be seen scattering from Suimei’s feet. That was the shape of the power that suspended the two of them in midair. Suimei acted like this was nothing, but Felmenia nearly lost her mind at the shock of seeing it. 

“Wh-What?! Just what is this?!” 

Hearing her confusion, Suimei managed to guess what Felmenia was talking about. 

“Ah, I get it. There’s no flight magicka here, right? I thought that learning to fly after gaining the ability to use magicka was pretty much the first thing everyone did, though…” 

“M-More importantly, Suimei-dono…!” 

“I’m telling you it’s fine. We won’t fall, so calm down and hold on tightly.” 

“T-Tightly?! To a gentleman?! I cannot… N-No, I mean—” 

And just as Felmenia was about to plead with Suimei to let her down because she was afraid of heights, a voice rang out from directly below them that was so utterly repulsive that it barely sounded like it could be of this world. It wasn’t a sound that threatened to burst one’s eardrums, but more one that outright assaulted them. Following it, the light around the summoning circle unraveled like a thin veil. And what was revealed was… 

“Uh, ah…” 

It was something like an eerie and gigantic four-legged beast colored by dusky shadows and a bloody red. The place where the ritual chamber was as well as its surroundings were now swallowed by its shadow. It stood easily half as tall as the castle spire, and its form resembled a starving dog or wolf. All around its body were belts of shadows whipping about. 

“Wow, to think it’d be a B-class… Looks like we caught a big one, huh?” 

“Wh-What? That monster…?” 

Without even the composure to ask him about it properly, Felmenia simply stared at the monster wide-eyed. Suimei’s only response was muttering a select word as if he were speaking a sneer. 

“A beast.” 

“…Suimei-dono, do you know what that thing is?” 

“Yeah. That’s something from my world, after all.” 

Something from Suimei’s world. Hearing that frightening fact, Felmenia recalled something that made her doubt it. 

“From your world? But Hero-dono and Mizuki-dono said there were no monsters there…” 

“That just shows how narrow their view of it is. They had no way of knowing because they were blinded by the developments of science. When it comes to things like monsters, our world has more than enough of them.” 

“…” 

While Felmenia looked at Suimei and the beast in bewilderment, he continued elaborating. 

“And that is one of them. Just like you have demons plaguing humanity here, in our world, there are systems which serve as humanity’s enemy.” 

“Sis-stems?” 

“That’s right. The beasts of the apocalypse. In our world, they’re nicknamed apparitions. To prove to the beings of our world that there is no such thing as eternity, they are the laws that accelerate the world towards its end.” 

“L-Laws? Are you saying that’s not a living being?” 

“Let’s see… No, not really. That isn’t a living being; it’s a phenomenon. Just like lightning or a tornado. As long as the requirements are met for it to exist, it will come into being. That’s one of the rules of the world. The reason it takes the shape of a living entity is because it’s easier to plant fear in humans using a material form… That’s what the leader said, but, well, just look for yourself. Doesn’t that just inspire dread in you?” 

Following Suimei’s gaze, Felmenia took a hard look at the monster—no, the thing called an apparition. The information being passed to her brain from her eyes did have that effect. Its very appearance was triggering an indescribable fear up her spine. It was instinctual, and alarm bells were ringing out all over her body. 

“Twilight syndrome. In our world, it doesn’t assault people indiscriminately, but just like that, it ushers the world towards a determined endpoint. The moment the entire world is filled with them, humanity will begin its journey down the twilight path to being nothing more than myth.” 

Suimei’s tone was flat, but his gaze conveyed a sense of discomfort that made Felmenia shudder. The world that they summoned the hero of salvation from was infested with things like that? It was a being that, just by looking at it, inspired pure terror that outclassed the fear felt at the sight of any monster. If that thing was the vanguard of the end of the world, then Suimei’s world very well may be in more danger than hers. 

Felmenia gulped. 

Hearing Suimei’s explanation, she could only stare at the beast with an odd fixation. And then… 

“FUHAHAHAHAHA! Did you see that?! If you know how to use it, summoning is mere child’s play! A brat like you isn’t the only one capable of doing it, Stingray!” 

Coarse, unpleasant laughter echoed through the air. Enraptured by the fact that his summoning had succeeded, Sebastian seemed far too caught up in his own excitement to make any sound judgment regarding the apparition. Even if he’d managed the summoning, he was worthless in this state. Hearing that man let out his pompous and intoxicated laughter, Suimei rolled his eyes despite the presence of the apparition. 

“Wow, what an incredibly stereotypical line.” 

“Scoff while you can, brat! Next you’ll be killed at the hands of the monster I summoned!” 

Sebastian roared, but Suimei could only coldly deny that proud little speech of his. 

“Yeah, that’s not happening.” 

“What a sore loser! Go, monster from another world! Tear my enemy apart!” 

Sebastian issued his command, but the apparition remained as it was and showed no signs of reacting to him at all. 

“Wha…” 

“See?” 

“Wh-Why?! Why won’t you listen to me?! Why won’t you obey me?!” 

With Sebastian fervently complaining at its side, the apparition pointed the crimson lights it had for eyes down at him as if scowling at something detestable. 

“Eek, eh…” 

And perhaps Sebastian finally realized the madness he himself had authored. Staring up at the apparition, he sank to the floor. And then… 

“U-UWAAAAAAAAAAAH!” 

Sebastian’s death cry was crushed into silence by the apparition. 

“How foolish…” 

From the skies, Felmenia curtly muttered her thoughts regarding Sebastian. Even if he was the worst kind of scum, she pitied him for meeting his end in such a way. But even so, she wouldn’t forgive him for what he’d done. She then turned to Suimei again for answers. 

“Suimei-dono, why would it not obey him?” 

“Hmm? Ah, that’s the summoning circle’s—well, the foundation is entirely different, but portions of it closely resemble the ones in our world. In short, summoning spells and circles are fundamentally techniques that have the power to use a contract as a premise to put the being called over into servitude. Whether it’s a phenomenon or a living being or whatever else, it normally does whatever it’s asked without question—it’s like that in this world too, right?” 

“Yes. I do not know about the case of phenomena, but that does generally describe the way summoning spells work in this world.” 

Even though Felmenia couldn’t say so with 100 percent certainty, it was just as Suimei said. The principles were largely the same. The summoning spells of this world, other than the hero summoning, primarily summoned beings bound by servitude. 

“Summoning, evocation, petitioning, possession. Of the four categories of summoning spells, that one would fall under evocation. But there’s a catch. That summoning circle’s main purpose was summoning heroes. That’s why it doesn’t include the necessary part to bind the summoned creature into service.” 

“It doesn’t?” 

“A slave hero isn’t really the kind of image most people are going for, right? Besides, try remembering it. The triangle within the circle was arranged upside down, wasn’t it?” 

“Now that you mention it, it certainly was.” 

“This applies to magicka just as it does with most anything else, but when a component is inverted, the aspect that component determines will also be inverted. Since the triangle in a summoning circle is what governs binding, its default orientation represents servitude, and the inverse of that would be liberation. In other words…” 

“That thing was liberated into this world?” 

“Yup. Well, I can’t really imagine that thing obeying anything a human would have to say anyway.” 

“Th-Then a spell to bring it under control…” 

“There isn’t one.” 

Felmenia had no rebuttal to Suimei’s declaration. Since he had walked much further down the path of magic than she had, she was willing to take his word on this. But if they couldn’t bring it under control, then… 

“Oh Fire. Thou art imbued with the essence of all flame, but burn unbound by the laws of nature. Now, turn everything in existence to ashes, the white calamity of truth! Truth Flare!” 

Still being held by Suimei, Felmenia thrust out her arm, wove her spell, and let loose her magical white flame. She poured the maximum amount of mana she could into it. It was a strike in no way inferior to the one she’d once used to defeat that monster in the desert. The enormous and dazzling pillar of flame struck the apparition with a hearty roar, but… 

“I-It didn’t work…” 

“Nope, ’fraid not.” 

The moment Felmenia thought that her magic was about to scorch the apparition, the white flame turned into particles and vanished. The apparition was perfectly unharmed. It was as if nothing had happened at all. Her full power was completely denied. She couldn’t defeat it. Faced with that reality, Felmenia’s heart was gripped by panic and fear. 

“Wh-What can we do against that thing…?” 

“Ain’t it obvious? We beat the crap out of it.” 

All Felmenia could hear was manly bravado. 

“M-Magic didn’t work at all, you know?! Just how—” 

“The magic from here didn’t. But the magicka I know is something fucking else!” 

And with that, just like last time, Suimei began reciting a chant in a language she had never heard before. 

“The heavenly sky which dyes all in its perfectly clear blue light.” 

It began the instant Suimei started chanting. At his feet, despite there being nothing to draw on, an enormous blue magicka circle spread out in midair. Following that, the world began to tremble, and a shriek like that of metal being forcefully twisted consumed the area. 

Brittle objects that were unable to withstand the power swelling up in the air crumbled, turned to dust, and were pulled skyward, swallowed by the countless bright blue lightning bolts created by the clamoring torrent of mana and reduced to nothing. 

The world kept shaking indefinitely, and so did the shrieks of the earth and the crackling ovations of lightning that extolled it. The chant continued on from there. 

“The invisible horizon where sea and sky are one. For only this moment in time, that boundary lies within my hand.” 

Before long, as if being drawn in by multiple magicka circles, the spectrum of blue which filled the sky converged in Suimei’s hand, and he held it out like a blade. As if the blue gathering in his hand had been sucked right out of the sky, a portion of the sky fell into darkness as though it were night. And then… 

“Sever the blue sky. Its name is the dazzling blue azure!” 

Suimei swung down his right hand forcefully as he threw down the last of his chant. 

“Azure Engraved Beheading!” 

Those last words came out like a declaration of the slash created by the azure sword, Azure Engraved Beheading. Just like Starfall, its attribute was the void. It used all which existed in the void as power. If Starfall was star magicka, the Azure Engraved Beheading was sky magicka. The magicka circle was categorized as wide area deployment as well as multiplex convergence, a combination of Kabbalah numerology and weather magicka, another fusion of two systems. 

And with his spell complete, Suimei wielded the azure in his right hand. The blue light was identical to that of a perfectly clear blue sky, but formed a massive blade that left a blue aurora trailing behind it. Just as the name of the spell implied, the enormous apparition was instantly decapitated. 

The azure aurora which denied twilight. 

When rent asunder, the apparition flailed in directionless pain. And before long, in the throes of death, it let out a chilling roar and began to convulse repeatedly. 

“And that’s that.” 

Finishing up with his magicka, Suimei slowly and safely descended from the sky, landing in front of the apparition and letting down Felmenia from his arms. 

“There, it’s alright now.” 

“Ah…” 

Once he set her on her feet, Suimei began to put her clothes in order as if it were perfectly natural. Seeing this kind, caring side to Suimei again moved Felmenia. He’d done something similar for her once before, and it was an act of graciousness. He was largely selfish and brash otherwise, especially around her, but this was his true nature deep down. That seemed to be the inherent contradiction in his personality. He’d abandoned the hero and Mizuki, but was working hard to find a way to help them get back home. And just like now, he’d acted to save himself, but he’d also saved Felmenia. 

She looked up. The apparition that Suimei had struck with magicka was now crumbling to pieces. The most impressive of her magic hadn’t even scathed the beast, but it was cut down instantly by Suimei’s magicka—an unthinkable feat with the knowledge of this world. 

Their battle in the Garden of the White Wall, flying through the air, the phenomenon known as an apparition, techniques to combine various magicka into one. Everything that she had witnessed was like an experience right out of a dream. 

“This is… This is what a mage can do…?” 

Watching Suimei from behind as he drew closer to the apparition, she unwittingly muttered to herself again. 

“So this is magic?” 

Not by means of just chanting, not by means of the power of the Elements, but by using one’s own power and the power of their surroundings to discover the laws of all creation and turn that into magic. That was the magic of Yakagi Suimei’s world—no, it’s magicka. 

If these were also the mysteries that humans could hold… The place that she was in, the people she competed against, the ones she gained victory over—this world was very small after all, wasn’t it? Had everything up until this moment been a mere triviality? 

Suddenly, Suimei turned around. There was neither exasperation nor fearlessness in his face. If one were to speak figuratively, it was the face of a man that did not need challenging. 

“Didn’t I tell you already? I’m a scholar of the mysteries. The objective of the mages of this world may just be to cast strong magic by simply chanting a spell, but we are different. The objective of the magicians of my world is to unravel all the laws of the universe and make ourselves omnipotent. Yes, so that we can surpass any and everything. The fundamental way we think is different from you mages.” 

“And this… all applies to you too, Suimei-dono?” 

“That’s right. I will definitely arrive at the truth of magicka, and accomplish the wish that my father was unable to. That’s why—” 

The apparition crumbled into nothing. It was so enormous and gave off such an overwhelming sense of despair, yet it was defeated so easily. 

“I will definitely prove that I can return to my world. And then I’ll prove that I can take hold of the Akashic Records.” 

And so the resolute voice of the victorious magician made a declaration as if swearing to something that could not be seen, and brought down the curtains on this battle. 

After destroying the apparition summoned by Sebastian with a single magicka spell, Suimei began looking around what was left of the room. 

“Hahh… As I thought, it’s totally gone.” 

Due to the impact from the apparition being summoned and its stamping around, there wasn’t any trace left of the ritual chamber as it had been. That meant that the thing Suimei was looking for wasn’t there either. 

What he was hoping to find was the summoning circle that had brought him to this world. It was nowhere to be seen. The only reason he wasn’t all that disappointed about it was because he’d already finished transcribing it. He had it copied down to all the finest details, so there wasn’t any need to be aggrieved over the loss of his reference. Of course, what he had wasn’t a match for the original, which was connected to the other side. Even without it, however, he was sure he’d work it out somehow. 

But as he searched the area for signs of it, Suimei found a certain something else. Specifically, the man he had previously thought was crushed by the apparition. 

“…He fucking survived. He’s got the devil’s luck. Seriously.” 

Indeed, it was Court Mage Sebastian Kran. Though the apparition should have stepped on him, he seemed to have managed to slip into the cracks in the rubble to save himself. He didn’t appear to be seriously wounded, either. He was just unconscious. 

Suimei left the court mage who had made all this racket lying face up on the floor unconscious, and simply shrugged his shoulders. Even if he was left alone, he wouldn’t cause any more trouble. By the time he woke up, he’d likely be inside a prison cell already. 

And then deciding that there was nothing left for him in the rubble, Suimei turned towards Felmenia. When he did… 

“S-Suimei-dono…” 

Felmenia was slightly blushing. 

“…?” 

She then suddenly stepped up to him, pulled his hand to her chest, and grasped it tightly with both hands. Just what was going on with her? 

“U-Um, Miss Court Mage…?” 

“There is no need to be so humble. Please call me Menia, Suimei-dono.” 

“Huh? Huh…?” 

Shaking her head from side to side, Felmenia asked Suimei to call her by a nickname with a flushed face. Suimei was unable to hide his bewilderment at her sudden change in attitude. However, as if she was carried away by passion, Felmenia continued speaking. 

“That magnificent spell you used to defeat the apparition just now… I am left in awe.” 

“Sure… Thanks.” 

“I cannot even express my gratitude to you for having gone out of your way to take care of the failures of my incompetence like this.” 

“Yeah, sure, but there’s no need to be so courteous. Rather, um… is something the matter?” 

Finding himself in the sudden and incomprehensible position of having praise lavished on him, Suimei’s voice cracked as he spoke. What was with her? Seeing her suddenly take on such a formal attitude was somewhat unsettling. On the other hand, he couldn’t tell whether or not Felmenia realized he was completely befuddled at her behavior. 

“No, um… To speak of it aloud would make me somewhat self-conscious…” 

“?” 

Felmenia’s cheeks turned even redder. She was clearly imagining something, and squirming on the spot as she did. In the middle of all this… 

“Is somebody there?!” 

From a distance, a loud voice called out towards them. Suimei didn’t recognize it. As he turned to look to see who it was, he spied the figures of several of the castle’s soldiers running over. Having seen the calamity… Or rather, having seen the calamity die down, they were likely coming over to investigate. Looking at them, Suimei called out to Felmenia in a troubled tone. 

“Aah, sorry ’bout this, but…” 

“Yes. I understand fully. It is preferred if I do not inform them that you handled this matter, correct?” 

“Yeah.” 

After Felmenia properly surmised what Suimei meant with his brief words, Suimei nodded back to her as she immediately sprang into action. 

“Acknowledged. As you wish, Suimei-dono.” 

With that, Felmenia’s expression changed to a commanding one in an instant, and she dealt with the soldiers who came running over. 

“Good work.” 

“White Flame-sama! Um, just what is this disastrous scene?” 

“Well, just a moment ago, Sebastian-dono went mad and caused a disturbance. I have handled things here.” 

Felmenia gave a brief explanation without any unnecessary information. It seemed that she would be able to deal with this appropriately. One of the soldiers then suddenly looked over towards Suimei. 

“That is, if I’m not mistaken, Hero-sama’s…” 

“Ah, yes. Suimei-dono happened to be in the area by chance. That is all he had to do with this.” 

“Is that so?” 

“Sebastian-dono is lying on the floor over there. Since we do not know if he will attempt anything further when he wakes, seize him now while you have the chance.” 

“Acknowledged.” 

“Sorry about this.” 

It turned out that Felmenia was rather capable. She promptly put an end to the exact conversation Suimei was trying to avoid, and skillfully glossed over it as she changed the subject. There was hardly a shadow of the clumsy and incompetent girl he’d seen in her before. He honestly had trouble processing the disparity, but if this was how she normally carried herself in public, he could understand why the people all saw her as collected and talented. 

Finishing her conversation with the soldiers, Felmenia once more turned towards Suimei. She’d returned to the normal personality he expected to see from her. The change was serious enough that he had to wonder where that gallant woman dealing with the soldiers just now had gone. Indeed, she was now blushing again full force. 

“Was that to your liking?” 

“Y-Yeah.” 

Felmenia tottered over towards him full of smiles and joy. She was acting like some kind of puppy who had gotten emotionally attached. Looking at her, Suimei could practically see a puppy wagging its tail and waiting for praise from its master as she stood in front of him expectantly. Suimei spoke to her with bewilderment mixed into his voice. 

“Thank you, ummm… Menia?” 

“Y-You are very welcome!” 

Just what had her in such high spirits? The moment he thanked her, Felmenia hopped about as she spun in a circle. Her behavior only served to further Suimei’s bewilderment. 

After that, the arrest of Court Mage Sebastian Kran was completed without a hitch. Felmenia’s mood, however, stayed girlish and giddy. 

“What the hell’s with her?” 

It seemed this young man could no longer speak ill of Reiji in this regard. 

The Kingdom of Astel, in front of the grand gates of Royal Castle Camellia. 

There stood ranks of the kingdom’s soldiers, a band, and groups of first-class knights to the front and rear. And in the midst of it all, a carriage carrying Reiji, Mizuki, and Titania appeared. 

The moment they passed through the gates, they would be going out to meet the people of the royal capital of Metel for the first time. This would be the first leg of their journey. They were about to take their first steps towards the subjugation of the Demon Lord with their grand unveiling parade in town, and Suimei was none too happy about it. 

“So it’s finally come, huh?” 

Just as Suimei said, the time had finally come. The day that they would depart on their quest. After the parade, Reiji would immediately leave on his journey with Mizuki and several of the knights. And as the hour approached, there was no helping the regret that showed on Suimei’s face. 

Reiji, however, looked cheerful. Was he that hopeful about his upcoming journey? Or was he just hiding his nerves behind a smile? It wasn’t clear which it was, but he maintained his happy visage as he turned to Suimei. 

“We’re off.” 

“Don’t treat it so lightly, damn it.” 

Suimei’s regretful gaze changed to a suspicious one as he spoke, but Reiji’s expression became extremely serious as he denied the accusation. 

“I’m not treating it lightly. Even I’ve thought this through, you know? About how my answer that day was no mistake.” 

“No, it was definitely a mistake. No matter how you look at it, it was a mistake. How many times do I have to say it for you to get it? Seriously.” 

Even if Reiji said such a thing with a far-off look in his eyes, Suimei wouldn’t allow himself to get swept up in the emotional atmosphere of it all. He spat some typical quip back at Reiji, but for some reason, Titania brought both her hands before her chest and clasped them together. 

“Suimei-sama…” 

She was the princess of the Kingdom of Astel. It was natural for her to have complex feelings towards such negative statements. She supported the subjugation, but even if it wasn’t exactly the same as the king’s, she must also have felt some guilt about her role in getting the hero involved. Her eyes turned sorrowful and her shoulders trembled. Reiji lightly patted them to try and disperse her anxiety, but turned to Suimei and made his intentions clear. 

“Nah, you’re wrong, Suimei. Whether I go or not, the fact remains that the demon armies are advancing into human territory. Those of us who can’t return home have nowhere to run. I realized that whether I go to fight now or not, the day will come when we have to face the Demon Lord anyway. I can’t say for sure when, but that’s why I want to use this chance. If I fight against various enemies and grow stronger now, whether the time to take a stand comes sooner or later, I’ll be all the more ready for it when it does arrive. Obviously, that’s assuming we’re keeping the goal of defeating the Demon Lord in sight though.” 

Reiji let his honest thoughts on the matter spill out. Despite his outrageous insistence on participating in the subjugation, in the end, he seemed to have thought out something of a plan for the future. 

Suimei couldn’t say that Reiji’s outlook was bad. If they assumed that a standoff with the Demon Lord was inevitable, then his approach wasn’t a bad one. Suimei did his best to stifle his usual snark and continue the conversation. 

“You don’t think that if you run away, someday someone else will come along and defeat them?” 

“I can’t count on things progressing so conveniently. Sure, it’s a possibility. But if I bank on that assumption and it ends up being a bust, we’re all gonna die.” 

It was good not to be optimistic, but… 

“You always just pitch straight forward and slam into your problems, huh?” 

“Is that bad?” 

“I don’t hate it, but just this time around, I don’t think it would kill you to reel it in. This isn’t anything like those delinquents and biker gangs in the neighborhood.” 

Suimei was talking about their past together. In their everyday lives, Suimei somehow or other always ended up playing sidekick to Reiji’s superhero, and they’d tussled with all sorts of people because of it. 

In the end, Reiji’s physical strength and good heart always managed to find a way to resolve things, but this time around was completely different. Their opponents weren’t even human; they were demons. The chances of them having the will of neighborhood bullies was predictably low. Yet Reiji spoke with confidence. 

“Yeah, but you know, I’m not either now.” 

“…Seriously, you always have the last word, don’t you?” 

“Hahaha.” 

Seeing Suimei’s tired expression, Reiji let out a good laugh. Did he find this kind of exchange between trusted friends to be that fun? Suimei certainly didn’t hate it either. And after having heard Reiji out, Suimei gave his reply. 

“I get what you’re thinking. If you’re not going out there to die, but so that you can survive, I have nothing to say. It’s just… Don’t do anything stupid.” 

Suimei could understand his thought process. Even if it was reckless, it wasn’t just recklessness. If he was doing what he thought he had to in order to survive, then he would by using his head more than normal. But even so, Suimei had to throw in a reminder. When he did, Reiji gave him a somewhat serious expression. 

“It’s alright. From here, we’re going to head straight for the heart of the Demon Lord’s territory and—” 

“Hey.” 

“Hahaha, I’m kidding. First and foremost, I have to get stronger. Like I said, yeah?” 

As Suimei interrupted him with a tired voice, Reiji laughed it off. With such a serious topic, how was it he could still throw a joke in the conversational gears like that? Reiji probably was anxious in his own way. If he was too tense all the time, it would be hard on him, so he was likely blowing off stress wherever he could. That’s why he wanted to laugh away the tension in these lighthearted moments. 

Suimei couldn’t really find fault in him for that. How could he? Reiji was being pressured from every direction just by being the hero. This was his way of resisting the intense pressure those fetters created. That’s why Suimei said what he needed to next in a whisper that only Reiji could hear. 

“If you think it’s getting bad, take Mizuki and run away to find somewhere to hide, okay? Just ’cause you became a hero isn’t a guarantee you’ll be able to conveniently defeat your enemy like in some manga or novel, you got it?” 

“I got it. But I want to do everything that I can.” 

“How stubborn.” 

Seeing that he wouldn’t yield, Suimei let out an exasperated sigh. This time, Reiji changed the subject entirely and turned the questioning on Suimei. 

“But I’m surprised you got out safely, Suimei.” 

“Hmm?” 

“You know, that thing that happened earlier… That.” 

Seeing that Suimei couldn’t figure it out from Reiji’s vague phrasing, Mizuki managed to guess what he was implying and spoke up. 

“Ah, that thing where one of the court mages went on a rampage in the ritual chamber?” 

“Mm. I heard you were a bystander, right?” 

Reiji was talking about the time Suimei carried out his revenge on Court Mage Sebastian Kran. At the time, Reiji and Mizuki were out of the castle, so they had only heard about what happened after the fact. 

“Well, yeah. Though I wasn’t really all that close to the action.” 

“But you got dragged into it, right?” 

“Well, more or less.” 

As Suimei gave Reiji nothing but vague responses, Mizuki spoke up like it was too much for her to take. 

“When I came back with Reiji-kun and Tia, a whole section of the castle was obliterated. We heard a court mage went on a rampage, and there was a rumor of a giant monster appearing. It was all so surprising…” 

After they returned from their little excursion, they’d heard all the gossip about what had gone down, but not the truth of it. In fact, Suimei had made arrangements to make sure that was the case long before they even went out. After being invited on their little field trip the other day, he consulted the king and Felmenia, and they decided to settle things while the three of them were away from the castle. Granted, no one had expected an apparition to appear. 

“It’s really good no one was hurt.” 

Seeing Reiji’s relieved expression, Suimei replied with a quip. 

“No one except the ritual chamber.” 

“As long as you’re safe, Suimei, that’s all that matters.” 

“I’m surprised you can spout such embarrassing crap with a straight face.” 

Reiji’s concern for his safety and the delighted smile on his face were both genuine. And precisely because of that, they both made his embarrassing talk that much harder to listen to. While Suimei was thinking that, Titania called out to him apologetically. 

“I’m sorry, Suimei-sama. The people of the castle have caused you so much trouble.” 

“No, in the end, Meni… I mean Stingray-san ended up saving me, so there’s no need for you to lower your head, princess.” 

Titania let out a sigh of relief as he said that. It was perhaps to be expected, but both she and the king were feeling guilty about an awful lot. As she ruminated on that, Reiji spoke up in a delighted voice. 

“That’s our Sensei. Like I thought, she’s amazing.” 

Nodding repeatedly, he sounded almost boastful. Did he have that much faith in his teacher? He seemed to have a deep admiration for her, if not an outright fancy for her, but… 

“Don’t you think so too, Suimei?” 

“Hmm?” 

“About Sensei. Don’t you think she’s amazing?” 

“Ah, yeah, sure. You’re right.” 

“Right?” 

Reiji had gotten unusually adamant about getting Suimei to agree with him. What about Felmenia had struck him so? 

Aaah… 

Suimei then realized the heart of the matter. Thinking about it, he was quite sure his friend had a weakness for women with large breasts. When it came to the subtleties of women’s hearts, he was devastatingly thick, but he certainly had a healthy appetite for their company. 

The slight tinge of pink in his cheeks was more than enough to prove he was attracted to her. It was true that Felmenia was quite well endowed in contrast to her height. That wasn’t all there was either, but in any case, it was fundamentally about the breasts for him. And Suimei wasn’t the only one who’d arrived at that conclusion. 

“Augh, is Felmenia-san also a rival…?” 

“White Flame-dono is a formidable adversary, Mizuki. She has that beautiful silver hair as well as her cold and beautiful face. Felmenia is equipped with many weapons.” 

Mizuki turned her back to Reiji and was on the verge of tears, but Titania burned with a competitive spirit at the thought of adding a new rival. 

“It’s not fair… It’s the jiggle…” 

“Grr, if I had that, even Reiji-sama would immediately…” 

The girls both aggrievedly put their hands to their own chests. Giving them a sidelong glance, Reiji seemed eager to move on to another topic. 

“What are you going to do from here, Suimei?” 

“Hmm? I’m thinking of leaving the castle.” 

“Oh…?” 

This was the first Reiji had heard of it. Suimei had never mentioned his plans to him before. The same went for Mizuki and Titania, who were both also giving him puzzled expressions. The one to step forward as the representative of the group was Mizuki, and she questioned Suimei with a surprised and worried tone. 

“Suimei-kun, what are you gonna do after leaving the castle?” 

“No, I don’t really have any goals. I’m just going to live outside the castle.” 

Suimei told a barefaced lie with a serious face. Reiji made a slightly tense expression as he asked him for details. 

“What about living expenses?” 

“I’ll find a job or something and figure it out one way or another.” 

After Suimei replied to Reiji, this time it was Titania who had a suggestion for him. 

“Suimei-sama. If you were to remain within the castle, my father would guarantee your livelihood. I do not believe that there is any need for you to leave in haste, is there?” 

“That may be true, but even so, I want to go.” 

“Why is that? No matter how good public order is in the royal capital compared to other cities, you come from another world and have neither the knowledge of this land nor the divine protection of the hero summoning… It is difficult to say that life outside the castle will be safe for you. I cannot see any advantage to leaving…” 

Certainly, nothing Titania said was wrong. She was operating under the assumption that Suimei had no talent and no power, and her suggestions were very reasonable, however mistaken. 

“No, it’s just… I will say this knowing full well that it is discourteous to you, but I feel ill at ease within the castle.” 

“Ah…” 

An awkward expression. With just that, she seemed to have figured it out. Apparently the rumors about Suimei had reached even Titania’s ears. Realizing the meaning behind his words, she fell silent and protested no more. It was Reiji who then got worked up, and made no attempt to hide his displeasure. 

“Want me to go say something?” 

Just what was he thinking? It couldn’t be that he planned to find each and every one of the people who were spreading rumors and ask them to stop… could it? That was far too unreasonable, though it was proof of how great a guy Reiji was. 

“No, it’s fine. What are you gonna do by making a mess of everything right as you leave? It’ll only complicate things, so give it a rest.” 

“Hmm, but you know…” 

“It’s fine. I have a good plan for how to handle things.” 

Mizuki questioned him in a doubtful tone on that note. 

“A plan? What are you gonna do about money?” 

“I’m gonna sell my textbooks and other stuff that I don’t need.” 

“Can you even sell those? Aren’t they all written in Japanese?” 

“Someone curious will buy them. All I have to do is exaggerate a bit.” 

“Is that okay?” 

“Well, yeah.” 

“Really?” 

“Really. At the very least, I have a plan from here.” 

Hearing that, Mizuki made a complex expression. She was likely unconvinced. If he had studied magic, combat, and general knowledge together with them, she probably wouldn’t have been so nervous—but little did she know that Suimei had in fact acquired all the necessary knowledge on his own. Of course she was worried. 

So Suimei decided to try and sweep it all under the rug. He tried changing the subject with Mizuki, who still had a stiff expression on her face. 

“But really, it’s fine and all to worry ’bout me, but Mizuki, shouldn’t you worry ’bout yourself?” 

“I-I’m okay! ’Cause even I can use magic now!” 

Just like Reiji, Mizuki had trained in the ways of magic. From what he heard from Titania, she had talent that was comparable to Reiji’s. She may not have been all that worried about it, but that wasn’t the point Suimei was focusing on. 

“That’s what I’m talking about. Magic. I’m saying that just ’cause you’re able to use magic now, don’t do things like you did in the past. Right, Reiji?” 

As he turned to his buddy who knew the meaning behind such a statement, he got nothing but a dejected laugh in return. 

“Ah, ahahah…” 

“S-S-S-S-Suimei-kun! You promised not to talk about that!” 

Meanwhile, Mizuki’s face instantly turned bright red as she started to panic. It was a memory she’d long since tried to forget. It was her dark past from around the time Reiji and Suimei first met her. 

“Your dad here is quite worried. No matter how much time passes, you’re still wearing that mini belt and that red muffler and those fingerless gloves… What to do?” 

“Just when did Suimei-kun become my dad?! I mean, the hero items have nothing to do with it, right?! Don’t pretend to cry…!” 

On one hand there was Mizuki, screaming and squawking as she made a racket, and on the other there was Titania, staring silently in confusion. She couldn’t tell what they were talking about. She turned to Suimei with her head titled to the side. 

“Something about the past?” 

“Yeah.” 

“Suimei-kun! You absolutely can’t say a thing about it, okay?! Absolutely not, you hear?! Absolutely not! I’m not kidding!” 

This was easily the most desperate Mizuki had acted ever since arriving in this world. To her, the reveal of her dark past seemed to be a far more serious matter than being summoned to another world. As if to throw Mizuki a lifeline, Reiji turned to Titania, who was only growing more and more curious, and asked her not to pry. 

“Mizuki also has a few things going on, Tia.” 

“I’m concerned.” 

“Don’t be! It’s a grave secret just between us! A secret garden! It’s something no one else can know about!” 

“If that is the case, then all the more, you should…” 

And so Titania’s expression stiffened in dissatisfaction and the slight sadness of being left out. Deciding that enough time had passed to completely divert the topic from what Mizuki was questioning him about earlier, Suimei turned to the girl who was self-conscious of being left out, and posed her a question. 

“Incidentally, is it really alright for you to be participating in the Demon Lord’s subjugation, princess?” 

“Oh my, I would ask that you do not underestimate me, Suimei-sama. Even I have mastered magic here in the royal castle. I am certain that I will be of use to Reiji-sama.” 

Saying that, Titania proudly thrust out her chest, which was comparable to Mizuki’s. Princess Titania… He didn’t know what her skills with magic were like, but that was not what he was implying. 

“I am certain that you excel in regards to magic, princess, but do you not have your position to consider?” 

“There is no need to worry. Father will take care of the country. Because his advisors and my elder brother are also present, even in my absence, Astel will manage to get through.” 

“No, that is not what I mean—” 

She was a beloved princess, something like a national treasure. So why was she accompanying them on the dangerous mission of subjugating the Demon Lord? And why was the king allowing it? 

Parents naturally thought of their children as precious. So even if it was what the child wished for, could any parent really agree to thrusting them into the arms of danger? It was a poor way of putting it, but surely there were better things for a princess to be doing for her country. Suimei found it baffling. Why had the king really allowed it? However, before Suimei could ask why she would leap into danger despite her position as a princess, she cut him off and stole the initiative with a majestic declaration. 

“Suimei-sama, this is the duty that has been charged to me.” 

“Duty, you say?” 

“Yes. No matter how strong Reiji-sama is, this country cannot saddle him alone with the burden of saving us. It is only right that a representative of Astel do their part as well. And the one who was chosen to play that role was me. I have long since made up my mind.” 

“…” 

Was that really all there was to it? It wasn’t that Suimei doubted her determination. Her reassuring statement just now was certainly filled with unwavering sincerity. Because she had her own sense of responsibility, she was here in this position by choice. But what would drive her towards such a potentially grim fate? The excuse of defending the honor of the country seemed a little frail. 

However, that didn’t really have anything to do with Suimei. Titania was someone who was worth putting his faith in if she was offering to be of help to Reiji and Mizuki, so he felt no need to question her any further. 

“Suimei-sama?” 

“…No, excuse my discourtesy. Please take care of Reiji and Mizuki.” 

“Of course. Please leave it to me. I will make certain that all of us return safely.” 

Titania agreed happily to Suimei’s request. The atmosphere coming from her in that moment was a strong, spirited, noble dignity that was perhaps best summarized as princessly. She then called out to him again. 

“And one more thing, Suimei-sama.” 

“What is it?” 

“I already consider Reiji-sama and Mizuki to be my irreplaceable friends. By proxy, since you’re such a dear friend to them, I also consider you to be a good friend as well. I would like you to stop speaking to me so formally. Would that be alright with you?” 

A modest request, but not something a woman of her station should ever really ask a guy like Suimei. 

“Is that really okay?” 

“Please, by all means.” 

He doublechecked to make sure, but she confirmed it all the same. And then, feeling just a tiny bit anxious, Suimei pulled himself together and tried to give her what she wanted. 

“Got it. I’ll do just that, prin…” 

“It’s Tia, Suimei.” 

Titania gave him a sweet and dainty smile. To someone who had no defense against girls, it was the kind of a smile that could fell a man in a single blow. In a sense, it bore a close resemblance to Reiji’s smile. But Suimei couldn’t afford to fall victim, and returned hers with a smile of his own. 

“Yeah. Best regards, Tia.” 

“With this, the four of us are all officially good friends.” 

In this world, the people she knew as friends were likely just those who paid needless attention to her. Yet as Titania declared the friendship between the four of them now, she looked genuinely happy—like it was her first time making true friends. 

Suimei then turned and called out to Reiji. 

“Hey.” 

“Hmm?” 

“It’s just…” 

However, seeing Reiji’s carefree expression as he looked back at him, Suimei changed his mind and stopped talking. On the spur of the moment, he’d almost said, “If there were a means to return, would you do it? If you wait, I’ll make one.” 

But he stopped himself. Even if he’d asked such a thing, there was no way Reiji would stop. It would only needlessly cause him to waver. Since there was no real reason for asking, it would merely be a hindrance. And in that sense, Suimei thought it was better not to ask at all. Harboring the question in his heart, Suimei instead put on a smile and cheered Reiji on. 

“Do your best. That’s all.” 

“Mm, you got it. Thanks, Suimei.” 

“Yeah.” 

Suimei stuck out his fist, and Reiji bumped it with his own. That sealed their farewell, and anything else they were to discuss would have to wait for quite some time. What Suimei got in reply to his nod was a cheerful smile. It was the smile of a man about to take his first step into hardship, but a smile that would not quit or stand down. A smile filled with bravery. It was Reiji’s way of telling Suimei not to worry. 

Before long, the preparations for the parade were complete, and Titania called to Reiji. 

“Now then, let us depart, Reiji-sama.” 

“Mm. Mizuki, stick close to me.” 

“…” 

As Reiji held out his arm casually, Mizuki forgot to even speak, and shyly nodded with a smile. Reiji himself probably just thought that it was safer if she was closer to him, but there was no way that was what was going through Mizuki and Titania’s minds. Despite being embarrassed, Mizuki happily clung to Reiji, and Titania stared jealously for a moment before shouting. 

“R-Reiji-sama! Me too!” 

“Huh? Tia?!” 

She then scooped up Reiji’s free arm. He raised a bewildered protest, but only for a moment. Though he was oblivious to her real feelings, he wrapped his arm around Titania as well and held her snugly. 

“Mm, okay. You keep close to me too, Tia.” 

“O-Of course!” 

Titania flashed a brilliant smile as she raised her voice in delight. 

With a beautiful woman on each side, and not only that, but with his arms firmly wrapped around both of them, the hero grandly boarded the carriage. Looking around closely, the men in the area—the knights and the soldiers—were gazing at him with envy and even bloodthirst. Suimei felt similarly as he began to mutter to himself. 

“Actually, I hope you guys stay here forever…” 

It was jealousy. Pure jealousy. He couldn’t stop it. It was a frustration most of the other men around understood. However, thinking carefully about what he said, Suimei realized his words could also be interpreted as a wish to let Reiji live a happy life surrounded by women. As Suimei was contemplating this, Reiji turned to him. 

“Suimei, did you say something?” 

“No, nothing at all.” 

“…Oh? No biggie.” 

Reiji sounded like he couldn’t tell what was going on. Undoubtedly, for the rest of his life, he would remain oblivious to the nuances of the emotions of others in such situations, both women and men. And with that curious expression still on Reiji’s face, he and the two girls happily stuck to him began to drive away from Suimei in the carriage. 

Before long, the sound of the enormous gates opening rang though the air, and the sound of the band playing its music along with the tremendous roar of cheering and clapping could be heard in the direction the carriage had left in. 

When the gate finally closed, the only one still standing around was Suimei, as if he’d been left behind. No. He was standing here because he wanted to be. He made that choice for himself. The melancholy and the loneliness he felt now were simply the result of having a hard time accepting that. 

“I really did it, huh…?” 

While staring off into the distance, Suimei muttered to himself. Because he wanted to go back, because he had to return, there was no mistaking the fact that he turned his back to danger. Watching the silhouettes of his friends disappear into the distance as they went to face the danger he shied away from, those feelings floated through his mind. 

Right here. On his own. Was his decision to walk down a different path not unforgivable and gutless? Was it not an action unbecoming of a magician of the Society? But no matter how he thought of it, he could only see the choice of walking down the path to defeat the Demon Lord as the wrong decision. 

As long as he had his thesis, there was no meaning to it if he didn’t return. Once he accomplished it, he still had a promise he’d sworn to keep. He had someone he was already determined to save. That’s why he felt like he was justified in not burdening himself with the problems of another world. He had his own. But he still couldn’t fight the feeling that such thoughts may have been nothing but childish excuses in front of his two brave friends. 

“…” 

Ruminating on his situation, Suimei gazed into the sky. What he recalled as he stared up at the vast blue expanse were the figures of those he had gotten involved with up until now. 

The one who raised him and taught him magicka, his father who collapsed partway down the path to his aspirations. The one who always forced unreasonable demands on him, the leader of the Society. Cursed by Ludwig, the girl with the blue shadow. The far too straight-laced radical of the Chivalric Order of the Rose Cross. The heiress to the neighborhood swordsmanship dojo, his childhood friend. 

His choice was a selfish one. He was well aware of that fact. However, when he recalled their faces as he closed his eyes, he knew it was the only choice.