Nineteenth Chapter
Secret Feud
Alice and Tesfia had returned to the laboratory for more training, however, Tesfia left shortly thereafter, leaving only Alice and Loki.
Alice offered to go with Tesfia to the principal’s office once they found out what happened, but Tesfia had run out on her own.
“Geez, how long are you going to sulk, Loki dear. Let’s train together.” Alice tried to cheer Loki up, but it was to no avail.
Alus had cajoled Loki into watching over Alice’s training, and Loki was more or less an empty husk now.
However, she still hadn’t reached sufficient results in her detection range expansion training, so Alus’ decision was correct in a sense. After all, if she stayed behind, she might get some time to train on her own.
But Loki was too worried to focus on that. Tesfia’s mother, or someone else related to the Fable family, was most likely at the principal’s office that Alus had been called to. Considering his hatred for nobility, there was a high chance that they weren’t getting along.
When the cause for the visit, Tesfia, returned, Loki had told her something in that regard. She was hoping it would help Alus. She didn’t want him to end up playing the villain after getting swept up in Tesfia’s problems.
“Say, Loki dear. Wouldn’t it be terrible if Al said that he couldn’t do anything when he comes back?”
“... That’s true.”
There was no vigor in Loki’s voice. But she couldn’t ignore Alus’ will.
For the time being, she told herself to do what she could for now.
Incidentally, Alice was struggling to focus too.
She hoped that Tesfia had met up with Alus after she ran out of the laboratory, but Alice couldn’t help but worry that Alus and the others were in a predicament because of the incident in which she was caught up, and she wore her anxiety on her sleeve.
But she spoke out in a bright tone, in an attempt to hide this. “The magical tournament is coming up, so we should get ready for it.”
“What’s that?”
The Seven Nations Friendship Magical Tournament was a major event that students from all the nations participated in. It would normally be unthinkable for a student not to know of its existence, but Loki had only enrolled at the Institute to be by Alus’ side, so maybe it was inevitable. She’d spent her life fighting Fiends, so it wouldn’t be strange for her to be unaware of what went on at the Institute.
“It’s a magical tournament for students that takes place after summer vacation. Haven’t you heard of it?”
“No, I’ve never heard of it, and I’m not interested either.”
“But it’s a pretty big topic whenever it happens. It’s even being broadcast, and after graduation...” Alice wanted to say that it could even decide where you were stationed, but stopped herself. That fact wouldn’t matter much to Loki, who’d become Alus’ partner out of her own volition. “I’m sure you’ll be picked as a representative. The Institute’s good name and the dignity of Alpha are at stake, after all. You shouldn’t be able to withdraw unless there’s a very good reason for it.”
“Then I’ll be fine. I have a perfectly good reason: taking care of Sir Alus.”
“Hmm, I’m not sure about that...”
With the honor of the nation on the line, Alice was sure that reason would be rejected, but she scratched her cheek and smiled.
A selection committee had most likely already been formed, and they would be hard at work choosing the students that would participate.
As Alice thought about that, she suddenly realized something. “Oh, yes, Al might participate too.”
“—!! You should’ve told me that first!”
“Al said he didn’t want to participate. But Mr. Berwick was really enthused about it.”
The selection of students was mostly up to the selection committee, but only ten students from each class year could participate.
It was reasonable to start off by choosing the five with the highest ranks, with everyone else being given an equal chance at the remaining slots through screening matches. This was the selection method the Second Magical Institute used. The institutes of other nations had other ways of choosing.
This was also the reason why there were still so many students present at the Institute, despite the summer vacation. It was a very narrow selection of only ten students per class year, and knowing the importance of the tournament, nobody ever voluntarily chose to step down. That was just how much attention the tournament garnered.
As a competition between nations, each country showed off its power at the tournament, as well as how effectively it was training its future Magicmasters.
Not only would the military be present, but it was an open secret that the nobility would watch the tournament with the hopes of finding partners for their children—to say nothing of all the political intrigue that would be at play. In short, they would be marking the excellent novice Magicmasters while they had the chance.
As such, there was a problem every year of each military trying to recruit the Magicmasters of other nations.
By law, students were given the choice of where they wanted to go. But this was frowned on by their homelands, and the negotiations between nations behind the scenes usually got heated.
That said, this kind of issue that risked straining diplomatic relations only happened with the most excellent of students.
If a student accepted the recruitment of another nation, it was standard for the recruiting nation to fairly compensate the other nation. It didn’t have to be in money, either: the compensation could be in land, valuable Magicmasters, or other concessions.
There were also instances where two nations agreed to scout a single Magicmaster from the other’s nation, in order to avoid any problems.
Either way, for all kinds of reasons, the Seven Nations Friendship Magical Tournament was the perfect place for students striving to become Magicmasters to make their debut, and achieving impressive results was seen as a great honor.
“I would rather not, but if Sir Alus is participating, then I have no choice but to do so as well,” Loki said, acting as if she didn’t like it one bit, but Alice didn’t overlook the sudden change in her attitude.
The small, silver-haired girl’s eyes were now full of motivation. “But if I only train in detection... then I might even fail the selections, and only Sir Alus will be chosen...”
Loki panicked, imagining her own disappointing performance, her face turning pale as a sheet. But in reality she was already way ahead of the other first-year students, being an active duty Triple Digit Magicmaster. It was unthinkable that she wouldn’t be chosen.
Flustered, Alice tried to smooth things over. “Uhm, I think you’ll be fine with just how strong you are now, Loki dear.”
Thanks to that, Loki was able to calm down a little. “T-That’s true. If anything, you’re the one who’d be at risk, Ms. Alice...”
“Wha—! You just looked at me with cold eyes, didn’t you?!”
“Not at all... You’re imagining things.” Loki feigned ignorance, and returned to her training with a slight smile on her lips.
Time continued to pass, and night approached.
It appeared that Alus wouldn’t fulfill his promise of coming home quickly before making Loki worry. Of course, there was a difference between what Alus and Loki considered ‘quick.’
After about an hour had passed, the unease on Loki’s face was growing visibly worse. “Why isn’t Sir Alus back yet?”
“Yes, I wonder why.” Alice gracefully brushed off Loki’s frustrated words.
“Maybe they were rude to him... I feel like I’ll need to have a long and hard talk with the Fable family.”
“I think you should reconsider that...”
Loki pulled out two knives and scraped their blades against each other, making an intimidating sound. She didn’t actually have any intention of going that far, but she couldn’t help feeling uneasy that Alus was in danger somewhere out of sight.
She was fortunate to have Alice around to alleviate her pent-up frustration, but her endurance was wearing thin despite that.
So when the doorbell rang out, letting them know there was a visitor, it came at the worst possible time.
Alus wouldn’t have bothered to ring the bell. He’d just come on inside. Having whipped herself up into a frenzy, Loki cast a violent glare at the door.
Alice did her best to hold Loki back, and deal with their guest. When she saw the person outside appear on the screen, she rushed to open the door.
“What is the matter, Feli?”
“Oh, if it isn’t Alice. Good timing.”
“Well, it’s not really good timing at all...” Alice replied with a dry laugh, and pointed behind herself.
“... What’s with her?”
“Al was called out by Fia’s mother, and he hasn’t come back yet.”
“You mean Ms. Frose? So neither Mr. Alus nor Fia is in right now?”
“Did you have some business with them? If it’s not urgent, I can tell them when they come back.”
Felinella appeared to hesitate for a moment. As a maiden in love, she wished she could see Alus’ face if possible, but because of her business this time around, she held back her personal feelings.
“Hmm, then perhaps I can ask you to deliver a message. It concerns the two of you, as well.”
Loki’s ferociousness had already calmed down, and she worked on welcoming their guest. This was Alus’ guest, so she had to keep up appearances.
As Loki placed cold drinks and snacks down on the table, Felinella told them, “I’ve been chosen as one of the committee members for the upcoming tournament, and I came here to tell you what was decided at the first meeting. Alice, you, Fia and Loki will represent the first-year class.”
“...!! Really?!” Alice exclaimed.
“Yes. Practical skills are prioritized the most, so we can’t overlook the top scorers of the first term. The two of you will accept, right?”
“Of course. I’m sure Fia will, too.”
“I will accept if Sir Alus does.”
Felinella had been all smiles, but when Alus’ name was brought up, a slight gloom appeared on her face. “I’d of course love to have Mr. Alus take part in the tournament... I even have orders from above, but...”
Loki was smiling brightly, but Felinella’s evasive tone caused both her and Alice to look at her questioningly.
“With Mr. Alus’ grades, there are a lot of objections within the committee, and it doesn’t look like I can get him in.”
“Excuse me?! Those fools just don’t understand Sir Alus’ strength!”
“I wouldn’t call them fools... i-it’s just that the principal is making sure Mr. Alus’ rank is kept confidential.”
“So Al manipulating his grades backfired,” Alice said.
“That’s right.”
The selection process of the committee was designed to ensure that no shame would be brought on the Institute, prompting them to pick model students. Because of this, test results were also taken into consideration in the decisions.
The practical exam was the largest factor, but with the tournament being so prestigious, an emphasis was placed on being impartial to ensure there would be no objections. That was also why half of the slots were decided through screening matches.
“Does that mean that Sir Alus can’t participate? In that case, I won’t either.”
“...!! Wait a minute! It just means that he can’t get in through the selection committee’s recommendation. I’m sorry, but he’ll have to get in through the screening matches.”
In other words, Felinella felt bad about having to make Alus waste his time with the matches. Of course, she had the idea of going through the principal instead, but the tournament was set up to look like it was run primarily by the student body.
Moreover, only a tiny number of students knew of Alus’ true strength. And the screening matches were the only way to get the other students to accept his participation.
“So could you tell Mr. Alus and Fia about this?”
“Oka—”
“I understand. I will let Sir Alus know!”
Alice had been answering Felinella in a carefree manner when Loki interrupted her. It appeared she had no intention of letting anyone else tell Alus.
“Since you’re still first years, I’m sure there are a lot of things you don’t understand yet, but don’t worry. Once all the participants have been decided, we’re going to gather you all and give an overall explanation.”
“All right. You’re participating too, right, Feli?”
“Of course. Not to boast, but the selection committee is comprised of students with excellent grades who have already been chosen to participate. Normally, it’s a third-year’s job though.” Since she might come off as arrogant if she continued any further, Felinella stopped herself at that.
As someone who was at the top of the Institute’s rankings, aside from certain exceptions, as well as being exceedingly popular, it was only natural that this job would fall to Felinella. The Socalent family’s status as nobility also worked in her favor, making her admired by students of both genders.
“But as vacation started a lot of things happened, so it ended up falling behind schedule.” Felinella sighed, apologizing to the two for being so late getting in touch with them.
A sudden question came to Alice’s mind. “The tournament doesn’t start until October, right? I would think that’s plenty of time to prepare, but is that still considered behind schedule?”
“Yes. Not only does the selection take time, but there’s separate training too. The event is the same as always—individual matches. But the participants still spend the time until the tournament doing special training. Last year was so busy, there was no time to take a break.”
It also started up at a bad time. Normally, it would be best if they began before summer vacation, but that was when the Institute held its exams. So as a result, preparations didn’t begin until vacation time started.
With students going home during vacation, the committee was swamped with work making preparations every year. Even after all the participants were selected, there would be some leeway as far as time went, but this year they couldn’t move right away because of the attack on the Institute.
Their only saving grace was in the simplicity of the event. It was mock battles, the same as the ones they held during class, though the scale was on a different level with it being the tournament’s official event. In order to bring it closer to real life, bringing one’s own AWR and the use of projectile weaponry was allowed, as well as most weapons used in battle against Fiends.
However, Felinella had another concern, and that was the fact that the Second Magical Institute hadn’t been winning any tournaments in recent years.
Not only was the selection committee making victory the top priority, but Sisty had told Felinella the same thing. The principal was likely also being pressured from those above her.
With Alus, Alpha had been able to show fierce results on the battlefield, but when it came to the tournament, the nation was in the lower ranks. The top brass felt humiliated by this.
In order to prevent the other nations from thinking Alpha’s recent contributions were simply due to momentum, they wanted to show off overwhelming power at least once.
The nations were in a cooperative relationship, on paper at least—but they had different infrastructures, organizations, and so on. The only thing they were truly together on was protecting Babel and humanity from Fiends.
So the Friendship Magical Tournament was the perfect place to display their national prestige and secure a higher standing.
Felinella was also looking to win, and was being careful in her selections. If Alus were to participate, then the first years would absolutely achieve great results, and the points they would get from him would be high enough to have a realistic shot at victory.
If there were any problems, it would be with the third years. Even if they were excellent, if the work was being left up to a second year like Felinella, trust in the third years wasn’t very high. Those who weren’t excellent were unreliable, and those who were excellent had their hands full, with their station in the military already decided.
Moreover, there were some students who were partially exempt from lectures and were temporarily enlisted with the military to get some combat training.
Felinella pondered what to do, but she wasn’t going to come up with any good ideas by hanging around the laboratory. And by the time she noticed, the three cups were already empty.
It wasn’t until Loki spoke that she realized how much time had passed. “The sun is about to set, but will you wait until Sir Alus comes back? Dinner isn’t ready yet, but I would like to begin preparations soon.”
“Ah—it’s already this late?! I’m sorry, I have a lot of things to do after this.” Felinella turned down Loki’s dinner invitation with a wry smile. She appeared to be rather flustered, which was rare for her.
Loki, on the other hand, was regretting not noticing it sooner. “I see. Next time, maybe.”
“Thank you. I will certainly take you up on your offer the next time.”
Loki’s words were blunt compared to the ladylike Felinella, but Felinella knew that there was true kindness in them.
When Loki and Alice saw her off, Felinella turned around, recalling something with her hand on the doorknob. “Oh, I almost forgot, the screening matches are just after the summer vacation. Please tell Mr. Alus that too.”
“Got it.”
“We’ll make sure to tell him,” Alice added, with a smile.
Once the door closed behind Felinella and she was out of view, Alice exhaled and relaxed, as if she’d been a little nervous. “That’s Feli for you. Everything she does is so graceful.”
“That just goes to show that she’s aware of her noble status.”
The two thought of a certain someone, and exchanged giggles.
“Oh, I think Fia is pretty aware of it as well,” Alice said.
“Yes, that awareness appears to be the only thing she has, however,” Loki replied.
Both of them knew how different nobles could be. Although Loki seemed to be more mischievous, Alice was more considerate of differing circumstances.
Thinking about it, Tesfia should have met up with Alus, so she would be back later as well. That made Alice uneasy too, but she chose not to say anything until Loki settled down.
“What about you, Ms. Alice? Why don’t you stay for dinner?”
“Hmm, if I eat now I might not make it back to the dorm in time for curfew, so I’ll have to pass. But I can help you prepare it.”
Thanks to Felinella’s unexpected visit, Loki had been distracted from her worries; and Alice, wanting to stay by Loki’s side a little longer, offered to help with dinner.
* * *
Alus was currently in the darkest place in the Institute.
A mild night wind blew through the leaves of the trees. Beneath the grove it was pitch black, a darkness darker than night. Even the sound of footsteps on dirt were louder in this enclosed copse.
The Institute didn’t make full use of the entirety of its vast grounds. Especially around its outer circumference.
This was a place where students didn’t normally go. But Alus spoke out, as if he was talking to someone. “Well, Mr. Selva? You said you had some business with me.”
Instead of an answer, a shadow appeared from out of the darkness. As the artificial moon peeked out from behind the clouds, the elderly butler stepped out. Moonlight shone through the tree branches, lighting up the grove.
Selva had his hands behind his back, the same smile as before still on his face. Keeping his distance, he elegantly bowed and said, “I’m sorry for calling you out here.”
The space between the two wasn’t meant for speaking.
No, this distance was for...
“Surely you didn’t call me out to a deserted place like this for some idle talk?”
“It is just as you say.”
“Is it still about Fia?”
“As a butler serving the Fable family, I am always worried for the young miss. Even if these might be my personal feelings, in the past she was so simplistic and always smiling.”
“So not any different from now, then.”
Simplistic might have been a bit too harsh, but that was without a doubt one of Tesfia’s good traits. Of course, that impulsive and straightforward side of hers had caused Alus quite a bit of trouble as well.
Living true to yourself was truly a difficult thing, and at times, Alus saw her as more human and free than he was.
“That is why I am grateful to you, Mr. Alus. You have created a path for the young miss to remain herself after all.”
“I do think it was a bit forced though. I’m not really used to that kind of thing.”
Saying that he held his ground against the renowned Frose sounded nice on paper, but in the end he’d even resorted to using unnecessary provocation. Thinking back on it after calming down, he still couldn’t get a read on her.
“Please don’t worry about it,” Selva said, expressing his personal opinion. “If your difficult words go too far, there are times when you forget for whose sake they were said. And I am sure that there are times when you need to reflect on that. Ultimately, I feel that your meeting was a good one for the young miss.”
“And you called me out here to confirm that?”
Selva nodded. “After speaking with a person twice, I can get a general grasp of their character. After three times, I can tell where their true feelings lie. And then I can base my trust on how they are perceived by those around them.”
For normal people it was difficult to see through someone’s personality, and this short time definitely wasn’t enough to build up the trust needed to place someone important under their care. But Selva was different.
“Normally, that would have been enough for me. I know that you could be trusted if not for that dark side that lurks within you. I am sure you are already aware of it... but that darkness is a point of concern for me.”
The nuance in Selva’s tone made it sound like he thought it might be unnecessary meddling on his part.
“I see, so you want to ascertain that. I don’t have any objections. Well, I seldom meet anyone from your line of work in this day and age.”
“I washed my hands of that quite a long time ago. It’s in the past. However... erasing what has been ingrained in me seems impossible.”
“Agreed. I don’t believe I could erase it either.”
People who made a living by killing had a unique atmosphere to them. The assassination techniques bled into their every movement.
It was thanks to Alus’ cultivated senses that he was able to notice. Normally, Magicmasters stepping into the Outer World wouldn’t be wary of their fellow man.
However, when Selva was leading him to the principal’s office, Alus saw his movements and could smell someone in his line of work hidden in them.
That same thing held true for Alus, which was why each of them had picked up on the other.
Alus said, “Rather than speaking of trust on our first meeting, this way is easier for both of us.”
“That’s right.”
They faced off, not as Magicmasters, but as murderers... they didn’t need any justification as their natures moved their bodies.
Alus was currently unarmed, but whether he had his AWR or not wouldn’t matter in this fight.
Selva knew that as well, and he’d simply chosen this grove of trees because it was out of the way and no one would happen upon them.
The two stood at a reasonable distance from one another, each sizing the other up.
However, there was no hostility or hatred in the air. This was simply a battle of techniques, for which they’d both given their tacit approval.
Unlike Alus who had taken a pose ready to strike, Selva was standing at attention. He didn’t seem to be doing anything, nor did it look like he was awaiting Alus’ move.
Yet Alus’ senses told him that Selva had indeed done something. “—!!”
Under the faint moonlight, something in Selva’s atmosphere shimmered.
When Alus strained his eyes, he saw many silk-like thin threads rolling through the air, coming from the fingers Selva held behind his back.
At the same time that he became aware of this, he crouched down and left the spot at high speed.
Super-thin threads, just barely perceivable, approached Alus from the left and right. But he knew that they were no normal strings.
After all—they’d just cut straight through the leaves that had been kicked up into the air as Alus moved, as if they weren’t even there.
It was an attack of threads so sharp that they didn’t make a sound as they cut. Selva must have already prepared his attack by the time Alus noticed. And he struck at the moment that Alus focused directly on him.
“I see. Threads of mana, is it?”
“Well perceived.” Selva politely bowed. “I am impressed.”
Like with Alus’ mana blade, mana had several uses and could take on other shapes at will. But it wasn’t a technique that was as easy as it sounded. This thread form was something Alus hadn’t seen before, so that alone made it clear that Selva wasn’t an ordinary Magicmaster.
It’s those gloves.
The gloves weren’t so much a magical tool as they were a prototype AWR. It was an older version, before AWRs as such were made, with the goal of interfering with mana. Unlike AWRs that served as support for constructing spells, Selva’s gloves specialized in altering the shape of mana.
“That move of yours is pretty interesting.”
“This has always been the most simple way... magic tends to stand out, after all,” Selva replied.
As the construction of spells used mana as energy, they could be detected at that stage by those with sharp senses. So when it came to quick and difficult-to-recognize attacks, altering the shape of mana for use as a weapon was better.
The ability to freely create lethal weaponry through mana control might be the very essence of personal combat techniques.
Alus was a little happy that someone other than him had paid heed to mana control. The notion of turning mana into thread, as well as the high levels of technique involved, exhilarated him.
Just how long had it been since he’d had a simple test of strength like this? Alus’ hands restlessly began to twitch. After firmly closing his fists, mana blades formed over the backs of his hands.
Alus ran forward, with the occasional feint thrown in, at blistering speeds that a normal person would be unable to even see, his arms trailing behind him.
Selva released the hands he held behind his back, thrusting one of his hands forward, skillfully manipulating the mana threads.
Five threads of even width flew towards Alus like claws.
Normally, it would be impossible to see all of Selva’s mana threads with the naked eye. But Alus’ senses and abnormal mana perception, trained from his time in the Outer World, had changed his vision. He didn’t perceive what tore through the air as threads, but as flows of mana.
And being so intensely focused, he could perfectly differentiate between the mana he exuded and all foreign mana.
Should I block them? No...
Alus still didn’t completely understand the nature of the mana threads. But he realized that it would be a little too unnatural for it to simply be mana turned into the shape of thread. Since he didn’t know how the threads would change after being blocked, doing anything careless would be dangerous.
He considered how the battle would play out, and immediately saw his next few steps. He decided to dodge by taking a single step to the right.
But before his foot even reached the ground, he knew that he’d been taken in.
His decision to dodge was in part because he was cautious of Selva’s right hand still held behind his back, but Selva must have accounted for even that.
Sensing the flow of mana beneath his foot, Alus leaped off the ground and swung his mana blade down. At the same time, a mana thread sprung up like a trap.
The mana thread’s course was diverted by his mana blade, scraping and flying right past Alus’ nose.
Its nature changed! I see, so that’s how it is. Once the thread had been used for its purpose, its nature could be changed at the user’s will.
With the sound of a thread snapping above his head, another trap was unleashed.
The thread that flew upwards was cut through by threads woven together above Alus.
Threads woven into a net came slamming down from above. The net of threads was supported by another thread that was pulled as taut as it could. When that tension was released, the net flew down toward the ground at high speed.
Selva’s only miscalculation was not taking Alus’ almost inhuman body movements into account. Without even looking up at the net, Alus made his next move.
And it wasn’t just Alus. Having swiftly realized his misstep, Selva stepped back in preparation for Alus’ next move, moving at a speed unthinkable for his age.
In the blink of an eye, Alus closed in on Selva, getting close enough to touch him with his mana blade.
He would surely reach Selva’s body with the minimum of movement in the next second. A slight smirk appeared on his face as he thrust his hand forward to stab the elderly butler’s abdomen.
However, he didn’t feel the sensation of tearing through flesh. Instead, it felt like the blade had been stuck into several layers of wire.
At the same time, the counterfeit information was undone, revealing that Alus had stabbed what was essentially a puppet woven from mana threads.
Surprisingly enough, the real Selva stood behind the fake, using the mana threads to spread counterfeit information to create a dummy. It wasn’t a magic spell, but rather mastery in mana control, which meant that such mastery contained infinite possibilities.
“—!!”
The loosening threads scattered in all directions, trying to surround Alus. The threads were too close to evade, and there were too many of them.
But Alus still readied his mana blades, and jumped backwards.
The ends of the invisible threads stretched out like tentacles, attempting to wrap around Alus’ body. Without even blinking, Alus moved his arms and rapidly took the threads down. He didn’t deflect them, but took it a step further and cut them down.
Selva’s eyes shot open. “This is the first time anyone has cut through my thread attack, rather than simply blocking it,” he said, sounding somewhat amused.
However, not even Alus could cut down all of the threads. When he landed and caught his breath, he noticed that a scratch had drawn blood from his cheek. “When it comes to mana control, I can’t afford to fall behind after all,” Alus retorted, accepting Selva’s praise.
At the same time, he noticed that his mana blades’ integrity had been compromised. While they weren’t real metal blades, having cut down so many of those sharp threads, they’d been worn down considerably. Making the blades sharper had reduced their strength.
Alus undid the mana blades for a moment, and rolled his shoulders.
“What is the matter, Mr. Alus? Shall we continue?” Selva asked with a big smile.
Threads had already surrounded Alus to the point where there was no gap large enough for a person to pass through. They were all part of the threads that had made up the dummy, and all remained connected to Selva’s gloves.
Selva flicked his finger, and the threads let out a high-pitched noise. The threads were then firmly pulled tight without any slack, using the branches of the surrounding trees to weave a web, enclosing Alus.
Yet Alus’ expression remained unchanged. “I’ve just about warmed up.”
“Understood.”
After having politely signaled the restart of the fight, the threads moved in accordance with Selva’s fingers, one at a time. The threads in the web around Alus began to move, slashing towards him. If they all hit, Alus would be cut to pieces.
Truly, a logical method of attack, Alus thought to himself. It must have been the result of pursuing the force necessary to end a life with the highest possible chance of success.
Selva was skilled enough to wrap up a job in a single moment, to the point of killing so fast that the target himself would be unaware of it.
One after another, the threads freely swished through the air as they rapidly closed in on Alus. They filled the spaces between the trees and blended in with the darkness, not leaving any room for Alus to run through.
But as long as there was enough space to take a couple of steps...
Alus could feel all of the sharp, thin threads approaching, and dodged them.
He took half a step, crouched, and somersaulted backwards, escaping through the smallest of gaps. With even a single miss being fatal, Alus’ heart felt like it was dancing as he moved his body.
He kept count of the approaching threads in his mind, and once there were only a few left he ran towards Selva. Spinning his body, he dodged a thread coming from below, and using the momentum of his spin he cut down another thread flying towards his chest.
After taking another step—Alus suddenly stopped.
The next moment, like a guillotine, sharp threads passed through where he would have been had he taken a second step. If he’d continued like normal, he would have been unable to dodge it.
Alus easily weaved between the following mana threads that seemed to have anticipated that he’d escape, and started running again.
Was that all of them? ... Not yet.
He’d wanted to close in on the unmoving Selva right away, but he closely observed the movements of his fingers.
Five meters away, Alus bent his head and slid across the ground without slowing down. With a swish, the final thread approaching Alus from behind grazed the back of his neck.
Thus, Alus had evaded Selva’s web in an instant, and turned the tables on him.
As he rose from the slide, Alus thrust his mana blade against Selva’s torso.
This time, he was in range of the real one for sure... however, at the same time, Alus’ arm was wrapped in mana threads preventing it from moving any further. But at this distance, if he sacrificed his arm, he could easily finish him off with the other.
“Mr. Selva, why don’t we stop here?”
“Yes, I admit defeat.”
“Then let’s wrap it up. There’s no winning or losing while we’re holding back.”
Selva had put on a show when cutting the leaves, but that was the only time his threads were lethal. The threads he used for attacking after that, and even the threads now wrapped around Alus’ arm, weren’t sharp enough to cut someone through. Even a direct hit would only leave a welt.
“... So you saw through me.” Selva had maintained a calm expression throughout the entire battle. He had never had any killing intent.
The threads wrapped around Alus’ arm dispersed, as did Alus’ own mana blades.
Selva put a leg back, held his hand against his chest, and lowered his head. “Mr. Alus, please forgive me for the rudeness of testing you.”
“I don’t mind. I’m the one who took you up on it... besides, I can understand your concerns,” Alus said in self-deprecation.
He felt Selva was justified in his actions. He was a loyal servant of Tesfia’s, and he also saw her as his own daughter. So there was no way he’d overlook her being taught techniques by someone who in part made his living through killing, especially not after that incident.
“I do not wish for the young miss to be stained in the colors of this side.”
“You should know just as well as me that Fia won’t be stained so easily, Mr. Selva. It seems you have a tendency to spoil her, and I’ll say this since you seem to be aware of it too, but... I have no intention of teaching Fia any dark techniques. She’s not suited for them, anyway.”
Selva accepted Alus’ frank opinion with a smile, and waited for him to continue.
“She’ll find her own path to walk down, and she won’t let up on any effort needed to walk down it. That’s why, regardless of how it turned out, she was able to confront her mother... though her words themselves were problematic.”
“... That is true. The young miss made her own decision. Like mother, like daughter, I suppose. To be honest, that was the first time I’ve seen the young miss talk back to Master Frose. Her choice of words aside,” Selva said, with a wry, exasperated smile. He seemed to have realized that she didn’t mean her words to come out the way they did.
“So returning to the matter at hand—how was I? I’m rarely the one being evaluated, so I’m pretty interested in the result.”
Selva let out a good-hearted chuckle. “The young miss is truly blessed with friends.”
Alus could tell that Selva wasn’t saying that due to his position as a butler, but that he really meant it. It wasn’t a direct assessment, but Selva’s primary worries had already been alleviated.
“I am sorry for taking up your time.”
“No worries, it was time well spent for me too. But why don’t we do it for real next time, Mr. Selva?”
“Surely you jest? I am a butler of the Fable family. If not for the family’s sake, I would like to keep it at this. I can feel my age catching up to me.”
Contrary to his words, there was still confidence in the smile Selva wore, but Alus nodded in acceptance.
After that, Selva mentioned that he was keeping his master waiting, and blended in with the darkness the same way he’d appeared.
Speaking of keeping people waiting—so was Alus. He realized that as soon as Selva disappeared. “... I guess this is pretty bad.”
He hurried back home, but the clock was already past eight by the time he arrived at the laboratory.
Thus, after receiving an earful from Loki, he was made to give her a long report of what had happened in the principal’s office.
Meanwhile, while Selva was absent...
Someone was seated in a parked magic car, gathering her thoughts with her eyes closed. Though her thinking was interrupted when the door was opened.
Having appeared out of nowhere, Selva announced his return to his master. “Please excuse my late arrival.”
With her legs crossed, as if tired of waiting, Frose urged her butler to give his report. “So, how was he?”
“To be frank, I cannot estimate him. It appears that I am not skilled enough to do so...” Selva started the magic car as he summarized his battle against Alus. “He is of the new generation. Taking into account fighting with magic, I am unable to see the depths of his abilities. Moreover, he has a wealth of experience in fighting against people.”
“I imagine that is why you asked him for a match.”
Frose listened to Selva’s words, understanding the circumstances behind them. He had poked a hornet’s nest, but what came out was something far more frightening and mysterious.
“Still, it’s rare for you to praise someone so much... to think someone could impress the former head of Afeluca, the executive unit that reported directly to the sovereign.”
“Master Frose, that was a long time ago. And there was another at the top as well.”
“Was there now?”
“If they are still alive, that is.” Selva showed a rare bitter expression as he remembered the past.
“Well then, if not even you could measure him, perhaps we should probe Alus Reigin from another direction. Selva...”
Having somewhat forcibly turned the topic back on track, Frose felt expectation rise from within as she received her license from Selva. She opened a channel to speak with a certain person. Even after retiring, she still had her license so she could communicate with her people inside the military.
Of course, the license only proved her status as a former general, with no ranking as a Magicmaster attached to it. When Frose retired, her ranking was returned to the military, effectively removing her Magicmaster status.
“I’m making a call.”
“Understood,” Selva replied as he glanced at the rear-view mirror, and pressed a button by his hand. When he did so, a soundproof partition rose up, isolating the back seat from the front seat.
It was already late, but not late enough for it to be a problem. I just hope she’s not on a mission, Frose thought, as she pressed her license to her ear.
The call tone rang out a few times before finally connecting. There was a lot of noise in the background, but the person’s voice came through clearly.
“Hello, hello. What’s up, Ms. F?” The voice belonged to a young woman and sounded casual and indifferent.
“I’m sorry for calling so suddenly. Are you perhaps in the middle of a mission?”
“Yeah, but they’re all weaklings I can handle with one hand, so it’s no problem.”
Frose was speaking to one of Alpha’s two Singles, Lettie Kultunca.
The first impression of her was that of a friendly, carefree woman, but if you treated her that way, you’d surely have the rug pulled out from under you. The Singles ranking was filled with nothing but those with extreme talent and abnormal dispositions. They were all monsters in their own right.
Frose’s cheek twitched as she imagined Lettie acting the same as usual. She appeared to be in the midst of battle, but was taking things at her own pace, as if she was taking a break during training.
If Lettie had the same look as she did the last time they met, she had reddish-brown hair that reached her shoulders, with the exception of the hair at the nape of her neck, which reached down to her waist. She’d be 24 this year, and was ranked No. 7 among the Magicmasters.
Was she currently firing off magic indiscriminately at the moment...?
The two had been on friendly terms ever since Lettie had been under Frose’s command before becoming a Single, and had been sent on a number of missions to eliminate Fiends.
Frose had been charmed by her tomboyish side, but Lettie was also someone who was easy to talk to. In terms of rank they had been equals, but in reality Lettie was treated as above Frose due to her abilities. Anyway, she was the person closest to Frose after Sisty.
If she really was in the middle of a mission Frose should probably apologize and call again another day, but when she imagined Lettie fighting, there was a high chance that she really was having as easy a time as she said.
Sisty had only been a Single for less than half a year, but Lettie had held on to her rank as No. 7 since she reached it years ago.
Frose could definitely see Lettie slaying Fiends with one hand, and when it came to Lettie, worrying that she was getting in the way was pointless.
“Then, can I perhaps have some of your time... there is something I’d like to ask.”
“Sure, ’bout what?”
“Does the name Alus Reigin sound familiar?”
“... ’Course. Allie’s really cute, isn’t he?”
She answered in such a lazy tone that Frose couldn’t help but wonder if she really was in the middle of a fight. Of course, Frose had no way of knowing that Lettie’s expression was perfectly relaxed.
“He’s the cutest and strongest. That’s Alpha’s secret weapon for you. So info about him has finally reached you too, huh?”
Less reached and more delivered, Frose thought to herself. She had only asked if she knew his name, and not only had she admitted it, but she’d leaked even more information to Frose. Yet her exasperation only lasted for a moment.
“Knowing you, you’ll find any information you want, right? But Ms. F—don’t meddle too much with him, okay?”
“—!! And why is that?” Frose nervously asked, as Lettie’s tone of voice changed. This was the second warning she’d received.
“Allie’s all mine.”
Lettie gave an answer that almost made Frose lose her motivation. Her ominous words from before also sounded now like they’d been made in jest. “What does that mean, are the two of you dating?” Since Frose didn’t know how serious Lettie was being, she could only carefully try to confirm.
“’Course not. But I can take it easy and not have to fight a bunch of Fiends as long as Allie is around.”
“I-I see...”
Frose tried to sound calm, but even she couldn’t hide how shaken she was by this.
Lettie should have been deployed at the recently established foothold of the Vanalis region in the west of the Covent continent for the last six months or so.
In order to reclaim the continent and cities that had been abandoned over a century ago, the high-classed Fiends that lived there needed to be exterminated. In preparation for that, they had to first do the mind-numbingly boring job of reducing the number of low-classed Fiends as much as possible.
By reclaiming Vanalis, they could work together with the neighboring nations to expand their territory even further. It was a worthy assignment for a Single.
“Well, jokes aside, even the Governor-General has trouble handling Allie, so you should try not to get on his bad side. I’ve heard the Governor-General gripe about how hard he is to predict, though.”
“So he’s just that valuable to the military.”
“... Ms. F, you really don’t know, do you?”
Lettie was calling her ignorant in a roundabout fashion, but Frose didn’t take offense. It had been a long time since she’d retired. There was surely a lot that Lettie knew that she didn’t, considering the constantly changing state of the military.
While they were on friendly terms, Frose wasn’t confident that she could see through the depths of Lettie’s personality. After all, no matter how carefree she appeared, she was a monstrous Single Digit Magicmaster.
The sounds of fighting continued in the background, but Lettie’s voice contained no panic.
Instead it was Frose who felt impatient, her military background telling her to end the call before the battle grew larger in scale. “Then his abilities...”
“Sorry, Ms. F. It’s getting a little tough with one hand, so I’m going to hang up.”
“No, I’m the one who’s sorry for calling you during a mission.”
“Feel free to call anytime you want.”
Lettie ended the call with a “Later” and hung up, leaving behind only a confused Frose.
It felt like pieces of the puzzle gleaned from her impressions and Selva’s impressions, forming the truth behind the abilities of the young man known as Alus, had exploded once she started putting them together, making whatever clues she’d had useless.
She simply couldn’t tell what position he was in. He was clearly no normal student, but she couldn’t determine how to handle him.
For the time being, she signaled Selva that she was done, and leaned back in her seat.
Frose stared out the window to calm her racing mind, but she was unable to gather her thoughts.
However... even then.
She just might have gotten the kind of information she had hoped for, and a smile appeared on her face. Her expectations had been betrayed in a good way.
Frose had hoped to find a solution that would maintain the Fable family and respect Tesfia’s wishes. And it appeared that she wouldn’t be able to stop Tesfia from receiving further guidance from Alus as part of her plan.
That’s why Frose could see a path form to a certain future. “That he’s not a noble should work out in our favor,” the Fable family head murmured to herself in the back of the magic car.
The only one who heard her was Selva in the driver’s seat.
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