"Tomorrow will be the start of the second semester."
While training alone in his room, it suddenly occurred to Ziggs Eiffelstein that quite a decent amount of time had passed.
As he looked out his window, the pouring rain beyond it failed to raise his spirits. Due to the gloomy weather of the last several days, he hadn't been able to start his day with his usual jog. The conditions weren't great for training his magic power outdoors, either.
His plan to train as much as he could over the vacation was ruined. He had planned on developing various basic skills to keep up his progress in the class, but he still felt that it was a long way off.
Professor Glast's curriculum for Class A was quite daunting for Ziggs, who didn't have a knack for learning. While Lucy was out of the question due to her tendency to solve every problem with her overwhelming level of magic power, he wanted to watch and learn from Lortel's delicate use and management of her magic power—as well as her ability to solve problems and adapt quickly.
Although Ziggs was considered ahead of her in terms of practical combat skills, he was far behind Lortel in terms of know-how and the skills required to thrive in a civilized society.
"I really need to stop letting my emotions cloud my judgment…"
Ziggs let out a heavy sigh.
His companion, Elka, was genuinely angry that he had beaten up Totte in a moment of rage. It was very rare for Elka to get angry at Ziggs. In the end, it was Ziggs who went to Totte and apologized—even though his anger hadn't fully faded.
"Hm?"
Suddenly, he caught a glimpse of a familiar face in the garden through the pouring rain. Wearing a robe as they ran through the rain, they entered Ophelis Hall. It was definitely the guy that lived in the cabin in the northern forest.
"Wasn't he kicked out? If he is trying to force his way into Ophelis Hall, the maids will just kick him out…"
He was worried that that guy might get hurt unnecessarily, but Ziggs already knew him all too well. That was why he didn't have to worry about such a thing happening.
Ziggs leaned back and looked away from the window.
***
Once you opened the main door of Ophelis Hall, you could see the first floor main hall.
Every time a student entered the dormitory, the maid in charge of the entrance would quickly check them before letting them in.
Unless you wore the red brooch that was given to those allowed in Ophelis Hall, it was impossible for them to check you in and let you enter. Additionally, the maids memorized the faces of all fifty-three students staying in the dormitory, so you couldn't fool them.
"You must be Sir Ed? I received the message from the head maid."
Originally, I would have had to stand in the rain in front of a tightly closed entrance. However, today Ophelis Hall was open.
'Kelly, who is in charge of laundry.'
She had a small figure and was neatly dressed in the lower maid's uniform. She was one of the mid bosses in the Occupation of Ophelis Hall Event.
There was no way that the loyal Ophelis Hall maids would willingly participate in the occupation. However, Shaney and Kelly—who were trained and raised by Head Maid Elris—were different. They were persuaded to participate in the plan by Elris.
Shaney, who wielded a rapier, was in charge of being the vanguard. Kelly was to take control of the hallway with her decently high proficiency in beginner magic. Although you would meet them on the third floor as enemies, they honestly weren't all that difficult to deal with as opponents. As long as you could defeat Kelly, who was in charge of the firepower, it would be easier than you'd think to break through.
Well, that was all something that Taylee would take care of.
"It would have been a disaster if you were any later. We're going to switch rotations soon."
Anyway, right now Kelly was still in charge of the entrance. As she was instructed in advance, she let me enter Ophelis Hall.
"Soon, I'll be switching places with another maid to go take care of my work. Celara might be a child, but she is a new maid. Still, you should be able to defeat her without much force. She shouldn't be carrying anything like a weapon on her."
"Is it okay for a little kid to be in charge of the main entrance?"
"It's not that difficult of a job to identify and let people in. In the event of an emergency, there is also a magic tool that allows you to contact the head maid directly, but today she won't answer the call."
I nodded my head.
I would hide inside the hall and, when the time arrived, I would defeat the maid that was guarding the entrance and open the doors. The lower students would then enter and proceed upstairs.
By that time, Head Maid Elris would have activated Ophelis Hall's Defensive Magic Circle. That would seal off the entrance to each room. All I would have to do then is walk around the first floor and check that the magic was working.
From there, once I determined that there wouldn't be any problems, I would come back to the first floor's main hall and wait for Taylee.
According to the original timeline, the members that would overcome this event were Taylee, Ayla, Elvira, and Clevius.
However, Clevius wouldn't join up with them until the second floor, so all I had to do was deal with the other three.
"What about the other maids?"
I looked down the empty hall as I questioned Kelly.
"Other than essential personnel, most of them have gathered in the conference room. The head maid gathered them all there, saying there was an important issue to discuss."
She was thinking of putting them all in a room and sealing the entrance. As expected, once the head is hired on, the plan becomes quick and easy.
"I have prepared the things that you requested."
Kelly groaned as she brought out a basin near the entrance. It was filled with a thick liquid.
"Oh, thank you."
"Should I just leave it in the corner?"
I nodded and looked up at the hall.
As it was such a luxurious building, it was glamorous even from the entrance. The main hall's marble floor was sparkling clean. The height of the ceiling was high, making it feel like you were still outdoors.
A magnificent chandelier hung from the ceiling, and smaller chandeliers were hung around it. It gave off the impression of stars decorating the moon.
As you looked and walked around the center of the hall, it was enough to make you feel quite lonely. The decorative cabinets lining the wall, and even the stone door leading to the hallways, were antiques.
"The walls and floor are all made out of marble."
It was definitely a luxurious place. I had already visited this place from Taylee's point of view as a part of the storyline, but seeing it in person was definitely different.
I opened the door of a cabinet that was in the corner and put some of the things I had prepared inside. After grasping the location and structure of various things in the hall, I nodded my head and made a rough estimate of what would happen next.
Following the original timeline, the boss battle on the first floor wasn't anything special. It just took a bit of time.
The key was to take up just a little bit of Taylee's time before he moved on to the second floor boss battle. Once that was over, the rest would probably go smoothly.
The boss on the second floor was 'Gloomy Clevius.'
It was an event where you would have to chase after Clevius, who broke down a wall because he was afraid of being alone, despite the fact that nothing major had happened yet. It was a scenario in which Clevius, who kept saying he was going to run away, was subdued and then forced to join the party.
So until I heard Clevius break down that wall, I needed to stall for time. It was my job to make sure that the timing lined up perfectly.
I had no choice but to admit it. There was something that I had realized during Act 1's boss fight, and that was that the butterfly effect was truly unpredictable… The fact of the matter was, having the determination to try and control every single variable in the world was nothing more than arrogance.
Therefore, once the boss fight on the first floor was completed, I would go out to the rose garden and watch the situation until the very end with my backup: Yennekar. That way, we could respond immediately if any abnormalities occurred.
"It's an opportunity to check out Taylee's specs."
If his specs weren't enough to clear this event, it'd be a big problem. In particular, the final boss of Act 2, 'Inquirer Glast', was a terribly painful opponent. His Celestial Magic and curses would make you experience the pain of being stabbed with an awl constantly, which would eventually break your heart.
It was hard to deal with unless both your stats and mental strength were well trained.
I made sure that I had put all the things I had prepared into the cabinet and snapped the door shut.
***
After that, everything went smoothly.
As I hid between the main hall's cabinets, a little after 8 o'clock the new maid and Kelly changed shifts at the front door.
"We won't stand by and be treated like this anymore!"
"This is a land of learning! At least ensure equality in grades!"
"Answer our voices!"
The cries of the lower and regular students echoed through the main entrance. They gathered in front of the locked Ophelis Hall, chanting loudly. The person at the front, leading it all, was 'the representative of the lower students, Willain.'
He had short, light blonde hair and horn-rimmed glasses. The brown-gray robe he was wearing was already soaked by the rain.
Ophelis Hall symbolized the nobility of the privileged students that attended Silvenia. The students gathered together in front of that symbol, sitting down and studying.
Originally, it was all supposed to just end there. They didn't have a choice but to sit and express their dissatisfaction and resentment towards the privileged students. That was because Ophelis Hall's front door was shut tight.
"Euaaaah! What is this?! I need to report this to the head maid…!"
The new maid, who was taken aback by the sudden situation, trembled as she began to look for the magic tool she was given. Taking advantage of her confusion, I quickly jumped behind her and covered her eyes with a scarf.
"Ughaalık! What's happening?! Who are you?!"
I lifted the blindfolded maid up onto my shoulder, holding her wrists together tightly with one hand so that she couldn't untie the scarf. I then unlocked the front door with my other hand and kicked it open.
"…Huuuuuuuuuh?!"
"Wh-WHAT!"
The group of students, taken aback by the sudden change in situation, started to panic. However…
"Ophelis Hall's door has opened! Let's go inside!"
The representative Willain shouted as the crowd suddenly rushed into the hallways of Ophelis Hall.
"The management office is on the fourth floor! Let's take over the fourth floor and issue our statement!"
"Let's make our voices heard!"
"Equal Treatment! We don't want much, just equal treatment!"
"Let's go! Let's show them our potential!"
I watched the crowd of students roaring in as I continued holding onto the maid.
"You… You're Ed Rothstaylor?"
The third year student Willain, who was leading the charge, reacted after seeing me. It seemed that even the third years knew of my name.
"It was you who Lortel had ended up hiring…?!"
"Yes. I'm in charge of being the lookout on the first floor."
"Why are you…?"
I used the lines that I had prepared beforehand.
"There was something that I deeply sympathized with amidst the words that you've been shouting. Of course, I lived a comfortable life in Ophelis Hall before… but once I was kicked out, I realized just how privileged I was."
"Ed Rothstaylor…!"
"I have just come to realize it! Everything that you said was right…! Until I was kicked out, I was a part of the privileged class. Because of that, I couldn't relate to the words you were saying. Now I must prove myself through my actions!"
At those words, Willain's hands trembled in admiration. Ed Rothstaylor was a man who had lived a life of privilege before being kicked out of that cozy cradle. The more human you became, the more you started to realize just how many privileges you enjoyed.
"That's great! You really have contributed so much to our demands for equal rights! I didn't realize that you were such a righteous person! I heard the rumors and ended up judging you so unfairly…!"
"Of course not. I used to be such a terrible person. The only thing that happened was that I was so impressed with what you said, and I just did all that I could! It was all thanks to you, William."
I responded with that before I urged William to hurry on.
"Please, go upstairs immediately. You need to hurry up to the fourth floor management office to issue a statement!"
"R-Right! Thanks for your help!"
William was in a position to accept all the responsibility once this incident finished.
He would be subject to a heavy punishment for the act of instigating students and urging them to violate academy regulations.
If all of the students here were severely punished individually, the academy would never return to normal. That's why they would decide to use his punishment to make an example out of him.
The students who had simply participated in villain's plans would ultimately only be blamed for being tempted by his incitement, thus engaging in destructive behavior. Compared to Willain, they would only receive a mild punishment. It wasn't beneficial for me to be disciplined over nothing, but considering the importance of 20 gold coins and being able to keep the timeline flowing smoothly, it was an acceptable risk.
That is why the key was to keep on stating, 'I'm only taking action because I was moved by what Willain said!' and 'I am only following Willian's goals!'
I needed to make sure all the responsibility that I had would fade away from me as much as possible.
Though, Willian had no intention of destroying Ophelis Hall.
He had just intended to peacefully end the situation by simply occupying the dorm and then officially issuing a statement… But everything doesn't go the way you plan.
I… I'm sorry, but… no matter what I do, I'm in a position of facing heavy punishment… it should be fine to just ride on his back, right…?
"Head up quickly, Willain."
"Alright. I won't forget you, Ed! You're the best underclassmen…!"
I am sorry!!!
Stay strong, William…!
***
The gentle light coming off the magic circle filled the dark hallway. At the entrance to each room, the defensive magic was doing its job perfectly.
"What the hell is going on out there?! Is it really fine to just stay in my room like this?"
"Is anybody out there? The door won't open. Can… Can I break it down? It looks expensive though…"
"I saw a bunch of students rushing in through the window, just what the hell is going on?"
"I-If I just wait, then it will all be restored right? It's not a big deal, is it?"
As I crossed the hall, I heard the voices of the confused students in their rooms.
The first floor was mostly full of third years. I checked each room carefully to ensure that there weren't any missing magic circles. If the story went the same as in the original timeline, then there wouldn't be any magic circles missing. But even so, I still wanted to make sure of it with my own two eyes.
After about fifteen minutes of inspection, I came back to the first floor hall and found something that I didn't want to see.
Outside the wide-open main gate, it was pouring rain. I didn't see the new maid anywhere. Surely she must have just gone to report the situation to her superiors. Unfortunately for her, they all should have been locked up in the fourth floor conference room.
The marble floor, which had always been kept sparkling clean, was completely dirty from the muddy shoes that rushed in. Some of the cabinets and shelves were completely knocked down.
"Oh my. It started much more impressively than I had thought."
The girl pushed her way through the heavy rain and entered, shaking off her clothes.
"As expected of you, Ed. I'm glad that I trusted you."
She smiled while taking off her wet robes. Pulling down her hood, she revealed pure white skin.
"Eghk! My socks got all wet, too. This is why I hate rainy days."
"So you were watching from outside, Lortel."
"I couldn't determine if the situation was going well or not if I was trapped in my room. Also, I had to make sure that the students were all gathered up outside. But I didn't expect it to rain this much. Eghk. Even the inside is all wet."
Lortel smiled like a fox as she took off her robe and shook it. Her casual clothes, a white one piece and skirt, that she was wearing underneath it were all soaked through. They looked terrible.
She grabbed her reddish-brown hair, which was unusually loose, with one had to dry it out. As she did, she used her other hand to roll up her robe once she had shaken off all the water.
"If the academy staff gets involved, we'll quickly be defeated. We have to get things moving before then."
"Alright. Work hard."
Lortel grinned as she finished tidying up. Then she made her way down the hall. She'd probably head up to the fifth floor to discuss the plan with Elris.
The situation would get more intense once they handed over the magic circle, which was covering Ophelis Hall with defensive magic, to 'the representative of the lower students, Willain.'
Then 'the representative of the lower students, Willain' would become the fourth floor boss, with all of the different kinds of defensive magic that protected Ophelis Hall. According to the storyline, you were forced to defeat Willain, who was unable to come to his senses because he was caught up in the endless magic circles running wild, as quickly as possible.
"Ed, can I ask you something that's a little out of the blue?"
As if she had a thought in mind, Lortel paused on her way down the hall as she spoke to me. The question she asked was unexpected.
"Have you ever killed someone before?"
Lortel's voice was still as lively as ever, but the atmosphere suddenly felt as dreary as the weather.
I frowned as Lortel let out a laugh, before she smiled and turned her back to me. Her drenched reddish-brown hair was gathered together, cascading down to her shoulders.
"I haven't."
"Neither have I. Haha."
Then Lortel continued to speak, as if she were confessing.
"But… I've done a lot of similar things."
Lortel's past was by no means clean.
All of the tricks and acts of fraud she had committed while a part of the Elte Store were actions that would have ultimately led to the destruction of someone else.
It may not have been a crime when compared to murder, but it was in line with ending another person's life.
Lortel knew that fact better than anyone else.
"At first, I had to survive."
To survive in a reality that was like a thorny path, it seemed all too natural to stab someone else in the back. The first few times you did it, you might have felt a sense of guilt. That, however, would soon disappear.
After accepting the honorable title of a 'wealthy merchant', there were suddenly a lot of people that she had to step on.
The world was full of people that, whenever they had a chance, would put a dagger in their own heart. After making it that far, she had begun to wonder if she had been living the wrong life.
She had trampled on other people's lives in order to survive, and to prevent herself from being stabbed in the back, she had betrayed others first.
She had lived a life committing such acts with such excuses, but when she thought about it deeply she realized that it was merely self-justification.
"Ed, what do you think of such a person?"
Even though she had realized it later, that didn't mean that all the stains on her body would be gone.
After that, whenever she did a good deed, it would only be considered hypocrisy. She also could never make the bold decision to give up all the wealth that she has built up over her life.
Now that she had come this far, she could never turn back.
She knew too many of the ugly secrets hidden by several tradesmen, aristocrats, and other influential people to escape from a life of commerce. The moment Lortel's name lost its value, it would be over.
In the end, she had no choice but to run towards the final train station like a runaway locomotive on its tracks. She had come too far now to be hypocritical.
As a merchant, a villain, and as a black curtain; the moment she took her first step in that swamp, it began to eat her up little by little. By the time she had come to her senses, her whole body was already settling in the darkness.
Who was she going to ask to save her? It was a disaster that she had brought upon herself. She knew better than anyone that she didn't deserve sympathy.
That's why she was searching for someone just like her.
"If it were you, Ed, would you sympathize with such a person?"
Because I was already in the sewer up to the top of my head, I understood the truth. I could also never be fully accepted or sympathized with.
Regardless of the good or the bad, the feeling of loneliness would come, just like it came for her.
The only way to escape that loneliness was to find someone like herself, someone that was also stuck rolling in the mud. She could only be saved once she found someone else that would become used to living at the bottom of the swamp with her.
"No."
Of course, that person isn't me.
"You should be responsible for your own choices, Lortel."
Hearing those words, Lortel's face blanked for a moment before she finally smiled.
"You're right."
Lortel Kehelland was a girl who had lived her whole life only pursuing reason and rationality.
I was already tired, knowing that fact all too well. Until the day that the storyline for 'Silvenia's Failed Swordmaster' came to an end, she would not once show a loss of rationality or become obsessed with anything.
"I shouldn't have brought up such nonsense. Sorry about that. Heh."
Lortel's expression quickly returned to her mischievous smile as she quickly rid herself of her emotional expression.
"I should quickly get to my job, then. There's not much time."
With those words, Lortel climbed up the stairs and disappeared.
I nodded my head as I picked up a chair that had fallen over and took a seat.
From that moment on, I would sit still and wait for Taylee to come in.
Anyway, I was already familiar with the stats and skills that Taylee, Ayla and Elvira would have during Act 2.
Even with the absolute difference between our numbers and stats, that alone wouldn't be enough to defeat me easily. Though, it wasn't like I had to defeat them completely. I just had to waste some of their time. It wasn't even that big of a deal.
As long as I bought some time before losing, Taylee would go on up to the second floor.
Still, as we fought there was the risk of a few hits landing or injuries being sustained.
Well… It would be a necessary sacrifice…
***
"Why is there a carriage this late at night…?"
Sitting in the corner of the rose garden's pavilion, a short distance away from Ophelis Hall, Yennekar looked down the main road.
A magnificently large carriage passed in front of the rose garden. She had never seen such a luxurious carriage before. The golden crown that was drawn on top of it was quite impressive. It seemed like there might be some type of great person visiting.
"Something that I need to take care of suddenly came up, so I might be a little late. I'll be there as fast as I can, so please just wait a little longer. I'm sorry."
She folded the note that Ed had left behind and held it close to her chest, staring at the pouring rain amidst the beautiful roses.
This was actually a good thing. She had time to calm herself down.
"D-Did he prepare anything else…?"
The rose garden's pavilion was somewhere that she had seen every day. This was because it was a place that was right in front of the main entrance of Ophelis Hall, along the path you'd take as you walked towards the education district.
It was late at night, so she couldn't see the entirety of Ophelis Hall. However, she could still see part of it through the rain.
It felt like some type of accident had occurred.
Many students seemed to be heading toward Ophelis Hall, and just now a huge carriage had disappeared in the direction of the dorm.
Yennekar was curious, but she didn't move. She didn't want to move unnecessarily and accidentally miss Ed.
For the last three days, she had been unable to sleep as she kept thinking, 'What is it that Ed wants to tell me?'
Perhaps… Was it that? No way… Maybe she was just overreacting? Or was there another reason for him to have called her there? Talking to herself and saying such things made her close friends worry about her.
Though she felt guilty about it, she kept on listening to Merilda about every move Ed made.
More people than she had realized knew about Ed's camp. Merilda said that she had seen not only Lucy, but also Princess Penia, Bell Maya, and even Lortel of all people visit Ed's camp.
Merilda didn't keep close surveillance on him 24 hours a day, so there could have even been more people that came out to visit him that she didn't yet know of.
The fact that most of the people who visited were female students was heartbreaking for Yennekar, but… She wasn't in a position to fuss about it.
What would it be like to be in a position to meddle about it, anyway? Such thoughts made the blood rush to her head again.
"I-I shouldn't have worn this. D-does it not suit me?"
After not wearing it for some time, she had come out wearing an orange persimmon hairpin that had been sent from back home. She had brushed her hair out once more as well, and made sure that her clothes fit nicely, with no wrinkles.
As she came all the way out here, she had started to think that the cosmos pin she wore at the festival was prettier. She didn't think that it went well with what she was wearing, as it was dark outside and it was hard to see. Maybe a brighter color would have been better?
"S-Should I just go and change my clothes now…?"
Yennekar continued to sit still in fear of missing Ed, even as a crowd of students and a large wagon passed by. It would be ridiculous to go all the way to her room now, just because of a hairpin.
"M-Maybe If I quickly run there and back, it will be okay."
Once you make up your mind, it's better to take action quickly rather than waste time.
Yennekar swallowed her saliva as she ran out back into the rain with her robe's hood on.
She was worried that her hair, which she had tried so hard to keep nice, would get ruined by the hem of the hood. Even so, Yennekar ran quickly.
If her hair did end up a bit messy, she would just have to hurry up and fix it in her room.
***
"Is it really the right decision to enter Ophelis Hall?"
"Do you know how much all the herbs I have in my room cost, Taylee?!"
"Still, isn't it better to wait for the academy to take care of the situation themselves…"
The rain was falling heavily. In front of the main entrance to Ophelis Hall, Taylee, Ayla, and Elvira were arguing.
"If I don't collect the herbs on time and use preservation magic on them, they'll change properties! The difference in the smallest details can change the results of the entire experiment! Do you know how important that is, Taylee?!"
Elvira puffed her cheeks as she grilled Taylee.
Elvira was actually secretly testing reagents in a secret laboratory built on a cliff along the coast without the academy's permission. Because of that, she didn't really want to get entangled with the Ophelis Hall incident in the first place. Even so, the herbs that she had left in her room were bothering her so much that she ended up grabbing anyone she could see, making a fuss to get them to help her get into Ophelis Hall.
Those sacrifices were Taylee and Ayla.
"They're all just a bunch of lower students, so the three of us can beat them up! All we have to do is take care of the leader, William!"
As she said as much, Elvira began to take long strides towards the entrance of Ophelis Hall.
"Ayla, stop her…! She's trying to enter Ophelis Hall by herself!"
"C-Can't we just pretend that we don't know? Elvira is a top student in the alchemy department, she should be good enough to take care of herself."
"It's not Elvira who is in danger, it's the lower students! Elvira is just going to spray whatever reagents she has in their eyes!"
Hearing those words, Ayla gulped. Elvira, who was currently behaving completely out of character, really could end up throwing all sorts of regents at the lower students.
Taylee was right. It wasn't Elvira who was in danger, it was the lower students.
Taylee and Ayla followed Elvira, who was hastily walking towards the front entrance of Ophelis Hall.
"Elvira! Stop! Stop!!"
"Stop nagging and follow me already! I need you to come help me break through, all the way to my room on the fourth floor!"
"Then… will it be fine if we just take you to your room? You're not going to do anything else?"
"Exactly. I only need to keep the herbs safe, after all."
Taylee let out a sigh once he heard those words, tying up his hair.
"Alright. Then, let's go to your room Elvira."
"If there's anyone blocking my path, I'm going to break my way through them. Got it, Taylee?"
"Please don't go around hurting people, Elvira."
Taylee said those words as he looked at Ayla. Taylee's companion, Ayla, sighed deeply as she followed the two of them.
After a short while, they reached the front of Ophelis Hall. Elvira quickly kicked open the front entrance. The door opened with a bang as the first floor's spacious main hall came into view.
In the center of the hall, all by himself, a man was sitting in a wooden chair.
The man lifted his head, observing the party that entered Ophelis Hall's first floor hall as the sound of the rain filled the room.
Act 2, Chapter 3: The Occupation of Ophelis Hall. The first floor boss that was different from the original timeline.
The fallen aristocrat that was excommunicated, Ed.
Just like the day he had defeated Takan, he sat with his arms folded and hands clasped together as he waited for the party.
-x-X-x-
The rain was still falling heavily outside.
The sound of rain falling echoed throughout the wide main hall of Ophelis Hall.
After Taylee and his party came in and closed the main entrance, the sound was replaced with the tapping of the rain hitting the outer wall.
Lightning struck, briefly lighting up the hall. Ed was sitting in the center of the hall, greeting Taylee and his party with a blank expression.
"Ed… Rothstaylor…"
Though he had been excommunicated from the family and no longer had the right to call himself a Rothstaylor, for Taylee that name would always be the same.
"You… Why are you here, in Ophelis Hall?"
Taylee's voice was cold. It has been nearly half a year since the incident and his emotions had subsided quite a bit, but for Taylee, Ed Rothstaylor was a person he could never become close with.
Both Ayla and Elvira were well aware of this fact.
Elvira quickly understood the situation that was developing in front of her.
The marble floors of Ophelis Hall, which were always kept sparkling clean, were now covered with muddy footprints. Cabinets had fallen over, no longer in place.
These were the leftover traces of the group of students that had gone charging through, and the man sitting quietly in the center had to be guarding the path.
"Hahaha. What should I say? This is by no means a normal situation. This is too fun. It's beyond my expectations."
Elvira let out a loud laugh. She didn't know everything that was happening, but what she did know was that things were going to get interesting.
"I'm sorry, but…"
Ed, who was still sitting in the middle of the hall, spoke.
"I can't let you go any further than this."
If they were to ask why? Naturally, there was no reason for him to answer. There was no sign or implication that he would do so. Even though he didn't express it with words, it was written in his appearance as he sat there with his mouth closed and his face expressionless.
Following that, Elvira's response was obvious.
"Haha, this is too fun. Do you really think you can stop me if I say that I'm going to pass?"
Elvira Aniston was a first year student in Silvenia Academy's alchemy department.
Students in the alchemy department didn't train directly for combat. Most of the students focused on interpreting the structure of magic, exploring the properties and sources of matter, and analyzing and studying the efficiency of various herbs and magic reagents.
However, if you were to ask if it's okay to ignore students in the alchemy department when it came down to a combat situation? The person being asked would have no choice but to shake their head in denial.
The students of the alchemy department owned all sorts of magic reagents, wore different types of magic tools, and could easily control the entire battlefield… They were joker cards that created variables in combat related situations and had the power to completely reverse the difference in power.
Seeing the students of the alchemy department overflowing with their uncontrollable antics even made the professors in charge of them admire them. Even though the magic department was rumored to be full of freaks, the alchemy department was even worse than them.
Elvira Aniston was considered to be the biggest freak in the entirety of the alchemy department.
Though she didn't specialize in direct melee combat or magic, she was at least at a level where she wouldn't be pushed around by a second year who could only use beginner magic.
Elvira chuckled loudly.
"If you don't want to get hurt, you'd better move aside."
Already, Taylee was giving Ed a look dripping with hostility. The fact that Ed, who had very little to do with this situation, was sitting in such a place and blocking their way seemed to have made him fully aware that something was wrong.
It didn't seem that this story would end with a peaceful demonstration and statements from the lower students. That gut feeling began to bother the entire party.
Even then, the situation itself was still not too burdensome.
Even though Ziggs had once said that Ed's beginner magic proficiency was quite excellent, right now his lack of absolute firepower and the sheer difference in numbers between them was something that couldn't be overcome.
It was 3 vs 1.
A swordsman that was starting to hone his skills, a magician who could use magic at an average level of a first year, and an alchemist who boasted the greatest skills amongst her grade level.
Ed continued waiting in the middle of the hall, looking quite intimidating. But that didn't mean he would be able to overcome the overwhelming gap in power.
Taylee drew his sword.
"What is your purpose here, Ed Rothstaylor? Tell me what is going on upstairs, right now!"
Ed didn't open his mouth as he sat still, continuing to stare at the party.
"If that's the case… I'll just have to force you to open your mouth!"
With those words, the battle began.
Taylee kicked off the ground as Ayla got into position and started gathering mana. The moment that Elvira tried to reach into her alchemy bag, which was filled with all sorts of reagents, Ed kicked his chair and stood up.
Crash!
The chair was rolling around on the floor as Ed began to gather magic power in his hands. Elvira could immediately grasp the flow and basis of that magic power. It was the beginner level wind magic, Wind Blade. But who was the target?
Taylee, Ayla, or Elvira?
Out of the three, the one that Ed, as a magician, had to be the most conscious of was Taylee.
The most important thing for a magician to keep in mind during battle was maintaining distance. Victory could only be achieved when they could continuously gather magic power and cast magic.
In a battle between magicians, maintaining distance was less important. But when there was a fighter that was skilled in close combat involved, it became the key to victory.
As soon as the swordmaster closed the distance, a magician's chance of winning was completely gone. That meant that the first target that Ed would try to take down was Taylee McLaure, who was approaching him.
Meanwhile, if Elvira and Ayla's supporting fire hit Ed… It would be an extremely easy victory for the subjugation team.
Whoosh!
However, his Wind Blade wasn't directed towards the party… it was instead aimed at the sky.
The blind spot in their train of thought, the ceiling.
In the luxurious and large main hall, a single stroke cut the connection that was supporting the chandelier. With a screech of metal, the huge chandelier crashed right into the center of the main hall.
BOOM!!
CRASH!
Of course, there was easily enough time for Taylee to react.
The forward momentum of his body was offset by him having to quickly kick off the ground in the opposite direction. After a short while, the main chandelier stood in the spot where Taylee had been moving. Dust rose, obscuring the view of the hall.
"Kyaaah!"
"Ayla! Are you okay?!"
"I'm fine, Taylee! I just fell down because of the shock, that's all!"
After the loud crash that filled the hall faded, the sound of people talking started to fill Ophelis Hall. The students that were trapped in their rooms were starting to get anxious. They seemed to be starting to seriously consider breaking down the walls and doors of the expensive building to escape.
The first one to succumb to that fear was Clevius, but it didn't seem that he had come out of his room quite yet.
"Elvira! Are you—?!"
"Don't worry about…!"
Whoosh!
Elvira's bound citrus-colored hair flew. A few strands were cut by the Wind Blade as it flew through the air.
The blade's target hadn't been Elvira's hair, but rather the bag she was wearing—the one that was full of alchemy supplies. The leather was torn and the magic reagents that were inside were pouring out.
CLATTER!
Ed choosing to send the large chandelier crashing into the floor without any hesitation had been completely unexpected.
They thought that, after trading blows for a few rounds, they would eventually be able to defeat him.
The antique interior of Ophelis Hall had given off an atmosphere that it should never be damaged. The unconventional act of destroying that expensive-looking chandelier without any hesitation… How was he going to take responsibility for that?
It seemed to Elvira that Ed's behavior was reckless, but Ed Rothstaylor was never the type of person to do something so drastic.
If things went according to plan, the entirety of Ophelis Hall would end up completely destroyed. Nobody would care about the fact that the main hall was ruined, nor would they end up being held accountable.
Since he knew that fact quite well, to him even that magnificent chandelier was seen only as a tool to create a variable in the fight. Of course, from Elvira's point of view there was something wrong with Ed's attempt to prevent the party from entering any further.
Looking at that… That means that he's serious, right? There must be something going on upstairs.
Elvira looked back at the reagents that were scattered all over the floor.
All kinds of low-grade reagents had fallen, but none of them were broken. After all, these were reagent containers that were reinforced using a spell cast by Elvira. Until Elvira canceled the spell, the bottles wouldn't lose their strength.
The moment Elvira tried to move her body towards them…
FWOOOSH!
A pillar of fire extended from Ed, separating Elvira from the reagents.
That wall of fire that stretched out in a straight line was created by the beginner magic Ignite, but the scale and heat itself wasn't normal. It was the results and a clear sign of his extremely repeated practice and his mastery of Ignite.
Ed's fire wall divided the main hall into pieces, as if he was cutting cake.
A 2-, 3-, 4-layered wall of fire. The flames surrounding the chandelier separated the main hall into separate spaces.
This… isn't good.
Building a battlefield naturally, like the flow of water, Ed Rothstaylor's judgment was quick and accurate.
Elvira was the core of the subjugation team. However, the most fatal drawback for an alchemy student was that they had almost no direct combat power unless they could rely on their magic tools or reagents.
Even if it was just a bag full of her alchemy supplies, Elvira's power was halved just because the contents had fallen out. With the wall of fire set up, she wouldn't be able to reach them.
Usually, alchemy students wore emergency magic tools in the form of a ring or necklace. Elvira, who was overconfident in her skills, didn't do so because it was too much of a pain.
She wondered if it was really possible that he had predicted this moment to that extent, but she shook her head as if admitting that there was no way he would be able to do such a thing.
Anyway, using such a large scale 'Ignite' would be difficult in the long-term for Ed, whose amount of magic power was average. It looked like he was aiming for something.
Kghk…
There was a very brief moment where she had lost concentration at the shocking sight of the chandelier falling down. It ended up being a big mistake that allowed him to throw out an attack without any hesitation, with full determination to hit her bag.
Fortunately, there's still some things left…!
Elvira took out a small glass object from her shirt. It was a magic tool in the shape of a rabbit. That magic tool had been left out in advance because there was something else that she was researching. She had gotten lucky.
By smashing it on the floor and breaking it, Elvira's artificially created familiar spirit manifested.
Krrrrrr…
It was a rabbit.
But its ferocious molars and sparkling eyes didn't belong to a herbivore. Its size was no different than that of a dhole or a jackal.
Elvira quickly gathered her magic power and carved a fire resistance spell into the rabbit's skin so that the familiar spirit could go through the fire.
Since it was crudely created, she was sure that it was going to have a bad effect on the familiar spirit's body, but… It didn't matter if she just used it this one time and then threw it away after… Blood sprayed out of the rabbit's skin as it screamed in pain, but Elvira forced the fire resistance spell into it.
Fwooosh!
Another strike of Wind Blade.
Perhaps he had determined that Elvira no longer had any combat power, as this time it headed towards Ayla.
"Kyaaah!"
Clang!
Taylee's Elemental Slash blocked the Wind Blade.
"Get it together, Ayla!"
The hall was filled with a wall of flame as well as the huge body of the chandelier and the dust that rose from it falling.
He couldn't follow Ed's movements as he kept moving in and out of the small spaces created by the wall of fire.
Kghk…!
The wall of fire was able to be controlled to some extent by the one that had cast Ignite. There was no reason for it to create any smoke or grow any bigger in size… but the heat was real.
Taylee was someone who was born to the way of the sword. He could cut down fire or wind if he so desired, but his growth was still lacking so he couldn't control it over a wide range.
He might have been able to break through the wall of fire, but he wasn't sure if he'd be able to defeat his opponent, who constantly kept moving locations.
On top of that, in a furious rage… Ed was blatantly aiming towards Ayla.
Ayla Triss might be well versed in magic knowledge, but in terms of combat power she wasn't very strong. She was at the level of a first year student that was just starting to learn beginner magic. It was impossible for her to use the defensive magic that would enable her to block Ed's high proficiency beginner magic.
As a result, unless Taylee was next to her constantly protecting her, she could be easily defeated at any moment.
If Taylee were to boldly close the gap to try and defeat Ed, then Ayla would be completely defenseless.
"Taylee! It'll be better if I leave the hall…! At least until you win…!"
Ayla was clear on the fact that she was nothing more than a burden. Even though she knew she was a nuisance, she was able to come up with an immediate solution rather than being worried by it.
Now that the situation has become like this, It was better for Ayla to escape to a safer place.
Kyaaaaaaaaaak!
The giant rabbit, imbedded with fire resistance, rushed towards the chandelier. There was almost no burden in terms of magic power, and since it was a familiar spirit that was simply made it was difficult to expect any great results. But at the very least, for a moment it will be able to stop Ed's movements and expose his position.
"Taylee! If you could narrow the distance between the two of you, would you be able to defeat him?!"
Amidst the flame, Elvira shouted. At that moment, she had lost most of her magic tools and reagents. Even so, she was still able to create a chance to defeat Ed.
"It's not about whether you can or can't! You have to do it!"
"Alright! Sounds like a plan!"
Elvira grinned. She put on her wet robe and jumped through the wall of flames.
"Elvira!"
Taylee let out a cry of shock as Elvira ran across the thick walls of flames and rolled on the ground on the other side. She quickly shook off her burning robe and threw it.
On one side of her head there was a flame that she quickly put out, leaving a burnt patch of hair behind. Her right forearm also looked a little burned, but she decided to not worry about it right then.
Magic reagents were scattered all across the floor.
She was only away from them for a short while, but she missed them all so much.
Ed Rothstaylor's tactical advantage came from the fact he took control of the space and obscured their view.
If she were to use the reagents or magic tools, it would require her to take aim and throw them. That would take up too much time. Because of that, the only choice they had left was to take advantage of the difference in fighting power.
"It looks like you've prepared quite a bit, but on our side there's a warrior who can fight in close-combat…!"
She picked up a magic reagent that was quite valuable and threw it at the chandelier in the middle of the hall.
Clink!
FWOOOOOOOOSH!
A heavy magical energy permeated throughout the room. A reagent made by chopping up chestnut flowers along with brown mushrooms that was given a 'discharging' spell. The effect itself was so famous that everyone knew what would happen.
The restraint of diffusing the magic power in the area.
The temporary suppression of the byproducts created by using magic power.
A drug that was like a magician's natural enemy.
The principle of it was that, by twisting the flow of magic power irregularly, it would become difficult to use. It wouldn't work for middle-high class magicians who had a high proficiency in Mana Resonance, and the effect itself only lasted for a few minutes at most, so it was hard to use unless it was a short-term battle.
However, her opponent was only using beginner magic. It was the perfect time to use it. Taylee clearly must have understood that fact, as he quickly took an offensive stance.
The wall of flames that had filled the hallway was now fading away.
Across the chandelier, hidden in the dust and ash, was a man covered in blood.
A hunting dagger was held in one of his hands, and in the other was the dangling corpse of a rabbit whose body was as large as his own.
He was covered in the rabbit's blood as he kicked the corpse with his foot. The rabbit rolled over on the floor, quickly turning to ash and disappearing.
She had bought enough time, her part was done.
For the amount of effort that she put into making it, the results weren't that bad.
The man's right shoulder was scarred from the rabbit's teeth, and his uniform was covered in blood.
However, he was still standing there as he watched the party without any change to his expression or movements. Just looking in his eyes was terrifying.
"Ed Rothstaylor!"
Taylee ran at him, shouting as Elvira checked the labels on the reagent bottles one by one.
The chestnut flower reagent that she had used would interfere with using magic power in this hall for a while. It was a fatal blow to the magicians, Ayla and Ed.
However, since Ayla's power was rather weak in the first place, it was worth it.
For Taylee, who used swordsmanship, and Elvira, who used magic tools and reagents, this was a brief moment where they had significantly more advantage.
Right now, it was their turn to attack and deliver a fatal blow to Ed.
Clang!
However, Ed Rothstaylor didn't intend to block Taylee. Instead, he kicked down the cabinet next to him.
The thick liquid from inside the basin quickly began to flow across the hall. It was the preparations that he had asked Kelly for in advance…
"This smell… It's oil! Taylee!"
Fwooosh!
Ed kicked a candlestick in the corner of the hall and knocked it over. The oil began to catch on fire. A new source of light swept over the dark hall as a new fire began to take over the space.
This wasn't a magic flame that was caused by 'Ignite'. It was a real, oil-based fire. The wooden parts of the chandelier, as well as the cabinets lined up along the walls, began to catch on fire.
"Are you crazy? This is Ophelis Hall!"
Elvira shouted at him.
Unlike the pillar of fire that he created using 'Ignite', the flame that was burning now was the equivalent of a natural disaster. It would burn every single thing here equally.
If the fire ended up spreading to the hallways, there could even be casualties.
Thinking of that, she quickly looked around and once again, goosebumps ran over her skin.
Since it all happened so quickly, she didn't have time to check properly.
There were less cabinets in the hall than there usually were. Also, most of the excessively combustible pieces of furniture and valuables had been removed in advance, minimizing the number, and the smoke that was building up blocking their view was actually being let out by the open windows near the emergency stairs.
As said before, the floor and walls of the main hall were all made out of marble, and the main entrance and door leading to the hallway were all made of antique stone. As long as this place remained closed off, there was a place for the fumes to go out, and a means to block the smell, a fire of this magnitude wouldn't even be noticed from the hallway. It was just a couple of cabinets that were burning in this magnificent hall.
The fact that the fire in this hall had been prepared in advance, so that it wouldn't spread any further…
What did that mean?
"Everything was planned, even to this point…!"
Elvira clenched her teeth as she gathered her reagent bottles. Flames were flaring out as a bright red light filled the hall. In the center of it all, she could see the blond, bleeding fallen aristocrat.
If he had planned for this, he could have done it from the start.
If he hadn't used Ignite to create a fire he could control with magic in the first place, Elvira wouldn't have used the chestnut flower reagent.
If there was a reason for him to progress the situation…
"That's right! You can't use magic anymore!"
Taylee yelled out again from the burning flames.
The biggest variable that was restricting Taylee's movements was the presence of Ayla. As long as there was no way for him to target Ayla from a safe distance, Taylee wouldn't have any issue in closing the distance.
The heat of the burning flames was intense, but for Taylee, who was born to the ways of the sword, it was easy to cut through the flames.
Elvira was completely aware of the sense of confusion and discomfort that was creeping down her spine.
Though their opponent was just a regular second year magic student, he was against a warrior that used swordsmanship and a top student from the alchemy department. Just emphasizing the difference in power was hilarious.
But the way he handled everything thus far was too flawless.
It was as if he already knew everything about his opponents. If they were to act in a certain way, then he was already prepared for it and had another move already prepared.
From neutralizing Elvira's magic tools first, then making it difficult for Taylee to close the distance, to always being out of range of Ayla's attacks… There was no flaw in his plan and there was no waste of movement in executing it.
Just how much fighting power they had, to what strategy they would use, or where their psychological weak spots were, even to what was in Elvira's bag. It felt like he had known every single thing. It felt as if they were standing there, bare naked, and Elvira's sense of confusion was only making things worse.
Magicians were usually people who got flustered and ended up making mistakes the moment their magic was blocked.
However, his method of fighting closed the gap in specs and controlled the battlefield… He was more like a tactician than a magician.
If that was the case, then the current situation was strange.
Without being able to use any magic, he was just a useless piece of paper in front of Taylee, who was like a burning fire.
With just one prepared stance and perfectly timed attack, Taylee could cut down the flames and break towards Ed. If he did that, he would be able to see his movement at a glance and even receive Elvira's support.
If that was the case, that brief moment would be the key. But Ed Rothstaylor was no longer able to use magic…
"Don't, Taylee!"
Thinking that far ahead, Elvira screamed at him.
However, Taylee had already started to use Elemental Slash to cut through the fire and narrow the distance to Ed… He had too much energy pushing forward, and he could no longer stop now.
Progressing the situation this far meant that he still had a 'hidden card' left over…!
He could somehow still attack, even without using magic… There was a physical long-range attack that Taylee and the rest of his party didn't know about!
It was too late. Ed Rothstaylor's hand was revealed as Taylee cut through the flames with his sword… there was a bow. He must have put it in the fallen cabinet in advance.
That bow… He knew how to use it?
He had already finished taking aim.
Taylee would not be defeated by a single arrow. He could just swing the sword using his natural reflexes to simply deflect the arrow. Rather than limiting Taylee's movements, it could only create the opportunity for Ed to counter attack.
Therefore, in order to restrict Taylee's movements, he wouldn't have been aiming at Taylee. Instead, it would be aimed at Taylee's companion, who was sitting far away in the corner of the hall.
"Ayla…!"
By the time he realized, it was too late. The bowstring was released, loosing the arrow. It flew relentlessly towards its target.
One of the most common things that first year students learned was beginner defense magic.
It was a magic that minimized the 'physical power' that strikes one's body. It was also a type of magic that Ayla could use, but… coincidentally, Elvira's chestnut flower reagent was effective against all magicians—friend and foe alike.
An arrow flew at Ayla, who had no method to defend. Taylee used near superhuman reflexes to turn around and rush towards Ayla, but there was no way he could be faster than an arrow that was already flying through the air.
Phwoosh! Crash!
But that arrow never reached Ayla.
"Phew…"
The sound of a glass marble breaking was heard.
Elvira had more than twenty types of magic tools, and this was one of them: 'Claw Hand'.
It was a glass marble that had the power to attract small objects towards it, even from a distance, as long as it was within her field of vision.
The arrow that was flying towards the hallway towards Ayla suddenly lost strength as it fell into Elvira's hand.
"Finish him, Taylee!"
As soon as he saw that, Taylee turned towards Ed with his eyes full of rage.
Elvira didn't want to think about what was happening any more. No matter how much he wanted to stop Taylee and his party from entering, crashing down a chandelier and setting everything on fire was just crazy.
Wasn't this just supposed to be a demonstration of the lower students occupying the building?
She didn't know what else was happening upstairs for him to go to this far to prevent them from going any further in Ophelis Hall, but… shooting an arrow at Ayla was completely over the line. That was completely different than just simply threatening them with magic.
If such an arrow had penetrated Ayla's fragile body, it may have even killed her. That act was clearly a crime.
Thinking about it, Elvira tightened her grip on the arrow. And the moment she looked at the end of the arrow… her breath caught.
The arrowhead had been removed.
The arrowhead, which was supposed to be sharp and made of iron, was cut off. A bit of hay was even tied around it to offset the physical force as much as possible.
It was a clear sign that he was trying to eliminate any sort of lethality.
Did he already know that it would be too hard for them to check the state of the arrow in such a high-pressure situation?
Of course, if you are unlucky then you could be blinded or injured just by the impact from the shaft. But even then, the direction in which he was aiming was between the lower abdomen and thigh, where there were very few vital points. At worst, if you were unlucky, you would just be left with a bruise.
"Was he going easy on us…?"
Thinking that far, once again Elvira screamed at Taylee.
"Taylee! Watch out! He still…"
The moment she was about to say 'He still has something left…'
CLANG!
On the second floor, the sound of a wall being broken and a coward's scream filled the air.
When he came to his senses, Ed had already been struck by Taylee and was hanging against a wall.
"…What?"
Sitting quietly and leaning against the wall while watching Ed, whose body was covered in blood, trying to recover… Elvira once again had a strong feeling that something was wrong.
***
"Are you insane?"
The chandelier was broken and most of the cabinets were burned. Ed sat against the wall of the main hall, which was a complete mess, and shook off his blood-stained clothes… but he still remained as expressionless as always.
"There must be a reason why you did all of this!"
Taylee fist trembled as he screamed at Ed.
Watching them, Elvira stayed silent.
After he was defeated, the obvious result of a match between a magician and a close-combat warrior, Ed eventually gave Taylee and his team access to the upper floors.
Though they had a hard time, they managed to defeat him.
However, Elvira didn't feel a sense of relief inside her at all.
Throughout the battle, Elvira's heart… It kept on feeling like it was getting looked into, over and over again.
It felt as if the entire battle played out into Ed's hands.
If Ed Rothstaylor was really trying to defeat Taylee, then he would have knocked the chandelier down without ever revealing himself.
It may have been different if he was just a foolish magician that was trying to show off his skills, but the difference in Ed's appearance during the fight was indescribable.
She couldn't shake the feeling that he had some sort of hidden agenda.
Taylee and Ayla seemed unable to think that far ahead due to the urgency of the situation, but Elvira was completely stiff, contrary to her usual childish appearance.
As expected, something is strange.
Elvira looked at his face from behind Taylee, who was screaming in anger.
Despite his loss, he didn't feel any sort of resentment. He was truly just sitting against the wall, waiting for Taylee to stop screaming.
After a while, Taylee took a deep breath as he managed his emotions. Then Ed spoke, raising his head.
"Are you done?"
Even though the situation has come this far, he never once lost that calm tone to his voice.
"If you're done, go on up already. Stop whining."
He wasn't even telling them not to go up.
"What did you say…?"
Elvira pushed Taylee out of the way as she stood right before Ed, looking down on him. Coming this far, she couldn't help but ask him.
"Why did you go easy on us?"
Ed's expression didn't change a bit at that question. Rather, it was Taylee and Ayla who were surprised by it.
"What do you mean, Elvira?"
"This person? Went easy? On us?"
Elvira continued glaring straight at Ed, ignoring Taylee and Ayla's questions.
"Answer me."
Again, there was a moment of silence. But Elvira was unwilling to break it.
She continued to stare at him as she leaned against the wall, refusing to move until Ed responded.
But of course, she couldn't keep on questioning him forever.
Thud!!
The main entrance of Ophelis Hall opened up again.
The soft sound of the rain falling against the outer wall was briefly buried by the sound of the heavy rain coming through the main entrance.
Lighting struck.
In that brief moment, everything was illuminated. A girl stood there, struggling to shake off the water that fell on her hood. The girl who had stayed up all night picking her persimmon hairpin was revealed from the darkness.
Who could scold such a foolish, love-struck girl? It may have all been in her head, but even imagining such things was all her own choice.
However, the difference between one's imagination and reality is sometimes cruel.
The boy who she had thought would show up to the pavilion looking handsome had been attacked by a group of people and collapsed on the floor, covered in his own blood.
Against the backdrop of the pouring rain, the girl's expression in the darkness suddenly went cold.
Her usually bright and lively eyes were now empty, full of darkness.
"…What are you doing?"
With a heavy voice, she questioned them.