When a bunch of things start to come up all at once, it can really put your mind in overload, delaying your sense of reasoning. Sort of like a time lag.
Because of that, it wasn't until some time had passed that Ayla managed to get herself together.
Fact: The Devil of the Underground Waterways in the cell across from her was completely asleep, unlikely to wake up due to sleep magic.
Fact: As long as she sat patiently in her prison, she wouldn't be hurt for the time being.
Her mind, which was spinning in circles, was slowly starting to calm down to some extent.
When it finally calmed down, thanks to a combination of complicated reasonings, her legs stopped shaking.
"Taylee…"
She buried her face into her lap as she called out his name, but it would be a long time before Taylee would arrive.
Ayla was vaguely aware of the fact that Taylee would surely come to her rescue.
A mixture of sadness and shame filled her heart.
However, she was upset. She resented that she was a burden to him all the time, and a mixture of sadness and shame filled her heart.
It wasn't that she didn't try. Ayla was just born with hopelessly little talent when it came to combat, though she could never be looked down upon based on her talent in intellectual academics.
Her ability to absorb information regarding magic and fully understand it, even knowing how to use it, was at a scholarly level that even Professor Glast recognized.
However, the fact that she couldn't do anything without someone else's help every single time was something she greatly resented.
She was going to be getting help from so many people this time, as well.
Even Ed Rothstaylor was going to help her—someone that she considered an enemy, the sight of him making her grit her teeth.
That guy left Ayla in that safe prison cell as he ran out to resolve the situation by himself.
Doing that much, just what could she say about him now? She couldn't believe that he was considerate towards her while she was in a state of absolute confusion and chaos.
To be honest, rather than feeling dependent on him she was rather scared. She felt that she would be afraid that he would end up hitting her if he even raised his hand.
"Disappointment…"
Emotions always had expectations, though the form of those expectations varied greatly from person to person.
For example, how she hoped that the person she loved would always be a righteous and good person.
Or how the subject she resented and hated would always be something evil, perverse, and ill-natured.
That was her justification and the reason she antagonized that person.
The fact that he might also be an upright person, one following his own sense of beliefs and righteousness, meant that he could also be justified in some way if you looked at the situation from another point of view… It wasn't easy to swallow her pride and admit that fact.
However, Ayla couldn't help but to admit it.
Ed's reputation throughout the academy, the full and unwavering support from the top second year student, and his showcase of perseverance and ability to maintain a constantly composed nature during the Glasskan incident…
Not only that, but he also maintained a calm attitude, showing not a single sign of being taken aback, when they ended up getting kidnapped together.
There wasn't even a hint of anger towards her, despite her having constantly been hostile and wary towards Ed.
Ayla was well aware of what that type of characteristic was called.
Open-mindedness and patience.
He could have harmed her, shifted the blame onto her, spoke badly about her, or even sacrificed her… he was in a situation where he could do anything that he wanted. The balance of power was completely tilted to Ed's side. Whether it was simply physical strength, talent in magic, or even mentally.
Nevertheless, the act of helping and saving Ayla made him seem more like an honest and reliable upperclassman than the arrogant one that she saw during the entrance exam.
Perhaps he was always like that, even from the beginning.
Why did his behavior at the entrance exam change so suddenly, earning him all of that resentment?
Whenever there was an important or urgent moment, he would always try to resolve the situation in a serious manner—like a reliable upperclassman.
Even going so far as to say that Taylee would definitely come to her rescue, putting his full faith into him…
So why was he so mean to him during the entrance exam to the point where it ruined his entire reputation?
"Ayla Triss. You've been watching over Taylee all this time, so you know perfectly well that he's the kind of guy that becomes stronger with each hardship in his way."
Appropriate to the urgency of the situation, his tone had been completely unwavering, like a large tree that had dug its roots into the ground and was unwilling to move.
Ayla knew that. Taylee's life was full of so many hardships that it seemed like he was fated from birth with a destiny of trials.
And each time he overcame those trials, he grew one step further… He was a person that would shine brighter than anyone else.
Just how did Ed know about Taylee's temperament…? A belated feeling of suspicion started to enter her head, though it didn't really matter.
He looked down on Taylee during the entrance exam, rebuked Taylee during the Glasskan incident, and even blocked Taylee's way during the Occupation of Ophelis Hall. And even though he still had the strength to fight back and resist back then, he admitted his defeat against Taylee.
After getting excommunicated, he became someone that talked very little in his daily life, quietly focusing on his studies and trying to avoid getting involved with others. It was as if something had changed in his heart. As if he had lost interest in everything other than his studies and life.
However, whenever there was an important moment, where Taylee's trial would begin…He would appear, acting like a whip. He would always get involved in situations where he really didn't need to intervene, even though he could have just stood by and watched.
Right then, Ayla was convinced that the pieces of the puzzle were fitting together.
The reason was unknown, but Ed Rothstaylor seemed to be earnestly praying towards Taylee's growth and success.
"…Ed Rothstaylor…?"
Ayla, who had come to her senses, quickly stood up from her seat as she stuck her head out through the bars.
At the end of the hallway was the Celestial researcher Koom, who was still busy reviewing the research data.
Right outside his field of view, Ayla's fingertips trembled as she watched Ed quietly open the exit door as he went outside, keeping a low posture.
In terms of the situation, that was how things were.
The only thing Ayla and Taylee had given to him was resentment and hatred, but he was risking his life for the two of them.
Pride and previous grudges had covered her eyes. Though, after taking a step back and thinking over it, it had always been like that.
It was partially because Ed Rothstaylor wasn't the type of person to brag about what he had done in the first place.
Her throat felt like there was a thorn stuck in it, making it hard for her to breathe. Now that she thought about it carefully, it wasn't such a difficult conclusion to come to.
Rather than being an arrogant and conceited fallen aristocrat, he was instead a hardworking and reserved person that didn't care to brag about what he did… He was that type of reliable person.
After admitting that fact, it felt as if a huge burden had been lifted off her shoulders.
She had no choice but to admit just how rash she was when judging others.
Ayla couldn't do anything else besides patiently stand still, facing the bars…
***
The main conference room in Trix Hall didn't have many people gathered together when compared to its large size.
That was because the sale of the Sage's Seal wasn't something to be proud of.
Thus, the Seal's Resonance Transferal was to be carried out on a very small scale.
Accordingly, it proceeded quietly and confidently, with only a few academic heads from the academy and a few head senior executives from the company present.
The Headmaster, Obel Forsyth.
The Vice-Headmaster, Rachel.
The Dean of the Combat Department, Stan.
The Dean of the Magic Department, McDowell.
The Dean of the Alchemy Department, Edelweiss.
The person in charge of the Resonance Transferal, Glast.
As a scribe, Assistant Professor Cleoh.
The stand-in, entrusted with full power from Elte Company, Lortel Kehelland.
The Head of Business, Tanya.
The stand-in for the accountant, Veneer
The Record Keeper, Tars.
The Head Secretary, Melania.
Only the very top within the academy and company had been chosen to represent them, and they had gathered together at the location where the Resonance Transferal would take place.
Among them, the ones that drew the most attention were the representatives of their groups.
Obel and Lortel.
The impressions the two of them gave off were so distinct that you could even say they were exact opposites of each other.
Uncharacteristic of his position as the headmaster of the great Silvenia Academy, Obel Forsyth looked rather young, candid, and easy-going.
Because of his short-cut hair and his smooth chin, clean of even a single piece of hair, it was difficult to determine his age. Because of his neat and tidy appearance, it was difficult to see him as an elderly gentleman approaching his sixties.
His frame was rather large, appropriate to the high reputation that praised him as a man of talent in the combat, magic, and alchemy fields. He wore a splendid robe that was engraved with the Silvenia seal, but his wide shoulders were still noticeable.
On the other hand, the person that was representing the company as the stand-in was rather small. However, if you were to compare her small figure, which wasn't sensuous in any way, to a flower… She would be like a rose.
Even though she might appear delicate, if you were to approach her by hastily reaching out your hand, she would prick you like a thorn and cause you to bleed out.
While her flowing reddish-brown hair appeared rather glamorous, the frill dress and semi-robe she wore were rather moderate.
Even sitting in front of Obel, whose age, height, experience, strength, and magic power surpassed her several times over, she showed no sign of falling to his pressure.
Instead, Lortel slowly opened her mouth… and started to question the academy's faculty.
"Headmaster Obel, whom I respect dearly. Before I am a merchant, I am a student here at the great Silvenia Academy. Thus, I will never forget that I should show my utmost respect to the faculty members here, who always teach me valuable lessons. However… the matter at hand right now is different from our relationship as a faculty member and student, right?"
The other company personnel that Lortel brought to the scene began to tremble.
Lortel's anger was always cold.
The biggest thing Lortel Kehelland hated was the default of a contract.
No matter what type of unavoidable reason there might be, if things didn't go according to the contract, the person in charge had to be questioned.
The reason that Lortel, who was still young, was able to hold the leadership to tie together the entire company and keep it moving as if it were her own body stemmed from the fact that she was precise.
Contrary to her relaxed and beautiful appearance, her behavior was rather cold-hearted and cruel.
She was terribly realistic, to the point that she left very little room for compromise once a course of action had been set.
Due to her thorough temperament, the company personnel had rarely seen Lortel sign an unfavorable contract or make a risky investment.
"I can't believe the seal has been stolen, even with all of the academy's key figures gathering here… Had this deal not been handled so quietly, this would have been a great humiliation."
"All of the personnel in charge of searching are on the move, so I hope you can wait just a bit longer. The academy will take responsibility for this incident and make sure to get the seal back."
Even if there were equals in terms of the contract, they still had the relationship of a student and headmaster.
Lortel wasn't being any more rude than necessary, but she had to say something.
Raising her head, she looked at the center of the conference room in Trix Hall.
The explanation of the situation wasn't very complicated.
In the middle of the Seal's Resonance Transferal, after confirming that Headmaster Obel's resonance ownership had been cut off… A wide-scale vision obstructing spell was cast throughout the main conference room.
Smoke rose up to obscure their view, strong flashing lights blinded their eyes, and as various rambunctious noises were heard—creating a complete chaos in an instant.
Either way, there seemed to be a commotion building up outside. Students and other faculty members nearby had all started to gather at Trix Hall. The plan to proceed with the deal in secret was now somewhat ruined.
Afterwards, all sorts of magic golems rose up nearby, attacking anything that came near them. No matter how you looked at it, it had become a dangerous situation.
Though, there actually wasn't much risk in the first place, as every member of the academy's personnel gathered there was strong.
After figuring out the situation, it seemed as if Professor Glast, who was against the sale of the Sage's Seal, had taken action on his own.
Professor Glast had stolen the Seal and completely disappeared.
He was a senior-level professor with over fifteen years of service at the academy, so he knew the way the academy operated. That was why he was able to simply blindside the academy and its personnel.
Professor Glast had a long career, with many achievements to his name, to the point that it wouldn't have been surprising if he had become a dean in the near future.
However, he valued the seal so greatly that he refused to be promoted, instead immersing himself in the study of the seal as a researcher.
Obel had no idea that Glast would end up taking such arbitrary action ahead of the Seal's sale. That was why he had no idea what Glast was going to do with the Seal now that he had it.
"I don't think Professor Glast would have stolen the seal only looking at its financial value… There seems to be something else going on."
"It seems so."
Obel swept his hand over his chin as he sat still at the conference room table, which had become a mess.
Without recognizing all of the surrounding gazes on him, he comfortably sat down, holding full authority of the room.
"Now that the situation has become like this, it would only be right if, at the very least, I was to tell those here the truth."
After all, every person gathered in the hall were high-ranking individuals that were considered the top of their groups. Obel must have taken that fact into account.
"Whatever Professor Glast plans to do, I'm sure that it isn't something good. With that in mind, why don't we try waiting for a bit? Even if it takes time, I will take responsibility for the seal, making sure we can secure it back."
"Just what are you saying?"
A frustrated feeling began to rise inside of Lortel's chest.
The headmaster of Silvenia Academy, Obel Forsyth, was like a monster that had risen to the ranks of mastery in every possible way.
Whether it was in practical combat skills or talent in magic, when considering every single faculty member and student within the academy, the only person that could compare to him was the first-year lazy genius, Lucy Mayreel.
If Obel Forsyth had personally rolled up his sleeves and taken action, Glast would have been defeated in no time at all.
But Obel had only ordered his personnel to go out and search for it, not intending to personally take action himself.
When Lortel saw what he was doing, she had wanted to ask him to personally take action and retrieve the seal or something of the sort, but… No matter how much she wanted to, personally questioning him to such an extent felt wrong, given the difference in their statuses.
So Lortel continued to act as if she was listening to what he had to say, before an unbelievable fact suddenly entered her ear.
"Professor Glast's research on Celestial magic power was centered around the traditionally forbidden field of 'resurrection' magic."
No matter how far an academic's desire for knowledge stretched, over the long history of magic there certainly was a field of magic that was considered forbidden.
The three fields that distorted the world's providence, blurring the current flow of time and rejecting the framework of a human's destiny.
The pursuit of eternal life, the resurrection of the dead, and the reversal of time.
It was seen as taboo to challenge providence by refusing the divine will granted to the human race and twisting one's fate.
No matter how much one might be able to deal with time itself through the use of Celestial Magic, it was considered completely unacceptable to twist the past that had already been set.
Though in the first place, there was never a magician that was able to reach such a level.
"That… Even though you knew that, you left him alone, Headmaster?"
"That's quite a precarious question to answer. I have received the reports on Professor Glast's research, but there was no way he was going to properly report on such an inappropriate research topic. This is just a guess, but… I'm sure of it now. He praised the great sage Silvenia as if it was part of his nature."
Considering Professor Glast's research and his past tendencies, it was reasonable to think that.
However, he couldn't be sure.
Lortel swung her head around, looking at the expressions of the other academic staff members that were present.
Vice-Headmaster Rachel and Dean McDowell had quietly closed their eyes.
However, the other academic staff personnel were blinking, as if they had never heard of that before. It was top secret even among the most high-ranking academic staff personnel.
"I don't want to say anything bad, but… Headmaster Obel…"
"You want to ask if I'm crazy. Is that correct, Lortel Kehelland? Well… At least for me, I wonder what Professor Glast's final choice will be?"
"What do you mean by that?"
"Do you remember what Professor Glast used to say out of habit? Anguish for academic progress. In respect to the great sage Silvenia, who was a true intellectual… and the return of something that is lost."
For Lortel, who knew of Professor Glast's past, that wasn't something that she could just ignore.
"All human beings, regardless of who they are, lie to themselves to some extent."
A mad obsession with talent. That was a sentence that defined the human being, Professor Glast.
However, Lortel was also guessing to some extent.
Was that obsession really the true nature of Professor Glast?
Or was it simply a defense mechanism that stemmed from the pain of losing someone?
That mad obsession of his that thought uncertain and vain talents shouldn't be given any value…
He was very self-righteous… On one hand, it might seem noble of him, but the nature of it might actually be even simpler than she had thought.
He didn't want his daughter's death, which came from her lack of talent, to be in vain… It might have just come from the result of that fleeting fatherly love.
Was he a sublime scholar or a grieving father?
Unable to hastily define Professor Glast, Lortel was caught up in her confusion.
"If he really had discovered a Celestial magic that could bring the dead back to life…"
The extraordinary Great Sage Silveria, who would advance the world's progression and dramatically progress the history of magic forever.
His own daughter, Myuri, who ended up dying after he had believed in her uncertain talent and pushed her to her death.
"As for Professor Glast… who do you think he would bring back?"
Lortel looked up into Obel's eyes.
Lortel couldn't even imagine just what kind of sight he was looking at with those eyes of his, the ones that looked beyond the horizons.
Slam!
"Something big has happened, Headmaster Obel! There's information that he was seen in the education district! A few minutes ago, Professor Glast was seen running into the underground waterways with the student Taylee chasing after him!"
"Eyewitness accounts also say that, besides the Seal, he has also kidnapped a couple of students! As far as we know, the identity of those students are… First-year magic department student, Ayla Triss, and… Second year magic department student, Ed Rothstaylor!"
It was at that moment. Lortel felt her suspicions grow after hearing the report given by the member of the academy's faculty that had come running in.
A great roar that echoed throughout the entire sky of the education district. The same was true of the ensuing vibrations.
Seeing the ground shake, Lortel ran out into the hallway, hurriedly opening a window.
Trix Hall was located on a hill just on the outskirts of the education district. Opening the window and looking down, you could practically see the entirety of the education district.
Near the shoreline on the outskirts of Acken Island, where the underground waterway entrance was located, she could see a high-ranking spirit that she was so very familiar with—to the point she hated seeing it.
The high-ranking fire spirit, Takan.
It was a terrifying fire lizard that all of the first-year aces that had gathered together once tried to defeat.
It smashed its tail around and cried out, like it was calling someone from someone to come out immediately.
Even though it was just a single high-ranking spirit, it had the strength to take out all the top-ranking students without taking any meaningful damage.
If you left it alone, there was no telling what would happen.
As it was heading towards Acken Island's outskirts, it didn't look like it's going to cause much damage to the inside of Silvenia.
Either way, since she hadn't yet made the payment, even if the Seal did get lost it wouldn't cause any direct damage to her books. There might be another type of loss, but it wouldn't be from her money.
That was why… No matter how much… She wanted to get her hands on that seal…!
"Ah, Seriously…!"
Lortel finally let out a sigh as she grabbed her hair, though it didn't fully come united.
"With this happening… I'm also going to the underground waterways…!"
"What?"
"Excuse me, but what about the Resonance Transferal?"
The company personnel that had come along all looked at Lortel in complete surprise. Lortel shook her head.
Then Lortel looked over straight at Headmaster Obel. Even though she was staring at him quite rudely, Obel didn't even seem to care.
"Headmaster, you are so consistent with that apathetic attitude of yours. I will go and bring the Seal back myself. I'll leave behind as little staff as you need, and the rest will come with me! Hmph!"
It was five minutes before shit completely hit the fan. It was only a matter of time before Ed's patience would explode.
The biggest victim would be Professor Glast.
To blame him in his hasty decision to kidnap a ticking time bomb that was even worse than Ayla… well, it was because the information that he had on Ed was all too limited.
There was no one who could give him a silent prayer.
***
Going in reverse.
Trix Hall – the chase through the education district, underground waterways entrance – deepest part of the underground waterways – secret laboratory entrance – Soul Library – monster research wing – deepest part of the laboratory.
I was familiar with the route of the storyline's final chapter and the order in which it took place, but it was quite an interesting experience to have to go through it backwards.
Taylee was probably on his way now, so I was sure that I would run into him somewhere halfway through.
I ran out of the deepest part of the laboratory and carefully passed through the monster research wing. It wasn't that hard to pass through the monster research wing. It was a part where most of the monsters were trapped in separate research facilities, and the number of forces there was low. That part was only difficult because Koom ended up releasing all the monsters trapped in the research facilities. At the moment, there weren't any particular obstacles like that in my way.
The problem was the Soul Library.
The librarian Reina, who guarded the Soul Library, was very sharp and extremely good at detection magic. Even for the low-ranking spirit Mugg, who had a very weak level of energy, it took a long time for him to sneak through.
I put my back to the back entrance of the library as I looked inside.
The bookshelves and magic books were all floating in the air.
And the room was full of valuable magically engineered items and production formulas.
Since I'd come all the way there, I really wanted to just sweep everything up and run away. Either way, since we would eventually run into each other, it was fine to take whatever I wanted.
Though, the main priority was to get out of the laboratory and meet up with Yennekar. I just needed to pick the most efficient ones and run for it. Right outside of Reina's line of sight.
[Young master Ed! Are you… Drooling, by change…?]
"..."
I quickly fixed my expression as I checked the items that I should take with me.
Reina's patrol pattern and behavioral pattern were simpler than you would think. It wouldn't take me too long to pick up everything that I needed.
I was a little excited just thinking that I'd actually have the opportunity to raise my magic engineering proficiency.
My spec growth had been pretty slow. As long as I could procure the materials I needed, it was an opportunity to create magically engineered items with specs that shouldn't even exist at the level of Act 2 ~ Act 3.
My heart was pounding like crazy.
In any case, it would be difficult if I overdid it when taking production formulas and magically engineered items.
For now, I needed to just grab enough that I could carry on my person, and once Taylee passed through then I could come back and take the rest slowly. Meeting with Yennekar was my first priority.
Still, I couldn't calm my excitement easily, because it felt like I had hit a jackpot.
A bargain sale….!!
***
"Ed, where are you?"
Glast Subjugation, Act 2 Phase 2 mid boss, Dorothy Whitefeld.
She was quite proud of her abilities.
The third year Dorothy was a combat-type alchemist that was even highly recognized by the Alchemy Department's society.
Although she wasn't the top of her entire year, she had risen to the top of the alchemy department.
Dorothy used all kinds of combat-type reagents, instant chemical reactions, mass-produced magically engineered items, and her combat abilities were at a level where it was even difficult for students of the combat department to handle.
The alchemy department's top first-year student, Elvira, and the top second year student, Norden, also frequently came to her asking for advice.
For Dorothy, whose talents weren't blooming even after such a long time, Professor Glast had become her savior when he recognized her talents.
Professor Glast alone had acknowledged Dorothy, even when everyone else around her had belittled her abilities… So even seeing him take such extreme actions, she figured that there must be a reason for it.
Therefore, Dorothy had joined in on Professor Glast's plans with open arms.
She didn't know his exact intentions, but she decided to carry out his request to watch over the entrance to the underground waterways.
"...."
No matter the reason. This can't be right, Professor.
Dorothy, who was monologuing to herself, sat down in the shallow waters at the entrance of the waterways as she faced Takan's mouth as he screamed as if he was going to burn the world down.
"Where's Ed?"
She knew who that light pink-haired girl was. She was a fairytale-like princess that was loved by everyone in the academy.
It was said that wherever she walked, flowers bloomed along the sides of the road. People also said that her bright smile could make you feel warm and fuzzy inside.
That warm smile of hers was still the same.
Her smiling face was so cute and adorable that she was going to just reach her hand out and stroke her head if she had ended up letting her guard down.
However, there was no one that would be able to do that.
Looking up behind her, there was a giant flaming lizard with spit drooling down its mouth.
In Yennekar's opinion, she was asking as politely and kindly as possible, but the gap between her and what was in the background ultimately only increased her fear.
"Y-Yennekar! I'm just here guarding over this place! I'm just doing what I was told! Yeah!"
Completely surprised, Dorothy stuttered over her words.
"Oh, I see… Ah, come to think of it, you're my upperclassmen. I-I'm so sorry I spoke informally to you… I was out of my mind, that's why…!"
A sympathetic response to what Dorothy had said. And a hesitant but polite apology.
It was then that Dorothy realized that her opponent was the nicest person in the world, Yennekar. She started to relax a bit, when…
"So, by the way… Do you know where Ed is?"
Besides the fact that she was against Yennekar, the nicest girl in the world… That fire lizard was certainly going to have no mercy when fighting against Dorothy.
Dorothy lost all the strength in her arms and legs as she fell flat on her face.
-x-X-x-
"Please. I need to go and save Ayla. Just once, can you help me."
Taylee, who was bowing his head, was already quite hurt.
An injury that occurred during Act 2's final chapter's first phase, Chasing Professor Glast.
Ziggs Eiffelstein, who was training out in the outskirts of the education district, was completely bewildered seeing Taylee act this way.
Without knowing the exact situation, Taylee suddenly came to ask for help. He was completely confused by this out-of-the-blue situation.
"What's going on, Taylee?"
***
The Soul Library's layout was a single large hall filled with all sorts of bookshelves.
There were many valuable items in the outermost bookshelf along the outer wall.
Of course, the extremely rare and truly valuable magically engineered items and the legendary-grade magically engineered item's production formulas were placed around the librarian Reina's table, which was in the center of the library.
It was almost impossible to get close without getting caught in Reina's detection magic, so it'd be better if I went looking for things when the subjugation was nearly finished.
"♬ ♪ ♫"
Reina's humming echoed throughout the spacious library. It was done in a dreary, low-pitched, eerie voice.
I'll just creep around the outer wall, grab some of the small replica magic books, and find some magically engineered items that I can manage to disassemble and reassemble.
In particular, the 'Thunder Roar Generator', which was on row C of the bookshelves, could be used to build some sort of alarm trap. Also, the 'Unidirectional Light Flow Device', which would let me make a window in which light only traveled through one side.
Rather than getting too greedy, I'd just grab a few more books that would be good to study and leave it at that.
As for all of the extremely valuable magically engineered items, I could just come back later and take my time picking through them without having to deal with Reina.
Hiding in between the bookshelves, I stuck my head out and looked towards the center of the hall.
The librarian Reina kept humming at her table… all while floating in the air.
Reina was not a human, she was a monster. She was the main 'Banshee' in the library, one that could detect intruders that had entered within a 20m range with her detection magic.
As if she were floating on water, the hem of Reina's skirt fluttered in the air.
Floating through all the books, she periodically patrolled the library.
I was quite familiar with Reina's patrol pattern. Even if I entered combat with her, I already knew her attack pattern to a certain extent. With that in mind, in some way or another I should have been able to deal with her.
However, defeating Reina was an extremely valuable experience for Taylee.
If Taylee's Swordmaster's Skill or other sword-related skills' proficiency was not sufficiently trained, he would have many difficulties when facing off against Professor Glast's Celestial Magic.
Even if it wasn't against him, against other disaster-level bosses later on, if he doesn't have the strength to deal with them… There was a high chance that I would end up having to take responsibility for dealing with those enemies if his Swordmaster's Skill didn't reach a certain level.
All of that was too much work, and I didn't have the ability or the will to do so in the first place. That was why I had decided to avoid dealing with any of the boss monsters in Professor Glast's secret laboratory.
Technically speaking, even if he doesn't defeat Reina it wasn't like it was going to seriously affect Taylee's growth, which was already in pretty good shape anyway.
It wasn't just Reina. Even if he ended up skipping most bosses, it still wouldn't immediately cause his growth to fall behind. As long as he could defeat 'The Devil of the Underground Waterways', which would be the most helpful towards his growth, there wouldn't be any problems.
But… just in case, there was no harm in being careful.
I hid among the bookshelves as I started grabbing all sorts of parchments and production formulas.
"Phew…"
As best as I could, I avoided Reina's line of sight as she periodically patrolled, strolling through the bookshelves. Doing so, I grabbed anything that I could get my hands on.
It was hard to figure out just what each of these production formulas were about without opening them up one by one, so I decided to go with quantity over quality, changing my strategy to grab as many as I possibly could.
After focusing once more, I was quite pleased with how many things I had gotten a hold of.
[If we go now, I don't think she will be looking at the exit, young master Ed!]
Mugg was whispering to me.
Not yet.
I couldn't let my guard down just because I might be out of her sight. After all, Reina's field of view was irrelevant to her Detection Magic.
The Banshee Reina didn't determine the presence of an enemy solely by sight, but rather by detecting the magic power within a certain distance to notice an enemy.
If she moved any closer and I continued to wait around without moving, I'd end up getting caught.
I calmly moved through the bookshelves, patiently waiting for Reina to show a gap.
Rumble, Rumble.
"…Hmm?"
Getting a hold of myself, I started to notice that the ground was shaking little by little.
In the distance, there seemed to be something making a roaring noise.
At first, I ignored it—thinking it might have just been some kind of illusion. But when I started to see the books stuck on the bookshelves shake, I started to feel a sense of uncertainty.
Was it an earthquake?
From what I knew, there wasn't any sort of event like that.
I was thinking that it might have been a simple happenstance, but soon the shaking had come to a point that couldn't be ignored.
[Y-Young Master Ed!]
"…What is this?"
Mugg called out to me in an urgent voice. It was nearly impossible to maintain my balance without holding onto the bookshelf.
The shaking didn't mean much to Reina, as she was floating in the air, but the bookshelves were a different story.
Eventually, the bookshelves couldn't withstand the increasing shaking as they started to fall over, one by one. Before, they had thankfully acted as a cover for me and kept me hidden.
But as the bookshelves started falling over, they didn't do their job anymore. Eventually, they completely stopped acting as proper cover for me.
As a result, I was completely in Reina's field of view.
"♫♪————————————"
The Banshee Reina's humming abruptly came to a halt.
And then she found me.
"Keeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeek!"
She began to scream, the sound like pieces of metal grinding against each other as she started to radiate magic power. In an instant, I started to feel as if my sight was getting distorted while she attacked me. The bookshelves and magic books around me also started flying in the air.
With Reina's soul-type magic, she started to give life to the surrounding objects… Like a poltergeist, she started moving objects as she pleased, going wild.
[Y-Young master Ed! What do we do?! Th-This is—!]
"It's fine! It'll be easy to run away!"
Reina was in a state where her soul was already tied to the library.
Once I could gain control over the space with Ignite, all I'd have to do was retreat towards the exit and get out of Reina's range. It wasn't anything that difficult.
Taking a deep breath, I rolled up my sleeves. I didn't have to defeat Reina, I just needed to run away. That would be a piece of cake.
I began to draw out magic power.
***
She wasn't in an outfit suitable for combat, but she didn't have time to change.
Lortel frowned as she flapped the hem of her robe, which was heavily embroidered with fancy ornaments.
Jumping out of the carriage and waving an arm, she turned down all of the staff members that were trying to beg her to go back to the conference room. She stared at the open entrance into the underground waterways.
Two large stone pillars firmly supported both sides of the entrance. As she looked into the entrance leading underground, she started to feel a strange moisture in the air that stuck in her throat.
After reaching the bottom, a well-organized waterway spread throughout the entire underground system. The space itself was massive, and the stone supports and exterior walls were kept clean, so there was no unnecessary dirt and dust blowing around.
However, no matter how high-class the magic techniques they used were, it couldn't easily withstand the test of time.
Here and there, mold had started to grow and things were cracking or already broken… After all, there was no way to completely remove the traces of time.
It was not a place where Lortel, who was wearing clothes full of decorations that cost dozens of golden coins, should be entering. Her luxury items were at a level where, if even just a few specs of dust fell on them, they would greatly affect their value.
Disregarding that, Lortel kept on taking wide strides, walking into the waterways. The non-combatant staff members would have just become baggage if she brought them inside, so instead she ordered them to wait outside and report on any changes to the situation.
"I don't think this is a facility that would need such large-scale underground waterways."
Lortel had dabbled in the construction industry and donated to all sorts of other buildings and facilities. Her sense of investment when it came to infrastructure was also sharp.
Silvenia Academy was a large academy that accounted for half of the southern part of Acken Island, but it still wouldn't have been necessary to have an underground waterway of that size. The distance between the floor and the ceiling was large enough to fit an entire building, and the width of it all was far too wide.
In the first place, there wasn't that much water flowing along the waterways. If Lortel were to have dipped her feet in it, it still would have only barely soaked up to her thin ankles.
"It definitely seems like they built this for a different purpose."
Lortel had quickly discovered a suspicious aspect to the underground waterways.
However, there was no way for her to know exactly what its purpose was.
After finishing her descent and finally seeing the proper entrance to the waterways, Lortel gasped.
Whooosshh!
Ba-Boom!
The sound of the shallow waves came from the large waterway down the center passageway.
There was the sight of the fragmented magic golem, made from stones that were imbued with magic, spread throughout the waterway.
It was clearly the traces of a battle.
No, it was more of a one-sided obliteration than a battle.
Moving a little further inside and looking down the center of the waterway, there were magic power stones almost as large as a carriage rolling around the bottom of the waterway.
There was still a little magic power left in them, so the stones were moving sporadically, as if they were trembling. Though, it didn't seem like it was at a meaningful level of power anymore.
The stones, which were about the size of about Lortel's upper body, seemed to have been fragments that came from mid-rank magic golems.
Meanwhile, the stones that were nearly the size of a carriage must have been fragments that came from high-rank magic golems.
If you were going to deal with about ten mid-rank magic golems, you would have to at least bring one high ranking student from the upper grades.
And if you were going to deal with a high-rank magic golem, without bringing someone that was at least the level of a member of the teaching staff there would be no way to defeat it.
There weren't many people that could break through all of those all by themselves. No matter how confident Lortel might be in her own magic skills, she might be able to take them on by themselves—however, there was no way she could defeat them all at once.
"..."
Lortel walked straight past the fragments of the golems as she went deeper into the waterways.
At the end of the passageway, there was a girl that had fainted and collapsed.
Lortel was well-informed of the personal information regarding every top student in each grade. It wasn't hard for her to figure out who that person was.
For a girl, she was rather tall. Her hair was loosely tied up in the back, as if she was going to be moving around, and the freckles on her cheeks made her look cute.
It was the alchemy department's top third year student, Dorothy.
But she was completely passed out.
Her clothes had gotten wet all over, and it looked like someone had completely defeated her before pulling her out of the water.
Just in case she might have gotten cold because of her drenched clothes, someone had also covered her with a shawl. Seeing that… Lortel started to frown.
Looking at the design on the shawl, it had cute cosmos embroidery and looked rather adorable overall.
Compared to the cost of the clothes Lortel was wearing, they were rather cheap, but the shawl itself was a symbol for something else.
The hanger was just as important as the clothes themself.
Who was the person that always wore that shawl? An elementalist that every single person in Silvenia Academy knew.
"We're back at the entrance again! Aghk!"
No one appeared to be listening to her, but there was a girl crying out that appeared from further inside.
No, there must have been someone listening to her. It was just that Lortel couldn't see them.
"What did I say? Takan was right…! N-No? Who said to do it this time? Hmm… That's why… At the second fork you go right, then left, then…. Left, left, right, right, left, right, left, left… no…? Was it left, left, right, left, right, left, left…? Ahh my head hurts…"
She was pointing her finger around in the air, complaining over and over again.
"I'm sorry that I'm terrible with directions… It took me a few days to memorize the path to the northern forest, so isn't asking me to figure out this maze all at once too much…? You weren't able to memorize the directions either, Mellis! Don't get so angry with me…! Ahh, I'm also so freaking frustrated…! I can't believe we ended up back here again. Just how much longer till we finally find Ed…?"
The reason Yennekar suddenly stopped talking was because she had made eye contact with Lortel.
In the dark underground waterways, only the sound of the flowing water was heard.
The cutely braided light pink hair of hers was covered in dirt. She also wasn't wearing the shawl that she would normally have.
Even her uniform, which she normally wore neatly, had gotten wet and covered dirt stains. Given its state, it was certain that it hadn't been long since she was in combat.
Given the size and shape of the traces, it appeared that she had fought even more further inside the waterways.
"Oh my, oh my. It's my upperclassman, Yennekar."
The term cats and dogs didn't fully describe the relationship between the two. It was dirtier and nastier than that.
Whether it was from Yennekar or Lortel's point of view, it was clear that they were nuisances to each other.
Lortel definitely saw the image of Takan several minutes ago near the entrance to the underground waterways. She was able to guess that Yennekar must have come at once after she heard about Ed's abduction.
But for Yennekar, Lortel's appearance is completely unexpected.
That was an important fact.
That meant that Lortel was one step faster when it came to judging the situation.
Yennekar Palerover is Silvenia's Ace, who boasts an impressive level of strength even amongst the top students of each grade level.
If you were to line them all up by fighting power—ignoring Lucy, who completely overpowered everyone else—she was someone that was certainly near the top.
At that point, Professor Glast's researchers couldn't do anything.
She was just going to destroy the entire waterways altogether, messing up everything they were planning while making sure Ed was safe.
"Then…?"
Lortel was the type of person that was confident in her understanding of herself due to her cool-headed personality.
But even so, Lortel was overlooking something… The fact that her mindset regressed only when a relationship between a man and women was involved.
One day, when Lortel came to realize that fact, she might become full of shame… but that was a story for the distant future. Anyway, the image in Lortel's head was all too one-dimensional.
Yennekar had all sorts of spirits with her to go and rescue Ed, who had been caught up in that mess.
"I'm here to save you, Ed. You're not hurt? It was so difficult. I was so worried about you. Are you alright? Let's go back together. I cooked for you back at the camp. Let's warm up by drinking some of the hot soup. You don't have much strength in your body now, do you? It's okay. Get on my back."
"Thank you, Yennekar. You're the best. It was so hard on me, getting kidnapped out of the blue like that. I was so scared and I really needed your help. All I need is you. I think you are my life partner. Let's get married, Yennekar."
"What are you saying, talking about marriage? I love it. Where should we hold the ceremony? How many children should we have? Do you want a daughter or a son? Where will our newlywed house be built? Will we be fine?"
"Don't worry, Yennekar. I'll make sure to not let a drop of dirt fall on your hands. Alright, let's go. The morning sun is rising. Let's run towards the sun that is rising so brightly like we're a happily married couple. Hahahaha!"
No way!
She had touched almost every single business in the world, but she was ridiculously awful when it came to the dating business. Now that she had come around and was a bit self-aware… Without fail, Lortel's pupils were trembling again.
"Yennekar, Ed has already somehow been rescued…! It's really, really infuriating that he ended up getting seriously hurt while getting kidnaped…! He is laying on his sickbed, calling out your name! He may fall back into a coma at any moment, so I came over here looking for you! You have to go to the camp now!"
Lortel, who was smart, started to think things through.
Given that there is circumstantial evidence that the underground waterways were where Ed had been abducted to, she needed to kick Yennekar out.
"Wh-What did you say?"
Yennekar was completely surprised as she made a little squealing sound. She quickly grabbed her wand, holding it close to her chest as she ran out as fast as a bullet.
She passed by Lortel, her footsteps going up the hill and out of the underground waterways.
Hearing the sound of her retreat slowly getting softer, Locky quickly began to deduce just which of the pathways Ed ended up getting taken.
But that time didn't last long at all. The sounds of the footsteps gradually started to get louder as Yennekar popped out from around the corner.
"But, Lortel. Why would you tell me that?"
Lortel swallowed her breath.
"As soon as I figured out Ed's location, I hurriedly ran over here like an arrow at lightning speed. And I've been staying around the entrance over here the entire time, so how would he have managed to get saved? Who was the one that saved him? I was the first one to arrive, so how did he manage to get saved without me seeing it at all?"
For a moment, Lortel completely stopped listening to Yennekar chattering.
She wasn't caught off guard at all. On the contrary, she spoke back in a cool, composed tone. There was a bright smile, like a blooming flower, on her face.
"Or maybe that didn't happen."
"You're seriously too much!"
Yennekar was furious, like a ball that had been inflated to its limit before being stepped on and popped.
Seeing her stretching her arm out and waving her oak wand around in the air, it sort of looked as if she was whining.
But Lortel wasn't going to back down, either.
Ed Rothstaylor always seemed to be an indifferent person, but he was always grateful for what he received, leaving a debt in his heart that he would make sure to pay back later.
So the favor he would repay if you saved his life… Ed would never take something of that level lightly.
The first person that was able to find and rescue Ed would properly receive that favor from that honestly somewhat unfriendly human being. It was a different type of favor compared to the purchase of the Seal.
It wasn't an opportunity that was available for many people. There was only one person who could arrive first. In the world of a desperate race, there was no glory allowed for second place. It was a world dominated solely by the winner.
"This is not the time to be doing this, Lortel! But…"
Yennekar knew that fact very well… but before that, it might be a situation where Ed's life was seriously at stake.
She was going to tell her that it wasn't the time to have a war of nerves, but…
"…Lortel, you came alone, didn't you? This could become even more dangerous if you were cowardly and ended up bringing your company employees along with you! Hmph!"
Yennekar, who successfully managed to add on a justifiable reason, began to express the fairness of it all as well.
"I also asked Lucy to help me out at first, but… She didn't listen to me at all. She just let out a yawn and began going out for a walk… She completely ignored what I was saying and kept on moving at her own pace… That's why I'm also alone."
"Aha… I see."
Lortel grinned as they blankly stared at each other for a while.
Yennekar's cute and lively smile made it look like a cozy dandelion would start to bloom from its seeds.
"I'll go take a look at the east section of these waterways, Lortel."
"Okay, I'll try searching the other side, then."
It might be a situation where Ed's life was seriously in danger. Wouldn't it be too irrational for the two of them to keep trying to keep each other in check in such a situation? That was why they decided to at least keep a minimal amount of decency with each other.
They didn't say anything of the sort to each other, but they seemed to have reached such a compromise.
However, as soon as the two of them split up and turned their corners, they both began sprinting down the waterways as if they were waiting for that moment.
Since ancient times, a world of winning was a heartless one.
***
Patter
The sound of a cloud of dust falling down.
Even though they were in a space deep underground, a ray of sunlight cut through the air of the underground library.
The little girl that was crouching started to stand up, straightening out and stretching like it was her usual behavior… She shook her head a couple times before she straightened her witch's hat, looking around.
Would it be more appropriate to call her idiotic or ridiculous?
In front of common sense, no matter how thick it might be she was someone that would cut through it easily, like tofu.
It wasn't even high-ranking magic. It wasn't magic that she used in a specific way, either.
It was just her pure, overwhelming magic power. That was it. For that lazy girl, even such a beginner-level magic power refinement process was just a chore.
She was simply a monster that was born with an unbelievable level of magic power resonance.
By tapping into her inherent and natural magic power levels, she was able to break through the surface and continue forward towards the place she'd felt Ed's presence, all while releasing her magic power.
Even with the bare minimum effort, refining her magic power or controlling its flow to increase efficiency was all an annoyance to her.
It simply surpassed ignorance, to the point of being absurd. It was like cutting an apple with a chainsaw.
At that point, it wasn't even anything like magic. It was just overwhelming physical violence.
***
The hall was filled with marble fragments that had scattered when the ceiling of Soul Library collapsed.
At Lazy Lucy's feet was the unconscious Banshee Reina, who had been completely overpowered and crushed.
"Eughyaaak—!"
The way she yawned and stretched was exactly the same as usual.
Standing at the top of a pile of bookshelves that were crushing Banshee Reina's body, she looked down at me with a sleepy look on her face…
"Hi."
Lucy sounded like she was still in a daze.
"I was bored, so I came to save you."
Holding back a throbbing headache, I swept my hand over my face again and again.
Ahh…
-x-X-x-
There were a lot of buildings.
The view from the rooftop of Trix Hall, looking down at the entirety of the education district, was quite an impressive sight.
Obel Forsyth was often told that he looked young. However, it was in reference to his position rather than his actual age.
Obel wasn't even sixty years old. Compared to the other Headmasters that had served at Silvenia, he was particularly young.
Twenty-eight years had already passed since he was first hired as a professor. There was no higher position to rise to from his current position.
The world had changed a lot.
The teacher district, which used to only have five or six buildings for classes, was now larger than an entire village. Climbing up the hill and looking across the distance, the entire view itself was just barely visible. Considering that the commercial district had nearly doubled in size, that meant that the size of Silvenia Academy had also doubled in size since he'd started working there.
Before he had known it, there was no one left in Silvenia that had been there longer than himself.
Of course, that included not only the students that graduated but also the extremely talented professors that still only had less than half of his work experience.
"I have no doubt that right now, this is the golden age of Silvenia Academy."
When Obel spoke, holding his hands behind his back on the top of the rooftop, Dean McDowell nodded his head in support behind him.
"If that is what you say, Headmaster Obel, then it must be so."
His experience and strength were highly respected throughout Silvenia.
Obel Forsyth looked out at the outskirts of the teacher district, where smoke was rising. As was often the case with underground waterways, it was a place where the floating population was nearly non-existent. Only the size of it was large… So it was a little bit difficult to consider it as important infrastructure.
The golden age.
Even looking through every generation in Silvenia's history, it would be difficult to see a batch of students as impressive as the golden generation that made up the current first years.
Lucy, Ziggs, Lortel, Elvira, Clevius, Eldin.
Even if you looked at their grades alone, they had the potential to surpass even the grades of the top students in other years.
But were grades the only area in which they excelled?
Ayla was gifted with a scholarly talent, capable of absorbing vast amounts of knowledge regarding magic in an instant. Plus, she was able to come up with interesting opinions through her insight.
Princess Penia, one of the three princesses of the Kroel Royal Family and the one that received an overwhelming amount of support, would eventually walk the path of a monarch… No matter how much she might dislike that fact.
And… the one that was already the subject of many rumors among the students.
Taylee McLaure, who—after gaining control of the Swordmaster's Skill—started to grow at a ridiculous rate.
What would happen next year? Already, many important freshmen had expressed their intentions of enrolling at Silvenia.
The only son of Magnus, a fearless commander in charge of guarding the northern border: Wade.
The second daughter of the Rothstaylor Family, which was considered the continent's most powerful house: Tanya.
From the religious order of Kelos, which boasted the largest number of followers within the Empire: Saint Clarice.
A descendant of Karl, known as the disaster Alchemist, who had created half of all the poisons in the world by himself: Claude.
Even just having one of those students in an academy year would bring all sorts of expectations along with them, like a rising star in the night sky. However, he also started to experience an unsettled feeling.
It was a useless thought.
With the appearance of all these talents at such a level, does that mean there will be a massive ordeal ahead of us that we will struggle through…?
However, no matter how many of those ridiculously amazing freshmen there were, at the end there would still be only one person that was shining at the top.
One that used the magic power she received from the blessings of the stars. An emotional magician that only acted when she pleased.
In the twenty-eight years he had held his position, Obel never once thought that he would be pushed back by a student.
That was because amongst those that existed, he was considered the closest to being on the same stage as the archmage Glockt.
"Are you sure that it is okay to not get involved?"
Head Dean McDowell spoke with a concerned note to his voice.
With his hands behind his back, Obel shook his head as he stood still and looked down at the underground waterways.
McDowell's comment was ultimately because he was worried.
A senior professor caused a disturbance because of his own emotionally driven decision. Because of that professor, the precious treasure of the academy had been stolen.
There were even students that had gotten kidnapped, so if there happened to be any sort of casualties, Obel's responsibilities would grow exponentially.
However, if it ended up a simple accident, merely issuing a statement and apologizing would result in just a loss of his pride… But if a student were to lose their life, there was no telling how things would turn out.
Regardless of that, Obel didn't move a bit.
If you looked down a bit at the railing, you could see the signs of someone that had sat down and took a nap there. And alongside that mark there were even bits of jerky left behind.
There were traces of magic power that came from either an archmage or one that had received the blessings of the stars. Looking in the direction the magic power disappeared to, it was the underground waterways.
The only one in Silvenia that could rival Headmaster Obel… an extraordinary genius that was born with an amazing level of power.
One that even Professor Glast had claimed to have the qualities of an archmage, one that would forever go down in history.
No matter how much of a veteran he might be in the studies of Celestial magic, he still couldn't compete against the girl that wielded strength at an unfair level, one that the gods had blessed her with.
"Professor Glast…"
Obel gently closed his eyes.
All the time that passed was meaningless.
At one point, even Obel was a new professor. The same was true for Professor Glast.
The passage of time was one that wore out and aged people.
It was something that gradually took away from the passion of a new professor, only to make them reborn into a matured educator.
"Dean Obel, this is completely ridiculous! Please, say something!"
When Professor Glast had first been assigned as a professor, Obel was already the dean of the magic department.
Glast's appearance, rather thin and pale, was the same since he had started as a professor. Obviously, he was a lot more talkative then than he was now.
"Among the failing students, isn't it unfair to collectively fail those who are staying in Dex Hall? Even if they may not have talent, does that make them any less of a student?"
"Separating the students based on their grades is better for academic performance! It's not separating them purely on who they are!"
"Of course, depending on your natural talent you may be able to reach a higher stage. But still, as an educator, treating those that are buried under that stage like an outcast isn't right!"
That youthful Professor Glast of the past, who even used to raise his voice and slammed his hands on his desk, was now just a portrait of the past.
In the days where he didn't care about researching Celestial Magic, staying up all night in some corner of his laboratory trying to make a one-week curriculum even just a bit more effective. But that was a long time ago.
Decades passed, letting him experience various things that also changed many of his values.
So what conclusion did he come up with after all of those years had passed? What was he trying to prove after his long life as an academic?
"It's not always a good thing to grow old together."
Obel let out a deep sigh without anyone noticing as he looked out at the unfolding landscape.
The autumn scenery of the falling leaves could be seen in light of the setting sun across the academy.
At some point, the changing of the seasons brought very little meaning to him.
He was getting old.
***
"You know."
I was sitting on one side of the collapsed bookshelves as I tried to wrap my head.
"You know, You know, You know, You know, You know."
Maybe it was because she thought I didn't hear, and that was why I wasn't answering, but it was annoying to see her keep calling out to me.
It was always the same every time Lucy said "You know." It was completely obvious what she would say next.
"Do you have any jerky left?"
"You think I would?"
"Hmph…"
Lucy had no intention of hiding her disappointment. While acting so shamelessly, she kicked her feet around in the air.
Seeing Lucy swinging her feet around, sitting on top of a bookcase on the opposite side of me while fixing her witch hat, it was clear that she was the same as always.
Even after breaking through the surface with her own body, busting all the way down into the secret laboratory, she still acted like it was nothing. Doing that much was enough to give her the credit for being my savior. However, she thought of it as nothing more than getting a glass of water.
Of course, it wasn't a situation where I could just thank her for saving me and be happy with how it all turned out.
"Well… alright. Thanks, Lucy."
Though, since she had come all the way down, deep into this secret laboratory, I needed to thank her anyway.
"But… Why did you come all the way here to save me…?"
It wasn't really polite to ask 'why did you save me??' right after getting saved. Of course, Lucy couldn't care less about that.
"That… Elementalist had asked me for help. At first, I was going to ignore her because it seemed annoying, but then I thought I should maybe go and save you. Also I was bored."
Lucy quickly flew up with that small body of hers, gently landing on the marble floor under the pile of bookshelves.
Seeing that appearance of hers, her overly long sleeves fluttering as she gently landed, she really didn't seem human.
Though, if you were to look at her, Lucy's actual weight had to be a few times more than a heavy stray cat. In the first place, it was obvious that her movements weren't those of a regular person. It was easier to think of her movements as if she were a feather.
Well, there was also the fact that she applied various Weight Lightening, Gravity, and similar magics, which might have played a part in the image.
"You thought that you should come and save me?"
"Yeah. I don't know why, but while I was just laying around in camp, I got bored and thought I should go save you."
I quietly stared at Lucy as she let out a yawn, as if she didn't care one bit.
"You know."
"What?"
"Do you really not have any leftover jerky? Really?"
"Yeah."
"…Hmph…"
Lucy didn't express her discontent directly, but she grumbled with a look of true disappointment.
"Either way, I saved you so I'm going. I need to go and find a decent place nearby to take a nap."
"…You can't."
"...?"
At first glance, it seemed that things weren't going well at all.
After going that far, I wasn't just complaining. Of course, there was no way that everything in the world would go as planned.
It's just that I thought things had gotten worse than I had believed. At least Taylee's specs seemed to have grown well enough.
Like most games, Taylee's growth exponentially increased more and more in the second half of the story anyway. It would be even stranger if his growth's efficiency in the early-mid part of the game was similar to that in the later sections.
If his specs had been growing well so far, then skipping a few bosses wouldn't result in any major problems.
Just like during Act 1's final chapter, even if he didn't learn the necessary core skills to break through the wall blocking his path to progress the story further along, he'd manage to sort it out later.
The bosses that would train his Swordmaster's Skill were already set. In the case of Act 2's final chapter, there was the boss Glast, the Devil of the Underground Waterways, Researcher Koom, and the Cyclops. As those were all great in terms of training efficiency, it was obvious that they would come out in the second part of the storyline.
So far, it's okay… At least, for now…!
As he consistently trained his Swordmaster's Skill, he would eventually fully awaken to the ways of the sword. Then, whether it be the Evil God Mebula or an ancient incarnation that broke the providence of the world… Ultimately, Taylee would go through a hellish time figuring everything out and defeat them. In the first place, if it wasn't Taylee, those bosses couldn't die.
As for the rest of his specs, all they needed to do was somehow keep up with the basic growth stats anyway. So far, there hadn't been any issues with that.
"Don't go anywhere. Just stay here with me."
"..."
I put my hand on Lucy's shoulders as I spoke with certainty.
Anyway, since his spec growth itself was still bearable, the top priority was to get rid of all the bad ending routes that couldn't be solved from my position.
The variable Lucy, who would drive the largest number of players into a bad ending route in the Act 2 final chapter.
I needed to avoid the situation where she ended up being persuaded by Professor Glast and became antagonistic towards Taylee.
Compared to how dangerous that was, it was rather easy to prevent.
Just don't let Lucy and Glast meet. All I had to do was thoroughly keep an eye on Lucy and nothing else.
It somewhat sounded like I was just in charge of taking care of Lucy… Well, that was just the way the situation was.
"Why?"
Asking me 'why?'… It was difficult to come up with some type of reason.
Those empty eyes were staring at me… Suddenly, memories from my past swept through my mind.
What does Lucy Mayreel mean to those that have played
That was the first wall the player encountered. One that showed at a crucial moment and couldn't be overcome.
Act 3's final chapter. Lucy Subjugation.
Summoning all four of the highest-ranking spirits at the top of Mount Aurone, casting ultimate magic as if it were only beginner magic… A living natural disaster that couldn't be defeated even if all the faculty, the royal family, the country's strongest, and the academy's internal forces joined forces.
The first memory I had of that was when she shot out end-spec level magic as if it were raining down, making it impossible to approach her. I even had to use all the consumables on me back then just to withstand her attack.
In the end, a player by themselves couldn't defeat her on their own. She was designed so that you would need to gather NPCs within the world that had end-level specs all into one spot just to barely be able to defeat her.
Until the day you could see the final ending of Silvenia's Failed Swordmaster, there wasn't a way to raise your specs high enough to defeat Lucy.
By analyzing ways to develop your growth and creating different strategies that utilize consumables, an end-spec Taylee might be able to match up or temporarily overpower her, but… it was something that required you to to use two or three tricks.
At the very least, there wasn't anyone within that generation of the story that could catch up to Lucy in fundamental strength.
She was a girl that solely boasted a ridiculous amount of strength and mana resonance.
Even Lucy's current condition showcased a ridiculous amount of power, but not even half of her true talent had taken bloom yet.
If you were to write down the strengths of each character on a bar graph, Lucy would break through the graph by herself, making everyone else appear the same.
Lucy's graph was very different from the standard, so it had to be put in a completely different setting book.
That's why… Lucy is a completely uncontrollable variable.
Like a stray cat that played around in the city as she pleased… No one could deal with that girl.
She went where she wanted, ate what she wanted, and slept when she wanted.
It was impossible to know what she was thinking, and her actions were unpredictable.
Sniff. Sniff.
I wasn't saying anything, but she started sniffing the back of my hand for the smell of jerky.
I was at a complete loss of words, since that clearly shows just what kind of person the girl was.
"There's no reason for me to stick around with you. You're already safe."
Even though she was in a daze, her voice was clear. Lucy stated the obvious situation.
It wouldn't work if I tried to explain every single thing to a girl that wouldn't listen.
"Lucy, you're strong. I feel relieved when I'm with you."
"..."
"Even if you don't do anything special, don't say much, I still feel reassured having you next to me. Don't you know that feeling?"
"..."
Lucy looked back at me blankly as she slowly responded.
"I know it."
"Yeah, it's like that."
Lucy grumbled as her overly large sleeves flapped around.
"But that's completely for you."
"That's right. That's why I'm asking for a favor. Just stay close to me until I get out of this underground waterway."
"If you want to get out of this underground waterway then I'll send you out."
"There's something I have to deal with before I leave."
"Booooo-"
She looked like she was going to die from annoyance.
"Fine, I get it. Then, I'd like to ask you for a favor in return."
"..."
I think I knew what she was trying to say when she stretched her arms out in the air looking at me with those dopey eyes. The girl was looking for a place to take a nap.
Well, it's not all that difficult for me to give the small girl a piggyback ride.
Lifting her up, it happened so quickly that I wondered if she really had the weight of a human.
As I carried Lucy around, she naturally wrapped her arms around my neck, moving her legs around a bit to fix her posture and preparing to get a good sleep. As if she had found the most comfortable place in the world, she placed her chin on my shoulder as she let out a satisfied noise.
After that, it didn't take long at all before I started to hear her light snoring.
Alright, I'll hold onto Lucy just like this, tightly so that she can't go anywhere.
Like this, I'll hurry things up and finish what I have to do.
There's still a lot of things left for me to take even though the library is now partially destroyed.
Reina was defeated, so I could just grab everything that I needed and get out of the underground waterways.
If I ran into Yennekar or another character that came down to rescue me while on my way, I'd quickly explain to them that I was okay and show them that I was completely fine before taking my leave.
If I happened to meet Taylee, I'd explain Ayla's situation. That way he would be a bit more active in going to subjugate Glast.
The party formed to subjugate Glast had to be coming through the underground waterways now.
It was completely ridiculous that I was the only one getting to experience escaping through backwards means.
***
Taylee and his party were heading deeper into the underground waterways.
Everyone was filled with nervousness.
When they first arrived at the entrance of the underground waterways, they had seen Dorothy—who was completely unconscious—as well as the fragments of the golems. They already felt that it had to be a serious situation.
Inside the underground waterways… going near whatever they saw, it ended up all being broken and smashed things of sorts.
"Everyone, don't let your guard down…!"
Taylee McLaure was not yet at a level to be called a Swordmaster, but at the very least he has grown to a level that the other students his age wouldn't be able to mindlessly ignore him.
He was still a little lacking compared to the first year ace members, but his combat skills had built up enough proficiency that if a situation appeared, he'd be able to manage by himself well.
During the midterm exam, Ziggs had no choice but to applaud Taylee for his progress.
It was a glimpse of Taylee's life, which consisted of overcoming many trials with persistence and effort.
That was why Ziggs always respected Taylee.
For those that bled and ground their bones to dust just to survive, there was a presence to them.
Ziggs was a man that always had respect for that presence.
"Do we really need to go any further? Looking at it, it seems like there are more people here in these underground waterways than just us… Didn't you hear that shake just now…? And there was that big earthquake…! As expected… Let's…. Let's just not do something so dangerous…. How about we just leave…?"
Clevius trembled as he said those words. Elvira then stepped on Clevius' foot.
"Look at you speaking nonsense again, Clevius! Aren't you going to save Ayla?"
"I-In the first place…! That girl Ayla only gets mad at me! I don't want to save a girl like that! And on top of that, that… Ed Rothstaylor… Do we have to go and save him, too?! Why do we have to go so far?!"
"Clevius."
A soft and rather low-pitched voice traveled through the underground waterways.
It was Taylee McLaure.
"I'm really sorry. But I really want to save Ayla. That's why I'm asking for your help."
Taylee had already bowed his head before politely asking Clevius for his help.
Clevius was rather pathetic, constantly changing his words. Nevertheless, Taylee bowed his head again.
"Ugh. Keughk…! Ack…! Seriously, why are you doing this to me?!"
Clevius knew that Ayla was a good person.
She wasn't someone that viewed Olevius as pathetic just because he ran away from everything. She was a girl that tried to scold him to try and correct him.
"Don't back out after coming so far, Clevius."
Ziggs put his hand on Clevius' shoulder as he patted him on the back and once again looked at every person in the subjugation force.
The Failed Swordmaster Taylee, Spear from Nature Ziggs, Gloomy Clevius, Nosy Elvira… and Romantic Adele.
"Oh my."
In the party, a girl with blond hair that was tuning the strings of a mandolin began to smile brightly.
From her warm appearance, relaxing voice, and the way she comfortably listened to everyone, she appeared to have no mental fatigue at all.
Behind her ears were a few daffodils that were stuck up against her fair skin.
Throughout her hair, which was flowing down like a waterfall, there weren't just daffodils but also more than ten hairpins in the shape of a cosmos, rose, tulips, and such.
Adele, the prophet. No, she referred to herself as the Romantic Adele.
"I haven't heard many details about Ayla, but it seems that she must be a really good and honest person, since you all are doing so much to save her."
"Yeah. Ayla is like my lifetime partner."
"Alright, Taylee. But you're going to have to prepare yourself."
Adele was an astrologist before she was a magician.
It wasn't perfect, but using the energy of the stars to take a peek into future scenes hit the nail on the head for the most part.
"The enemies you're going to face ahead… I have a feeling that it won't be easy."
Judging from Professor Glast's whereabouts, the theft of the Sage's Seal was a thoroughly planned out crime.
Though, he had already expected chasing after him would be like this to some extent.
In any case, it was highly likely that there were plenty of traps or other means available that would hinder an invader's pursuit.
The fragments of the magic golem they saw at the beginning were probably one of those traces.
They didn't know the reason, but even the top third year student in the Alchemy department, Dorothy, seemed to have fallen unconscious after failing to break her way into the underground waterways.
That being said… just what was up ahead blocking their way in the underground waterways?
If it was someone that even the top third year student in the Alchemy department couldn't handle then… They could never drop their guard.
With that, the party took a bit before completely focusing and pushing further ahead.
Bang! Bang!
Before long, they heard a sound come from around the corner.
Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaghk!
Hearing the sharp screaming from a girl, the party ran towards her quickly before making eye contact. There was someone in front of them.
As soon as they turned the corner, a spirit with a massive flame appeared.
The wide waterways stretched out like a circle, connecting all the way around somewhat like a plaza. Even though there were countless paths within the waterways, they all met there.
There were two people in the center of it.
"P-Please…! I-I really don't know! I'm just here to see if things are going okay…! That's all I've been told…! Please! Give me a break! Just once!"
There was a girl. As her back was facing towards them, they couldn't see her face.
But seeing all of the spirits surrounding the girl… and hearing the terrifying scream from the other, it was someone they knew very well.
Among the professors in charge of the first years, Assistant Professor Cleoh was the one that the students liked the most because of her relatable image.
Thanks to her youth, her student-like way of thinking, and complete selflessness, the students adored her.
To not discredit the position of faculty member, she had trained sufficiently in beginner combat magic so that a student wouldn't be able to fight on par with her, but… her opponent was too much.
The girl grabbed her wand as she whispered something into Assistant Professor Cleoh's ear. It seemed to be only five or six words long.
"I-I don't know! Really! In the first place, that wasn't planned! I-It… It simply happened on a whim…! J-Just give me a break! Please!"
Soon after, Assistant Professor Cleoh eventually became exhausted, falling to the floor of the waterways making a splash as her tears fell as well.
While sitting on the floor, she pushed herself back against a wall. The spirits surrounding her began to scream as Assistant Professor Cleoh passed out.
Still, the girl never looked back.
But the party was already aware of the girl's identity.
In particular, Taylee and Elvira have already faced off against her twice now.
They still remembered just how terrifying she was on the first floor of Ophelis Hall, manifesting all sorts of mid-ranking spirits to protect Ed.
At the time, Takan's strength hadn't fully returned. They weren't sure if it was even possible to win if they faced off against her now.
Though, both Taylee and Elvira have raised their specs quite a bit. They might even be able to do a lot more against her now.
But back then, she still didn't even try her hardest.
And in this current situation, Ed wasn't even there to stop the girl. Thinking about it, the power they witnessed from the girl back at Ophelis Hall was just a taste of what she could do.
From experience, fear began to rise throughout Taylee's body. He quickly drew his sword, taking a defensive stance.
"Uhm… Wasn't it… Right, left, left, right, left, right, left? In the first place, did I take too many right turns…? Hmm…"
The girl saying those things turned around in the dark. She had noticed the presence of Taylee's party.
Within all of those spirits, the girl that looked back was as lively as usual… No one could speak to her easily.
"Oh! Hey, everyone."
Everyone's facial expression hardened in an instant, other than Ziggs'. In fact, he seemed rather pleased to see her.
Thinking of it, the shawl that was near Dorothy, who was unconscious at the entrance of the underground waterways.
There was a beautiful cosmos decoration attached to it, so the owner was definitely… that girl.
She was definitely the one that had defeated Dorothy, who was coming into the underground waterways.
They didn't know the details. But seeing as Dorothy was unconscious, and even witnessing the nice Assistant Professor Cleoh passing out in fear… They couldn't let their guard down.
They were as solid as a stone, not moving an inch as they gulped. Ziggs, who was the only one not realizing what was going on, kept on staring at them wondering what was with them.
A round junction in the massive underground waterways.
In the middle of it was the intruder, who was waiting for them: Yennekar Palerover.
She was too strong of an opponent for Taylee's party to stop on their own.
However, even an unbeatable opponent will sometimes break down in the face of courage. Everyone was serious, as they all wanted to save Ayla.
"G-Guys…? What's wrong with all your expressions…?! D-Did I do something wrong…? W-Was I being too hard on the assistant professor Cleoh…? But I only asked her a question. It was assistant professor Cleoh who got so worked up…!"
The timid Yennekar didn't know what she should say as the spirits kept making a fuss inside of her head.
Anyway, it was a situation where she couldn't even waste a minute.
She was extremely worried about Ed, who had been kidnapped, and the fact that no one had gone to rescue him. Also, just what kind of trouble had he caught himself up in? After all, Ed has a lot of enemies… So, as she had thought, there was no choice but to go out and save him.
Regardless of what was happening to Ed, there was no one else that would go and save him.
Long story short, she was busy.
So busy she could die…!