Chapter 329 - EASG 23

[ Clevius.

I may be destined to live in the gutter for the rest of my life. It's unfair to simply say it's the fault of my being born this way, but it's better to not put up a struggle.

Even if you didn't intend for it, the blood staining my hands won't fade away.

As your father, I feel miserable.

I'm sure one day you'll have a bright future. The ordeal you are going through now is only temporary… is what I want to say. I want to give you hope, saying that everything can be overcome.

But if I comfort you with such lies, it would be nothing more than avoiding reality.

Thus, I have no choice but to speak truthfully with you.

You are likely to live a gloomy and miserable life. More often than not, your efforts will not be rewarded.

There will be many times where you are living in the dark underground, longing for a mere ray of sunlight to shine through.

However, Clevius, I do believe that a life without light is also worth living. Even living a life in such an endless cave, I believe that meaning can be found.

I'm not saying these nice things to comfort you. I believe that the time will surely come where you will understand what I'm trying to tell you.

As you live on, I'm sure there will be times you resent the fact you were born with such blood.

You will also meet many people that live bright, dazzling lives in comparison to your miserable one.

Naturally, you will feel a sense of deprivation. Fight against your heart, which may believe it's unfair and disappointing.

Why do I have to keep on living? Just what is the point in this type of life…? Rid yourself of such emotional thoughts.

As long as you keep on living with your head high, later on that meaning will somehow find its way to you.

I'm sorry that this is all I can tell you. But nevertheless, I truly believe it.

In your life, surely, there must be some value. ]

***

"I-It's my defeat…"

"Good work."

Breaking the magic power stone that the student brought, I waved farewell to the underclassmen whose name I didn't know.

I then sat back down on the altar as I took a rest. My whole body was aching, as all of this was no easy task.

With that, there were four students. The time remaining for the class assignment exam was also nearing the end, as the number of students that had reached the altar were smaller than I expected.

The most difficult one to deal with was the first student to arrive, Joseph. Honestly speaking, he deserved to pass. The fact that he had gotten through the apparitions so quickly without trouble meant that he was more than capable.

It was natural that the more a student struggled through the process to reach that point, their practical skills would also decline. Actually, the fact that he could do all of that as a freshman was quite amazing.

But it seemed that most of the freshmen that were following behind Joseph had been stopped by Anise or Clevius. It was a bit harsh to pit them against a soon-to-be third year student that is an honor student in the magic department or the soon-to-be second year top student in the combat department after they were already completely exhausted climbing up the mountain.

Already, most of the students had been knocked out by those two while the majority of the rest had used evasive magic to run past them or hidden magic to sneak past them.

Rather than fighting head on, they were students that used tricks.

In fact, their way of thinking was rather flexible and out of the box, which was something deserving of praise. But in the end, they had to show themselves in front of the altar, so I ended up blocking all of them.

"Phew…"

Aside from Wade, the son of the military commander of the northern border, most of the first year were pretty much at the same level. But that guy, he was a part of the combat department, not the magic one.

Of course, there were geniuses that stood out when compared to the average of their year like Joseph and Eigg.

But compared to the upcoming second years, the so-called 'Protagonist Generation'… it was a fact that the pool of talent was rather small. Though, that generation was a miracle and didn't at all mean that the current incoming students were low-level.

"The exam was simpler than I thought."

The exam was nearing its end. I sat patiently on the altar as I let out a deep sigh.

The freshmen class assignment examination was not a main storyline within .

From the perspective of the protagonist generation, the news regarding the event was only at a level where you would think 'Oh, there was something like that going on.'

Therefore, from my point of view there were many parts in regard to how the exam would progress that I couldn't predict. It was too difficult to fully grasp all of the details.

However, there was still one thing I was questioning.

Assistant Professor Cleoh, who had lost her mind, failed to control the level of difficulty. Thus, none of the students were accepted into Class A.

Among all of the freshmen, given the exam's difficulty, how did not even one student manage to have the power to pass through it?

Even Wade, who would take the spot as the top student amongst the freshmen, couldn't guarantee his victory.

Whatever had popped out of the purple apparition disks, he should have had the power to somehow defeat it… So, it was strange that he didn't even manage to make it into Class A.

"…Maybe they didn't want to stand out."

In fact, that was close to the answer.

I sat still on the altar as I caught my breath, looking up at the open sky. I had prepared all sorts of things, but I guess there was no use for it.

I quietly sat hoping that the exam would end like that.

***

Clarice's earliest memory as a saint came from when she baptized the Kroel Empire's Betis Margrave.

When she was just a short young girl, she drew the holy cross with her hand, wetted by the holy water as she put a red silk cloth symbolizing God's servant on the Margrave's shoulder. The image of the Margrave, who looked as if he was most honored with his head bowed, was etched into the girl's mind.

And then it was Viscount Selah, who protected the Sale Lakeside.

And then, the head of House Rothstaylor, Duke Krepin.

Even though she was called a girl, Clarice was actually more like a child. The image of Krepin kneeling before such a girl, showing his respect… Even though a lot of time had passed since then, Clarice clearly remembered that moment.

Among all the dukes, he was the only one that had yet to be baptized by the Telos Religious Group. So, Clarice was worried that he may have had some animosity towards them. His sudden support for the Telos Religious Group had left some people doubtful and suspicious.

However, his appearance at the baptizing ceremony was unexpectedly that of an ideal monarch himself.

A benevolent, dignified, wise, and understanding person.

Not only was it Krepin, but the family and servants he had brought with him were all overflowing with grace. Clarice then understood that 'this was a real, proper aristocrat.'

Among them, there was the heir to the house, who always showed elegance with a beautiful smile. Arwen Rothstaylor sat in the seat reserved for honored guests.

That was the class that came from an esteemed daughter. She couldn't help but think that upon seeing her.

The highest duke of the empire would indeed have elegance with everything. For a young Clarice, all of that seemed unfamiliar to her.

All members of the Rothstaylor Family were elegant and greatly understanding. Surely, if you grew up in such an environment, you couldn't help but be the same.

He was a person that could surely overcome any hardships.

Before she realized it, Clarice had formed such a preconceived idea.

"Haah… Huff…"

Tanya was shaking, barely managing to stand up straight as she heavily exhaled.

Halfway up the mountain, there was an 'apparition disk' trap. As soon as you neared the vicinity of it, you would lose your mind and fall into the magically engineered trap. You would be forced to fight against an illusionary enemy.

Of course, it was only an exam, so she wouldn't actually get injured.

But for a freshman with no proper combat experience to deal with various monsters and wild animals, even if it was only an apparition, it was still a huge mental rush.

Thus was the case with Tanya.

"Haah… Haah…"

Tanya stood, leaning against a nearby tree as she wiped off the cold sweat from her body.

If she had made a mistake, the apparition would have stabbed right through her with a blade. Had she not quickly used Wind Blade to defeat the goblin, there would have been a hole right through her stomach.

Of course, she wouldn't feel any pain, nor would she be hurt, but… Her legs kept on shaking.

As they approached the summit, all kinds of apparitions had a surprise attack on Tanya's mind.

It was not just once or twice, but several times already. Her fingernails had pushed back into her skin from all the combat, and she had even been stabbed a few times.

Whenever that happened, she had felt as if her vitality had been significantly drained. Now just going up the hill was no easy task. Mentally she was quite preoccupied too.

"Here, look at this. Pinecones!"

"It's amazing that something so small can be planted into the ground and become such a large tree!"

"Wow! Look. The leaves here and there each have a slightly different color. Maybe it's because the amount of sun they receive is different?"

"I wonder if this mushroom is edible. Hmm…"

However, unsure if the person tagging along with Tanya knew of her current state, she kept looking around excitedly as if she was on a picnic.

With just all of those apparition devices and magic set up, just how could that girl run around and be so excited?

In the first place, seeing as she looked perfectly fine, it didn't seem like the magically engineered items had any significant impact on the girl.

Thinking it was strange, Tanya took a look at Kylie, but there weren't any signs of anything like defensive magic on her.

"How should I say this… I have a unique constitution."

"Constitution?"

Sensing that Tanya was curious, Kylie grinned as she spoke vaguely.

"It's complicated to explain it in detail… Also, there isn't much time left in the exam, right? Look over there, it's not much further to the summit. First, let's go and finish this exam!"

Tanya glanced back at Kylie with sunken eyes.

Until they had gotten close to the summit, climbing halfway up the hill, Kylie was just looking around excitedly like a kid on a picnic.

Even though she said she would help with the exam, all she had been doing was walking around the mountain.

"You're amazing too, Tanya… In fact, since the exam is so difficult, it would have been fine to give up halfway through… and I'm sure there are many students that have given up, so there aren't many left taking the test."

"That's true, but… I really want to enter Class A…"

Tanya cleaned off her skirt as she stood up and set her shoulders wide again.

"It can't be helped if I'm not good enough. Even then, I still should do everything that I can! Giving up would be most embarrassing!"

"Is that so? Even if you don't get into Class A… You are still very beautiful and honorable. You're kind-hearted, and you have your own skill in magic."

"Oh my, so you know how to compliment. I appreciate it, but still. I'm not satisfied with just that."

Tanya took a deep breath as she proudly spoke.

"The moment you lose the desire to advance, that is when you completely stop as a person…!"

"I-Is that so…?!"

"Kylie, you may not know since you are from the border, but for those with a higher status, there's a responsibility and burden that comes with it!"

Kyle's eyes started to twinkle as she clasped her hands and nodded her head. Tanya felt some sort of unknown sense of satisfaction.

In fact… being a villainous esteemed daughter, she also had her own share of followers.

Even though Tanya didn't do anything special, as an esteemed daughter other girls would always hover next to her, agreeing like a clique.

Tanya thought that it wasn't right to be so blatantly fake without a justified reason. But at the same time, it was still a good feeling to her nonetheless…!

The look of respect and admiration towards her that made her out to be an amazing person… It wasn't as bad as she thought…!

"Indeed…! What you are saying is completely true…!"

"Hmph…"

It was all the more fatal because Tanya had a strong desire to be recognized. Kyle Eckner… her reactions were especially good…!

A strong reaction that came from 'sincerity'. Kylie was genuinely sympathetic to Tanya's long-winded rhetoric of high status and the weight of responsibility.

…'Sympathetic'?

Tanya felt that something was wrong for a brief moment. Still, the ongoing exam right in front of her was more important than that.

"I guess it really is important to try your best in everything. I think seeing you work so hard like this, I'm also getting stimulated!"

"A-Alright! You should always do your best in everything, and not live a life in vain, so you can naturally gain prestige…!"

"As expected, people from House Rothstaylor are all so hardworking and thoughtful!"

Clenching her two fists, pumping them up in the air towards Tanya, Kylie passionately nodded her head in agreement. Then, right when Tanya was about to be proud that she had once again shown the high status of House Rothstaylor…

"You don't even see me as a human being in the first place, do you?"

"So, what are you going to do? What even can you do? Will you try and kill me? Our sister Arwen has already left us, so once I'm dead you will take my place as successor."

"Alright, then try and stab me. Okay, here's a ceremonial dagger. Now, put it right through my chest. Here, just like this… I'll put it in your hand."

"…Not all of us are like that."

"Pardon?"

Tanya was still in the midst of confusion.

Ed's appearance at the camp was as if he had completely turned over a new leaf, but… She still wasn't convinced that he wasn't still like when he was younger.

The imprinted horrors still lingered in a corner of Tanya's heart.

Ed Rothstaylor was the worst of the worst. There was no way that such a person could change his heart so easily… That conviction wouldn't go away so easily.

"Not all of us are. No matter how much power a house might have, after years of existence, even a piece of shit… A ridiculous, unbelievable jerk will come out…"

"…Then… Who…?"

Kylie couldn't finish her sentence as Tanya's tone of voice lowered.

Maybe she blamed herself for the dreary mood as Kylie hesitatingly changed the topic of conversation.

"A-Anyway, if that is what you think, Miss Tanya, then I will do my best to help you both physically and mentally! Let's both proudly get into class A!"

Seeing her fist clenched, Kyle quickly cheered her up, worried that her first friend that was the same age as her may have gotten offended.

"I… I appreciate your support, but what do you mean you are going to help me?"

"Ah… Even though I'm like this… I do have a specialty. Once you see it, you'll be so surprised. But there are times… When I can't control it as I desire…"

Just what was so exciting for Kylie to be grinning like that? Tanya only let out a fleeting sigh.

***

"But Ziggs… Why did you even join the magic department? Even though I'm a part of the magic department, it's such a shame for you to follow me, given all your other talents."

Next to the northern grassland of the empire, the Islam Barony was a land of archaeology that had produced numerous historians.

Because of that, even though it was a relatively small territory, it has its own status amongst aristocrats.

The librarian Elka Islam, a longtime connection to Ziggs and now practically a companion in life, was looking out the window of the wobbly carriage

They came quite far from Acken Island, which was in the southwestern part of the continent. She was already happy, thinking of finally seeing the faces of family and vestiges back home after such a long time.

Sitting down across from the girl was 'The Spear of Nature' Ziggs. Quietly chewing on some snacks, he tilted his head as he looked towards Elka.

Getting bored on the long journey, she had chatted on about this and that, but the topic was completely out of the blue.

Ziggs was an all-around person in every field.

He knew how to use one-handed swords, large swords, long spears, short spears, knuckles, bow, blunt instruments, and was already close to mastering intermediate magic. His knowledge of alchemy was also outstanding, to the point where he had even more knowledge in certain areas than the alchemy students.

In addition to that, most of it was all 'practical knowledge.' Because his knowledge surpassed an academic level, it had a much greater meaning.

He was a 'perfect individual' that got top grades no matter what he did.

"Why are you bringing that up all of a sudden?"

"If you went to the combat or alchemy department, you would have been the top student. I just feel a little bad, since it feels like you gave up all of those benefits because of me."

However, in the magic department there was a rare monster that sat at the top.

Lucy Mayreel was a massive wall that couldn't be faced off against, no matter your ability or knowledge.

Since she had a lazy temperament and didn't do much, she could be seen as a corpse that played around the campus. But if she so decided, she could become the best student in history, surpassing the title of just being the best in her grade.

In a carefree manner, Ziggs glanced at Elka, who was looking back at him hesitantly. He then started laughing, seeing Elka worry so much about it.

"I don't value anything like that. It's fine, Elka. So don't worry too much."

Then Ziggs added on.

"And I'm not sure about the alchemy department, but… in the first place, I wouldn't have been able to be the top student in the combat department."

***

Breathing heavily, the hand that was gripping his sword started to tremble.

Clevius already knew it himself. He could no longer become 'unruly' while holding the sword like in the past.

Ridding himself of the brutality he had, now no matter the action it would never return.

All that was left was the fear of cutting people down that was etched into his heart, which was the cause of his nausea.

The southern entrance of the altar was guarded by Clevius.

Not a single freshman had made their way through the southern entrance.

"Ahh… Shit… Haa… Phew… Haah…"

With twenty students, they all ended up losing their magic power stone from Clevius' sword attack and flew back from the wind coming from the sword itself.

The freshmen that had gotten stuck in a nearby tree trembled in fear. It looked as if he detested the overwhelming difference in power.

However, it was actually the same for Clevius, who was shaking.

"Really… If you're going to do that… don't come at me… Please…"

Wiping off his cold sweat, which was frantically pouring, Clevius loosened his grip on his sword. It had been a long time since he had fought for that long.

Wielding a sword brought back bad memories. Then, he had lost his reasoning, but he still clearly remembered it. The sense of cutting through human flesh remained at his fingertips.

His sword rolled on the floor. The handle hit Clevius' toe.

"Aghkkkkk-!!!"

As Clevius lost all strength in his legs, he sat down on the floor.

"Haaa…. Haaa… Haaa… Seriously… How did this happen… That's right. Ed… Ed Rothstaylor…! Fucken bastard…!!!"

Ed was the one that came up with the idea in the first place.

Although Clevius was the one that had gotten caught up in the atmosphere and couldn't say no, he still needed someone to blame it on anyway.

Suddenly, Clevius began to succumb to the evil in his miserable self.

A gloomy and dreary person.

A person that couldn't overcome his own natural blood and the trauma that came from it. One who couldn't say anything positive, but instead could only complain and say hateful things.

Just looking at his own shaggy and sunken appearance made him depressed.

A premature baby. A murderer. Ghost Sword. A disgrace to the house. A defect. A mutant.

After becoming numb to all the obscenities he carried, he managed to escape to Silvenia. However, it was the same there, too.

If I am going to live so miserable like this til the day I die, just what's the point in living?

"Oh my, it seems there are still trials that we have to pass through."

He thought that the exam was nearly over, but there were still a few visitors left.

That was the point where the apparition-type magically engineered items had stopped being set up. At the entrance of the altar, two girls stood a far distance away, staring at Clevius.

One girl had nicely kept blond hair that flowed down her back. The other was a girl with brown hair that fell down to her waist, and she seemed strangely benevolent, a warmth to her aura.

He didn't know who she was, but he did know the other girl. The esteemed daughter of House Rothstaylor, who had taken part of this exam.

"Alright… Haah… I'm a little tired, though…"

Clevius Nortondale was a human with a life in the shadows.

He would probably spend the entirety of his life down in the gutters.

What about Tanya Rothstaylor? Within that prestigious family, she would properly lead a glorious and bright life, receiving the favor of those around her.

Thinking over just what type of life the two of them would live until the day they died, he could once again feel the difference between them as the evil came out.

Clevius then picked up his sword again.

The cursed blood, the neglect of his family, a life where he would not once shine until the day he dies.

He no longer felt anything towards his father's words, words from a man that was so irresponsibly convinced that even his life would be worthwhile.

"I am sorry, but… I'm not… in the best mood…"

After taking a deep breath, he stood up from his seat.

Grinding his teeth, the sword he took out had a reddish energy covering it. The cold air of the winter created steam around his mouth. He glared angrily towards Tanya and Kylie.

"I'll finish this quickly."

BANG!

"Oh, geez… was that holy magic spell too strong…? A-Are you okay…?! N-Nothing broke anywhere, right?! Uhm… I guess I shouldn't use holy magic that I'm not use to…!"

Clevius was knocked out by an unknown shock that came from behind him.

Now hanging from a nearby tree, Clevius couldn't even tell what he had been hit by.

However, he could only hear the surprised voice of the girl with brown hair.

After closing his eyelids, the world blacked out.

Just before losing consciousness, Clevius lamented to himself.

It was extremely dark, so there was no light in his life.

A life with no value. This was miserable.

***

The light from the Substitute Altar was fading.

The sun, which was floating high in the sky, was also slowly fading away.

Twenty minutes before the end of the exam.

A time that was cutting it close. Most of the students had already been defeated or given up on the exam.

In fact, the overall picture of the exam was already nearing its conclusion.

Ed sat on the altar, staring at the two of them. Probably the last two visitors of the day.

Tanya swallowed her breath. It was a familiar face.

Once a subject of fear, a subject of hatred, now a subject that couldn't be abbreviated in just a word.

Looking like a wreck, Ed Rothstaylor sat on the altar. There were traces of several fierce battles that he went through.

Sitting on the altar in front of the headstone, which was emitting a halo, he slowly exhaled a small breath that disappeared in the air.

He looked rather exhausted, so Tanya recognized that the situation was quite favorable to them right now.

"Older brother… I guess you are the last part of the exam."

"I won't say much. Just hand over your magic power stones."

He stood up from the altar as he relaxed himself, taking out a dagger.

On the other hand, he was drawing out magic power from a magic power stone.

Most of the magicians from House Rothstaylor distinguished themselves with fire and wind. Since it ran in the family, Tanya was also the same.

However, the magic Tanya was capable of using was still only beginner level, and the proficiency was lacking. As a magician, she was average amongst the freshmen.

In the first place, Tanya wouldn't be able to get into Class A with her combat abilities alone. All she was doing was trying her best.

"Did you say older brother… Then that person…? He's from House Rothstaylor…?"

Kylie, who was standing next to her, looked back and forth between Ed and Tanya. Then, as she stood still completely stunned, suddenly Tanya's frightened face caught her eye.

The setting sun. The red sky. Looking down from the high altar with a dagger in one hand, and a magic power stone in the other.

You couldn't even see his expression as the sun was against his back. However, the cold glare that vaguely came through his hair told her that he was staring right at them.

"Not all of us are. No matter how much power a house may have, after years of existence, even a piece of shit… A ridiculous, unbelievable jerk will come out…"

Only then did Kylie notice. He was the terrible jerk that Tanya was talking about.

She didn't know just what type of things he did to Tanya, but given how she was normally so confident and elegant, to suddenly become so panic-stricken… To some degree she started to think he wasn't a good person.

Kylie fixed her posture as she stared right at Ed.

His hair was scorched and unruly from a series of battles.

The sleeves of his shirt were full of burn marks, and his pants were covered in dust and dirt, as if he had rolled around the ground.

The dagger in his hand seemed to be for ceremonial purposes, yet it had the traces of being used for a long period of time for survival. The fact that the blade itself was so neatly kept left a strong impression.

Kylie had a strange fantasy when it came to a male aristocrat.

All the more so when it came to a prestigious family like House Rothstaylor.

A clean appearance, gold-rimmed accessories, a gentle and embracing smile, and elegance that oozed from every gesture of the hand and step they took.

Imagining her prince charming that she would one day meet some place after traveling around the world… They would need to be such an aristocratic and elegant man.

In fact, it was a romance that made sense for a girl of her age to have at least once. That was especially true of Kylie, who had extremely little experience of seeing men.

But seeing the appearance of a person that seemed to embody the exact opposite of that… Kylie had gotten scared.

Strictly speaking, he was the exact opposite of her ideal type.

"Tanya."

Finally, the boy had said her name. Tanya and Kylie stiffened for their own different reasons as they waited for the boy's declaration of battle to follow.

"I'm sorry, but can you just head on back…?"

"...?"

Something completely unexpected came out of his mouth.

The boy was already a wreck, so he didn't want to fight anymore. He was already at a point of exhaustion.

"But if you are still going to come… Come here…"

Sitting back on the altar again, he drew in magic power.

The exam was going to come to an end anyway. There was no reason to save the magic power stone any longer. Grabbing all the magic power stones that were left on the altar, Ed used all of the magic power using elementalist to 'manifest'.

A headstone that was even larger than the pillars of a fairly large building.

Sitting on the top of it, a wolf made of wind had its tail wrapped around the headstone with its mouth open.

WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH!

"Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaahk!"

An unmanageable violent wind blew. A violent wind, strong enough that it wouldn't even be strange if it sent a person flying, was formed as the high-ranking wind spirit was manifested.

Tanya and Kylie managed to bear the weight of the wind by clutching onto a nearby stone structure. When the wind started to die down little by little, they couldn't help but look up at the top of the headstone.

The size of it was that of a house. The magnificence of it was truly the same as the heavy storm itself.

Above Ed, who was sitting on the altar, a wolf that wrapped itself around the huge headstone looked down at the girl from the storm. Saliva dripped out of its torn mouth and the blue aura in its eyes had a magic power that exceeded any limit.

That was… a sight that went beyond any sense of reality. Before, he was completely useless, unable to even properly master beginner magic.

But now?

Just what was with that thing he summoned?

Tanya looked at Kylie as she clenched her teeth.

Right when she was going to ask Kylie if she was okay… Holding onto the stone pillar, Kylie spoke with eyes welling with tears.

"I'll just leave."

But you said you would help me until the end.

Even Tanya couldn't question her like that.

-x-X-x-

The word 'deviation' had a strange type of magic power to it.

Just how blissful it was to walk alone in the rose garden of Ophelis Hall enjoying the night's breeze, or swimming amongst the crowds in the education district without a single escort.

For Clarice, each and every one of those things were all a deviation.

In actuality, none of those things are that great a deal. But just how special those little things were for Clarice… It had only been less than a week since she had come to Slovenia, but she had been so happy already at having dozens of opportunities.

"Saint, since you are always protected by the holy blessing, I won't worry so much, but…"

The Holy Father Building was the largest and most magnificent building in the holy city.

On the day she left that place, Archbishop Verdio looked at Clarice with worried eyes.

"Nevertheless, please always be careful not to reveal your true identity. And you must always carry around the magically engineered item that I have given you."

The camouflage magic that the followers who were magicians had put on her worked so well that Clarice herself almost flipped over seeing her reflection in the mirror.

Her silvery hair, which used to shine like glass, was now colored a warm brown—like a marten's fur. It didn't look like mere 'visual hallucination' magic, but rather a real disguise.

Her ruby-red and dazzling eyes still remained their original color, but after taking off her accessories—which were like a part of her body that she'd always worn—she simply looked like an ordinary, simplistic student. It was also much more effective and convenient than actually disguising her.

"I look like a completely different person, so who would be suspicious of me, Verdio?"

"Thanks to the skills of the magicians that are followers, you won't appear suspicious at all, but still…"

He was less concerned about any personal threats towards her. After all, Clarice's 'holy blessing' that always protected her was indestructible with ordinary methods.

"Nobody knows how things will turn out, Saint Clarice. Even if you're fully prepared, the visual hallucination magic is perfectly applied, and in the first place there isn't even a reason to have a hint of suspicion towards you… you can never be sure."

"As expected of you Verdio, you're full of worries."

"There's nothing wrong with being careful."

Seeing the Saint full of excitement right before leaving for Silvenia, Verdio was very worried. However, the staff members of the Holy Father Building weren't incompetent, so he decided to put his worries aside for now.

"I have a double and triple contingency plan in place for you, so… They will never be able to notice or suspect you unless they have been told about it beforehand."

Clarise smiled subtly as she nodded, hearing Verdio's words.

She also thanked all of the other followers. They had put in a lot of effort into making sure that Clarise could enjoy her school life as a normal student. As all of it was a new experience, it was just that much more precious.

What was a normal school life?

Certainly, it must be vastly different that the life of a saint, who is put on a pedestal, must be bowed to when making eye contact, must listen to the confessions of older bishops, and wherever they went turns to silence.

It hadn't been long since she had arrived at Acken Island, and she had only visited a few places thus far, but every day was already full of new romances.

Since it was still broken, everything was still rather quiet, but in Clarice's eyes even that leisurely academic scenery was like a bustling marketplace to her.

She walked around the busy streets alone, personally buying all sorts of glamorous goods, and sat in the corner of the student library reading all kinds of snobbish romance novels that she would have never dreamed of being able to read while living in the Holy Father Building.

Reading about the way the protagonists overcame tragic ordeals, even meeting each other's lips, she couldn't stop the burning and tingling sensation down her spine as she stuffed her nose into the book while carefully peeking out to see if anyone else was around her. She kept looking around unnecessarily, as if she felt she had committed a crime reading such a book.

As she sat on a wooden bench off the side of the main street of the education district, no one paid any attention to Clarice.

No one lowered their head to her, and no one tried to idolize her. Everyone was busy quickly walking off on their own way.

That fact alone left Clarice breathless, full of a sense of satisfaction.

No one could figure out her identity. So now, as a fellow student, she loved the feeling of mixing into the crowd.

Although her facial features might be similar, there was also a stand-in as the real Saint that is attending the school as well… Thus, who would ever think that Kylie would be the Saint?

At the very least, not even one of the students within Silvenia would be able to assume Kylie's real identity.

That fact alone was clear.

WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH!

And now, a raging storm. She couldn't hear anything besides the flapping of her collar and the sharp piercing sound of the wind.

The boy sitting on the altar that was being covered by the raging wind, Ed Rothstaylor… He was looking down at Kylie with a rather apathetic expression.

***

A roar echoed from the wide-open maw of the wolf. It wasn't the usual high cry of a wolf—rather, it was a roar closer to that of a lion or tiger.

The sound weighed heavy on their chests. Their trembling hearts sent a signal to their brain, stimulating their human instincts.

Run away.

Is he out of his mind…? That's clearly… A high-ranking spirit…!

Even students that had spent their entire lives training in Elementalism couldn't handle a high-ranking spirit of that level.

The level of a graduate… No, even past that. Even elementalists that were actively researching or in combat and could handle about five or six mid-rank spirits were treated like professionals and veterans. So, a mere student being able to use a high-ranking spirit shouldn't realistically exist.

That was why Yennekar Palerover was often praised as a genius elementalist. One who was able to use a high-rank spirit.

"You have to think about this rationally, Miss Tanya! No matter what, this is a bit…!"

Kylie cried out to Tanya with a trembling voice.

In fact, Kylie was right.

Even if the situation was completely out of the realm of normal possibilities, the fact was that Ed had really managed to summon a high-ranking spirit. They should run away without looking back.

Tanya had once before been face to face with the high-ranking fire spirit Takan, which was summoned by Yennekar. Rather than a spirit, it was more like a monster that had come alive and let loose. The trauma of it all was starting to permeate through her mind again.

But Tanya clutched her trembling legs as she kept her eyes wide open.

She never lost a hold of her rationality, which was trying to fly away, and never loosened the leash on her train of thought.

High-ranking spirits were monsters that ate magic power. Somehow, he managed to use his magic power to 'manifest' that spirit, but that also meant he should have been out of magic power.

To summon that spirit, you would need to use elementalism… which meant that 'spiritual resonance' was necessary to maximize one's magic power.

But that was easier said than done. Having that type of resonance level isn't something easy.

"I know what level my older brother was two years ago… And it's completely unrealistic that he has grown that much in magic power over those two years….!"

Tanya's insight hit the nail on the head.

Regardless of what she was seeing right in front of her own two eyes, thinking about it rationally, it didn't make any sense that Ed could handle a high-ranking spirit.

WHOOOSH!

The giant wolf, who was sitting with its tail wrapped around the headstone, leapt forward. The wind it blew tried to wipe out the whole entire area once more.

The high-ranking wind spirit Merilda landed in front of Tanya and Kylie, who were barely holding themselves together. It then let out a roar.

When it landed, the marble on the floor cracked as the debris flew at Kylie's face. Kylie was stunned by the dizziness.

With a flick of its tail and a shake from its body, a gust of wind blew as Tanya and Kylie nearly flew back.

But Tanya had miraculously overcome her fear as she took a step. She grabbed Kylie's wrist, running quickly to the side.

"Kylie! Listen well!"

Kyle. who was out of her mind and trembling, followed Tanya on impulse.

"We have a chance!"

Tanya's legs were also shaking in fear, but first she took action.

No matter how strong an opponent may appear, she wouldn't give up without trying. She didn't want to live a life following a path of defeat any longer.

To Tanya, Ed was like a massive wall that had been blocking her for her entire life.

The reason that Ed was like such a massive wall was because he had the high status of heir to the house protecting him.

But now that status of his had been removed. She no longer had to be scared like she used to be.

"A chance… Did you say we have a chance…?"

"I don't know about anyone else, but I'm sure of it! That guy, he definitely doesn't have the skill to handle a high-ranking spirit!"

If he were someone you saw for the first time, you may think he was a man that had many accomplishments thanks to his natural talent and the blood and sweat he put into his effort.

However, Tanya already had information regarding Ed's background.

Given his accomplishments, there was something wrong.

She clearly remembered what he was like two years ago. He had terrible magic power resonance and a pathetic amount of innate magic power, so there should be no way he grew to that extent.

"A trick… he's definitely using one!"

That was an accurate insight.

Ed had used Glast's ring to gather magic power, but Tanya doesn't know the entirety of the situation that had happened before and after.

But she could infer given the circumstances.

"He's not using his own magic power at all! He's trying to fight using only the magic power inherent in those magic power stones, which he isn't used to! There must be a reason he was forced to use such magic power that is difficult to handle!"

***

Merilda's gaze was directed at Tanya, who was feeling her way towards the outskirts. If Merilda were to lightly jump at her or swing her foot, then she could have quickly defeated Tanya. But she didn't.

Rather, she shook her head, letting out a light cry looking at Ed.

"Miss Tanya! There's no way we can defeat a high-ranking spirit!"

"No! Rather, since he summoned a high-ranking spirit, we now have a chance!"

There was no time to ask what the heck Tanya was talking about.

Tanya stared at Ed sitting on the altar as she picked up her pace.

He was still sitting still looking down at them.

He didn't panic or fret seeing Tanya's unwavering commitment.

However, it was certainly an unexpected situation.

The biggest reason Tanya was able to see a chance at winning was because of the fact that Ed… was exhausted.

His clothes were scorched in various places and his sleeves were rolled up. His whole body was covered in dirt and dust. He also had a few small scratches on him, and it was evident that he had repeatedly used magic power.

Because of repeated battles, Ed had already reached the limit of his strength. From the beginning, she didn't feel his fighting spirit.

Though it was obvious from his look that he still wanted to quickly kick out Tanya and Kylie to end the exam.

It was squeezing through the cracks in his heart.

"From the start… His goal was to show off the overwhelming difference in power to make us lose our fighting spirit! If he really wanted to fight, he wouldn't have let that giant monster loose that eats through his magic power so inefficiently… He would have tried to defeat us himself!"

"Th-Then…!"

"He has already reached his limit!"

The freshman class assignment examination.

Which student would be entitled to the honor of being placed in the honorable Class A?

The grading standard varied widely depending on the professor that was in charge.

But with the situation becoming like that, Tanya seemed to be able to provide a clear answer to that criteria.

No matter how high of a will was blocking her path, and even if she might think it was impossible to break through… she was still a person that knew how to take the first step forward.

That was something that certainly had a connection to Tanya's life.

Tanya, who has been held back her entire life, lived by desperately searching for an opportunity. Thus, without even realizing it, she had already been influenced by a sense of defeat.

It was a habit to measure and estimate the things around her and simply give up if she didn't think it was possible.

If she didn't think she could win 100%, she wouldn't bet on it at all. When a cliff was in her view, she had already imagined herself falling off it.

Living a life with a high status, you couldn't help but live a life in fear of falling. However, that could never be the right thing to do.

It was a matter beyond position and status. There would always be a time in one's life where you had to close your eyes and take a step into a dangerous and precarious problem.

And that is right now…!

Tanya clenched her teeth as she bravely stepped forward.

Looking at Tanya's expression, Kylie soon nodded. She felt ashamed of herself for being afraid.

"He doesn't want to fight with his body anymore, so he forced himself to summon a spirit! That means we won't have to defeat the high-ranking spirit at all! He's already exhausted, and I'm sure summoning that giant monster would have only worn out his body even more, so if we can just land a single attack on him…!"

WHOOOOOSH!

ROOOOOOOOOOOOAR!

A fear of death swept over Tanya.

That was because the wolf's paw had struck exactly where Tanya and Kylie had just been.

Broken pieces of rock flew in all directions as the wind rose, pushing the two away.

"Kyaaaaaaaaghk!"

Tanya and Kylie's clothes fluttered in the wind as they were lifted up and thrown to the outer wall.

Tanya was quick to cast beginner wind magic to minimize the impact, but her right hand was shaking in fear.

"Then… We just need to get close to him once, right?! By getting past that wind wolf!"

"E-Exactly! If we could make a gap just once…"

"Then I'll take on the role of bait!"

Tanya was suspicious of what she had heard. She wanted to be the bait to catch the attention of that wolf. It was no different than saying she was going to kill herself.

"I told you before, but my constitution is a bit unique… So, unless it's a very special occasion, I can never die!"

"B-But even then, won't you get seriously hurt?!"

Kylie shook her head.

"Not at all! I won't get hurt! You can count on me!"

Normally, she would have just dismissed that as nonsense.

However, Tanya saw her on the way up to the altar.

The top second year student in the combat department, Clevius Nortondale, had really swung his sword at her, but… he was knocked away by an unknown light, knocking him unconscious.

Holy Blessing.

That was the greatest self-defense amongst all the holy magics that borrow from the god Telos' power.

It was a blessing that even the head of the Knights of the Cathedral trained their entire lives, honing their holy magic to initiate it similarly. However, Kylie was born with it surrounding her body from a young age.

She was a girl that was specially blessed with the love of the god Telos. It was like a law of the world itself that protected the girl. So, even without her guards escorting her, she was never in any great danger in the first place.

Holy Blessing struck every hostile being that tried to harm Kylie with intermediate or higher holy magic.

The speed of it was so fast that it was hard to react to. Because Kylie appeared to be a weak girl that couldn't do anything, the average person was thrown back and knocked out. After all, they had no reason to expect her to counterattack.

Since it was something that Kylie herself didn't know how to control, she didn't try to antagonize anyone in the first place.

Of course, Tanya couldn't have known such details. But there wasn't any time to pry. However, she couldn't help but be convinced upon seeing the certainty across Kylie's face.

"Are you really sure?!"

"Don't worry. I'll create a gap with the wolf for you… So, please land a counterattack…! Since you said he is a really bad person… That guy…!"

A bad person.

Only then did Tanya feel certain. Coming all the way here, trembling in fear was meaningless.

Between the legs of the wolf that was letting out a howl, she could see the boy sitting far away on the altar lowering his head. He looked completely exhausted, as if he no longer wanted to move.

Wasn't now the perfect time to land a proper hit on him? Tanya nodded as Kylie ran out towards the wolf without even answering.

***

Tanya admired Kylie for her sudden courage, but… it was time to put away that evaluation of her for the time being.

"HYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

She ran out, half crying, guarding her head and looking absolutely terrified.

No matter how confident she might be about not getting hurt, running right into that giant wolf was still something like suicide.

Also, she said that 'unless it was a special exception', she wouldn't get hurt… That didn't mean that she wouldn't get hurt at all.

The fact that there was such a small possibility, she couldn't help but still have a sense of fear.

Yet the decision to clench her teeth and run out there, Tanya would end up seeing it again.

Tanya quickly ran over to the other side.

There was no telling just how big a gap Kylie would be able to make, but right now all she could do was to go over there.

The wolf was caught off guard for a moment.

In the first place, it was just a class assignment exam. It was highly likely that there was no real intent to harm or even kill them.

So, what was she supposed to do with that girl running right at her like she is trying to kill herself? It would be too difficult to bear the consequences if she were to crush her with that massive front paw of hers.

Yet, she couldn't just sit still there, considering that she would end up with a minor injury… so Merilda lightly swung her front paw.

But it was Merilda that ended up getting wounded.

Boom!

There was a puff of smoke, but Merilda's front paw didn't even land a single scratch on Kylie.

Kylie's charge right at her was cute, but… it left a major injury on Merilda.

On her stomach and side, there were claw-like wounds. The red bloodstains dripped onto the ground, leaving a mark.

ROOOOOOOOOOAR!

Merilda roared as she grumbled about the unknown attack.

The roar trembled the air for a moment.

It was a sound she screamed, taken aback by surprise from the unexpected shock. However, even the fragile Kylie flew back from the size of the shock.

"Kyeaghk…!"

Her thin, pale white limbs weren't suited for combat. After just a few instances of being thrown on the floor, she was drained of her energy and could no longer operate properly.

Clang!

Meanwhile, the sound of items falling from Kylie's body and rolling on the floor were heard.

Anyway, she had succeeded in somehow stopping Merilda's movements for a moment, thanks to the blessing around her body.

That brief moment was Tanya's final moment to go all out.

She was already fully charging to land an attack on Ed. The range of Tanya's beginner magic was extremely short.

However, he was already completely exhausted after fighting all those battles, and he was completely out of magic power after calling upon that high-ranking spirit… If even a single attack landed on Ed, it could have been a serious blow.

The image of the boy sitting relaxed on the altar grew little by little.

Kylie didn't squander that fleeting opportunity as she barely managed to overcome her fear and somehow created that little bit of time for Tanya.

Basic Wind Magic, Release.

It was one of the few spells that Tanya had properly mastered. A magic that released a strong wind around the caster, destroying the movements of surrounding enemies and making them fly back if strong enough.

With it, she was going to push Ed off of the altar and quickly present her magic power stone. That was the last chance for her victory.

As Tanya held her breath and reached the altar, she could finally clearly see all of Ed.

Clenching her teeth, Tanya then shouted out.

"You really thought I'd give up…?!"

From the beginning, she couldn't tell what he was thinking. She grit her teeth as she yelled at him, then a chill ran down her spine.

The rising magic power was her final attack. Tanya's last means to overcome the overwhelming difference in power.

Ed's gaze, which looked down at her coldly, wasn't panicked at all. The scariest part of it all was his eyes.

They didn't move one bit, as if there was nothing wrong. However, it was too late to be intimidated by his gaze now. The dice had already been thrown.

The rising wind magic struck Ed, who didn't move. And just like that, Ed went flying back as he disappeared from the altar.

"Haah… Haah…"

Ed had been completely knocked, disappearing from view. She was about to feel a moment of joy that the magic had worked against him, but…

The phenomenon of him 'disappearing'… Tanya felt that something was wrong.

Swoosh!

An arrow. The shape of it was blurry. As soon as two or three arrows made of magic power hit the floor, they disappeared without a trace.

"Eeeghk!"

Tanya was so surprised she stepped backwards, tripping and falling onto the floor… Only then did Tanya see the 'apparition disks' that were scattered across the floor of the altar.

It was too difficult to produce such advanced machinery with basic magic engineering knowledge, but at the very least it was possible to improve them if they were slightly broken.

While it wouldn't be able to show a powerful apparition that came from the purple disk, it was still possible to salvage and convert to show a 'weaker apparition'.

Showing off Ed in a rather weak, exhausted state to make someone believe it was really him… doing that much with an apparition wasn't all that difficult.

In the first place, knowledge on magic engineering was in a completely different world from Tanya. Also, Tanya had no idea that Ed had any knowledge in magic engineering in the first place.

What she could infer was that at least quite a few students must have been defeated using that method.

If that was the case, then where was Ed?

Tanya looked towards the direction the arrows came from. The trees and their branches were unnaturally bent as they faced towards the direction of the altar.

From among them, a boy jumped out.

After struggling to land properly, Ed brushed himself off as he stood up. He was in a worse state than what she had seen in the apparition. It was at the point she wondered how he was able to even move.

In one hand was a hurriedly constructed bow.

On both ends of the branch that managed to somewhat become an arrow shaft, he was pulling tightly on a thread of magic power, covered in a bluish light.

He can do that…? Just how much did he trance in magic power resonance…?

No, in the first place… He knows how to use a bow…? Wasn't he someone who couldn't even hold a sword properly…?

Tanya, who was sitting on the floor, tried to push herself back to her feet with her hands. However, her legs—which had completely lost their strength—didn't plan to do their part.

Even if she managed to somehow force herself up, the fear within her body had already reached its limit.

Ed was narrowing the distance as he walked forward, but both of her legs had already given up.

Whoosh!

Before she knew it, the giant wolf, having finished defeating Kylie, was now behind the bow-wielding Ed.

Sitting down and looking up at the sight of a giant wolf painted right in front of her, Tanya was certain that they no longer had a chance of winning.

"Eeeeghk… Eeek…!"

Ed had moved right in front of Tanya as he looked down at her.

His body, which was a wreck, was covered in bruises and injuries. There were also traces of blood here and there.

Even though he was covered in dust and dirt and completely exhausted, he still didn't show any signs of hardship.

That cold glaze that looked down on Tanya as she sat… once again, Tanya's trauma started to rise.

That dagger in his hand that she saw at the Rothstaylor residence. The one that piece of trash used as if he was some protagonist.

The servants that screamed in pain with eyes full of fear.

Like a flash of lighting, it swept through Tanya's mind.

A chill as cold as that gaze ran down Tanya's back as it spread throughout her body. She couldn't control her body from trembling.

As Ed reached his hand out, Tanya tightly closed her eyes.

"I'm sorry. Even though you tried so hard in your own way. I also have my own reasons."

WHOOOOOOSH!

Once again, a violent wind blew by… and then when she came to her senses, the shape of the giant wolf had disappeared.

What Ed now had in his hand was the magic power stone that Tanya had been holding.

Tanya's body was still shaking as she opened her eyes just a little to see Ed breaking the magic power stone.

At that moment, she had failed the exam.

"I can't just let you pass for free since we are family. Even if I did, knowing your personality, wouldn't you have been even more upset?"

"Wh… What…?"

"But I got to see it again, Tanya. You also have that side to you."

Ed released the magic power from the bow he had built in a hurry. The magic power thread was broken, and the branch went back to its ordinary shape as he threw it away nearby.

Ed let out a sigh as he looked up at the sky. The sun was setting. The freshmen class assignment examination, which was difficult for everyone, was finally coming to an end.

The Tanya Rothstaylor that Ed knew was someone that held onto the pride of her house dearly, thus showing up in the student president pre-election before taking her leave… She was nothing but a minor disposable villain.

He thought that she would run away in fear after seeing the high-ranking spirit… But unexpectedly, she was a strong individual.

"If our positions were switched, I would have run away without looking back. It was really amazing seeing you do whatever it took to land that attack on my worn-out self. Not everyone could do that… You can take pride in yourself. You are quite amazing."

"Uhm… Uh…"

She was already completely exhausted, and the relief that the situation was over now rushed into her head. Soon, without realizing it, Tanya's emotions began to well up inside of her.

"Uhm… Sniff… Sniff…"

Ed felt rather awkward. He didn't expect her to have that type of reaction.

Anyway, the exam was over, and he broke Tanya's magic power stone.

Since he didn't want to fight anymore, he was thinking about how to go and comfort her.

"D-Don't come any closer!"

Then, a girl pushed herself in between Tanya and Ed… Her face was caked in dirt and dust as she quickly blocked Ed.

Seeing her tremble like crazy, with her arms spread wide, it was as if she ran between them in fear of Tanya being harmed.

Kylie was extremely fearful at the sight of the boy that looked more like a warrior than an aristocrat. But no matter what, she wanted to keep Tanya safe.

"I-I'm telling you… Well, I'm… If you are hostile or aggressive towards me… Uh… Some bad things will happen to you! I'm serious! D-Don't move any closer…!"

Seeing her beg for Ed to believe her while she kept on trembling and stuttering, it was impossible to tell just who was threatening who.

Since Ed had no intention of harming her, he just let out a deep sigh.

However, as soon as started to lower his gaze just a bit… Ed's eyes suddenly widened in an instant.

Ed, who hadn't been taken aback since the exam began, suddenly had trembling eyes for the first time. He then quickly started to look around.

Kylie felt a great discomfort at the sight, but she didn't lower her trembling hands. She didn't even relax those eyes of hers that were staring right at Ed.

"The exam is over! Ed! Help me out here! Clevius is completely knocked out…!

"Assistant Professor Cleoh…! I need to update my grading sheet first…! I also have a ton of other things I need to take care of…! Starting from the beginning of next semester, there is the student presidential election…!"

Suddenly Assistant Professor Cleoh's voice came from the entrance of the altar. Hearing Anise and Onyx voices as well, it seemed like they were slowly all coming up to clean up the aftermath of the exam.

Ed threw the last magic power stone at the altar. A sudden surge of magic power then enveloped Ed's body.

Then, a tiny fire bat was 'manifested' as it flew about Ed's head.

"Wh-What are you doing…?! The exam is already over…! What are you still planning to do…?!"

Kylie shouted with a trembling voice, but Ed sent the fire bat flying towards the vacant space by the altar without caring one bit.

There was no reason to fight anymore. It seemed like soon the other staff members would come up, so all she had to do was stand by and protect Tanya from any harm until they arrived.

As Kylie thought that, she held onto her chest with her mouth tightly closed. And then… she became aware of the unexpected.

As she started to look at her body, she realized what the cause of the disharmony was. The tips of her brown hair were slowly losing their color as they started to turn more silver.

The 'Visual Hallucination' magic that the followers used on her was maintained thanks to the semi-permanent magic engineering item, 'Crescent Brooch', that she brought with her to Silvenia. As long as she always carried it around, the effects of the magic wouldn't ever wear off.

Clang!

Only then did Kylie realize what sound she heard when she fell down in her fight against Merilda was. It was the sound of her crescent brooch falling and rolling on the floor.

"Th-This is…!"

Right before the staff were about to come up, Kylie felt goosebumps all over her body. In an instant, her heartbeat grew louder as it became more difficult to breathe. Kylie quickly turned her head towards the empty space by the altar.

However, the fire bat that Ed had sent off was already flying back, bringing the brooch with him.

Ed quickly grabbed it as he put it in Kylie's arms.

"Be careful not to–not to lose anything."

It was the first time she experienced someone putting their large hands against her like that. Given that it was already a situation where she was panicking, Kylie stepped back in horror.

She was starting to breathe in and out rapidly, and just looking at Ed made her feel like all the blood was rushing to her head.

The brooch he had put into her arms started to give off a subtle glow as Kylie's hair, which had been turning silver, regained its brown color.

"Uh… Uhm…"

It was such a sudden situation that Kylie couldn't even think of anything to say in response. Since her words kept getting stuck in her throat, she couldn't say anything.

"I'm on my way!"

"Oh, shit! Ed! Why… Why did you get hurt so much…?!"

Ed got rid of the spirit as he struggled to walk over to the other staff members with that worn out body of his… Kylie had no choice but to stand completely still, just like that.

What was fortunate was… Since Tanya was having a hard time coming to her senses given the chaotic situation, she didn't seem to have realized what had happened in that instant.

Kylie… stayed dumbfounded, completely still for a while.

Maybe it was just a simple coincidence. That was a possibility.

Maybe it was just a friendly act, taking care of something she had lost in a timely manner.

However, Ed Rothstaylor, who was always astute, was still a person in the end.

It was a very sudden situation, and he had to deal with it quickly, so there was a momentary mistake.

It was nothing special to ordinary people… and it might have just been a very minor mistake. It was such a trivial and meaningless one that it was hard to even notice.

But for Kylie, who had lived in reverence her entire life, the size of that mistake was different to her.

"Be careful not to—not to lose anything."

Just now… He was going to speak formally…

The setting sun signaled the end of the class assignment exam.

Underneath the world that was turning red, with Kylie's ruby-like eyes… she stared at Ed's back as she moved further and further away.

-x-X-x-

The early evening sky that hung above Acken Island looked like a blend of paints.

A redness came out from the western sky, where the sun was slowly setting, but the further away you went in that vast sky, the more that color faded.

But it would be difficult to say that the bluish sky was becoming completely dark. Here and there, stars were shining.

The scenery didn't quite fit the word evening, nor was it still daytime… It seemed as if it were the perfect depiction of the term 'early evening.'

Steadying my breath and leaning my body against the altar, I slowly lost my strength.

That early evening sky had that power to calm a person's heart.

It was on the edge of daytime, but the start of the night. At that middle point, the world slowly started to accept the darkness.

[Did you know? I am the type to believe that beauty transcends time and values.]

[And that perfect piece of evidence is this sky.

Artworks that are worth a fortune can also be well-interpreted and fit one's tastes, but… There isn't anyone who would think that a sunset like this isn't beautiful. This must be what unchanging beauty is.]

"You're saying something quite convoluted."

[It's not convoluted, it's just a bit annoying to follow along. Anyway, humans only live for a short period of time, but they don't know how to be moved by every moment.]

A fairly small wind wolf was lying face down on the altar, looking at its tail.

With its small size, it was now warmer and more affectionate than imposing. Her voice was so soft that it perfectly matched the slowly setting sun… Thus, a feeling of sleepiness started to rush over me.

It made sense. After all, it had been quite an exhausting day.

"Ed, you look quite exhausted. Take a rest at the altar for now. The only thing left is to clean everything up, pack up the magically engineered items, and check the number of everything."

It had already been thirty minutes since she disappeared, taking some of the other students down the hill after telling me that.

From my point of view, I was very grateful for her consideration. Just like Assistant Professor Cleoh had said, I was completely exhausted.

[A bland life without any ups or downs is the most terrible curse a human can experience. One needs to know how to be touched by small things and learn to put meaning into everyday activities, right?]

"You're unexpectedly emotional."

[I've always liked being a bit emotional. I told you last time, too.]

Yennekar did say she was rather talkative.

And I was starting to understand how she came to such an assessment about the wolf.

[If a human's life is like the four seasons, then the life of a spirit is definitely a long winter. If we are going to live such a bleak life, without any ups and downs, then an emotional aspect is necessary. A long, long life is more of a curse than a blessing to the being that goes through it. Honestly, there wouldn't be much of a difference even if it were a human that went through the same thing.]

"Since you're talking about such a philosophical view on life, I don't really have anything I can say in response."

[All I'm trying to say is go out with someone, you dense buffoon.]

Merilda let out a sigh through her nose as she began to lick her paw.

[If you're at a complete loss, I'll coach you. Since your style is someone who is always thorough, worrying about every little thing, in actuality you often end up being indifferent towards yourself. The proof is in the fact you ended up collapsing from overwork and that you get hurt so often.]

"You… I guess you also heard…"

[Are you saying I was nosy? I've heard that so much already that it's meaningless to point it out again. Anyway, Ed, since you are more dedicated and hardworking than anyone else, you are the most compatible with someone who can help you without changing you. Maybe someone that shares your struggles and hardships with you…? You should look for someone like that.]

Merilda kept on whispering in my ear, as if she were obsessed with something.

[If you look at the people around you, you'll surely find them. They are extremely kind, cheerful, always caring, and still strong enough that you can lean on them… You don't know how emotionally great it is to interact and grow with someone like that, do you?]

"Is this something you have to speak so aggressively about?"

[Once my summoning gets canceled this time, who knows when the next time you will be able to summon me again will be. That's why I should say everything while I still can. And I haven't said anything wrong. Isn't that right, Mugg?]

[You're completely correct, Miss Merilda!]

A disciplined Mugg straightened his back as he squared his shoulders.

Merilda didn't make a contract with Yennekar. It was just that they were close.

Still, she was still close enough with Yennekar that Mugg would be disciplined to the point he would treat her the same way he treated Takan.

I thought I knew about the world of spirits, but really I didn't.

[Young master Ed. Merilda's advice is of the utmost precious treasure. Amongst the low-grade spirits, we follow it like religion! So even if you're not sure, why don't you try giving listening to her carefully a shot?]

[Give it a shot? Did you say everything you need to, Mugg?]

[No, I mean… Uhm… I-I apologize! This worthless spirit has made another slip of the tongue! I can't believe I said to act! I need to apologize until my death…]

Before Mugg could start to make another fuss and bang his head, I gently put my hands on his wings, recalling him.

The magic power from the magic power stones was slowly running out. My conversation with Merilda wouldn't last much longer.

Merilda had made her enormous body completely miniaturized and did her best to maximize magic power efficiency, but the fact that she was a high-ranking spirit in itself was enough to heavily eat away at my magic power.

Even when not manifesting her and only communicating in her spirit form, magic power was still used up pretty quickly.

She was a spirit that I shouldn't have been able to deal with yet. Having overloaded myself with magic power and forcing a contract… Getting one penalty or another was inevitable.

[Anyway, Ed. You will be going through a lot soon, as well. There were two students that witnessed you summoning me. If they tell the school, won't hell break loose? If that happens, it would be nice if you could move up to Class A like Yennekar.]

"Like something like that would happen. The school's teaching staff aren't idiots, so they're naturally gonna tell me to summon you again once they hear the rumors. Of course, I won't have any magic power left to do so."

[That's true… There isn't a single way to prove that you made a contract with me. And even if you could prove it, given the means in which you did, it won't have much meaning as an elementalist.]

"Rather, they will start to question how I even made the contract in the first place. I don't really want to reveal anything about the ring yet. After all, the story behind it isn't all that clean."

[Then, how are you going to deal with them testifying that they saw you summon me?]

"I'm going to just say it was an apparition from one of the disks that was modified. Nobody was seriously injured, and… I can just say that all of the wind that you caused was something I had done."

[Anyway, your preparation…]

Merilda let out a deep sigh as she licked her paw.

Comparing it to a weapon was a bit much, but if Mugg was like a rifle, then Merilda was like a bazooka… No, actually, more like a tank.

The sheer value and firepower she had was certainly amazing, but that also meant the preparation time was long and the number of resources she required were massive.

Unlike Mugg, who I could deal with without much burden, Merilda really sucked a person's magic power to the limit. And even then, she still couldn't reveal any more than half of her true power.

She was certainly a spirit that I couldn't properly deal with yet at my level.

If I was going to use Merilda, then an external magic power supply—just like the magic power stones that were prepared by the school this time—is indispensable.

That was why the cost-effectiveness was trash. It wasn't magic power that was naturally formed from my body, but instead it was artificially transfused magic power.

Looking on the bright side, at least I got my hands on magic engineering. Magic power efficiency and resonance were two of the most profound areas to research.

If I was able to effectively use magic engineering, I would also be able to make lots of items to help utilize Merilda. Then, I could design a more systematic method to supply magic power instead of the more primitive method of using the magic power that came from those stones.

"Come to think of it, Yennekar doesn't seem very energetic these days. Do you know something?"

Suddenly, I remembered Yennekar's exhausted face as she started at the campfire. After all, Merilda was still one of Yennekar's closest friends.

[Ohhhh… Why? Are you worried?]

"Isn't that obvious…?"

[Oh… Hmm… Huehuehue…]

Merilda smiled an unpleasant smile as she started to twist her words around.

[This should be obvious, but I'm not going to reveal to you what she is so reluctant to talk about on her own. I won't say a thing.]

"You're more serious than I thought."

[Who is saying that to who?! Anyway, you don't have to worry so much. This is something that she has to deal with on her own. Actually… Maybe it wouldn't be a bad thing for you to worry a bit. Since you're curious, maybe it's fine if you just pay more attention to her and move a bit closer?]

"You always start talking with another person, then suddenly you start talking to yourself. It'd be nice if you got rid of that strange habit of yours."

[I'm sorry. I guess I was influenced by Yennekar.]

After wagging her tail a few times, Merilda straightened her head as she looked up at the reddish and vast sky.

[It's about time that Yennekar grew up on the inside. That's just how things are in this world. Constantly being kind and naive doesn't mean the world will be kind and simple to you either.]

"I agree with you 100% on that."

[Alright. Everything is fine. It's just a process that everyone experiences at least once, something they need to realize for themselves. The fact that the world isn't like a fairy tale. Honestly, this isn't really something that you have to take care of. So, it's fine if you just stay put and wait. Don't go off anywhere.]

That unique mischievous tone of hers disappeared as she looked up to the sky, speaking softly.

[I told you. The life of a spirit is like a long winter, but the life of a human is more like the colorful four seasons. From Yennekar's side, this is going to feel like a long winter.]

She spoke about such philosophical views as if it weren't anything serious, but from her voice I could feel just how real it was.

She fully believed in that elementalist that was steadily growing through the dangers, but on the other hand, she couldn't help but be worried. Even though she said there was nothing to worry about.

Still, there was confidence in that calm voice of hers, so it seemed as if she was more relieved than anxious.

[But spring will always come. After all, the seasons always go round and round.]

"I guess you also know how to say something positive."

[Oh my, I was always positive. Unnecessary pessimism never helped anyone… We should start wrapping this up. I will feel sorry if I use up any more of your magic power.]

Even though Merilda wasn't massive anymore and was instead in her miniaturized state, she still required a pretty hefty amount of magic power.

"Even though you are smaller, it's still not easy to use you."

[In the first place, I was always a bit expensive. It's quite uncomfortable having to maintain such a small size. Of all the forms that I can take, this one is the most considerate in terms of magic power efficiently.]

"Really? Are there many other forms that you can turn into?"

[Still, it's most comfortable to be in one of my natural forms. Among all of them, turning into the shape of a wolf is the best.]

Then, Merilda's voice started to sound playful again.

[Why? Would it be better if I looked like a beautiful girl? It is possible, but I don't recommend it. It may be nice for the eyes, but in such a delicate form, with your magic power you won't be able to deal with me.]

"Whatever. Stop spouting a bunch of nonsense. I was just saying that because I didn't think there was much of a difference in magic power efficiency from when you were a giant wolf."

[Oh my, I guess that's something you don't know. Well, I guess since you used the power from those magic power stones, you didn't get to properly feel it. After all, that magic power is a bit dull, unlike the magic power naturally formed in the body.]

Little by little, the wolf's body started to fade with the wind. The magic power that I had forcibly gathered started to flow out of my body, and accordingly even my spiritual resonance started to not function properly

At the very least, once the break was over my resonance should all come back.

[With a spirit like me, there's no way that I would only sign a contract with just one person. Did you really think that you dealt with all that magic power on your own?]

Merilda, who was fading away with a brief goodbye, didn't say anything afterwards.

Fwooosh!

Finally, I was alone at the altar. As the sun kept setting, a shadow was formed.

Except for the occasional swaying of the trees from the wind, there was complete silence.

"Hmph."

I was told to rest as much as I could, but I forced myself up as I looked towards the altar's headstone.

I was thinking about what Merilda had said… then I let out a deep sigh.

The top of the headstone that went up high in the sky.

Standing still and staring at it for a bit, I then put my foot on top of a stone that was sticking out from the side of the headstone as I started to climb.

***

"What is it, Onyx?"

"Ah! Nevermind… I thought I saw someone at the top of the altar just now… Hm… Sorry, I must have seen something else…"

With my worn-out body, I stepped on a protrude stone on the side of the headstone as I continued climbing straight on up to the top.

The summit of Right Mountain only had that lonely altar and the empty space around it. It was not a place that a person could hide.

Maybe it was more appropriate to say, 'not able to be seen', rather than hiding.

After a long climb up, I finally reached the top of the headstone.

It was the highest point at the summit of Right Mountain. Without anything blocking my view, I could see the entirety of Acken Island.

Standing up straight in the fluttering wind, you couldn't see any miscellaneous things in your way, making it feel like you were floating in the air.

"..."

I sat down next to Lucy, who was watching the setting sun.

What are you doing here? Since when? What are you doing? …I didn't bother asking such unnecessary questions.

That was because Lucy was a person that you wouldn't find strange regardless of where she is.

I felt that something was wrong.

No matter how much magic power was in those stones, there was still no way that I could naturally handle a high-ranking spirit like I did. The magic power needed to manifest and communicate with the spirit was completely accomplished on my own, but to bring out the full power of Merilda when it was time for the battle, another source of magic power had contributed.

To have the magic power to be able to intervene with bringing out Merilda's power, they would also have needed to have made a contract with Merilda before. Looking at the list of possible people, there was only one person capable of that.

"I didn't realize you helped me so much. Thanks."

"Just ignoring it was a bit much."

If Lucy had been sitting there since the beginning of the exam, then that meant that she had been watching nearly everything that had unfolded on the mountain.

It was a story of ifs.

If I had ended up in a situation where I couldn't stop those freshmen myself and was defeated, then Lucy probably wouldn't have stayed still.

Even though she always acted annoyed, as if she wasn't interested in the world… She knew how to roll up her sleeves when she felt the need to step in.

Whether it was with Joseph, Eigg, or Tanya and Kylie… Even if they had knocked me unconscious and completely defeated me, they would still have had to face Lucy, who would have jumped off the headstone, afterwards.

It wasn't difficult to imagine what she would look like.

With the dust falling down, her hat tightly on her head, and slowly standing up on top of that altar… Lucy would probably be like a wall that could never be passed.

From the start of this exam… it was completely irrational.

"I don't think this is a great place to have a nap."

"I'm not here to take a nap."

"Then?"

"Actually, I was going to go to the cabin to take a nap…"

I hadn't been back at the cabin for nearly the entire day. That was because I was busy taking care of my work for the school and didn't have any time to work on maintaining the camp.

"I don't really like the cabin when it's empty."

After hearing that remark, I lowered my gaze.

Sitting next to her side by side, she kept on watching the sky that was slowly getting darker. Lucy's expression still remained unchanged.

Her fluttering white hair and pale skin absorbed the sun's fading light. The shade of it was more subdued than usual.

She excessively flapped her sleeves as she walked over to the camp, as if she were floating. But at the camp, the campfire was out, and the cabin was completely empty. Despite thinking that someone would come soon when she woke up, the gloomy atmosphere of the camp was the same as she saw when asleep.

The Archmage Glockt's life came to an end in a cabin in the Lamelin Mountain Range.

It wasn't hard to imagine what it was like after he had left the world. So, it was difficult to say anything back to Lucy in response.

"So, I took a walk."

Saying only that, Lucy continued staring blankly at the sky.

Unfortunately , the place that she ended up during her walk… it was the 'Substitute Altar', in which Lucy stood at the end of Act 3 to face off against the apostle of Telos.

It was all quite ironic.

The death of the Prophet Adele.

Clarice, the saint of mistrust, who became enraged after realizing the truth of her god's goal and the darkness of the believers.

The apostle of Telos, who had come down to convict Clarice.

Then Lucy, who tried to protect Acken Island from the apostles following Glockt's will.

The protagonist's generation, who blocked Lucy while following the archbishop's words without knowing the full story.

Then, within the complicated situation that was like a tangled ball of yarn, the followers would call her a non-believer but still they would never voice a single complaint.

Lucy, who was looking down over everything between the subjugation force and the apostle… The highlight of Act 3.

Princess Penia's imperial guards, Lortel's union mercenaries, the holy Knights of the Cathedral, the protagonist's generation's subjugation force against Lucy, the top of the school's staff, and even the headmaster Obel Forsyth. Even against all of them, in a worn-out state she still managed to destroy more than half of Telos' apostles on her own, but…

In the end, using all his strength, Taylee finally learned the final Swordmaster's Skill, taking on the role of defeating her.

It wasn't until later, when the full story was revealed, that people finally understood why Lucy was trying to destroy the god's apostles… She might just be the hero of that tragedy.

Rather than just a mere misunderstanding, it was a belated understanding that brought hurt.

She actually wasn't a bad person.

I had no idea why she did such a crazy thing, but now I get it.

I didn't realize she had such a personal story.

With such emotional responses around the theme of 'it turns out the truth is different than I thought…', maybe it was a directorial choice to help one immerse within the story itself.

However, if you really became personally involved with such a fate, could you really not say anything about it?

Who knows? Maybe it was the nature she was born with, or perhaps she thought it was just meaningless to say… But in the end, Lucy took everything upon herself.

And I had no intention of stopping Lucy's actions.

Sacrificing Lucy so cold-bloodedly for the sake of the storyline… that was not such a daring move.

That was because, if things continued like that, then then from Lucy's point of view it wouldn't be a bad ending.

Once Act 3 ended Lucy… She would be able to relieve the burden that she likely would have carried until her death. That way, she could continue living.

If she didn't shake off that burden, Lucy would never be able to escape the shadow of Glockt's death.

"Silvenia Academy is a treasure that my teacher, Silvenia Robester, has built for the advancement of learning."

"In this important treasure, there are already so many predicted hardships that will come. Of course, only the Celestial Researcher Silvenia was able to properly see such things with his own eyes."

"The ground will harden after the rain. Naturally, most of the hardships will be overcome by Silvenia Academy itself, but… there will surely come a time where, without your power, there will be no way to overcome such hardship."

"If that does happen, then for this old man… would you lend them your strength…? Lucy."

A dying archmage.

Just how much weight did such a story weigh on Lucy, who was holding his fragile hand that was nearly only bone… Maybe Lucy herself was the only one who knew.

Shaking off such sappy feelings, I once again looked out at the refreshing view of Acken Island.

The size of Silveria Academy was quite magnificent.

From the new semester… Those that used that massive land would start to split in half.

Once Penia and Lortel split the school in half, it would eventually become a fight for justification and repeating political warfare.

Silvenia's Failed Swordmaster, Act 3, the beginning of the power struggle… It would take place from the student president election campaign, which took place at the start of the semester. The main turning point that determined which direction the storyline would take was also starting to show up, one after another.

It will be a long fight, but there would be a lot to gain.

Thinking that, I looked down at Acken Island for a long time.

Before I knew it, Lucy stood up, coming over to my knee and pushing down on one side of my sitting knee to flatten it.

When she was satisfied with her job, she laid her stomach on top of it, acting then talking as if it was nothing.

"This is something I also only found out about recently…"

The sound of her swinging her arms around absent-mindedly.

"I think I am a bit lonely."

It's not exactly natural to just go up to the top of Right Mountain for a mere walk.

The next time I was away from the cabin for a long period of time, I should tell her in advance.

But even if I wanted to, Lucy traveled back and forth from the east to west constantly… It would be hard to tell her.

As the sun set, the strength of it also slowly faded. Then, the calm starry sky started to take over.

A time where the day and night changed as well as the season.

Night came, and so did spring.

***

"You came back earlier than I thought."

"I wanted to run out of that house as soon as possible. Haah."

As Bell Maya tried to pick up her luggage, Clara quickly shook her head as she gave a wide smile.

She was the head maid now, so she couldn't have her do such a thing. In the first place, she wasn't in charge of her.

After explaining as much to her, she trudged along with her bag as Bell let out another deep sigh with a rather uncomfortable expression on her face.

In the first place, even though Clara came from a fairly well-known family, she was still not a student of Ophelis Hall.

From her appearance alone, you couldn't call her an aristocrat. Wearing a simplistic flared skirt and a monochrome blouse, coupled with her short hair, if rather ecstatically combed, hair… It looked as if she were an energetic girl from a village.

If you were to have her sit next to Anise and guess which one was the aristocratic child, 100% of the time they would pick Anise.

"Somehow, I managed to get through this break as well. Phew!"

Since she extremely hated her family, which was overly authoritative, she wanted to stay within the school as much as possible. However, she still had to go back home to greet her family regularly, so during every break she went back.

Seeing as she finished her work so quickly and returned to school in a flash made Bell worry over whether she could really keep living such a high-society lifestyle like that?

It was obvious, seeing as she had run back to school so quickly even though there was still a bit of time left of the vacation.

"Anyway, because of the vassals that kept on nagging, I almost got a scab on my ear. Haah, seriously… They really don't get it…"

Clara kept grumbling as she handed Bell the gift that she brought her from her hometown. It seemed that she had stopped by the rose garden to give it to her.

Bell opened the package, taking out the luxurious mug that was inside. Bell politely gave her thanks.

Clara grinned as she said it was nothing, but looking back out at the vast landscape of the school…

"Hmmngggg Haaaaaa~! As expected, this really is my true home. The warm and welcoming air from my home! Rather than a house full of idiots that don't know anything and keep saying frustrating things… Silvenia, which is full of my close friends, really is the best!"

With a big smile, she picked up the bag full of presents as she gave her farewells to Bell.

"Anyway, I'm glad to see that you are doing well, Bell! I'll be on my way now! I'm worried that I might have put pressure on you because I was too excited to escape from that frustrating house."

"Don't worry, that isn't the case."

"Anyway, I need to see my school friends now. It was nice to see you after such a long time…! I brought back a bunch of delicious snacks, so I already finished all the preparation to call over Anise and Yennekar to have a tea party. I wrote both of them a letter in advance and they said they would both be coming. Just thinking about it, I get so excited since it's been so long. There are so many stories that we can talk about and share together… My heart is pounding! Haha… I guess I'm still not all grown up yet. Okay, have a good day!"

Clara walked away with her arms swinging in a lively way.

She couldn't say goodbye to Clara, who was walking away, completely excited.

All she could do was stand still, clutching the mug tightly… Breaking out in a cold sweat.

That was an extremely rare expression on Bell's face.

-x-X-x-