The man who led the mages of this academic city was, as it turned out, the Headmaster of Mahora Academy itself. In hindsight, I suppose that shouldn't have been as surprising as it was.
However, the problem wasn't who we were going to see, but where he was located.
"Why the Girls' Junior High wing?" I asked, my voice flat.
Exactly. Instead of an administrative building, we had arrived at the girls' division of Mahora Academy—the very school Chizuru and Ayaka attended. I felt entirely justified in leveling a cold, judgmental stare at Takahata.
"Hey, don't look at me like that," Takahata said, raising his hands defensively. "The Headmaster's office really is in here."
"Are you sure about this?" I pressed.
Takahata looked away, a pained smile on his face. "In his defense, he's a man worthy of respect. Mostly."
"Kukuku. Well, to an outsider, I suppose this looks a bit... irregular," Evangeline added, looking far too amused by my suspicion.
"It's quite alright, Axel," Ayaka reassured me. "I've met the Headmaster several times. He is a man of great character and reliability... though he does have a bit of a mischievous streak."
"That's putting it lightly," Chizuru mused. "The rumors in class are that he's obsessed with finding a marriage suitor for his granddaughter, Konoka."
"His granddaughter?"
"Yes. Konoka Konoe. She's one of our classmates."
So, an old man trying to arrange marriages for middle schoolers. My estimation of Mahora's top official was plummeting, and I hadn't even met him yet. Then again, if he was the head of a powerful organization, using a granddaughter for political leverage wasn't exactly unheard of.
"Well, you can judge the old man for yourself once we're inside," Evangeline said, taking the lead and stepping into the building.
"Evangeline, wait a moment!" Ayaka chirped, stepping up beside me. "Now, Axel, we wouldn't want you getting lost in these big hallways. Let's hold hands."
I blinked. Was this school really a labyrinth? Regardless, I found my hand enveloped by Ayaka's before I could protest.
"Then I'll take this one," Chizuru said with a serene smile, taking my other hand.
These two really did enjoy doting on people. I could understand it from Ayaka—she clearly had a "protective" personality—but was Chizuru cut from the same cloth?
"My, my," Chizuru whispered, her smile not quite reaching her eyes. "Are you thinking something rude about me, Axel?"
I shook my head instantly. "No. I just thought you seemed very practiced at looking after people."
The secret to a good lie is to include a kernel of truth.
"Is that so? I actually volunteer as a nursery assistant," Chizuru explained. "I deal with children like you every day. Though, I must admit, most of them aren't nearly as well-behaved as you."
"Now wait just a minute, Chizuru!" Ayaka huffed. "It's not fair for you to hog the conversation. Axel, once this meeting is over, we shall sleep together! I will personally provide you with a 'lap pillow' to ensure you rest well!"
...I really needed to tell them I was in my twenties. But looking at my ten-year-old reflection in the glass of the hallway doors, I realized I'd just sound like a brat with a weird ego.
"Alright, enough with the idiocy," Evangeline sighed, stopping in front of a door. "We're here."
I looked up. The plate on the door read Headmaster's Office. It really was in the middle of a girls' school.
Takahata knocked. "Headmaster, it's Takahata. I've brought Eva and our... guest."
"Ho ho! Come in, come in," a grandfatherly voice chirped from within.
"I'm about to meet the man who runs this city," I whispered to the girls. "Could you please let go of my hands?"
"If you insist," Chizuru said, releasing me immediately.
"Oh, the tragedy!" Ayaka wailed quietly. "I shall endure this trial with dignity and swallow my tears!" She, too, let go.
Takahata pushed the door open.
"..."
I reached out and silently pulled the door shut again.
"Uh... Axel?" Takahata asked, looking confused.
I closed my eyes for a moment, processing what I had just seen. There was a large desk. Standard. There were bookshelves. Standard. But the man sitting behind the desk...
"Is his head... unusually long?" I asked.
I wasn't being mean; it was a biological observation. He didn't look entirely human. Was the ruler of Mahora some kind of yokai?
"Ah..." Takahata sighed.
"Kukuku! Usually, that's the reaction we get," Evangeline laughed.
Chizuru and Ayaka just gave me apologetic, awkward smiles.
"Fofofo! I assure you, I am a perfectly normal human being," the voice called out from behind the wood. "Please, do come in."
He sounded like he was used to the comment. Taking a breath, I followed Takahata and Evangeline inside. The old man was indeed a bizarre sight—a tiny, wrinkled man with a cranium that defied the laws of physics.
"Fofofo. Welcome to Mahora Academy. I am Konoe Konoemon, the Headmaster. Or perhaps it would be clearer if I called myself the Director of the Kanto Magic Association?"
He kept his left eye closed, peering at me with a single sharp, right eye. Despite his appearance, he radiated an aura of authority that reminded me of Uzumi Nara Athha—the Lion of Orb.
"Fair enough," I replied. "Since you've introduced yourself, it's only right I do the same. I am Axel. Axel Almar. I was thrown into this world due to a malfunction in a Dimensional Transfer Device."
"A Dimensional Transfer Device?" Konoemon's brow furrowed. The others looked at me with varying degrees of shock and skepticism.
"Correct. I was unconscious from the transit when Chizuru Naba and Ayaka Yukihiro found me. Shortly after waking, I was attacked by two mages. I drove them off, but while I was recovering from the fatigue, Evangeline appeared and we engaged in combat. We were reaching the climax of our fight when Takahata intervened. He suggested I meet with the Headmaster, and so, here I am."
I pointedly omitted the fact that I had absorbed the two mages with my slime. Since the slime leaves no trace and the girls had their eyes closed, there was no way for them to know the men were dead—or rather, consumed.
"Ho? You say your battle with Eva was reaching its 'climax'?" Konoemon looked at Evangeline. "I'm surprised she listened to Takamichi's reasoning if the bloodlust was that high."
"Don't get the wrong idea, old man," Evangeline snapped. "The fight was reaching its end, but I wasn't the one closing in for the kill. He was."
"...Is this true?" Konoemon opened both eyes now, his gaze pinning me.
"Pretty much," I said, shrugging. "I don't know the details, but she's a vampire with her powers restricted. Combine that with the fact that she had zero intel on my capabilities, and she was bound to make a mistake."
Konoemon turned his gaze to Takahata.
"It's the truth," Takahata confirmed. "If I hadn't stepped in, Eva would likely have lost. It's a good thing I was already in the area tracking those two rogue mages who infiltrated the campus."
I see. Takahata didn't just stumble upon us; he had been hunting the two mages I'd already dealt with.
"I see..." Konoemon turned back to me. "Even with her powers sealed, Eva is one of the top combatants in Mahora. To push her to that point is quite a feat."
I gave a non-committal shrug. "She might be strong here, but she fought me assuming I was a mage. That was her first mistake."
"Fofofo. Are you saying you are not a mage?"
"I told you. I'm from another world. In the world I come from, mages don't exist—at least, not that I was aware of. We had our own powers, but nothing like what I've seen here."
Well, we had Psychodrivers and Newtypes, but "magic" was a new flavor.
"Hmm... and yet, you possess an incredible amount of mana," Konoemon noted.
I thought about it. I'd never seen "mana" until tonight. I focused and checked Konoemon's status.
SP: 225.
That was a significant number. It confirmed my theory: SP was being interpreted as Mana in this world. Evangeline's seal must have been suppressing her SP pool below 100.
"Regardless," Konoemon continued, "what do you intend to do now?"
"Not much I can do. I was hoping to use this homing marker to signal my people, but..."
I reached into my jacket to pull out the small device, but as I brought it into the light, my heart sank. The marker was crushed—half of its internal circuitry was exposed and charred.
"..."
The room went silent. Even if they didn't understand the technology, they could tell from my expression that something had gone horribly wrong.
"Axel... is that...?" Takahata asked tentatively.
"Yeah. It was supposed to let the Dimensional Transfer Device track my location and pull me back," I muttered.
How had it broken? I replayed the night's events in my head. The transit? No, it was shielded. The fight with the mages? No.
My eyes landed on Evangeline. The Ice Blast. The shard of ice that had struck my jacket with a metallic clang.
"Wh-What?" she stammered, seeing my gaze.
"The ice blast," I said. "One of the shards must have hit the marker directly. Well, we were enemies at the time. I can't exactly blame you for it."
The realization hit the room like a physical weight. Konoemon, Takahata, and Evangeline all looked incredibly uncomfortable.
"I see," Konoemon sighed. "Collateral damage from the fight."
"Hey! Don't look at me like that!" Evangeline shouted. "As he said, we were trying to kill each other! How was I supposed to know he had a fragile toy in his pocket?!"
"Master," Chachamaru interjected tonelessly. "As your servant, I would find it helpful if you simply acknowledged your error."
"Shut it, you junk-heap robot! Stop poking me where it hurts! I'll wind you up so tight you'll spin!"
"Ah! Master, please, the mainspring..."
Evangeline began furiously turning a literal wind-up key in the back of Chachamaru's head. Wait, is she actually clockwork?
Watching the bizarre comedy routine, I felt the heavy atmosphere in the room begin to dissipate, replaced by a strange, weary acceptance. I was stuck here for the time being.
[STATUS WINDOW]
Name: Axel Almar
Level: 38
PP: 625
Stats: Melee: 262 | Ranged: 282 | Skill: 272 | Defense: 272 | Evasion: 302 | Hit: 322
SP: 462
Ace Bonus: SP Boost (Spend SP to increase Slime performance)
Spirit Commands: Accel (4), Effort (8), Focus (16), Strike (30), Zeal (32), Love (48)
Skills:
EXP Up
SP Boost (SP Up Lv.9, SP Regen, Concentration)
Telekinesis Lv.10
Attacker
Gunfight Lv.9
Infight Lv.9
Morale Limit Break
Geass (Grey)
Magic (Fire)
Magic (Shadow)
Magic (Summoning)
Kills: 376
-------------------------------
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