Louise was still a little weak when she woke up the next day, so Sora stayed by her side the entire time.
Their translation work was pushed aside and left alone.
Instead, the two of them sat together with the notebook, using Louise's impressions from casting Void to speculate on how it differed from ordinary magic.
Louise said it felt like all her strength had been drained at once.
So her magic power was completely exhausted, Sora concluded silently.
Louise also described how, while she was chanting the incantation, the world around her seemed to change—the figures and scenery vanished. Then red, blue, yellow, and green motes of light appeared. Later, even those disappeared, leaving only a field of fine white points of light all around her.
Sora thought for a moment. The four-colored lights should be the magic power of the four classic elements. As for the tiny white specks that came after… he wasn't sure.
They went over several other details, but nothing more useful emerged.
Sora then told Louise she must keep her use of Void magic a secret—though Anrietta was an exception.
"Listen carefully, Louise. Void is the magic used by the legendary Founder. If people find out you can use Void, someone will definitely start watching you. They might drag you off and do all kinds of experiments on you just to learn how Void works," Sora warned darkly.
Startled, Louise puffed out her cheeks. "But you're here, right? You'll protect me, won't you, Sora?"
"It's not that simple. I'm still not strong enough. Either way, you need to keep a low profile. You're not a little kid who has to show off every time she learns something new, right, Louise?"
"…Fine. I won't tell anyone," Louise muttered, lips pursed.
Sora nodded in satisfaction.
Over the next two days before their departure, they experimented a few more times.
The explosive power of Louise's later casts was not quite as overwhelming as the first, but it still far surpassed spells from the four basic systems using the same amount of magic.
According to the result of the previous [Magic Power Test], when her reserves were full, Louise's magic capacity was six points—Triangle-class. No wonder she'd been so frustrated about not being able to use magic properly.
After a day of rest, she could recover about two points.
The more magic Void Explosion consumed, the greater its destructive force.
To give an example: normally, the destructive force of a basic first-tier Fireball—using one point of magic—can be considered "one unit."
A second-tier Fireball using two points of magic has destructive power equal to two squared, or four units.
Third-tier Explosion, using four points of magic, reaches sixteen units.
Fourth-tier Fire Meteor, using eight points of magic, can reach sixty-four units.
Void Explosion, by contrast, when cast with just two points of magic, already approaches the power of a third-tier spell. With six points, it surpasses fourth-tier magic.
It is a rare and terrifying type of magic that exceeds the limits of ordinary spellcraft.
If Louise's magic power continues to grow—reaching eight or even ten points—then a full-powered Explosion from her could easily exceed fourth-tier magic, becoming a devastating spell capable of wiping out entire towns and cities.
Sora watched Louise's carefree smile and thought that she probably didn't really understand how terrifying her Void magic was.
If she continued to grow, she might become a second Founder—someone whose strength rivaled the four great spirits, capable of bringing down a nation alone.
When that time comes… will Tristain still be able to contain her? he wondered.
No matter what the future brings, right now Louise is still just Louise. All he needed to do was protect her, Sora told himself.
Then came the morning of their departure.
Sora and Louise waited on horseback at the Academy's main gate.
After about half an hour, Louise started to grow impatient.
"Why isn't the escort here yet?" She scanned the empty grasslands in all directions. "Did I remember the time wrong?"
"How about we stop waiting and just go by ourselves?" Sora suggested. "With how strong you are now, we don't really need a guard."
"That's true…" Louise was tempted. After acquiring Void Explosion, her confidence was at an all-time high.
But after thinking it over, she shook her head. "Let's wait a little longer. Anrietta arranged this for us. It wouldn't feel right to just leave."
"You said it, so we'll wait," Sora said with a shrug.
About ten minutes later, a sharp cry echoed from the sky.
Sora and Louise both looked up. A black speck gradually grew larger, resolving into a majestic griffin, nearly twice the height of a man. It swooped down and landed heavily before them, a rider on its back.
"Who goes there!" Sora called, alert. He urged his horse closer to Louise and set his right hand on Delflinger at his left hip.
The rider jumped down from the griffin. He lifted off his hat, revealing a handsome, bearded face with the air of a composed, mature man. With a calm smile, he walked over to greet them.
"I am the guard appointed by Princess Anrietta—captain of the Griffin Squadron, Wardes."
Sora studied the man and felt an immediate pressure from him. This was a true powerhouse—his presence more oppressive than even Kirche's or Tabitha's.
Louise clapped a hand over her mouth and let out a small scream when she heard the name.
"Wardes?! You're—"
"You know him, Louise?" Sora asked.
"Yes. He's very famous. He's the captain of the Griffin Squadron, one of the three elite guards of the royal palace. And among the four Square-class mages of Tristain, Wardes is the youngest. He's the idol of Tristain's boys and the dream lover of its girls."
"Square-class…" Sora only really cared about strength. Triangle-class opponents were manageable.
But Square-class—top tier within the country—was another story. If Sora took a direct fourth-tier spell from him, he'd almost certainly die.
Wardes ignored Sora at first and walked straight toward Louise.
"Don't be so formal, Louise. I'm still your fiancé, after all," he said smoothly.
"Huh?!" Sora's eyes flew wide. He drew his sword and interposed it between Wardes and Louise. "What nonsense are you spouting? Want me to cut a few holes in you so you learn not to talk like that?"
Louise's face went crimson. She flailed her hands in front of her to hide it.
"W-what are you saying…! The engagement or whatever—it was only our parents' decision," she sputtered.
Wardes' brow creased almost imperceptibly.
Sora, however, was quite satisfied with Louise's reaction and felt a surge of confidence. He sheathed his sword and said proudly:
"You heard her, 'escort.' Stay away from my woman."
"Oh? And you are?" Wardes' eyes narrowed as he fixed his gaze on Sora.
"Sora. Louise's man, and Anrietta's knight," Sora replied, meeting his stare without backing down.
Louise blushed even harder and lowered her head, not denying it.
Wardes frowned slightly, then his expression eased as he recalled something.
"So you're the swordsman the Princess mentioned—the one who can stand against Triangle-class mages." He put deliberate emphasis on the word "Triangle," pointedly implying, I am Square-class. You are not my equal.
Sora knew full well he couldn't defeat this man—yet.
But there was no way he could show weakness in front of Louise. "That's only because I haven't fought a Square-class mage yet. Once I do, I might just become a swordsman who can stand against them too."
"Oh? Are you willing to test that?" Wardes smiled faintly as he drew the long, sword-shaped wand from his waist, lowering the tip in a clear challenge.
"Gladly," Sora said. He swung down from his horse, landed lightly, and drew Delflinger, the blade flashing as it dropped into guard.
"Sora, don't! You'll get hurt—don't do this," Louise pleaded anxiously.
"Don't worry about it, Louise. At times like this, a woman just needs to watch quietly," Sora said in a low, steady voice.
He and Wardes locked eyes and walked together away from the school gate onto the flat grassland, stopping about ten meters apart.
"To challenge a Square-class mage… your courage is admirable. I'll let you make the first move," Wardes said, relaxed and confident.
"Sure. Just don't use that as an excuse when you lose," Sora answered, tightening his grip on the sword. His gaze sharpened as he sank fully into battle mode, casting aside all thoughts of Louise and the mission, focusing only on defeating the man in front of him.
Louise watched from a distance, heart in her throat.
Sora sprang forward, the runes on the back of his left hand shining with white light. His movements were swift and agile. Skirting around in an arc, he raised his sword and brought it down in a heavy, cleaving strike.
Wardes took a step back and parried with his wand. His arm sank under the weight of it—Sora's raw strength clearly exceeded his.
As his wand was pressed down, Wardes snapped it forward, angling for Sora's hand.
Sora pulled back his sword and slipped out of the way.
Turning his body, he coiled through his waist and brought the blade down again in a two-handed swing, like a hammer blow.
Wardes' eyes narrowed. His lips moved rapidly, and a faint layer of wind wrapped around his body, boosting his speed by a fraction. He darted back three steps, narrowly avoiding the crushing strike.
Sora's blade cut through empty air, leaving his stance momentarily open.
Wardes raised his wand in his right hand and pointed the tip at Sora.
"Inz Wendy Gluck." [Wind Hammer]
A block of compressed air shot from the wand, hurtling straight toward Sora.
There was no time for Sora to change his footing, so he let go with his left hand, flicked his right wrist, and brought Delflinger up between himself and the incoming Wind Hammer.
The blade glowed as it absorbed the impact. Sora held his ground.
"That sword…" Wardes murmured, somewhat surprised.
Sora charged in again, and Wardes thrust out his wand repeatedly.
Silent casting—hallmark of a Square-class mage.
Clusters of fist-sized [Wind Hammers] poured from the wand's tip, pelting Sora like a hail of invisible stones.
Sora weaved left and right, swinging his sword to block as he advanced, closing the distance to within three or four meters of Wardes.
Then he flipped his blade and slashed toward him.
At the same time, the head-sized Wind Hammer Delflinger had absorbed earlier blasted out of the sword, colliding with one of the fist-sized Wind Hammers aimed at Wardes.
Wardes stopped his silent casting, raised his wand like a sword, and set his left hand along the flat, bracing it as he blocked.
The two spells collided in front of him with a sharp impact, pushing him back half a step.
Sora rushed in, thrusting with fierce precision. Delflinger struck with a flash of silver.
"Clang, crack!"
The blow landed squarely on the middle of Wardes' wand-sword.
The outer metal shattered, and the inner wooden core snapped and fell away.
Wardes kicked off the ground, leaping back out of range of the follow-up.
The feather stuck in his hat came loose and fluttered down slowly.
Sora did not press the attack. The murderous aura now radiating from Wardes was unmistakable.
"Very good. Very good indeed… as expected of Gandálfr," Wardes murmured.
The last words were so quiet only he could hear them.
He tossed aside the broken wand and began chanting clearly and quickly:
"Gruss Wendy Wendy Wendy Spar." [Wind Eye]
The air around him twisted, rolling into a swirling, tornado-like mass.
The feather that had just hit the ground was sucked up into the Wind Eye and shredded into fine down.
A head-sized Wind Eye flew toward Sora. With nothing obstructing it out on the open plain, the vortex expanded rapidly into a wind column six or seven meters high and two or three meters thick.
Sora felt his body tugged toward the spinning core, fighting hard against the pull. Even as he did, he kept one eye on Wardes, wary of any follow-up.
Wardes raised his hand, and four half-meter-long wind blades formed around him, hanging in the air—held in check for the finishing blow.
This is getting messy, Sora thought. Fine—then we go with this.
"Didn't you say you're back in top form? Sword, absorb it all," Sora growled.
He allowed himself to be dragged forward, then kicked off, leaping straight into the path of the Wind Eye. Fighting the suction, he thrust Delflinger with all his might into the core of the swirling column.
The blade flared with light as it tried to devour the spell.
The relentless winds tore at Sora—ripping his clothes and carving countless shallow cuts across his body.
Slowly, as Delflinger pulled in the magic, the Wind Eye began to shrink, and the towering wind column finally dissipated.
Wardes flicked his hand, sending the four wind blades streaking toward the battered Sora.
Sora spun, lifting his sword to shield his face.
"Bang, bang, bang, bang!"
Already saturated with magic, Delflinger couldn't absorb any more.
The four wind blades slammed into Sora, hurling him backward. He tumbled through the air three times before crashing to the ground fifteen or sixteen meters away.
He hit the dirt hard and stayed down, unmoving for over ten seconds.
"It seems the match is decided," Wardes said calmly. He reached up to straighten his crooked hat and brushed dust from his coat.
Louise dashed over, tears in her eyes.
"Sora! Are you alright? Please, get up!" she begged, watching helplessly as he swayed and then slumped back down.
Wardes' expression darkened. Even in victory, it felt as if he'd lost something.
"Cough… cough…"
Sora spat out several mouthfuls of blood and slowly pushed himself into a sitting position.
Dozens of thin cuts on his upper body oozed red, like he'd been repeatedly slashed by sheets of paper.
"I lost," Sora said evenly.
Wardes walked over to them.
"Go back, bandage your wounds, change your clothes, then we'll set out. We've already wasted too much time," he said.
"Why? Sora's hurt this badly—he should rest!" Louise protested angrily.
"It's fine. Just scratches," Sora said. "Come on, help me back to my room, Louise."
"…Okay." Louise slipped under his arm, supporting him as they walked back toward the Academy dorms, leaving Wardes waiting outside.
This time, it was Wardes' turn to wait for Sora and Louise.
About an hour later, Sora emerged, face still a bit pale but steady on his feet. Louise followed close by, eyes slightly red and swollen.
"Let's go, Captain Wardes," Sora said with a grin.
Wardes gave him a brief glance, then mounted his griffin and took the lead.
Sora and Louise followed behind on horseback, their journey to Albion finally beginning.