Dante could no longer stomach the insult.
"Is this for real? Do you think I'm such a joke? You want me to believe that?"
"Shirone's telling the truth."
Iruki stepped forward and put a hand on Shirone's shoulder.
"I get that you're upset, but Shirone really doesn't know you. He hasn't even been at the Academy for a year. This is only his second semester."
Dante puckered his lips in stunned disbelief. The semester had just begun; by the calendar it had only been about half a year. Yet for his Spirit Zone to be comparable in size to Shirone's was something he couldn't accept.
'No, no. They're ganging up on me.'
Dante forced a calm expression and snorted.
"Hah. So you're saying you all knelt before some kid who's only been learning magic for half a year? Are all the students at this school trash?"
The students bristled, but because Dante's words contained an element of truth, no one dared argue.
The only person qualified to answer was Shirone himself.
"Why talk like that? You don't learn magic just to beat someone, do you?"
"Haha! Fine words. Not that I've seen your skills myself."
Whatever the origin of magic, modern society ran on ruthless competition. Debating ideals in that environment was either the weak's fantasy or the strong's hypocrisy.
Convinced it was the latter, Dante rose onto his toes to look down at Shirone.
"I'll expose all your lies. Just you wait."
@
When the day ended, the advanced-class teachers gathered in the conference room.
Olivia was carefully recording all the problems she'd found while overseeing the school that day. She placed a fresh sheet on the desk and opened the meeting.
"Since we toured together, I won't belabor it. At this rate, the school's ranking will fall further. I believe drastic measures are needed."
Everyone had expected Olivia to drop a bomb, but what kind of bomb remained unclear.
"I've considered several options, but there aren't suitable alternatives within the advanced class. However, there is one: adopt the systems used by the graduating class."
The teachers' eyes widened. Before incredulous thoughts could form, Olivia continued.
"I propose we open the combat-simulation facility Ichonbeon to the advanced class."
Sad slammed his hand on the table and stood.
"Principal! Ichonbeon is far too dangerous. Even the graduating class uses the training ground under strict teacher control."
"What's so dangerous about it? We don't need to coddle the students. Even if Ichonbeon simulates real combat, we can lower the sync rate."
Olivia spoke earnestly, and Sad tried to reason calmly.
"There's merit to the principal's approach. We've been overprotective of the advanced-class kids. But I'll say this: the graduating class isn't weak. They go through fierce competition. Reserving real-combat training only for them isn't necessary."
"If the middle tier isn't competitive, how can the top tier be? Students move from the advanced class into the graduating class—where do those graduating students come from? With that mindset you won't achieve innovation. Think differently."
Etella said.
"But what about the graduating class? They use Ichonbeon every day."
"There are two Ichonbeon training grounds, as far as I know. Including the graduating exam arena—the Colosseum—that makes three. With proper scheduling, one of the two could be used by the advanced class."
The teachers fell silent. Ichonbeon was the very place for real-combat training meant for the graduating class. It wasn't impossible to apply it to the advanced class, but they also had to respect the graduating class's pride—an intangible value.
Above all, this would run against Alpheas's decades-long educational philosophy for the Academy.
The silence stretched until the meeting felt more like a fight than a discussion. Olivia, waiting patiently for a response, nodded.
"All right, is that it? Do you mean to say because I'm temporary you won't listen to me? Do you all still think Alpheas is the principal in your hearts?"
"No—no, of course not—!"
"You can be honest. Anyone might feel that way. But don't mistake me. I didn't take temporary charge of the school just to patch holes for Alpheas. He knows that better than anyone, which is why he came to me personally and asked."
Sad was sweating. Olivia was, in fact, the current principal. The teachers had to acknowledge that.
Still, six months from now she would be gone. Alpheas's philosophy was the school's history and tradition; it had to be preserved.
"No one denies Olivia's reputation. I respect her, too. But such a sudden request—"
"Then follow Olivia's plan."
All the teachers turned at once. Alpheas had entered through the back door, smiling. With the school's moral anchor present, Olivia's displeasure showed.
"What is this? Watching over us? I thought I didn't need Alpheas's permission to exercise the authority given to me."
"Of course not. I was out for a walk and thought I heard some sonic magic. Hohoho!"
"Then kindly mind your own business, former principal."
"Before I go, I want to say something to my student. Sad, remember that the school's principal is Olivia. Keep that in mind."
"Understood."
When Alpheas himself spoke, the other teachers had nothing left to say. They might have wondered if a six-month temporary principal truly had full authority, but there was no room for doubt now.
"Heh heh. Then I'll be off, you idle old man," Olivia scoffed, but she dropped the anger—this needed settling once and for all.
When Olivia looked at Sad, he bowed and spoke, prepared.
"I'll announce it to the advanced class."
@
A notice was posted on the advanced-class bulletin board. From now on, integrated training would be held at Training Ground No. 27, Ichonbeon.
The lower tiers were bewildered, but the upper tiers who knew what that place was tensed.
Neid and Iruki sensed the gravity of the situation.
"That's where Ichonbeon is, right? Is this really okay?"
"We didn't expect it to end peacefully anyway. Does it matter? It's not like we're going to die."
Iruki was right that it wasn't literally fatal, but it was dangerous.
A combat simulation wasn't the childhood game where kids made sound effects in their mouths.
"I'm nervous. Are they seriously going to do this?"
"Hard to say. Considering the principal's temperament, it's possible. She said she favored realism. Anyway, let's go tell Shirone."
Neid looked around.
"By the way, where's Shirone? Didn't he even eat dinner?"
"He skipped. He said he'd meet at the research club tonight. He had business at the training ground."
"At this hour?"
"He said it wasn't a good time to practice when it's crowded. This is the only time he has."
"Don't tell me… Ataraxia?"
Iruki smiled meaningfully.
"It's the perfect time to spy. Let's go."
@
Shirone stood alone in the empty training field. He'd come here, skipping dinner, to train Ataraxia.
A one-minute preparation window felt laughably short even to him. Magic circles weren't constrained by space and could be used as siege weapons, but he wasn't going to throw himself into war. Actions that caused mass destruction demanded extreme caution.
'If I practiced hundreds or thousands of times I'd adapt. But at best I can manage once a day.'
The difficulty of repetitive training was another obstacle to mastering Ataraxia. But Shirone didn't give up. Hadn't he done the same when he vowed to read the Ozent family library's history books? Everything gains momentum; walk steadily and sooner or later you run.
"All right. Let's try."
Shirone cast Halo. A one-meter-diameter circle sprang up before him and began to absorb countless concepts.
The prismatic lights rolling forward were always a hazy, dreamlike sight. Crossing a certain threshold, a multidimensional structure beyond ordinary comprehension engraved itself—and Ataraxia was born.
Shirone fixed his gaze on the target ahead and set the spell. Because this would be photon output rather than a Photon Cannon, there'd be no physical force, letting him wield the power freely.
"Hey, Shirone…!"
The instant Neid and Iruki entered the training ground, a massive beam burst from the Ataraxia circle.
From above the field flashed so brilliantly that distant students noticed; the mountain beyond brightened and heads turned.
Neid and Iruki's eyes widened. The sheer light output sent a chill down their spines.
This was not a scale a human should be manipulating. It felt like bringing a natural phenomenon right before their eyes. What could possibly remain where that light passed?
Astonishingly, not a speck of dust rose. Iruki realized the spell Shirone had cast was photon output. A cold sweat ran down his back. If it had been a Photon Cannon, the cliff that divided the training ground would have been gone.
'Incredible, Shirone. That's the kind of power my ace needs to shine.'
Neid moved awkwardly as if he'd forgotten how to walk.
"Hey, Shirone. This—"
Before Neid could finish, Shirone collapsed with a thud.
Normally he'd retain some consciousness, but having poured everything into his once-a-day training, he'd exhausted himself.
"Shirone, Shirone! Snap out of it."
Neid hauled Shirone up and slapped his cheek. The horrifying image of mages dying from reckless spells crossed their minds.
Contrary to their fear, Shirone opened his eyes quickly.
"Huh? When did you get here?"
"Were you okay? We were here before you cast that Ataraxia."
"Hahaha! You saw it? I was saving it."
Shirone pushed himself up with his hand. He swayed but wasn't down for the count.
Iruki approached, eyes still fixed on the target.
"The spell you used in Heaven was Ataraxia plus Photon Cannon, right? How destructive would that be? Now that we've seen this, we can't just tell you to try the full thing."
"Right. In reality, using that much power will probably be rare. Still, I want to keep refining it. The problem is how long it takes."
"Maybe it won't take that long. Perhaps you'll get a chance to use it in real life sooner than you think."
"Huh? What do you mean? A chance?"
Iruki looked at Neid. They had come to complain and comfort Shirone, but now their interest was piqued.
"From tomorrow we'll be training at Ichonbeon. The principal decided."
"Ichonbeon? What's that?"
Iruki pointed upward.
"A virtual trial of tribulations."
Neid added, "A grand-mage-only combat-simulation system."
@
Ten minutes before the integrated advanced-class session began, the students' tension was higher than usual.
Training Ground No. 27 was a flattened clearing cut into the mountain; its floor was densely paved with small metal tiles.
Four iron towers rose along the perimeter, each about seven meters tall.
The teachers overseeing the training were Shiina, Sad, and Etella. The students were pleased to have all the popular instructors guiding them.