[613] The Hottest Place (2)
* * *
Shirone walked down the corridor on the Magic Association's eighteenth floor, memories of old days stirring as he went.
Not much had changed visibly, but with a new head in charge the whole place felt a shade more solemn.
He knocked on the Association Head's door, but there was no answer.
He couldn't bring himself to open it and go in first, so he waited. A staff member approached and said, "Go on in. The Association Head is in a meeting. He'll come as soon as it's over."
"All right."
Shirone eased the door open and stepped inside. He saw Lupist's study.
True to the epithet "Archmage of Steel," even the furnishings and decorations were wrought of iron.
Thinking about how the element of omnipotence manifests in magic, it made a certain kind of sense.
Shirone sat and rubbed his palms together, nervous. Two hours later the door opened and Lupist entered with his chief secretary, Jein.
Images of Gaold and Gangnan flickered in Shirone's mind—Lupist gave the same impression, though far colder than either of them.
"Hello. I'm Arian Shirone."
Lupist walked past him without much interest and said, "Have her leave."
Shirone froze, unsure whom he meant; Jein closed the door behind her and departed.
"Sit. We're acquainted, aren't we?"
Shirone had been aware of Lupist's gaze back at the square.
"Yes. It's an honor to be called."
"No need for that. I know you favor Gaold."
They had carried out a mission together in Heaven, but Shirone had not formed any ally-bond with Gaold.
"No—not to that extent—"
"Right. He doesn't really have a faction; he tries to do everything alone. Still, you are emotionally closer to Gaold than to me, that much is true."
If Lupist already knew everything, there was no need for Shirone to explain further.
"Are you confident about the graduation exam?"
"I'll do my best. I will become a mage."
It sounded like a rehearsed reply, but in front of Lupist his voice had to carry conviction.
"So you consider me your enemy."
"Isn't that so?"
Having already come to blows with Gaold once, Shirone wasn't cowed even before the Association Head. Lupist let a faint smile tug at his mouth.
"Maybe. You're on Gaold's side, and I'm the head who has to play power games with nations. The moment the Association takes you in, Tormia will draw the attention of greater powers."
Hearing it from the Association Head stung Sharone more than he'd expected.
"You won't use me. I'll decide my own future."
"Of course you should. But no choice is truly free. You pick red or blue and delude yourself into thinking you're free—without even knowing who presented you with those two colors. That's the system."
The part cannot exceed the whole.
"Isn't that what you called me in for? To say something like that?"
Faced with that unpleasant truth, Shirone's voice rose.
"Let's make a deal. I'll guarantee you the greatest possible freedom. And your safety."
Not a bad offer.
"What would I need to do to get that?"
"Fail the graduation exam early."
"What?"
"Of course you'll be trying to find your own solution. But nothing will be easier than my offer. Fail. Miserably. Make it public that you're actually worthless. Some will know it's a show, but people tend to believe what they see. That alone will remove a large part of the risk."
"But if I do that—"
"Afterwards I will guarantee everything. A mage's license—I'll petition the king and get you official recognition. Then you come into the Association and work for the kingdom. I reinstated Pludo and Isabel. Don't worry about your treatment."
Fail the graduation exam, and paradoxically you gain everything.
"Choose carefully. If you accept, that's it. No more exams—go home, sleep well, pack, and come back. I can assure you: however well you perform in the exams, you won't receive treatment like this."
Lupist's words cut because they were true.
"You're a time bomb that could bring calamity on the world. But if it's going to explode anyway, it's human to want it near where you can manage it. And I have the means to manage it—if you cooperate a little."
He wanted Shirone to flop the exam on purpose.
"I refuse."
Lupist showed no surprise.
"Why?"
"You said no choice is truly free. I don't agree. Isn't choosing not to choose itself a choice?"
"That denies the whole."
"Then I'll fight the whole."
Lupist leaned back and half-closed his eyes.
"…Do you think you have a chance?"
"Whether I have a chance isn't the point. Doing what I believe is right—that's what a mage is, isn't it?"
Shirone wanted to be a mage.
"If that's your conviction, I can't stop you. If you change your mind, don't hesitate to fail. The graduation exam hasn't even started."
"Understood. Thank you for your concern."
Shirone left without once losing his composure.
"Phew."
He exhaled in the corridor and reality settled in.
'Did I do the right thing?'
If he botched the graduation exam he'd feel even worse, but whatever the outcome, he'd have no regrets.
"Is that all?"
Chief Secretary Jein approached.
"Yes."
"Then go to the annex on the first floor. The dinner party starts at five-thirty."
She didn't ask any more questions.
"Thank you. I'll go."
Jein watched until Shirone rounded the corner, then returned to the Association Head's office. Her expression alone said the negotiation had failed.
"Told you it wouldn't work," Lupist muttered, chin propped on his hand. "Can a single unit surpass the whole? Is that even possible?"
Jein glanced back toward the door. "He's an Ultima."
"But Gaia failed."
When Lupist rose, Jein looked back again. "What will you do? He's a talent too precious to lose to another nation."
"No need to rush. He's hard to digest. Watching for a while isn't a bad idea."
Lupist moved toward the door and turned to Jein. "It should be starting about now. The video recorders?"
"We installed them with no blind spots. No major incident will happen—unless someone intends it."
"Where can I see the feeds?"
"Go to the central control room and ask. But why watch students at play?"
Lupist's corner of his mouth lifted. "After all the trouble to bring them here, it'd be a shame to just send them off."
* * *
Though called the annex, the Association's building was so vast that even with 150 students inside, the center still felt sparse.
Under hundreds of chandeliers, delicacies from around the world glittered.
Some ate, some enjoyed themselves, but most students representing the kingdom's prestigious schools were busy with invisible psychological skirmishes against other schools.
Among the tangled lines of feeling, the most arrows were pointed at Alpheas School of Magic.
"Is it true Baikal's moving to Creas this year?"
"I heard that too. He's been running the royal magic school for over ten years."
The rumor spread fast, and students who hadn't known began to glance at Alpheas's graduating class.
Among them the most notable was Alfred Pony.
"Miss, we've prepared formal attire for the banquet. Please accept. The nobles will be wearing the same outfits."
'Annoying.'
Attendants sent from the palace surrounded Pony until he hardly knew where he stood.
"Please leave. I'm attending as the school's representative, not as royalty. I don't have any privileges."
"Miss, one cannot simply deny royal blood."
After all, it was a weak bloodline with no claim to succession.
"Why soil a noble body? If you wish, I'll call the Association Head and demand a top-grade mage certificate for you right now."
Pony looked at the attendant as if he were ridiculous. "All mage certificates are the same."
"Then I'll order a special one. A top-grade certificate befitting royalty. You'll like it."
Knowing the attendant was sincere only made Pony more irritated. Talking with people who lived in a reality beyond reality made him feel foolish.
'I don't rely on blood. I'll become the best by my own power.'
Alfred Pony (final graduating rank: 11).
Major: Hydromancy — Torrent branch.
Notable: Royal bloodline.
"Ugh, irritating."
With a headache, Pony hurried off and the attendants swarmed after him.
"In a way… she's a little pitiful."
Maya murmured, watching with a glass in hand. "There's nothing sadder than a predetermined fate."
She turned at the voice to find Kaiden standing there. It seemed this was the first time he'd spoken to her at school.
"Good evening, Maya. Shall we toast?"
Maya stared at the liquid trembling in the glass Kaiden held out.
"Why are you so nervous? Your hands are shaking."
"Am I? I don't notice."
He said it, but as soon as he became aware, the tremor worsened.
"That's odd. You really do look like you're shaking…"
"What are you talking about? Why would my hands shake?"
Maya pointed to the glass where Kaiden's tremor made the liquid slosh. "The drink's spilling."
"How strange. I don't feel it."
"..."
Maya awkwardly smiled as Kaiden didn't even glance at the glass. "Th-then have a good time."
She turned and left as if fleeing.
'Strange personality. Is he making fun of me? I'll avoid him from now on.'
The tremor eased and Kaiden set the glass down, giving a sad smile.
"So… Red Cross Star really won't work?"
"Don't be ridiculous about 'Red Cross Star'!"
Amy pinched Kaiden's side. "Ow! What—sudden?"
Rubbing the sore spot, Kaiden grumbled. "Why meddle in other people's business? You know it's not going to happen."
"That assumes you're sane to begin with. Hurry up—go apologize to Maya for teasing her."
Kaiden's gaze found Maya alone in the crowd. "Do you think… it'll actually work?"
"What proposal are you making? And don't bring drinks—trying to look cool without drinking a drop…"
"All right, I'll try."
Kaiden took a deep breath and went back to Maya. "Um…"
Seeing the fear in her eyes, he realized he'd crossed a line. "I'm sorry. That was a joke earlier. I just wanted to talk."
Maya's face brightened at once. "Oh! I thought you were just weird. But that was funny."
When the imagined horror failed to appear, Kaiden regained his confidence. "Have you finished preparing for the exam?"
"Yeah. I've got a good feeling. The advice Iruki gave me last semester helped a lot."
Her magical talent might be limited, but in artistic sensibility she was a genius even Kaiden—the Red Cross Star—couldn't match.
"This time I'll do it my way. I'll hit a limit someday, but for now my goal is to graduate."
The Mystic tribe's future rested in Maya's hands.
Mystic Maya (final graduating rank: 28).
Major: Sound Magic — Ballad branch.
Notable: Possesses an innate, overwhelming power in song.
"All right. You'll definitely pass."
"Huh?"
Maya asked, and Kaiden answered only in his heart.
'I'll be by your side.'