TUS

—One week later.

We were riding out to the Thunder God Emperor Festival preliminaries. They’d laid on two carriages for the trip: ours carried me, Maria, and Anastasia, with Merlin along as our chaperone, while the other took the two boys from our class.

“Still, a special match venue? It’s not like we needed to go that far, is it?”

“Well, it’s a festival.”

Merlin cleared her throat.

Today’s event needed a lot of open ground, so the academy had borrowed the national Order of Magic Knights’ training facility for it. On equipment alone our own field would have done the job, apparently, but the entire student body was coming to watch, and that settled that. The main tournament, I was told, would be held in the colosseum on academy grounds.

“And the carriage, too… Isn’t this a bit much? We could’ve walked. It’s not far.”

“Being class representative is an honor. Those with real ability receive treatment to match… and that’s part of an education too.”

“Except in our class it’s turned into nobody wanting the job at all.”

At that, Merlin gave a wry smile.

“There’ve been rather a lot of that sort lately. It’s a fine thing for peaceful ages to go on and on, but the softness they breed is a nuisance.”

The two of us traded a shrug. Apparently watching that spineless bunch had left us both thinking exactly the same thing.

Beside me, Maria spoke up.

“By the way, Ephthal? The other day, the way it shook out, you ended up saving me. Right?”

“Yeah. More or less how it shook out.”

“Owing somebody, one-sided like that… it doesn’t sit right with me.”

She raised one finger of her right hand.

“So. As thanks, I’ll grant you exactly one request. Anything at all. Go on, name it.”

“I mean, springing it on me out of nowhere…”

Honestly, where does this kid get it from. Then again, out of nowhere is about as Maria as it gets.

“…I’ve been thinking about it this whole time. How to pay you back. You saved my life, so obviously I’d have to get serious and… do all kinds of things. That’s where I’ve landed, so I’ve made up my mind about it. You really can ask for anything.”

Maria’s face was dead serious, and I shrugged. Earnest to a fault, this one.

“I didn’t save you because I wanted thanks. I don’t need any of this.”

“But then I never get to settle it, do I. Having something handed to me one-sided… I want no part of that. If I leave it here I’ll be looking up at you for the rest of my life, and I’m not having it.”

Earnest, or maybe just constitutionally incapable of losing. Hard to say which.

That was when Merlin turned a challenging little smile on her.

“You there, student Maria. I have heard what you had to say… you said you had made up your mind, did you not? I do not admire the casual use of such words.”

“Meaning what, exactly?”

“Consider. Were Ephthal-sama to bid you share his bed, what would you do? Making up one’s mind… can encompass that sort of thing as well, and that is precisely why it is not a phrase to be thrown about.”

At that, Maria fixed her eyes on mine.

“Hey, Ephthal. Do you want to sleep with me?”

It wasn’t only me. Merlin and Anastasia both went “Eh!?” too.

“Do you… want to sleep with me?”

“…”

“…”

“…”

Silence fell.

The air in the carriage had gone strange, Anastasia had frozen solid, and Merlin, the one who started all this, was wearing a face that said Wait, hang on!? Good grief. I knew elves took their obligations seriously, but I hadn’t expected a thank-you to arrive with a mind made up to quite that degree. And Merlin. What exactly do you plan to do about the atmosphere you’ve just built in here?

“Look, my request isn’t going to be anything like that. I’m not going to back you into a corner.”

Merlin cleared her throat and tried again, in the tone of a patient tutor.

“W-Well, then. Student Maria. That you have made up your mind as far as sharing a bed, I understand. But suppose it were not a single night. Suppose you were told to become his lover, or to marry him. Making up one’s mind, you see, means precisely that sort of—”

Maria cut her off halfway through and fixed her eyes on mine again.

“Hey, Ephthal. Do you want me to be your lover?”

And once again it wasn’t only me. Merlin and Anastasia went “Ehhhh!?” together.

“Do you want me… to be your lover?”

“…”

“…”

“…”

Silence, again.

No, no, no. The air had gone stranger still, Anastasia had been frozen so long she’d crossed over into statuary, and Merlin, once again the author of all this, had progressed to a face that said Wait, wait, hang on!?

“Like I said, I’m not asking you for that. And honestly, that isn’t the sort of thing that belongs under thanks or favors in the first place.”

“And I’d made up my mind, too…” Maria shrugged, looking genuinely put out.

Why the disappointment, though. What am I supposed to do with an attitude like that, exactly.

“By the way, Ephthal-sama?”

“Yeah, I noticed. A freezing barrier.”

Right, joke’s over. I was on my feet in the same breath, Maria tucked under one arm, and out through the window.

Merlin, by the look of it, went out the front, with Anastasia under one arm and the driver plucked off the horse under the other.

The magic went off the instant we were clear, centered on the carriage. Cold rolled through the air, and in a heartbeat the whole thing sat sheathed in a hemisphere of ice: the carriage we’d been riding in a moment ago, horses and all, sealed under a thin dome. Stay inside for that, naturally, and you’d have been locked in an ice cell along with it. We’d been a beat slow getting the driver out and he’d blacked out, but that was all it was, as far as I could see. No injuries. Fine, then.

“M-Master! What’s happening!?”

“Ah. That’d be Level 5: Magic Eater.”

Anastasia and Maria both went “Eh…” and lost the color in their faces on the spot.

“Hold on, hold on, what does that mean? Level 5 is serious magic, you know.”

“It’s a curse barrier. Strips every last drop of magic power out of whoever’s sealed inside the ice, and anyone half-trained ends up unable to cast for days. Merlin, can I ask you something?”

“Were you to ask whether you may—if it is a thing Ephthal-sama desires, then this Merlin holds only two answers in her hand. ‘Yes,’ and ‘yes.’”

No telling whether that was a joke, so I let it sail on past.

“That Level 5 gave me nothing to sense until the instant before it fired. Just to be sure, same for you?”

“Indeed. And though the difficulty of the spell itself is a mere Level 5, moving magic power that quietly takes real craft—whether even the Four Emperors of old counted such a caster among them, I couldn’t say. I certainly couldn’t manage it.”

“Right. Casting a Level 5 solo is nothing to write home about on its own… but that’s exactly the part that snags.”

“Um, Ephthal? You two keep talking like Level 5 is nothing at all, but casting one solo makes you an ace among aces even for a court mage, you know.”

“Then might this be Sasha-sama at his games?”

Merlin ignoring Maria that thoroughly was funny enough that I nearly laughed, though this wasn’t the moment for it.

“Sasha’s hardly so short of things to do that he’d come all the way out here to tease us, is he?”

“He does seem the sort to enjoy a prank… doesn’t he.”

Granted, I didn’t know another monster alive who could pull this off. I ran a detection spell to be sure, and there was nobody in range carrying magic power above a certain threshold. Nobody but Merlin. A caster who could slip my detection. So it really was one of Sasha’s pranks, then?

“Anyway, it’s too good an opportunity to waste. Anastasia, Maria. Watch closely.”

The spell had no habits in it. No color of its caster, nothing, and that in itself was uncanny. It was so textbook that assembling the formula that way would have been the harder trick, which put me right back at Sasha. I couldn’t have done it myself, not even aiming for it. And if he had set it up, there was no cleaner teaching aid going, so I’d put it to work on my own grand-disciples.

I held my palm out toward the wall of ice, and as I focused, I started tinkering with the formula laid into it.

“Master? What are you doing? Are you canceling it out with defensive magic?”

“No. I’m rewriting the formula that’s building the wall. Watch how the magic power moves and you’ll see it.”

“Um… I have absolutely no idea what you just said.”

The two of them tilted their heads in matching question marks, and Merlin let out a small laugh.

“Fledglings would not understand it yet. But once one becomes a mage of our tier, reaching into an enemy’s formula midway is a rather ordinary occurrence.”

“…No, I genuinely don’t understand what you mean, Merlin-sama.”

“The point is this. Magic, fundamentally, goes to whoever gets it off first. The higher the difficulty, the longer the formula takes to build, and tactics get built on that premise.”

“That part I understand! Master’s school is famous for its divine-speed barrages!”

“Just so,” Merlin said with a nod. “My own byname in the scholarly societies is the Thunder God of Flashing Chains. We too hold divine speed sacred. And there are occasions when reaching into a formula midair and collapsing it from the inside is faster than raising a high-level barrier to block it.”

“Formula intervention? Meaning…?”

“Meaning one does not meet it head-on with defensive magic, force against force. One reaches into the formula the enemy has assembled and makes a thorough nuisance of oneself. It does not merely weaken the spell. Strike the right point and the whole thing can be forced to cancel.”

That’s a thing you can do…? The pair of them blinked at us.

“Obviously,” I put in, “the other side fights your intervention with intervention of their own, defensively and desperately. Anyway, worth watching for future reference. Do it this way and you can cancel an enemy attack without touching a defensive spell.”

So I reached into the formula generating the ice wall, overwrote it with one that produced flame instead, and steered the two formulas into canceling each other out. The wall came apart in front of us, and as the last of it went, the mass of magic power left with nowhere to go dissolved into the air in glittering motes.

“See? Pretty, isn’t it. Anyway, that’s how you—”

“How you what!?”

I caught it from both of them at once.

Well, it’s more or less a secret art of the Ephthal school. It really only comes up in Level 9 and 10 exchanges, in that endgame-puzzle world where everything turns on who moves a fraction of a second sooner, and it’s entirely possible the technique has no place left in this era. It’s also very much a hit-and-hope move, the sort where the other party goes, “Ah, I forgot to guard that one! You’ve been sneaking in there this whole time!?”

And obviously, the spell is the caster’s own formula, built by their own hand. Whoever’s intervening has to start by analyzing it, while the caster knew every line of it from the beginning, so blocking is by far the easier side of that exchange. Barring an enormous gap in skill, it only ever works as an ambush. Then again, being an ambush is exactly why it’s devastating when it lands.

“Anyway, I’ve been drilling Anastasia and Maria on formula construction from the foundations up, so take it a step at a time and you’ll get here eventually.”

The moment I finished, Merlin nodded, proud as anything.

“Yes. Just as I did… mm.”

“Still… this has turned awkward.”

The barrier was down, but the horses had been drained and were out cold. It amounted to having their life force siphoned off, which meant healing magic wouldn’t touch it.

“Yes, we’ll be walking, then.”

I shook my head.

“No, that’s not it—I mean the other two.”

Here’s how the Thunder God Emperor Festival preliminaries worked. Five classes from the second years, five from the third years, and from the first years only ours: eleven teams. Add the student council on their special slot and that made twelve. Too many to run a main tournament straight off, hence a preliminary round to thin the field first. Only the top four go through. And apparently the preliminaries don’t require a full five.

There’s a reason for that. They’re young students, and once in a rare while one of them wakes up to their talent and shoots forward all at once over the space of a few months. When some unmarked kid like that turns up as a sort of secret weapon, it’s entertaining, and the crowd loves it. Some of that is Merlin’s own taste, admittedly. Either way, to keep that dark-horse slot alive, running the preliminaries with four is permitted.

Originally it was nothing more than permitted. But a four-man team’s score is averaged and then multiplied by five to give the team total, so somewhere along the line fielding your best four became standard practice.

So we reached the venue, Maria went straight for the entry desk, and—

“I’m telling you, we were attacked!”

“Rules are rules.”

Sure enough. Our two remaining classmates had taken the spell head-on and were unconscious, drained dry the same as the horses. They’d be no use to anyone for a while, which made registering them as competitors impossible, hence Maria going around and around with the staffer in the reception tent. Though honestly, ‘rules are rules’ is a hard thing to argue with.

“Hey, Merlin? Bottom line, we need four to get through today. Right?”

“Five for the finals and the semifinals, but as things stand right now… yes, that’s right.”

Maria came back over and let out a sigh.

“No good. There’s no talking to them. I’ve got one person in mind as an absolute last resort, but signing them up today, right this second, isn’t happening… That’s it for member hunting. There’s nothing we can do.”

And then every eye there, mine included, turned to a certain person.

Merlin took the weight of all those looks like she’d been waiting for exactly this and swept her long silver hair back with a flourish.

“Well, if I am to be relied upon to that degree, there is nothing else for it. Yes. This Merlin—”

She stopped there. Then she drew in a long, long breath.

“—shall simply have to take the field in cosplay, in a student uniform and a mask!”

Which, in fairness, was the only option left, so there wasn’t much to be done about it. But Merlin. Why do you look so delighted about this? You look like you’re in your twenties, you know. Are you honestly going to go through with cosplaying a student uniform?

“Merlin. I’m sure you know this already, but you’re strictly there to make up the numbers. You’re not to do anything except forfeit.”

Merlin actually competing would be cheating of the highest order. Which goes without saying, really.

And so… I let out a thoroughly dejected sigh.

…And so, time passed. It was now after school, in the classroom.

“Maria? What is this ‘secret plan’ of yours?”

“Well, our classmates are a bunch of cowards who are too scared of the upperclassmen to compete, right? I checked the rules, and apparently, this has happened before. This is a school for rich kids, after all. It’s rare, but sometimes a class does only have three or four people who are actually willing to fight… And if you have people in the match who have no fighting spirit from the get-go, it just kills the mood for the audience, doesn’t it?”

“That’s true. Imagine a super-hyped finals match, and right at the bell, someone just says, ‘I forfeit.’ It would be a total buzzkill.”

“Exactly. So, to prevent that, they made a rule. In the finals, for example, you have to stay in the arena for at least one minute after the match starts.”

“Meaning, if you’re going to stand there as a class representative, you have to be prepared to take a hit.”

“That’s part of what’s scaring them off. But anyway, whether you get beaten to a pulp, run around like crazy… or just stand there like a statue. As long as you’re in the arena for one minute… you’re considered to have ‘participated,’ and then you’re allowed to forfeit.”

“So, what’s your point, Maria?”

“My point is, we just need people who can withstand a fierce assault for one minute! That’s all they have to do! In other words… this! Now, come in! My ultimate weapon!”

Maria confirmed that the three of us were alone in the classroom, and then snapped her fingers.

Sure enough, the front door of the classroom rumbled open, and the person who entered was—

—A masked woman.

She wore a swallowtail butterfly masquerade mask, and her lips were a glossy red. Silver hair, a large chest… wait a minute. That outfit… her outfit is completely identical to her usual one… Th-This is…!

“What are you doing!?”

“R-Right now, I am Ephthal’s classmate, ‘Anonymous Hope’.“

As Merlin floundered, Maria leaned in and whispered to me.

“Merlin-sama is totally into this, so don’t ruin her fun, Ephthal.”

“H-How did this happen?”

“At first, she wouldn’t give me the time of day, but the moment I mentioned the word ‘mask,’ she got weirdly excited. After that, all I had to do was flatter her a bit, like ‘Oh, Merlin-sama, your mask is… so wonderful!’… and, well, here we are.”

Then Maria took a deep breath and shouted—

“It’s wonderful! And I can’t tell who you are at all!”

“Fuhaha! Of course it is! It’s marvelous, isn’t it! As expected, I look good in absolutely anything!”

That’s right… I sighed. Merlin always loved masks and costumes, even back in the day. She was always… abnormally passionate… about the Halloween parties I came up with in my past life. I remember thinking back then that if Merlin ever ended up on modern-day Earth, she would absolutely get addicted to cosplay.

“Come on, Ephthal.”

Maria nudged me with her elbow. She clearly wanted me to play along. So, with no other choice, I said in a deadpan monotone,

“Wow… ‘Anonymous Hope’… I wonder who it could possibly be. I mistakenly said ‘Merlin’ earlier, but it’s totally not her.”

“Fufu, so you can’t tell either, Ephthal? However, I suppose I must tell you the truth. The fact is… I introduced myself as ‘Anonymous Hope,’ but—”

Merlin paused dramatically. And after taking a huge, deep breath, she declared,

“—It is I, Merlin!”

Yeah, I know.

Just then, Anastasia, her jaw dropped in utter shock, gasped out loud,

“What!? ‘Anonymous Hope’ was Merlin-sama!? I couldn’t tell at all!”

Eeeeeh!? Are you being serious, Anastasia!?

“A-A-And that mask… it’s so cool!”

Receiving a look of pure, sparkling-eyed admiration, Merlin puffed her chest out as far as it would go.

“Fufu, Anastasia, you have a discerning eye. For this… I shall have to consider upgrading your rank from ‘useless mongrel’ to ‘useless wolf’.”

“Yay! I’m so happy!”

‘Useless wolf’… Are you really happy with that, Anastasia…? Good grief… They’re all, without exception, a bunch of idiots.

Feeling completely drained, I slumped and said to Merlin.

“Look, Merlin? Let’s at least… do something about the clothes. If you wear your usual outfit, I’m pretty sure you’ll be recognized.”

“Hmm, that is true. This lacks artistry. In other words, you are telling me to engage in further cosplay? Very well! This Merlin shall pour all her skill into crafting a costume!”

Oh, she’s making it herself. But why does she look so incredibly happy about this…?

Okay, this nonsense was escalating, so I put my foot down.

“Merlin? You are not participating in the tournament.”

“What!?”

“That’s just going too far, isn’t it? Even stupidity needs a break, or I’m actually going to get angry.”

At that, Merlin made a face as if she had just witnessed the end of the world.

“N-N…o… My perfect plan… to be of service to Ephthal… is…”

She hung her head, utterly dejected.

Anastasia, by the way, just froze in place as if to say, “But why not?” while Maria just shrugged. “Well, figures.”

“So, what’s the plan, Maria?”

“Oh, you see right through me, don’t you? I didn’t think you’d realized I had another card to play.”

Of course I did. When Maria is feeling confident, her elf ears twitch happily. She kept glancing toward the door, her ears twitching, so it wasn’t hard to guess she had something else lined up besides the Merlin plan.

“Alright then, come in! My true ultimate weapon!”

And with that—Maria snapped her fingers.

The classroom’s front door rumbled open again, and a pair of guys walked in.

“And so, I’ve prepared our new members. I really didn’t want to have to resort to this, though.”

It was a duo, one with blond hair and one with a shaved head. I definitely recognized them from our class.

“Are you two really going to participate?”

The two of them nodded in response to my question.

“Wait, but Maria? Why did they agree? This morning, everyone was so dead set against it…”

“I used a little… ‘seduction’ to make a deal.”

Seduction? For some reason, that word made me think of Sheryl. Right… she was trying to sell her underwear, wasn’t she?

Hmm. Is it possible Maria lured them with something like that? Like promising a date, or… showing them her underwear?

For me, Maria is so similar to my wife from my past life, Bridget, that I sometimes wonder if she’s her reincarnation. Because of that, I have strong feelings about this.

In fact, I’m starting to think Maria and Bridget can’t be total strangers. They’re from the same branch-tribe in the same elven village, and they look this much alike.

It’s only natural to assume they’re strongly related by blood somewhere down the line. Because of that… I really, really don’t want Maria to be doing… that…

“J-Just out of curiosity, Maria… when you say ‘seduction,’ what kind of deal did you make, exactly?”

I asked, swallowing hard.

To be honest, part of me didn’t want to know… or rather, I was almost afraid to ask.

“…I promised the two of them I’d make them a home-cooked meal if they listened to me.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

Maria looked extremely awkward and explained,

“Well, the thing is, Ephthal… I’m… I’m actually, like, secretly really popular. My personality is so impulsive and aggressive that nobody will openly say they like me, but…”

Ah, so she is self-aware about that part.

“But, as a matter of fact, it’s an undeniable truth that I’m cute, right? I mean, I’m practically a genius beauty. And because of that, there’s a certain number of guys who are interested in me just for my looks and my ‘specs’…”

“Well, I won’t deny that.”

I really do think she’s cute. In fact, she’s exactly my type.

‘Genius’ might be an exaggeration, but she has a talent for magic, and more than anything, she’s a hard worker.

“Wait? You’re not-denying that I’m cute?”

“Like I said, I’m not denying it.”

“…”

“…”

“…Tee-hee♪”

Wait, Maria-san… where exactly did you learn to strike a cutesy pose like that?

Setting aside the fact that Maria looked incredibly happy despite her slight embarrassment…

“Anyway, those two have been pestering me for ages. Asking me to be their girlfriend, asking me to go out with them… No matter how many times I turned them down, they’d come back to life and attack again like zombies…”

“Okay, and?”

“So, when I made the announcement to the class this morning, right? Afterward, the two of them proposed a deal. They said they’d give up on me and agree to be class representatives… but in exchange, for one last memory, they wanted me to eat a meal with them just once. Or if I wouldn’t do that, they wanted me to make them a homemade bento.”

Maria sighed, looking exhausted from the bottom of her heart.

I don’t have any experience with it, but I guess being good-looking comes with its own set of hardships.

“So that’s how those two ended up becoming class representatives?”

“Well, I was having trouble with how persistent they were, anyway. Since they said they’d finally give up, it wasn’t a bad deal… But I really didn’t want you to think of me as some ‘bad woman’ who uses men for her own gain… That’s why I didn’t want to use this card.”

“…?”

“No, I mean… I didn’t want you to have a bad impression of me. Especially when it comes to relationships… I absolutely didn’t want you, of all people, to think of me that way.”

For the time being, how exactly was I supposed to interpret that?

As I looked confused, she continued.

“In short, the point is… I didn’t want you to think I was that kind of woman. Right… I didn’t want you to think that.”

She wasn’t stumbling over her words, but she certainly wasn’t summarizing anything clearly. And for some reason, Maria was directing a heated gaze toward me. How was I supposed to react to this? Honestly, I was at a loss.

“So, with that, we have our five members.”

And so… it seemed we would be challenging the festival with this group of five.

Chapter 1 – The Thunder God Emperor Festival

—Before morning homeroom.

Man, there sure are some strange kids out there…

As I sat at my desk thinking about Sheryl, Maria whipped around and jabbed her right index finger straight at me.

“Hey, you! This is a major incident!”

“Oh, speak of the devil. Here’s another strange kid right here.”

“What do you mean, ‘strange kid’!?”

She’s already got a vein popping on her temple. Is she a short-fused kettle, or what? On a side note, I’ve always thought this, but it’s really not good to point at people. It’s a bad habit of Maria’s.

Anyway, her face was bright red and she looked like she was about to explode with anger, so I quickly cut in.

“So, what’s this ‘major incident’ all about?”

Maria launched into her explanation. “Well, you see…”

As it turns out, we’re set to participate in the Thunder God Emperor Ephthal Festival, which is just one week away.

Oh, the festival is basically a mock-battle tournament between the class representatives from every grade level.

Now, as for why I’m participating in a student-level tournament… I have my reasons, of course.

I’ve made it my goal in this lifetime to reach the pinnacle of all martial arts, magic included.

My objective for this festival is simple: to win, and earn a spot in the inter-academy tournament that follows.

I discussed this with Merlin before, but the awards ceremony for the inter-academy tournament is apparently a gathering place for major figures from all over the world.

Therefore… my immediate objective is to make contact with the ‘Sword God Emperor’—someone from a different discipline than magic—and ask to become his disciple.

It’s all part of my plan to improve the swordsmanship skills I’ve gained in this life and become a fully-realized magic swordsman. As for the other members’ goals, Maria wants to prove herself to her elven village. To do that, she needs to earn the ‘Jade Grand Cordon,’ the proof of the academy’s top student. So, winning this festival is a necessary first step for her. Anastasia, on the other hand, is just her usual carefree self: “As long as I’m with you, Master, I’m happy to do anything~♪”

But anyway, the tournament is a five-on-five team competition. And according to Maria, everyone in our class besides the three of us (myself, her, and Anastasia) is ‘completely useless.’ We had originally planned to just enter the tournament with only the three of us, but—

“It turns out they won’t let us participate unless we have a full team of five!”

“What? That’s not good. We only have three people. What are we going to do, Maria?”

At that, Maria confidently thumped her flat chest as if to say, “Just leave it to me!”

“Basically, we just need some warm bodies to fill the roster.”

“And on that note,” Maria stood up from her seat and marched to the teacher’s podium at the front of the class.

She turned to face us and—SLAM!—slapped her right palm against the blackboard.

“Attention, everyone!”

What’s going on? Inevitably, all eyes in the room turned to Maria.

She took a deep breath and announced:

“Alright, I’m now recruiting our class representatives! We have two open spots for the honorable position of… well, class representative! And right now, you can claim one just by raising your hand! Now, be grateful for this stroke of luck!”

She puffed out her flat chest and, once again, jabbed that right index finger straight forward.

It’s her signature pose, I guess, but it’s still rude to point.

And the reaction from the rest of the class?

“…Yeah, no. Isn’t the Thunder God Emperor Festival crazy dangerous?”

“That’s just Maria getting all worked up by herself. It looks like Ephthal and Anastasia just got dragged into it.”

“And why are you, a transfer student, trying to run things in this class anyway?”

Yep. Everyone was staring at Maria with a cold, deadpan look. Er… Talk about a hostile audience.

“Hey, all of you! This is a golden opportunity! If you get good results at the Thunder God Emperor Festival, you’ll obviously get noticed… It’s the first step on the fast track to the super-elite!”

And the class’s reaction to Maria’s words—

“Uh, this is already an elite school, though.”

“Becoming more elite just sounds like a good way to attract trouble…”

“The nail that sticks out gets hammered down, you know.”

“As long as I have a decent amount of prestige as a mage, I’m set. I’m a noble, after all.”

“Besides, isn’t Maria the only one in this class who’s actually ‘hungry’ for it?”

Oof… The difference in enthusiasm between Maria and everyone else is just… staggering. I mean, I’d heard this school has a lot of kids from noble or wealthy merchant families, so it makes sense that many students aren’t motivated to climb the ladder. And this class especially is said to be full of them.

For the children of high nobility, for instance, the smart way to live is to just stay on the tracks laid out for you and not make waves.

I’ve heard that other classes have scholarship students who have to get good grades to get tuition exemptions, but this class… it’s just full of pampered, laid-back rich kids.

“Are you people serious!? Don’t any of you have a single shred of ambition!?”

“Uh, I’m just planning to use my family’s connections to live a quiet life as a court mage until I inherit my father’s Viscount title.”

“…I’m just going to inherit my family’s chain of alchemy shops.”

“My family isn’t rich, but I’m fine with a decent, average life. I’m planning to be a private tutor for some high noble’s kid. It’s supposed to be easy work for good pay.”

Needless to say, not a single person was on Maria’s side. But this is… awful. I mean, they have zero ambition. Personally, I have some strong feelings about this. As someone who dedicated their entire previous life to the pursuit of magic, I can’t help but feel like they’re mocking me.

This is a magic academy with incredible facilities. If they don’t have the drive… they should give up their seats to the motivated, hardworking students who do. If all they want is a ‘decent’ education, they can get that at any other school…

It seemed Maria felt the same way I did. Her face was bright red with rage, and she’d been staring at the floor for a moment, just growling, “Mmmph…” It looked like she was trying her best to suppress her anger.

Then, after a deep breath, Maria forced herself to sound calm and said,

“Fine, I get it. In that case, you don’t even have to be useful. Just lend us your names. All you have to do is be on the entry form… We’re doing this for the honor of the class, so the least you could do is go along with it!”

“…Yeah, but what if we have to fight the student council? Those guys are all hardcore. I saw last year’s tournament… they don’t hold back. It’s genuinely dangerous.”

“Why should we have to do that…?”

“We’re not getting involved in this. Winning is impossible anyway. We’ll just embarrass ourselves. We’re first-years; the skill gap with the upperclassmen is too huge. That’s why first-years were banned from participating until now, right? I heard Maria strong-armed them into allowing it this year, but still…”

At that, Maria slapped the blackboard with her palm again. BAM!

“The three of us properly passed the training camp’s final exam! We do have real skill!”

And, as expected, everyone just gave Maria a cold look and shrugged, as if to say, “Give me a break.”

“Sure, Maria is brilliant, and Anastasia and Ephthal have amazing scores on paper, but…”

“Besides, Ephthal is just a magic-theory and swordsmanship nerd, right? No offense, but there’s a real difference in practical magic skills between humans and demons.”

“Ephthal’s swordsmanship is amazing, sure, but that’s with a live blade. This is a mock battle…”

“And even Maria and Anastasia are just ‘top of the first-years.’ I can’t see them beating the upperclassman reps.”

“Look, if it was a guaranteed win with zero risk, I’d join for the prestige. But it’s impossible, and it’s dangerous.”

“Yeah, exactly. Sometimes it’s not just a ‘light injury.’ I’ve heard stories about people getting seriously hurt in the past and ending up with permanent disabilities.”

“Logically thinking, we’ll just get beaten to a pulp in public and be humiliated.”

And then, a guy in the very back row of the class said with a smirk,

“Well, whether you forfeit from a lack of members or just lose outright, please enjoy fighting your losing battle, Maria-kun. The class consensus is that we’re not dealing with this.”

At that, another vein popped on Maria’s temple. It looked like she had no intention of holding back this time.

Well, I’m with Maria on this. No matter how you slice it, this group’s attitude is just pathetic.

“You people—how cowardly can you be!? Fine! I’m done expecting anything from you! But the three of us will find other members, and we will win! And when we do, don’t you dare regret not jumping on the bandwagon!”

And with that, Maria stomped back to her seat, huffing in rage.

Still… what’s Maria going to do? The entire class just flat-out refused to join.

“It can’t be helped. I really didn’t want to play this card…”

“What are you planning to do?”

“Let’s just say… I have a secret plan.”

Prologue – The Girl Selling Underwear

—Mornings at the magic academy start early.

I bought my usual sandwich for lunch at the usual shop on my way to the academy. And, just like any other day, I was cutting through the academy courtyard on my way to the main building. That’s when I tilted my head in confusion. “Huh?”

“It’s awfully noisy today.”

It just seemed like there were way too many people in the courtyard compared to usual. No, ‘seemed’ wasn’t right. There were definitely more people. An abnormal amount, even.

This place is usually just a stone-paved path cutting through a grassy lawn, but today, it was completely packed.

Hmm… The grassy areas looked just like a flea market. Or rather, that’s exactly what it was: straw mats laid out everywhere, covered in merchandise. Seeing the state of the courtyard, I gave a small nod of understanding.

“Oh, right. Today must be the ‘Surplus Market’ day.”

It was an event they had at the magic academy back in my day, too. If I remember right, it’s where poorer students buy and sell grimoires among themselves. Of course, since it’s not a for-profit business, you can usually get used books for cheaper than the going rate.

And for the sellers, it’s a good deal because they can get more money than they would by selling to a secondhand shop. It’s pretty much a win-win event for everyone.

That said, if both parties don’t know the market rates, it’s pretty common for one side—buyer or seller—to get ripped off. But since it’s just students trading among themselves, everyone’s supposed to use fair pricing. Even if disagreements pop up later, they rarely turn into serious problems.

I mean, fighting over money on academy grounds is just a hassle, you know? It gets complicated. So, even if a price is unfairly high or low, it usually just gets settled later with a quiet exchange of money between the students involved.

Everyone knows this is the deal going in, so it’s a low-stress way to trade.

Personally, I remember this market being a huge help to me back in my previous life, since I was a struggling student.

I was the eighth son of a poor noble family, and I was pretty desperate for… well, everything, back then. A wave of nostalgia washed over me.

I think it’s a great event, so it only felt natural to be happy that the tradition was still alive. Besides, it wasn’t just books. People sold old clothes and various knick-knacks, too. It really was a flea market in every sense of the word.

Sometimes, a kid from a well-to-do noble family would even bring antiques from their family’s storehouse. You could occasionally find some real hidden gems… or not.

Anyway, feeling nostalgic, I decided to take a stroll through the bustling courtyard.

Hmm… I mused, walking along and browsing the goods laid out on the mats.

As far as used books went, it was mostly just elementary-level grimoires. Nothing new or exciting. Not that I expected anything else. Still, just walking around and browsing made me feel kind of excited. It reminded me of being back in Japan—strolling through summer festivals, or actual flea markets, was always fun, even if you were just looking.

Oh, I spotted a cute necklace and bracelet. Maybe I’ll buy them as souvenirs for Anastasia and Maria. They both worked so hard during the training camp… Yeah, they deserve a little reward.

So, I continued walking through the market, until I reached one particular corner—and froze, utterly speechless.

Because, in that spot—

—someone was selling little girl’s panties.

Well, not just underwear. It looked more like they’d just grabbed everything in their room and dumped it here to sell. I mean, I guess you could technically classify little girl’s underwear as used clothing, but still…

Anyway, there were plenty of other strange things about this stall besides the underwear. The shopkeeper—a kid sitting in the middle of the mat—was… well, first off, her age was all wrong.

She was a girl who looked to be about ten years old, and her outfit was a little… odd. She wore an all-white robe, kind of like a white mage’s. It had a white hood with what looked like cat ears, and she had… light blue hair, probably shoulder-length. The cat-ear hood was the part I found strangest. Her face… well, she had sleepy-looking eyes, but her features were sharp. She was actually quite cute. But why was a kid this young participating in the flea market like it was totally normal? And selling underwear, no less. Besides, the academy grounds are supposed to be off-limits to non-affiliated personnel…

Then I noticed that on the mat, next to the merchandise and price tags, there was a piece of paper with something written on it.

The words written on it were—

“Will sell anything but my body. Freshly-worn underwear also available.”

My head started to spin. I mean, seriously, who would buy something like that in a place like this?

Just as I was thinking that, feeling completely drained, a skinheaded student walked up to the stall. He had a pretty intimidating face. He stared intently at the light-blue-haired girl and asked:

“Are they really freshly worn? How much?”

Someone’s actually trying to buy them?!

I almost fell over right then and there.

“…Of course they’re freshly worn. I heard from an expert in the field that it significantly increases their value. The price is twenty gold coins.”

I was very curious about this “expert in the field,” but I’ll set that aside for now.

Twenty gold coins, though… That’s an incredibly bold asking price.

Unsurprisingly, gold is rare in this world, too. Twenty gold coins would be roughly equivalent to two million yen.

“Haha, don’t be ridiculous, kid. That’s way too much of a rip-off. How about one silver coin?”

One silver coin. That’s about ten thousand yen. Willing to pay that much for used underwear… My goodness, this guy is a true connoisseur, apparently.

“…I don’t do discounts.”

“Then how about two silver coins!”

“…Twenty gold coins. I have no intention of lowering the price.”

“I said don’t be ridiculous! Five silver coins!”

“…No.”

“Fine, one gold coin! That’s my final offer! I can’t bleed myself dry!”

“…No. Twenty gold coins. I have no intention of selling for less.”

Her replies were listless, her eyes still looked vaguely sleepy.

It wasn’t that she was unfriendly, just… what’s the word… she seemed like someone with low blood pressure who’d just woken up.

At that point, the skinheaded man raised his voice.

“Cut the crap! I offered one gold coin!”

“…And I’ve told you many times. I am not selling for less.”

“You’ve got some nerve! You’re trying to rip me off, knowing I’m the eldest son of an Earl!?”

It’s not about being ripped off… The crazy part is him trying to buy it in the first place.

The skinhead glared at the girl, his voice growing rough as he tried to intimidate her.

“One gold coin! Stop messing around!”

“…I refuse.”

“That’s enough out of you! Don’t think you can act all high and mighty just because you’re a little cute!”

The man was clearly getting irritated. It looked like a fight was about to break out, over an appallingly stupid reason, but still… I sighed. It seemed I had no choice, so I stepped in between them.

“Excuse me,” I said. “This is my little sister… she loves to play pranks, and it looks like this one went a little too far.”

I tried to make eye contact with the light-blue-haired girl, signaling Play along, but she gave no reaction. Then again, she didn’t seem inclined to stop me, either. In that case, I’d just proceed as planned.

“A joke?!”

“Huh? You were just joking about buying them, too, right?”

“…Huh?”

“Something this ridiculous couldn’t possibly be happening on academy grounds, could it? If you were serious, it would be a huge incident if Headmaster Merlin found out. Surely you weren’t serious about buying them… right?”

My words seemed to snap him back to reality. The color drained from his face.

I mean, common sense dictates you can’t sell that kind of stuff at a flea market, and you definitely can’t buy it.

“Ah, right… Of course. I was just joking, too. Sorry, I guess I got a little too carried away.”

And with that, the guy left. I turned to the light-blue-haired girl.

“You’re going to attract weirdos selling stuff like that, you know.”

“…I sell what sells. I need money.”

Another listless reply. Her eyes were still half-lidded.

“…Besides, I don’t mind attracting ‘weirdos’ if it means making money. Which means you just chased away my customer.”

“He wasn’t a ‘customer.’ No one was ever going to pay twenty gold coins for that.”

“…The probability may have been astronomical, but it wasn’t zero. Therefore, you interfered.”

The light-blue-haired girl’s mouth formed a pout, clearly displeased.

“Anyway, kids aren’t supposed to be at the magic academy in the first place. It’s off-limits to unauthorized personnel.”

“…I know that.”

“And… on a more fundamental level, I really don’t think you should be selling underwear. That’s just… not something you should be doing.”

“…I need money. And as you saw with that skinhead, there is demand. In any case, if you’re not buying… if you’re not a customer… then please leave me alone. I have reasons I need to earn money, even if I have to risk my life for it. So I have no choice but to sell whatever I can.”

Her face was blank, but her voice was dead serious. Well, her voice was monotone, making it hard to read her emotions, but I could still tell she was being serious.

What a mess… I shrugged. It seemed this ‘business’ of hers was what she’d come up with out of some unavoidable, desperate circumstance.

“No, but I still think selling your underwear is the wrong way to go.”

“…I haven’t sold a single pair anyway. Not… one. I set the price high hoping for a lucky break. It’s basically a lottery ticket.”

“Yeah, but still…”

“…You’re noisy. I’m going to get angry.”

The girl shot me a sharp glare. Well, I say ‘glare,’ but her face was still blank. And she just muttered in that same flat tone, so it was hard to catch any emotional nuance unless you listened very carefully.

“But there’s still a line between what’s acceptable and what’s not…”

“…I told you, I need money. If you want me to stop, then you should give me the money. If you’re not going to, then you have no right to interfere.”

I mean… I could see her point. It was sound logic.

This kid clearly had her own circumstances, and I was thinking the smart thing to do was to stop getting involved. Just then, a crow swooped down from the sky and landed in front of her.

No, wait, that wasn’t a crow. I felt a faint chill. It was a familiar, controlled by what I’d broadly call ice-based magic. Its true form was probably just ice.

The girl took the letter from the crow’s beak and started reading. She soon nodded, seemingly in relief. Then, at lightning speed, she stuffed the underwear-for-sale into her robe and started packing up the rest of her merchandise.

“Why are you packing up all of a sudden?”

“…It seems the money has been arranged. I no longer need to sell myself.”

“Well, that’s good to hear.”

I meant that from the bottom of my heart. A kid selling her own underwear… It’s just a sign of the end times.

So, she quickly started packing up her things, when suddenly—

Grroowwwwwwl. Her stomach rumbled. Loudly. Apparently, she was hungry. And then, she started sniffing the air. Sniff, sniff.

“…I smell food.”

Sniff, sniff, sniff-sniff-sniff.

She sniffed like a dog, sniffing and sniffing, trying to locate the source. And then, her sleepy gaze landed on me—no, to be precise, it landed on the small parcel in my hand that contained my sandwich. Actually, she was staring intently at it.

“…”

“…”

Her face was blank, so I had no idea what she was thinking.

To confirm her intentions, I lifted the sandwich parcel up high, like I was playing ‘airplane’ with it. Her head tilted up, her gaze definitely tracking the parcel.

I moved the parcel to the right. Her gaze followed it. I moved it to the left. Her gaze followed. Right, left, right, left. Her gaze went right, left, right, left. Then, I tried twirling the parcel in a figure-eight pattern in the air. She immediately started moving her head in a matching figure-eight.

…Uh oh. This was starting to get a little fun.

My mischievous side lit up. I started twirling it at super-high speed, and she began to whip her head back and forth at a furious pace—entering a full-on headbanging state, like at a death metal concert.

After a few moments of this, her expression—or lack thereof—visibly turned pale.

“What’s wrong?”

“…Dizzy.”

Looked like she’d gotten motion sickness.

Still wearing that blank expression, she flopped down limply onto her mat.

Yep, that settles it. I’d suspected it from the moment I saw her, but this kid was definitely an oddball.

Convinced of this, I spoke to her.

“Sorry, I guess I went a little overboard.”

I sat down next to her limp form and pulled an orange juice out of my bag.

“You should drink this when you feel a bit better.”

“…Mm.”

After waiting a few seconds… she sat up and immediately started drinking the orange juice.

“How are you feeling?”

“…Delicious. Feeling tip-top.”

Since she seemed to be okay, I took out one of the two sandwiches I’d bought and handed it to her.

“If you don’t mind it being my lunch, go ahead and eat. You’re hungry, right?”

“…Mm.”

And with that, she began to wolf down the sandwich. She ate with such ferocious speed, I was worried she might choke.

“You’re really packing that away.”

“…It’s very delicious.”

“You’re the first person I’ve ever met who can seem to be enjoying something so much, yet remain completely expressionless.”

I said with a dry smile. She, of course, replied without expression.

“…I haven’t eaten in a week.”

“What? Why? Aren’t your parents feeding you?”

“…I don’t live with my parents. But my food, clothing, and shelter are currently secured.”

“So you’re not struggling for food? Then why haven’t you eaten in a week?”

“…Because I’m a shut-in. And the food in my room ran out a week ago. The only reason a shut-in like me came outside today… was because I absolutely needed to get a large sum of money.”

It was weirdly difficult to hold a conversation with her. It wasn’t that she was dim-witted; she just seemed to be missing… words. Or rather, based on what she was saying… I was getting a sense of unimaginably troublesome vibes from her.

Just then, I noticed she was still staring at my bag with a wanting look…

“You can just have the rest.”

She seemed unbelievably hungry, so I handed her the whole bag.

“…What about your lunch?”

“The sign-up for cafeteria lunch ended yesterday evening, so I’m out of luck. Eh, it’s no big deal. I can skip one meal.”

She nodded slightly and said,

“…A god. The so-called ‘God-tier’.”

Why does someone in this world know that slang? I wondered. But then, what was the point of questioning an oddball like her?

“Well, I’m going to get going. And hey, don’t just sneak onto academy grounds anymore, okay?”

“…Wait. Tell me your name.”

“Ephthal. Ephthal Alcott. And you?”

“…I’m Sheryl. I have no surname.”

“No surname?”

“…It means I’m complicated.”

“Sounds like I shouldn’t ask.”

“…Mm.”

She nodded slightly, then spread her arms wide toward me—

“…Huuug.”

And she suddenly threw her arms around me in a tight hug. Whoa, this was way too sudden. What was going on?

As I was thinking that, Sheryl looked up at me with those same sleepy eyes and said,

“…Ephthal is a good person.”

She pressed her face into my chest and started sniffing me. Sniff, sniff.

Hey, we just met, right? This oddball… She’s way too free-spirited.

“…Smells good. I noticed partway through, but you smell the same as my brother.”

“Your brother?”

“…Mm. I haven’t properly seen my brother in two years.”

Ah, a complicated family situation… This kid just radiated trouble.

“…Instead of my brother… I want you to… pat my head… ‘good girl’… I worked hard… I’ve been working so hard for so long…”

I wasn’t really sure what was going on, but her tone of voice sounded like she was about to cry. Oh, but her expression was still blank, of course. I thought about it for a second… and gave a small nod. Well, I guess there’s no harm in just patting her head. She clearly had been working hard at… whatever, I guess. I mean, she was trying to sell her underwear.

It was awkward trying to pat her head through the hood, so I reached up to pull the cat-ear hood back. But when I did… actual, real cat ears popped out from underneath it.

I froze on the spot. As I processed the situation, I thought, T-This is… Which means—

—a double cat-ear structure.

Apparently, the cat ears on the hood weren’t just for decoration, they were designed to perfectly conceal the real ones inside.

When I patted her head, Sheryl let out a quiet “Ehehe” and pressed her nose against my neck, sniffing away.

“…Fufu, brother’s smell… Smells good. Ephthal… is a good person. I don’t… dislike you.”

“Wh-Whoa, hey!”

I mean, isn’t it a little weird to press your nose directly against the neck of someone you just met and start sniffing them?

Her breathing was tickling me… Then, Sheryl tightened her arms—

“…Huuug.”

—and hugged me tightly.

Good grief… This kid really is too free-spirited. I sighed.

Epilogue

After that… we packed up and left the training camp, returning to the magic academy. Maria, however, didn’t come back to the dorms.

I checked with Merlin, and it turns out Maria is still enrolled. She never actually filed any withdrawal papers. She probably has no idea how to show her face again after storming off and saying all those awful things to us.

She’s such a handful. It’s not like she has anywhere else to go…

Oh, by the way, those elves who went with Maria to Fenrir’s lair? They all survived. Merlin gave them emergency healing, and I used my Perfect Heal. It would have left a terrible taste in my mouth if they’d died, so that’s a huge relief.

Anyway, setting that aside, I spent my day off wandering the city with Anastasia. We split up to cover more ground, searching for Maria.

In the early afternoon, I bought a sandwich and a drink from a stall and went to take a break on a bench by the fountain in the central plaza. And there she was.

I went back to the stall, bought another sandwich and drink, and sat down next to her, holding them out. The moment she saw me, she flinched and shot up, looking like she was about to bolt. But she stopped, let out a heavy sigh, and sat back down, as if she’d given up.

“Hey, Elf-san. You ever hear of the ‘Jade Grand Cordon’?”

“…Of course I know it.”

“It’s the highest honor awarded to a student for ‘rare and outstanding achievements,’ right? Only given to a few people a year. But… have you ever heard of the ‘Scarlet-Gold Grand Cordon’?”

“That’s way beyond students. It’s the highest honor given to the aces of the Magic Society, the top-tier prodigies.”

“Yep. It’s an award I won, a long, long time ago.”

“Figures. Sounds like something you’d do.”

Then I stood up from the bench and planted myself right in front of her.

“Come on. We’re going together. I’m going to take you there.”

“Take me where?”

“I’ve stuck with you this far, haven’t I? We’re not strangers. And I hate leaving things half-finished. So I’m going to take you all the way… to the pinnacle of honor for a young mage. To the realm of Scarlet-Gold.”

Maria looked completely dumbfounded for a second, and then she just burst out laughing.

“Wow… You really don’t make small promises, do you?”

“You’ve got to prove them all wrong, right? Everyone back in your village.”

I held out my hand to her, and she gripped it tightly.

“…Yeah. You’re right. Hehe. But still, to think you were actually the Thunder God Emperor himself. This whole thing… it’s like some badly written story.”

“You know, even after finding out who I am, you still talk to me the same way.”

“Sorry, it’s just how I am. But… I mean, considering who you are, if it bothers you, I can use polite language.”

“No, don’t. You’re fine just the way you are. It’d be weirder if you suddenly changed. Besides, I don’t mind it.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“I’ve got a soft spot for headstrong women. You remind me a lot of… my wife. The one who died four hundred years ago. So that part of you… I don’t dislike it. Actually, I’d say I even like it.”

At that, Maria’s face flushed bright red, and then—

“L-L-Like?! A-A-Are you an idiot?!”

Haha. I couldn’t help but laugh.

Yep. She’s just like her in this way, too. I really don’t dislike this girl.

“You even look like her. In a few more years, you’ll be exactly my type. It’s almost scary.”

My words made Maria’s face explode in a blush so intense you could almost hear a BOOM! sound effect.

“Y-Y-Y-You’re such an idiot!”

Haha. She’s so easy to read.

“She was also an elf from the Daumier clan. That’s… the reason I challenged Fenrir in the first place, back when I was still young and reckless.”

“What about the story that there was no trouble from Fenrir for over a hundred years after the Thunder God Emperor fought him to a draw? I mean, you’re a hero because of that.”

“I managed to force a condition into the non-aggression pact. Sorry it ended up being such a half-measure.”

“But that means you were still protecting us for a while, even after you died. And… as soon as you got your power back in this life, you came to help. Besides, when my clan was wiped out ten years ago… you were just a kid, too. There was nothing you could have done.”

“…Yeah. That’s right.”

At that, Maria gave a deep nod.

“Okay, the past is the past. What matters is what we do now.”

“Yeah. You’re absolutely right.”

“And you? You can’t take back what you said, you know.”

“Meaning?”

“You’d better take me there! To the realm of Scarlet-Gold!”

Yeah, I really can’t just leave her be.

If that’s the case, then to restore her clan’s honor, I really do need to make sure she has an achievement of that magnitude before she makes her triumphant return to those elves.

“Yep. Absolutely. I swear it on the name of the Thunder God Emperor.”

“I’m holding you to that! I’m counting on it! Because that… that’s the best guarantee in the entire world!”

And then, we bumped our tightly clenched fists together.

Chapter 5 – The Elf, the Sacrifice, and the Divine Beast

I summoned Merlin later that night. We then began our exploration deep into the elven forest.

The revival of the divine beast Fenrir—a possibility I’d been aware of from the beginning—was close. At this rate, it would likely break free from its seal within a matter of days.

“We shouldn’t get any closer than this.”

We could only observe Fenrir’s sealing ground from a distance, high up in the trees, but that was fine. All I needed was to confirm the flow of magic.

My only goal was to gauge the progress of its revival, so, mission accomplished.

“Ephthal-sama… aren’t you being a little too partial to Maria?”

“I told you before, I’ve already decided to support her.”

“Let me rephrase. Why, then, are you not saving her life? The ‘Monster Parade’—the great stampede that will be triggered by the divine beast’s revival. And the clan of sacrifices meant to stop it. If we do not intervene, the only possible outcome is that girl’s death, is it not?”

“I believe I told you. I cannot act because of that old pact.”

“I heard that long ago, you and Fenrir fought to a draw and formed a non-aggression pact.”

“Correct. To break the promise I made as the Ephthal of the past would be to deny my former life. That is why I cannot act.”

“Then why investigate? If you have no intention of saving her, isn’t that a contradiction?”

I just shrugged at Merlin.

“I believe what I said at the time was, ‘I cannot act right now.'”

“Hm? What do you mean by that?”

And then, Merlin clapped her hands together.

“A non-aggression pact… mutual non-aggression. Ah, I see. So that’s what this is about.”

“Yes. The timing is perfect. I’ll be able to make my move very soon. That’s why I need to speak to my master and get her involved first.”

“Are you going to ask Sasha-sama to exterminate Fenrir?”

“How could I ask her to do something so humiliating? This is my mess, after all.”

“Then what do you intend to do?”

“I’ll have my master handle the stampede itself. I’ll ask her as soon as we get back.”

☆★☆★☆★

All that was left was to clean the old school building. After the weekend, it would be time to leave the camp.

“Well, the camp is officially over. All that’s left is to go back to the academy.”

“Yeah. Looks like it.”

“…Guess this is goodbye to the forest for a while.”

It didn’t seem like she had many fond memories of the forest where she grew up, but she still must have felt something.

Just then, Maria’s long ears twitched. An instant later, my own ears caught it—a faint sound from the direction of the World Tree.

“An elven calling-whistle?”

Maria nodded.

“And it’s the emergency signal for the Daumier clan… Remember those men who brought us food when we stayed at the village? I bet it’s them…”

Maria walked to the doorway, then stopped and looked back at us.

“Ephthal, Anastasia, you two wait here. I’m going back to the village. I should be back by tomorrow…”

“But are you sure you’ll be okay alone?”

“It’s not like there are any powerful monsters here. This part of the forest is practically my backyard.”

And with only that, Maria headed back to the elven village.

Well, there were no signs of powerful monsters nearby. I was sure she wouldn’t be in any danger.

And sure enough, Maria returned the very next day. She summoned the three of us—me, Anastasia, and Merlin—to the classroom.

I understood why she’d call us, but why Merlin? Before I could ask, she spoke, her expression icy.

“So, here’s the deal. I’ve been offered a great position back in the elven village. I’m withdrawing from the academy.”

“Huh? What are you talking about?”

“You know how I showed Françoise my magic? Well, it looks like they finally recognized how skilled I am.”

And with that, Maria shouldered her bags—which she must have packed at the dorm—and gave a small wave.

“So, this is goodbye. I never wanted to get friendly with other races anyway. I’ll send a letter to the academy later to formalize my withdrawal.”

Her words were so sudden that I, Merlin, and Anastasia just froze.

Anastasia, clearly flustered, stammered, “Um… well…”

“…That’s… That’s awful. How can you just…”

“I admit it’s sudden. But this is what’s happening, so it can’t be helped, can it?”

Maria said it without a hint of remorse. Merlin thought for a moment before speaking.

“This entire situation, including getting Ephthal-sama involved… it all started because of your selfishness, did it not? If you’re going to leave, the least you could do is apologize.”

“Apologize? Why? He’s the one who agreed to it, isn’t he? It’s not like I threatened him.”

Anastasia, looking timid, asked her.

“…But why are you acting like this all of a sudden? We… we were getting along, weren’t we?”

At that, Maria answered with a completely nonchalant expression.

“Oh, that? That was just an act.”

“A-An… act?”

“Yep. For a human, he seemed useful. And, you know, I’m cute, right? Be a little nice, and any guy will get the wrong idea. It was easy to wrap him around my little finger.”

“Huh…?”

Maria then spat on the floor and glared at Anastasia.

“Oh, and since this is the last time, I’ll just say it. I’ve been thinking this for a while, but what’s with that ‘Master’ crap? You’re just… disgusting.”

“Disgusting…?”

“You’re a slave and he’s your master! Normally, no matter how you act, you’d be seething with hatred underneath, right? But you… you’re genuinely devoted to him.”

“…Is it… wrong… to adore my Master?”

Maria shrugged, as if to say, “Give me a break.”

“It’s not about ‘wrong,’ it’s about being disgusting. That whole slavery system you outsiders have is disgusting to begin with. And on top of that, the slave is genuinely devoted to the master? Are you a complete idiot?”

“…You… you were just using us this whole time?”

“Not just you. All of you outsiders are disgusting. Always at war, that huge gap between rich and poor, having systems like slavery… You’re all savage, idiotic, and foolish races. That’s what humans and demons are!”

She glanced around at all of us, puffed out her chest, and gave us a scornful smile.

“And you’re human… and you’re a demon. The only decent race in this world is the elves. Ah, I’m so glad. I can finally get away from all you savages.”

Just like that, Maria turned her back and started walking toward the door, waving.

“So, that’s that. Bye-bye. I doubt we’ll ever see each other again.”

————

Maria’s Perspective

Long ago, this forest—no, the countries in this entire region—were plagued by a forest god.

──He was called Fenrir, a divine wolf considered to be a god in his own right.

His power was immense, and his appetite, even more so.

Since ancient times, we, the people of the forest, lived in constant fear of being devoured by Fenrir. More clans than I can count on one hand were annihilated by his whimsical hunger.

Then, a thousand years ago, the Great God-Demon War began.

Fenrir joined that nightmarish conflict, a war fought by all the strongest beings in the world. …And he returned to the forest, wounded and fleeing. Seeing the wounded Fenrir, the forest people saw their chance. They gathered their strength and launched an assault on the god’s lair. They did it to end their lives of cowering in fear, of being devoured at his whim… to seize their freedom and safety by force.

But even wounded, Fenrir was still a god.

The divine wolf subjugation force instantly lost half its strength. Just as they fell into chaos, another being appeared—the Divine Fox, Ninetail.

Ninetail had chased Fenrir from the battlefield, intent on landing the finishing blow on the deserter. The battle between the two divine beasts was beyond fierce.

In the end, no victor was decided. The wounded Ninetail was forced to wager her own life to seal Fenrir deep within the forest. The sealing barrier Ninetail created was immensely powerful. However, once every few decades, when the ley lines of the earth fall into disarray, the barrier’s power wanes.

If the barrier were to break, it would be the end. So, the Divine Fox granted us, the people of the forest, a trump card. She imbued the soul of the holy woman who founded the Daumier clan—my clan—with her own power. From then on, our very blood became a magical poison to Fenrir. That is why, whenever the barrier weakens and Fenrir threatens to revive, we are the ones who must stand against him.

This poison, however, is not just a poison; it is also an irresistible, sweet spice to the divine wolf.

As the seal nears breaking, Fenrir, trapped in a state between dream and reality, is consumed by a ravenous hunger, like a beast waking from hibernation. And at that very moment, an elf appears before him, exuding a rich, sweet, and fragrant aroma. But the moment he eats, the poison spreads. Fenrir is weakened and forced back into his slumber. That is how it works.

Furthermore, when Fenrir’s barrier weakens, the miasma it releases drives the monsters from the depths of the forest, causing them to flood outwards in a great stampede—a Monster Parade.

──In short, that is our clan’s entire raison d’être.

For ages, our clan has detected the signs of the Monster Parade before it could begin, and we have continuously offered our own kinsmen to the slumbering Fenrir. We weaken him with the poison in our blood, and the seal is restored. An outsider, hearing this, might think it tragic or foolish. But we were proud of it.

──To protect our clan.

──To protect all the people of the forest.

──To protect the surrounding nations.

To die bravely for that cause—that was the greatest honor for us as guardians of the forest.

All of us, not just the direct bloodline but also those who served as our protectors… we all truly believed this. But ten years ago, a Monster Parade occurred with no warning, and our clan was decimated.

In a state of total chaos, all of my relatives, along with every guard they could gather, marched to Fenrir’s lair. And the Monster Parade subsided.

Yes, I believe my mother and father fulfilled their duty magnificently. Because the stampede was stopped before it could truly begin.

But the cost was enormous. Our clan was destroyed. The few survivors were scattered, taken in by other clans. We were treated as failures—guardians who couldn’t even stop the stampede. And to top it all off, our sacred duty, sealing Fenrir, was mocked as being nothing more than a dubious legend.

──What did my mother and father die for?

I thought about that every day as a child, and I cried. I cried and cried until my tears ran dry. And by the time I realized it, I had thrown myself into the study of magic, so much so that I earned a scholarship to the demon academy.

──I stopped crying. I won’t cry anymore.

──I will silence them.

──I will prove the excellence of the blood that flows in my veins to all those who mocked my parents, my clan, and my people.

And so, I’ve pushed forward relentlessly.

There are plenty of amazing people among the other races. The student council, and Ephthal… every one of them is actually far more talented than I am.

But I will not lose. Hard work never betrays you. I will hold on to my ambition, look only upward… and I will never stop reaching.

I believed that if I just kept doing that, I would one day reach my goal. That’s what has driven me all this time.

But that, too, is over now. It seems that before I can prove them all wrong, I must first fulfill my duty as the last survivor of my clan.

☆★☆★☆★

“Young Miss?”

“…Hm? What is it?”

“Were you lost in thought? I called your name several times, but you didn’t answer…”

This forest path… no, this isn’t even an animal trail. It’s just a deep, dim forest that even elves dare not enter.

I’m amazed at myself for not tripping on vines or roots while being so lost in thought.

“Yes, I’m sorry. It was all so sudden. I just… have a lot on my mind.”

“The resurrected Thunder God Emperor… is that it?”

“Yes. If he had been here… things might have turned out differently.”

“He’s a legendary hero, after all. He might even have been able to defeat Fenrir. But… he only revives during his death month, and only on Fridays, correct?”

“That’s right. I knew it was a long shot, but I went to his cabin again and again, just in case… but he wasn’t there.”

“Young Miss, time is short. There’s no use worrying about what we can’t change. But what could have happened? The last sealing was only ten years ago.”

“We’re dealing with a god. Our common sense was never going to apply.”

“Even so, it’s strange. Normally, the gap is fifty to a hundred years.”

“In any case, the orb glowed. That’s all that matters.”

The orb, passed down through generations, said to be a gift from Ninetail. It’s an alarm that warns us when Fenrir’s barrier is weakening. It didn’t glow ten years ago, but for some reason, it’s glowing now.

I ground my teeth. If it had only glowed then, the sacrifices could have been kept to a minimum.

“But last time, the orb didn’t glow, and only the Monster Parade nearly occurred? That is strange indeed.”

I shook my head.

“There’s no point thinking about things we don’t understand. Right now, we just need to focus on fulfilling our mission.”

At my words, the three men nodded grimly.

“…We, the survivors of the clan, have lived in shame.”

“I was away in another village. My only regret is that I did not die with them. As things stand, I can’t possibly face those who were lost.”

“We failed to die when we should have, and we’ve been scorned by the other clans. If this orb finally gives us a purpose and a place to die, then so be it.”

“Yes.” I nodded firmly.

All of us, including me… we are all truly Daumier, to the very bottom of our hearts.

Our village is gone, and we live in the lands of other clans, but our spirit hasn’t changed.

Thinking about that, I felt strangely at ease. I’m about to die, and yet… it all seemed so absurd that a dry laugh escaped me.

“But this means the direct Daumier bloodline ends. What happens after that?”

“When that time comes, we’ll just have to leave it to whoever is still alive to figure out.”

I thought for a moment, then sighed.

Well, as a practical matter, we did what we could. We have no other choice. It’s a shame that the duty we’ve upheld for so long—protecting this forest—will end with my generation. But they were the ones who persecuted us, the ones who dared to question our sacred duty. I have no obligation to worry about their future.

In a way, maybe this is just self-satisfaction. But at the very least, I cannot turn my back on the duty my ancestors died to protect.

Even if there’s no future waiting for me on the other side.

And so we walked on, pressing forward in total silence.

“…”

“What’s wrong? You look pale. Is it because you weren’t able to ask the Thunder God Emperor for help?”

“…No, I’ve already given up on that. It’s just… something else.”

“Your school friends, then?”

I said the cruelest things to them.

At first, I really did just plan to use him. But it seems I have normal feelings, just like anyone else.

I think I was just… happy. Happy that Ephthal, who’s too nice for his own good, was willing to do so much for me, even though I’d done nothing but drag him into my mess.

After I was taken in from the Daumier village, I was persecuted. I was desperate to prove them all wrong. But even at the demon academy, my classmates kept their distance just because I was an elf.

But he was the only one who treated me like an individual. He treated me without any prejudice, with that open smile, and on top of it all, he was just… nice. He didn’t abandon me; he stuck with me.

Around him, I… who had spent my entire life tensed and on guard… I feel like I was able to laugh from the bottom of my heart. It was almost like we were friends. Like comrades. No… if we’d had just a little more time, I think we really could have become friends.

That place, with Ephthal at its center… it was a warm place. A place that I, who had only ever known persecution, was just beginning to grasp. That must be why Anastasia, despite her slave crest, adores him and smiles so genuinely. But that place… the first home I’d found outside of the Daumier village… I threw it all away.

No. I had to.

To fulfill my clan’s mission, that place would only cause hesitation. It would get in the way. Connections to the outside world only make you reluctant to leave. As proof, I’m agonizing over things I have no business agonizing over.

My heart aches. And it’s precisely because it’s such a warm place that I have to protect it.

──Even if I won’t be there to see it.

If the Monster Parade breaks out, it won’t just destroy the training camp. It will swallow the entire city where the academy is. That much is obvious.

“…No, that’s wrong, too. I don’t care about them. I was just using them.”

And even now, I’m still posturing, saying things I don’t mean. I really do have a difficult personality.

“Then what is it?”

“My clan’s stained reputation… I wasn’t able to clear it in the end.”

I mean, that is true. But it’s not what I’m truly feeling in my heart right now.

“Is that what was troubling you, Young Miss?”

“Hm?”

“We are guardians of the forest. In the end, we are fated to live in the shadows.”

He said it with a laugh, and I nodded.

I’m done looking back. I’m done thinking about the place I abandoned. Right now, I will look only forward. I will fulfill my mission.

“Let’s hurry. We don’t have time.”

————

Ephthal’s Perspective

A short while after Maria left, I met Merlin’s gaze, signaling her to get ready immediately.

“It looks like it’s starting. You’ve noticed, haven’t you, Merlin?”

“I must admit, I only noticed partway through her speech.”

Anastasia tilted her head, confused by our exchange.

“…What are you talking about?”

“It just means we were deliberately choosing not to act until now. We’ve had a pretty good idea of Maria’s situation for a while.”

“Ephthal-sama, can you pinpoint the location?”

“Yes, easily. It’s distant, but with a magical vortex that massive, you’d have to be crazy not to notice it.”

“Yes, that is unmistakably reviving. Which means it’s inevitable that Maria intends to fulfill her duty as a guardian… as a living sacrifice to the forest god.”

I clenched my fists tightly.

When Maria was spewing all that venom, there were so many things I wanted to say right then and there. She was only acting that way to push us away, to sever her ties with the world before becoming a sacrifice.

But I held my tongue. Because Fenrir… he’s my own failure from the past. A dark chapter from my days in the Adventurers Guild.

“Anastasia? I’m sorry, but I need you to stay here.”

“Um… What exactly is happening? I understand that Maria-san is in danger, but…”

“This Fenrir we’re going to face… I fought him to a draw once before, back when he was known as the forest god. I’m sorry, but I need to minimize any liabilities.”

“Huh? Master… fought to a draw with him… long ago?”

Merlin met Anastasia’s anxious gaze and nodded firmly.

“It’s true. The Ephthal-sama of the past fought Fenrir to a draw and formed a non-aggression pact.”

“M-Master? What is really going on?”

“It’s a non-aggression pact. I promised I wouldn’t interfere with him, as long as he didn’t interfere with my domain. That’s why I’ve stayed out of this forest’s problems until now… even though I knew Maria was involved.”

“However,” Merlin added with a sharp nod. “Maria is already under Ephthal-sama’s protection.”

“So, that means…?”

“If the forest god attempts to harm Maria, who is under Ephthal-sama’s protection, it will be a violation of the pact. And at that very moment, the non-aggression treaty will be void.”

Anastasia seemed to grasp the situation, her face turning pale. “But… an equal to the Master of old…”

“In any case, we have to hurry, Merlin.”

“Yes, I will accompany you.”

“Master?”

“What is it, Anastasia?”

“What about the Monster Parade?”

“Maria likely believes she can prevent it by sacrificing herself to Fenrir. But it’s going to happen regardless… In fact, it’s already started. This place is in danger, too.”

“Then shouldn’t we all evacuate—”

“There’s no need. This is probably the safest place in the world right now… That’s why I need you to stay here.”

“The safest place in the world? Even without you here, Master?”

At my words, Anastasia’s eyes widened in realization, and she clapped her hands together lightly.

“Ah, I see.”

“Yep. That’s it.”

And with that, our conversation was over. As we turned to run, Anastasia’s voice called out to us.

“Um, Master… well… um… Good luck!”

In response, I just gave her a thumbs-up.

————

Sasha’s Perspective

“Well, it’s a request from my idiot disciple.”

I left the training camp and activated my detection spell. The number of raging monsters within a ten-kilometer radius… looks to be about fifteen hundred.

“It’s hardly a challenge.”

The construction of two spells… is already complete.

The Level 10 is one thing, but that other one takes even me a ridiculous amount of time to prepare.

“First… Level 10: Undead Emperor Sasha.”

With a snap of my fingers, I manifested a gate of darkness before me.

“It’s a bit regrettable to use it like this… but if the goal is to annihilate the monsters flooding the forest, this is the most suitable method.”

This was the same gate I summoned when I faced Ephthal. But its purpose is different.

This time, I used the dark energy drawn from the underworld not as a cannon, but as a lure to draw out the underworld’s restless dead. It’s not a Level 10 attack spell, but rather, an ultra-large-scale necromancy summons.

—Although, given the name ‘Undead Emperor,’ this might just be its most fitting use.

And what emerged from the gate was a thousand skeleton knights. Mounted on half-rotted horses swarming with flies and maggots, the legion of the dead charged toward the monster horde, each trying to be the first into battle.

Roughly speaking, one skeleton knight possesses the power of two of those monsters. If that’s the case, this should be more than enough to wipe them out completely. And with that, I clapped my hands together.

“Now then, thank you for waiting.”

I turned my gaze. The hound of hell was waiting patiently, sitting obediently.

“A mage in this day and age… who can wield a lost Level 10 spell. I never imagined such a powerful being was here…”

“And you are Fenrir’s brother, I take it?”

“Yes, Fenrir is like a younger brother to me. I came to offer my congratulations on his full revival… but I ran into you instead.”

“I see. So, you two also have something of a master-disciple bond.”

“Disciple?”

“Ah, just talking to myself. Pay it no mind.”

“In any case, I am the three-headed king, the hound of hell. If you intend to defile my brother’s celebration with your undead, I will show no mercy.”

“Ho…” I held my breath.

The reason being, four new Cerberuses had just emerged from the shadows. For them to get this close without me sensing them… I’d wager all of them have reached the level of gods.

“I am the King of Cerberus. And these are my attendants, each possessing power on par with Fenrir himself. Even for one who wields Level 10 magic… you have no chance of victory.”

“Well, if my power was only limited to a single Level 10 spell, that might be true.”

“…Regardless, this is the end for you. You will be eaten alive by us, your organs torn out, your brains splattered, and you will become nothing but flesh and blood for us, the Cerberus—Wha?!”

My, for a beast, he speaks so politely. It’s… unsettling. It doesn’t suit him at all. Oh, well.

“Level 11: Fantasia of Old.”

Dealing with five opponents of this caliber with standard magic up to Level 10 would be a pain. It seems too troublesome, so I’ll just end this instantly.

“That light… What is it? And… Level 11?”

I looked behind me.

Mmm, yes, it’s just as breathtakingly brilliant as I remembered. You could say I look just like an angel with a halo at my back.

A vampire like me, wreathed in light like an angel. Yes… I do LOVE this spell.

—The contrast is so important, after all!

What appeared behind me was a glowing, honeycomb-like structure. It had over a hundred lattice-like holes. And in each of those holes… was one of my ‘collections.’

And the things lurking within those lattices are—

“What… is this…? Oberon, the Faerie King… and Queen Titania…?”

As if to spearhead the attack, streaks of light shot from the hive. The faerie king and queen descended upon one of the lesser Cerberuses.

Looks like it’s an even match, those two against one Cerberus.

“High-level summoning? You’ve certainly summoned mythical-class spiritual bodies, but their spiritual rank is, at best, equal to a Cerberus. We have five… one or two of yours won’t change anything.”

“Kuhaha!” I couldn’t help but laugh. The reason being—

“Are you a fool? Can you not see all the lattices of light?”

“You don’t mean… in every single one of these…?”

“Go forth, dwellers of illusion! Sun Wukong, Cú Chulainn, Hanuman, Unicorn, Kresnik! All my children of the glimmering, magical illusion—my beautiful, and boundlessly powerful servants!”

“What, what is this?! You’re summoning beings… even higher-ranked than us?!”

“Kuhaha! This is the Fantasia of Old! A carnival of illusory beings! Out there, a filthy brawl between monsters and the undead! And in here, a beautiful banquet between you god-beasts and my servants—the Phantasma! Kuhaha! Bwahaha! The contrast between the ugly and the beautiful! Is it not just exquisite?”

The Cerberus that had been fighting the faerie king and queen was suddenly swarmed by the Phantasma reinforcements and, in an instant, was torn to pieces.

“What is this?! Is this the return of the Great God-Demon War?!”

I just cackled at the terrified Cerberus king.

“Speaking of returns… I also have this in my collection. It took an incredible stroke of luck to get it… and it’s not quite a Phantasma, so it breaks the artistic unity a bit, but…”

I snapped my fingers.

Immediately, a war-maiden, wreathed in a golden, sacred aura, shot out of the hive. Feathers scattered from her unfurled silver wings, and the mere sight of it transformed the simple forest into a priceless painting.

“S-S-S… Seraph… Gabriel?!”

“Just summoning Gabriel alone is normally equivalent to a Level 10 spell. Of course, even I can’t pull this off without the right materials…”

“Materials…?”

“During the long eons of my life… there was a time when I took up ‘collecting’ the dwellers of illusion.”

“Well…” I smiled brightly.

“It’s just a hobby. A collection. Tell me, Cerberus… don’t you agree? All beautiful things in this world deserve to be preserved and adored by me. In my supreme Level 11… the Fantasia of Old.”

“Impossible… Impossible! Even for the Great Sage… this kind of power shouldn’t…!”

“I am Sasha. I am no ‘Great Sage.’ I am merely… an ancient vampire and magic-user, who lived in the age of the gods.”

And so, I raised my right hand, calling out to my entire collection within the glowing hive.

“Now, my children of the fairy tales! If you desire freedom, then seize it! The one among you who ends his life… will be released from the bonds of this spell!”

At my command, countless shooting stars poured from the hive. An entire gallery of illusions, Seraph Gabriel included, streaked past me.

—A land of fantasy, flooding into the real world.

At this magnificent sight, one I had not seen in ages, I couldn’t help but let out a sigh of admiration.

“Ah… It truly is… beautiful. …Though, of course, I’m still the cutest.”

And then, the Cerberuses were engulfed by the swarm of high-level Phantasma. With a final, choked “Gyubuh!” they fell silent.

————

Maria’s Perspective

And just like that, we arrived at the deepest part of the forest.

It was my first time seeing it in person, but the place was exactly as I’d heard from the stories passed down through my ancestors.

In a wide clearing, a gravel plain stretched out for about five hundred meters in every direction, with a single, massive boulder in the center.

The entire area was barren. The gravel must have been the result of Fenrir’s miasma, which kept any plants from growing.

Anyway, setting that aside, there was a hole in the great boulder, forming a cave—or maybe just a hollow.

—That was Fenrir’s lair.

The moment I stood before the opening, I saw it. In the darkness of the hollow, an enormous wolf—its body easily over twenty meters long—was lying there.

Fenrir, who was curled up as if cramped, snorted, having sensed my presence. He opened his eyes and, this time, his gaze fixed on me. As Fenrir grinned, I met his stare with a defiant one of my own.

I stuck my chest out as far as I could, glaring at him, displaying the pride of the prey with all my might.

—Go on, Fenrir… No, God of the Forest! Your favorite meal… an elf… has come to be eaten!

I am not just some pig, trembling in line at the slaughterhouse. I am the poison bait that’s going to deal a blow to your stomach!

Seeing my defiance, Fenrir grimaced, clearly displeased.

“How boring.”

“Boring? What’s boring about it?”

“Those who are prepared for death are not delicious. The flesh I eat is merely an appetizer; the main dish is the soul. And for the soul, the emotion of ‘despair’ is the ultimate seasoning. If you simply accept death… it’s just so boring. I can’t enjoy my meal when it’s not delicious.”

I see. So my pride is, at least, a small annoyance to him. In that case, I will never be afraid. I will not submit to you, not even at the very moment of my death.

Just then, Fenrir began to chuckle.

“What’s so funny?”

“But this is truly amusing.”

“…I asked what you’re laughing at.”

“The orb? The ‘Ninetail’ fox? My, my. How very amusing. To think that every single generation would fall for such a ridiculous story.”

“Wait… a ‘ridiculous story’…?”

Just then, Fenrir’s form was suddenly enveloped in smoke that appeared from out of nowhere.

“Huh? Smoke? What’s going on…?”

As the smoke slowly cleared, I almost screamed. “No… It can’t be!”

“Is that… Ninetail?!”

Sure enough, where the smoke cleared, a divine fox with nine tails lay curled up against the cave wall.

“From the very beginning, I was never sealed. And, ‘Fenrir’ and the ‘Ninetail’ fox have never once appeared before you elves at the same time. I’ve said this much; surely you understand?”

“It was an illusion? You were Ninetail and Fenrir?”

“Precisely. There just happened to be a clan in this forest that was hopelessly earnest and burdened by a sense of responsibility. I must admit, I never expected the trick to last for this long.”

“No… That can’t be… Does that mean… we were…”

The world was spinning, and something sour rose in my throat.

Stop. Stop. I can’t. I can’t listen to any more of this.

I tried to stop, but my feet were frozen to the spot. And Fenrir didn’t stop talking.

“Back then, my body and… my very soul as a god… had suffered grievous wounds in the Great God-Demon War. I was seeking rest and nourishment. To be honest, I was near death. In fact, your ancestors’ subjugation team… they almost had me.”

“…What do you mean?”

“I gathered what little strength I had left and slaughtered half of them in a single blow. But at that moment, my power was completely spent. Yes… if only a few more elves had pressed the attack, they probably could have finished me off. But seeing half their number killed in one strike, they grew wary. They stared at me with terror, and we entered a stalemate. And that’s when I had an idea.”

“…”

“A story… about the evil beast Fenrir, and the righteous beast Ninetail. A story of their fierce battle, and its dramatic conclusion.”

And at that, as if a dam had burst, the words poured out of me.

“Lies! It’s all lies! Lies, lies, LIES! Then what… what does that make us?! My ancestors receiving power from Ninetail… that was…?!”

“It means that rest requires nourishment.”

“…Huh?”

It was all… a fabrication?

It was all a lie… Is that what you’re saying?

“Having tricked you with my little story and ensured my safety, I began my rest to recuperate. And I entrusted your ancestors with an orb… one that just so happened to glow in response to my hunger.”

Without even knowing it, we were just… feeding Fenrir?

It wasn’t a seal… He was just here of his own free will, resting to heal his wounds?

We weren’t even pigs trembling in line at the slaughterhouse… We were a pack of idiots, eagerly leaping into the slaughterhouse ourselves?

Something inside me crumbled. It was everything. My pride, my purpose, my very reason for existing. And at that, my spirit completely shattered. I fell to my knees.

“No…”

“But I must say, you elves have the most amusing reaction every time I tell this story. Hehe… hehehe… How can I not laugh? It’s amusing. So very amusing! Bwahaha… BWAHAHAHA!”

“Every… time?”

“Before I tell them, all the elves act bravely, just as you did. They come here with such magnificent resolve. But… after they hear the truth, every single one of them makes the exact same face of despair you’re making right now. Ah, it’s just so delightful.”

“A face… of despair?”

Fenrir chuckled again, clearly enjoying himself.

“Did you not realize? Right now, your face… it’s stained with the color of despair.”

“No… That can’t be…”

“Now then, I actually intended to make my full recovery last time. I figured I no longer needed to worry about ‘thinning the herd’ for breeding, and I was just going to slaughter you all without warning. But… perhaps due to those old wounds, the nourishment was a little insufficient. I was so disappointed when my familiar reported that a survivor had, for some reason, gone off to study in the demon lands. After all, the blood of the one who inherited the ‘Ninetail’s gift’ is my most exquisite delicacy.”

Fenrir stood up and stepped out of the hollow.

—He passed the threshold of the cave, where the barrier was supposed to be, as if it wasn’t even there.

Of course he could. Because a barrier had never existed in the first place.

“Well then, eating you should complete my recovery. My thanks. Thank you… for a thousand long years of service.”

Fenrir laughed, a hideous sound, as drool dripped from his jaws. Every single tooth was longer and thicker than a sword, and his fangs were larger than giant battle-axes.

This divine beast tearing through my skin, scattering my insides… it was a certainty. An unavoidable fate, moments away.

“Young Miss! Run!”

“Don’t you touch her!”

“This is our place to die! We’ll buy you time—Gahk!”

A claw flashed, and flesh flew. Eyeballs and organs scattered. Sickening, wet thuds echoed around me. In an instant, the three Daumier men collapsed to the ground in a heap.

“—A… ah… ah… AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!”

It was then that I learned for the first time…

—the true meaning of the word ‘despair.’

And then, Fenrir’s jaws slowly closed in on me.

Convinced that this was the end, I closed my eyes. No… I had no choice but to give up and close my eyes.

My heart no longer held any trace of the pride of the prey. I was just… food on a plate. All I could do was tremble.

Inevitable death. An injustice I could not fight.

In the face of such overwhelming violence, I had no way to resist. I may have gotten stronger, but in the end, I’m just a girl. No, that’s not right. It wouldn’t matter. No one could beat this thing.

Not the elite mages who protect the king.

Not the high-ranking adventurers who hunt monsters for the Guild.

Not the Holy Knights, not even a master hailed as a Sword Saint.

—Not even if Merlin-sama were here.

No one alive could handle this alone. But… if he were here… I found myself praying for the one person who could not possibly come.

Help me. Help me—

…Thunder God Emperor!

And at that moment—

—A heavy THUD echoed through the clearing.

“Sorry I’m late, Maria.”

“…Huh?”

When I opened my eyes, Fenrir had been blown back about twenty meters to the side. And standing in front of me, his sword drawn, was Ephthal.

“Haha, unbelievable. Even my blade couldn’t cut it; just sent it flying. Guess this is pointless without a magic-infused sword.”

“Eph… tal?”

“Maria. I told you before.”

“Told me…? What?”

“That you should be honest.”

“…Huh?”

“You were scared, weren’t you? You felt all alone. But you put up a front, acted tough so you wouldn’t drag us into it… Just how much of an idiot can you be?”

“…W-Wait, Ephthal? What’s going on?”

“Hey, I told you back then, didn’t I? To treasure your own life. To never throw it away like that again. I made sure you felt how much that hurts, didn’t I?”

Ah… And just like that, everything clicked into place. I see. So that’s how it was. Of course, illusion magic would be child’s play for him.

Merlin-sama’s attitude toward him… Even Sasha-sama… thinking back, so many things were strange. But if that was true, then everything made perfect sense.

“You… Are you…?”

“Yeah. There’s no point hiding it from you anymore. I’m the reincarnation of the Thunder God Emperor… No. I am him.”

And with that, Ephthal turned to Fenrir and grinned.

————

Ephthal’s Perspective

Maria looked like she was about to collapse, the tension finally broken, perhaps from relief. I scrambled to catch her. She flinched for just a second, then finally, honestly, buried her face in my chest. But she couldn’t stop shaking.

She was already so small, but the trembling on her shoulders made her seem even smaller, more fragile.

“Jeez… You’re tiny, but you’re still trying to carry the whole world on your shoulders. You idiot.”

She looked up at me, her gaze timid.

“Hey, Ephthal? Is it… is it really okay for me to… rely on you? Is it okay to ask you… to help me?”

“If you can ask me honestly, then I promise I’ll give it my all.”

I placed my hand on her head… and just like that, her trembling stopped.

“It really is… so warm… and big.”

She nodded, and then shouted with all her might, “Please… help me! Lend me your strength, Ephthal!”

I grinned. “Alright. I’ll take this fight off your hands.”

I turned back to Fenrir and raised my right hand, giving him the middle finger.

“This is going to cost you. You made our… stubborn, strong-willed elf cry.”

Divine Enhancement, complete.

I readied my sword in my right hand, held my left toward Fenrir, and began my incantation. Then, I yelled at the top of my lungs,

“Hey, you! You ready for this?”

Fenrir, glared at by me, just laughed.

“Ephthal… is it? I see. That explains your power. You were one of those adventurers who fought me to a draw, weren’t you?”

He’s a divine beast, alright. Figured me out quick.

“You laid a hand on one of mine. That non-aggression pact we had? It’s void.”

“Let me ask again. At that time… you were a high-rank adventurer… a member of the ‘God Hunters,’ if I recall. Is that correct?”

“Yeah. That pact is a dark part of my past. One of the swordsmen in my party was half-dead. I’ve regretted not being able to finish you off back then ever since. And look what happened because I didn’t.”

“No, that’s not what I’m asking. It was a draw when it was four-on-one. And now you intend to face me alone? And unlike then… I am almost fully revived.”

Fenrir leaped at me with, quite literally, god-like speed. He closed the distance, slashed with his claws, and in the same motion, passed me, landing instantly behind me. Even with the Divine Enhancement I’d outsourced to Merlin right at the start, he’s still no joke. I thought I dodged, but that claw just… gouged out my right eye.

Fenrir’s voice came from behind me.

“Hehe, hahaha! I thought I took your head off… Divine Enhancement, is it? I see you’ve grown!”

His voice was suddenly right at my back— “Gah!” A sensation like my left arm exploding… This time, he’d taken the arm.

“But you’re too optimistic! Far too optimistic! You can’t beat me like this!”

Now his laugh came from my left. A chill ran through me from the blood loss.

“My, my. Was all that tough talk just for show?”

And then, Fenrir leaped again. I was hit. Claws and fangs tore into my limbs, one after another.

“KYAAAAAAAAAAH! Run… Run, Ephthal! Get out of here! RUUUUUN!” As Maria’s screams echoed, I was rapidly turned into a bloody mess.

Losing the eye first was a bad move. My depth perception was shot, and I was taking too many clean hits. The damage… The big ones were my right eye and my entire left arm, both gone. My stomach was sliced wide open… my insides are hanging out. Besides those, I took at least ten other hits, none of them shallow. Blood is gushing from them like fountains. I’m already dizzy.

Still, illusion and brainwashing-type magic is really something. Even with this much damage, my nerves are numb. The pain is zero.

“Kuh… Kuhahaha! It was a draw when there were four of you, and you came back alone? How utterly foolish! Are you an idiot? Perhaps a complete moron?”

Just then, I started to laugh. “Kukuku… Hey, dog? Did you just… call me a ‘high-rank adventurer’?”

“Yes. What of it?”

“I met you when I was just a kid in my early thirties. You’re missing the most important part of the story.”

“…What are you talking about?”

“I’m not with any Guild. That S-rank adventurer grew up and mastered even greater magic. I am Ephthal of the Four Emperors—I’m the Thunder God!”

Fenrir processed my words, then started laughing again.

“In that case, you should have hit me with a Level 10 spell right at the start, as a surprise attack. You might have had a chance. But now you’re at death’s door… There’s no coming back from this.”

“That’s where you’re wrong. Level 10: Perfect Heal.”

The flesh of my wounds writhed, and in an instant, the injuries mended as if a video were playing in reverse. My missing left arm… flesh just bulged out and… regrew. A few seconds later, I was completely healed.

“Healing magic…? Perfect Heal…?”

Fenrir’s jaw hung open. He looked back and forth at my ‘wounds’ again, and his jaw dropped even further, like it was about to unhinge.

“…Huh?”

While Fenrir was frozen, I nodded.

“It’s embarrassing, but I have zero aptitude for high-level magic. My casting time for the big stuff was always slow. I had to do a lot of things to keep up with the other Emperors. So… I mastered healing magic, which doesn’t belong to any of the four elements.”

“Wounds like that… gone… as if they never were? Impossible! That’s… impossible!”

“No, it’s possible. It’s why I climbed to the rank of Emperor. I’d be a disgrace to the name ‘Thunder God Emperor’ if I couldn’t do at least this much.”

“I don’t accept it! I… I will never accept this!”

Fenrir leaped at me again, and again, my left arm was torn off.

“Level 10: Perfect Heal.”

A repeat of before. My flesh writhed, my arm regrew.

“Impossible! Impossible! Impossible, impossible, IMPOSSIBLE!”

With my newly grown left hand, I gave Fenrir the middle finger again.

“This is the power of an Emperor. Even a dog’s brain should be able to understand that by now.”

To be honest, I based this fighting style on my master, Sasha. Sasha’s undead regeneration lets her do something similar to this. I just replicated it with healing magic. Of course, even back then, everyone called my fighting style a heretical, cheating tactic.

“Sorry, but you can’t kill me with just physical attacks.”

To kill me, he’d need to use massive magic to vaporize my entire body in an instant.

Or… healing magic works by restoring the body according to the soul’s blueprint. Which means… he’d need a special attack that could damage the soul itself.

And this mutt… is a muscle-head who only knows physical attacks.

Theoretically, he has no way to land an effective blow on me.

“Come on. Play with me, Dog God-sama.”

I took a step forward. Fenrir took a step back. And just like that… Fenrir’s eyes were clearly filled with fear. Well, no surprise. If I were in his position, I’d be terrified too.

“Hey, hey. Scared already? What a buzzkill.”

I took another step. Fenrir… didn’t step back.

“Do not mock me, human! I am the absolute ruler of this forest! I am a God! Do not mock me!”

“That’s more like it. I’ve been holding back my attack magic for a reason, you know.”

“A reason…?”

“I’m aiming to become a magic swordsman. And since you’re so insanely fast, you’re the perfect partner.”

Fenrir’s eyes went wide, as if he couldn’t believe it.

“What are you trying to say?”

“I figured… if I practiced on you… my sword skills would improve.”

“You… human… YOUUUUUUU!”

“Haha. This is going to be great magic sword practice.”

His eyes burning red with rage, Fenrir leaped at me. But his movements are sloppy. My eyes have adjusted, and his anger is making his attacks linear and easy to read.

I dodged his claws and—

“Level 6: Evil Fire Sword.”

I slammed the blade into his flank. The smell of burning flesh and blood filled the air.

“Smells delicious. Maybe we’ll have hot pot tonight. I wonder what a god-dog even tastes like.”

“GUGA-AAAAH!”

With a spirited roar, Fenrir’s claws tore through my body. Blood scattered. My right hand went flying.

“Level 10: Perfect Heal.”

—And the flesh writhed, my missing parts instantly regenerating.

“GAAAAAAAARH!”

Fangs this time. Blood scattered. Guts spilled out.

“Level 10: Perfect Heal.”

—And the flesh writhed, my organs instantly sliding back into my abdomen.

“What… What… What are youuuuuu?!”

“Your voice is getting rough. You okay? Even a Guild rookie knows that losing your cool creates an opening.”

Half-crazed, Fenrir lunged and bit down on my head. Ah! I realized it too late. I was caught, and he began to chew. Gurch, gurch.

“Ha! Haha! Hahaha! If I chew you to pieces and digest you, even you can’t come back from that!”

I was relentlessly chewed, bloodied, and swallowed. Seriously, is it a good idea to swallow me? Fenrir gulped me down—

“Level 10: Perfect Heal.”

—And my flesh writhed. My shredded body regenerated as a whole… inside Fenrir’s stomach. I grabbed my weapon, which had been swallowed with me.

“Level 6: Lesser Ephthal Sword!”

The moment I sent electricity through his stomach wall, I felt Fenrir recoil. I ignored it, sliced his stomach open from the inside, and clawed my way out of his belly.

I wiped the slime off my face and backstepped away from him.

“Come on. Let’s play some more.”

Hearing my words, seeing my smile, Fenrir froze. And at that moment—

—I swear I heard the snap of Fenrir’s spirit breaking.

Hey, hey. Is it over already? That’s no good, I barely got any practice.

“Guboffa… M-M… Mon… ster…!” Fenrir spat blood, his eyes filling with tears as his body trembled.

But I know. Fenrir is also a being who calls himself a god. His regeneration is beyond human. As proof, the wound on his belly is already closing. The bleeding is already slowing.

“Come on! I’m going to carve you up until you hit your limit! The real fun is just getting started!”

I kicked off the ground, closing the distance instantly. I leaped up at his feet, an upward flash of my blade.

Fenrir’s head was severed and fell. His headless body toppled sideways, as if punched. Thud.

As the heavy, lung-shaking sound echoed, I spoke to the severed head.

“Come on! Regenerate your head! Devour my body and my soul and destroy me! Show me what you’ve got, Forest God!”

But no words came back. Fenrir didn’t move.

“Hm…?”

No way… Wary, I approached the head. I cautiously checked for any life signs. And I came to one conclusion.

“What the hell. He’s already dead…”

That was barely any sword practice at all… I sighed.

Chapter 4 – Training Camp in the Monster Forest ~Ephthal-Style Enhancement~

And so, in my ‘Old Ephthal’ guise, I handed Maria over to Anastasia, said a cool “See ya,” and made my exit.

After that, I dropped the illusion and hid in the shadows for an hour.

“Oh, Maria! I went out looking for you, but it seems we missed each other and you came back.”

“…Well, I had a wonderful encounter. It gave me a lot to think about, so… I’ll go along with your training menu.”

“I don’t know what happened, but… a ‘wonderful encounter’?”

“Anyway, you yourself are pretty mediocre, but your ancestor was insanely amazing. You should try to be more like him.”

“…I’m not quite sure what you’re talking about.”

I tried to feign ignorance, but Maria just giggled, looking amused.

“I’ve never met anyone who embodies the idea of a ‘dashing older man’ so perfectly. He’s strong, cool, and so understanding… He just radiates ‘adult,’ you know? But… I guess the vibe is a little similar to yours.”

“What on earth was this ‘wonderful encounter’ all about?”

At that, Maria grinned and started poking me in the shoulder.

“Wanna know? Huh? Wanna know?”

“Well, if you’re asking if I want to know, I suppose I have no choice but to say yes.”

And then, Maria gave a mischievous, broad grin—

“I’m no~t tell~ing! This is my own secret, treasured memory!”

“…”

“Ah, no, I can’t. Just thinking about it makes my heart pound. I think I might have finally awakened to the appeal of older men.”

“The appeal… of older men?”

“It’s admiration! No, this is closer to worship!”

“Oh… okay…”

“Hey, hey, Ephthal! So, listen, listen! Changing the subject, and, uh, th-this is strictly a historical discussion, okay? I just suddenly feel like talking about history, so you’re going to listen!”

And then—

For the next several hours on the road, I was forced to listen to an endless lecture about just how amazing and cool my historical self supposedly was.

The entire time, Anastasia was smirking, and I was completely exhausted.

I mean, I was being forced to listen to someone gush about how great I was. It was practically torture, and it made my back itch with embarrassment.

Ugh, give me a break.

Anyway, we just kept walking. By three in the afternoon, it was about time to start thinking about a place to make camp.

“By the way, Maria?”

“Hm? What is it, Ephthal?”

I took the map from my pocket and traced the route with my finger so she could see.

“There should be a big fork in the road soon. The route you originally picked has us hitting the lake and then turning right, but…”

I showed the map to Anastasia as well, then tilted my head.

“Hey, Maria? This is a huge detour, no matter how you look at it. Why aren’t we taking the path from the left?”

“…”

“Well, if it’s something you don’t want to talk about, that’s fine—”

As I said that, Maria let out a small sigh.

“It’s not a secret or anything. I just… really don’t want to go that way.”

“You don’t want to?”

“I’m originally an elf from this forest. From a… special bloodline, you know. You two know, right? I’m famous at the academy as the last member of the ‘incompetent clan that got itself massacred.'”

I had no idea that was common knowledge at the academy. But, given our previous run-in with the student council, it was probably true.

“Does that mean… if we take the left path, it’ll be a homecoming for you?”

In response to my question, Maria shrugged.

“Yeah. I’d rather avoid it if I can. I was treated badly as an orphan… I don’t exactly have fond memories.”

“In that case, let’s take the long way, just as you said. It’s a shame, though. If we could have stayed in an elven village, it would have been much better than camping out.”

Anastasia and I looked at each other and shrugged. Then, Maria seemed to think for a moment before sighing again.

“But… well, you’re right. There are a few people I’d like to see, and it’s definitely better than spending the night in the woods. And I am kind of forcing you two to come with me.”

Hearing this, Anastasia’s jaw dropped in surprise.

“What is it, Anastasia?”

“Um, well… you… you do have it?”

“Have what?”

“The… self-awareness… that you’re causing trouble.”

“Shut up, you idiot! Of course I know that! What do you take me for?!”

“Auuu… Please don’t be mad… I’m sorry… I’m sorry…”

No, no, Anastasia, that’s not something you need to apologize for. Still, compared to before, Anastasia is getting better at expressing her own opinions. She actually used the word ‘trouble’ on someone as prickly as Maria. I guess that’s a relief.

“Anyway, I’m not thrilled about it, but it looks like we’re making an unexpected trip home.”

“No, really, if you don’t want to, it’s fine.”

“It’s true there are people I want to see, and it’s also true this is a good opportunity. So don’t worry about it.”

And so—.

The elven village in question was surrounded by a wooden palisade covered in thorns. In fact, I could also see anti-cavalry spikes and a moat lined with sharpened bamboo spears, the kind that impale you if you fall. There were clattering noise-based detection traps set up everywhere. This wasn’t so much a village as a forest fortress.

“By any chance, was the clan that took you in… kind of warlike?”

“Hunter-types are always rough around the edges. That’s a fact.”

I’ve heard that sea fishers are the same way. I guess that’s just how it is.

We followed the palisade for a while and soon reached the village’s main gate. Naturally, we couldn’t just march up to the gate of such a heavily guarded fortress with two humans in tow.

First, Maria went ahead, waving, and approached the watchtower built into the gate. After talking with the elven gatekeeper for about a minute, she returned.

“So, how did it go? Think they’ll let us in?”

“Yeah. They said we can, once the head of the gate guards checks us out.”

Sounds like an immigration check. They probably need to confirm our relationship with Maria and whether we’re allowed to carry weapons.

And then, the person who emerged from the gate was a girl with blonde, vertical ringlets, wearing a red dress with flashy embroidery—hardly typical elven attire. She looked to be about our age, around sixteen.

By the way, it seems Monster Taming for the sake of hunting is indeed a big deal in this village, as the girl was accompanied by a Silver Fang.

Since demon dogs of a lower rank than Silver Fangs are the norm, this girl must be incredibly skilled, at least in Monster Taming.

“Why, if it isn’t Maria?”

Even her speech pattern matches the look. She’s like a walking, talking Victorian doll.

As I stood there, surprised to meet someone like this in the middle of a forest, Maria sighed, looking thoroughly fed up.

“…Ah, Françoise. It’s been a while.”

“Huhu. Maria? I’ve told you before, you are to address me, the clan chief’s daughter, with a ‘-sama’ have I not?”

“And I’ve told you, I am the daughter of the Daumier clan chief, the proud guardians of this forest. I’m your equal. I have zero intention of humbling myself by calling you ‘-sama.'”

At this, Françoise let out another laugh.

“Oh? But isn’t the prevailing rumor that this whole story about the guardian clan stopping a great stampede is highly suspicious to begin with?”

“It’s a fact that our clan was massacred ten years ago… trying to stop that stampede.”

“I have heard that monsters were increasing back then, to the point of overflowing the forest. However, I find it impossible to believe that a monster outbreak could be stopped by the… primitive methods your clan used.”

A great stampede, huh? I wonder if Maria realizes? Judging from the miasma in this forest, the Divine Beast will revive and unleash its monstrous kin in less than a month. After all, monsters like that Cockatrice—the kind that would normally be the apex predator of a small forest—are already fleeing this area. No. It’s not my place, as an outsider, to interfere. I still have that old promise to keep.

Françoise flashed Maria a triumphant smile.

“Oh? Nothing to say? Well, putting aside the dubious truth of the Daumier clan’s—the guardians’—raison d’être, even if it were true, this clan’s village doesn’t care about some supposed achievement of stopping stampedes for four hundred years.”

“…”

“One is not considered an adult here unless one can hunt using a demon dog. The most important thing here is the ability to tame. I know you’re passable with a bow and magic, but you fail at that even more basic step.”

“…”

“We were so relieved that you’d gone off to study at some demon academy, that we’d finally gotten rid of such a useless burden… So what are you doing here? Why did you come back?”

“I was chosen as a candidate for class representative at my academy. I’m just stopping by my hometown during a school event. That’s all.”

“I see. So, you’re the best of the worst.”

“…Huh? The best of the worst?”

“You were always second or third best among our peers in both archery and magic, weren’t you? Just as you could never, ever beat me in magic.”

“…”

Maria’s biting her lip in frustration, so that must be true.

“Talented… for a demon academy. Huhu. But everyone knows elves are superior when it comes to magic. In other words, you’re just as ‘average’ as you’ve always been. The best of the worst. Oh, that’s right. This training camp you’re on has a final examination, does it not?”

“It’s in a month.”

“As a class representative candidate, I assume you’ll be participating? As it happens, I will be attending that camp as a special guest.”

“A special guest?”

“Indeed. It’s some Magic Society obligation. A ridiculous request came down for a ‘friendly exchange’ between outstanding elves of our generation and outstanding demons.”

And with that, Françoise snapped her fingers.

“Unique Magic: Wood Edge.”

Instantly, in a ten-meter radius around us, countless sharp wooden spears erupted from the ground.

“This is my wide-area annihilation magic. It’s an elven unique magic, passed down in my clan, that I intend to demonstrate at the exhibition before the exam. Its power is equivalent to a low-tier Level 4.”

Françoise then turned, waved, and walked back into the village.

“As we are both elves, we will inevitably be compared. Do try your best not to embarrass yourself. Oh, and by the way, I’ll mercifully grant you permission to enter the village.”

And then, Maria sank to her knees, defeated.

“Maria?”

“She’s gotten even better since then? I thought I was closing the gap… Level 4? I can only use up to Level 3… We’re in completely different leagues…!”

she whispered, her face pale.

☆★☆★☆★

And so, after all that, we ended up spending the night in the elven village, but—

“Well, it’s pretty clear Maria isn’t exactly popular around here.”

The ‘room’ they gave us was clearly an old storage shed. Sacks of grain were piled high, and the corner designated for sleeping was thick with dust, looking as if no one had stepped there in ages. Worse, sand and small pebbles were trickling down from the ceiling. And to top it off, our ‘bedding’ was just sleeping bags. Still, it was infinitely better than camping outside.

“What? You got a problem with it?”

“No, no complaints. But I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little disappointed.”

“Disappointed? How?”

“The emergency rations the academy supplied for this trip are… horrifyingly bad.”

At this, everyone, including Maria, sighed.

“I know, right? It’s like eating paper clay.”

“I have to admit, my selfish hope that we might get some traditional elven soup has been thoroughly crushed.”

We had, after all, arrived late in the evening.

About two hours had passed since then, so it was safe to assume no dinner was being prepared for us.

With dejected looks, we all started rummaging through our packs, resigning ourselves to the ration bars, when—

“Young Miss? May I come in?”

A man’s voice was followed by a knock. And from the other side of the door, the unmistakable, wonderful aroma of food wafted in.

“Huh? Wha—Marquis-san? It’s been forever!”

Maria opened the door to find several elven men standing there. They were holding bread and a large stockpot; it seemed they’d brought us dinner.

“This is from all of us, Young Miss. Just a little something. Sorry it’s not much, it was all so sudden.”

“No, Marquis-san, you’ve always helped me out…”

“Don’t you worry about it. We were all originally from your clan, you know. After what happened… it don’t feel right, us being the only ones living easy. It’s only natural we’d want to help you however we can, right?”

“And I’ve told you plenty of times, you don’t need to worry about that.”

“Some of us were staying with other forest folk, some were studying in human towns… we were all away for different reasons, and we’re the only ones who shamelessly survived. And you, just a child, you were there…”

“I told you, it’s fine. It all happened so fast. No one could have done anything unless they were right there.”

“It just means we’re the leftovers who failed to die when we were supposed to.”

As Marquis started to get worked up, I clapped my hands together.

“Maria? The soup’s going to get cold. They were kind enough to bring this for us, let’s eat it while it’s hot.”

At my words, Marquis gave a deep nod.

And just like that, thanks to their kindness, we were able to enjoy a warm meal and go to bed with full stomachs.

☆★☆★☆★

The training camp was just the old school building. It was the campus used before the academy moved to its current location, so it was pretty ancient. But thanks to preservation magic that suppressed its decay, the building itself was still perfectly usable.

The general thinking was that it was a waste to let the facility sit empty, so now it was used for events like this from time to time.

“Hey, Ephthal? I really don’t know… becoming the disciple of someone my own age… my pride…”

“Are you still on about that?”

I shrugged, thoroughly fed up. Still, these old classrooms really are dusty. Since this one is just for the three of us, we should clean it up later.

“Like I told you, I’m a descendant of the Thunder God Emperor’s secret child. That means I’m not exactly normal, and Merlin’s family and mine have been close for ages.”

“No, I get that, but…”

“Besides, didn’t you already agree to all that?”

“I agreed to follow the menu you made! But why does that mean I have to become your disciple?!”

“I’ve told you over and over, haven’t I? If we don’t form the Master-Disciple Crest, the proof of our bond, you and Anastasia can’t get stronger. There’s a fundamental problem holding you back.”

She really seems to hate the word ‘disciple.’

What I’m about to do is a technique called the ‘Vessel-Imprint.’ It’s similar to the spell mages use to transfer MP, but you could call this an evolved version. This spell is used to reshape the soul—the ‘vessel’ for magic—to more closely match the master’s.

The fine details of magic circuits vary between schools, factions, and even individuals. Because of this, if a disciple’s soul is too different in quality or shape, they might be unable to learn their master’s original spells.

This isn’t about magic aptitude; it’s a matter of compatibility, almost like an instinctive rejection. That’s why this ritual is often the very first thing performed when a mage takes an apprentice. And I have a very good reason for forcing Maria to do this.

The fact is, the souls of people in this era are mutated, warped by the Magia Burst that happened in the past. This mutation hinders their magic growth in every way, to the point that Level 9 magic and above are now considered ‘lost technology’ that no one can use.

I mean, even Merlin couldn’t resist its effects; she’s stuck using only the spells she’d already learned—topping out at Level 8. That’s where the Vessel-Imprint comes in. Basically, I’m going to use my own, untainted vessel to ‘retune’ their mutated souls.

I can’t use this technique on Merlin, since we already have a master-disciple contract.

Once this is done, the contract will shield them from the ill effects of the Magia Burst, putting them on the same starting line as the mages from my era.

There’s a limit to how many people I can do this for, so it’s not something I take lightly. In other words, this is proof of my own resolve to take responsibility for training them.

“Yeah, but, that just means I’m submitting to you, doesn’t it?!”

“‘Submitting’… You really have a difficult personality.”

Just as I sighed, Anastasia held out the back of her right hand.

“Um… excuse me… Master? Is the contract crest… okay here?”

“It’s too conspicuous. Your back would be better. Merlin has hers somewhere hidden, too.”

“Yes, I understand!”

With that, Anastasia took off her jacket, leaving her in just her undergarments.

“H-Hey, you! Why are you undressing?!”

“Um… excuse me… is this… strange?”

“You’re undressing in front of a guy! Of course it’s strange!”

Anastasia just tilted her head, looking confused.

“We are here to learn magic, aren’t we? And for that, we need the master-disciple contract. And to form that contract, we need to place the crest on an inconspicuous part of the body…”

“Ghk…”

“Am I… doing something strange? If you think this is strange, Maria-san, then I think you’re the strange one for thinking such strange thoughts about it.”

Anastasia shook her head vigorously in response to Maria’s outburst.

“Why can you trust this guy so much?! This is a master-disciple contract! We’re carving a magic crest on our bodies! It’s not something you can just undo!”

“Why do I trust him…? The answer is simple.”

“Simple?”

“Yes,” Anastasia nodded, and continued.

“Because Ephthal Alcott-sama is my one and only, absolute Master. I don’t have a single shred of doubt in his words.”

Pierced by Anastasia’s incredibly direct gaze, Maria’s face twitched—

“Ah, fine! Whatever! I’ll do it, okay? I’ll do it!”

she yelled, sounding completely exasperated.

—And just like that, I ended up taking two disciples in this era. A week went by.

☆★☆★☆★

“Ah… AAAAAAAAAAGH!”

Inside the classroom, Maria and Anastasia were screaming and writhing on the floor, clutching their heads. Well, that’s because I’d just forcibly branded the formula for a Level 4 fire spell directly onto their brains.

—Level 7: Brainjack.

It’s almost the same spell high-level monster tamers use to brainwash the beasts they control. Basically, it’s magic that floods the brain with information, allowing you to manipulate memories or rewrite behavioral priorities. So, what I was doing now was applying that spell to forcibly burn the magic circuits themselves into their brains.

Four hundred years ago, this was a well-known method for getting strong, fast. But it was also infamous back then as an impossibly harsh strengthening method, because the pain is extraordinary. It’s an ordeal often compared to outright torture.

“Still, you two… you’re really enduring.”

“Gah… Ah… AAAAAAAAGH!”

Doesn’t look like my words are getting through. Can’t blame them.

To give you an idea, it’s probably like taking a full-force swing from a metal bat to the head, over and over again.

The entire method is premised on having the massive mental strength necessary to overcome that pain. If some criminal organization kidnapped a kid, for example, and tried to use this to quickly create an assassin, they’d probably just end up destroying the kid’s mind completely.

On top of that, the method only works for spells up to Level 4, which wasn’t even considered top-tier combat power back in my day. It’s a level anyone could reach with just a few years of normal, dedicated study. That’s why it was a thorny path only taken by those who were in a desperate hurry and had incredible resolve.

And just so you know, trying to forcibly burn morecomplex spells is forbidden. It’s not a question of endurance at that point; your brain just burns out.

“Well, while these two are working hard, I can’t exactly relax…”

And so, I started looking through the documents I’d asked Merlin to prepare.

Their high-pitched screams were distracting and I wanted to go somewhere quiet, but I couldn’t leave them. Something unexpected could happen, their condition could suddenly change… Besides, I’m the one forcing this path of pain on them. It would be wrong of me not to see them through it.

Anyway, back to the documents on the Fire God Emperor.

According to Merlin’s unofficial files, a mage presumed to be him has appeared on the public stage multiple times over the last four hundred years. At times, he was a saving hand, wandering the land and saving remote villages from raging plagues. At others, he was called an avatar of destruction, leading hordes of monsters to burn villages to the ground.

Strangely, his appearance was never that of the mature, white-haired Fire God Emperor I knew. It was always described as that of a beautiful, red-haired boy. But given the evidence that “Level 10: Fire God Emperor Cliff” was used, it’s safe to assume it was him.

After reaching the ancient ruins at the World Tree, he supposedly vanished from the public eye completely.

“…It all seems to be connected to the ancient magic civilizations. The place where the Ice God Emperor was killed, triggering the Magia Burst, was an ancient ruin, too.”

When you talk about ancient ruins near here, the most famous one is the World Tree—which also happens to be where Sasha lives.

Generally, what people call ‘ancient ruins’ are just sites of great natural power. The spiritual ‘magnetic field’ in these places is extremely chaotic. In this case, it caused the trees to mutate, resulting in the ‘World Tree’—a colossal specimen soaring so high it seems to touch the heavens. The actual ancient ruins, however, exist in a place slightly out of sync with this world’s dimensional axis.

It’s said they used magic related to spatial expansion and dimensional coordinates to solve problems like overpopulation in their cities. In other words, you can’t reach the ruins by normal means. Specifically, in the case of the World Tree, you have to use a Level 9-class teleport spell near its very peak.

And since no one alive can use Level 9 magic—for the past four hundred years, no one besides me, the Fire God Emperor, and Sasha has had any way of even confirming the existence of the ruins that lie beyond the World Tree’s apex.

“This seems to be the limit of what I can find out.”

Just as I thought that, I sensed a presence and looked back.

“Looks like you’ve mastered the formula in two hours. I did this too when I was a teenager, but your endurance is genuinely impressive.”

Maria was standing there, covered in a cold sweat. Anastasia was still rolling around on the floor.

“But… forcibly branding a spell formula onto our brain with brainwashing magic… just to use Level 4 spells. Isn’t this… cheating?”

I almost burst out laughing at that.

“It’s not cheating. You paid the price—all that pain—to gain the spell. Besides, if you’re going to say that, isn’t ‘magic aptitude’ itself a form of cheating? It has a massive impact on everything, from learning spells to developing your own variations.”

“No, aptitude is an individual’s talent, a… a gift from the gods, isn’t it?”

“To the people who didn’t receive that gift, that’s what looks like cheating.”

“Well… maybe that’s true, but…”

“Besides, even if the spell is burned into your brain, you still have to put in a ton of effort to make it your own. That’s why I really don’t think it’s cheating. Time is finite. You have to use every advantage you’ve got.”

To put it simply, it’s like I’ve just handed them an oversized sword or spear that they are not ready for. To actually use it in a real fight, they’ll need the training to master that unwieldy weapon. If they try to use it for real without any practice, it’s not going to be much more than a bluff.

Just then, Anastasia also seemed to regain her composure, slumping to the floor and panting.

“You did well, Anastasia.”

“S-S-Some… how…”

Then Anastasia timidly asked Maria.

“M-M-Maria-san?”

“Hm? What?”

“…How… how are you okay after going through that?”

“Huh? I was writhing and screaming just like you until a second ago.”

“…That’s… not what I mean.”

“Hm? What do you mean?”

“After that storm of pain passed… how are you able to recover so quickly? For me… it’s still hard… just to talk.”

Hearing that, Maria nodded slightly.

“Because I have people I need to prove wrong.”

Maria clenched her fist, her gaze hardening with resolve. Seeing that expression, Anastasia visibly winced and looked away.

“Hey Maria? If you’ve still got energy, let’s do some hand-to-hand combat training with physical enhancement active.”

“Yeah. If you’re offering to be my partner, I couldn’t ask for more.”

“Also, Maria. Starting tomorrow… let’s try moving on to basic magic manipulation.”

The truth is, ever since I performed the Vessel-Imprint on the first day, I’ve forbidden them from using any magic except physical enhancement. Right now, they first need to get used to the change in their souls.

To use a modern Earth analogy, it’s like the difference between a diesel engine and a gasoline one. If they try to train magic while still remembering the ‘feel’ of their old state, they’ll definitely develop bad habits. That’s why I’ve been making them drill the absolute fundamentals of magic control, like physical enhancement, to let their bodies and brains adapt.

“I thought we were banned from using anything but physical enhancement and lifestyle magic for two weeks.”

“Your growth rate is a little abnormal. It looks like you’ve been doing some very reckless things on your own… but, in terms of adjusting the curriculum to your level, this is the logical next step.”

“So, does that mean—?”

“It’s time for the next step. You’ve worked hard, Maria.”

Maria broke into a huge grin, while Anastasia sadly lowered her gaze.

☆★☆★☆★

—That night.

My plan from now on is to focus on investigating ancient ruins, both for my sword training and to chase down the mystery of magic aptitude.

Maria and Anastasia are working so hard; I can’t just be lazing around.

As I was reading some documents to prepare, I suddenly felt a magic presence outside.

I had a hunch what was going on. I left my dorm room, went up the stairs, and opened the door to the roof. And when I looked down at the courtyard where the presence was coming from, just as I thought, it was Maria.

“I knew it. She’s really a reckless kid…”

As I watched with a wry smile, she was leaping through the trees in the courtyard, her physical enhancement magic still active.

I see. So this is how she mastered that fluid magic control—by diligently practicing her physical enhancement every single night.

Honestly, she should be mentally exhausted just from the daily spell-imprinting. And after that torture-level ordeal, she still has a full curriculum, including mock battles against me and strength training while using physical enhancement.

Normally, she should be well beyond exhausted, wanting nothing more than to crawl into bed. Her guts are truly something else.

“I absolutely will not lose!”

Oops. Looks like my detection magic activated on its own. Eavesdropping is bad manners.

So, I left the roof.

I went down the stairs, walked down the hall, returned to my room… and went back to reading my book. I finished my writing and crawled into bed, ready to sleep, but—

—Squeeze!

My hand touched something soft, and I yelped, “Aaah!”

“A-A-A-Anastasia?!”

She must have woken up too, because she shot straight up on the bed into a formal sitting position.

“Ah, ah, ah… Um, Master! I-I-I have something to tell you!”

“Hm? Tell me what?”

Anastasia is usually so carefree, but she looks strangely serious right now. This must be important. I braced myself.

“I… I don’t have a reason like Maria-san.”

Ah, so it’s that. I knew she was worried about it, so I figured she’d come to me sooner or later.

“But… why were you sleeping in my bed?”

“Um, well… I came to your room to talk, but you weren’t here, and, and… I was so tired from… that… today, that I sat on the bed and just… collapsed…”

“And then?”

“And once I collapsed, it was so comfortable, and my eyelids got heavy… and you know how your eyelids get all layered when you’re sleepy? Well, mine were like, triple-layered… and when my eyelids get like that, I just can’t fight the sleepiness…”

“I know the feeling. I can’t resist it then either.”

“And so, and so, I… I… in Master’s bed… um… I’m sho shorry!”

She stumbled over her words! It’s been a while. Ah well, that’s just how she is.

“A-Anyway! I’m completely different from Maria-san! I don’t have a reason to want to get stronger!”

“…But I think you’re working plenty hard. Maria’s just the one who’s in a desperate hurry.”

At that, Anastasia shook her head. “No.”

“I… I… I’m only… thinking about wanting to be worthy of you, Master… That’s all…”

“Then I think you’re amazing for enduring all that pain for that reason alone, Anastasia.”

I reached out to pat her head, but she dodged my hand.

“You don’t have to pat my head yet.”

“Anastasia?”

“I want you to tell me… that you won’t accept someone so useless as your slave. That you won’t stay with me, that you’ll kick me out of the house.”

She’s started saying some weird things. What in the world is this about? Well, if she’s asking me to say it, I guess I should.

“I won’t accept someone so useless as my slave. I won’t stay with you, and I’ll kick you out of the house.”

The instant Anastasia heard my words, her expression twisted, as if she were witnessing the end of the world—

“N-n-n… NOOOOOOOOOOOO!”

Sh-Sh-She screamed?! What is going on?! What’s happening?!

“I’ll work hard! I promise I’ll work hard! So please don’t abandon me! I… um… I want to be with you forever, Ephthal-sama! I’ll make myself worthy of you! I won’t lose to Maria-san!”

Anastasia leaped off the bed and marched toward the door with powerful steps—and… she tripped. Her feet got tangled, and she tripped spectacularly. No, she fell flat on her face. And she got up. Instantly.

“I-I-I’m sho shorry for tripping!”

She stumbled over her words again. Her tongue got all tangled up. A spectacular stumble.

She headed for the doorway again, but stopped right at the door and spun around to face me.

“When I prove I’m not losing to Maria-san—! You have to promise you’ll pat my head a lot and tell me I did a good job!”

“O… Okay…”

“Well then, please excushe me for being sho late!”

Stumbling over her words right to the very end, her face bright red, she ran off toward her own dorm room. And, just before the door closed, I caught a glimpse of her running down the hall—

—and she tripped again. No, fell flat on her face.

Honestly, I have no idea what that was all about. All that energy seems to be spinning its wheels, but… I guess it’s a good thing she’s fired up… right?

☆★☆★☆★

Time passed, and just like that, we were at the halfway point of the one-month training camp.

Our morning routine—embedding spell formulas directly into their brains—was also progressing smoothly. They even seemed to be getting used to the pain. By the afternoon, Anastasia no longer showed any signs of mental exhaustion.

We’d reached a good stopping point in their training, so we were taking a break and enjoying a nice afternoon tea, when—

“So, by the way, are you two dating?”

“Gah—cough!”

Maria’s sudden question made me spray my tea everywhere.

“Wh-Wh-What are you suddenly talking about?!”

Anastasia started flapping her hands frantically, looking like a flustered little animal.

“I mean, Ephthal is weirdly nice to you, and it doesn’t feel like a ‘master and slave’ thing at all. So it got me thinking, like… maybe your relationship has gotten all soft and sweet because of romantic feelings?”

“N-N-No, no, no, no! That’s so rude to Master! Never mind me, but there’s no way Master would ever see me in that way!”

I definitely heard that “never mind me” part, but calling her out on it seemed like more trouble than it was worth, so I let it slide.

“Oh? In that case, Anastasia, is there any guy you do like?”

“Huh? Huh? Huh? A guy… I like?”

“I mean, you’re a young woman, aren’t you?”

Anastasia glanced my way. She fell silent for a moment, then, as if steeling her resolve, shook her head firmly.

“There’s no one like that.”

“Oh. That’s surprising.”

I was surprised, too. Given the flow of this conversation, I was expecting things to get complicated.

“I don’t have a person I like… but…”

Just then, Anastasia stood up and walked over to me. She took my right hand and squeezed it tightly in both of hers.

“…I do have a Master that I love.”

This… How am I supposed to interpret this? And why is Anastasia blushing bright red when she’s the one who grabbed my hand?

—Yep. She pulls this kind of stuff sometimes. I really can’t let my guard down around her.

It just means she loves me as a master, right? Yeah. It’s too complicated otherwise, so let’s just go with that.

“So, Master, what do you think of me?”

“W-Well… I think you’re enduring the painful training very well, Anastasia.”

“R-R-Really?! Do you really think so?”

I nodded firmly at Anastasia, who was now hopping up and down with delight.

“Yes, you’re working very hard.”

“More than Maria-san? More than her!?”

“Maria is working hard in her own way, but she has a clear reason to. In the sense that you’re working just as hard despite having a weaker motivation, I’d say you might have a stronger core than Maria.”

Just then, I heard a loud, sharp tch.

“What a cozy little master and slave. Hah. What is this, some kind of play?”

Maria, now in a visibly foul mood, chugged the rest of her tea and stood up. She stormed over to the classroom door and yanked it open violently.

“That stupid little show gave me the chills. I’m going for a run.”

“Wait, Maria! If you don’t stick to the training menu I built, it’s not going to be efficient…”

Maria shot me a glare.

“Huh? I’m a genius, remember? I’ve been at this for two weeks; I think I know what I’m doing! Besides, I have that… amazing consultant I met. He’s the best one I could ask for!”

“Yeah, but…”

Hm? Wait… a consultant? Come to think of it, I feel like I… did make a promise like that.

“In the first place, I’m not here to play ‘best friends’ with you two, got it? I’m in charge. If I think your menu is useful, I’ll use it. If I don’t, I’ll do what I want, just like now.”

And with that, she was gone, slamming the door so hard I thought it might break.

“…”

“…”

“That girl… she really has an exhausting personality.”

“…Yes. By the way, Master?”

“Hm? What is it?”

“Do I… make you tired, Master?”

“No, not at all. Actually, let me ask you: Do you ever get tired of me?”

At my question, Anastasia seemed to think for a moment, and then her face just… melted into a blissful “Hehe~” expression.

“Master, you always make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.”

Yep. No idea how to respond to that.

I shifted my gaze from Anastasia to the calendar hanging on the classroom wall.

“It’s Friday…”

I really hope this isn’t the case, but… Maria didn’t actually head to that cabin to bother the Thunder God Emperor about… this, did she?

“So, let me get this straight. You didn’t know what to do, but you were too proud to back down, so you just… came here?”

“Yep. I came here.”

Inside the cabin near the training camp, Maria was sipping the tea I’d served her, happily grinning at me in my ‘Old Ephthal’ disguise.

“By the way, did you tell Merlin about me?”

“Nope, haven’t told her.”

Honestly, that’s a relief. If Merlin found out I was doing this, there’s no telling what she’d say to me later.

“I mean, it’s fine that you didn’t, but… why not?”

“Because… you’re the Thunder God Emperor! And Merlin-sama seems to worship you… so if I told her…”

“If you told her?”

“I’d have a ‘worship buddy,’ and then I wouldn’t be able to keep you all to myself!”

“A ‘worship buddy’?!”

What a weird phrase to coin! I shuddered.

“Yes! I just know we’d become worship buddies. If Merlin-sama found out about this place, the ‘Evil Emperor’ would immediately occupy it, and I’d be kicked out!”

‘Evil Emperor’… I shuddered again.

“O…kay… But Maria? Don’t you think I might want to see Merlin and catch up after all this time?”

Maria instantly shot to her feet and dashed for the door.

“Maria!”

“My apologies! I was only thinking of myself and didn’t even consider your feelings, Thunder God Emperor! I’ll go get Merlin-sama right now!”

“No, you don’t need to do that!”

This, I thought, is getting out of hand.

Her admiration has morphed into worship, and that worship has gone straight to brainwashing territory. But the weird thing is—

—I have absolutely no memory of ever brainwashing Maria.

Well, she has been fighting and trying so hard all by herself for so long… I guess if a clear, powerful authority figure like the Thunder God Emperor accepts her, it’s inevitable she’d end up like this. For years, the very idea of relying on someone, or ‘wanting to be coddled’ like she said… it probably never even crossed her mind.

“Let’s get back on track. From what I’m hearing… my M-Mas… ahem, cough-cough! My descen… descendant! Yes, my descendant. He is guiding you properly, isn’t he?”

“Yes, that’s true, but…”

“Excuse me, Student Maria? Would you mind getting some tea for me as well?”

“Ah, yes, Merlin-sama… but I don’t know where it is. Thunder God Emperor? Where is the tea set?”

“Ah, just open the cupboard over there—”

And just then, Maria and I both rounded on Merlin at the same time.

“Why are you here!”

“Why are you here?!”

Merlin just composed her face into a prim expression. She casually brushed back her long silver hair and struck a pose.

“Well, you could say stalking Ephthal-sama is something of a hobby of mine.”

“Please don’t make it your hobby!”

“You can’t use your Divine Enhancement without me. What would you do if a powerful foe appeared? Therefore, I always endeavor to remain by Ephthal-sama’s side.”

“Still, how did you just appear all of a sudden?”

“Level 8: Invisible. I sensed an… unsettling aura from Maria, so I decided to tag along.”

“Don’t use high-level magic for such a trivial reason!”

Still, Merlin’s really improved her skills. To think she could do it without me noticing, without disturbing the flow of magic in here at all. Well, it is ‘Invisible,’ so it’s probably layered ten or twenty times with concealment spells. And I was completely caught off guard, too.

As I sighed, Merlin’s lips curled into a mischievous smirk.

“By the way, I’ve been wondering, Student Maria. How come you’re not calling yourself a ‘genius beauty’ like you always do?”

“What are you talking about, Merlin-sama? I’m just a normal person.”

“No, you’ve definitely said that in the past—”

“Was it… maybe… during a Halloween party? Or some other costume event when I was in character?”

“No, it was just a normal Tuesday.”

“Hehe. Merlin-sama? Why would I ever say something as embarrassing as ‘genius beauty’?”

“No, you definitely did.”

“…Perhaps you overheard me muttering my secret wish to become a genius beauty. How embarrassing to be seen like that… Teehee.”

Maria tilted her head, winked, and gave her own head a little bop with her fist.

Yep, that’s the full ‘cutesy-act’ routine. A very adorable look and gesture. I mean… who the hell is this?

And that “Teehee“… I was completely bewildered. She probably just doesn’t want me to think she’s the kind of weirdo who calls herself a ‘genius beauty.’ …Though if that’s the case, she shouldn’t say it in the first place.

And that’s when my mischievous side started to tingle. I did always used to have fun playing pranks on Merlin.

“By the way, Maria?”

“Yes, what is it?”

“From what I’m hearing, it sounds like the way you act around me… isn’t how you normally act?”

“Oh no, that’s not true at all. I’m always very modest and—”

Modest?!

“I always put others first and am very considerate—”

You’re the one everyone has to be considerate of!

“My friends often tell me I have a very shy and reserved personality.”

Liar! My mischievous side flared up again.

“By the way, Maria?”

“Yes?”

“I once had… a very troublesome disciple.”

“Oh? A disciple who troubled you, Thunder God Emperor? What were they like?”

“She was selfish…”

“Yes.”

“…jerked people around…”

“Yes.”

“…arrogant…”

“Yes.”

“…didn’t show a shred of gratitude for my teachings…”

“Yes.”

“…and was an overconfident girl who always puffed out her chest, pointed her finger right in her master’s face, and said all sorts of pompous things.”

“What a terrible, idiotic disciple. To think someone who would treat their master that way actually exists in this world…”

I’m talking about you!

Just then, Maria’s eyes flew wide as if she’d realized something.

“Oh! Are you… by any chance… talking about Merlin-sama?”

“Would you like to try dying, Student Maria?”

She was smiling, but her eyes weren’t. It was the kind of gaze that inspired a little fear even in me, her master. Anyway—

“We’re getting sidetracked! So, what’s on your mind, Maria?”

“Oh, right. The truth is… I have a problem, and I was wondering if you’d listen? You see… I can’t ever be honest.”

“Hmm?”

“When I’m with someone on a completely different level, like you, Thunder God Emperor, I can be honest. You’re just… too amazing. You’re not someone I can get jealous of, so I don’t have to act all full of myself…”

“…Oh?”

“But at the academy, I’m always worried about my rank in the class, or in the school, and I try to make myself look bigger than I am… I get… aggressive.”

“…Well, that sounds pretty typical for someone your age.”

“And, well, I’m the most skilled in my year, but recently… someone even more amazing transferred in.”

Amazing person? Is she… talking about me?

“He’s taught me so much, and I’m really grateful. But… I just can’t be honest with him. I always put up a front…”

“…O…Okay.”

“At first, I just thought he seemed useful, so I’d use him. But… before I knew it, I realized I didn’t mind hanging out with him… He’s too nice.”

“…And?”

“And… he’s just so amazing. He has everything I want. I can’t even imagine how much effort it took to get to his level… He’s just… incredible.”

I gazed out the window, lost in thought for a moment. Everything—my past life, my current one—flashed before my eyes.

Hearing this from Maria, who never says this kind of stuff… it really gives me a lot to think about.

“So… I respect him. I, too, am a believer in the faith of ‘hard work.’ And I believe that he, more than anyone, is a true martyr to that same faith.”

“Uh-huh. And?”

“I… I want him to acknowledge me. I want to impress him… I think. But I just can’t be honest… I’m nothing but grateful for everything he’s taught me, but I just keep acting out. Even today, when he praised that other girl… I got so irritated and acted horribly…”

Ah. So that’s what it was. She was in a bad mood today because I praised Anastasia.

“…So, what’s your point?”

“I just… I always regret it later, thinking I went too far… I toss and turn in bed, worried he’s going to hate me. Haha… a girl who can’t be honest, she’s not cute at all, is she? She’s just… annoying.”

“I don’t know about that. But… just a hunch, I don’t think he’s the type to hate you over something small like that.”

“…You think so?”

“Look, if you can’t be honest, just practice being honest. If you’re grateful, show you’re grateful. Don’t just keep it all bottled up; let him know.”

“…Honestly?”

“Yes, honestly.”

“…It’s really okay to be honest?”

“Of course. Honesty is always the best policy.”

“…Is it really, really okay?”

“Yes. It’s fine.”

“Then… like that other time…”

Maria fell silent. Her cheeks turned crimson, and she looked up at me with brimming eyes.

“…P-Please… p-pat my head.”

Damn. So she’s the type to pull an ‘Anastasia’ and hit you with a sneak attack, too.

“…”

“…”

We just stared at each other for a moment. And then—

“S-S-Sorry! I’m so sorry, I got carried away!”

“…O-Okay.”

“Are you mad? Do you think I’m weird? Do you think I’m annoying?”

“…No, I don’t.”

“I-If you don’t, then stop looking at me like I’m some pathetic child!”

“…I’ll do my best.”

I glanced over at Merlin—and yep, she looked furious. I decided to pretend I hadn’t seen her.

The next day, Maria walked into the classroom and immediately placed a small package on my desk.

“Are these cookies?”

“I just… made way too many yesterday. I figured we could all eat them during break. You should be grateful, you know. Getting to eat my handmade cookies… even if they’re just extras, you should be honored.”

“…It’s not like I’m giving you easy training. I’m impressed you had the energy to bake cookies while being that exhausted.”

“I… I just got hungry in the middle of the night, that’s all!”

“…You even skipped sleep? As for me, I’m always completely dead on my feet the second I get back to the dorm.”

Anastasia tilted her head, looking puzzled. Receiving Anastasia’s pure, innocent stare, Maria’s shoulders trembled as she muttered, “Nngh…”

And then—

“I-I just… I felt bad about my attitude yesterday, okay? S-So… th-this… is… an apology.”

Her voice was so quiet at the end, it was like a mosquito’s buzz. I couldn’t even hear it. But it was a very obvious, very Maria gesture. I couldn’t help but chuckle.

☆★☆★☆★

Later, in the training hall, I was holding my sword when Maria yelled, clearly annoyed.

“Hey, you!”

“Hm? What?”

I lightly parried Maria’s training sword and backstepped to create distance.

Being an elf, she’s great with a bow, but she’s completely hopeless at close-quarters combat. She’s got the speed, but… yeah. From now on, I should probably focus her training on rear support.

“Hey! How about you consider my feelings? I’m the one being forced to spar with you while you’re lost in thought!”

“What? I’m handling you just fine, aren’t I?”

I could definitely handle Maria’s level of skill with my eyes closed. Then again, I had a really good teacher.

“That’s exactly what’s pissing me off!”

Maria’s eyes narrowed in a “Hmph!” and she started stomping her feet on the ground.

Yep. In this state, Maria is no different from a raging bull. Best to just ignore it.

“Okay, Anastasia, you’re next.”

“Y-Yes! I’ll do my besht!”

She stumbled over her words, as expected, and I chuckled—only for a throwing knife to come flying at me without a moment’s pause.

“Haha. Vicious as always.”

I deflected the knife with a tink of my sword. It was just a wooden training knife, of course.

“Ah, ah, um… I’m sorry!”

The moment she bowed her head, another knife came flying. As I deflected that one, a binding spell activated at my feet. It’s a spell that spreads sticky, web-like threads. Yep… Anastasia is definitely a seasoned brawler. When it comes to sneak attacks, she’s on another level. Knowing why she ended up this way… it still gives me mixed feelings.

“Well, that’s fine for you, Anastasia. It suits your ‘shady’ background.”

“Yes. Walking silently… has become a habit for me.”

I feel like I’ve heard that line somewhere before… I chuckled, then moved behind Anastasia in a blur of motion.

“But there’s always someone better. A sneak attack is useless unless it’s the finishing blow. Your next challenge is to make that first move lethal.”

I gave her a light chop on the head from behind.

“Owww!”

Anastasia clutched her head, her eyes welling with tears.

“Still, such a cute face for such shady work. Sounds like a complicated situation, so I won’t pry… Anyway, it’s clear you two are bound by a pretty strong bond.”

Maria said, giving us a suspicious look.

“That’s right! My relationship with my Master is unbreakable!”

Anastasia, who had been listening, started hopping up and down, looking delighted.

“Well, I won’t deny that.”

“By the way, how far have you two… ‘progressed’?”

“‘Progressed’?”

“A master and slave, a man and a woman. Plus, you have this ‘unbreakable bond.’ Even if you’re not ‘dating,’ you’re… doing it, aren’t you?”

What is this elf saying all of a sudden?! Both Anastasia and I were so flustered our jaws dropped.

“W-W-We are not! Why would you even ask that?!”

“Just curious. You both seem pretty innocent, after all. What about kissing? You’ve at least done that, right?”

“W-W-We haven’t done that eith—”

She suddenly remembered something… and her face instantly turned bright red, like it was about to explode.

“I mean… it’s not that we haven’t! But it’s not like that! It wasn’t in a weird way!”

Maria let out a low whistle and grinned.

“See? So you have kissed. You are doing stuff.”

“I-I told you, it’s not like that! It wasn’t weird! That was… that was just to surprise Master!”

“Yeah, but you still kissed him, right?”

Anastasia stuck out her hands and started waving them frantically back and forth.

“Ah, ah, um! N-N-No, I told you! It’s… it’s not that I ‘like’ Master or anything!”

“If you don’t like him… then… you like him?”

“I-I-It’s not ‘like’! And ‘like’ and ‘like’ are the same thing! M-My feelings aren’t ‘romantic’!”

“Then what are they?”

“My feelings for Master are—”

Anastasia fell silent. Then she took a deep breath and declared:

“They’re LOVE! It’s just… Super Love!”

And with that, Anastasia, her face beet red, spun around… and bolted for the door, shouting as she ran.

“It’s not romantic feelings! It’s absolutely, definitely not romantic feelings! That kind of thing doesn’t exist between a master and a slave!”

As Maria and I watched her flee, we both nearly fell over.

Well, she said it twice, so it must be important. I’ll take her word for it that it’s not ‘romantic.’ This ‘Love’ must just be ‘I love my master because he treats me, his slave, so well’ kind of love.

Yeah. It’s too complicated otherwise. I’m just going to believe that’s what she meant. Honestly, she was probably just panicking so hard she didn’t even know what she was saying.

“By the way, Ephthal. The final exam is tomorrow.”

“Yep. That’s right.”

“And Françoise… she’s coming, too.”

I gave Maria a firm slap on the back.

“Before you prove all the elves wrong, you should start by shocking her. You’re not the same person you were a month ago, Maria.”

“Don’t state the obvious. I didn’t suffer through your insane curriculum for nothing, you know.”

Maria nodded, her expression firm and strong.

“By the way, Maria…”

I peeked out the door, made sure Anastasia was long gone, and then took a ring from my pocket. This was something that had been kept under the strictest guard back at my mansion… well, by Merlin. It’s an artifact, but it’s also something I’m personally attached to. That’s why Merlin understood my wishes and had taken such extreme care of it.

“There’s a secret technique that uses this ring. I think you can handle it.”

I tossed the ring toward a target in the training hall.

“First, surround the ring with water… Level 1: Water Ball.

“Level 2: Fire Lance.”

Maria watched the massive explosion that immediately followed, her mouth just opening and closing, completely speechless.

“Wait… what is this? What was that? You put fire into water… How did that happen?”

It’s no surprise she’s shocked. This is just an application of modern-day science.

“I’ll explain the principle. Basically…”

And so I explained the general principles of magic and chemistry to Maria. It was a principle she had never even heard of, and her face visibly paled as she listened.

“You really are… something else.”

“It’s not that I’m amazing. It’s just… this is a secret art of the Ephthal school, one that even Merlin doesn’t know.”

“But… why are you teaching me such an incredible secret art, one that even Merlin-sama doesn’t know?”

I picked up the ring that had fallen to the floor and held it out to Maria.

“I’m not ‘teaching’ you. I’m entrusting this art to you.”

Maria took the ring and swallowed hard.

“Ephthal, why are you doing so much for me? This rare ring is essential to casting the spell, isn’t it? As far as I know, a metal like this… it shouldn’t even exist outside of the ancient magic civilizations.”

Well, it’s not like I didn’t just stumble upon it by chance myself. If this metal were common, someone would have discovered this technique long ago.

“Merlin wasn’t in as much of a desperate hurry as you are. …But I’m sure it will be of use to you.”

☆★☆★☆★

Well, the training camp was finally reaching its climax, and the day of the final examination had arrived.

The exam was to be held in the camp’s usual training hall, and we first-years were up first.

We’d arrived at the training hall considerably earlier than everyone else, so we were the first… no, wait, the second group to arrive. That’s because another elf had summoned Maria here early for ‘personal reasons.’ Namely—

“Why, Maria. You actually came. You’re not as cowardly as I thought.”

“Of course I came. I have no intention of running away. Especially not from someone like you, Françoise—someone who mocks my clan!”

“Huhu, the exams will begin with my exhibition. And you are the first one up for the final test. In other words, you’ll be compared to me, a fellow elf, and will be utterly humiliated.”

“So why did you bother calling me here? What do you want?”

“I thought I’d observe your magic beforehand, to ensure you don’t become a disgrace to the elven race.”

“To ensure I’m not a disgrace?”

“I, as the one with true power, am offering to assess whether you’re even fit to be seen in public. You should be grateful, really.”

“In other words, you’re ordering me to take the final exam test right here, right now.”

Françoise nodded. Maria, looking just as eager, stuck her chest out defiantly. The test itself was the standard format: casting attack magic at humanoid targets. This time, however, it wasn’t a single target, but multiple targets scattered across a twenty-meter radius.

—In short, it was an area-of-effect annihilation magic test.

Annihilation magic requires complex magical control over a wide area. It seemed like a reasonable way to assess the minimum qualifications for a class representative.

“My Unique Magic: Wood Edge is an annihilation spell with a fifteen-meter radius. In other words—”

Françoise snapped her fingers, summoning her elven unique magic—spears of wood that erupted from the ground, almost like a bounded field.

“As you can see, it can destroy roughly eighty percent of the targets scattered within the area. If this were a battlefield, I’d already be considered a combat-ready, exceptional mage. After all, I can wield magic equivalent to a low-tier Level 4 at my age.”

Looking at the shattered targets, Françoise puffed out her chest proudly. She then pointed to the adjacent area, flashing Maria a challenging smile.

“Go on, your turn. Let’s see… the passing standard for the exam is destroying targets in an eight-meter radius. However, as an elven representative, it won’t look very good unless you destroy everything in at least a ten-meter radius. Don’t you agree?”

“A ten-meter radius?”

“Yes, precisely. Though for someone like you, who can’t even use Level 4, I suppose even eight meters will be a struggle. Huhu… how pitiful, to be so talentless. Sixteen years old and still stuck at Level 3… It’s laughable, coming from a clan chief’s daughter.”

In response, Maria just shrugged and chuckled.

“There’s no rule that says I can’t just destroy everything within the entire twenty-meter range, is there?”

Françoise’s shoulders twitched in surprise at Maria’s words, but she quickly burst out laughing.

“Heehee… kuh… Kuhaha! Bwahahaha!”

Françoise clutched her stomach, laughing so hard it looked like she might start rolling on the floor.

“A-Are you insane? A twenty-meter radius is the territory of high-tier Level 4 magic. Something that surpasses even elven unique magic… there is no way a mere student could possibly wield such a thing! Kuhaha, ahaha, hahaha!”

Ignoring her, Maria began to walk. She took her position in the area next to the one Françoise had just destroyed.

“Hey, hey, Maria? Are you an idiot? I mean, you weren’t smart to begin with, but did you get dumber? Hey, did you really start believing that fairy tale about you using Level 4? Oh, perhaps you can use it in your dreams. But… too bad! This is reality! There is no way you can do something that I cannot!”

“…Françoise?”

Maria raised her palm, aiming it at the targets.

“Would you… just shut up already? High-Tier Level 4—Fire Dance!”

Countless magic arrows shot forth from Maria’s palm. The spell unleashed a total of one hundred arrows. The first twenty-seven struck all of the targets directly in their center mass, obliterating them in fiery explosions.

Yep. As expected of an elf, she’s a master archer.

Her magic control was perfect. When it came to precision, me trying to teach her would probably just be counter-productive. Well… she’s still green in many other areas, but this is an excellent result.

The remaining seventy-three arrows all struck the floor at perfect, equal intervals within the twenty-meter radius, and then detonated.

“Impressive. That’s a textbook area bombardment.”

The explosions spread perfectly evenly across the entire area, with no gaps and no overkill. This meant she had perfectly mastered Fire Dance as an annihilation spell.

As for Françoise, who had just witnessed this—

“L-L-Le… High-tier Level 4… And… and she’s using it… perfectly? Is this an illusion? Some kind of… illusion magic?”

Françoise’s jaw hung open, completely unable to believe what she’d seen. Maria advanced on her at a slow, deliberate pace.

“It’s not an illusion, and it’s not magic.”

“Th-Th… Then what is it?”

“This is my full power now. That’s all there is to it.”

And with that, all the color drained from Françoise’s face. She collapsed to the floor, muttering, “Impossible…”

—And so.

About two hours passed, and the final examination officially began.

Incidentally, the collapsed Françoise apparently came to recognize Maria as a rival.

“One day, I will definitely surpass you.”

“And I won’t let you catch up that easily!”

In the end, they even shook hands, and the matter was settled.

Françoise’s official exhibition, by the way, was splendid. That, combined with it being a unique magic passed down by the elves, earned her thunderous applause from the audience.

As for me, I just felt anxious. If Françoise got that much applause, what would happen when Maria and Anastasia showed their skills? But, at least in Maria’s case, that worry turned out to be unfounded. Because trouble started right from the get-go.

“Level 4: Fire—Huh?”

Unbelievably, just as Maria—the first examinee—began to construct her spell, the magic dissipated midway through. She just stared at her right palm, as if she couldn’t believe it.

I immediately rushed over to her.

“Maria?”

“Is this… an elven forbidden art?”

I could feel a nasty presence emanating from her chest. Judging by the flow of magic, it was clearly some kind of curse. Maria’s guess about an elven forbidden art was probably right on the money.

“An elven forbidden art… that’s the one that temporarily lowers your usable magic level by two, isn’t it? Any idea who might have cast it on you?”

Maria thought for a second, and her eyes flew wide. “Ah.”

“When I shook hands with Françoise earlier, I felt a tiny… shock. Like static electricity.”

That figures. It couldn’t have been anyone else.

It really seems like she only just realized it. For better or worse, it was a mistake typical of Maria—too straightforward and simple for her own good.

Anastasia, at least… even if she usually seems out of it, she’d never fall for such an obvious trap.

Just then, Françoise glided over to Maria.

“Oh my, dear Maria? Is something wrong?”

Maria glared daggers at her, but Françoise didn’t back down an inch.

“You… Why would you do this?!”

“Because I am here to humiliate you, of course.”

“To humiliate me…?”

“You’re reasonably talented, after all. You’ll probably go on to achieve reasonably good results at that demon academy. But that’s only because you’re an elf, a chosen being. I accepted this invitation for one reason: to show everyone here that when compared to me, another elf, you are nothing but an inferior specimen.”

“Just for that? All of this… just to harass me?”

“Precisely. Tell me, how does it feel? Knowing you’ll be pathetically defeated by me, unable to use Level 4 magic, stuck at Level 2, and utterly humiliated. Hey, hey, how does that feel?”

Her giggling grew louder, until Françoise was bathing Maria in her ugly laughter.

“Kyahaha! Kyahahahaha! Hey, hey, Maria! How do you feel right now? How’s it feel to be so stupid and walk right into my trap?”

After laughing her fill, her face went dead serious. She spat on the ground and said:

“To-tal-ly… hi-la-ri-ous… Kyahaha!”

Just then, I tapped Maria on the shoulder.

“…Want me to remove the curse?”

“Fuhaha! If she’s an idiot, her friends must be idiots, too! That is a high-level spell, equivalent to Level 7, cast using an ancient elven curse-artifact! It’s a curse that requires decades of preparation to accumulate stagnant negative emotions! You can’t just remove it so easi—”

“Level 9: True Dispel.”

A silvery light enveloped the black miasma pouring from Maria’s chest, purifying it completely. In other words, the blessing of Michael had instantly erased the curse on Maria.

And Françoise—

“Hwuh?!”

—let out a bizarre shriek as snot shot out of her right nostril.

“There. Now just go ahead and show her what you can do.”

But after thinking for a moment, Maria shook her head.

“No, it’s fine. I’m not going to use Level 4. I’ll beat her using other methods—sticking to the Level 2 range.”

“What do you mean?”

“She’s a filthy cheater, but it’s true that I fell for it. On a battlefield, you can’t just whine that you got shot in the back, can you?”

I shrugged. And I thought… Yeah. She really is dazzling. Maria truly reminds me of how dazzling Bridget was.

“Hey, Ephthal? I can’t let you carry me forever. I’ve already received the power I need to fight. I won’t rely on your dispel. I’ll fight as if the curse is still active—magic capped at Level 2. I’ll beat Françoise with just the cards I have right now.”

“Alright, then. Show me what you’ve got.”

And with that, Maria took the ring from her pocket, aimed for the center of the target area, and threw it.

“I know, I know, it’s pathetic to rely on a borrowed item. But since it was given to me, it’s my power now. First, surround the ring with water… Level 1: Water Ball.”

She immediately followed up by casting a Level 2 spell at the water orb.

“Level 2: Fire Lance.”

The ring Maria threw was made of zirconium that had been specially treated with magic. When zirconium reaches nine hundred degrees, it reacts with the surrounding water to generate hydrogen. And hydrogen, of course, is an explosive gas.

—In other words, a hydrogen explosion.

On top of that, as a basic principle, adding that much heat to water also causes a steam explosion, amplifying the power even further.

This ring was originally an artifact excavated from a city of the ancient magic civilization. Its usefulness had been questioned because no one could figure out the purpose of the many auxiliary spells woven into it. As a result, it was being passed around as an artifact for next to nothing. But I, with my knowledge of chemistry, immediately recognized the significance of zirconium. And, just as I’d expected, it was enchanted with the perfect formula to trigger a massive hydrogen explosion using only simple magic.

It was probably something like a good-luck charm for a novice mage back in the ancient era. It allowed them to easily draw out incredible power, even with immature magic.

I was astounded by the technology of the ancient civilization, but in any case, it’s fair to call this a ‘cheat item’ for beginners. After all, its power was obvious—every single target within the twenty-meter radius had been completely blown away.

“What… is this? This is impossible! This… This can’t be!”

Maria stuck out her chest proudly.

“This is a secret art from the school I’m studying. It’s a borrowed power, sure, but your Level 7 curse came from an elven artifact, didn’t it? That makes us even.”

“I… I used a forbidden art… I can’t have lost to… to you…”

“In other words, I win. Whether it’s a fair fight or a dirty one.”

Just then, Merlin, who had appeared beside me at some point, addressed Françoise.

“By the way, girl of the elves.”

“What is it, Headmaster Merlin?”

“In an examination at the academy I manage, what is the meaning of you using a forbidden art?”

“Guh…!”

“If this were an exhibition, I would gladly permit even heretical arts. It would be educational for all… However, what you just did was clear and deliberate examination interference.”

The color drained from Françoise’s face, but she bit her lip, her brow furrowing.

“This student is a freeloader in my clan, you see? Yes… This student is my property! No, my pet! That being the case, whatever an owner does to their pet dog—”

In response, Merlin’s face became an expressionless mask as she snapped:

“I don’t care if she was your pet dog. As long as she is enrolled here, she is under my management. She is my dog now! And I will not permit you to lay a hand on my dog!”

My goodness. What amazing logic. I thought, smiling wryly.

And with that, Merlin grabbed Françoise by the front of her dress and lifted her high into the air with one hand.

“I will be lodging a formal protest with your clan through the Magic Society. You can look forward to being… thoroughly… reprimanded by your father, the chief! You imbecile!”

And with that, Merlin threw Françoise. She flew about ten meters, all the way to the entrance of the training hall.

I heard a “Yipe!” like a kicked dog. She probably landed head-first on the floor. A moment later, I heard a small clink. Looked like she dropped an earring from a distance, but… oh, well. The door opened, and Françoise disappeared, practically crawling out.

“This is why I said I was against letting outsiders in… But the higher-ups at the Magic Society love their little ‘friendship clubs,’ so it can’t be helped.”

Merlin pressed a finger to her temple, muttering to herself as she returned to the examiner’s seat.

And in her place—

—a ‘boy’ in a Gothic Lolita dress was suddenly standing right behind me.

“Hmm. You little elf whelp. That was quite an interesting show you put on for us.”

At Sasha’s sudden appearance, Maria and I were so stunned our jaws dropped.

“Well, I assume the trick behind it is a secret, yes? I’m not so boorish as to pry.”

Sasha laughed, clearly amused, and said:

“It’s been 400 years, since that idiot disciple of mine, that I’ve seen something like this. An unknown magic system… My blood hasn’t boiled like this in ages.”

“Um, Sasha-sama?”

In response to Maria, Sasha just cracked her knuckles loudly.

“My blood’s all fired up and won’t settle down. In other words… I’ll play with you. Come at me!”

Huh? What is she saying? I always knew she was strange, but I never realized she was this bad…

Sasha then pointed to the ribbon tying up her hair.

“That’s right! Whoever takes this ribbon from me… I won’t just pass them, I’ll award them the Jade Grand Cordon! First come, first served! Is there no one here who’ll spar with me?! Don’t worry, I’m not so childish as to actually injure a bunch of fledglings. You can come at me without fear.”

“The Jade Grand Cordon? The one awarded to the top student? But… can you even do that by yourself, Sasha-sama?”

“Who do you think I am? Being recognized by me is, in itself, proof that you deserve it.”

The Jade Grand Cordon was a student’s highest honor. It was also Maria’s immediate goal. Naturally, the look in Maria’s eyes changed. For everyone else, this was a no-risk chance to win the Grand Cordon. In other words, all the students, including the second-years… suddenly became bloodthirsty.

Everyone began to surround us, and Sasha flashed a fearless, sinister grin.

“Hey, you elf whelp, and you, the pink-haired whelp over there. You’re included in this, too.”

Wow. This entire conversation is moving forward, leaving me completely out of the loop.

Leaving me stunned and forgotten, Sasha made her declaration.

“The rules are simple! You all can use magic, or whatever else you want! I will respond with only hand-to-hand combat! Me, versus all thirty students here… In other words, it’s one against thirty! A personal mock battle!”

The instant she finished speaking, everyone—including Maria and Anastasia, everyone except me—leaped at Sasha.

My goodness. Everyone’s eyes are bloodshot. That Jade Grand Cordon really must be an incredible honor.

☆★☆★☆★

And so, after a few minutes of… whatever that was, a mountain of unconscious students was piled up on the floor, smoking slightly, even though no explosion magic had been used.

Oh, and for some reason, the instructors got beaten up, too. Instantly. Man, Sasha is really something else.

The only ones still conscious were me and Merlin—though we never intended to fight—as well as Maria and Anastasia. It seems those two switched to ‘wait and see’ mode the instant they witnessed Sasha’s insane power.

Yep, looks like my teaching—“If you can’t win, run like a rabbit”—is still alive and well.

“Wh-Wh-What do we do, Anastasia?!”

“Th-Th-There’s no way we can fight her! It’s impossible, I knew it was impossible! A mock battle against the legendary Great Sage!”

At that, Sasha clicked her tongue, wagging her finger.

“Fine. As a handicap, I’ll fight without using strikes from my hands. I won’t hit you, and I still won’t use magic. Anything goes for you lot. However… Merlin? You are not to participate. If you step in, this stops being ‘playtime.'”

Maria and Anastasia thought for a moment, then both gave a small nod, as if to say, “In that case…”

“Alright, I’ll go first. I’ll handle this.”

As she spoke, Maria glanced at Anastasia.

Eye contact. Does that mean their plan is to end this with the first move? Well, they must understand the huge gap in power. A surprise attack is probably their only chance. Alright, let’s see what they can do— just as I thought that, Maria lunged at Sasha.

“Ho. You elf whelp. Are you a second-year? No… a third? Well, your speed is more than adequate. I’ll give you credit for that. For a student, you’re top-class.”

Sasha, looking completely unfazed, continued to effortlessly dodge Maria’s blade.

Ugh. Her speed is decent, but as a swordswoman, Maria is still mediocre.

“Sasha-sama! I’m a first-year!”

Maria launched three Level 4 fireballs and lunged with a thrust at the same time. At this, Sasha’s expression turned to one of admiration.

“Ho. To combine magic and swordplay like that… and you’re only a first-year? You are a true prodigy. For a first-year at the modern academy, I’ll give you a ninety-seven.”

Sasha grinned, dodged every attack with acrobatic movements, and then—seized Maria’s wrist and twisted it.

“Agh!”

“But your movements are too linear. You must first accept your own inexperience.”

“Huh? Great Sage? Didn’t you say you wouldn’t use your hands to attack…?”

“Hm? I said I wouldn’t strike you. I never said I wouldn’t use joint locks.”

“Joint locks? What kind of technique is that?”

“It’s quite popular in the East, for palace guards who cannot carry weapons. You see, a long time ago… I was thrown by my idiot disciple while ‘playing’ like this. I’ve lived for twelve hundred years, and that is the only time I have ever been caught off guard. For that very reason, I’ve spent the last four hundred years researching throws, chokes, and joint locks.”

Seriously, Master? You’re still holding onto that?

Well, anyway… just at that moment, Anastasia was closing in on Sasha from behind. The instant she reached for the ribbon, Anastasia went flying. Sasha had used the momentum from Maria’s arm to execute a perfect shoulder throw.

Wow, that was smooth. Sasha really has mastered grappling techniques.

“Silencing your footsteps and erasing your presence? You have such an innocent face, yet you use the techniques of a shady trade.”

Sasha then clapped her hands together lightly.

“Not that it would ever work on me, of course.”

So, that first bit of eye contact must have been for that joint attack… Maria draws her attention, while the stealthy Anastasia attacks from behind. It’s not a bad plan, but against an opponent this far beyond them, it’s a little crude.

“Then how about this?!”

“What?! An elven forbidden art…?!”

Even my master looked shaken by this. Heck, I was surprised, too. I can’t believe she’s re-channeling magic into the spell Françoise left behind.

The earring Françoise dropped near the entrance when Merlin threw her. That must be the elven artifact that activates the curse. She must have retrieved it while she was ‘waiting and seeing.’

“Level 9: True Dispel.”

And just like that, my master resisted the curse with a dispel spell right before it hit. Without missing a beat, Maria pulled a plant seed from her pocket—

“Rose Bind!”

I believe that’s a binding magic tool elves are fond of. Wow, she’s following up with another move. These kids have good combat instincts. Ah, the rose stems have wrapped around my master’s leg. Now her right leg is useless, and she’s rooted to the spot.

Maria and Anastasia, recognizing their chance, are attacking simultaneously from the front and back. Since she’s banned herself from using strikes or magic, there’s no way she can handle this… Wait, WHAT?! Master! You said you wouldn’t use magic, but you’re about to use magic!

“Hmph!”

And just like that, the two of them went flying.

It looked like she’d used some mysterious Eastern power… something like ‘aura’… to blow them away, but that was definitely wind magic.

Her magic control was so subtle that I doubt those two even realized what happened. Merlin, however, has an exasperated look on her face, so she definitely noticed.

“W-W-Wait! What?! What?! What just happened?”

Maria yelled, looking bewildered. Sasha puffed out her chest, looking smug.

“That was something… like… an ‘aura release’!”

“Aura?”

“Have you not heard of it in Eastern fairy tales? Dragon slayers and the like use it… but for one on my level, it’s a simple parlor trick.”

That explanation is a real stretch. But she’s the same as ever—a terrible loser. She sets up these ridiculous handicap rules, and then flips the table when she’s in trouble… As her disciple, I’m embarrassed.

In the first place, ‘aura’ is a concept only usable by people who’ve undergone extreme special training in the East. My master is a mage; there’s no way she can use it. It’s basically a substitute for magic anyway, so learning it is pointless. It would just interfere with the magic circuits already burned into her brain and weaken her existing spells.

“Wow, so that’s what the legendary mage level is like.”

“I thought it was just a fairy tale. That’s aura? I can’t believe it’s real…”

The two of them were blinking, completely in awe.

Ah. They actually bought it. Man, they’re so gullible. As their guardian, I’m starting to worry about their future.

“So. Do you still want to play, little fledglings?”

“…Um… well… No, that’s okay.”

“Me too… I’m good. I don’t see any way to win.”

“Then this is the end.”

Sasha instantly moved behind both of them and knocked them out with a chop to the neck. Seriously… How cruel. Hitting them after they’d already surrendered.

“Huhu. Merlin, you may come at me next, if you like.”

And just as my master grinned and paused—

—Physical Enhancement!

Silencing my feet and erasing my presence, I closed in on Sasha from behind at top speed.

It’s a cheap shot, I know. But Maria really wants that Jade Grand Cordon.

I closed the distance in an instant and reached for her ribbon.

“Wha—?! Such speed! You whelp!”

Sasha, realizing I was upon her, spun around with a look of pure shock.

But she’s too slow! From this position, whether she tries to counter or dodge—whatever she does, I’m faster!

And then, Sasha aimed her right palm at me. A horrifying, staggering amount of magic flowed into her hand—

“Level 8: Ifrit!”

WHAT?! She just used Level 8 on a student! Crap, from this range, I can’t dodge without using magic!

“Level 7: Extra Magic Guard!”

Of course, my Level 7 can’t block her Level 8. Damn it, I can’t believe I have to stack Level 7 spells here…!

“One more…! Level 7: Extra Magic Guard!”

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The blessing of the Four Spirits blocked the inferno, and the heavy sound of magic deconstructing filled the room. And then, the Fires vanished, leaving only smoke.

“…”

“…”

We stared at each other for a few seconds. Sasha’s eyes were wide with shock.

I’m the one who should be shocked! Why would you use Level 8 on a student without a moment’s hesitation? You just cast a Level 8 spell instantly, with zero hesitation! Sasha just huffed, then puffed out her chest.

“I see. So you were a tiger in disguise.”

“…”

“You can’t hide it any longer. Who are you? You made me… just for a second… get a little serious.”

A ‘little serious’ is Level 8, huh? The fact that she actually means it is what’s so terrifying. Still, how should I answer? What to do… She’s such a pain to deal with.

“Well, that’s a secret.”

My master looked stunned for a moment, then burst out laughing. “Hahaha!” And then—

“Then I’ll just have to beat it out of you!”

Yeah, I figured she’d say that.

Sasha’s energy visibly surged, and an incredible amount of magic began to envelop her body.

My god, her magic power is insane. At the same time, a tremor runs through my whole body. But it’s not from fear. It’s a warrior’s thrill. In other words… this is joy! Haha, ahh, I’ve missed this! This feeling… this feeling of facing someone I can’t beat even at my best! Hehe. That’s right. I…

—No. I wanted this. I wanted this kind of high-stakes exchange. I wanted to meet someone stronger, to test my stronger self against an overwhelming power! This is why I was reborn!

“Sorry to disappoint you, but I’m not the same man I used to be.”

“Ho. Just like that time. The very quality of your magic has changed. But this feeling… it’s nostalgic…!”

Of course it’s nostalgic! You’re face-to-face with your disciple for the first time in 400 years!

“Level 8: Thor’s Hammer!”

“Level 9: Perfect Guard!”

She matched my Level 8 casting speed with a Level 9! Haha. Unbelievable… She’s just as unbelievable as ever!

“Level 7: Evil Flare!”

“Level 7: Extra Magic Guard!”

Here I come! I’m just going to keep up the pressure and overwhelm you!

“Level 7: Chaos Weed!”

“Level 7: Extra Magic Guard!”

“Level 7: Cocytus!”

“Level 7: Extra Magic Guard!”

She’s blocking every shot, but that’s fine! I’m not done yet!

“Level 7: Earth Edge!”

“Level 7: Extra Magic Guard!”

“What’s the point of this barrage?! A man of your skill could use higher-level magic with ease!”

“You’ll see soon enough! Level 7: Evil Flare!”

“Level 7: Extra Magic Guard!”

At that moment, Sasha’s calm expression finally changed.

She’s finally noticed. But it’s too late to do anything about it! Because I had no aptitude, casting ultimate spells was always too slow. So I developed this: a rapid-fire barrage of Level 7s! In this tier, I am the fastest!

“Level 7: Chaos Weed!”

“Nngh! What is this processing speed?! This unnatural casting rate! Level 7: Extra Magic Guard!”

I’m the one who wants to say ‘unnatural’! What is with that speed?! Why is her processing time almost as fast as mine?!

“Level 7: Cocytus!”

“Level 7: Extra Magic Guard!”

But I’m still slightly faster. In that case—I’ll just keep hitting her until her processing can’t keep up!

“Let’s see you handle this! Level 7: Evil Flare!”

“If you’re a man, you’ll face me with ultimate magic! Level 7: Extra Magic Guard!”

Who in their right mind would fight you with Level 10?! I’ll be damned if I give you time to cast your own!

“Level 7: Chaos Weed!”

“Damn it! All these fast, piddling little attacks! Level 7: Extra Magic Guard! This is so annoying! I said, if you’re a man, fight me with ultimate… with Level 10s!”

“I wouldn’t be able to fight monsters like you if I did that! This is why I’m doing this!”

Sasha must have realized that if this kept up, she’d eventually fall behind in processing speed and take a direct hit from a Level 7. And just then, her body was enveloped in pitch-black darkness—

—Crap! Here it comes!

I hurriedly cast the Level 7 spell most effective against the undead.

“Level 7: Evil Flare!”

A direct hit. But it’s not a decisive one.

During her metamorphosis, Sasha channels all her magic into her physical transformation and defense. So my Level 7 spell probably did about as much damage as running her head into the corner of a pillar. And when the smoke from the Level 7 fire cleared, an alluring woman in her late twenties—no, a man—was standing there.

“Well, now. You’ve made me get serious. I hope you’re prepared.”

Sasha normally takes the form of a child. Or rather, she’s forced to. It’s one of the restrictions from when she used forbidden arts to turn from a human into a vampire. In other words, she hasn’t been serious until now.

“Come, whelp! It has been two hundred years since I last took this form… You will entertain me, won’t you?”

So he’s finally appeared. The Great Sage, the pinnacle of dark magic. The being who slaughtered countless powerful foes in the Great God-Demon War a thousand years ago… A literal fairy tale has just appeared.

The originator of our titles, the founder of the Four Emperors—

—The Undead Emperor!

The amount of magic I can feel is double what it was before, maybe more. It’s obvious I can’t beat him in a straight-up magic duel as I am now.

“From what I can see, your weakness is your lack of aptitude for casting Level 9 or higher ultimate spells… No, it’s for all magic, isn’t it? You seem to have used your own modifications to cheat your processing speed in the Level 7 range… but I take it that’s how you want this?”

And he saw right through my weakness on the first try. Yep. That’s the strongest man I’ve ever known.

“Yeah. That’s how I want it.”

Hearing my words, Sasha gave a low, sensual chuckle.

“I’ve said it several times now, but… shall we not have a contest of magic, Level 10 against Level 10?”

“…”

“Come, now. We’ll start at the same ‘Go.’ I’ll even wait for you to gather your magic. A head-on clash at our maximum output… Doesn’t that sound fun?”

That’s exactly what I was hoping for. I was using that Level 7 barrage precisely to keep him from casting a Level 10. But if he’s willing to wait, that changes everything. Still… can my Level 10, Thunder God Emperor Ephthal, even work on this monster?

We both gave a small nod and began constructing our spells. Sasha, instantly sensing my spell, raised an eyebrow.

“Wind… no, lightning…?”

“Yep. I’m lightning. And you’re darkness.”

A grotesque, viscous darkness gathered in front of Sasha.

The sticky darkness began to form a long, narrow shape, about five meters tall and two meters wide.

“A coffin…”

“It looks like a coffin, but it’s really a gate to the underworld. Hehe. Stylish, no?”

And then, the upright coffin was complete, and it began to rattle.

Right, that coffin’s name was ‘Evil Gate,’ which connects to the underworld. And it connects to the very center of the underworld, to a reservoir of negative energy… like the Earth’s magma. And what the Evil Gate fires is an ultimate particle of darkness… basically, a giant black laser beam.

“I’ve been ready for a while over here.”

“Sorry for the wait. I’m finally ready, too.”

Meeting that black laser would be the Thunder God’s hammer, falling from the heavens.

Sasha and I both raised our right palms—

“Level 10: Thunder God Emperor Ephthal!”

“Level 10: Undead Emperor Sasha!”

We both unleashed the ultimate spells that bore our own names.

My ultimate lightning fell from the sky, striking the tip of the pitch-black laser Sasha had fired.

Magic and magic. The crystal-honed results of our training. Our powers. Or perhaps, the very essence of who I and Sasha are—clashed violently.

“Haha! How absolutely absurd! I never dreamed you’d counter me with Thunder God Emperor Ephthal!”

“I’m the one who wants to scream ‘absurd’!”

He’s really unbelievable… It’s hard to believe he was ever human.

Back in the day, people used to say he could probably take on the Demon King one-on-one, even though it took all Four Emperors to deal with him… Yeah, this guy could probably do it.

And so, this grand sumo match of magic is unfolding before our eyes. I can hold on for a bit, but I’ll definitely be overpowered. At this rate, my defeat is certain.

No, this isn’t an opponent I could have beaten even in my prime. —But, there are two areas where my current self surpasses my prime.

And so, while maintaining the spell with my right hand, I drew the sword at my waist with my left, in a reverse grip.

I dashed past the magic clash, making a beeline straight for Sasha.

“Unfortunately for you, I’m quite handy with my fists, too!”

Oh, I know. I remember all too well from getting beaten to a pulp in our old mock battles. I know better than anyone that you’re a true monster who can do it all, close-range or long-range.

“Hey, Merlin!”

“Ephthal-sama? Am I to understand you’re done hiding? In that case, leave the calculations to me.”

Merlin looked exasperated, but it seems she’ll do her job. Now, watch this and be amazed, Sasha!

There are two reasons you’ll lose! First, unlike you, who all your disciples ran away from, I have a disciple I can trust!

“—Divine Enhancement! And… Magic Sword Level 6: Holy Sword, Clear Undead!”

VWOOSH! I left sound behind as I instantly closed the distance to Sasha.

“Wh-What speed… It’s divine… no… it’s lightning! Kuhu, kuhaha! Kuhahahaha!”

Sasha’s face was a mixture of panic and joy. I’ve never seen him look like that before.

Just seeing that panic is satisfying enough, but I’ve come this far. I’m going to see this through to a perfect victory!

“But I am known as the strongest close-combat mage! I cannot lose a fistfight!”

I duck under Sasha’s fist.

Wait, he’s doing this with just a normal physical enhancement? This guy is unreal. But I had a great sword master in this life. And that swordsmanship… that’s the second area where my current self surpasses my prime!

Come on, Sasha! My physical specs are higher, and our close-range skill is about even!

“In that case, I’m the one who’s going to win!”

I weave past his fist, dodge his kick, and as he backsteps to make distance, I press in, closing the gap.

—FWOOSH!

With a sharp whistle, my blade was at Sasha’s neck—right against his carotid artery. I stopped it just short. No… I broke the skin, just slightly.

The holy sword’s power purified Sasha’s undead flesh. A wisp of purple smoke rose, and a faintly sweet scent filled the air. A few more centimeters, and it would have been a fatal blow.

“This match is over.”

Sasha, looking utterly stunned, murmured:

“…I… lost?”

“Well, I couldn’t have won one-on-one.”

I glanced at Merlin and shrugged, giving a weary smile.

Sasha lowered his gaze to the floor, let out a deep sigh, and spoke.

“…Hey, Ephthal? In the end, 400 years ago… I didn’t go to the Demon King’s castle, but you four faced him, didn’t you? I have a question about that.”

So, he’s finally figured out who I am.

“Hm? A question? What is it, Master?”

“At the final battle in the Demon King’s castle—when the four of you ganged up on him, did the Demon King complain that a four-on-one fight was ‘cowardly’?”

“No, he didn’t.”

“This is the same. Entrusting the calculations for Divine Enhancement… You raised a trustworthy disciple in Merlin. And that swordsmanship… That is your power, Ephthal. You should be proud that you faced me head-on and handed me this loss.”

And with that, my master gave a huge shrug—

“I really thought it wouldn’t matter how many of them came at me, since it was just my idiot disciple and my grand-disciple.”

“Well, it was hardly a one-on-one duel between warriors.”

“But I’m basically the secret boss. If I got taken down by just two people… then I have no choice but to admit my complete defeat.”

What a weird situation. We’re both admitting defeat, just by different standards.

And at that, Sasha and I both let out a chagrined laugh and firmly shook hands.

Chapter 3 – I Used the Thunder God Emperor’s Authority and She Instantly Warmed Up

The training camp was finally starting tomorrow, but—

“Listen here, mongrel. When you return from the training camp, your new home will be over there. From now on, you’ll eat your meals outside, too.”

It was at dinner that evening that Merlin suddenly announced this to Anastasia.

“Um, excuse me… what… what is this?”

At Merlin’s prompting, Anastasia and I turned to look out at the courtyard.

There, visible from the dining hall window, a brand-new doghouse was under construction in the middle of the courtyard.

“Merlin? What is the meaning of this?”

Merlin looked up at the ceiling and said with a pained, delicate tone.

“Ephthal-sama? I have kept silent about this until now, but the truth is, I saw everything. Now that the arrangements for the doghouse are in order, I felt it was time to make things perfectly clear.”

“You saw? Saw what?”

“After the incident with the Blue Dragon (Seiryū), this… this mongrel… dared to… to… Ephthal-sama’s… l-l-li… lips…!”

Ah. So she saw Anastasia catch me off guard with that kiss.

It seems she witnessed a rather embarrassing moment.

“Ephthal-sama! What was that? I demand an explanation!”

“Well, it was hardly something I could control…”

Merlin’s shoulders slumped in exasperation, and she shot a sharp glare at Anastasia.

“In any case, the mongrel belongs in the doghouse. And she will take her meals outside.”

“Isn’t that a little cruel?”

“I am merely concerned for your virtue, Ephthal-sama. This is an absolutely necessary measure.”

“My virtue? You don’t need to…”

Giving me no room to argue, Merlin pressed on relentlessly.

“You are not only a beautiful young man, Ephthal-sama, you are one of the strongest beings in all of humanity! To have your virtue squandered on a mongrel like this… I implore you to reconsider the value of your virginity.”

“Merlin, I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

The value of my virginity… Well, she’s not wrong. In this current life, I am technically a virgin.

“I absolutely refuse to allow your virginity to be taken by such a mongrel!”

“Even if—hypothetically—Anastasia and I were to enter that kind of relationship, wouldn’t that be my own choice?”

“It is not! This is the virginity of the Thunder God Emperor! There is such a thing as a suitable partner! If that’s the case… if that’s the case, then perhaps it would be better if—”

“Better if…?”

Merlin fell silent. She paused, took a deep breath, and declared:

“I shall be your partner for the first night!”

I instantly brought my fist down on Merlin’s head with a solid thunk.

“Stop saying ridiculous things, Merlin. Are you trying to make me angry?”

“But, Ephthal-sama… the first partner of the Thunder God Emperor must surely be someone of great magic ability!”

“I really don’t think ability has anything to do with it…”

“A-anyway! I cannot consent to a young man and woman of impressionable age living under the same roof.”

“Well, if we were in the same room, I’d agree that’s a problem. But can’t she just stay in the room next to mine, like she does now? Aren’t you being a little too strict?”

“No.”

Her rejection was sharp and final.

“Then what if I sleep on the second floor and Anastasia stays on the first?”

“No.”

Again, a sharp refusal.

“Can’t we at least eat our meals together?”

“Absolutely not. I am the headmaster of the academy, an educator. I cannot permit such an unhealthy relationship between the sexes.”

“Ah… right…”

She’d completely steamrolled me. Then again, once she makes up her mind about something, she never listens to reason.

I remember when I got sick, she forced me to quit smoking…

“By the way, what exactly do you mean by making Anastasia eat ‘outside’?”

“She will be eating this outside.”

Merlin snapped her fingers. A maid appeared and placed a single dish on the table.

“Pet food?!”

“This is more than sufficient for a mongrel.”

Oh, no, no, no… She’s really angry.

“But why are you suddenly acting so hostile about what happened?”

“As I just said, I was holding my tongue, intending to deal with this after the doghouse was ready. And now… well, now I’m remembering it all over again, and it’s making me furious!”

I mean, I can’t deny that ‘getting angry all over again just by remembering’ is a real thing.

Still, she doesn’t need to get this angry over a simple kiss… In fact, come to think of it, why is Merlin the one getting angry about this at all?

Just then, Merlin produced another suspicious item from her robes.

“What’s that?”

“Cat ears.”

“C-C-Cat ears?”

“Yes, precisely. Cat ears. Beast ears are fitting for a mongrel.”

“Even if that’s your logic, shouldn’t they be dog ears?!”

“Regardless—”

And with that, Merlin forced the cat ears onto Anastasia’s head.

“There, mongrel! Now you are truly a dog! Say ‘woof’ immediately!”

A bewildered Anastasia looked over at me. Blushing deeply, she tilted her head, clearly embarrassed—

“…w-w-w… woof…!”

I have to admit, I found it just a little bit cute. But I’m pretty sure that look was a plea for help.

I gave a firm nod and said to Anastasia,

“Anastasia, this treatment is just too cruel. I’ll have a word with her later, but you need to stand up for yourself and talk back to Merlin. Don’t be afraid just because it’s her. I’m on your side in this.”

Hearing this, Anastasia looked at me nervously.

“Is it really okay for me to talk back?”

“Yes. Talk back.”

“Is it really, really okay?”

“Yes. Actually… it might be better if you say it with some menace.”

“M-M-Menace?”

“Yes. Merlin may be your superior, but this is going too far. If you let her walk all over you, it’ll never stop.”

“But, but, I…”

“I told you before, didn’t I? You have to say ‘no’ when you don’t like something.”

“…I’ll try. I’ll try my best to stand up to Merlin-sama.”

This crippling shyness of hers is a really bad habit. That’s why I decided I had to harden my heart and make her fight this battle for herself.

“That’s it! That’s the spirit! You can do it, Anastasia!”

But despite my encouragement, Anastasia was still clearly terrified of Merlin, her expression timid and anxious.

“Menace… and I’m wearing cat ears… No, right now, I’m a beast… If that’s the case, there’s only one way for a beast to show menace… This is it!”

She seemed to be steeling her resolve by talking to herself, but… what on earth was she talking about? What does she mean, ‘the way for a beast to show menace’?

And then, she took a deep breath. Still visibly terrified, she let out a timid, reserved—and mosquito-quiet—sound:

“…r-r… roar…!”

Merlin and I were speechless. We both nearly fell over right where we stood.

Anastasia, however, turned to me with a surprisingly confident expression.

“I did my best!”

“W-W-Well… I can certainly see you gave it your all.”

Just then, Merlin glared at Anastasia and clicked her tongue.

Wait, why is Merlin picking on Anastasia so much?

Come to think of it, Merlin was incredibly rebellious toward my wife, too, back in the day. Is she just bad with other women? While I was wrestling with this indescribable feeling, Anastasia spoke up, a half-smile on her face.

“Merlin-sama? I’ve gotten over my fear now. So, what is this? Are you still treating me like a slave?”

“No. I’m treating you like a criminal.”

A criminal… As I reeled back, Anastasia glared right back at Merlin.

“I am a human being. Ephthal-sama told me before… that I don’t have to endure things anymore. That I should be honest and say ‘no’ when I hate something. So from now on, I intend to state my opinions clearly.”

“Oh? Are you saying you’ll defy me, little girl?”

“I don’t care if you are Merlin-sama, this treatment is too… cruel!”

“Very well. Allow me to carve the pecking order of this house directly into your body.”

“I’ll at least… get one hit in!”

And with that, the two of them disappeared down into the underground training facility.

In the meantime, I took the opportunity to ask a maid to ensure that, whenever Merlin wasn’t around, Anastasia was served the same food as us, inside the mansion.

Also, the doghouse was just too pitiful, so I arranged for a carpenter to change the plans to a small, six-tatami-mat-sized cottage instead.

It’s true that Anastasia is the kind of girl who’ll spring a surprise kiss on you, so I can’t say with total certainty that nothing would happen if we lived under the same roof.

This was probably Merlin’s way of declaring her intention to rigorously train Anastasia as her junior disciple from now on.

To do that, she’s deliberately playing the villain.

That must be it. Yes, that’s what this is all about.

—Thinking about it any deeper seemed like a pain, so I decided to just leave it at that.

And then, late that night—

Merlin came to my bedroom, her expression unusually serious.

“Hm? You don’t seem to be in the same joking mood as you were at dinner.”

I let Merlin into the room and used magic to heat the teapot.

I was about to get two cups, but Merlin hurriedly stopped me, saying, “Please, allow me,” and began preparing the tea herself.

After we’d taken a sip of the warm tea and relaxed for a moment, Merlin broke the silence.

“Um… why are you so partial to that girl?”

“You mean Anastasia? Or Maria?”

“Maria, I mean. It seems to me, Ephthal-sama, that she’s wrapped you around her little finger.”

I tilted my head and let out a small chuckle.

“If you ask why I’m partial to her, the simplest answer is ‘because I decided to be.’ Besides, you already know the reason, don’t you, Merlin?”

Merlin lowered her gaze to her teacup, her eyelashes fluttering down.

“Your wife… isn’t it?”

“She’s an elf from the same forest, and she looks so much like her. Don’t you think it would be harder to not get involved?”

“Well, they are likely distant blood relatives.”

“Yes. This must be some kind of fate. I want to help her accomplish her goals, if I can.”

Merlin bit her lip for a brief second, her brow furrowing—but it was immediately replaced by a gentle smile.

“You always were soft when it came to your wife, Ephthal-sama. Heh, if the current Magic Society ever found out that one of the Four Emperors, the legendary founder, was completely wrapped around his wife’s finger, it would cause an uproar.”

“Haha. As always, you’re particularly harsh when it comes to Bridget, aren’t you, Merlin?”

We laughed together for a moment before Merlin’s expression suddenly turned serious.

“However, even if that’s your reason… was it really necessary to accompany her to the training camp? You are aiming to become the strongest in this life; I question the wisdom of taking such a detour.”

“Yes,” I nodded. “Of course, Maria isn’t the only reason I’m going to the camp.”

“And that is?”

“The Fire God Emperor is a serious threat. Even I, in my prime, was no match for him, and there’s the issue of my magic aptitude. As I am now, even if I master magic, the absolute best I can be is as strong as I used to be.”

“Yes, that’s true.”

“But in this life, I’ve gained the power of the sword. I want to hone that skill and gain the power to oppose the Fire God Emperor as a magic swordsman. To that end, I looked into the ‘Thunder God Emperor Ephthal Festival.’ The final winning team of that tournament becomes the academy’s official representative, correct?”

At this, Merlin nodded. “I see.”

“You intend to win the Ephthal Festival and participate in the inter-academy tournament held at the Magic Society headquarters.”

“All the important figures in the Magic Society gather there at the same time, don’t they?”

“It’s more that the Magic Society’s schedule comes first, largely for the awards ceremonies. The inter-academy tournament and various other magical events are all scheduled to align with it. The main purpose is to gather outstanding young talent for the society’s leaders to encourage and inspire.”

“That’s what I figured. I’m also curious to see what the current Four Emperors look like, but more importantly—”

“The guest, the Sword God Emperor?”

“Yes. I need to somehow make contact with the Sword God Emperor and ask him to teach me. I hear he lives like a hermit, right? It seems even your connections can’t get me a meeting, so this tournament is my most reliable chance. That’s why Maria’s interests and mine are aligned.”

“But those two are only first-years. I admit they are exceptionally talented for their grade, but… the main Ephthal Festival tournament is a five-on-five team competition. Your strength alone won’t be enough to win, Ephthal-sama.”

“If it were just an elimination-style tournament, I could just defeat everyone by myself. But… even if we forfeit two matches due to a lack of members, if the other three of us win, we can still take the championship. That’s why I decided I need to whip those two into shape before the main event.”

“I see. I understand. …However,” Merlin said with a sharp smile.

“Why would you do something that amounts to abandoning the life of this Maria you claim to support? You are aware of the connection between elves, the Divine Beast, and the living sacrifice, are you not?”

“Of course I know. But there is a reason why I cannot interfere with that fate.”

“A reason why you cannot interfere?”

“Yes. It’s because—”

—It became a rather long story.

It was a story from my days in the Adventurers Guild, from before I met Merlin, even before the war against the Demon King. A story from over four hundred years ago, an era that now sounds like a fairy tale.

It was from around the time I met my wife, Bridget, and fell in love… a rambling story of a past failure.

When I had finished telling her everything, Merlin was speechless.

“That… happened?”

“Yes. That’s why I can’t interfere right now.”

And, well…

For one reason or another, it was decided that Anastasia and I would begin our life at the training camp the very next day.

☆★☆★☆★

And so, our group set off for the training camp.

By the way, each group was assigned a different starting point and was required to cross the Great Forest independently to reach the camp.

It was basically survival training, much like you’d get at the Adventurers Guild; being ordered to reach the camp under our own power was the whole point of this excursion.

In terms of the model course’s difficulty, it was at a level where even a second-year class representative from the magic academy could get injured.

It seems we’ll be forced to do joint excursions like this frequently during the camp, which is probably why they warned us at the briefing that first-years were likely to get hurt.

Another training objective was clearly to give us experience with camping and setting up a night watch.

In fact, the standard route was timed so that we would definitely have to spend at least one night in a tent.

We were heading toward the camp, when—

“Huh? Why should I have to follow a training menu you put together?”

Maria said this just after we’d left the academy, when I handed her a paper with her training regimen during our first break.

“Jeez, I’m nice to you for one second and you get full of yourself… Sure, you might be more talented than me, but we’re supposed to be equals, you know.”

“Then would you prefer to learn from that instructor of ours?”

Ah, by the way, our homeroom instructor is under orders to remain shut in his room at the training camp.

After the camp, he’s scheduled for ‘corrective guidance’ from Merlin. If he shows sufficient remorse, he’ll be allowed to return to teaching.

Well, he’s seen enough pain that he now lets out a little “Eep!” every time he sees my face, so let’s just pray he becomes a decent human being.

Anyway, setting that aside, my words clearly flustered Maria, but she quickly regained her composure with a small cough.

“For a genius of my caliber, it’s common sense that self-training is more effective, don’t you think?”

For someone who already has a certain level of skill and knowledge, that’s true. It’s more efficient to actively study texts and practice on your own, finding the methods that suit you best, rather than just being passively taught by someone else.

However… I sighed.

“That only applies to those who have already mastered all the fundamentals. I really don’t think you’ve reached that level, Maria.”

At my honest assessment, Maria’s face turned bright red.

“Huh? Are you trying to be obnoxious? We’re the same age, but you talk like some adult instructor… It’s so annoying!”

Fuming, Maria shot up from where she was sitting.

“Where are you going?”

“To the bathroom. You got a problem with that?”

I couldn’t really argue with that.

And with that, Maria disappeared into the bushes.

—One hour later.

“Well, this is a problem.”

Maria hadn’t returned, so I went to look for her. All I found was a letter.

It read:

‘I can do anything by myself. As proof, I’m going to reach the training camp all on my own. This is a challenge! You’d better try to get there before I do. If you manage that, I’ll listen to what you have to say!’

…What a pain.

She really has a difficult personality… As I let out a deep sigh, Anastasia asked timidly,

“This is a forest with monsters, isn’t it? Will Maria-san be all right?”

“Normally, with her level of power, she’d be fine. But things aren’t normal right now, which is why I sighed.”

“What do you mean?”

Just as I expected, a massive monster stampede is imminent, triggered by the Divine Beast’s influence. Or rather, the powerful magic energy emanating from one area has driven the really nasty creatures from the depths of the forest all the way out here.

I’ve had my detection magic active for a while now… and it looks like I hit the jackpot. Maria hasn’t noticed, but she’s already surrounded from a distance.

The second-years are actually being protected by Sasha from the shadows, so they’re fine. The reason Merlin called her master here was likely to ensure the students’ safety during the impending stampede. Especially since Sasha isn’t the type to give lectures.

And where I am… is outside Sasha’s protection range.

“Level 9: Sanctuary.”

I cast a monster-repelling barrier over our location. Now, any low-level monsters will evaporate the instant they touch the barrier. And even if a monster on the level of that Blue Dragon (Seiryū) we fought earlier appeared, as long as Anastasia stays quiet inside this barrier, it won’t be able to detect her.

“Is this… a barrier?”

“Yes. Do not, under any circumstances, leave this spot until I get back.”

“What about you, Master?”

“I’m going to retrieve Maria.”

That said, Maria is surrounded by some truly nasty monsters. We’re talking creatures that Level 3 or 4 magic won’t even scratch. In that case… I guess that’s my only option.

I never thought the fact that Sasha is my master would come in handy like this.

The thought made me shrug, completely fed up.

A few minutes later.

Having used flight magic to get ahead of Maria on the path, I settled down heavily on a tree stump.

Soon enough, Maria came walking down the path, humming to herself as she passed through the sun-dappled forest.

“Hey, you there, girl.”

“Yes? Can I help you?”

It feels a little strange, having Maria use such polite language with me.

Then again, given this form, I suppose it’s unavoidable.

“…Um, have we met somewhere before?”

Maria tilted her head, her expression suspicious. I cleared my throat once.

“No, we haven’t. Tell me, why is a young girl like you out here all alone?”

That’s right. I was currently using illusion magic to take on the form I’d had in my previous life.

The monsters surrounding us right now would be difficult to exterminate discreetly. So, if I was going to cause a commotion anyway, I figured I might as well use the authority of the Thunder God Emperor.

This forest is, after all, where my master Sasha lives. And Sasha is well-versed enough in necromancy to have turned herself into a vampire.

—In other words, the excuse that Sasha had summoned the Thunder God Emperor Ephthal to this world for a limited time would be plausible.

As for the reason for the summoning, something like “Sasha was too strong and needed a sparring partner” would probably work.

Of course, summoning a dead person back with their mind and reason intact is an enormous feat. Theoretically, it’s impossible, but… when dealing with Maria, the ‘Sasha’ excuse would probably be enough to fool her.

After all, Sasha is so far beyond the norm that even I sometimes wonder if she could actually pull something like that off.

That aside, I really didn’t want to stand out if I could help it. If I could avoid revealing I was the Thunder God Emperor, I would.

And so, I cleared my throat again.

“I’m a solo adventurer. I usually spend my time hunting monsters deep in this forest.”

“Alone? Then you must be incredibly skilled. Um… should I call you ‘Grandfather’? Or ‘Mister’? Which do you prefer?”

Well, I did die at an age and with an appearance that’s… ambiguous.

Still, being called ‘Grandfather’ stings a little.

“‘Mister’ is fine. And to me, a student like you walking out here alone looks like a suicide attempt. You should wait until you’re a full-fledged adult before trying to go solo.”

“A suicide attempt? The monsters around here are weak. For an elf, this place is like my own backyard.”

Maria puffed out her cheeks and stuck out her flat chest defiantly.

“Besides, it’s rude to say I’m not an adult! Don’t look down on me just because I’m a kid—Eek!”

I dashed toward Maria, grabbed her, and leaped away.

A shadow zipped past with incredible speed, right through the space where Maria had been standing a second ago.

“Is that… a Demon Bird Garuda?”

The black bird was about twice the size of a large eagle.

Just as Maria said, that was definitely a monster that shouldn’t be appearing in this area.

What’s worse, its eyes were bloodshot. It had clearly been driven from its feeding grounds deeper in the forest and was starving.

In terms of danger, even a fairly talented student from the modern magic academy would be torn to shreds in minutes.

“Well, then…”

As I glared at the Garuda circling in the air, Maria stepped in front of me to face it.

“I can handle this myself, so don’t worry. Besides, my weapon is a bow, so I have the advantage.”

As she spoke, Maria loosed an arrow at the Garuda.

“Level 1: Grant Wind.”

It’s true that most bird-type monsters are speed-focused and specialized in evasion. They tend to have low durability, so if you can just land a hit, they often go down easily.

Maria’s skill with the bow was solid, and she’d effectively imbued the arrow with magic, but—

“…Huh? No way… It hit, but…”

But the Garuda was capable of using defensive magic, even if it was low-level.

Maria’s arrow did indeed strike the Garuda, but her firepower was desperately lacking. The wound just barely pierced its flesh. It was nowhere near a fatal blow, and it hardly even slowed the monster down.

In retaliation, the Garuda dove at Maria, slashing at her shoulder with its talons.

“Aah!”

“Hey, girl. Are you still going to insist you can handle this alone?”

In response to my question, Maria just grinned.

“Yes, I am!”

“Hey, you idiot!”

Maria lunged, grabbing the Garuda with both hands and seizing it by the neck. Naturally, it countered with its beak and talons, covering her in lacerations from head to toe in an instant. And yet… while tanking the blows, Maria plunged a short knife deep into the Garuda’s stomach.

“Gugegoh!”

As the Garuda let out a strangled cry, she struck again with the knife, severing its neck.

I sighed.

—A kamikaze fighting style, plain and simple.

To grapple an opponent that uses talons and its beak as weapons, just to get in close for a one-hit kill. But that put her right in the monster’s kill-zone, too. If that thing had struck her in the eye, she would have been fatally wounded, if not killed instantly.

I don’t hate that way of fighting. But it’s not a way to live a long life. And this wasn’t even a situation that called for risking her life… What a foolish kid.

“Hey, girl. You’ll die young if you keep fighting like that.”

“Unfortunately for you, I don’t have it in me to run from a fight I can win. This proves it, doesn’t it?”

“Proves what?”

“That me being out here isn’t a suicide attempt. That I have the skills of an adult.”

What a foolish kid. She knowingly fought that recklessly just to prove a point to some passing adventurer?

Just then… more black shadows began to circle through the forest.

Before I knew it, five Garudas were circling us. A sideways glance confirmed that even Maria’s expression was now tinged with fear.

“I can still… I can still do this. I can do anything by myself… No, I have to. I can’t run from an opponent I can beat…”

More shadows appeared.

The number of shadows in the air multiplied instantly. When the count passed ten, I called out to Maria again.

“Even now… is this still a fight you can win?”

“…Why are there so many… Garudas in a place like this? There’s no way… a student can handle this many…”

“Then it’s time to switch players.”

I tapped the stunned Maria on the shoulder. Then, I held my palm forward and intoned.

“Level 6: Thousand Slash.”

Countless lances of wind appeared, unleashing a thousand piercing thrusts within a contained area. It was, for all intents and purposes, a barrier of wind spears. Naturally, the Garudas were instantly pierced through and through.

“Gya!”

“Gih!”

“Shaaaa!”

The Garudas fell to the ground, one after another. I turned and smiled at Maria.

“First, you need to learn your own limitations.”

“L-L-Level 6…?”

Maria fell onto her backside, her eyes wide in disbelief.

If I stick to using Level 6 magic, I can pass myself off as a simple, high-ranking adventurer.

If I use anything stronger, I’ll have a hard time explaining it without revealing I’m the Thunder God Emperor, which I really don’t want to do… Just then, I clicked my tongue.

It seemed things weren’t going to be that easy.

“It’s just one thing after another… Hey, girl. Don’t let your guard down. It’s not over yet.”

At the end of our gaze, a disaster-class monster known as a Cockatrice stood, its eyes glowing red. It looked like a cross between a dragon and a bird, and it was an incredibly powerful monster.

In this day and age… you’d probably need a dozen of those Fraser brothers to take one down.

—In other words, even for me, this was a major pain.

“Well, can’t be helped… Guess I’ll have to get a little serious.”

“It doesn’t matter how strong you are, Mister… that’s a Cockatrice! It’s reckless to fight it without requesting a full-scale dispatch from the Knight’s Order or the Adventurers Guild!”

So now it takes the full might of the public safety organizations to deal with one?

Back in my day, it was the kind of monster a few high-level adventurer parties could handle…

Feeling strangely sad about that, I moved to draw my sword—just as the Cockatrice’s pupils turned purple. Our eyes met.

“Aaaaaaaaaah! The petrification! The Petrification Eye! M-M-M-Misterrrrrr!”

As Maria’s scream echoed, the Cockatrice began to cackle.

“My name is Cockatrice. I am an ancient demon bird.”

The Cockatrice stared me down with its purple eyes, taking one step after another toward me.

“My Petrification Eye is an absolute power. None who meet my gaze can escape turning to stone.”

“I-I-It talked?! The Cockatrice talked!”

“High-level monsters understand human speech. From the looks of you, you’re a mere student of magic. To think that those who don’t even know that much have increased… the world of men is truly in decline. In the past, there were plenty of warriors who truly threatened us.”

The Cockatrice closed the distance between us and reared its head back. It was probably winding up for a beak attack.

“This one is caught in my gaze… He cannot move as the petrification takes hold. I shall wait for it to complete, and then shatter him to dust. And after that—you’re next, little girl.”

The Cockatrice cackled and continued.

“His heart will stop at any moment. The petrification will spread throughout his body, and in just a few more seconds—Gah?!”

Sorry to interrupt.

—I planted a full-power front kick right in its stomach.

“Gobuh—!”

The Cockatrice went flying back about ten meters, and I drew my sword.

“Unfortunately for you, ‘evil eye’ abilities don’t work on me.”

In the end, a petrifying gaze is just another form of status-effect magic.

There was no way I, having mastered magic to the extent of being named one of the Four Emperors, wouldn’t have a resistance to it.

Still, this was far too shocking for a normal person to witness. My excuse of being a high-ranking adventurer wouldn’t hold up anymore.

“Conversely, this means I don’t have to hide anymore. In that case, I’ll be coming at you with everything I’ve got.”

“M-Mister! No! It’s no good! Run! We have to, we have to ru—”

Maria’s scream cut off.

Ah, I see. No wonder she’s terrified. Three more Cockatrices had just appeared.

Hmmm… These four were probably the ones ruling the monster hierarchy in this forest.

The fact that they’ve been driven all the way out here… it’s safe to assume the Divine Beast in the depths is on the verge of a full revival.

But that’s a problem for later.

“Well, this is sudden, but… goodbye, you bird-brains!”

Even for me, fighting multiple opponents of this caliber head-on is a massive pain. And I already knew there was a total of four.

That’s why, while I was pretending to be paralyzed by the Petrification Eye, I was busy formulating a spell.

—A spell to end this all in a single blow.

I held my palm forward and pronounced the Thunder God’s sentence of death upon every Cockatrice present.

“—Level 10: Thunder God Emperor Ephthal!”

The entire area was engulfed in a blinding, pale-blue flash and a deafening roar.

☆★☆★☆★

“And so, that’s the reason I’m here.”

“But… how is that even…”

I’d fed Maria a complete lie.

Something along the lines of me being revived every Friday of my death month, just to be Sasha’s sparring partner.

It was a completely absurd and preposterous story. But I did have the hard evidence of having just used “Level 10: Thunder God Emperor Ephthal.”

“Nngh… but Level 10… coming back from the dead… is that… is that even possible…?”

Well now, she still looks skeptical. How is this going to play out…?

Just as I was wondering, Maria thought for a moment—thought long and hard about it—and then gave a deep, decisive nod.

“I see. That makes perfect sense.”

—Yes! She’s as gullible as I thought!

When you get right down to it, this kid’s thought process seems to be surprisingly straightforward.

And then, Maria gasped, “Oh!” as if she’d just realized something. She suddenly became flustered—

“Wait? Wait? Does that mean… you really are the Thunder God Emperor? The legendary Ephthal-sama? Right here, in front of me? No, not just that, you talked to me—?”

“What’s gotten into you all of a sudden, Maria?”

“Wha- wha- wha-! You spoke to me… No way! You’re kidding! Did the Ephthal-sama really just say myname!?”

What is this reaction?

I’m the one who wants to say “Wha—”!?

As we both stood there acting flustered, Maria suddenly had an idea and pulled a pen and a book from her bag.

“P-P-Please sign this! I’ve admired you for so long!”

Admired me… Ah, come to think of it, she did say something like that before.

An autograph? I’m not some pop star. …Although, I guess I’m just as ridiculous for actually agreeing to it.

“Th-Th-Thank you so much! I’ll treasure this forever!”

“By the way—”

I brought my fist down on Maria’s head.

“Ack!”

“Why did you fight so recklessly? You’re old enough to know the difference between foolishness and bravery, aren’t you? I’m the Thunder God Emperor. I have a duty to guide fledglings who study magic. Now that I’m involved, I can’t just walk away.”

Maria looked dejected and bowed her head to me.

“There’s… a reason for that.”

“A reason?”

“I’m originally an elf from this forest. From… a rather special bloodline.”

“And?”

“The truth is, my clan… was massacred ten years ago.”

“Massacred…?”

I thought about it for a second. Yeah, that sounds about right.

I’ve understood her situation ever since I caught the scent of that perfume. Considering the chain of events, that outcome was certainly possible.

“So I became an orphan and was taken in by another clan. But that’s where the problems started… My clan was one of the magic-warrior bloodlines responsible for protecting all the people of the forest. But the clan that took me in… their livelihood was hunting.”

“Right. And?”

“Hunting requires hounds. The ability to tame demon dogs with Monster Taming is essential. As an orphan who was completely alone and indebted to them, I couldn’t just refuse to work because I was a child. The problem was… I had zero talent for Monster Taming.”

That figures.

As a member of a clan that protects the forest, her blood has been altered. Monsters would never take to Maria. In a sense, her very blood is harmful to them.

“So, after all that, I passed the magic academy’s entrance exam, and… well, here I am.”

“And how does that connect to the way you were fighting earlier?”

“…I can’t let anyone look down on me. Not ever again.”

Maria clenched her fist tightly and nodded, her eyes filled with powerful resolve.

“Back then, a monster stampede on an unprecedented scale was about to happen, with no warning signs. If that stampede had broken out, every elf clan in the forest would have been annihilated. Monsters would have flooded out of the forest and devastated the surrounding regions. That’s why… our clan stood in its path.”

“…An old custom, was it?”

“You knew about it? Yes, just as you say, our clan is a family of the forest’s guardians. For generations, we have always been the ones to prevent the great stampedes. But a disaster… if it doesn’t happen for long enough, it’s as if it never existed at all. And over time, the people who were preventing it… they started to be taken for granted.”

“The old ‘out of sight, out of mind’ problem.”

“That’s exactly it. In the end, my clan was wiped out ten years ago stopping that stampede.”

“But…” Maria bit her lip, her expression full of regret.

“The… other elves in the forest showed us no gratitude. It even got to the point where some of them started questioning whether our ‘duty’ was ever real to begin with.”

“What do you mean?”

“There are even those who say we didn’t stop a stampede at all. That we were just… a bunch of idiots whose village got attacked by a monster horde and was wiped out. I lost my parents, all my relatives, and even when I was taken in by another clan… I was mocked for being ‘one of the idiots’…”

“So, you feel like you have to prove them wrong.”

“Yes. I have to prove them wrong. I have to prove… that my mother and father, and everyone in my clan… they weren’t idiots. I have to prove, by showing how exceptional I am, that they were incredible people who gave their lives to protect something. I have to make everyone see the truth.”

“…”

“I studied so hard. I managed to get into this academy as an exchange student, tuition-free, with special treatment. But this is just a stepping stone. That’s why I can’t lose to anyone. I can’t show any weakness. I have to keep walking this path… as a perfect, flawless elite!”

Suddenly, her eyes welled with tears, but she shook her head fiercely.

It looked like all sorts of distant memories were flashing back at once, and she was almost overwhelmed. But she held on with sheer willpower and refused to cry. That part, I thought with a wry smile, was very like her.

“Then you’d better make sure you prove them all wrong, Maria.”

“Yes…” she nodded.

“Well, I get the situation now. That’s why you were fighting like that. Trying to act tough and puff yourself up, even in front of a random guy you just met…”

What a pitiful kid. Still, I don’t dislike kids with that kind of strong core.

That said, this is a separate issue from that.

Which is why I gave her cheek a hard pinch.

“Ow!?”

“Don’t you ever treat your life so carelessly again. If you die before you can restore your clan’s pride, it’ll all be for nothing, won’t it?”

“…I’m sorry.”

I gave another wry smile at Maria’s uncharacteristically meek attitude.

“But, I don’t dislike people who value their pride. You don’t need to change that fundamental part of yourself.”

“You mean… it’s fine for me to be this way?”

“There are good sides and bad sides, aren’t there? That’s something you have to learn for yourself from now on, not something anyone can teach you.”

“…Good sides?”

Maria looked startled, and then her entire expression lit up like a flower blooming.

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s just… no one’s ever told me that any part of my personality was ‘fine as it is’ before… For you, Ephthal-sama… to validate my way of life… it just makes me so happy!”

No one’s ever told her that, huh? Well, that’s not surprising.

Her attitude toward her peers is way too intense, and there are definitely a lot of things she needs to work on.

“So, first things first: stop treating your life so lightly. Got it, Maria?”

“Yes.”

Just then, I noticed her shoulders were trembling.

“Hm? What’s wrong?”

“Haha… I guess… the terror of facing that Cockatrice is just hitting me now.”

That’s a common reaction for rookie adventurers after a life-threatening encounter.

She was probably running on adrenaline, and once that wore off… well, this reaction made sense.

Seeing her start to tremble violently, I tried to recall what I used to do in situations like this…

“I… I can’t stop shaking. Huh? What is this? It’s weird… Huh? It’s getting stronger… I’m sorry, I can’t… I can’t stand up… I’m going to fall…”

Just as she was about to collapse, I gently placed my hand on her head.

“I’m right here. You don’t have to be afraid.”

When Merlin was a child, she often came to my room after having a nightmare.

Back then, doing this would always calm her down right away.

“Ephthal-sama’s hand… it’s so big and warm.”

As I stroked her hair, Maria’s trembling gradually subsided, and her expression softened with relief.

Just as the shaking stopped completely, Maria spoke to me, her voice hesitant.

“Um… I’m sorry. Could you please… stop stroking my head now?”

“Hm? You don’t like it?”

Maria immediately shook her head back and forth.

“I-I-I’m not saying I don’t like it! Q-Quite the opposite… I don’t dislike it at all! I’m happy. So happy… I never want to wash my hair again.”

“No, you should definitely wash your hair. So why ask me to stop?”

“Ephthal-sama’s hand is so warm and big. When you stroke my hair, I feel so safe… and, well, how do I say this…”

Hm? What’s she getting at? I tilted my head.

“I… I lost my parents a long time ago, and I’ve spent my whole life trying to be strong… I never had anyone who approved of me or… or was gentle with me… I think that’s why. That’s why I’m feeling so… strange right now…”

“Oh?”

“…I’m going to say something strange now, but please don’t think I’m weird, okay? Um… for someone like you, Ephthal-sama, to be so gentle with me… it feels so strange, and I know it’s presumptuous, but… I… I feel like… I want Ephthal-sama to…”

Her face turned bright red as she looked up at me, her eyes brimming with tears.

“…I feel like I want you to coddle me.”

I was caught off guard; for a second, I actually thought she was cute. And just then, Maria—

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry! I’m so sorry for saying something so childish! But I don’t know why, that’s just what I felt! I’m sorry for feeling that! Please don’t think I’m weird!”

Well, from Maria’s perspective, I’m probably the first truly, overwhelmingly powerful person she’s ever met.

She probably sees me, the Thunder God Emperor, as a father figure, or maybe her admiration for me has translated into a feeling of safety.

She seemed fine now, so I took my hand away. The moment I did, Maria’s face fell.

“Hm? What’s wrong?”

“Um, when you take your hand away, I suddenly feel really anxious again… The fear from those monsters… it’s like it’s flashing back… I… I think I’m going to start shaking again.”

“…Make up your mind. Do you want me to stop or not? You’re such a handful. Sigh… Fine. You want me to do it again?”

Maria fell silent. Unable to look me in the eye, she averted her gaze, her face turning as red as an apple.

“…Please… do.”

If only she were always this endearing…

The thought left me with complicated feelings.

Ah, that’s right. While I’m at it, I might as well solve that other problem.

“By the way, you’re a magic academy student, right? Heading to a training camp… is that correct?”

“As expected, Ephthal-sama, you know everything.”

“Right. So, what kind of training regimen do you have at this camp? I’m curious to know what methods they use these days.”

Maria gloomily handed me a piece of paper—the very training menu I had spent so much time putting together.

“Some kid in my class is trying to boss everyone around and make us do this. It’s a ridiculous menu… I have no intention of following it. Sure, he’s more skilled than me, but a student trying to teach other students? He’s getting way too full of himself…”

All right, time to invoke the authority of the Thunder God Emperor. Then again, it’s not even authority. This is just the plain truth.

“Maria, are you in your right mind?”

“…My right mind?”

“This is perfect. If you follow this obediently, there is no better training regimen for someone at your current skill level.”

“Is that really true?”

“Yes, it is.”

With that, I gave Maria a pat on the shoulder.

“Well, we can’t stand here talking all day. I’ll see you to a safe spot, and then that’s it.”

“What? We’re… we’re done talking… already?”

She looked as if her world had just ended.

A mixture of reluctance and sorrow. It seemed that story about her admiring me was true after all.

“Well, I’m already involved. I’ll be in the cabin near the magic academy’s training camp on Friday evenings. If something comes up, I suppose I can lend an ear.”

I told Maria the location of the cabin—the one Merlin normally uses for administrative work when she visits the camp, which meant I was free to use it this time.

I wasn’t sure why I’d even said that. But, just as Merlin said… I suppose I really do feel something for Maria.

—Even though I know perfectly well that Maria is not Bridget.