Chapter 4 Part 2
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A holiday was designated for preparation before the exam. Millis didn’t suggest going out this time, and it was decided that everyone would rest in their own way to be fully prepared for the exam.
Thus came the day of the conditional exam.
Reid and the others had gone to a valley they had visited for training.
“…It feels bad to be sent off without doing anything.”
“It’s okay. This doesn’t even count as using magic,” Elria said, shaking her head while hugging Reid tightly.
Seeing the two of them like this, Millis looked relieved.
“Ahh… watching these two, I feel relaxed, like it’s a normal day.”
“Exactly. This should help us keep our cool during the exam, too.”
“What are you guys talking about after seeing them being so lovey-dovey…?”
Contrasting the cheerful laughter of the two, Faregh looked puzzled. It wasn’t a spectacle, so he wished they would understand.
“Well, good luck. I’ll be watching how you all fight.”
“Yeah, we’ll do our best.”
Elria waved her hand lightly as she saw him off, and Reid hurried to the tent set up as a waiting area, blending with the busy teachers and staff.
As he opened the flap of the tent assigned to Alma――
“――Oh, good morning, Your Excellency.”
Alma, who was sloppily lying on a makeshift sofa, greeted him.
“…Seriously, you’re too relaxed.”
“Eh? It’s fine if no one is watching.”
While saying that, Alma swung her feet on the sofa, fully relaxed and even with her shoes off.
“I’ve delegated the active duty as the supervising teacher to Philia, and if nothing happens, I don’t need to do anything. I have to watch my cute students fight properly.”
“I don’t think you need tea and snacks just to watch the students.”
“Come on, it’s fine. Do you want some cookies, Your Excellency?”
“Just get the footage ready.”
“Alright, alright, don’t rush me.”
Alma pouted and slowly began operating the magic device before her. At that moment――countless scenes appeared in the air.
Seeing this, Reid gasped.
“Wow, is this all from the perspective of the students participating?”
“Yes. It’s a remote projection magic device that operates within Headmistress Elise Rummel’s barrier. It captures the coordinates of the students wearing the bracelets and projects their figures.”
“So, this mechanism was created by the headmistress?”
“Yes. Elise might have no talent in combat, but she’s a true genius when it comes to creating magic and magic devices. Before becoming headmistress, she advanced the level of magic device technology by decades.”
“…And yet she cried and begged us on her knees?”
“That child is just as mentally a child as she looks. That’s also why she took the position of headmistress, as she’s not suited for combat.”
Surprised by this unexpected side of the headmistress, Alma operated the magic device with practiced ease.
“Alright then… let’s check out the team of troublemakers.”
From the multitude of footage, the team’s familiar faces stood out prominently.
“――Ahhh… I’m wearing a golden bracelet. I feel like my insides are going to spill out from nervousness!!”
At the same time, Millis’s voice, sounding a bit silly, came through with the footage.
Elria nodded in response to Millis.
“But Millis is the best suited among us for this.”
“However, if we consider strength, wouldn’t Elria-sama or Faregh-san be better…?”
“Millis, what do you think is the worst-case scenario for this exam?”
“That would… of course, be everyone getting annihilated, triggering the golden bracelet, right?”
“Right. Faregh and I are involved in a lot of combat, so the probability of the bracelet activating is higher. Wiesel might also join the fight depending on the situation, so Millis, who is in a support role, has the lowest probability of activating it. Ideally, the person holding the golden bracelet should be withdrawn and hidden from the front lines.”
“That makes sense. It would reduce our combat strength, but this method would prevent a total wipeout. Likely, other teams will adopt a similar strategy to ensure they preserve their scores.”
“Yes. Unlike the last time, Alma-sensei didn’t mention any specific end conditions for this exam. However, given the nature of ‘gaining points by defeating opponents’, total incapacitation of everyone won’t be an end condition. So, it’s logical to assume that surviving until the time limit is the end condition.”
While Elria was explaining, Alma’s face briefly showed a clear expression of “Uh oh, I’ve been found out”. Watching this reaction up close was quite interesting for Reid.
“Um, so basically, it’s better not to attack the opponents rashly, right?”
“No, if there’s a chance to attack, make sure to wipe them out completely.”
“Today’s Elria-sama has a high level of murderous intent!!”
“…I didn’t mean it in that way,” Elria said, puffing her cheeks in indignation.
Continuing the conversation, Wiesel nodded and added his explanation.
“What she means is that it’s not necessary to engage in combat with just one team. It’s possible that multiple teams could form alliances or remaining teams might form new teams, so Lady Elria is suggesting we should reduce their numbers when possible.”
“Wiesel is right.”
With a small circle made by her hand, Elria turned to face Faregh.
“After Wiesel scouts, the decision to attack will be up to Faregh.”
“…Are you sure about leaving the decision to me?”
“Yes. You’re the leader this time, so we’ll follow your lead.”
Then, Elria deployed her magic equipment.
“After the attack, you can make decisions based on the information you have. Can you handle that?”
“I’ve stood up to commoners before. There’s no way I’d say I can’t.”
“Good response. Then――”
Wiesel interrupted her with a hand gesture.
“…I’ve detected multiple magic power reactions in the distance. There are ten individuals, and their movements are synchronized, likely a team working together.”
He adjusted his glasses as he surveyed the surroundings intently.
“Lord Welminan, your call on the attack.”
“Ha…! Of course, we’ll annihilate them all here and now.”
Saying this, Faregh drew his magic short sword.
“――――《Unsheathe》.”
With a faint murmur, the moment he gripped the short sword with both hands――the blade was enveloped in blazing flames.
The flames grew longer and wider, forming a sword, eventually transforming into a flame sword much larger than Faregh’s stature. It resembled the ‘Magic Sword’ that Elria had created.
Gripping the flame sword with both hands, Faregh sunk his body deeper.
“Then, as planned――!!”
With those words, Faregh powerfully kicked off the ground and propelled forward, making an explosive sound as he sped in the direction of the detected magic power reactions. Hearing this blast, the progressing students all turned their heads at once.
“W-What’s that? A fight!?”
“No――it’s an attack!! Enemy sighted at seven o’clock! Everyone, prepare to intercept!!”
The moment the student who seemed to be the leader shouted, all the students aimed their magic towards the incoming Faregh.
Seeing this, Faregh smirked and then――
“You think the likes of you can take me down!?”
Before the opponents could deploy their magic, Faregh twisted his body and swung the flame sword. And with that swing, a curtain of flames spread widely.
The curtain of crimson flames spread, concealing Faregh as he approached. This caused the opponent to lose sight of Faregh temporarily.
“Shoot anyway! Even if he’s hidden, he can’t dodge in the air!!”
Following that command, the students cast their prepared spells at the curtain of flames.
Rock Spears, Wind Clusters, Water Blades… numerous spells were cast at the flames, attempting to strike down Faregh, who they assumed was hiding behind it. However, Faregh was nowhere to be seen.
Perhaps that’s why the students felt a brief sense of relief. They must have thought he had teleported due to their magic activating his bracelet. That’s why――they were slow to notice Faregh, who had risen higher with the sun at his back.
“First, I’ll take one of you down!!”
Using the blast generated under his feet and the speed of his fall, Faregh rapidly descended. And the moment he landed, he swung his flame sword, blasting everyone nearby with a wave of flames.
The student leader at the center of the blast was enveloped in particles of light and disappeared.
“Damn it… Santos got taken out!! Create some distance with protective magic now!!”
“Wait a second! It’s impossible to cast protective magic in this situation!!”
Amidst the flames that spread around, cries almost like screams could be heard.
The flames severely impaired their visibility, making it impossible for them to discern Faregh’s location accurately or even the positions of their own allies.
But that wasn’t all.
“Just do it! We’ll be wiped out if we don’t!!”
“We need to put out the flames first!! Hurry, someone extinguishes them!!”
“With the enemy right under our noses, do we have time for that!?”
The early defeat of their student leader caused confusion in their command and decision-making. That delay allowed Faregh to strike again――.
“――This makes two!!”
Faregh leaped out from the flickering flames, his flame sword sweeping in a reverse diagonal motion. He caught the second person, who then teleported away, activated by the bracelet.
Watching Faregh’s battle, Alma narrowed her eyes and spoke.
“Heehh… This has turned out to be quite interesting.”
“Yeah. Seeing his magic, I thought this style suits him better,” Reid said with a pleased smile.
The brilliant flames. It is not only used for attacks but also to dazzle opponents and conceal his own figure. It was also a means to bring a fight to close-quarters combat from a distance and, once in close range, to use the flames to confuse and swiftly strike the opponents.
Explosions and burning flames allowed for quick engagement in close-quarters combat, facilitating various movements like aerial maneuvers and rapid descents.
“Faregh makes good judgment, too. He minimized the sound of his movements with the blast. Since he understands the sun’s position from the opponents’ perspective, he can hide in the backlight and unilaterally target their leader.”
Thus, Faregh could decisively disrupt the opponent’s chain of command. And by disrupting their coordination as intended, he chose to take them down one by one, taking advantage of the flames.
“Such a flashy way to fight, though…”
“It’s perfectly fitting for that show-off.”
“More like the influence of the person who taught him,” Alma said, glancing sharply at Reid.
Indeed, Reid’s fighting style was forceful and aggressive, so adding flames to it naturally resulted in a flamboyant and spectacular style.
“But… moving too flamboyantly and the order in which he took down his opponents might have been a mistake, don’t you think?”
Faregh had managed to take down three opponents. Still, with their numbers reduced, the remaining two became more mobile, using protective magic to fortify themselves while looking for a chance to counterattack.
And then――another team was moving to flank Faregh from behind.
They were probably a team that had allied with the students Faregh had initially ambushed. Attracted by the flashy attacks and the noise, they quickly moved towards Faregh’s position.
“Though he successfully brought the battle into close-quarters combat using high-speed movement through the blast, he’s completely isolated, having separated from Elria-chan and the others. And since he didn’t take down the support who could use protective magic, they’re likely buying time to set up a pincer attack――”
Alma paused and turned her gaze to another footage.
There was Wiesel, moving while observing through his glasses-like magic tools. When another team made their move, he nodded slightly and reported.
“Lord Welminan, as planned, another team has started moving. We’re also beginning our move.”
‘Ah! I’m holding back because I don’t want to waste magic power, so hurry up!!’
“Understood. Lady Millis, prepare ‘The Wall’. Position it at four o’clock from Lord Welminan; a size of three hundred should be enough to capture everyone.”
“Aye, aye!!”
With a spirited reply, Millis stopped and deployed her magic equipment. It was a simple, unadorned staff with a curved end. When she drove the staff into the ground, the bell attached to its tip chimed lightly.
“Then, if I may intrude!!”
The moment Millis punched the staff driven into the ground――a rock wall rose from the ground, blocking the path of the students. Seeing the wall forming to obstruct their path, the students rushing towards Faregh abruptly stopped.
“Tch… Are they allies of the team we attacked!?”
“Seems like it. And there’s also one coming towards us.”
“So, they are holding us off with the wall while waiting to regroup?”
“If so, ignore the one coming and prioritize destroying the wall. Don’t let them regroup; cut through and isolate them, then pick them off one by one.”
Despite initially halting, the other team continued unabated towards the wall.
Wiesel watched every move of these students closely, not missing a single beat.
And then――one student showed movement.
“I’ll handle breaking the wall. The rest of you cut straight through.”
A student holding a spear-like magic equipment stopped and took a stance facing the wall.
The moment Wiesel saw this, he ran with his arms widely spread. His arms were covered with gauntlet-like magic equipment.
While keeping his stance, Wiesel targeted the student who was aiming――
“――――《Insulation》.”
With great force, he struck his fists together. A high-pitched, metallic sound echoed around, but no apparent change occurred.
However――
“………!? What?”
The student who had been holding the spear froze in place, eyes wide open.
“Hey, what are you standing there dazed for!?”
“Wait! My magic equipment isn’t working!!”
“What!? It’s malfunctioning now of all times!?”
Another student took over, holding a staff-like magic equipment.
“If that’s the case, I’ll break it――”
As that student began to swing the staff, Wiesel struck again with his fists.
Immediately after, the previously bold expression vanished from the student’s face as it turned pale.
“W-Why…? It was working just fine a moment ago, wasn’t it!?”
With their magic equipment rendered useless, the students were stuck in front of the wall.
By stalling for time, Wiesel had already closed the distance. He measured the distance precisely and faced the student with the spear, fist ready.
“I’ve spent my days getting knocked around by a younger girl,” he muttered, then forcefully stomped down with his leg-bound magic tool――
“――I think it’s about time I let off some steam with a good punch.”
He accelerated suddenly and, using his gathered momentum, delivered a palm strike to the student’s body. The impact activated the bracelet, and the student was teleported away in a flash of light.
Seeing one of their comrades taken down, the other students aimed their magic equipment at Wiesel.
“We’ll take him down together if it’s the last thing we do! There are still four of us left. We can surely take down one――”
As they turned their gaze back to Wiesel――he was already running away with his back to them.
“W-What!? Hey, you think you can just hit and run!?”
“Yeah. I just came to test the durability of my magic equipment.”
As he spoke those words over his shoulder, Wiesel slightly raised his gaze.
“After all――my job is to hold you guys up.”
Distracted by Wiesel’s attack, the students didn’t notice the anomaly unfolding right in front of them. They realized it only when a shadow fell over them.
“Hey… if the goal was to delay us, then what’s this ‘wall’ about?”
The rock wall continued to rise, making noise as it ascended as if blocking their path, but its top started to curve over, enveloping the students.
Then, a loud crack echoed as a large fissure appeared in the wall.
“Hey, wait, wait!! Someone, anyone, blow up that wall――”
His words were cut off.
As the wall began to collapse under its own weight, thunderous noise and dust clouds billowed up towards the students. Amid the dust, four faint lights flickered and then faded out.
Seeing that, Wiesel nodded in satisfaction.
“Hmm, that went better than expected, Lady Millis.”
‘Yay!! That totally crushed them!!’
“Lady Millis, I understand your excitement, but your voice is dripping with villainy.”
‘…It was over before I even got involved.’
While watching their reactions, Alma pulled Reid excitedly.
“Wow! Hey, hey, what was that thing Wiesel just did, Your Excellency!?”
“I don’t know the detailed mechanics, but it seems that when he strikes with those gauntlet-type magic equipment, he can emit a weak wave of magic power. That seems to disable magic equipment temporarily.”
“Whoa, that’s wicked…”
Alma shook Reid vigorously, her expression turning to dismay.
Even if it was temporary, magic could not be used when magic equipment was rendered useless. That was why the students trying to break the wall could not use their magic.
“Well, it’s a technique unique to a magic equipment engineer who knows magic equipment inside out.”
“But seriously, to be able to neutralize magic like that seems not just powerful but downright unfair. If such magic equipment becomes common, all mages might as well retire.”
“It’s not like it can neutralize just anything, though. You have to target the moment magic power flows into the magic equipment and hit it with the magic wave. It doesn’t affect magic that’s already been activated. The neutralization lasts only about five seconds, the magic wave is directional, so it targets only one person at a time, and there’s also a risk of the gauntlets breaking if used too frequently.”
“Heehh… so that’s why he had Millis set up the ‘wall’.”
A visible rock wall wasn’t necessary if it was just about delaying them.
Millis, proficient in protective and barrier magic, could have stopped them with an invisible wall. However, by making it visible, it drew the opponents’ attention. And since the opponents were sure to use magic to destroy the wall, by watching closely, Wiesel could easily stop the activation of their magic.
Then, using his magic tool’s acceleration, Wiesel could get close to the opponents, reducing their use of magic while buying time for the wall to collapse and then escape.
Originally, Elria was supposed to finish off any remaining students, but the inability to use magic caused more chaos than expected, leading to the opponents being incapacitated by the wall’s collapse.
“Earlier, Faregh said he was ‘holding back’, probably intentionally leaving the support to last, using the ‘holding them up’ situation to bait the other teams…”
“Exactly. That’s why the teams that came later prioritized destroying the wall.”
“Wow… even from my perspective, that’s highly commendable. Faregh’s flashy first move was a feint, Millis’s wall serving as another diversion, Wiesel locking down opponents as yet another diversion, and then Elria stepping in after the wall fell. This isn’t a typical student-level strategy at all.”
“…Well, that happens when Elria and I teach them.”
Reid had once led the army of a whole country as one of its generals, and Elria also had experience commanding her own unit in strategic operations.
That was why Reid focused on teaching them overarching strategy and principles while Elria taught them the nuances of combat tactics and thought processes.
Given that these two experienced war veterans were teaching, it was natural that their students would exhibit a higher level of skill and completeness compared to others.
“Well, the hardest workers were themselves.”
Despite repeatedly complaining, Faregh never shied away from the practice sessions with Reid and was working to acquire the swordsmanship and close-quarters combat skills that were the complete opposite of his usual fighting style.
Wiesel was trained to precisely neutralize magic and dodge during close-quarters combat by observing the opponent’s movements, enduring being thrown around numerous times by Elria.
Millis also worked on timing her support accurately, learning not just intellectually but instinctively the required time for her magic, and, like Wiesel, receiving close-quarters combat training from Elria.
Their ability to put all this into practice was due to their own efforts.
“Hmm… even with the restrictions on Elria-chan, to have polished their coordination and tactics to this extent would normally mean a complete victory, but――”
At that point, Alma stopped speaking.
“It might be impossible if Serios’s <<Dragon Princess>> brings out her ‘Guardian Dragons’.”
“…Are the ‘Guardian Dragons’ really that powerful?”
“Mm… I’ve never actually fought one, and ‘Guardian Dragons’ are mild-mannered magical beasts unless provoked or their territory was trespassed, so there aren’t many combat records.”
However, Alma continued with a distorted expression.
“Two hundred years ago, there’s a record of the special rank mage being dispatched to subdue Serios’s ‘Guardian Dragons’.”
“The special rank mage was dispatched?”
“Yes. A visiting tourist jokingly entered its territory, provoked the ‘Guardian Dragon’s’ wrath, and was killed. What’s worse, this tourist turned out to be a noble from Vegalta, and despite opposition from Serios’s side, they pushed ahead with the subjugation of the ‘Guardian Dragons’.”
“What was the outcome?”
“Complete annihilation, of course.”
“…I see. So, we’re talking about a magical beast with the power equivalent to a special rank mage.”
Just as Reid seemed to understand, Alma shook her head.
“There were five of them.”
“……Five?”
“It was the number of special rank mages dispatched at that time. In addition, thirty first-class mages and nearly a hundred second-class mages were mobilized for a large-scale subjugation operation. However, the outcome was that the mage corps from Vegalta dispatched to Serios was annihilated by just one ‘Guardian Dragon’,” Alma explained, then let out a light sigh.
“Of course, compared to two hundred years ago, both magic technology and magic equipment have advanced, and I’m not saying that we absolutely can’t win.”
“But still… the opponent is a magical beast, right? No matter how sturdy their physique, isn’t it strange that the special rank mages, the highest fighting force at the time, were wiped out?”
Even if they possessed the strong physique and robust vitality typical of dragon species, they were still within the realm of ‘beasts’. It seemed unlikely that humans, equipped with the technology of magic, would be utterly devastated without any means to fight back.
In response to Reid’s question, Alma nodded slightly before answering.
“Do you know the difference between the magical beasts of Serios and those of Vegalta, Your Excellency?”
“If you mean differences… I’ve heard that the land of Serios has a greater amount of magic power, which means that their stature and physical abilities are significantly enhanced compared to those of Vegalta.”
“In addition to that, the magical beasts from Serios are also known for having higher ‘intelligence’.”
“……Intelligence?”
“Yes. In Serios, there is a unique linguistic culture called ‘magical beast language’, and the magical beasts there acquire a certain level of thinking and understanding ability by listening to the magical beast language spoken by humans. As for the dragon-type magical beasts, they can even understand the nuances of human speech and emotions.”
“But even with high intelligence, it would just mean they can dodge or interpret intentions to a certain extent――”
At that point, Reid finally understood.
The magical beasts of Serios acquire knowledge and intelligence from the magical beast language spoken by humans. If that were the case, a magical beast with intelligence equal to or greater than humans could also learn ‘techniques’ if they understood the mechanism.
And then, quietly nodding, Alma added――
“――The ‘Guardian Dragon’ is a species that, while being magical beasts, also wield ‘magic’.”
She then stated the reasons why the mages who had challenged the ‘Guardian Dragons’ in the past were defeated.
