The moment she put Jern in the waiting room, Dersia intended to return to the library. That was, until a beaming staff member recognized her and approached.
"Ah, Lady Dersia. The waiting area is this way."
"What is this waiting area?"
"... Um, well. It is a terrace where you can watch your disciple's valiant struggles-" "I see. I will go later."
At Dersia's indifferent tone, the staff member's smile cracked.
"La-later? But if you don't watch the match... could I perhaps ask when you'll be back?"
"When is the final match?"
"There is no such thing as a final match. This is an exam, not a tournament... The participants will duel with every other examinee once, and then the results will be announced."
"Then when is the last exam? The one that determines first place, the winner, the top student, whatever you wish to call it."
"That would be... uh, around six in the evening."
"I shall come then."
"...???"
Leaving the staff member frozen by her eccentric behavior of intending to check only the results without watching her disciple's exam, Dersia turned to leave. 'Is there a need to watch?' Just a quick glance around the waiting room was enough for her to get a sense of it.
More than half of them were slightly stronger than Jern. Even if he had perfectly mastered Remove:, in a real fight, he would be pushed back, let alone get close. In other words, Jern would be the victor.
Being slightly stronger was nowhere near enough. Jern would aim for victory even if it meant giving up an arm. And an ordinary child could never win against an opponent who entered a fight with the assumption of giving up an arm.
The means available to them were just too different. It wasn't that the children were lacking; it was Jern who was strange. His way of thinking was different.
A peculiar way of moving, as if... he thought of everything in the world, including himself, as pieces on a board.
"There is a limit to how precocious one can be."
Dersia muttered, covering her mouth. Feeling cheerful, she threw open the door, about to return to the library, when a not-so-cheerful voice reached her.
"Well, look who it is. It's been a while! Dersia."
"... Tsk."
Dersia sighed but turned her head nonetheless. A middle-aged mage in a purple robe, looking to be over fifty, stood with his arms spread wide, his lips curved up but his eyes not smiling at all. Lightly ignoring the hatred in his gaze, she replied coolly.
"It has been a while, Rohimdal."
"Indeed it has. What brings you here? Ah... could it be about that disciple?"
This man, pretending to be friendly, had likely come knowing everything. She glanced toward where the staff member had been. He was long gone.
He probably recognized her despite her disguise because he had been ordered to bring her to the waiting area. He must have been eavesdropping on their conversation like a little mouse, and when he saw she was about to leave, he had scurried over. It was unpleasant, but it didn't stir any anger in her.
Such feelings only arose when one was dealing with an equal. It was more like the irritation of a mosquito buzzing by one's ear. That was all Dersia felt for Rohimdal.
"I heard the story. A commoner, and an orphan at that, as your disciple? My, my, I can't say I understand, but I suppose it's just like you..."
However, Rohimdal had picked the wrong opponent. After a moment's thought, Dersia found it bothersome to even think about such things and went straight for the attack.
"Lord Rohimdal."
"Hm?"
"I understand that when the princess was choosing a master, you harbored great anger and a sense of inferiority over the fact that she called for me first, and not you, a royal court mage."
"However, it was not something I wanted, and I even refused. To chase after me for years looking for a reason to fight... it makes one wonder about you as a person."
Rohimdal was stunned by the raw insult, something one would never receive in high society. And Dersia snatched away even the right for him to compose himself and become angry.
"If you are so displeased with me."
Her mana deviated from its flow.
Creeak...
As if she had her own gravity, the paintings on the wall began to peel away and try to stick to her, and the decorative flower pots were slowly drawn toward her. Proof that she was the mage who had come closest to the Heavenly Realm. A resetting of the laws.
"I am willing enough to be your dueling partner."
A tone and gaze devoid of any rise or fall. Rohimdal came to his senses and once again smiled frivolously.
"Hahaha! What are you saying? There's nothing to be gained from the two of us fighting. There's no need to clash!"
"... Ah, yes. I see."
If there had been even a sliver of a chance of winning against her, he would have challenged her long ago. Because not even that sliver was visible, he had fled behind the mask of laughter. From Dersia's perspective, that was truly annoying.
He was connected to the Imperial Family, and while she could deal with him secretly, he hadn't become a high-ranking royal court mage through politics alone. If only he had charged at her—she could have used it as a pretext to make sure he never crossed the line again.
Rohimdal, who had hidden his emotions in an instant, got to the main point.
"Ah, where is my mind. I came to tell you that your disciple might be in danger."
"Hmm."
Dersia blinked and crossed her arms. She looked so genuinely unconcerned that it was Rohimdal's turn to be flustered. '... Was the disciple really just for her amusement?'
If so, this was all for nothing. With a slightly uneasy expression, he continued.
"I certainly tried to stop her, but the princess has declared her intention to participate."
"Is that so. Do continue."
"Perhaps... it seems the princess does not hold a very favorable opinion of you. It must be because you refused her."
"Of course, I wanted to stop her, but you know how she is. Once the princess sets her mind on something, she has to see it through."
After a moment of thought, Dersia uncrossed her arms and said something strange.
"You are quite lucky."
"...?"
"Indeed, if the princess is participating, it is difficult to think of any possibility other than her targeting my disciple."
"Ah, yes. That's right. It seems you don't have much affection for your disciple, but still, I thought it might be better to stop things if the situation becomes too dangerous."
It was a petty way of picking a fight. Was he planning to achieve some sort of vicarious satisfaction, thinking that since Jern couldn't beat the princess anyway, his disciple would beat hers? Not all mages were persons of character.
No, in fact, the higher the mage, the more likely they were to be small-minded. At that level, they had dedicated their lives to magic, so most of them were narrow-minded and had shattered personalities. Sighing inwardly, Dersia slowly nodded.
"I suppose I should watch. Where is the waiting area?"
"Of course, I shall guide you!"
Dersia watched Rohimdal walk while forcing himself to hide a smile, then whispered softly.
"-Return."
"Hm? What did you say?"
"It was nothing."
At the same time, the red line that had been drawn on Rohimdal's neck vanished. The 7-Star mage had not noticed a thing. Neither its carving, nor its erasure.
"Let us go."
As if nothing had happened, Dersia played dumb and followed behind Rohimdal.
As the exam progressed, the number of spectators gradually increased. This was a problem for me. With each exam, I was increasingly becoming the main enemy.
First of all. A strange atmosphere flowed through the waiting room.
"Haa..."
"Ugh."
"Keuk."
Just a sigh was enough to cause this. In the awkward and uncomfortable silence, everyone was peeking at me, observing me.
"Jern, and Raon! Please come up to the arena."
"...!"
Every single opponent who was called with me went through three stages without exception. Shock, despair, and then resolve.
"Do your best, Raon!"
"We'll be watching!"
"... Yeah!"
It's not like he was going to his death. My opponent, a full head taller than me and brimming with fighting spirit, stood in the arena and stared at me with a hardened gaze, extending his hand.
"I am Raon of the Alemine family. I look forward to a good match."
"... I am Jern."
"Please, do not hold back and come at me with all you have."
"Um, well... yes."
What was I supposed to say? This was all they ever said.
"Begin!"
"Haaap! Rage on!"
Almost simultaneously, the ground began to vibrate. Pointed rocks shot up from the floor, forming sharp spears. I thought it was to block my approach, but it wasn't. "Blow!"
The spears began to spin with the wind, creating a stone spear mixer that could easily grind up several people. A mix of elemental spells. It certainly had a destructive power that couldn't be compared to mere sharp winds.
"Oh, ooh...! Raon! You did it! I believed in you!"
"Keuk... my son, to have already reached such a level..."
"Go, with all my hopes...!"
The other side was in a state of cheering on a hero fighting a demon lord. Raon, though sweating profusely, did not let his firm expression falter.
"... Keuk, at this rate, even your body-reinforcement techniques won't be able to withstand it. You can't endure this with three jewels, so please forfeit."
"Umm..."
I scratched my cheek and let out a sigh. Seriously, I wasn't just saying this. I wanted to lose here in a cool way and give them a good memory.
Imagine how happy he would be if he won here. Everyone's cheers, an awakening, the defeat of a demon lord? It would be a story to tell over drinks for the rest of his life.
Raon would use the memory of today as a stepping stone to grow into an even greater mage. It was just sad that I couldn't do that for him.
"It's not... body-reinforcement techniques. Though it is similar."
"... Pardon?"
I just threw myself into the whirlwind. Raon was startled, but he gritted his teeth, showing no intention of dispelling the magic.
"You will regret this!"
No matter how well Remove: endured impacts, getting hit multiple times by such sharp and fast-moving stone spears was dangerous. Of course, I could just use a mixed spell of my own.
"Remove."
First, I get rid of the wind. It became much freer. Then, I caught the flow of the incoming stone spears with my own wind.
Thud!
"Ugh..."
I missed the timing and got hit by one, but it was bearable. Inside the whirlwind, I used my wind magic to catch the high-speed stone spears one by one and guide them to the ground.
Of course, the output of my magic was incomparable to my opponent's. But he was moving multiple stone spears, while I only had to deal with them one at a time, sometimes enduring a hit with my body. It didn't require particularly difficult control. I just had to slam them into the ground when they came flying.
After getting hit a few times, learning the timing itself was easy.
"... Huh? Huh??"
Raon tilted his head, seemingly unable to understand what was happening before his eyes. From others' perspectives, it would look like I had entered the whirlwind and was freely controlling the spears.
"N-no, how..."
Raon looked as if he had seen a ghost. His emotions were directly reflected in his magic. Although there were only a few left, the wind died down, and the spears lost their power and embedded themselves in the ground.
I was about to go and break his jewels, but I stopped when he dropped to his knees.
"Do you forfeit?"
"... Yes."
I was about to comfort the teary-eyed Raon, but I stopped myself. Anything I said now would only be an insult. But I hadn't expected him to speak to me first.
"It seems... I was far from good enough."
"What? No, not at all. You were truly excellent."
Those weren't empty words. It was a truly threatening attack. As I waved my hand, Raon stood up with a bitter expression.
"You are being humble. With your skill, you could have just taken the spears. Weren't you just showing me that I was no match for you?"
"That's not it..."
No matter how proficient my wind magic was, it couldn't compare to my opponents'. They had been learning for years. I had to go directly into the storm, deal with the wind using Remove:, and even then, I got hit a few times.
"Still, the next opponent will not be easy. We... do not intend to give in so easily."
"We? Was this some kind of team battle?"
"Yes. A battle between Dersia's disciple. And us."
"Well, shouldn't I at least have a team on my side to make it fair-" "The next opponent will not be easy. Because we grow."
Completely ignoring my words, Raon gave a cool smile and left the arena. It would at least feel like a magic battle if I could use heart-realm magic. Using only normal magic was just so frustrating.
It felt like fighting with my hands and feet tied. Even if it was for training, it was unbearably uncomfortable. And that wasn't all.
[Truly, no magic worked at all. I think we need to find another way. I'm sorry I can only tell you this much...]
[No! You were the best! You did so well, next is...]
"Tsk."
I clicked my tongue and consciously cut off Tide Sense. It wasn't that I was ignoring Dersia's advice. Sometimes, Tide Sense would activate against my will.
To use an analogy, it was like blinking. I had to consciously try not to blink.
Without rest.
If I let my consciousness slip even once, it would activate. Completely regardless of my will. Returning to the waiting room, I sighed and reached out to grab a water bottle.
"... Darn it."
And then I realized it again. The water bottle was several meters away, not within my reach. I had naturally perceived the distance, through the currents, as a 'reachable' distance.
So I reached out my hand, and it was used. It was so natural. It was chilling.
I looked down at the captured water bottle and muttered to myself.
"A resident of that world, she said..."
Dersia had said something like that. That a bird will fly. It's not something the bird itself can stop.
Unless it cuts off its own wings, it cannot live with the mice. It's a bit late to be saying this, but... I was starting to understand a little, that I was a person from a different world.
Even after that, the cadets struggled desperately to defeat me.
"How about this? You won't be able to breathe in this smoke!"
"You're right, I can't breathe."
"?"
Or.
"With this water, I will-" There were several unfortunate incidents.
The atmosphere of heated fighting spirit quickly cooled down. You need some kind of motivation for things to work. If you just keep hitting a wall, only your own hand will hurt.
"Next, please come up to the arena!"
"Excuse me... is it possible to forfeit?"
"... P-please come up first, and then we can discuss it."
Seeing their dejected faces truly pained my heart. But the faces of the spectators, who must have been the cadets' parents, held no hatred. I thought they would at least throw banana peels.
No, rather- They were favorable toward me.
"... Honestly, since he was a commoner, I didn't think he would be that good."
"I thought his participation in this exam was just for Dersia to establish some discipline, but it seems he was really aiming for the top spot."
"He didn't use a single proper spell, but I think I understand why. His master must have ordered him to limit his power."
"Hah, at that age, he couldn't have been training in magic for more than a few months..."
"... He has enough talent for her, who refused the princess, to accept him."
"I have no choice but to acknowledge it. If, by any chance, he receives a noble title..."
The praise was loud enough to be heard even without using Tide Sense. Did Dersia plan for this as well? In any case, it seemed like things would end on a good note.
I felt sorry for the children, but I would win as desired. And I would get a good evaluation from the nobles, and the princess would probably acknowledge me and let it pass. Good, this is good. ...
I just want to go and sleep. As I was thinking that, a sharp voice suddenly came from behind me.
"-Move aside. Do you not see you are blocking my path." ...
My?
What kind of speech is this, I wondered, and turned around- A noble with blood-red hair, wearing a white and gold dress that looked far more exquisite than those of the other nobles, stood before me, flanked by two knights who were well over two meters tall. She was a few years older than me, and thus taller.
I quickly bowed my head and moved aside.
"My apologies. I did not see you."
"... Hmph."
Suddenly.
The noble grabbed my lowered chin and pulled my face toward hers. What is this nonsense, I thought, and narrowed my eyes. Regardless, the noble examined my face as if scrutinizing it.
I naturally looked at her face as well. Skin so white it was translucent, and eyes of a chromatic intensity I had never seen before, not in this world or on Earth. She was still young, but her beauty was so breathtaking that I wondered if this was what a peerless beauty was.
"... You have unpleasant eyes."
"Pardon?"
"Wait here for a moment. And don't even think of running away."
After giving her rather harsh assessment, she pushed me away and approached the cadet who was about to forfeit.
"Uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh........."
That fellow, along with the other cadets, no, even the spectating nobles, quickly stood up and bowed their heads.
"We greet the princess."
"We greet Princess Lumia!" ...
Princess?
Did they pick the princess based on her face? As I was rubbing my chin, the princess, who had approached the nearly fainting cadet, asked nonchalantly.
"I shall take your place."
"... Yes? Yes! Yes!"
"There is no need to say it three times. I have ears."
The princess casually tossed a piece of parchment.
"I have received permission from the administrator. There should be no problem, correct?"
"No problem, no problem at all! How could there possibly be a problem!"
The staff member nodded his head several times, and Princess Lumia touched her brow with a slightly annoyed expression.
"... No, I said there's no need to say it three times."
As I began to understand the situation, I took the opportunity to activate Tide Sense. In a situation like this, Dersia had to be watching from somewhere. In the short time I had been using it, Tide Sense had expanded to cover nearly half of a small town.
I was almost startled myself. I hadn't realized it was this extensive. My intuition was correct.
I found Dersia's languid expression somewhere on the upper floor. She was out of the range of the currents. Instead, I used the wind to send the nearby sand flying, tapping against the glass window that covered the terrace.
A small sound that others would not even notice.
[Your range has grown quite wide.]
Dersia noticed and replied. I had faith that she would. I threw a few more grains of sand.
Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap. With a bit of anger, and a question.
Dersia shrugged.
[It is not something I can stop.]
Tap.
[Isn't it obvious? Win.]
Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap.
[Calm yourself. I'm not just telling you to win. The princess has a strong desire for victory, and for some reason, she seems to hold you in very high regard.]
Tap, tap, tap, tap.
[Yes. Losing while holding back is not an option. As strong as her desire for victory is, if she finds out you are holding back, she will be far angrier than if you were to simply lose. That would not be something we could pass off as a joke. Hmm... ah.]
As if she had a good idea, Dersia gave an instruction.
[Come to think of it, we can use this for training.]
Tap.
[I have been watching your battles, and you seem to be overpowering the children more easily than I thought. I knew you would win, but at this rate, it won't be training for maintaining your breathing during combat. I might as well have beaten you up myself.]
Tap, tap.
[You won't die. It would be difficult to control my strength, so a proper fight wouldn't really be possible, though. So, let's make use of the current situation. Of course, the princess is a mage on a different level from the other cadets, so just hold out for five minutes. That should be pretty good training.]
Tap.
[After that, you ask.]
A dark, sinister smile spread across her lips. It might be a bit much to use such an expression for one's master, but there was truly no other way to describe that smile.
[Well, we'll have to make sure she never tries something like this again. I will grant you permission to use heart-realm magic.]
Tap.