Capítulo 8: CHAPTER 4 : The Serpent’s Glare
After the events of the Colosseum, Oliver and Nanao spent the weekend recuperating. After their morning classes the following day, they visited the cafeteria where, just like all their classrooms before, every student's attention instantly focused on them.
"Oh…"
"L-let's go."
A group of first-years awkwardly stood up and hurriedly left. These were the same people who had made fun of Katie to her face. Guy watched them slink away out of the corner of his eye and snorted.
"Guess they finally settled down."
"Yes. At least, it appears they've stopped antagonizing Katie and Nanao," Pete calmly agreed.
Next to him, Chela nodded in satisfaction. "They witnessed the craziest battle of their lives. They'd have to be utter fools to persist in what they were doing before," she said as a floating teapot poured her a cup of black tea. She gingerly took a sip before continuing. "They have their own thoughts on what happened, and Rick—Mr. Andrews—hasn't associated with them since. For now, I think we can say that two of our biggest problems have been solved."
The other five sat down at the table with her. Oliver looked at all his friends' faces.
"Still, it's difficult to say whether our situation has improved," he noted. "Someone set that garuda on us in the Colosseum. And if we take the message that appeared on the ceiling at face value, that was an attack on the conservatives who oppose demi-human civil rights."
"Yes, precisely. The most frightening thing of all is that such conflicts are a totally regular part of Kimberly life," Chela muttered with a sigh.
Guy's eyes went wide. "R-regular? You're tellin' me that major incidents happen all the time?"
"I won't deny that it was quite sensational, but in the end, no one died. Furthermore, that gathering in the labyrinth was an unofficial event, so it would be unprecedented to report it to a faculty member as long as people were 'only' severely injured. Almost all nondeadly wounds can be healed with magic, after all."
Pete and Katie were dumbstruck by what appeared to be common practice at Kimberly.
Oliver nodded. "Of course, the faculty probably know what went on, but reporting the incident wouldn't get them to search for the perpetrator," he said. "The troll rampage happened in semipublic view, but this happened on campus grounds in the labyrinth. They'll claim it was just a few students going a bit overboard."
"…I know we all know this by now, but…damn, this school is freaky…," Guy said.
"…So we were just collateral damage in this incident?" Pete asked after thinking carefully for a moment.
Chela crossed her arms, a troubled expression on her face. "It's difficult to say. I can sense some similarities in the methods used in both the troll's rampage and the garuda's intrusion, but the motives behind them are the exact opposite. The former we can see as an attack on the pro-rights side, and the latter we can see as an attack on the conservative side."
"Unleashing the garuda might have been some sort of retaliation from the pro-rights side for the troll incident. If that's the case, we can assume the conservatives will attempt their own counterattack. However…if that's how it plays out, then we've found ourselves smack-dab in the middle of a political conflict. No matter how famous Katie's parents are for their beliefs, I doubt anyone would specifically target their child over them."
Oliver's brow furrowed in thought as he analyzed the situation.
Guy raised his hands, as if to put an end to the endless circle of conjecture. "…I dunno what's going on, but one thing's for sure: I ain't stepping foot in the labyrinth again anytime soon."
"That'd be for the best. We were lucky to all get out alive this time, but there's no guarantee it'll always end that way. I'd rather avoid such dangerous battles for the time being, myself," Oliver muttered, then heaved a deep sigh. He'd been so certain he was going to die fighting the garuda that just remembering it now made his every hair stand on end.
"I wholeheartedly agree," Chela said with a nod. "However, it appears Nanao gained something major from all this."
She turned her gaze to the head of the table. There sat Nanao, completely swarmed by a gaggle of students.
"Hey, hey, what was it like, fighting the garuda?"
"Did you really go at it with just that katana? How? Show us!"
"Why don't you come visit our dueling club? My buddy's been begging me to ask you."
"Wanna join me for dinner tonight? What's your favorite food? Let me guess, rice?"
The students hurled questions and solicitations at her.
Chela chuckled as she looked between them and Nanao, who was completely in a daze.
"As you can see, she's quite popular now."
She continued to watch, until eventually, Nanao shot her a troubled look.
"Lady Chela…"
"If you wish to, then you should take them up on their offers. However, my lords and ladies, Nanao has currently promised to have lunch with us. Please try to understand and release her back to us," Chela told them sharply.
Nanao moved over a table so as not to disturb her friends' conversation and began addressing the gaggle of students in turn. No one could have expected such a scene a week before.
"You weren't kiddin' about the popularity," Guy uttered in amazement. "I'd expect as much from anyone who actually saw her fight, but she's got people who weren't even there comin' after her now. I saw some older students come to catch a glimpse, too."
"Let her enjoy the attention. She's earned it. But while we're at it…" Katie slightly raised her voice and looked at Oliver. He'd expected as much and, with an awkward smile, shook his head.
"…Please don't say any more, Katie. My heart isn't made of steel, you know."
"But…! It just doesn't make sense! Why isn't anyone coming to talk to you? You fought just as hard as Nanao did!" she insisted, her eyes darting about the cafeteria. It was just as she said: Unlike Nanao, who was now so popular that she was having trouble managing her admirers, no one dared approach Oliver.
Chela nodded repeatedly. "…Indeed. I understand, Katie. I saw Oliver's fighting firsthand, myself. Oh, how I would love to spend an hour analyzing it!" she gushed.
Guy put his hand to Pete's ear. "She did exactly that," he whispered. "Just yesterday. Talked our ears off for a whole hour."
"Shhh! I guess she hasn't had her fill yet."
The bespectacled boy put his index finger to his mouth, as if to say, Don't get her started!
Chela looked down sadly. "But I suppose it's to be expected… Oliver's style of fighting appeals to connoisseurs."
"Urgh!"
Oliver gripped his chest and let out an anguished moan. Chela gave him a look of pity as she continued her explanation.
"For the uninitiated, it would seem as if Oliver had Nanao stand at the front line and merely supported her. Of course, the truth is anything but. First of all, we must admit that Nanao is unique in her ability to take a garuda head-on—but if it weren't for Oliver's actions, she wouldn't have lasted more than a minute. The moment she was in danger, the perfect spell would come to defend her. That battle was heavy with the use of sword arts. And then at the very end, the disruption magic that allowed the final blow to be struck—so many truly laudable techniques. Unfortunately, only third-years or higher would be able to recognize this."
Pete nodded in understanding at the cruel truth.
"Yeah, Nanao's method of fighting was flashy and easy to understand. No wonder no one remembers everything Oliver did. So precise, yet so plain."
"Urrrgh!"
"Hey, Pete! You tryin' to torture Oliver?" Guy scolded as he rubbed his friend's back.
Oliver was shaking as if he were having a heart attack. Despite his efforts to pretend he was fine, the stark difference in attention they were receiving was having a quiet yet devastating effect on him.
Chela let out a great sigh, then glanced about. "Indeed. Although that doesn't seem to be the case among certain rougher characters."
She hadn't missed the sharp glares coming from various points in the cafeteria, nothing like the adoring fans gathered around Nanao. Many of the first- and second-years who hadn't been there to witness the garuda were confident in their own skills. To those stronger students lurking in the shadows, Nanao wasn't the only one to keep an eye on.
The looks they gave were varied. Some were more friendly, while others were unabashedly itching for a fight. But Chela knew that bringing them up would only increase Oliver's pain, so she silently warned them back while keeping up a poker face.
"That aside, it is a bit irksome, even if no one is to blame. Sure, one put on more of a show than the other. But they shouldn't be treated so differently. Whatever happened to rewarding good deeds? Since it's come to this…"
Chela stood from her seat and strode purposefully over to Oliver. She bent down at his side, and he spun around suspiciously.
"…Hold on. What are you doing, Chela?"
"Why, I was going to give you a congratulatory kiss. I'm afraid it's not much, but this is all I can think of on such short notice."
"What?!" Katie shrieked, more surprised than even Oliver himself. Clear panic on his face, Oliver grabbed Chela's shoulders to stop her.
"I appreciate the thought, but please get back before you cause more trouble." He tried to argue his way out of this predicament as her lips drew ever closer. Their struggle seemed to last an eternity when suddenly Nanao came jogging back to their table.
"Phew, finally escaped… Oh? What do we have here?"
Nanao cocked her head quizzically upon seeing two of her friends practically wrestling.
"You've gotten so popular, and Oliver's gotten almost nothing," Guy explained with a grin. "Since he worked so hard, Chela was saying he deserved a kiss as a reward."
Suddenly, everything seemed to click for Nanao. She nodded.
"I see," Nanao muttered to herself. "A kiss as a reward, is it? Hmmm—in that case…" She then walked up to Oliver, bent down opposite of Chela, and—before he could react—placed her lips on his cheek. For a moment, there was silence.
Then, Oliver's face exploded into a mess of confusion. "?!?!?!?!"
"Wha—? Nanao?!"
"I took the liberty of granting you your reward. Ha-ha—this is quite embarrassing, that it is."
Katie gawked as the Azian girl scratched her cheek with a finger. Then she bent down again, this time presenting the boy with her right cheek.
"Come, Oliver. 'Tis your turn now."
"...?!"
"If you deserve a reward, then so do I. Come, then," Nanao demanded, as if this was blatantly obvious. Oliver pressed a hand to his chest, his racing heart beating a mile a minute.
Chela seemed unfazed. "…Well, go ahead. She has a point, after all. The work she put in is deserving of at least a kiss or two."
"Hmm, that makes sense."
"It's only fair to repay the favor, right?"
"W-wait a second! Where is this going?!"
Guy and Pete egged Oliver on while Katie's eyes darted between him and Nanao in a frenzy.
Oliver, realizing his escape route had been cut off, tried to excuse himself. "L-look, I never—"
"Oliver, I'm waitiiing," Nanao insisted, growing impatient. Chela's, Guy's, and Pete's eyes bored into him; he could practically hear them calling him an ungrateful coward. Katie alone seemed to be opposed, but she couldn't even string more than a couple of words together. At last, Oliver gave in.
"...F-fine, if you insist," he muttered in defeat and stared at Nanao's profile. Her lovely, openly proffered cheek and her rosy skin, so full of life, waited excitedly for his approach.
"...!"
Calm down. A kiss on the cheek is a common greeting. There's nothing to get flustered about, he told himself as he nervously brought his lips closer to her skin, her eyes shut.
"Noll?"
Just before his lips could make contact, a gentle voice reached his ears.
He froze. "…Sis," he said, addressing the speaker as he turned in her direction. There stood an older student with pale-golden hair smiling quietly at him.
"Yep. We finally met up…on campus, huh?" she said haltingly, as if not accustomed to speaking. At this point, she noticed the stares from Oliver's classmates and, realizing her own mistake, gasped and put a hand to her mouth. "Oh…am I…bothering you? Sorry. I was just…so happy to…see you, I…"
"No, I've never thought of you as a bother," Oliver replied without a second of hesitation. Even so, the girl guiltily shrank back as she looked at the faces of the students around him.
"You have so…many friends. That's wonderful…," she whispered, putting a hand to her chest in genuine relief. That gesture alone was enough to show how deeply she cared for him.
"I should…go. But before…I do…"
"Oh—"
She glided over to him, slipped her pale fingers around his shoulders, and hugged him close. At the same time, she gently kissed him on the cheek.
"See you…Noll. Cherish your…friends."
And with that, she let go, gave a small wave, and turned. Everyone stared in silence as she left—Chela was the first to come back to her senses.
"Oh! How careless of me to forget to make introductions with an older student. Oliver, who was that?"
"…That was my cousin. I mentioned it before, didn't I? Her family took me in. They've always been kind to me," Oliver explained as he tried to steady his breathing, unable to keep up with everything happening around him. Katie's eyes narrowed.
"Hmmm… 'Kind,' you say, huh? Hmm…," she said, fixing him with an icy stare.
Oliver's face tensed from the pressure. "Katie, um, is it just me, or are you suspicious of me…?"
"Must be you. I'm totally not thinking that you sure seem used to her kissing you or anything."
"Erk…!"
Oliver clutched his chest and stumbled forward. Katie's icy stare was downright arctic. He desperately tried to explain himself.
"Wait, Katie. That was just her way of saying hello—"
"She even has a nickname for you—Noll. It has a nice ring to it. Too bad we don't get to use it."
"Urrrggghhh!"
This time, a lethal blow pierced his heart.
Oliver fell to his knees and remained motionless. Katie shot him a look and, her nose upturned, stood from her seat.
"Let's go, Nanao. I'll buy you lots of snacks as your reward."
"Mm? But Oliver has yet to…"
"To Oliver, a kiss is nothing more than a greeting. Something that minor can't possibly be worthy of being called a reward," she snapped with a heavy dose of sarcasm. With that parting shot, she grabbed Nanao by the hand and pulled her out of the cafeteria.
Oliver sat there crestfallen, not allowed to even offer up an excuse.
"…Where did I go wrong…?"
"…Mm. Well, cheer up, Oliver," Guy said, patting his friend's shoulder as he stifled a laugh. Guy looked absolutely delighted; scuffles like this were more in line with what he'd imagined school life to be, not battles with magical monsters. Pete snorted in derision, and Chela smiled awkwardly. Together, the three of them tried to offer Oliver a bit of life advice.
Their first alchemy class started that afternoon. Their instructor was Darius Grenville, whom they'd previously had a run-in with, so the six friends did their best to organize it so they'd all be in the same class.
"Some people still seem to be under the impression that this class is about crushing up herbs and boiling them in a cauldron," Darius began as the students faced the cauldrons and ingredients on their desks, "but alchemy was originally the study of transmuting gold. It is the pursuit of taking lower-class elements and turning them into something precious. The creation of magic potions, which people assume to be alchemy's main focus, is nothing more than a practical application of techniques fostered by this process."
Internally, Oliver agreed. At its core, that was certainly what alchemy was. Turning lead into gold, mud into humans, nothing into something—the pursuit of transformation that was so crucial to the concept of magic lay in alchemy.
"You will not simply be mixing together ingredients in this class. The materials you will be handling will frequently engender sudden transformations. In words that even your brains can understand—they are very dangerous. Melted cauldrons and arms are the least of your worries."
The instructor's condescending, mocking tone was a normal part of his classes, and the students didn't bother reacting to each and every insult. Slowly but surely, everyone was growing accustomed to the academy's ways.
"As you know, there's nothing I hate more than having to needlessly clean up after failures. Keep this in the forefront of your minds as you attempt the recipe I'm going to teach you now," Darius warned and then laid out a recipe for a softening potion.
Oliver instinctively knew this wasn't going to be simple. It was a tricky recipe with lots of pitfalls for someone attempting it for the first time. And of course, even at Kimberly, there was no way every student was going to show up to class fully prepared.
"Okay, let's do this thing," said Guy.
"Guy, I'll check over every step of your potion, so take your time," Oliver sternly cautioned his friend, who had carelessly began heating his solvent. Meanwhile, Chela moved to assist the equally worrying Nanao. This was Katie's best subject, so they didn't have to be concerned over her. The only issue remaining was Pete…
"Don't waste your time helping me. I practiced to perfection."
"R-right…"
Pete waved Oliver away before he could even say a thing. Oliver secretly prepared for the worst—he'd have to resign himself to cleaning up after the mess Pete was likely going to make.
No one said a word as they faced their cauldrons. The first twenty minutes passed without incident. Those who were already seeing results, like Oliver, plunged into the second half of the process. However, he dared not let down his guard. This was actually the most dangerous part, when everyone was at different stages.
"Whoa?!"
As expected, a shout came from the table behind him. Green liquid was erupting from one boy's cauldron like a volcano. Oliver immediately realized where the student had gone wrong, then paused what he was doing and dashed over. The boy had added too much bubblegrass during the boiling stage.
"'Scuse me, I'll take care of this!" he said, pushing the panicked student aside and standing before the cauldron. He started by extinguishing the fire, then threw a fistful of lime powder into the mixture to act as a neutralizer. The liquid, which had expanded to dozens of times its original size, miraculously receded.
"Th-thanks—"
"Waaaaaaaaah!"
Oliver couldn't even acknowledge the boy's gratitude before another mishap sprang up from another table. A girl shrieked and pressed her hands over her eyes after taking a faceful of bright-red steam from her cauldron. Again, Oliver dashed over. Did she not wait five seconds after putting in the vampire bloom root before removing the lid?
"Get her to rinse out her eyes! Use olive oil, not water! Everyone, get away from the cauldron!" He barked orders and warnings as he ran. Careful to avoid the steam, he ducked low and covered the cauldron with its lid. Instead of extinguishing the fire, he reduced it to a very low flame. If the temperature dropped too much, it would start producing even worse side effects.
"Okay, all good! Keep the fire at this level for five minutes!" he barked, then quickly turned on his heel. He needed to get back to check on his own cauldron soon. Looking over at his table, his eyes went wide as he witnessed Pete dumping a tablespoon of fine powder into his own cauldron.
"Pete, get down! You have to dilute that in ten parts water, then add a tablespoon!"
"Huh—?"
"Inversum!"
The light of his reversal spell landed a direct hit on Pete's cauldron, sending it flipping along with its stand. Oliver threw himself onto the upside-down cauldron, using the table as a lid.
"Guh!"
He grimaced from the heat of the cauldron's bottom but held on to the table with both arms and put his full body weight on it. Suddenly, Oliver's body lifted into the air with the sound of a muted explosion as a result of the powder mistake. Chaos filled the classroom as more incidents kept cropping up.
"Well, well."
Darius, who had remained at his podium the entire time, finally showed his first semblance of a reaction. He closed the grimoire he'd been reading, placed it on his desk, and approached Oliver with deep curiosity.
"What appropriate responses. What's your name?"
He gazed down at the boy with an intimidating glimmer in his eye.
Oliver expertly extinguished the fire on his own cauldron before answering. "…Oliver Horn, sir."
"Horn… I haven't heard that name. Must be a newer family." Darius exhaled through his nose and scanned the three cauldrons the boy had saved. "But you have good instincts. You'd have to have a very intimate understanding of the changes that happen within the brewing process, as well as the unique properties of each stage, in order to respond so efficiently. I can see you're very diligent in your studies."
The instructor was being oddly complimentary. He took Oliver's stunned silence for fear and chuckled.
"I'll remember your name and face, Mr. Horn. However, a word of advice: Pick your friends more wisely," he added at the end as he looked from Katie to Pete to Guy. It took Oliver more effort than ever before to hold his tongue.
"That was excellent, Oliver! Finally, people got to witness your talent!" Chela said, nearly hugging him in her excitement. She'd seen him being thanked in the hall after class by the students he'd saved, and now she was brimming with satisfaction. Guy laughed.
"It's so like you to jump to everyone's aid," he added. "I'm surprised you didn't have your hands full with your own cauldron."
"…I'm not that impressive," Oliver insisted. "The only reason I knew how to deal with those things was because I've made tons of my own mistakes. Just remembering my past failures is embarrassing." Oliver tried to hide that embarrassment, but he was more or less being completely honest. All three of the mistakes they'd seen today were things he'd already done himself. He'd just gotten a head start.
"If you've learned so well from your past mistakes, then that's all the more reason to be proud! Cease this modesty and hold your head high! A friend's honor is my honor, and you know that doesn't come cheap!" Chela joyfully heaped on the praise.
Next to her, their bespectacled friend looked dejected. "I hate to admit it, but you did save me. I'm grateful for that… And I'm sorry. I know you got burned," Pete clumsily apologized.
Oliver smiled awkwardly and shook his head. The burn on his arm was mostly the result of his own inattention. Kimberly's uniforms were high-quality magical textiles, so a hot cauldron bottom wouldn't burn the skin through them. It was his own fault for touching the hot metal with his bare skin while holding it down, and besides, the wound had already been healed.
Opposite him, Katie let out a hmm as she walked next to Nanao.
"So even you fail, huh…? My future must be guaranteed to be full of mistakes, then…"
"That's just fine. Go ahead and makes all the mistakes you like! For every great success, there are ten failures—at least, that's how I see it," Chela encouraged as Katie sank into insecurity. Suddenly, a voice from behind disrupted their chat.
"Mr. Horn."
Oliver turned around in surprise at the sound of the familiar voice. A second later, the other five turned as well, then stiffened nervously. There stood Andrews.
"Mr. Andrews. Can I help you…?" Oliver politely asked, careful not to provoke a fight. The boy paused, then opened his mouth.
"You might find this useless advice, but let me say: You'd do best to be wary of that instructor. There are many terrible rumors about him."
Oliver's eyes went wide at the unexpected warning.
"What do you mean, rumors?" he asked gravely.
"He likes to spot talented students and trap them as his assistants. He steals research results from the brighter students and presents them as his own theories… Okay, that last one is mostly suspicion. But that's just how shady he is," Andrews stated matter-of-factly, looking Oliver in the eye. "Most likely, he'll soon extend an invitation to you. It'll sound generous, but you'd be wise not to accept. It's a deep-seated belief among mages that the most outstanding talent shows itself first. On the other hand, all-rounders like you are often treated with little respect, like jacks-of-all-trades… This isn't just limited to that instructor, either."
The boy snorted unhappily. Oliver could hardly believe his eyes; he was so different from before. Andrews was no longer constantly on edge, but talking to him as his natural self. That tension in his gaze, like a bomb waiting to go off, had vanished.
"…I'll be sure to remember that. Thank you for the warning, Mr. Andrews."
"I don't need your thanks. I was just running my mouth. Good-bye," he said curtly and spun on his heel. Andrews started to walk away quickly but stopped after a few steps. "No, I forgot one thing."
"?"
"What I said earlier about all-rounders never becoming accomplished… Personally, I think that's nonsense. That's all," he said, never turning around, before leaving for good this time. After he rounded the corner and vanished down the hall, Guy spoke up in astonishment.
"That was a…friendly warning, right?"
"Y-yeah…I believe so… Wah?!"
Katie started to agree, when suddenly she noticed tears pouring down Chela's face and shrieked.
The ringlet girl took out a handkerchief to dab at her eyes. "Forgive me. I was just so moved… Rick, of all people, being respectful to a former enemy and offering advice…!"
She was the one most impressed by the change in her long-estranged childhood friend, and she was glad from the bottom of her heart.
Next to her, Pete recalled their earlier conversation. "All-rounders never become accomplished, huh?" he muttered. "I wonder what the truth is."
"…That might be the trend, sure. But that won't decide your future. There's more to mages than that. I have no intention of being content as a jack-of-all-trades," Oliver replied. He was aware that no one talent of his stood out from the rest, and to say this didn't bother him would be a lie. However, it had never occurred to him to ever stop trying to progress. "I'm gonna believe in myself. Wouldn't want to disappoint Mr. Andrews after all that."
Most of all, he now had the support of one more person. Oliver stared down the hall his comrade had disappeared down, warmly remembering this fact.
Now that her life wasn't being threatened as much as before, Katie threw herself more and more into trying to communicate with the troll. She'd visit its cage an average of twice a day, practically every morning, lunch break, or at least after classes. It kept her extremely busy, but she never once thought about skipping out.
"And then, I swear, Nanao said the funniest thing—"
She talked the troll's ear off. Of course, she never received a response, but that wasn't a problem to her. The important part was that the troll saw she came and was enjoying herself.
"..."
And in truth, some change was showing. At first, the troll had remained curled up in a corner of its cage, but now it sat right in front of the bars separating it from Katie. Little by little, it was starting to eat the grain porridge she left for it. Katie no longer required Miligan's company, and she could definitely feel the distance between her and the troll closing.
"Oh, sorry, I'm doing all the talking. I know! Why don't we sing together today?"
"..."
A sound like a large shell flute echoed from Katie's mouth. After a pause, the troll began singing in the same tone. Together, they were a two-person chorus.
"Yes! Good! I'd say you're as good as Patro!"
The girl applauded. The troll stared at her intently, and she gave a troubled smile.
"If only you could talk… Hey, what are you thinking right now? Probably something like 'That weird girl is back,' huh?" she asked, knowing it was pointless. It was impossible to perfectly guess another's thoughts, especially when those thoughts belonged to a completely different kind of creature. But that was what made communication worth trying for. However, the fact that they were only distantly related made things a bit frustrating.
"When I was smaller, I asked Patro the same thing and made him uncomfortable… Oh, Patro is the troll I grew up with at home. I told you about him before, right? I wanted to tell him all the new words I'd learned and chat with my best friend—but he couldn't respond. Eventually, I broke down in tears and sent Patro into a panic."
Katie's heart ached as she remembered, but she shook her head.
"But that was how I learned that I can't force what I want onto others. Instead, it's important to search for something you can do together. There's no use in trying to make something happen before its time… You just have to be with the person you want to get to know," Katie said softly, as if admonishing herself. She couldn't rid herself of the urge to get results fast, however. If she didn't, there was no telling when this troll might be executed. She wanted to at least establish a relationship that she could use as proof that it would never attack humans again.
Even so, she couldn't rush things. Winning the trust of a creature scorned by humans took hours upon hours as opposed to the single moment it took to destroy that trust. This was true not just for demi-humans and other beasts, but humans as well.
The girl was reminding herself to stay strong when suddenly, an incredibly shaky set of words reached her ears.
"…Stop coming."
"Huh?"
Confused, she looked around. She was supposed to be the only one there. After searching every corner, she was sure she was alone.
"…?"
Am I hearing things? Suspicious, Katie regained her composure and turned back to the subject inside the cage.
"That one, bad… You, stay away."
And then, she realized what had happened. For the first time in the weeks since she'd started coming, the giant demi-human was speaking human language.
"Flamma!"
A girl's voice echoed in the empty classroom. Fire wreathed the tip of her blade, forming a ball of flame, and then shot forth—only to explode and scatter sparks a few inches away.
"Mmgh, this certainly is not working…," Nanao murmured.
"Hey, you're so much better than before. Your athame wielding and pronunciation are passable by this point. Now all that's left to work on is your imagination and effectively managing your mana," Oliver said as he watched over Nanao's training. He'd been helping her practice the basics of magic ever since their first spellology class. "A spell is the bridge that connects a mage's imagination and reality. The fire from your athame must first exist within you. Imagine it in your mind—carefully, patiently. The heat, the color, even the shimmer of the air."
Under his tutelage, Nanao repeatedly attempted to cast the fireball spell they'd learned on their first day of class. She'd improved by leaps and bounds compared with back then, when she couldn't even get a spark to appear. However, she just couldn't get rid of the nerves that came with attempting an unfamiliar technique. Oliver crossed his arms and mused.
"…It's so strange. You have better internal mana circulation than most of our year. You're so good at it, you can unconsciously strengthen your physical abilities and even control mass. For an average mage, that's leagues more difficult."
"I was taught to manage the energy coursing within me during my sword training. However, I still find it difficult to understand how to control that energy once it has left my body. Oliver, how do you do it?" Nanao asked, pausing her sword swings.
He considered this for a bit. "The most important thing in practicing spatial magic is…to demolish the barriers between yourself and the outside world. Do everything you can to meld your mind with the realm that extends beyond your skin. Once you experience that feeling, spells no longer 'release' from you."
"Destroy the barriers between myself and the outer world. In other words…nonself?" she asked, referencing a word that did not exist in Yelglish. Fortunately, Oliver recognized what she was getting at.
"The secret Azian technique of extinguishing the self and becoming one with the world, huh? …It's a curious concept, but also critically different despite their similarities. A mage's goal in attempting to connect with the world is ultimately to expand the self. At its core, it's an invasive means of controlling and dominating the larger world as a whole. I don't know much about the technique you mentioned, but it's more modest in nature, isn't it?"
"Mm, 'tis true. Our teachings stem from the pursuit of keeping one's selfishness in check."
The girl frowned in thought.
Oliver joined her and put a hand to his chin, trying to think of a way to push her in the right direction. "But maybe the starting point is similar enough. You free yourself from the idea that 'yourself' is limited to what's inside your own skin, and free your mind from the chains known as your body. As far as magic training goes, that's definitely the first step. Yeah… If you can think of a method of training your mind along those lines, then go ahead and try it. It's not ideal to stray so far from the traditional path right away, but the sensation of expanding the self does vary from person to person."
This was the best he could suggest after much thought. He had to remember that this girl grew up in the distant land of Azia, where she'd never come into contact with magic. She had to learn from scratch, connecting the two worlds before she could attempt more complicated concepts. Currently, Nanao barely had any inkling of magic.
Nanao resumed her training with his advice in mind, and Oliver dutifully watched over her. Suddenly, they were not alone in the classroom anymore; Chela poked her head in from the doorway.
"Oh, there you two are."
"Chela? What is it? Did something happen?"
Oliver turned to see Guy and Pete with her as well. The three of them entered the classroom, confusion on their faces.
"I'm not exactly certain. Katie just came running up and told us to get everyone to meet in front of the troll's cage."
"Katie did…? What else did she say?"
"She was speaking too quickly for me to make out most of it. When she was done, she went off looking for Ms. Miligan. However…I did catch something about the troll talking."
Oliver's eyes went wide at the totally unexpected words.
"It talked? That troll talked? …In human language?" he asked, hushed, after a long pause.
"…That's one way to put it, yes. Wait—"
Before she could finish, Oliver was halfway out the door.
"Let's find Katie right now. Chela, do you know where she is?!"
"N-no, just that she went to get Ms. Miligan. It took us a while to find you two. It's been nearly ten minutes since then," Chela said, surprised at the sudden change in his attitude. The boy's lips twisted in a grimace.
"Then she's at the troll's cage…!"
The five of them ran as fast as they could down the stairs and burst from the building without pausing to catch their breaths, eventually arriving at the magical beasts compound.
"Katie! Katie, where are you?" Oliver shouted as soon as he approached the cage, but no one answered. Guy caught up and tried to soften the angry look on Oliver's face.
"Calm down, Oliver," said Guy. "She went to get Miligan. She's probably still at the academy."
"No, she might have already been here," Oliver replied and scanned for clues. His eyes landed on the cage, and he approached the iron bars.
"If you saw anything, please tell me!" he shouted. "Was Katie here just now?!"
"H-hey…"
"I told you, calm down! That troll's not gonna answer you!"
Pete could not have been more confused, while Guy grabbed his friend's shoulder to try to settle him. Their eyes on his back, Oliver continued to stare into the cage. Suddenly, they heard a voice.
"…Took away," came the halting response.
Guy and Pete froze in unison.
"H-hey, did it just…?"
"…Yep. It definitely talked."
"It can't be…"
The color drained from her face as Chela approached the bars.
Oliver continued his questioning. "Do you know where she was taken?"
"…Do not know. But… Place me taken before, must be. Dark, deep place," the troll answered, its great body shivering in fear.
Oliver turned to Chela, grimacing. "Chela, you know what this means, don't you?"
It didn't take long for her to connect the dots. As understanding bloomed in her eyes, the ringlet girl spun on her heel.
"Back to the academy, now!" she shouted. "Everyone, split up and search for Katie!"
Her sudden orders shocked Guy and Pete. Chela made to set off right away, but Oliver grabbed her.
"Wait! It's too dangerous to act alone. Chela, you take Guy and Pete and search the west side of the academy. Nanao and I will search the east!"
"Understood! Send a familiar to let me know as soon as you've found her!"
Their groups decided, they took off in separate directions. Nanao followed Oliver east.
"Oliver, what is going on?!" she asked.
"I'll explain on the way! We have to get back to the academy as fast as possible!"
They burst through the academy's doors, interrupting two first-years having a chat. Oliver immediately questioned them.
"Huh? Aalto and Miligan?"
"Oh, I saw them earlier. I think they went up that staircase—"
The moment he heard that, Oliver took off again. The students gawked as he took the stairs two at a time; simultaneously, he began explaining the situation to Nanao.
"We still don't know the identity of the person behind the troll rampage during the entrance ceremony. However, I've always wondered if that troll was really being controlled back then."
"What do you mean?"
"Ms. Mackley, the one who magically forced Katie to run at the parade, had nothing to do with the troll's actions. She did what she did because she was angry after Katie's comments about demi-humans. If another student had said the same things, she likely would have targeted them instead. In that case, we can consider Katie's enchantment at the parade as a coincidence."
On the third floor, they reached a dead end, with paths splitting to the left and right. After questioning another student, they turned to the left. As they raced down the hall into oncoming traffic, dozens of people shot them strange looks.
"That means the troll's actions were in pursuit of a different goal. Katie was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. So what was the troll trying to achieve? Why did it suddenly charge forward during the middle of the welcome parade?"
As he spoke, Oliver drew his white wand and held it aloft. It reacted to the residual mana in the atmosphere—the particles of perfume infused into Katie's robe—and began to glow slightly.
"Maybe it tried to run away from here—that's what I think. Try to remember that moment. When the troll charged at Katie, what was behind us?" Oliver asked, following the glow through the halls. To the six of them, the memories from the entrance ceremony were still fresh. Nanao didn't have to search hard for the answer in her mind.
"…The academy gate."
"Right. More specifically, the wide-open main gate that allowed the students behind us to enter the campus. If you and Katie hadn't stopped it, that troll's trajectory would have led it straight there. If its goal was escape, that would be consistent with its actions."
Nanao nodded in understanding. The halls became less and less crowded as they proceeded deeper into the building.
"And that's where I was stuck for a long time," Oliver continued. "I couldn't understand why the troll would want to escape. Of course, it could have been unhappy with its life here. Trolls are valued as beasts of burden and aren't treated as badly as kobolds, but that doesn't change the fact that they're forced into servitude for human convenience. Some trolls certainly would harbor deep grudges.
"That said, no troll has ever actually tried to escape captivity. They're smart enough to know if they try, they'll be killed. Remember our first magical biology class? The instructor oversees all the magical beasts on campus. All of them, down to the very last kobold, know just how fearsome she can be."
Following the trail, they leaped into a classroom. In a corner was an ancient full-length mirror, and as they approached, the glow of Oliver's wand increased. He and Nanao exchanged a look and nodded to each other, then drew their athames and cast the sharpening spell. Then, their swords in hand, the two of them jumped into the mirror. They opened their eyes on the other side to a gloomy section of the labyrinth. Cautiously, Oliver scanned their surroundings as he followed the light of his athame.
"But let's say a troll decided to escape despite the risks—the only reason I can think of for this would be it experienced something no other troll has. Some sort of suffering more excruciating than hefting cargo. Something so bad, it was worth risking death. Something it probably suffered daily. It just wouldn't make sense for it to risk its life otherwise."
"Pain that would make death preferable… What could that be?" Nanao asked tensely. After a few moments of silence, Oliver slowly answered.
"…It wasn't too long ago that a faction of the pro–civil rights group was researching ways to 'intellectualize' demi-humans."
"Intellectualize?"
"Just like it sounds, it was an attempt to raise the base intelligence of demi-humans from a magical biological standard. The elves, dwarves, and centaurs were granted civil rights because they're intellectually similar to humans. Some activists believed if they could meet the same requirements, other demi-humans would be easily accepted as equal to humans," Oliver said, bitterness rising in his expression. There were many points in the history of the magical world that would make one light-headed just to learn about. This was one of them.
"One of the most notable experiments involved attempting to teach trolls human language. However, I've never heard of it succeeding. Before they could perform enough trials to get results, criticism from the rest of the pro–civil rights faction against the intellectualizing of demi-humans killed the project. Their reason… Well, I doubt I need to explain it."
Oliver omitted the last bit, and Nanao quickly nodded. What he spoke of were experiments that sought to warp the lives of demi-humans to suit human sensibilities. It couldn't be further from giving them rights.
"Ever since, research into the intellectualization of demi-humans has stagnated. But the documents were never destroyed. It wouldn't surprise me at all to learn that somewhere out there, a mage collected them and is still continuing those experiments to this day. Especially in a place as dark as Kimberly."
"..."
"After everything we've witnessed, I'm certain now—someone's been messing with that troll's brain. So the troll couldn't take any more and decided to escape despite the dangers."
The glow of his athame grew brighter as he spoke. His throat drying up from nervousness, Oliver carefully proceeded.
"There aren't many mages skilled enough to produce results, though, even if they've taken up the mantle. The only example I can think of is someone who has researched demi-humans for years and knows every last bit of their biology."
The moment he said this, the tip of his athame glowed brighter than it ever had before. Swallowing, Oliver looked up. A thick wall stood resolutely before them, cutting off a section of the labyrinth.
"The trail continues beyond this wall… Let's go back to campus, Nanao."
"Mm? But Katie is on the other side, is she not?"
"It's beyond our capabilities now. Our best shot at helping Katie would be to notify a prefect like Godfrey or Whitrow—"
Their voices hushed, the two of them turned—and the wall behind them collapsed.
"—?!"
"Ngh!"
The void left by the labyrinth wall sucked them in before they could react.
After a few seconds of floating in the air, the suction lessened, and they fell to the floor. Thankfully, Oliver and Nanao managed to land expertly and stood up.
"Ha-ha! I welcome guests, but not these two. My research is still only half-complete. I'd rather the flames of purgatory burn me to a crisp much further in the future."
The two of them instantly raised their athames and braced for battle as a voice came from the darkness. The light of a small crystal lamp illuminated a bed. On it lay Katie, her eyes closed as a familiar older student loomed over her.
"Welcome to my workshop, Mr. Horn, Ms. Hibiya. I'm glad you could make it."
"Ms. Miligan…"
Her soft, welcoming smile was the same as always. But that was what had Oliver so disturbed.
"What a surprise. The fact that you found this place means you must have placed something on her. It's unlike me to have missed a tracking potion or familiar," Miligan said, tilting her head.
Oliver was glad he'd thinned the perfume's effects just enough so that only he could follow its trail. This also meant that it faded quickly, giving him no time to look for help.
"…What did you do to Katie?"
"Oh, nothing yet. I just had her go to sleep for now," the witch responded matter-of-factly. She looked at the two of them in turn, then curled her lips gleefully. "Still, what a fine crop this year's new students are. I can't believe it took just three of you to kill that garuda I trained. That was half a year's worth of work, you know. But it ended up dying the same day I revealed it to the world. Can't say I ever accounted for that."
The witch smiled wryly, as if to say, You got me! Oliver's eyes went wide.
"You were behind the attack at the Colosseum…?"
"Yes. My apologies for getting you mixed up in that. I didn't expect you all to show up to something as grotesque as a kobold hunt. When I learned the details later, I felt so awful about it. I need to be more diligent when prepping for a raid."
Miligan crossed her arms in a show of regret. This only lasted a few seconds, however, before she began chatting happily again.
"Now, listen to me. The garuda was a tremendous loss after all the work I put into it, but that's nothing compared with the joy I feel today. Finally—finally, a troll has spoken human language! Over a hundred years have passed since my grandfather started this research, and it's finally borne fruit!"
Her smile flashed in the darkness. Her face, covered on one side by her long bangs, was brimming with excitement.
"For so, so long, I couldn't figure out the last step. I was certain I'd adjusted their brains perfectly. This research is less like the major magical field of spiritology and closer to the neuroscience of nonmagicals—maybe we shouldn't look down on them so much. It's impossible to reproduce the function of speech without first understanding how the brain works. That was the first thing I endeavored to master. Despite all this, they refused to talk to me."
The girl sighed as she remembered her days of failure. She walked over to the bed Katie was lying on and continued.
"So if nothing was wrong with their brains, then were my methods of teaching wrong? I'd always wondered about this. But no matter how I adjusted my methods, nothing worked. The best they could do was repeat the sounds I made, never managing a humanlike conversation. After years, I was at my wit's end—and that's when I had my eureka moment. Who could have guessed that the key would be in my choice of conversation partner?"
She gently stroked Katie's cheek, like the girl was a precious jewel she'd stumbled across after ages of fruitless searching.
"It was without a doubt Aalto's great work that coaxed out the troll's ability to speak. I can only surmise that her daily attempts at communication unlocked its latent abilities. What was so effective, I wonder? The cadence of her words? Her attitude when interacting with it? Magic in her voice? No, no, there's no use rushing to guess. I'll know for sure soon enough," Miligan said, trying to calm herself down. She took out her wand and flicked it, chanting a spell. Suddenly, the tools scattered about the room flew to her.
Panicking, Oliver rushed forward. "What are you planning to do?!" he shouted.
"Ha-ha! Don't worry. I'm not going to hurt her. It would be such a waste to damage the savior of my research. I just want to inspect her body—her brain, to be specific—so I can analyze her talent," Miligan stated plainly.
Oliver remembered seeing many of her tools in the infirmary, and when he put that together with what she was saying, he quickly paled.
"Don't tell me you're going to perform a craniotomy…?!"
"But of course. Don't you remember? I said one of my masteries was neuroscience. The brain is so much easier to handle than the spirit, since it has an actual physical form. What's more, you can see characteristic trends in more talented individuals upon observation. Hee-hee! I'm sure her brain holds many wonderful secrets."
Her thin fingers stroked Katie's hair excitedly. The witch was saying she was going to cut open the girl's skull and inspect the contents. Oliver's expression sharpened in an instant.
"Oh, don't worry. This isn't a procedure an amateur can pull off. I won't let her feel any pain, and there certainly won't be any scarring. When she wakes up, she won't even know I've been looking at her brain. So just sit back and let me handle this. As you can see, I am a veteran!"
Miligan flicked her wand and chanted a spell. Countless will-o'-the-wisps danced on the ceiling, lighting up the dark room with their blue-white flame.
"Wha—?"
"—"
The sight left Oliver and Nanao both speechless.
The color of flesh glistened wetly in the wavering light. Bodies of all shapes and sizes silently filled the vast space. One had its stomach cut open; another's upper left cheek was removed; there was even another floating in a faint-green preservation liquid within a glass container. The various operations were all in different states of completion, but they were, without a doubt, all humanoid bodies.
Corpses, as far as the eye could see. A majority of the demi-human kinds Oliver knew of were gathered there, except for the three granted human rights. Their dead bodies were silent, equally cut apart and dissected—the remains of a lone witch's years of toil. A terrible urge to be sick rose in Oliver's throat.
"How… How many demi-humans have you butchered here…?" he asked, his voice shaking.
"Oh, so many," Miligan boasted. "If the number were easy to keep track of, I wouldn't be the expert I am today. You see, in this field, the greatest evidence of one's skill is the number of bodies one has dissected. You can't call yourself a magical biologist if you haven't personally reached into a rib cage and touched a beating heart." Her utter lack of shame as she explained was the hallmark of a true mage. Unfaltering conceit allowed her to trample over humanity in every form in the pursuit of her research. Nothing about cutting up demi-humans while preaching their salvation seemed backward to her at all.
Oliver was at a loss for words. Next to him, Nanao took a step forward.
"Give Katie back," she demanded.
"Oh, I will. Once I've had a look at her brain, of course," the witch quickly responded. As if to imply she would never compromise on this point, she glanced at a corner of the wisp-lit room. "However, the procedure will take some time. Have some tea at that table while you wait for me."
She pointed at a large table she seemed to frequently use. A tea set was indeed laid out on top of it. But next to the table was a small, goblin-like corpse with its guts spilling out. Oliver clenched his jaw and moaned. Was this the witch's idea of some sort of sick tea break amusement?
Determination settled in Nanao's eyes. She'd already realized there was no point in trying to change the witch's mind.
"…Oliver, it would seem conversing with her is a waste of time," she whispered.
"…! Wait, Nanao!"
The Azian girl dashed toward the bed Katie was sleeping on. Miligan made no attempt to defend herself, her wand hanging loosely in her right hand. The next moment, a terrible shiver ran through Nanao's entire body.
"Mm?!"
"Contrav!"
Oliver's spell hit Nanao in the back, freeing her to move again. She instantly retreated several paces.
The witch snorted as she watched. "Hmm, quick reflexes. It would have been much easier if that had ended it. You don't seem like a first-year at all," she said quietly.
Her right eye. Oliver swallowed at the sight of the eye she'd kept hidden with her bangs for so long. The iris was a mixture of red and green, and its pupil was long and split vertically. It was clearly not a human eye.
"The cursed eye of a basilisk…," Oliver said in a hush, shivering as he realized what it was.
Miligan chuckled and put her hand to it. "My doting parents gifted it to me as a child. Unfortunately, it has a mind of its own. It rejected my five older siblings before me, killing them, before finally settling within me. A parent's love is indeed a weighty thing."
Oliver had heard of this before. It wasn't uncommon for mages to wield the eyes of creatures with unique properties, more commonly known as cursed eyes. However, the basilisk's cursed eye was known to be extremely dangerous during the transplant process. It could only be implanted in a young child, when there was less chance of rejection, but even then, the chances of success were less than 10 percent. Those who weren't so lucky were petrified from the inside out, suffocating to death.
"...!"
Suddenly, like a bolt of lightning, Oliver understood. To Miligan, it made perfect sense to perform experiments on the demi-humans she claimed to love, cutting them apart and dissecting them. That was how she had been raised, after all. Her parents had transplanted the cursed eye into her while knowing she was 90 percent likely to die, and she still called it "love." Thus, she showed her love for demi-humans in the same way. Believing the results of her research would ultimately save them, she never batted an eye at the countless sacrifices.
Nanao gripped her sword cautiously, but terror was running through Oliver as he held his athame aloft.
The witch leisurely put away her wand, then drew her sword. "Well, you've seen my face now, so let me formally introduce myself. I am Vera Miligan, Kimberly fourth-year. My major is magical biology, specifically researching the biology of demi-humans. They have suffered for generations at the hands of humans, and as a civil rights activist, it is my greatest wish to elevate their position. Those who know of this eye all call me Snake-Eye Miligan."
Above them, the will-o'-the-wisps danced in a frenzy. The end of her introduction was the signal for the battle to begin.
"Don't let her eye stay on you for too long at close range, Nanao!"
"Understood!"
Oliver and Nanao took off, Oliver facing off against the witch's left snake eye from a distance while Nanao struck at her normal right side. Neither of them had suggested this beforehand—it was simply the natural formation they assumed. Electricity shot from the tip of Oliver's athame, to which Miligan smiled and responded in kind.
"Tonitrus!"
Bolts of electricity from both sides clashed in the air. Oliver's spell was easily scattered by Miligan's, which continued toward him without any loss in power. He gritted his teeth and jumped to the side. The difference in strength was unimaginable.
"Haaaaah!"
The moment Nanao stepped into melee range, she furiously unleashed a cleaving strike. Miligan blocked it with her sword, sliding back almost two inches from the impact.
"I see. Yes, very impressive. Now I understand how you managed to fight the garuda head-on," she muttered in awe. Apparently even to her, Nanao's swordplay was impressive. Continuing to circle around to the basilisk eye's blind spot, Nanao struck again and again. Miligan gleefully blocked everything.
"Oh, how exciting your future will be. And yet, you seem a bit too reckless for your current skills."
A section of the ground rose. This was a technique in the Lanoff-style sword arts, earth stance: Gravestone. The moment Nanao made to step in, her foot was blocked, and she toppled forward.
"Ngh!"
"Flamma!"
Just before Miligan could unleash a counterattack, Oliver's spell caused her to jump back. The witch nodded in understanding.
"Such precise intrusions. So you cover for her failure to guard, eh?"
Her expression was beyond simple confidence as she smiled at the two younger students fighting their hardest. To her, they were like adorable babes. However, the boy stepped forward, ready to make her regret her overconfidence.
"Clypeus!"
"Ngh—"
Just before he could step into one-step, one-spell distance, a gray wall shot up between them. Normally, this was a defensive spell to protect the user from spells. But at this distance, it was effective as a way to block his opponent's line of sight. Miligan quickly retreated in order to spot him from behind his cover, just as he'd expected.
"Impetus!"
The wind spell ripped through the wall, catching her off guard.
"Haah!"
She just barely managed to dodge to the left, canceling the rest of the spell with her defensively aimed athame. It was a perfect, instantaneous reaction to the surprise attack. Oliver stood behind his crumbling wall, sword in hand, as the witch shot him an approving look.
"That was a surprise. So you summoned a frail defense to—"
Nanao cut in again, not waiting for her to finish, but Miligan easily blocked her as she continued.
"—make me jump back, then launched your attack through it? By playing on the standard reaction to a defensive spell, you attempted a surprise attack. What a nasty strategy. Who taught you it?"
Realizing she wasn't pressuring Miligan nearly enough, Nanao increased the ferocity of her attacks. She rained down blows like a hurricane, which elicited a wry smile from Miligan.
"My, my, very impressive. You've gotten sharper compared with before," she said, once again casting Gravestone at Nanao's feet. But not one to be fooled twice by the same trick, Nanao changed direction and avoided it. She swiped horizontally, which Miligan blocked again.
"Ohhh!" Miligan cried in shock. "I'm impressed you've already learned to handle that. A proper duel against you would give me some real trouble. Perhaps I ought to take a more magical approach!"
Her cursed eye locked onto Nanao as she stepped in for a follow-up, forcing her to retreat. That bought Miligan a few seconds, which she used to fix them both in her vision and cast a spell.
"Now, let's dance! Tonitrus!"
Miligan's strategy instantly changed. Unlike earlier, when she'd seemed to be toying with them, the witch jumped back, maintaining the distance between them as she cast spell after spell.
"What, no counter? Not accustomed to spell battles, are you?"
Nanao jumped from cover to cover in an attempt to get closer while Miligan continued to keep her at bay with spells. Oliver gritted his teeth. It was hard for him to respond in kind, having to constantly move away from Nanao, but the witch's spells kept pushing them back together. The frustrating positioning spoke volumes about their opponent's wealth of experience in battle.
"Fragor!"
In a long-distance shoot-out, Oliver wasn't confident he could outcast the seasoned older student. That was why he feinted directly aiming at Miligan, then changed directions right before the spell emerged. The explosive spell erupted right next to the witch, above a workbench covered with vials of various solutions.
"Mm—!"
The vials shattered, and the extremely dangerous contents splattered in Miligan's direction. She spun around, quickly covering her body with her robe. The solution sizzled as it landed, eating away at the floor. The witch smiled.
"Can't ever let my guard down around you, can I? Why don't you cast an honest spell for a change?" She complimented him sarcastically, and Oliver clenched his jaw. She was vastly more skilled than he was. All his surprise attacks couldn't even stop her chatty mouth, let alone wound her.
"—!"
Don't stop. Think harder! Be clever! Be cunning! What can I use to make sure my spells hit? If I use every trick in the book, can Nanao's sword cut through her?
"—Mm?!"
As Oliver was trying to think of a new plan, he unexpectedly heard Nanao grunt. Snapping out of his thoughts, Oliver turned to look—and saw the girl being sucked into what looked like an ant lion trap.
"Careful, it's slippery there. Flamma!" Miligan sarcastically warned her, then mercilessly fired off a follow-up attack. She must have magically changed the floor, aiming for this exact moment. Fire engulfed the girl's body before Oliver even had a chance to try to help.
"Nanao!"
He turned his sword to cast a defensive spell on her, but before he could, a figure jumped out of the inferno.
"—Mm?!"
The girl charged, covered in flames. Miligan, taken by surprise, swung her sword around to meet her attacker. The girl's uniform was singed in places, and her body was burned all over, but this was surprisingly mild for having taken the full brunt of a fire spell. The witch cocked her head.
"That's strange. I could swear that was a direct hit. How are you still standing?"
"Haaaaah!"
In lieu of a response, Nanao swung her blade straight at her. Miligan easily dodged by hopping back, but her opponent wouldn't let up, so she cast another spell.
"Impetus!"
She unleashed the blade of wind from close range. The initial pressure cut shallowly into Nanao's limbs, sending sprays of blood everywhere. A direct hit would sever both her legs, but Nanao pointed the tip of her sword forward—
"Hah!"
—and twirled it as one would a spoon when scooping up honey, directing the wind to rush past her. The full force slammed into a workbench, cutting it in half. Miligan, seeing it crumble to pieces from the corner of her eye, looked shocked.
"I saw it myself, and yet…," the witch muttered. Her expression was far past awe and into dumbstruck territory. Oliver could understand the feeling all too well. In fact, he was equally dumbstruck.
"And yet, I still don't understand. Goodness—how did you do that?" Miligan asked Nanao as she tried to catch her breath.
Oliver instinctively understood what Nanao's silence meant—most likely, she had no idea what she'd done, either.
"You didn't cancel my spell with an opposing element. No, that was likely something akin to the Koutz style's Flow Cut. But I've never heard of precision that could divert a direct hit."
Oliver agreed with the witch's analysis. That was the logical conclusion. Adding energy to a compatible element transformed magic. It was similar to the disruption magic he'd used against the garuda. Elementals and regular magic were both easily manipulated by using the appropriate kind of energy.
"...!"
And yet, Oliver had needed to observe the garuda's elementals for a long time before he could achieve those results. That was how difficult it was to synchronize with the magical phenomena produced by another being. In the garuda's case, the elementals constantly surrounded it, so there was ample opportunity to observe them. But if Oliver had to do the same thing to a spell right after it had been cast, he would have said it was impossible. Canceling out the attack with oppositional magic would be far more realistic.
But Nanao had made the impossible possible. Most likely, in the moment her sword made contact with her opponent's magic, she'd instinctively adjusted her elemental compatibility and interfered with the spell. Such a thing shouldn't be feasible, but it was the only explanation.
Oliver stared at Nanao, forgetting to even blink. Conversely, Nanao, ignorant of his shock, smiled in slight embarrassment.
"My body still can't produce so much as a flame… But if a spell comes into contact with my sword, I feel that energy within me."
The puzzle pieces rapidly fell into place for Oliver. Yes, it was just as Nanao said—she'd been thoroughly trained in controlling the energy that flowed through her own body. So that's exactly what she had done. Using her sword, which was practically an extension of her body, she blocked the opponent's spell and felt its energy. Then she instantly adapted to that energy and sent it shooting off to the side, most likely unconsciously.
A shiver ran down Oliver's spine as his mind put it together. What incredible talent, to be able to clash with an unknown opponent's spell and turn it into her secret technique!
Miligan, seemingly reaching the same conclusion, turned to Nanao and slowly raised her sword.
"I'm curious to see how far you can take it. How about this? Fortis—," Miligan began.
The moment he realized she was casting a double incantation, Oliver snapped out of his daze and burst forward like a cannon. What am I spacing out for? Judging from the burns and cuts all over Nanao's body, it was clear she hadn't perfected her own technique. He couldn't sit there and let her keep repeating it!
"Lend me your fire!" he shouted curtly, standing shoulder to shoulder with Nanao. He raised his sword, and she understood.
"—flamma!" Miligan roared.
The double incantation fire spell rushed toward them, its heat strong enough to put the will-o'-the-wisps above them to shame. It engulfed them, stronger than any basic spell could hope to be.
"Flamma!"
"Flamma!"
And yet, the flames shooting from their athames fought back against it. Nanao's spell burst the moment it left the tip of her sword, and Oliver's spell absorbed it, causing it to grow in strength. Together, they pushed back with all their might against a section of the witch's inferno. The heat and flames rushed past them—when it was over, only Oliver, Nanao, and a small patch of ground around them was left unburned.
"…You overcame it with convergence magic? You must be joking!" Miligan cried in gleeful disbelief. Who could have predicted that not long after starting academy, two first-years would push a veteran like her this far? "Please don't get me so excited. I was merely going to have you two as an appetizer before starting on Aalto, but now I'm starting to want to dissect every last inch of you!"
A chilling smile spread across her face. Her right eye, filled with scholarly curiosity, glittered even more dangerously than her basilisk's eye. That look alone was enough for Oliver to imagine exactly what she'd do to them if their stamina gave out. He cast a deafening barrier from the tip of his blade and whispered in his companion's ear.
"…Nanao, you probably figured this out already, but—"
"Indeed, she is far out of our league."
Miligan had been toying with them the whole time. They'd have to be blind to have not noticed. In magical battles, the stronger the competition, the less time either side had for anything but casting spells. Yet here was Vera Miligan, chattering away. She hadn't even shown them 20 percent of her power.
"No matter how hard we try, she's just going to keep playing with us until she's bored. And as long as we're in her workshop, we can't count on anyone to come to our aid. We have to finish this while we can still fight."
"So you have a plan?" Nanao asked hopefully.
Oliver quickly explained the process. "…And that's about it. Understand?"
"Perfectly. It sounds thrilling, I must say."
Just like during the garuda fight, Nanao bravely hopped on board.
The corners of Oliver's mouth curled up. They were in such a desperate situation, yet she never changed. It was the greatest comfort.
"If you say so, then we can't lose. Let's go!"
"Right!"
Oliver gave the signal, and Nanao led by dashing forward. Behind her, he readied his sword. Miligan, recognizing their formation, settled into a firm stance and readied to counterattack.
"Hup!"
But the moment Nanao approached the workbench, the witch realized her mistake. Nanao hopped onto the desk and sprang up into the air.
"Oh—?!"
The vertical movement came as a surprise after spending so much time on the ground. Oliver had secretly cast an elasticity spell on the desk, similar to the spell Miligan had used to soften the ground. Nanao easily sailed over the witch's head, landing firmly behind her.
"Flamma! Impetus! Tonitrus!"
At the same time, Oliver unleashed a volley of varying elemental spells on separate trajectories: an arching fireball, a zigzagging blade of wind, and a bolt of electricity straight as an arrow. Miligan was stunned. The spells themselves weren't especially formidable, but the differing angle and speed of each meant she needed to deal with each one separately. She couldn't just blow them all away with one powerful spell.
"Haaaaah!"
She instantly began to chant a defensive spell when Miligan sensed Nanao coming from behind. It was too much for Miligan to handle—her sword was facing Oliver to stop his magic, and her basilisk's eye couldn't turn far enough around to catch Nanao. It would be different if she could pivot her whole body, but doing so would leave her vulnerable to Oliver's spells.
Oliver was certain this was checkmate. At this point, the difference in their magical abilities didn't matter. One sword and two eyes—as long as Miligan had to play by those rules, even the snake-eyed witch couldn't block this pincer strike.
"Ha-ha!"
At least, so he thought.
Miligan's lips curled in a sneer. The moment he saw this, a chill shot up Oliver's spine, warning him that his life was truly in danger. This plan threw absolutely everything they had at her. But this monster took it all in stride, revealing a true mage's smile.
Miligan raised one arm. Both her eyes and her sword trained on Oliver, she extended her empty left hand toward the oncoming Nanao. There was no meaning in this move. There couldn't be. Even the greatest mage in the world couldn't do magic without a wand.
And as if to deny all logic, the witch's left hand opened to reveal an eye.
"Ah—"
From where he stood, Oliver couldn't see what had happened. But he could sense it—he instinctively knew. A vision of irreparable defeat formed clearly in his mind. How? How had he not realized? Thinking back to the very first time they'd met, she'd always had one eye covered, as if to say, There's a secret right here. If she went out of her way to hide her eye, then as a mage, it was natural to suspect her of possessing a cursed eye. That was why he'd been able to respond so quickly when she'd first fixed Nanao with its gaze.
Anyone could have predicted that. Thus, there was no way that could be Vera Miligan's trump card. The true, terrible secret she held had to be something other than her left eye.
And Nanao was charging straight toward it, none the wiser.
In her left hand was a cursed eye—a third eye, completely removed from the realm of human reasoning. And yet, its existence made such perfect sense. Obviously, two cursed eyes could be harvested from a single basilisk's body. If one was lucky enough to survive the transplant of one eye, then there was no reason their body would resist the second one, either.
Then of course we'll put it in her, her parents must have thought. And yet, there was no benefit to losing both human eyes. They could still prove invaluable to their daughter in her future as a mage. In that case, they would implant the basilisk's second eye in a different place. Somewhere that could be hidden from passersby. Somewhere that could be covered.
"Ngh—"
Just before entering striking distance, Nanao realized she'd never make it. The second basilisk's eye in Miligan's left hand was fixed on her. The instant she took another step, its curse would take hold and turn her body to stone.
But she couldn't retreat, either. She'd dashed in with the intent to end the battle, and her momentum was too great to be stopped now. There was no way to dodge. If she was going to figure a way out, it had to be with all these facts in mind.
In that case, Nanao thought, grinning to herself, there is only one answer: I must make my strike reach her.
The grip on her sword, positioned at her side, loosened. She could not be stiff if she wanted speed. No—even if she let go of every last iota of unnecessary tension, she still wouldn't be fast enough. Her enemy was the demonic eye opening in Miligan's palm, as well as its invisible curse. If the curse relied on light to be transmitted, then it was fair to say it moved at light speed.
Thus, Nanao decided, my blade must become faster than light itself.
"Haaah…"
She let out a final breath before she stepped into striking distance. This ritual honed her focus as sharp as it could be, and she became one with her blade. How could she swing her sword to triumph over light? Nanao already knew the answer. And she knew how to get there, even if she didn't know the speed of light.
She just had to cut what lay ahead of her, return all obstacles to the ether.
And so she envisioned a blade that could slice through formless space, the passage of time, and anything else in between. Her vision was exceedingly naive, but also endlessly prideful. The rules of nature forbid it, yet she didn't even consider that.
And then—a single spell came into being.
"Huh?" Miligan uttered, feeling as if something was off. The Azian girl was frozen within the vision of her left hand's eye, exactly as she had been when she stepped into striking distance. Of course she was. Logic dictated that she could not possibly move after being hit with the basilisk's curse at this distance.
And yet, something was wrong. It was just a feeling. She couldn't place what exactly was wrong, but something about this scene was definitely not right. Somewhere, there was something that shouldn't exist. The moment Miligan realized this, she arrived at a single, final answer.
Miligan had assumed that the battle was over the moment Nanao stepped into striking distance. The vision from her hand's eye supported this. But if this was true… If what she thought was real…
Then why is her sword swing complete?
"Ah—"
Her hand, from her wrist up, fell to the floor. At the same time, the eye in her hand could no longer see, now that it was severed. An eye separated from its body, even a mystical one, can tell the brain nothing.
Reluctantly, she turned her head and her remaining two eyes to the side. This left her defenseless against the boy, but this wasn't an issue to her anymore. She just wanted to see for herself the last scene of her life—to burn the image of that girl's successful spell into her eyes.
"You… Did you just—?"
Miligan was unable to finish her question.
Heat, from the blood gushing out of her neck, and a strange sense of pleasure enveloped her as her consciousness slipped into darkness.
Nanao watched as Miligan's body collapsed with a thud, then sheathed her sword and silently turned around. Oliver, forgetting to lower his athame, simply stared at her in silence.
"Victory is ours, Oliver!" Nanao innocently proclaimed and ran over to him, quickly appearing right in front of him. Somehow this managed to kick-start his brain, and he just barely managed to squeeze out a reply:
"…Nanao, what did you just…?"
"Mm? What is it?" she asked, looking confused. It was then Oliver realized—once again, she didn't realize what she'd done. On the other hand, Oliver understood completely. He understood so well, he went from shivering in awe to doubting his own sanity.
The question was, how did this girl secure victory in the face of the witch's trump card, the cursed eye in her left hand? The answer: She cut the witch—along with time and space. Everything she perceived as an obstacle between her and her enemy, even the concept of distance, she sliced through so quickly that she even outpaced light. Of course, Oliver didn't see this. He could only analyze the results and make assumptions based on what made sense, and it all led to this conclusion.
"...!"
In truth, it would have taken a little time for the cursed eye's effect to kick in. Everyone had different levels of resistance, so there were a rare few ways that she could have cut through it upon stepping into striking distance. It was a strong weapon, to be sure, but it certainly didn't make the user invincible.
Nanao's strike, on the other hand, was different. As long as her target was within range of her sword, no method of resisting her strike existed. Even the use of sword arts wouldn't have helped much. How could anyone hope to fight back against a technique that cut you down as soon as you were within range?
An ultimate technique that allowed no resistance from the enemy, that ended the fight once used—in the world of sword arts, this was known as a spellblade. And the technique Nanao had just used was, beyond a shadow of a doubt, one of these. And it wasn't any of the six known spellblades.
In other words—a seventh spellblade.
This technique, still unnamed, could only be performed by one girl.
"..."
Oliver didn't know how to convey this to her. She'd only just become a mage recently. What was the correct way to express it?
The answer came to him quickly enough: It was not something he could decide on immediately, and it wasn't a good idea to decide right here, right now. He took a deep breath, paused for a moment, and turned to Nanao.
"…No, we can talk about it later. Let's just get Katie back to the academy."
"I agree. But what about her?" Nanao asked, her eyes on Miligan, the girl she'd just struck down. Buckets of blood poured from her neck and severed hand.
Oliver walked carefully over to the witch and inspected her. "…The only cuts are to her right arm and the left side of her neck."
"Mm, I spared her. She did not wish to kill me, after all," Nanao said reverently.
Oliver nodded. He didn't want to imagine the horrors that would've awaited them if they'd lost. That said, he doubted they would have died. Even during battle, Miligan had maintained her position as their senior. She might have wanted to analyze their brains after seeing their display of talent, but she never thought about killing them.
With that in mind, Oliver pointed his athame at the unconscious witch and cast a weak healing spell just to stop the bleeding.
"…She'll be fine now. Probably wake up in a few hours. Remember how no one died from the garuda attack? Mages are notoriously hard to kill."
Once he finished the spell, Oliver stepped away from Miligan's body.
Nanao nodded in satisfaction, then suddenly remembered something and turned to him.
"Oh! Oliver!"
"…?"
He looked back at her.
Exhaustion spreading over her face, Nanao struck her last blow:
"My reward. I expect a kiss this time."
When Oliver recalled the incident later, he claimed the hardest thing about it was not collapsing on the spot then and there.
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