Chapter 2

A Brazen Invitation: Suppose Someone Tried to Hit On You with a Pick-Up Line from a Cheesy Magazine

The reception room at the military school: a place of quiet dignity far removed from the sweat-soaked practice grounds and the swish of the teachers’ pointers in the lecture halls.

The couches provided wrapped themselves around you like a cloud, making it the perfect place for a nap (per Riho).

The tables were made of cypress, using only the best, knot-free planks. On the tabletop were sweets to accompany tea, the candy in particular mouthwateringly good (per Riho).

The paints and vases decorating the room were antiques of subdued shades and hues, all of which would fetch a decent price if sold (per Riho).

Perhaps they should start locking the door…

The room was mostly used for school-related business deals, but that was clearly not what was happening there today.

There was a small woman in an Azami military uniform—Choline. Normally expressive as all get-out, today she was grimly serious.

Across from her was a woman in an expensive suit—Rol Calcife. She seemed as calm as Choline was tense. An elegant smile played across her lips.

She was flanked by a girl in a hunting cap and an expressionless blond—those in the know would instantly recognize them as the Quinone sisters.

“Why are you here, Rol?” Choline hissed. Her eyes never left Rol’s face.

“Golly, you certainly hate me, hmm? I thought we were old friends,” Rol said, not at all intimidated. “Manners dictate you greet representatives from the host country.”

This visit appeared to be related to the Student Sorcery Tournament. Officially.

“I can’t see you caring about a tournament… You only move when there’s money in it.”

“That’s hardly fair. I’m headmaster of the Rokujou Sorcery Academy. Naturally, we’re putting everything into this tournament… Although, well, the participants are randomly selected by their seating arrangement. But whoever participates, we’ll hardly lose to the likes of Azami.”

Her elegant smile never wavered, but her words were laced with poison.

“…You snake.”

Rol was like a reptile lurking behind a porcelain mask. Even when Choline let an insult slip out, her expression never changed.

“Did I touch a sore spot? Well, Rokujou’s reputation isn’t what it once was, but we’re still better than the meatheads in Azami.”

She absently flicked the medallion pinned to the front of her suit. Most likely the symbol of the headmaster’s office.

“So you kicked people out of your way and sweet-talked the teachers into putting you in charge,” Choline observed.

Clearly, some history here—but even this didn’t get a rise out of Rol.

“That’s hardly fair, is it? Just sounds like sour grapes, Choline.”

“This is why you went through school without making a single friend,” Choline muttered, loudly enough to be sure it was heard.

This barb finally seemed to gouge out a piece of Rol’s heart. Her smile remained locked in place, but the furrow in her brow started drumming an eighth-note beat.

“Big talk from a failure who only mastered healing magic.”

“Can’t help who I am! And I was soooo busy being popular. You wouldn’t know what that’s like.”

The air between them seemed to warp. The corner of Choline’s mouth was twitching as rapidly as Rol’s brow. A drum battle for the ages.

“Your records at Rokujou were so poor you were forced to flee to Azami.”

“You wanna talk about records?! All you did was suck up to the teachers! And I didn’t run! A friend invited me here! I’ve got great friends even now that I’m grown up! My life is happy!”

This was clearly pushing Rol to her limits. Her smile didn’t fade, but now her leg was starting to hop. Her tea was gonna spill!

Seeing their boss at a disadvantage, the Quinone sisters backed her up.

“Now, now, Rol, don’t get all pissed because the obvious truth got dug up.”

“…If…you have no human friends…you could get a pet…?”

“You both shut up. This is business.”

Sorry, they were piling insult to injury instead of backing her up.

This farce concluded, Choline leaned over the table, scowling. “How ’bout we cut to the chase? I got work to do here.”

Rol pulled a photograph out of her pocket. It showed a girl with smiley eyes and a mechanical arm. Recognizing her, a flash of surprise crossed Choline’s expression.

Rol didn’t miss it. “You know her, right? This is Riho Flavin.”

Why would Rol be after Riho? Knowing full well everything this woman was involved in spelled trouble, Choline chose her words carefully.

“You came all the way to Azami for this?”

“I’m even busier than you are…and we’ve already done our homework. No use trying to hide it. Will you just call her here?”

Choline sensed dark intentions behind that perma-smile and considered her options.

Three against one. A disadvantage even on home ground. And this was Rol and the Quinone sisters.

“…Fine, I’ll call her. But she skips class a lot, so you may not be that lucky.”

With no idea what Rol was after here, her best option was to pretend to summon Riho, while giving her a chance to escape. Choline rose to do just that…but circumstances conspired against her.

“…” Phyllo suddenly twitched. Her dangling arms rose to a fighting stance.

“Wait…you mean?” Mena turned to the door as well, watching it cautiously.

Choline and Rol both held their breath, wondering what was happening.

A moment later, familiar cheerful voices came through the door.

“Yeah, it’s the best place to hang when you’re skipping! And they have candy!”

“But we shouldn’t be skipping, right?”

“A secret rendezvous with Lloyd…”

The door opened without a knock. Riho strolled in like she owned the place. “We shouldn’t…,” Lloyd objected, following, and Selen behind him, as close as possible, like, totally plastered against him.

“Augh, Riho!”

“Oh, whoops, occupied, eh… Rotten luck.”

Assuming she was about to get in trouble, Riho started to turn back…and then Rol slowly rose to her feet.

The porcelain-smile mask fell away, replaced by a villainous sneer, like a snake who’d spied the prey for which it had been waiting.

Riho’s eyes went wide, and she trembled. “…………Rol.”

“We meet again, Riho,” Rol growled, a sinister noise that seemed to rise up from the darkest depths. She moved to stand before Riho. “Glad to see you doing well. And that mithril arm intact.”

The mechanical fist clenched—out of fear or anger.

“Glad you care more about it than me. Proves you haven’t changed.”

Rol laughed like she saw right through Riho’s brave facade. “You expected anything else? Almost looks like it’s part of you. Isn’t that nice.”

Watching from the sidelines, Selen turned to Choline, whispering, “Colonel, who is this smug woman?”

“Oh, classmate of mine from Rokujou Kingdom. Rol Calcife. Smugness is her middle name… She was better at wrapping teachers around her finger than magic.”

“I see! A born politician.”

“God knows how many people were forced to drop out because of her… All to make herself look better.”

“I did hear that Rokujou Sorcery Academy’s reputation has been in free fall.”

“She’s rotting the place from the inside.”

The bitterness in Choline’s voice was enough to silence Selen.

Meanwhile, Riho and Rol were still going at it.

“Let’s get right to the point. You’re coming home, Riho.”

“Ha! That’ll never happen.”

“You know what that mithril arm is for.”

“Exactly!”

Rol stepped in close, whispering in her ear, “You don’t care what happens to the orphanage?”

Riho’s shriek was like nothing they’d ever heard come out of her. “You asshole! Don’t you dare!”

Clearly, that was the reaction Rol had wanted.

“Good… You know that place would collapse with even a slight decline in patronage. The allowance you send them won’t keep them afloat three days.”

“…They raised you, too. And you’d use them as hostages?”

“That’s in the past. What matters is now.”

“I guess you have changed. For the worse,” Riho spat.

Rol shrugged it off. “No use running. I can just drum up another arrest warrant and keep on your back.”

Riho was left gnashing her teeth.

There was a long silence.

Rol broke first. She sighed, looking like she was dealing with an obstinate toddler. “Fine. You’ve got until the Student Sorcery Tournament drawings begin. I’ll be in Azami till then…and expecting an answer.”

“…Tch.” Riho clicked her tongue but made no other response.

“Don’t forget the orphanage. Right, you two, work’s done. Off we go!”

Flashing one last reptilian smile, Rol left.

Mena and Phyllo moved to follow, but as they did, Phyllo stopped in front of Lloyd.

“…I’m still waiting for your answer,” she said.

“Er, answer?”

She was so close, he could feel her hot breath. He’d turned bright red.

“Who are you…?” Selen was not the sort of person who could let that stand. Her eyes bored into Phyllo.

Phyllo failed to notice. Her blank-faced stare focused exclusively on Lloyd.

“…I’ll wait as long as it takes.”

“Phyllo, come on! You can flirt with Lloyd later!”

Phyllo clasped Lloyd’s hand briefly before reluctantly allowing herself to be dragged away.

“Well? Lloyd, what happened between you and that woman?!”

“Uh, I don’t even know…”

Things were growing ugly—baselessly, but still. Meanwhile, Riho was standing stock-still, shaking.

“Uh, Riho? You okay?”

But Riho didn’t even notice Choline’s question.

“…Shit,” she said, biting her lip. Her eyes locked on her left arm.

The light streaming in the window caught the mithril arm, giving it a forlorn gleam.

In the faculty office at the military academy a few days later, Choline was angrily staring at a list of names, surrounded by teachers focused on their own work. If she’d had a red pen tucked behind her ear, she’d have looked like your typical guy at a racetrack.

Naturally, Choline was not angry at a horse race or a bike race but struggling with the selection for the Student Sorcery Tournament.

Rol’s challenge had only poured flames on the fires that Choline had already stroked. She was desperate to get a group together that would have a decent showing.

“Why are they all jocks?! Magic matters! You agree, right, Chrome?!”

Chrome nodded mechanically, having long since made his peace with this. “Yep, yep.”

“Sigh… I had hopes for Riho, but she’s dead set against it, and Selen won’t go unless Lloyd does, but if I put Lloyd out there… Hngg.”

“Yep, yep.”

They’d looped through this same conversation several times already, so his smile-and-nod had long since become pure reflex. Chrome was in the zone.

Then the office door slammed open. Selen stormed in, stalking wordlessly over to Choline, the fury radiating off her so palpably that teachers automatically apologized in her wake.

“Hey, what’s up, Selen Hemein?” Chrome asked, surprised.

Paying him no attention, Selen drew level with Choline and snapped, “I demand an explanation.”

“Er? Why? For what?” Choline blinked, totally befuddled.

Selen’s glare grew even fiercer.

“First, that woman! The salacious one with the clearly inappropriate relationship with Lloyd! How?! Who gave her permission to clasp Lloyd’s hand?! What’s their connection? What answer did she refer to? Start with that! Tell me everything you know if you want to live!”

“You stormed into the teachers’ room for that?!”

Selen’s priorities were always Lloyd first and then oxygen, water, and food.

Choline pressed her fingers to her temples. “Oh, right… I forgot you’re this way, Selen,” she said, giving up. “That was Phyllo Quinone, younger of the famous mercenary duo the Quinone sisters. She’s a master of the lost martial arts from ancient times, which is the style founded by Pyrid the Fierce God. You’ve heard the legends, I gather? About how Pyrid shattered a mountain with his fist and carved out a sea with a single kick?”

“D-list celebrities always boast about nonsense. And what’s her relationship to Lloyd…?”

“Well, obviously, that’s their business, and I don’t know squat about it.”

“Fair. I’ve asked Lloyd, but he just says he doesn’t really know her, so I’m getting nowhere… Clearly, she’s some sort of vile succubus trying to bend Lloyd to her will with pleasures of the flesh.”

The light had returned to Selen’s eyes, and she happily changed the subject.

“Anyway, what about Riho? You know anything about that? You and that Rol lady were classmates, right? Riho isn’t one to talk about these things.”

“…I really wish I knew something, but I’m clueless.”

“Then the reason Rol wants Riho is…?”

“Sorry. I have no idea whatsoever. You’ll have to pry it outta her somehow.”

Rol and Riho clearly had history. And not a pleasant one.

“She almost never speaks about the past,” Chrome said. “Or her mithril arm.”

“Sigh… I need her to go back to being the old Riho soon.”

Wow, she really is worried about Riho! the two teachers thought, smiling. But they were forgetting one important thing: This was Selen.

“It’s not fair that Lloyd’s all worried about her and leaving me in the dust! He’s so nice that he might eventually get worked up enough to say she can use his body as she pleases to cheer her up! He’ll offer himself up to her, and their bodies will speak a language that…! Why can’t I be in her shoes? Oh, now that I think about it, there have already been signs! We must appoint a love supervisor at once! Excuse me.”

Sounded like she was the one getting worked up. Having delivered that torrent of words in a single breath, the love supervisor darted out into the hall… Hopefully, she wouldn’t get herself arrested.

Well, the protagonist of this series is one to worry about other’s bad moods like they are his fault, which meant Lloyd was thinking of little else but Riho.

On the way home from school, he was so lost in thought that he’d bumped into a pillar, leaving a red mark streaked across his forehead (and a crack in the pillar). But he eventually reached the shop on the East Side.

“I’m home!”

When he opened the decrepit door, he found Marie looking just as worried as he did. She was dithering back and forth, clearly at a loss as to how to proceed.

Only one thing was on her mind: She had embarrassed herself in front of Lloyd in a most unladylike manner. She had done such a good job convincing herself he thought less of her for it that she’d gotten no work accomplished all day.

“Oh… Welcome back, Lloyd.”

Lloyd, of course, had already forgotten all those indignities. Or at least, he’d used his magic phrase, “City folk sure are different!” to put a positive spin on them.

So he just smiled at her like he always did, assuming she must be hungry.

“Eh-heh-heh, for dinner tonight, I figured I could rework some leftovers from the school cafeteria! Just you wait and see.”

This smile won Marie over every time. Certain once again that he didn’t hate her, she grinned back. So easy!

“Sounds great! I’m looking forward to it.”

“Mind wiping down the table? And setting it?”

Their relationship was very much like a mother and a little kid. Hey, you two! Don’t forget that she’s your landlord and you’re her guest!

Watching Lloyd in the kitchen, Marie started humming to herself, as if her crisis of a moment before had never happened. With her worries gone, her mind was blue skies again.

And another thought crossed it.

Right, my dumb master, the loli grandma Alka, can’t come here nearly as often! What could be better? This might be my best shot!

Shot at what, exactly? Still, with the other village leaders furious at Alka for dereliction of duty, she definitely couldn’t show up often until the harvest was done. She had to be the world’s least authoritative chief…

Marie’s emotional state had been akin to your nerves when cops lurk around, even though you’re totally innocent. Alka could watch her from a distance, teleport here, and place all manner of curses on Marie with the power of runes. And eat for free. Yeah, she was more like a bandit than a cop, really…

But now Marie was released from that, so…it was safe for her and Lloyd to engage in a little physical contact! Maybe she could sneak over and take a bite of the food and get scolded for it.

“Oh, right, Marie,” he said, startling her out of her reverie. “I could use your help with something.”

“Gweh!” She let out a weird squawk, and he laughed.

“Nothing that surprising!” he said, stirring the pot, lid in one hand. He glanced over his shoulder at her. “Just something I could use another perspective on.”

“Oh, sure! Go ahead! Lay it on me!” Marie thumped her chest dramatically, and Lloyd relaxed a little.

“Well…a friend of mine’s got a problem and is clearly really depressed about it. I’m trying to figure out how I can cheer her up.”

Marie’s mouth snapped shut. Then a thought crossed her mind.

Wait, could he mean me?

She certainly had been depressed, worried that he hated her. Maybe this was some roundabout way of comforting her? Marie figured she’d better check.

“Hmm? A girl you know?”

“Uh, yeah. Which is why I’m not sure what to do.”

“…………………Foom!”

“Er…what?”

This was the sound of her delusions exploding. To Marie, he’d just confirmed her suspicions, and she was now convinced he was trying to cheer her up. Endorphins were practically leaking out of her.

“Yer such a good boy!” she squealed, inexplicably acquiring a western accent.

She coughed, trying to cover the slip, forced the grin off her lips, and then pretended she hadn’t figured it all out.

“Hmm, well, I suppose you could play it safe and invite her to a meal.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, you know, build the connection between you, get to know each other better…kind of a date, really.”

“A d-date?!” Lloyd instantly turned bright red, which was adorable! Marie was screaming inside. “But who would be happy if a wimpy lump of nothing special asked them out?”

“What are you talking about? Of course, she’d be thrilled! Be a little aggressive! Take her hand and pull her along! I—I mean, all girls like that!”

She was pushy in a way you can only be when talking about yourself.

“Do they? Well, okay. I’m glad I asked you! Thanks!”

Lloyd bowed his head, and Marie did, too, thankful he was thinking of her (in her delusions).

“Not at all!”

“Then I guess I’ll ask Riho on a date tomorrow!”

“…Whaaaaaaaaaaaat?”

Caught mid-bow, Marie’s head alone snapped up, staring at Lloyd. This was disconcerting to look at.

But Lloyd had already turned back to the pot he was stirring. It smelled like stew. A creamy one.

“Uh, Lloyd…can I ask…?”

“Oh, I’m making stew!”

“Er, no, not about that…”

“And some iced tea with it!”

“Y-yeah, but…uh…”

He took the iced tea out of the fridge and poured it into a couple of glasses.

“I’m glad I asked,” he said, smiling to himself. “Riho’s been so gloomy lately…and won’t tell us why. Meanwhile, Selen’s been biting her nails and uttering curses under her breath…”

“……………”

Marie deflated. She’d clearly jumped to conclusions and then dug her own grave by pushing him into a date.

“Are you okay there, Marie? …Yikes…”

Marie had started gnawing her fingernails, mourning her own vapidity—and was clearly not in a chatting mood.

“Is nail-biting a new trend?” Lloyd muttered to himself as he began ladling out the stew.

“Lloyd…what happened while I was in the hospital?”

It was the next day, in class.

The moment Allan entered the room, he made a beeline toward Lloyd. In the previous class, he’d been carried to the hospital in critical condition, obliterated beyond what healing magic could handle. The doctors said it was a miracle he’d survived.

A drop of sweat rolled down his boorish, bandage-wrapped face, his eyes focused on…

“……………”

…Riho, looking extremely grumpy. But not just any old bad mood; every so often, her face would droop, regret written across it. It would take a lot of courage to speak to anyone in this state.

At first, the classmates had assumed she was just having a bad day, but after several bad days in a row, they were all avoiding her like the plague.

“None of us know why, either… I’d love to help, but…” Lloyd was at a loss.

This made his self-appointed mentee snort mightily and thump his chest. “Well, that’s what I’m here for! Consider me at your service! I’ll see if I can figure this out for you!”

But another girl stepped in to stop him.

“Hold it right there, you insensitive brute!”

Selen appeared, standing right up against Lloyd.

“I’m neither of those things!” Allan protested.

“How soon you forget! Remember how you called me the Cursed Belt Princess and accused me of stalking Lloyd? Thanks to you, that got me questioned by the police.”

“That’s got jack all to do with delicacy, lady. You were literally engaged in criminal behavior.”

Allan’s reasonable comeback rolled off her like water off a duck’s back. With utter confidence, Selen turned toward Lloyd, speaking passionately.

“You see, Lloyd? Leave this to me! I shall cheer Riho up! And once you see my success…mwa-ha-ha…”

“Uh, okay… I don’t get why you’re laughing, but worth a try!”

This pledge secured, Selen spun around and headed straight to Riho, utterly sure of herself.

“…What, Selen?”

“Heh-heh-heh! Riho, you seem down in the dumps!”

“…You noticed? Then go away.”

Riho offered no leads whatsoever, but Selen was not so easily defeated. She whipped a photograph out of her pocket and held it up in front of Riho.

“This calls for emergency measures! I shall allow you the privilege of seeing the best of my secret stock of Lloyd photos. It breaks my heart to share these, so they’d better work.”

Even from a distance, the pictures had images of something the color of skin. In fact, they seemed a little too fleshy… And served as definitive proof of her snooping.

“……………………………………” Hmph.

There was a very long silence, and then Riho turned away.

“Right, time’s up, Selen.” Allan grabbed her by the collar and dragged her back to Lloyd.

“Objection! She took a very long look at it! Riho! You should at least thank me! Hey! Let go, Allan!”

The man with the big ax deposited Selen by Lloyd, who just looked anxious. Allan flashed them both a confident grin. “Guess I’m up next!”

“You certainly seem sure of yourself. Yet I doubt you understand the first thing about how women think,” Selen said, straightening her collar.

Allan wagged a finger at her. “You’d be wrong, Selen. Wrong from the very start.”

“Wrong how?” Lloyd asked.

“Listen, Riho earned her infamy as a mercenary. She kept herself fed in the harshest conditions. You’re better off not treating her like some glove-wearing lady. She’s an ill-mannered, flat-chested—”

“Uh, um…,” Lloyd yelped, his horror proving how nice he was.

“—So it’s best to approach her just like you would another guy. Simple! Go for an easy dirty joke, laugh about it, and she’ll feel better!”

Allan turned and strode confidently over.

“Yo, mercenary! Have I got a joke for—”

Before he even finished the sentence, Riho’s best punch landed straight in his face. She’d swung the mithril arm, of course.

“A-aughhhh! Those wounds had finally closed, too!”

Riho followed the punch with an extremely serious kick, which scored a smash hit on his ass. Hole in one!

“E-eek…ohhh…” In throbbing pain, Allan hobbled away, clutching his ass.

“He won’t be back soon,” Selen said, coldly analyzing the situation.

Lloyd cast a worried glance after him but then nodded firmly and went over to Riho himself.

“Your turn now, Lloyd?” Riho asked, looking thoroughly annoyed.

“Yes, Riho. Um…”

“I don’t even want to talk to you, Lloyd. This is my problem—” She fluttered a hand, shooing him away.

But he was undaunted. He spoke so loudly, his voice echoed through the classroom.

“Will you go on a date with me?”

“…What?”

Riho just gaped at him. Like, he’d just asked her out? In broad daylight? In front of everyone?

A stir went around the room: “Seriously?” and “Lloyd’s a man now,” and “Kua-w-se-drftgy-fujiko-1-p!” …One of them seemed to be speaking in tongues.

Lloyd stared intently at Riho, oblivious to the commotion scoring the scene.

“Uh, well…I don’t understand what…” Riho had turned uncharacteristically red.

Lloyd took her hand, holding it tight. “Let’s go! Come on!”

“Huh? No, wait… What about class?”

“You’re far more important, Riho!”

The last thing the class heard was the hiss of steam leaving her flushed face.

The two of them entered a café on the South Side. The light of lanterns reflected off the copper dishes inside, giving the whole place a warm, welcoming vibe.

“This place is supposed to be good. I just haven’t had a chance to come here before… Oh, don’t worry about paying. Colonel Choline gave me a free coupon!”

“Uh, sure.”

“I’ve been secretly thinking about trying to reproduce the flavor of a famous shop, so this would be perfect.”

“Uh, sure.”

Riho was barely answering, her mind still not having caught up with the intensity of his invitation. Or the fact that they were still holding hands. Lloyd turned and looked sheepishly at her.

“Er… Sorry. I kinda pushed you into this.”

“N-no, it’s fine. I just…didn’t expect you to go all macho.”

“Ah-ha-ha, well, I am a man.”

“Y-yeah, you are.”

“Let’s order! The donuts here are supposed to be great! They serve lunch and dinner, too, but it’s the donuts that people line up for.”

Lloyd babbled on about the shop, but one word in particular caught Riho’s attention.

“…Donuts.”

“Hmm? You’re a fan? See? You’ve got a girlie side.”

“N-no! I didn’t mean…!”

“You don’t have to pretend. I think it’s cute! And being girlie isn’t bad, you know.”

Lloyd was clearly teasing her—probably as payback for the crack about his macho act. Riho was totally not handling it, shaking her head forcefully enough to resurrect her bedhead.

“I’m not cute! I’m an infamous mercenary! And mercenaries are…sweaty! We like salty things better than sweets!”

Riho certainly had a waterfall of sweat running down her. But she looked so obviously like a girl rattled by an embarrassing situation that you would never take her for a mercenary now.

“Er? You sure? The donuts are supposed to be really good.”

“Sh-shut up! A mercenary’s word is her bond! Bring me the saltiest thing at this establishment! Stat!”

“Uh, well, okay. Excuse me? A donut and…”

Thunk!

A matter of seconds after the order was placed, a plate with a giant pickle (whole) was dropped in front of Riho.

“Our shop’s prized homemade pickle! And here’s your donut and coffee.”

So much vinegar was wafting off the thing, it was making her eyes sting.

“…”

“…Um, Riho, are you sure about this?”

“…Munch. Munch-munch-munch-munch. Oh! Munch-munch! Boy, this is just great! Munch-munch-munch-munch, blegh, munch-munch-munch. Yeah! Chomp-chomp. Nothing like pickles after you work up a sweat! Blergh. Goddamnit!”

There were definitely a few dry heaves mixed in, but she soldiered through. She could see Lloyd looking very apologetic through the tears in her eyes. The staff were starting to whisper. If she ever came back, they would definitely have nicknamed her Ms. Pickles.

“Um…I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize! I love pickles! Pickles forever!”

“I didn’t mean the pickles… I mean, I’m about to ask something you might not want to answer.”

“…Sigh.”

“B-but I’m worried about you! You’ve been in the dumps…and I didn’t know what to do. So…”

“So a date?” Riho let out another vinegary sigh and buried her face in her arms. “You give everyone the wrong idea for someone you don’t even like.”

“What? I like you a lot, Riho.”

“Snort!”

It seemed pickles had gotten in her nose somehow. She might be smelling vinegar for a while.

That took her out of commission, and Lloyd had to pat her on the back. The warmth of his hand and the pickles left her looking rather tired.

“…You know the guy’s supposed to pay on a date, right, Lloyd?”

“Oh, yeah, I had heard that before. I bought Selen something at a bakery, and she said, ‘If a man pays, that makes it a kind of date.’”

“What a happy woman.” Riho flashed Lloyd a grin with a hint of her old spirit. “But even if you do pay for it, I’m a mercenary… I don’t like leaving debts unsettled. So I guess…”

“?”

“Fine, I’ll fill you in. Just you. A piece of my life story.”

Lloyd’s face lit up like a light bulb. He smiled like a child who’s been taken to a toy store and told they can buy whatever they want.

“Th-thanks!”

While this was going on, a woman was observing them so closely she’d forgotten to blink. Need a hint? Think stalker… Oh, well, guess that’s kinda just the answer.

“Kua-w-se-drftgy-fujiko-1-p!”

Selen has seemingly not yet recovered the capacity for language. There was a voice-like noise spilling out of her, and her dry eyes were plastered to the café window. People walking by were giving her a wide berth.

That mercenary! Riho Flavin! You just looooove getting your back patted, don’t you?!

Since she was outside, she couldn’t hear what they were saying, but desperate to know what they were talking about, she attempted to silently infiltrate the café.

I’ve got to be very quiet… I know Lloyd can detect any human within a hundred-yard radius…

Her daily stalking efforts had given her a very precise measurement of Lloyd’s detection range. Her next measurements might well be for a prison uniform.

Inside the shop, Selen crept forward.

I’m still safe… If I don’t speak, he won’t notice me over the din.

“Ah, ow… At least it didn’t bleed, but I’d better stop by the drugstore and get some ointment just in case.”

At this point, Allan walked by, clutching his hindquarters. Apparently, he’d decided to buy medicine for his butt injuries and come all the way to the South Side in his quest. This feeling of shame is virtually universal.

But for Selen, at this moment, he was nothing but an obstacle to eliminate.

Sch-sch-sch-sch. (The sound of her scurrying along the ground.)

“Mm? What? A roach? No, Sel—”

Shiiing! (The sound of a rapier shoved up the butt.)

“Mwahhhgh!”

Thud… (The sound of her seizing the opening to deliver a chop to the neck.)

“Hahh…”

Allan fell over, blood spurting out his backside, and he was swiftly deposited in the shrubbery. All of this took less than five seconds.

Hmph… I thought I might need that move someday. I was right to learn it.

And wrong as far as society was concerned.

Back from that comic aside.

Inside the café, Riho and Lloyd both looked very serious. Allan, meanwhile, was also in serious condition, but let’s ignore that for now.

“I guess I mentioned it before, but I’m an orphan. A war orphan.”

“Uh, yeah.”

“Was lucky enough to get taken in by an orphanage in the region of Flavin. That’s where I met Rol Calcife.”

Riho took a breath, hesitating, and then let it out.

“She was like a big sister to me.”

“That…snakelike woman?”

Riho chuckled at this.

“A snake, huh? She’s a snake now, but she wasn’t always. Back at the orphanage, she had a real knack for magic, enough to earn herself a scholarship to Rokujou Sorcery Academy. One of us made it to the big time! We looked up to her.”

There was clearly a lot of regret in her voice, so Lloyd stayed quiet, listening.

“She used to teach me magic. She was good at it. I could see why she’d earned that scholarship.”

“So that’s why you know so much?”

“Back then, I didn’t really have full range of my left hand—because of burns I’d suffered in the war. I envied everyone who could help earn money for the orphanage. And then Rol came back.”

The fingers of her mechanical arm snapped together, delivering a clear, metallic noise.

“—And she brought this arm with her.”

“She gave it to you?”

“I was thrilled. My idol bringing this to me? I could help earn money for everyone.”

But then Riho’s tone dropped low.

“When I found out why, I ran for it.”

“Ran for it? …Why?”

“Mithril has the power to absorb a human’s magic and amplify it,” Riho explained. “The more you hone your skills and the more it becomes part of you, the stronger the effect. It’s like a plant that’s dug its roots into my useless arm, sucking magic out of me even as we speak. But because of that, I can move it as I please.”

She set her mithril arm down on the table with a clunk. With the lights of the shop reflecting off it, it was quite beautiful.

Lloyd absently reached out to touch it, and Riho pulled it back.

“Oh, better not touch it barehanded. Even if you just brush the surface, it’ll suck magic out of you.”

“…Even that light a touch?” Lloyd said, looking worried. “Then if you’re wearing it, it must be…”

Riho nodded wordlessly. An even gloomier look passed over her, and she moved to the real meat of her explanation.

“Rol put this arm on me to fill it with my magic power…trading my life to pull out the Holy Sword.”

Lloyd’s expression grew grim.

Riho held her arm out in front of him. A moment before it had seemed almost beautiful, but now that he knew it was a threat to her life, it was terrifying.

“The Holy Sword is somewhere in a forest north of Azami. You need a lot of magic to pull it. They say no normal human could do it.”

“But with mithril…”

“Yeah. Rol thought if I filled it with my magic to the brink of death, it might be possible for me to retrieve it. And she happened to find an orphan with unusually high magic—me. That’s why I became her target.”

Lloyd fell silent. The only sound was the bustle of the café around them.

“I don’t know why she wants it…but now she’s holding the orphanage hostage to coerce me into pulling it out. And that ain’t good.”

“Wow…”

“The ‘sister’ I idolized is telling me to go die for her. I did everything I could to get this arm off me, but nothing works. The mithril is fused with my flesh… It’s too late.”

She showed him where the metal met her arm, the scratch marks from all the times she’d tried to pry it off.

“So I ran. Rol framed me for some crimes, leading to a warrant for my arrest. Still, I worked my ass off, earning as much money as I could…because that way, I could repay the orphanage for everything they did for me.”

Lloyd nodded to himself. “I see.” This was why Riho was so focused on money.

“I couldn’t quite believe—I still don’t want to believe Rol would do this. But if she’s threatening to crush the orphanage that raised her…I can’t trust anyone.”

Lloyd had never seen Riho look this lost. Before he knew it, he’d taken her hand—the mithril one.

She didn’t have a chance to pull away, turning bright red.

“—! Didn’t you hear me? It’ll drain your magic!” she sputtered.

“I don’t care…and…” Lloyd tightened his grip, looking very sincere. “…I won’t ever betray you, Riho.”

“………Mm.” After a long pause, Riho dropped her gaze, her face burning.

“Well, I’m only a cadet because someone took pity on me. It may be years before I can really be of any use to you, but…”

Lloyd gave her mithril arm a reassuring squeeze.

The girl across from him returned a smile tinged with embarrassment.

“You already are,” she said. “Thank you.”

“Oh… Okay!”

Just as the romantic vibe reached its peak, a sinister visitor made its appearance.

“Lloyd, you traitoooooooooooooooooooor!”

Selen made a dynamic entrance from beneath a nearby table, tears gushing. Her stealthy approach had left her covered in dust and grime.

“Good lord, Selen! Just look at you! How did you get so dirty?!”

Lloyd’s girl-powered, best-wife nature immediately made him scold Selen—kinda like your typical mother reprimanding a teenager for staying out too late.

“That’s all you care about?! You’re so mean! And you, Rihoooooo!”

Riho had been staring wistfully at the hand she’d been holding, but this snapped her out of it. She jumped, and her eyes went wide.

“Huh? Wait, m’lady? When did you get here?”

Selen leaned in, scowling, their faces inches apart. “Riho.”

“Uh, yes?”

“You’re a traitor, too. I’ve got a lot of complaints—a LOT! But why didn’t you tell us about the arm before?!”

Riho’d assumed she was about to get chewed out for holding hands with Lloyd, so she was caught completely off guard. Her eyes went even wider. If they’d been ellipses before, now they were full-on circles drawn with a compass.

“Y-you heard that? Wait, you were worried about me? Legitimately?”

“Someone’s after your life, and they framed you for a crime?! That’s evil!”

“Y-yeah…” Riho was still coming to terms with the idea that Selen was capable of worrying about anyone besides herself.

“I myself have been repeatedly framed for stalking, so I know exactly how you feel!”

“I’d rather you didn’t.”

Correction—Selen was exactly as she’d always been.

“Plus, the way you couldn’t make friends is like how I spent my childhood locked in my room! I’m an old-school loner! And you’re like a mini me!”

“I don’t wanna be.”

“But never fear! Lloyd and I won’t let anyone get away with hurting you!”

“Yeah? That bit about me being a loner did actually hurt my feelings.”

“—Plus, school’s no fun without you.”

“…Yeah?” Riho looked around sheepishly. Lloyd was nodding vigorously.

“Point is! We won’t let you trade your life to pull out some dumb Holy Sword! Let’s hit this lady with a Dear John letter so hard her eyes roll up in her head and take her eyelids with them!”

“I’ll help, too! In any capacity! I’ll make sure you survive this!”

“…Heh-heh… That all sounds pretty good.” Riho held out her hand. The others both placed their hands on it, smiling.

In this donut café, they swore their own Oath of the Peach Garden, symbolizing their loyalty to each other.

“We won’t let that Holy Sword get pulled out.”

The Holy Sword in question had already been extricated by Lloyd the other day, but all of them, Lloyd included, were none the wiser.

The Opera House on the East Side—packed with red carpets galore, elaborately carved marble columns, brilliant stained glass, and soaring ceilings covered in paintings of angels.

On weekends, the place was packed with tourists, and when operas or plays were staged, it filled to the brim. Even on weekdays, there was no shortage of people to gawk at the beauty of the building itself.

It was one of the most popular attractions in Azami. Currently, the house was rented out for the Student Sorcery Tournament drawings. A bold choice of location for the host country, but…

“This place is totally dead.”

As if proof of the host country’s disinterest, the press attending from Azami were not nearly as fired up as those from Jiou or Rokujou.

“Wow…it’s really pretty…”

“Eh-heh-heh, so are you, Sir Lloyd.”

Lloyd was doing the country-bumpkin stare and Selen her usual romantic stampede.

“Colonel Choline must be here somewhere…”

Choline had been forced to attend the drawings with her team still not chosen, and the contrast between the different countries’ enthusiasm levels may well have given her an ulcer.

“Oh well,” Selen said. “We’re really only here to deal with this Rol lady…and that thief, Phyllo…”

They glanced over at Riho, who was staring into the distance, her face set at a new level of grim.

Lloyd and Selen watched over her, worried.

Her gaze passed over the crowd of excited students to a trio clearly not matriculating.

A snakelike woman in an expensive suit—Rol—was walking toward them, grinning. She’d noticed Riho staring. Phyllo and Mena followed.

“Here we all are!” she announced maliciously.

Riho ground her teeth. “Rol…”

“I don’t need to ask, do I? That orphanage is sooo precious to you.”

Dead center on the red carpet, they faced each other down, like boxers in the ring.

Meanwhile, another match was starting.

“…Your answer.”

“Um, Phyllo?”

Phyllo had taken Lloyd’s hand, gripping it tightly and staring into his eyes. He’d turned bright red. If you didn’t know what was happening, you’d assume this was a fated reunion.

Sensing danger in Phyllo’s attempt to one-up her, Selen placed herself between them. Breathing heavily from her nose, she unleashed a torrent of words, speaking on Lloyd’s behalf.

“How many times do you need to hear it? Sir Lloyd’s answer is no! It’s common sense! A man and woman who just met can’t just start living together! Sir Lloyd only wants to live with me!”

…Yeah, that wasn’t on his behalf at all. That’s pure id. Also, common sense? Says the girl with none.

“…And you are?”

“Glad you asked! I am Sir Lloyd’s wife! In the future!”

Phyllo appeared to have no interest in this delusion and turned her attention back to Lloyd. She grabbed his hand again, moving too fast for the eye to see.

“…I’ll do anything… I’m curious…about the secret of your strength…please…”

“I’ll do anything, too! Better yet! You can do anything you want to me, Sir Lloyd! I can be curious!”

There was sort of a strange love triangle forming here. It seemed like the original goal had been lost somewhere in the fray.

“Oh, just ignore them, Rol,” Mena said. “You two just keep going.”

Though they both appeared to have a bone to pick, Riho and Rol recovered from the interruption, resuming their face-off. It’s important not to let these things get to you.

“Riho, you couldn’t cook. Couldn’t even peel an apple! Who gave you the hand that let you?”

“When I heard my life was nothing but a tool for you to get a Holy Sword…I didn’t feel that grateful.”

Rol shook her head dramatically. “You might not die!” she insisted, as if rationalizing with a stubborn child. “I entrusted the mithril arm to you because your magic was just that good! You remember how I used to teach you?”

Rol slowly held her hand out—the same hand Riho had held so many times at the orphanage. The image overlapped with her memories.

Rol had seized her chance to leave, swearing she’d do what she could to help the orphanage. The old Rol Calcife still lived on in Riho’s mind.

“…You were like a sister to me.”

But this woman only looked like the old Rol. This was a snake.

“—I need your help now. Won’t you do this for me?”

Riho felt the memories crumble away. Her mouth pursed. Then she sighed. “Rol…”

“What, Riho?”

“I used to think it didn’t matter if I died.”

Rol looked surprised.

“Those burns left me with a useless arm…but the chance to help you, to help the orphanage? If it was for the sister I’d looked up to…”

Riho hung her head, her hair obscuring her expression. She was shaking, but from anger or sadness, no one could tell.

The distinction was lost on Rol, who grinned. “If you looked up to me, then what could be better? Let’s—”

Cracckkkk! The sound echoed through the hall.

Riho had slapped Rol’s hand away.

Rol clutched her reddened hand, glaring at Riho. “You little…”

“If it was for the old Rol Calcife! A good teacher! A good sister! For the Rol who would have done anything for the orphanage!”

“I’m the headmaster of the Rokujou Sorcery Academy! I have friends in the government—real power! You can’t get away with doing this to—!”

“It doesn’t matter how important you think you are! You’re an empty, hollow shell of a woman! I called you a snake earlier, but I take that back! You’re nothing but molted skin! You’re what happens to a snake when they get so greedy and go so fast their own skin peels clean off!”

Their shouting was starting to attract attention. With no regard for the stares, Rol unleashed the full weight of her fury, appearances be damned.

“You’ll regret this. When you see what I do to the orphanage…”

But Riho didn’t let the malice get to her. She was way beyond that.

An official was launching into an explanation of the rules, but neither of them noticed. They kept their eyes locked on each other.

“Even without you, I can keep the orphanage afloat. But let me say one thing. Because I ran from you, I made myself some good friends… That’s the only thing I’m grateful for.”

“Your friends can’t help you.”

The orphanage no longer mattered to Rol. When she was certain of that, Riho’s glare made it clear they were through.

“I guess we’re done here. Shame we can’t be as close as we used to, Riho.”

“Yeah. You made that impossible, Rol.”

There was murder in Rol’s stare, but Riho met it head-on.

“You’ve never once beaten me!” Rol snarled. “You never have, and you never will. I’m gonna make your eyes pop out of your head!”

“Please. You’re gonna be on your knees screaming, ‘No way!’”

“Yeah? Not if I make you scream ‘No way!’ first!”

Ignoring the speech onstage, Rol turned on her heel to leave.

But as she did, a stir ran through the hall. The official had announced a surprise of some kind, but Rol and Riho had been too busy arguing, and Lloyd’s group was too caught up in their lover’s tiff (LOL) to notice.

All turned to the stage to find Chrome in full dress uniform, cradling a large bundle.

As everyone watched with bated breath, Chrome dramatically unwrapped the cloth…to reveal a beat-up sword.

“This surprise bonus prize goes to the winner! The legendary Holy Sword, recently pulled from the mound in Nandin Village!”

““Nooooooooooooo way?!””

Both their eyes popped out of their heads.

In the hallway of the Opera House, some distance from the noise of the main hall, stood Chrome, looking satisfied with a job well done, and Choline, looking confused.

“Ha-ha! Well, Choline? Did you see the looks on those reporters’ faces? Perfect surprise.”

His square face was beaming like a child who had pulled off a sweet prank.

Choline was a wreck.

“Good for the tournament itself, but…we still haven’t picked a team… The more news coverage it gets, the bigger the embarrassment if we deliver a poor performance.”

Attention can be a double-edged sword.

Behind them, Riho spotted the pair and came striding over, Lloyd and Selen in tow.

“Riho? Oh, you and Rol were getting into it—”

Completely ignoring Choline, Riho grabbed a fistful of Chrome’s shirt.

“Gah… Riho? What—?”

“Explain!”

“What? Ugh!”

“On your knees, square jaw!” she barked in a ferocious enough tone that Chrome did as he was told. At his age.

“…Um, so…why…?”

“First, apologize.”

Afraid to disobey, Chrome prostrated himself. “I dunno why, but I’m sorry!”

This seemed to break the dam, and Riho let it all come flying out.

“Why was the Holy Sword removed?! Why didn’t you say anything sooner?! I wouldn’t have spent the past three days scared as hell about what Rol would do! Give it back! Give me back this week of anxiety and fear! Compensate me in cash!”

Riho held out a hand for the money. Confused, Choline looked at Lloyd and Selen for help.

“What’s goin’ on? What happened with Riho and Rol? They good now?”

“Er, not exactly…”

Lloyd filled Choline and Chrome in on everything Riho had told him about Rol and the mithril arm.

Choline knew Rol from school, and her expression clearly said, Sounds like her.

After Lloyd was done, she was silent for a while.

“That sounds rough,” Choline offered, at last. “The Holy Sword, huh? She must be planning on gifting that to someone out West to shore up her own position.”

She knew Rol well enough to know how her mind worked. Meanwhile…

“H-hmm…”

The one most troubled by all of this was, of course, Chrome.

He clearly felt pretty guilty for turning the sword at the center of all this into a prize on a whim.

“Colonel Chrome… Where did you get that sword? The legendary sword that no one could free for decades? Not like anyone could just go grab it for you.”

Chrome wordlessly pointed at Lloyd, who was lost in thought.

“Hmm… That Holy Sword looks a lot like the garbage I picked up the other day…but it couldn’t be, surely…”

“I guess he could, yeah.”

This all-too-convincing explanation left everyone heaving a giant sigh.

But why had the sword been pulled? Before they could demand an explanation, Rol appeared, face twisted like the devil incarnate.

Her elegance a distant memory, her hair a fright, she looked less like a snake than a frog.

“Hey! Rihoooo! You knew all along?! You came here to mock me because you knew the sword had been retrieved and your life was never in danger?! And you knew Rokujou Sorcery Academy wasn’t putting their weight behind this tournament and convinced them to dangle it in front of us as a prize!”

She’d apparently taken this for a clever scheme. Even though they’d both shouted “Nooooo way!” together.

“Ha-ha!” Selen crowed, seizing her moment. “I’m afraid your ambitions have been thwarted. Time for you to go far away and take the Phyllo woman with you! This tournament isn’t something you can win with any old lineup! Or are you gonna make yourself into a student and enter personally? You can’t do that! So take Phyllo and get outta Azami!”

Clearly, keeping the Quinone girl away from Lloyd was the primary goal here. Her entire speech was just telling Phyllo to get out twice.

Rol’s head drooped, staring at the ground.

But…a moment later, her shoulders started to shake.

“Heh.”

Then a sinister laugh started burbling up from the depths of her belly.

“D-did we break her?” Choline asked, worried.

Rol grinned wide, flashing her canines, and tore the medallion—the mark of the headmaster’s office—off her suit and threw it on the ground.

With dilated pupils, she began frantically stomping on it. Everyone just stared at her. Having thoroughly flattened the pin, there was a silence, broken by her voice.

“I just need that sword… Who cares about the headmaster’s office?! I don’t need the thing!”

“Y-you’re really gonna quit your job and start calling yourself a student? For this tournament?”

“Damn right!” Rol snapped before Choline even finished. “The Holy Sword! That sword is all I need! Rank and honor are nothing compared to it! You’re going to regret making me get my hands dirty. You’ll be facing me and the Quinone sisters now… You’d better be ready to lay your lives on the line.”

Rol drifted away like a spirit of the damned.

The sheer depth of her obsession left everyone speechless.

“Why…does Rol want this sword so bad?” Choline asked, staring down at the flattened medallion.

Riho nodded, as if making up her mind. She turned to Choline.

“I’m in,” she said. “Put me in this tournament.”

“R-Riho? I thought you were against it…”

“…She taught me magic. Which is why I hated it. But if she wins and gets that sword…god only knows what she’ll do with it.”

Riho clearly felt like it was her responsibility to stop her older sister’s madness. Choline was forced to nod.

“Well, fine! I’d love to have you!”

“Then I’ll join, too!” Selen added, getting swept up in it. “I think we’ll all feel a lot better if we can pulverize that woman!”

Selen was likely talking about Phyllo here, and like 80 percent of her woes were the imagined relationship between Lloyd and Phyllo.

“And I’m sick of seeing Riho look all upset.”

“…Heh.”

The remaining 20 percent had shown itself. Fleetingly.

With two candidates set, it was time for Lloyd to gingerly raise his hand.

“Um…can I join?”

“Lloyd…,” started Riho.

Lloyd scratched his cheek. “I’m not sure how much use I’ll be…but I don’t want to see you sad, either.”

He gave Riho a gentle smile, and her cheeks turned slightly pink. “…Thanks.”

Selen’s cheeks turned pink, too. Oh, and her hands are shaking. Which meant this was rage and jealousy.

Listening to all this on his knees, Chrome slowly turned toward Choline. “…You’re sure about this? Putting Lloyd in there…”

“Rol Calcife broke the rules first. You fight cheats by cheating! This is what true sportsmanship is all about!” She gave him a smile that was anything but gentle.

“…Choline…”

“Chrome, I get your point. Don’t worry. I’ll train him and make sure he can adjust his powers so nobody dies.”

This just made Chrome break out in a cold sweat. “…Can I please stand up now?” he asked, fidgeting. His toes were tingling.

Choline grinned broadly and stomped on those nubbins. “Right, Azami Military Academy Team, move out! Let’s get to training!”

“““Roger that!”””

“AUGHHH! C-Choline! They’re numb! They’re so numb!”

Chrome’s bellow signaled the start of Riho’s revenge.

The next day, Colonel Choline and Chrome stood at the podium in a training room, looking very serious.

Training rooms had much higher ceilings than the lecture rooms, and the walls bore signs of frequent repairs. The sweat of previous cadet classes had given the room a distinctive vibe.

In the center of the room stood Riho, her old self again, flanked by Selen and Lloyd—all three standing at attention, like good soldiers, waiting for training to start.

“Hmm, yep! Just feels much better seeing Riho lookin’ cocky rather than depressed.”

“Thanks? …Look, I just want to blow those assholes away.”

“I’ll help in any way I can!”

“Me too… If I can, that is…”

All three seemed ready to go.

“All right!” Choline huffed. “Man, in all my team instructions, this is the first time I’ve ever seen cadets enthusiastic about magic lessons! Most of them just act like it’s recess… You try and teach them, and they’re all, ‘Wouldn’t it be easier to just punch them?’ or ‘I prefer throwing rocks.’ Ha-ha-ha…”

Choline had talked herself to the verge of tears. Her hollow laugh echoed through the room.

“Um…I’ll do the best I can?” Lloyd offered.

But this demonstration of kindness broke the dam on her waterworks. The snot started flowing, too.

“Sniff… Right, I’m gonna work sooooo hard today! Chrome, you brought the things?”

“…Yeah, yeah, hold your horses.” Chrome pulled a number of scarecrow-esque dummies out of the prep room—similar to the dummies from the entrance exam, but instead of iron plates, these were covered in protective amulets.

“Most important thing when learning magic is repetition! Use the spell over and over until the process of it is etched into your brain!”

“So that’s why you’ve got dummies with magic-resistant items? Geez, those must cost a fortune.”

The amulets were pieces of cloth with spells written on them. Riho appraised them, shaking her head.

“Our budget is definitely hurting,” Choline admitted.

“I paid for them. I’m the one hurting here,” Chrome grumbled.

He’d been forced to fork up the fees for these expensive training dummies as punishment for turning the Holy Sword into a prize.

As he wiped the tears from his eyes, Choline smirked at him. “My conscience is hurting, too!” she insisted.

Clearly, nobody believed her.

But she just merrily passed out some worksheets, brown hair flouncing.

“Anyway, this is a rundown of basic spells. These days, magic is split into three main approaches. Riho, can you name them?”

“You can use words, aka chants; pictures and letters, which are known as sigils; or tools, called conduits.”

Choline nodded along like a teacher listening to her prize student. “Yes, perfect! The ancient runes I was telling you about technically qualify as sigil magic… Lloyd, you might know the most about that!”

“Uh, I do?”

“…Self-awareness as low as ever, I see.”

Lloyd scratched his cheek apologetically.

“Lloyd’s basically a genius!” Selen said. “But what are the specific advantages and disadvantages of each approach?”

“Good question, Selen! First, chants! The most popular approach! You say a specific set of words to activate the spell. Simple stuff like, ‘Illuminate darkness— Light!’”

She actually cast the illumination spell as she spoke, a glowing orb of light appearing on her palm—the first thing she’d done all day remotely “magic instructor”-ish. It drew a chorus of ooohs and aaaahs.

“With practice, it can be just that smooth,” she declared, grinning.

“Very cool! I’d love to learn to chant!” Lloyd said.

“Not so fast,” Choline said, wagging her finger at him. “Biggest problem here is that you can’t use magic if you’re out of breath or unable to talk! You get surrounded by monsters, running for your life, and then you can’t even cast a spell properly? Or there’s smoke everywhere, making you cough? And mages with hay fever are basically out of commission all spring.”

Choline launched into a solo comedy sketch. “Yo, why can’t you chant a spell?” “’Cause I got hay fever, dude!”

This seemed like it might go on awhile, so Riho started explaining how sigils work.

“Sigils pose similar obstacles. If you hurt your fingers, you won’t be able to write. That ever happen to you, Lloyd?”

“Oh, absolutely. The day after shattering every bone in my body, I couldn’t use runes to clean at all!”

“…Uh, right… Wait, every bone? Uh, does that heal in a day?”

“Sorry. I know that’s a really long time. I’m so weak… After all, it takes everyone else like an hour or two.”

This approach to broken bones left Riho with a broken psyche, and before she recovered, Choline wrapped up her one-woman show.

“What, you’re already done with sigils? Then next up is conduits! If you’ve got a magic stone, anyone can use the thing. Even square jaw here.”

“Rude,” Chrome grumbled. His hand went to his jaw, feeling the shape of it. Then he spoke from personal experience. “Uh, yeah, I’ve used them before. But they drain more magic than chanting does. A few uses, and you end up exhausted. Plus, they get worn with wear.”

You always have to pay for convenience. Just like eating out or taking a cab.

“Hngg… So which approach is best?” asked Selen.

Choline and Riho answered together. ““All of them.””

“What?”

This caught Lloyd and Selen off guard.

“Best approach is to do it all at once!” Choline explained. “If you inscribe a sigil on a conduit while you chant, even if you stumble over the words a bit or your fingers aren’t quite dexterous, you can use the conduit at comparatively low cost.”

“It’s like how you adapt on the battlefield. Balance is key,” Chrome said, experience lending weight to his words.

“Well, now you know the basics, let’s get down to practice! Gimme a hand here, Selen.” Choline took out a brush and quickly drew a pattern on Selen’s clear skin.

“A sigil?”

“A basic one. Mages in the old days used to tattoo all kinds of spells on themselves. You, too, Lloyd.” She drew one on Lloyd’s arm, then explained how to use them.

“Trace the pattern like this… Then here…chant something burny and end with flame.”

“Understood.” Selen took a deep breath, then put one of the dummies in her sight and chanted, “—Burn to ash! Flame!”

There was a mild foom, and a fist-sized fireball flew toward the dummy.

When it hit its mark, it turned to sparks and vanished.

“Oh, that was pretty easy,” Selen commented.

“You’ve got a knack for it, m’lady!”

Rare praise from Riho. She smiled broadly enough to flash her canines and then shot a fireball herself.

It was several times larger than Selen’s and took several seconds to reach the dummy, shrinking as it flew before vanishing in a shower of sparks. Seemed she could get that much power from the sigil alone.

“Those resist charms are pretty good! Can’t get through to them.”

Choline whistled. “Hot damn, Riho!”

Riho shot her a wink. Selen looked somewhat frustrated.

“…I was all happy at the compliment, but she just used me as a springboard to make herself look good! Colonel Choline! Teach me something harder!”

“Selen,” Choline said, trying to talk her down. “Basic magic is amplified or diminished by your innate magic power. You can adapt the spells themselves in all sort of ways—Flame Arrow, or Flame Wall, et cetera, but it’s all basically fueled by the same source, so you can’t neglect the fundamentals.”

Lloyd raised his hand. “But there’s some really incredible fire magic out there! I’ve read about it in books. Is that stuff really achievable by honing fundamentals?”

“Hmm, you mean advanced magic,” Chrome said. “That stuff definitely isn’t part of the typical magic people chant.”

“Yeah, that stuff gets into the realm of summons,” Choline said. “Which is beyond the capacity of humans. You know, summoning waterfalls, flames that burn for three days and nights, ice that can seal magic… Advanced spells are a whole different category, not anything you’re gonna get to in a day’s practice.”

“And those spells have their own downsides,” Chrome added. “Long chants leave you immobile and open to attack—and that applies to famous mercenaries and the headmaster of a certain sorcery academy, too.”

That gave them a fighting chance. Riho nodded grimly.

“And the three of you have better core skills than most! Don’t let their spells hit you, slam your own spells in when you spy an opening, and you’ve got a good shot at winning! Now, let’s practice!”

“““Roger that!”””

Hearing the enthusiasm in their voices, Chrome finally made his peace with the expense of it.

“Well, having everyone practice like this is what teachers live for…,” he said, as if trying to convince himself. Which he was. “The amulets should last awhile… They were a good purchase! A worthy expense.” He chanted as if this was a spell he was casting on himself.

That was when Lloyd hesitantly raised his hand. “Um, can I try chanting?”

A chill settled over the room.

“…Gulp.”

Everything about Lloyd was beyond human. Everyone made sure to stand a safe distance away, prepared for anything, watching nervously.

“Uh, so you do this and then… Burn like ass! Fwame!”

Hmm? He must have been so nervous that he got a bit tongue tied.

“Eh-heh-heh… Lloyd’s so cute…”

Shnk.

A moment later, the dummy was a pile of ashes. Something well beyond the power of fire or flame had hit the dummy, emitting enough heat to warp the floor around it.

Lloyd stared at the heat wave for a moment, then scratched his head apologetically.

“Uh, sorry… I messed up. I guess I can only cast really zany flames…”

“…………”

He had messed up, saying the wrong words…but the resulting power left everyone speechless.

“It’s okay,” Chrome said—to himself…trying to convince himself not to care that a dummy he’d purchased with his own money had been reduced to ash in an instant.

“Oh, okay! Good, I’ll try again! Next…”

The results spoke for themselves.

Fire magic? The dummy was reduced to ash.

Lightning magic? The dummy was reduced to ash.

Wind magic? The dummy was torn apart.

Ice magic? The dummy was pulverized.

Chrome’s tears? Priceless.

“That’s right… I thought it would help everyone… I used half my savings…”

He was cradling his knees in the corner, talking to a stain on the wall. Condition? Grave.

Lloyd’s magic was clearly not something that could be used against another person or this would be less a tournament than a public dismemberment.

All of them were at a loss for words, but eventually, Choline managed to pry her lips open.

“Right, Lloyd, seems you’re best at wind magic, so let’s use that during the tournament.”

“Whoa, Colonel Choline!” Riho yelped, dragging her to the side. Lloyd looked surprised.

“Hey, you’re stretching my collar!”

“What are you thinking? He can’t cast any of those on a person!”

“True enough, but at least the wind spell left the dummy in recognizable pieces! Arms and…heads…” She pointed at the severed head of the dummy he’d hit with wind magic.

“Not that much better than being pulverized, is it?” Riho shouted.

“True, but…he’s not using it on normal humans! We’re talking Rol here! And the Quinone sisters! They’re like living secret weapons! When you’re fighting anyone else, put Lloyd in as your third slot and make sure he never gets a chance to do anything!”

With something that overpowered, it’s best to bind it yourself…which brings a whole new meaning to the word bondage. Very kinky.

“But that means the two of us can’t even come close to losing,” Riho groaned, rubbing her temples.

“Look, Lloyd,” Choline said. “Your magic is a little bit unusual. It’s gonna be hard to use in a real fight. Don’t look so sad!”

Lloyd was already settling into a self-deprecating grin, certain his skills were too weak to ever be useful in combat.

Reality, of course, was the other way around: They were too dangerous! But it wasn’t that easy to overcome the low self-esteem with which growing up in Kunlun had saddled him.

Choline felt sorry for him but resisted the urge to comfort him and quickly changed the subject.

“Er, um…so! Riho, do you need to practice?”

“About that, Colonel Choline,” Riho replied, giving her a grim look. “Can you teach me healing magic?”

“Mm? Well, sure…but they’ll have healers on standby.”

“Not for that. Also, there’s something I’ll need the day of the tournament…” Riho leaned in, whispering. Choline’s eyes went wide.

“What?! Don’t be ridiculous! That’s suicide!”

“You can do it! You’re a healing expert, right? I’ll do the training I need to do a quick heal on the spot.”

Riho bowed low. It was possibly the first time Choline had ever seen Riho genuinely humble herself.

“…All right. But…don’t push yourself.”

“I won’t. And I’ll owe you one.”

What was Riho’s secret scheme?

“…I know. Ah-ha-ha. It’s a hard life.”

Would Chrome ever stop pouring his soul out to the wall stain?

The first day of the Continental Student Sorcery Tournament was almost at hand.