Chapter 1: The Master of the Library Tower
Chapter 1: The Master of the Library Tower
Jenifa Royal Magic Academy was located within Raskas, the capital of the Kingdom of Loribania. As the largest educational institution within the kingdom, it attracted the enrollment of many young nobles. Within the academy, however, any differences in social standing would soon be dwarfed by its overwhelming culture of meritocracy. Jenifa was unique in that those who lacked competence were looked down on, nobility or not. As a result, it was not uncommon for many students to drop out.
A month had passed since the entrance ceremony, and Sain was just barely keeping up in class. After a groggy awakening following his hectic dream encounter with the goddess, he made an effort to clear his head and focus.
“In one month, you’ll be participating in field exercises,” said Elina Rastania during their morning homeroom briefing before the first period began. Standing before the lectern, she looked across the room at her first-year students of the class of 1-4. “The field exercises this year will take place in Trowa Forest, about a half day’s trip by carriage from the city’s west gate. You will be tasked with surviving for a total of ten days in the forest.”
There were a number of events that the academy organized, and the field exercises were one of them. Sain had heard a couple of things about the event during his first few days here. Normally, school events were meant to be fun student experiences, but this was the top institution of learning in the kingdom, famous for its meritocratic absolutism. Here, school events were not meant to entertain students, but rather to weed out the weak. The field exercises were one of the most important events in the school term for the first-years of the intermediate division.
From forests and rocky cliffs, to sandy dunes and deserted islands, students were forced to survive for ten days in environments where they would be exposed to the raw hostility of nature. Furthermore, self-sufficiency was expected. For students who were habituated to the effortless procurement of food and drink, surviving in the wild was a difficult task, one that would take a significant toll on their physical and mental stamina. On top of that, all previous instances of the event had taken place in locations that were densely populated by monsters. Students not only had to worry about sources of food, but also needed to defend themselves.
While this might seem difficult enough by itself, Jenifa was the kind of school to go the extra mile. Their field exercises were not only about survival.
“I’m sure some of you know already, but in addition to testing your survival skills, the field exercises will simultaneously feature a battle royale between the participating students. Defeating an enemy team will earn your team one point. Surviving for the full ten days will earn your team five points. At the end of the event, the team with the most points wins. You’ll be arranging yourselves into teams of four. Starting today, you’re free to begin looking for teammates. There are no special rules regarding team composition; all first-year students are fair game, even if they happen to be from another class. Though there is still a month to go before the event begins, you’ll need time to practice your teamwork, so I suggest you figure out your teams early.”
A nervous air descended on the room following Elina’s explanation. Selecting the right team members was crucial for the field exercises. In order to outmaneuver rivals and claim victory in the end, it was necessary to begin planning as soon as possible.
“By the way, the top three teams will receive prizes. Third place will receive a half-year’s supply of meal tickets. Second place will receive a permit for overnight stays outside the academy. Finally, first place will receive the privilege of making a single request of the headmaster.”
Once she mentioned the rewards, the classroom burst into a loud commotion. Preferential treatment toward competent students was a major feature of the academy. For Sain, the third place reward of a half-year’s supply of meal tickets was rather appealing. At the same time, the reward for first place intrigued him as well. For obvious reasons, being able to make a request of the headmaster must also imply the fulfillment of said request; it’d be a pretty terrible reward otherwise. While it probably wasn’t a blank check, the headmaster was likely willing to go to considerable lengths to comply.
“On the other hand, the bottom three teams will have their homework loads increased and will be required to clean up the forest after the event. In particular, the post-event cleanup is said to be quite a nightmare, so I’d recommend that you all put your back into it. I earnestly hope that none of the students from this class,” she said, shooting a murderous glare toward Sain, “will be in one of the bottom three teams. That’s all for now.”
The glare caused Sain to recoil in surprise. He watched with a puzzled look as Elina left the classroom, wondering what he’d done to deserve such animosity. Eventually, he shrugged; he simply couldn’t imagine why.
With the teacher gone, the students began chatting amongst themselves. A girl with blond hair rose from a nearby seat and walked over to Sain.
“Wow, it totally slipped my mind,” said Alicia Remia, “but yeah, the field exercises are happen— Huh, what’s the matter with you?”
“I have no idea why, but right before the teacher left... I’m pretty sure she glared at me.”
“Ah... Now that you mention it, I do remember hearing something about the field exercise results affecting teacher evaluations. She’s probably hoping we all perform well. The better the students from her class do, the better it is for her, probably.”
“I see. In other words, she’s expecting great things from—”
“Everyone but you, I’m pretty sure.”
Sain grunted with displeasure at Alicia’s blunt rebuttal.
“Well, it looks like Master Sain lost his brains again. Don’t worry. He drops them all the time,” chimed a third voice.
“Damn it, maid,” said Sain, turning toward a black-haired girl in an attendant’s uniform.
As she approached, she held her hand over her forehead and made an exaggerated gesture, as if she was looking for something.
“Where did they go this time, Master Sain? Here, let me help you look for them. Oh, is that part of them?” she asked, pointing at a particularly fat dust bunny on the ground.
“You know, sometimes, the things you say really hurt.”
“I’m just joking.”
The girl’s name was Melia, but for reasons, Sain had to avoid calling her by her name. Consequently, he referred to her simply as his maid. Likewise, his nickname for Alicia was Miss Gold.
“Okay, enough nonsense,” said Alicia. “The field exercises. What are you two planning to do?”
Melia didn’t reply. Sain glanced at Alicia but also refrained from commenting. Melia would almost certainly be on his team, since she was his attendant. Alicia would probably join them, as well. After all, she had no friends. It wasn’t like there was anywhere else for her to go. It seemed safe to assume that the three of them were already locked in—
“U-Um, Alicia, I was just wondering... Would you like to team up with me?!”
“Wait, what?!”
Sain spun around so fast he almost gave himself whiplash. He stared incredulously at the person who had just invited Alicia to a team. It was one of the male students in his class. Glancing at Alicia revealed that she was as shocked as he was. Had he thought about it more carefully, however, he would have known that this wasn’t a surprising development.
Though Alicia Remia had been branded a loser for a good portion of her life, that all came to an end last month. After meeting Sain and realizing she had a special power known as holy fire, she quickly shed her previous stigma. All the hard work she’d put in over the years now began to bear fruit, and her abilities were considered well above the class average.
“Alicia, forget about that guy! Come to my team!”
“I’ve always wanted to be friends with you!”
A crowd quickly formed around Alicia. Surrounded by a circle of new fans, she fumbled for words, but there was no mistaking the glee in her expression.
Across from her was a separate circle, at the center of which was Melia.
“Melia! Please! Join my te—”
“Whoa, wait your turn! Melia, come with us! We’re obviously—”
“Don’t bother with them! Come with me—”
Meila’s celebrity was no surprise. Her charming features attracted plenty of admirers, but more importantly, her grades had consistently been at the top of the class. She had a very good chance at claiming victory in the field exercises.
“...”
Her master, meanwhile, was completely ignored. He sat alone, flanked by two raucous crowds that paid him absolutely no attention. For a moment, he wondered if he’d somehow turned invisible. Eventually, he slowly stood up and placed a hand on the shoulder of one of the boys of Alicia’s circle.
“Heh, there’s no need for such urgency. If you’re missing a man, then perhaps I can be of—”
“Get out of here, Darkness Dork!”
“D-Don’t call me that!”
Sadly, his nickname had already gained too much traction, and his protesting only earned him a few more derisive shouts of his hated moniker. Furthermore, after being refused so flatly, the precariousness of his current situation began to dawn on him. He looked at Melia and Alicia, his eyes desperate and pleading.
“W-Wait... You two, please... Don’t...!” he begged, his usual swagger nowhere to be seen. Despite his nickname, he wasn’t an actual idiot. He knew very well that if the girls abandoned him right now, he’d never find another team. As he made sad puppy-dog eyes at them in turn, they both sighed and turned to their respective crowds.
“Sorry, but I already decided who I’m teaming up with.”
“Likewise, I’ve made up my mind too. My apologies.”
The two girls waded out of the crowd and stopped beside Sain.
“Geez, you didn’t have to get that worked up. I wasn’t going to leave you out in the cold,” said Alicia, her cheeks reddening a little.
“Same here. I’m technically your attendant, after all.” Melia’s expression remained as listless as always, but she did keep her eyes on the ceiling as she spoke.
The hint of embarrassment in their voices was endearing, and Sain felt a wave of hot emotion rise in his chest.
“You two... I...” he said, his voice cracking a little. “This... This is what they call tsundere, isn’t it?”
“Well, Melia, looks like we have to fill two more spots on our team.”
“Those two over there look pretty good. Let’s go ask them.”
“Waaaaaah! I’m kidding! I’m just kidding!”
After much pleading and apologizing, it was decided that their team did, in fact, only need one more member.
“The problem is the last one,” said Melia. “Who are we going to ask?”
“Miss Gold, you’ve been here since the junior division, haven’t you? Does anyone you know seem like they’d be a good candidate?”
“Good question... I do have one person in mind.”
“What’s this person like?” asked Melia.
Alicia thought about it for a moment before answering.
“Due to, uh... some special circumstances, she doesn’t really associate with other people. But she’s not a bad person. I promise you that,” she said, choosing her words carefully. “She’s known as... the master of the library tower.”
After school, the three of them immediately made their way to the library tower to meet its purported master. According to Alicia, whenever the student in question had time, she’d spend it holed up in the library tower. Now that classes were done for the day, she was guaranteed to be there.
“But if she refuses to associate with other people, then how did you get to know her, Miss Gold?”
“...Because, until very recently, I was pretty much the same,” she answered in a solemn tone as they walked down a hallway. “Until I met you two, I was alone a lot of the time, too. When you’re like that, sometimes you just want to find a quiet place where you can sort of... Well, breathe. I was looking around one day and ended up in the library tower. I had nothing to do, so I just wandered around, and that’s when I ran into the master of the library tower... Maybe she pitied me or something. I don’t know. But sometimes she came to chat with me.”
A hint of nostalgia crept into her voice as she spoke.
“How come this person doesn’t want to be social?”
She looked at Melia and lowered her voice.
“...You’ll know when you see her.”
She said nothing else. Sain and Melia looked at each other, but neither of them ventured another question. Eventually, the three of them arrived at the library tower.
Jenifa provided a variety of facilities to its students to support their studies, the most prominent of which was doubtlessly the library tower. Within its walls of gray stone were thousands of books that held an unmatched trove of knowledge.
“Hm... I’ve never seen so many books in one place,” mused Sain as he looked around the inside with awe.
The tower had five floors, the first and second of which were fairly busy. While no one was shouting up a storm, sporadic chatter and the odd argument maintained an audible but pleasant ambience in the room.
“The higher you go, the more specialized the books get. The ones you use for class and homework are mostly on the first two floors,” explained Alicia as they climbed up the stairs toward the third and fourth floors.
A glance at the stacks revealed her words to be true, as the words in the titles were longer and the books themselves thicker. There were also far fewer students on these floors, and the noises of the first two floors dimmed to a muted hum.
“Hm? Is there nobody on the fourth floor?”
“People don’t really come here... The master is up there, after all,” Alicia said, pointing at the ceiling.
It appeared that the master of the library tower resided on the top floor.
“Are people scared of the tower’s master?”
“...Yeah.”
Alicia grimaced as they climbed the final flight of stairs onto the fifth floor.
“Wh-What in the...”
Sain’s eyes widened at the sight. The fifth floor looked nothing like the other four. On all the floors down below, windows on the walls allowed in ample sunlight, ensuring it was bright enough to read. Here, however, all the windows were blocked by curtains, allowing not a single ray of light in. A few lamps hung from the ceiling, but they only emitted a dim, purple glow.
“It’s so dark I can barely see anything,” complained Melia.
“...I like this place, actually. It... speaks to me.”
As he stood in the dimly lit hallway of the fifth floor, he felt a connection with the surrounding darkness. A switch flipped in his head. Darkness Dork mode, engage!
“As a denizen of darkness, this space suits me well. I see that the master of this tower is a lady of most excellent taste. Ah... I can feel it... The beast within me stirs, and it growls with pleasure—”
“Shut up already.”
“I’m so sorry,” said Sain, for whom apologizing had become more or less a reflex.
By the time his brain registered the fact that the voice had come from the other side of the room, the words had long left his mouth. He looked awkwardly at his two companions, who smirked at him, and turned in the direction of the voice. As he peered through the darkness, he found a spot in the room where a huge number of books had been taken out of the stacks and piled up in massive heaps that formed a circle. At the center of it sat a girl.
“Hey, Marni. Long time.”
“Alicia...”
The girl named Marni looked at Alicia with mild astonishment. She wore a gray cloak that covered her from head to toe. Though her face and figure were obscured, her voice and frame suggested she was of a similar age to Alicia.
“So...” Sain said as he looked her over. “You’re the master of the library tower?”
He decided that he quite liked her fashion sense.
“...I’m aware that there are people who call me that,” she answered in a way that was roundabout but definitely affirmative.
Since Sain couldn’t refer to people by their real name, he always needed nicknames. Seeing as the girl already had an established nickname — the master of the library tower — he could simply keep using that, but...
It’s missing something!
“The Master of the Library Tower” just wasn’t doing it for him. It didn’t speak to his soul. While he basically just went with the first thing that came to mind for Alicia, the girl before him was giving off the exact kind of aura that appealed to him. Something about the way she stood in the darkness, surrounded by stacks of thick tomes, was striking a serious chord with Sain. He needed a more fitting name for her — one that would suit her ominous presence.
“The Lord of Darkness... Bookshelves... Pages filled with distilled wisdom that melt into the murky gloom... Ah-hah! I have it! I shall bestow upon you, O Cloaked Reaper of the Stacks, a name that most becomes you! From now on, you shall be Grim Editor!” he declared confidently, his eyes brimming with pride.
Behind him, Alicia and Melia both pressed their hands to their faces and shook their heads.
“Is that my nickname?”
“Yes! Isn’t it cool?! But, hm, it’s sort of long... Since we already have a Miss Gold, let’s shorten it in the same way and go with Miss Grim.”
“Wow, that sure got watered down fast,” muttered Alicia with a roll of her eyes.
“...It doesn’t really sound cool to me,” said Marni as she pulled back her cloak, “but the whole Grim Reaper idea probably isn’t all that far off the mark.”
The cloak slipped off her back and fell onto the floor, revealing a girl whose appearance made Sain’s eyes go wide. He couldn’t look away, mesmerized by her long silver hair that reached down to the ground, her amber eyes that glittered with intelligence, her youthful but attractive features, and her delicate frame — so slender it seemed like it might snap at the lightest touch. And, of course, her long, pointed ears, as well as skin that seemed to have soaked in the color of the darkness around her.
“...A dark elf,” Sain heard himself murmur.
Dark elves were not human, but rather a different race of beings that once called the forests home. Most of them were born as darkkind, giving them the ability to wield dark magic, and in recent years, there was a growing obsession among dark elves to prevent the deterioration of their powers by preserving the purity of their bloodlines. As a result, they’d become an increasingly isolated race that had little contact with humans. Their social attitude, however, was not what made them known throughout the world. It was a unique power that they possessed.
“The race that can use curses...” he said in a soft, spellbound voice. Marni’s eyes were round and wide, but also dim and lifeless. There was an eerie, doll-like air to her that made Sain’s hairs stand on end.
Magical genus — the term that referred to the category of magic that one had the most aptitude for — was often inherited through blood. Consequently, the genus of one’s progeny could be actively manipulated through the choice of one’s spouse; extended family groups that took steps to ensure their blood mixed with only those of the same genus were referred to as clans. The dark elf obsession with purity of blood was on a whole other level. For a time, their entire race had essentially functioned as one massive clan. This had allowed them to devote a great deal of effort and time toward the research of dark magic, in the process of which a select few found that a new ability had awakened within them — curses.
Possessed solely by dark elves, all curses were terrible spells that took dreadfully gruesome tolls on their targets. Unlike regular magic, they had only a single goal: kill in ways that would cause as much suffering as possible. In an effort to avoid contact with other races and protect the forests they lived in, there had been many instances in the past when dark elves had wielded curses against intruders. As a result, word of their ghastly effects quickly spread throughout the world, which made dark elves the object of great fear and superstition.
As time passed, dark elves became more accepting of interaction with other races. The reasons were unclear, but there were likely limits to how long they could sustain their in-breeding. In addition, the advancement of civilizations in the outside world could have forced their hand — they could either engage with them or risk being left entirely behind.
Many modern dark elves were of mixed blood, and very few of them could still use curses. The widespread perception of their ability to do so, however, coupled with lingering tales of their cruelty, ensured that the fear remained alive and well. Discrimination and persecution against dark elves were part of an ongoing reality.
“If you’re done looking around, then leave,” said Marni, her tone cold and blunt.
The cause of her isolation was now clear. Dark elves were feared and shunned. It was extremely likely that she kept to herself all the time, not through choice, but by cruel necessity.
“We’re not here to sightsee, Marni,” said Alicia. “You know the field exercises next month? We want you to join our team.”
Marni gave her a look that questioned her sanity.
“...Are you serious?” There was a hint of irritation in her voice. “In case you forgot, I’m a dark elf. Even if you’re okay with it, Alicia, what are those two going to think?”
Marni eyed Sain and Melia with a cold, lifeless gaze. Sain felt his fists shaking. He tightened them.
“Dark elves...” he said, his voice trembling. “The rumors of your race... I’ve heard them as well. There had been a time when the whole race behaved as a single clan and, in your unwavering devotion to the arcana of darkness, you gave birth to curses — a power that transcended the knowledge of man...”
Sain took a step forward. His body swayed a little, as though he was about to fall. His head was down, and he continued to approach her with uneven steps.
“An expert in dark magic...” He suddenly looked up and screamed, “I... I’ve been waiting so long to meet you!”
“Huh?”
Marni met his passion with incredulity, but Sain was far too excited to pause.
“Sure, the whole curses thing is ancient history now, but I heard that dark elves remain masters of dark magic! You were and still are the race that’s most proficient at it! Please! I ask — no, I implore you! Please teach me your dark magic!”
“Wh-What? What’s the matter with you...?”
His fervent pleading flustered her and thoroughly shattered her affectless front.
“This is the matter with him...” said Alicia with an exasperated sigh. “It’s why I brought him, actually. These two found out about my deficiency, and they still treated me the same as before. On top of that, they even helped me towards my goal. So don’t worry. These two, Sain and Melia... I guarantee you they’re good people. In fact, one of them is probably too good for his own, erm, good.”
After hearing Alicia’s explanation, Marni’s eyes widened with astonishment. Sain’s widened as well, though his were open with excitement. Apparently, bringing them here to meet Marni was a display of trust on Alicia’s part. That was good to know.
“Allow me to introduce myself properly. I am Sain Fostess, he who is consumed by darkness. That much, however, should be apparent.”
“Consumed... by darkness?” Marni eyed him questioningly.
Then, Melia stepped out from behind him and introduced herself as well.
“I’m Melia, and I’m the attendant to our friendly neighborhood weirdo here. By the way, just between us, my master has a habit of losing his brains when he’s running around, so feel free to ignore everything he says.”
“My brains are right here, thank you very much!” protested Sain as he pointed a finger toward his head.
Marni watched their back-and-forth in mute incredulity.
“Well, Marni? What do you think? Not exactly the discriminating type, are they? So... Yeah. Getting back to where we started. Will you join our team for the field exercises?” asked Alicia with a smile.
Marni spent a few seconds in silent contemplation. Then, she answered in a soft voice.
“No, I won’t.”
Alicia did a double take in shock.
“...Why?”
“Because I don’t feel like I’ll win if I team up with you people.” Her answer was curt and clear. “I’m aiming for first place in the field exercises. I don’t want to team up with anyone who’ll just be dead weight.”
“...You’re saying we’ll be dead weight?”
“You heard me.” Marni’s tone was cold and business-like. “I can win the field exercises on my own. I just need my teammates to focus on protecting themselves. You... can’t do that.”
She looked Alicia in the eye before continuing.
“Alicia, I might be your friend, but that doesn’t mean I have anything good to say about your abilities. Your deficiency is going to be a critical weakness in the field exercises. It makes it impossible for you to even protect yourself. I... don’t want to have you on my team.”
Her friend’s blunt rejection hit hard, and Alicia winced. Before she could speak, however, Sain stepped in.
“In that case, you have no need to worry. Miss Gold has already overcome her deficiency.”
He returned the favor with a statement of equal impact, causing Marni’s eyes to go wide.
“Besides,” he continued, “Miss Grim, do you have any other candidates for your team? If not, then that’s even more reason to join up with her. Teamwork will likely be an important element during the field exercises. Even if you require all your teammates to focus on defending themselves, the better you know each other, the better you’ll both perform.”
While it was possible that Marni was strong enough to be a one-woman army, the field exercises were not just a battle royale, but also a survival test. Food needed to be procured, beds had to be prepared, and nightly sentries were required. With a mountain of duties and only four people to attend to them, smooth teamwork was of the essence.
“Also, I just want to be on your team! Please! Show me the power of the dark elves! I’ve been hoping to meet one of you for years! I’m serious!”
“He actually has,” interjected Melia. “Just for the record.”
“Please! Show me! Teach me what it means to wield true darkness!” he said as he approached Marni with expectant eyes.
“Ugh, I’ve had enough of this.” The corners of her tiny lips turned downward in annoyance. “You talk pretty big... so let’s see you back it up. Prove to me you won’t be dead weight. Right here, right now.”
She stuck her hands out in front of her and gathered an enormous amount of magical energy in her palms.
“Great torrent of darkness, drown the land in seas of black — Velle Darku!”
True darkness appeared, deeper and blacker than the mere dimness that filled the room. A large wave of the stuff surged forth. It was thick and heavy, as if the depths of the ocean had been moved here and were now crashing down on them.
Sain hadn’t expected her to unleash such a large-scale spell indoors. Furthermore, while its power was great, it also did not lack for finesse. A quick glance at the stacks revealed that the books near the spell’s effects remained completely unharmed.
What to do?
A number of options arose in Sain’s mind. If he wished to neutralize the wave of dark magic, light magic would be ideal. His best bet might be to unleash Melia’s power as his attendant.
“...Sain.”
His thoughts were interrupted by Alicia’s voice. He looked at her and discovered that her ruby-colored eyes were ablaze with determination. He nodded, trusting in her resolve.
“It’s all yours.”
As he stepped back, she took his place and immediately held her hands out toward the oncoming wave.
“Great torrent of fire, turn all into ashen seas — Velle Flaram!”
Alicia undoubtedly thought of Marni as a friend. Hearing that friend call her dead weight must have hurt. There was no way she would take that sitting down. A wave of fire surged forward from her hands, glowing with blinding white light. Powered by holy fire — a type of fiery light that purifies all forms of magic — it clashed with the dark current rushing toward them. The two neutralized each other, and Marni’s dark magic vanished as it collided with Alicia’s.
Marni gaped at the result with her mouth open.
“No way... Alicia... How? Didn’t your magic have no substanc—”
“I got better,” Alicia interjected. “It’s too bad you didn’t know. Looks like someone’s a little behind the times,” she said as she casually brushed at some dust on her uniform. “Also, you know how you said you can win on your own? Here’s some friendly advice: get out of here. I’m probably not the only one who got better while you were busy camping out in the library tower. I might be your friend, Marni... but I’m sick and tired of that cocky attitude of yours.”
Her rebuttal paralleled Marni’s previous statement with almost theatrical flair, and she delivered it with a defiant smile. Melia glanced at her and whispered, “Miss Alicia... you’re sounding more and more like Master Sain these days.”
“Wha—?! N-No... I... I’m turning into... him?!”
“Uh... I’d really appreciate it if you weren’t so dramatic...” said Sain.
Alicia ignored him and continued to put on the kind of expression usually reserved for the discovery of a terminal illness. He sighed. It sort of hurt when she did that, actually.
“I take back what I said,” said Marni after the shock wore off. “Alicia is not a dead weight. Also... I’d rather not have an enemy who can cancel out my magic.”
“Then that means—”
“I have one condition, though,” Marni interrupted. “If our team wins first place, then I want to be the one who makes a request of the headmaster. If you’re okay with that, then I’ll join your team.”
Sain, Alicia, and Melia looked at each other. They all shrugged. None of them seemed opposed to the idea. In fact, none of them had even considered how they’d make use of the prize.
“Well, since it’s obvious that none of us have any plans for it, I’d say it’s fine to pass the chance to her,” suggested Melia.
“...Sounds fine to me.”
“Agreed. All right, Miss Grim. We accept your condition,” declared Sain on behalf of their team.
“Okay... Then I’d like to join your team,” Marni said with a quick bow.
“You’re most welcome. It’s our pleasure to have you,” Sain replied, finalizing the last member of their team.
Melia and Alicia were both highly competent. Judging by the magic she just displayed, Marni was no slouch either. In terms of pure firepower, their team was definitely a force to be reckoned with.
“Now... we can finally discuss the other matter!”
“...The other matter?”
Sain’s enthusiastic grin was met with a puzzled look from Marni.
“The dark magic you just used... It was absolutely incredible. That menacing power... that ominous color... it was so utterly foreboding that it gave even a denizen of darkness like me the chills. Such dark, sinful power... How? How did you acquire it? I must know, or I shall never sleep at night again.”
“Uh.”
“So, Miss Grim, I must ask... Would you please take me as your apprentice?!”
He got onto his knees and lowered his head. A long silence ensued. Then, Marni spoke.
“No.”
“Thank— Wait what?!”
Her abrupt response was so curt that it took Sain a second to realize he’d be rejected. Aghast, he looked at her pleadingly, which only earned him an irritated grimace.
“It’s silly and makes no sense. Why do I have to spend my time teaching you?”
“B-Because, uh, it’s... a form of investment! You’re investing in the person who will one day become the dark knight—”
“The what? Dark knight? You?”
Marni looked him over from head to toe. Then, she scoffed at him.
“Looks like you really did lose your brains.”
“I didn’t, and I’m serious!” he yelled indignantly.
She let out a weary sigh.
“Whatever. Can you all just leave already? I’m tired.”
“W-Wait! At least take me as your appren— Gurk!”
He tried to crawl toward her but only managed to shuffle a few steps before Alicia hauled him away by the collar.
“Okay, okay, enough groveling, Sain. Time to go. See you, Marni. We’ll meet again soon and discuss our strategy.”
Alicia waved goodbye and headed back down the stairs. Melia made a slight bow as well before following. The last to disappear was Sain, kicking and screaming as he was dragged away.
“Tomorrow! After school! I’ll come again!”
“Please don’t.”
The next day, after school...
“I’ve come again, Miss Grim!”
“...So much for ‘please don’t.’”
Sain greeted her with a big smile. In response, she rubbed her temples.
They were in the same place as yesterday — on the top floor of the library tower. Melia and Alicia were off practicing on their own for the field exercises, so Sain had come by himself today. Realistically, he should probably also be practicing, but for him, nothing was more important than learning a new spell that used dark magic. Under the dim illumination of purple phosphorescence, he walked over to where Marni was sitting on the floor and made the same request as the previous day.
“Please teach me dark magic!”
“No.”
The same back-and-forth played out like a well-practiced routine. Sain rubbed his forehead on the ground, and Marni rejected him with cold indifference.
“Are you even darkkind to begin with?”
“Of course! I was chosen by the darkness!”
“For someone chosen by the darkness, you sure aren’t giving off a whole lot of dark magical energy... What’s your rank?”
All of a sudden, the room’s ceiling felt very intriguing to Sain, and his eyes couldn’t help but wander upward.
“U-Uh, my rank? Well, ehh...”
“Ehh? What? You’re A?”
“...No, I’m F.”
“Okay, we’re done here.” She fixed him with an icy glare. “You realize F is the average rank for the junior division, right? Aren’t you ashamed of yourself?”
“Hnngh... I-I am...”
“I’d be too embarrassed to step outside, if I were you.”
It felt a bit unfair to be told that by someone who spent all day holed up in the library tower, but Sain chose to let the irony slide. It was true, after all, that an F rank in middle school was a disgraceful grade. While aptitudes were decided at birth, the results of magical assessments could be improved through hard work. Of course, those with natural talent could post some very high ranks from the get-go, but even the most mediocre students could easily pull their grade up from F to an E with a bit of effort.
Unfortunately, it was said that darkkind and lightkind were diametrically opposed genuses. Learning magic of a different genus was already inherently difficult. For Sain, who was actually lightkind, trying to learn dark magic was exponentially harder. That was why he wanted a mentor. In fact, it was why he enrolled in Jenifa to begin with. Having decided that there was a limit to what he could achieve through self-education, he sought a learning environment that would start with the basics and teach him the fundamentals of dark magic one step at a time. To his dismay, however, after his abysmal result in the magical assessment, he was shunned by his teachers. Figuring he was a lost cause — which, given he was an F-ranker in middle school, was an entirely reasonable assumption — none of them showed any desire to associate with him. Furthermore, within the meritocratic culture of the academy, both students and teachers looked only to results, and very little consideration was given to effort and enthusiasm. In the end, despite having come all the way to Jenifa, Sain still had no choice but to keep learning on his own.
Meeting Marni was, therefore, a stroke of unbelievably good luck for him. The only problem was that said stroke was missing the follow-through: he had finally found his mentor, but he couldn’t get her to even look at him, never mind teach him anything.
“I agreed to join your team because I was impressed by Alicia’s skill... but thinking back on it, I might have been too hasty in my decision. Is your attendant on the same level as you?”
“My attendant? Absolutely not. My maid’s grades are exceptional. She’s fivekind: B in fire and water, and C in the rest. Also, her physical assessment was D.”
“...Okay, that is pretty exceptional.”
“Right? Isn’t my attendant awesome? I’m so proud of her,” said Sain, beaming as brightly as if he himself had been praised.
“Which...would make you our only dead weight?”
“... ... ... It’s possible that this statement is not incorrect.”
“Dead weight it is.”
Sain’s roundabout logic failed to confuse Marni, and she let out a sigh.
“Didn’t you say you wanted to become the dark knight? Do you seriously think you can? You, with your F rank?” she asked bemusedly.
“Yes.” He answered immediately. There wasn’t the slightest hint of hesitation. “I can— No, I will. I will become the dark knight.”
“...You will, huh.” She nodded, the motion more contemplative than mocking. “But I still won’t teach you anything.”
“Thank— Wait, what?! Again?!”
“...Just go study on your own if you want to learn. There are plenty of books here, after all, and nobody’s stopping you from reading them.”
She gestured toward the stacks before shooing him away. He grunted and groaned in frustration for a while, but eventually — after realizing that he could produce no counter-argument — his shoulders fell and he plodded away toward the stacks she’d pointed at. He pulled out a book about dark magic, flipped through a few pages to verify its contents, and closed it again. Then, he walked over to Marni, sat down right beside her, and began reading.
“...Go away. You’re too close.”
He shuffled sideways a little.
“There.”
“...You’re still too close.”
He shuffled some more.
“There.”
“...Just go downstairs.”
“The darkness here is comforting. I can focus better here... probably. Speaking of which, why is it so dark here on the fifth floor?”
“Almost nobody comes to the fifth floor, so I remodeled it to my liking. This way, even fewer people come.”
Apparently, the dark ambience wasn’t just personal taste; it was also for keeping people away.
“But isn’t it bad for your eyes to be reading books in such a dark place?”
“Dark elves can see fine in the darkness.”
“Gah! Again! Just... so cool! A denizen of darkness indeed...”
The thought of a race that was perfectly at home in the darkness was so awesome that Sain couldn’t help but gaze at her in awe. They’d only known each other for two days, but Marni had already become an object of admiration for him.
“Aren’t you scared of me?”
“Scared? Why?”
They stared at each other in equal and honest bafflement.
“Well... I’m a dark elf.”
“Yeah! And that’s just the coolest thing! A freaking dark elf! Ugh, I can’t even...”
“C-Coolest thing?”
“It’s in your name. You’ve got dark in your name! How much cooler can you get? I’m so jealous. It’s as if you’re destined to be one with the darkness.” He let out an envious sigh. “I guess this is what it means to be the chosen race...”
Marni made no reply, and the conversation naturally drew to a close. They each occupied themselves with their respective books. A peaceful silence descended upon the pair, occasionally punctuated by the rustle of paper. Sain was absorbed in the thick tome he held, carefully reading each page before flipping to the next. At times, Marni would shoot a bemused glance at him, but his eyes never left his book. Eventually, she got up and slowly walked over to a nearby bookshelf, from which she extracted a book.
“...If you want to learn dark magic, then this book is better for you,” she said, handing it to him. “Unlike fire or water, dark magic is difficult to explain with words. It’s less about knowledge and more about visualization. For beginners, it’s better to use a textbook with pictures and diagrams.”
“Huuuh... I see,” he murmured as he thumbed through a few pages. “You’re right. This is much easier to understand... Miss Grim, you have my gratitude!”
“...Keep it. I don’t want your gratitude. And don’t expect any more help. Now leave me alone.”
She sat down again and went back to her decidedly less beginner-friendly text. Sain did as told and quietly flipped open his new book as well. The peaceful silence descended once more. Marni continued to sneak occasional glances at Sain. Each time, she found him happily absorbed in his reading.
And so they continued, two motionless figures seated quietly in the hazy dimness of an otherwise empty floor, until the library tower closed for the night.
