Prologue

Prologue

Halfway through July, three months after enrolling in Jenifa Royal Magic Academy, Sain stood in a densely packed auditorium. The weather was warming up, and many of his classmates had changed into summer uniforms, but he still wore the same getup as always.

“Well, this is one of those moments when I’m reminded that Jenifa really is the largest school in the kingdom...” said Sain, who happened to be standing in the middle of the large hall. He looked around in a circle. “There are so many students here.”

“Yeah, and this isn’t all of them. They can’t fit everyone into the auditorium, so they split us into three groups,” Alicia added.

The entire student body was here today for a school assembly. It wasn’t just Sain’s intermediate division; students from the junior and senior divisions were present as well.

“I see the student council president is going to be speaking today,” said Melia as she looked over at the people standing on the stage.

Marni nodded.

“A rare sight.”

Every so often, Jenifa students would be told to gather for a school assembly, where concerns or notices pertaining to all divisions would be brought to their attention. While such announcements were usually made by the headmaster and his staff, the presence of the president on the stage this time suggested that there was something more. With his neat blond hair and sharp gaze, the president immediately became the center of attention as he stepped forward to speak.

“I am your student council president, Cain Theresia. As many of you already know, the magic battle exposition for students of the intermediate division will begin next week,” he said, his voice carrying clearly through the expansive space of the auditorium. “The intermediate division did, of course, partake in their field studies only last month. Keep in mind, however, that the battle expo is an event of incomparably greater scale and significance. Many guests unaffiliated with the academy will be present. It may prove difficult to perform to your full potential in the presence of spectators, but for those who wish to make connections in the outside world, know that this will be an invaluable opportunity to make an impression.”

As one would expect from the intensely meritocratic Jenifa Royal Magic Academy, many of its students already knew what they wanted to do in the future and were pursuing their own goals. Some examples included Sain, who was striving to become the dark knight, and Alicia’s friend, Cisca, who was well on her way to becoming an experienced blacksmith. For students who had a clear vision of their future, building connections with those outside the school was a crucial way of getting ahead.

“Registration closes this weekend. We already have over twenty participants, but we’re still looking for more. I hope to see an enthusiastic turnout.”

With that, Cain concluded his speech and stepped back, but not before shooting a pointed glance in Sain’s direction.

“The student council president, huh...” Sain whispered to himself as he watched Cain turn and leave the stage. For a moment, he wondered if he was being too self-conscious, but he soon dismissed the idea. He knew what he saw; Cain’s glare was directed at him.

He turned his thoughts inward, replaying the incident from last month in his mind. He recalled how Cain Theresia had defeated numerous entities of Chaos without even breaking a sweat, and he did it while — for some inexplicable reason — exuding what seemed like a burning hatred for the holy knight. There was no question that the student council president was not a normal student. Somehow, he had to be connected to the holy knight.

Sain was roused from his musing when the assembly ended and students began returning to their classrooms.

“Sain, are you entering the battle expo?” asked Alicia as they filed out of the auditorium.

“Of course!” he answered with his usual zest. “After the field studies last month, I kept training, and I’ve added a few more dark magic spells to my repertoire. The best way to test them out is in direct combat. The battle expo is all one-on-one fights between students, right?”

“Yeah, it’s a tournament, and each match is a duel between two students. Unlike the field studies, there’s no survival element. It’s a test of pure skill... Win or lose, it’s all decided in the ring.”

“Mmhmhm, I can feel the darkness growing restless inside me. It wishes to be free. The day of the tournament shall be when I unleash its power—”

“Yeah, yeah, and humiliate yourself in front of hundreds of people. We all know how this goes already.”

“Rude!” he exclaimed indignantly.

She was definitely being rude. She might also be correct, but he wasn’t about to admit that in front of her.

“Master Sain, you haven’t registered yet, have you?” Melia asked.

“No, I haven’t, and I might as well go do that now, since we still have some time before the next class starts.”

Sain made his way toward the intermediate division’s school building where, since the week before, a registration desk for the battle expo had been set up on the first floor. As he walked, he glanced at Melia, who was matching his pace.

“So... I guess I’m the only one who’s going to be entering?”

“Actually, I was thinking of giving it a go, myself.”

“Really? The battle expo?” He gave his maid a surprised look. “This isn’t the kind of thing you’re usually interested in.”

“True, but I’m a student now, so I figured I should do some student things. Try new experiences, broaden my horizons, stuff like that... Also, it’d be hilarious if you end up facing me in the tournament.”

“Hah, yeah, that’d be hila— Wait a minute. What are you going to do if that happens?”

“Beat you to a pulp and officially reverse our relationship?”

Melia smiled innocently, while Sain visibly paled. Having spent so many years together, he was well aware of how strong she was. If his opponent was Alicia or Marni, he might sneak in a win if he managed to catch them by surprise. Against Melia, though, there would be no surprises. There would only be a swift, brutal beatdown. He wouldn’t even land a hit on her.

Training... I need more training...

The prospect of getting his ass kicked by his own attendant in front of a massive audience was too much even for him to bear.

“I think... I’ll pass,” Marni said softly.

“Miss Grim? How come? With your skills, you almost certainly have a decent shot at winning the whole thing.”

“Skills or not, I don’t like having so many eyes on me...”

Sain winced at her reply. The field exercises last month had changed something in Marni. Since then, she hadn’t worn her cloak at school. In other words, she’d stopped hiding her unmistakably dark elven traits — silver hair and long ears. He’d hoped the trend would continue, but the battle expo was admittedly a different matter. There would be numerous outside guests present, and while not all of them would be overtly hostile to dark elves, she’d nevertheless have to contend with plenty of malice. Either way, for someone who’d spent a good chunk of her life avoiding attention as much as possible, it was unlikely that she’d perform well in a full arena.

In fact, Sain grudgingly accepted, she’s probably better off not participating.

“In that case, I’ll sit this one out, too,” said Alicia. “I don’t want Marni to feel like she’s being left out. Also, at least one of the holy knight’s attendants should probably be on standby.”

“Hm.” Sain crossed his arms contemplatively. “You have a point. It’s true that Chaos has been showing up more often lately...”

It wasn’t just the onslaught during the field exercises, either. Even afterwards, Chaos had appeared multiple times near the academy. Each time, they’d fended off the invaders without much trouble, but the sheer frequency with which they were showing up was concerning. Ensuring continued vigilance during school events was probably a good idea.

“If it’s Chaos we’re worried about, why don’t I handle patrol duty instead of Miss Alicia—”

“It’s okay, just go. Don’t worry about me. These kinds of events don’t happen every day, so you should take advantage of the opportunity. I’ve already experienced something like this back in my junior days, so I won’t be missing much. Besides, the battle expo is as much a festival as it is a tournament, so there’s plenty of fun to be had as a spectator, too. A lot of vendors will be setting up booths,” said Alicia.

Alicia’s encouragement elicited a reluctant nod from Melia, who still seemed to feel a little guilty. Sain, for his part, was glad that his maid was participating, and he mouthed a word of thanks in Alicia’s direction. As his attendant, Melia had been working for him since a tender age, and she’d never had the chance to just be a normal girl, never mind participating in school events.

“You... don’t really have to worry about me. I won’t feel left out,” Marni said, glancing at Alicia but quickly turning away to avoid meeting her gaze.

“Says the one who hides in the library tower whenever she’s by herself.” Alicia smirked. “It’s fine. Come with me and I’ll show you around. We’ll enjoy the tournament our own way.”

“...If you say so.”

Marni’s tone remained reserved, but a hint of a smile flashed across her lips. She didn’t show it, but she was probably looking forward to the battle expo, as well.

“Of course, I’ll keep an eye out for Chaos, too,” said Sain. “If I’m in the middle of a match and things really go south, I can just forfeit and run over. Plus, the holy knight’s power lets me instantly recover from wounds and fatigue.”

Alicia lifted an eyebrow.

“Huh. That’s convenient. Does that work for us attendants, too?”

“You can’t do it yourselves. As your master, I can make a conscious effort to push my power into you... but, unfortunately, doing that puts a lot of stress on your body. In fact, the recovery I just mentioned isn’t technically recovery; it’s using the Goddess’s power as a replacement for my own stamina. That’s fine for me, because I’m the holy knight and I’m attuned to accepting her blessings, but attendants aren’t fully attuned, and the excess power ends up stressing your bodies.”

That was why, if he was being honest, he much preferred for his attendants to stand by with their hands free.

“All right, I get you.” Alicia nodded, satisfied by his explanation. “You know, I’m actually starting to get used to this whole moonlighting as the holy knight’s attendant thing.”

Recently, she’d been living two different lives simultaneously. On one hand, she was a student enjoying a peaceful school routine; on the other, she was also an attendant of the holy knight, and had to leap into action at a moment’s notice when Chaos appeared. Even Marni had been helping them fend off Chaos lately, meaning that all four of them were currently wearing more hats than just those of a student.

“Sorry to be making you do this.”

“It’s fine. I’m doing it because I want to.”

Alicia smiled at him, and he felt a little better. He continued in a serious tone, however.

“Still, I’d like you to prioritize your student life. I know it’s hard, but it’s important. This... thing that we’re doing behind the scenes... It’s not normal, and there’s no need for it to be. Don’t focus too much on it. If you let it get to you, sooner or later, you’ll start falling apart.”

“...All right. Point taken,” Alicia said with a nod.

“He says that,” Melia whispered to her in a voice clearly meant to be overheard, “but I wouldn’t worry too much about it. Especially if you’re hanging around him all the time. He’s always acting like a weirdo, so pretty soon, you’ll have forgotten all about the holy knight business and just be rolling your eyes at him.”

Sain frowned.

“Uh... Is that supposed to be a compliment?”

Melia smiled politely at him. He sighed.

“I guess not.”

Soon after, they arrived at the first floor of the intermediate division’s school building.

“All right, let’s register, then,” he said as they approached the registration desk.

“Signing up for the battle expo? Please fill out this form.”

The student at the desk handed them some papers. Sain and Melia each took one and began filling it in.

“Yo, get a load of this. The Darkness Dork is signing up.”

“Who’re you calling Darkness Dork, damn it?!”

Sain reflexively bristled at the gibe and turned to find three male students he didn’t recognize. The brown-haired one who’d spoken snorted and looked down his nose at him.

“Just give it up, man. Losers like you have no place in the battle expo. You won’t stand a chance.”

“Yeah, you’re just gonna lose your first match.”

“Hell, you’ll end up being an embarrassment for the whole school.”

The three of them laughed among themselves.

“Hmph... Don’t get too full of yourselves. You’ll regret it.”

“What?”

Sain’s face was set in a defiant grin.

“Back when I first came to this school, I might have been a little incompetent. But now, my control over dark magic has matured, and I’ve mastered countless new spells! In fact, I’ll have you know that I made a name for myself during the field exercises last month!”

Melia and Alicia immediately chimed in.

“A little incompetent?”

“Also, countless new spells? What, did you fail first-grade math or something? Because it seems pretty countable to me.”

“Would you quit with the heckling, damn it?!”

The two girls giggled in response.

“The field exercises?” The brown-haired student paused for a moment. “All I remember hearing was that the other three members of your team were insanely strong.”

“Yeah, I heard that too. The Darkness Dork was just straight-up deadweight,” his friend added.

“No! That can’t be!” Sain let out a wail of agony at the crushing reality of the current gossip. “B-But... I’ve still gotten stronger... And I’ll prove it to you right here if you don’t believe me!”

He tried to sound confident, but there was just a little too much involuntary tremolo in his voice to sell it. The student called his bluff and scoffed.

“Hah, keep barking, loser. I know you got no bite to back it up.”

They glared at each other, and just when it seemed like things might take a violent turn, a girl stepped up beside them.

“Please cease this juvenile squabble.”

One glance at the newcomer was all it took for the trio’s belligerent attitude to wither.

“U-Uh, of course...”

The vice-president of the student council, Emilia, stood there with an air of authority, her fine purple hair cascading down to the small of her back.

“If you feel even a sliver of pride as students of Jenifa, then you should be competing with your skills instead of your words. Why don’t you gentlemen settle your dispute through a more appropriate avenue? Like, say, the battle expo?”

Her criticism was spot-on, and none of them could offer a rebuttal. Eventually, the brown-haired student turned away.

“...I was going to do that anyway,” he muttered before leaving with his friends.

With his opponent departed, Sain calmed down as well.

“Thank you... for, uh, defusing the situation.”

“No need to thank me. More importantly, break time is almost over. If you’re going to register, you should hurry up.”

“Good point.”

He went back to the form. After filling it all out, he and Melia both handed their forms in to the student at the desk.

“...Sain Fostess.” Emilia said in a soft voice. “Do you know the student council president?”

“You mean Cain? Uh... I know of him, but we haven’t really spoken much. Why?”

Emilia frowned.

“He... seems rather interested in you, lately.”

Her voice was pensive, almost as if she were speaking to herself. After that, she simply gave him a polite bow of her head and left. He watched her go. It wasn’t just him, then. Even Emilia, who assisted Cain on a daily basis, felt that the president’s recent behavior was unusual. The corner of his lips curled up in a confident smile.

“Heh, it looks like this battle expo is going to be an interesting one.”

“For everyone who gets tangled up with you, at least,” said Alicia with a sigh.

If there was going to be trouble, she figured that she was staring at the source of it.