Chapter 22

“If you’re done with the greetings, won’t you return to your seat? Listening to your shrill voice leaves a ringing in my ears.”

“What was that?!”

Not to defend Alice’s attitude here, but this Mia girl really is loud. Though it’s not that she’s shrill; it’s the sheer volume that makes her so annoying.

“I’m glad you were accepted here, Alice,” Mia continued. “But you’d better not let your lucky win against me during the entrance exams go to your head.”

“Oh, so we fought then, did we? I’m sorry, I can scarcely remember the fight. You were so similar to all the others.”

Mia’s face twisted, and she sputtered furiously.

“Careful you don’t regret those words someday,” she spat, then returned to her seat.

She’s the incredible girl with the triple elements, isn’t she? Can’t say I’m too surprised that Alice still beat her, but seriously, what’s Alice’s deal right now? She’s making enemies faster than I ever could. She ought to tone it down, if only for her own good…though I suppose I’m really not one to talk.

Suddenly, the door flew open.

“All right, we made it in time!”

“Wait up, Lily! You shouldn’t run!”

And the main character makes his appearance , I thought.

Absolute silence. Unbeknownst to them, Alice had put the whole classroom on ice moments earlier.

“Let’s find somewhere to sit, Abel.”

“Y-yeah, sure.”

Abel stayed low and quiet as he scurried to one of the empty chairs. Looking at him now, it hit me again just how little I thought of him.

That is sort of creepy in another way, though.

The bell rang at almost the exact moment that Abel and Lily reached their seats.

“I see you’re all here.” A woman at the front of the room stood and spoke as if in response to the new arrivals. “My name’s Freya. I’ll be in charge of your class this year. It’s nice to meet you all.”

Nobody answered her, as the mood in the classroom had yet to thaw. Freya didn’t seem to notice.

“As I’m sure you all know, there is a hierarchy here at Aslan. So, let’s start off with that announcement. Check your rank.”

There it was—a list of names displayed for all to see.

1. Luke

2. Alice

3. Mia

4. Lloyd

5. Lily

6. Leonard

7. Citrica

…

…

39. Hugo

40. Abel

“What?! I’m in thirty-ninth place?! Unacceptable!”

“Be quiet. I’m not done explaining.”

Only one person actually raised their voice, but I’ll bet there are a lot more in here who aren’t satisfied with their rank.

“These rankings are reflective of your total score as measured during the entrance exam: your mana reserves, mana output, and your results in the practical and written test sections. In any case—this is just the ranking among you first-years. Let me show you the hierarchy of the whole school. These are your true ranks.”

There it was. I was only forty places up from the bottom of the next list she showed us—eighty-first place in terms of the whole school ranking. There were the numbers two and three written in parentheses beside the higher names—upperclassmen, I assumed.

Interesting that the name at the very top has a “two” written next to it… The highest-ranked student in this whole school is a second-year? And her name is Eleonora, huh? I swear I’ve heard that name somewhere, but I just can’t remember where. I was neither surprised nor happy to see myself ranked number one among the first-year students. This was the natural course of things, nothing more, nothing less. I did find it quite remarkable that Abel ranked last, though.

“The strength of your own abilities has determined your rank, and your rank is your worth in this academy,” Freya continued.

“Now, I’ll be handing out lists of available classes… Some subjects are compulsory, I suppose, but for the most part, you may attend whatever courses you like. You can make use of all the facilities at our school. You might also ask the teaching staff here to assist you one-on-one. Make the decisions for yourself as to what actions are necessary to improve your rank.”

This feels like an outrageous way to run an academy, but that’s fine, I guess.

I looked over the document I’d been handed and saw a packed schedule of classes divided into daily timetables, with subjects and instructor names for reference.

What’s Amelia-san’s name doing here? It says she’s head of this Study of Elemental Magic: Practicals class.

“If you’d like my advice, here it is,” Freya said bluntly. “I encourage you to take some magic tool crafting classes, if only for rank duels. I’ll explain how those work in a second, but you should know that you’re only allowed to bring in magic tools that you’ve crafted for yourselves.”

I see. We get to do practically whatever we want in the interest of raising our own ranks. This place really is an absolute meritocracy.

“All right, so let’s talk about rank duels. They’re magic sparring matches that you can use to climb your way up the ranks. It’s nothing too hard to understand, but take a look at the handout to learn more. It also goes over some of the benefits of raising your rank.”

The handouts came around, and I quickly read over the portion of the text in question.

There’s a lot more there, but those seem like the important points. I suppose it’s more or less what I expected.

“It’s not written on the handout, but for the next month, you’re allowed to challenge anyone in your own school year, regardless of rank. Those of you who aren’t happy with where we’ve placed you—” Freya looked pointedly around the room “—now’s your chance to do something about it.”

While Alice’s comments had frozen the classroom, Freya’s words shattered it entirely. The air was so still and silent that I actually heard someone swallow.

“What’s up with you lot? You knew what this academy was going to be like before you applied, right?” Freya said, monotone.

“This is the kind of school you’re attending now. Don’t tell me you were satisfied with just passing the entrance exam? Do you really understand what an honor it is to even make an attempt at becoming a Magic Knight?” she continued. “This is no place for those who can’t make the effort. If you don’t want to have a miserable time here, then study like your life depends upon it, and get strong. That’s all I’ve got to say to you.”

Silence.

“Heh heh, don’t worry,” she chuckled. “I can guarantee that you all at least have the necessary talent, since you’re here. It’s up to you whether you squander it or not.”

I see. Abel’s the lowest-ranked student in this whole meritocracy-crazed academy… Easy to see where this underdog story is going.

“Any questions then? If not, I’ll show you to the dorms so you can—”

“Um, yes…”

Abel raised his hand.

“What?”

“These rank duels… Could I ask when they begin?” he began awkwardly. “I mean…c-could I start one right now?”

A shock ran through the room, and many of the other students looked at Abel in utter disbelief.

“Heh… Ha ha ha! That’s a good one, kid!” Freya guffawed. “Normally you’d need to submit paperwork first, but I’ll let you off this once. Who d’ya want to fight, then? Go on, say the name!”

I was pretty sure I knew the name Abel was about to say.

“…I want to fight L-Luke.”

Abel looked hesitantly over in my direction. I could see the courage and fear swirling in his eyes. He shook ever so slightly.

You heard all that, and you still thought to challenge me, eh? But I know exactly what you’re doing, Abel. We’re being asked to get strong, and you want to know how big a gap there is between you and the top, right? You want to see how high you’ll have to jump to clear this wall. Or heck, maybe you’re optimistic enough to suspect you might even clear it on the first try.

“Sure, I accept. Let’s do this.”

Let me show you then, if you’re so damn keen to find out. You and I are in different leagues.

The venue was a typical arena you’d use for any sort of duel, with a wide central space surrounded by rings of seats for a great number of onlookers. I could feel the presence of multiple layers of Magic Barrier to protect the audience, but I could not see them. They were more transparent than any that I knew how to make.

There must be a trick to it. Maybe a magic tool or something. Ah, but I shouldn’t be thinking about this now anyway.

I looked straight ahead and glared at my enemy.

That’s right—my enemy.

That’s how I see you, Abel, though I can’t imagine that someone of your stature could ever be a threat to me. Do you know how many times I’ve run battle simulations for this fight between the two of us? I look down on everyone here except Freya, since I don’t know how strong she is yet. I truly don’t care about anyone the academy has deemed a lower rank than I am. I don’t need to take you this seriously, but I will. Right now, I’m going to suppress my arrogance in a bid for complete and utter victory.

“Duelists, separate.”

Freya’s voice rang out through the arena. I could see students and teachers I hadn’t even met lining the seats around us.

Good. My eyes are clear. I see everything. My one worry was how I would feel coming face-to-face with the “main character” in a confrontation. That was an unknown factor.

But I don’t feel anything.

There’s no storm of emotion in my heart—not a single wave.

I felt the corners of my mouth twisting into a crooked, open smile. Abel drew his sword, and a round of faint murmurs echoed through the arena.

In this school where magic is everything, even drawing that sword is unusual. Just don’t go thinking the sword belongs to you alone, Abel.

I drew my own, and the two of us readied our stances.

I imagine this must be quite the strange spectacle for this academy.

“I knew it… You’re using a sword, then,” said Abel.

“Hmph, you knew?”

“Yeah, my master told me about you. She said you’re a genius…a monster.”

“I see.”

Abel was trembling almost imperceptibly, but his eyes never left me for a second.

The eyes of a boy with unbreakable resolve. Fitting for the “Hero” taking a stand against the “Demon King,” eh? He didn’t challenge me because he thought he could win. There’s some reason he’s here, something he can’t ever compromise on.

“Duelists, are you ready?” asked Freya. The final confirmation.

“ Mwa ha , yes.”

“Y-yes!”

I’m always ready. Ready for every scenario imaginable. Nothing’s changed, not even now that Abel’s standing right in front of me.

“Then, begin!”

The moment that Freya spoke, Abel launched into a backstep to put more distance between the two of us. He then began establishing his magic at a yawn-inducing speed. He hasn’t changed much since the entrance exam , I thought as I watched him slowly gather mana .

Fortify Strength ×5.

Abel activated his spells just as I expected him to.

“Here goes.”

“Come at me.”

I didn’t activate any magic of my own but raised my sword. I was confident that I could fight off anything with my blade alone.

The greatest gift that sword fighting has given me is the way in which it’s trained my eyes. I was never able to beat Alfred with physical strength, and so I learned the art of observation and quick action. I needed to decide what I was going to do before he acted, learn his tells, contain his movements, dodge when necessary, and never let an opening escape my eyes.

To be honest, that’s all sword fighting has been to me. That aspect of it is deep and fascinating. It didn’t take long for the subject to captivate me, and it still has the strongest hold on me. I think I’m more passionate about the sword than I am about magic. I’m not the type to strike first aggressively. My sword comes second. I watch and wait for the right time, when the enemy leaves an opening. That’s the style that just naturally came about through my training with Alfred, but I know it’s the one that fits me the best. Even better, now that I can use magic too. Most importantly, I’ve got a good eye. I see all the hints displayed in the tiniest gestures my opponents make, from their breathing to the friction in their clothes. Every single piece of intel that my eyes give me indicates what my opponent’s next move is going to be. That’s why my sword fighting is like this, why I’m so good, and I’m not wrong to fight as I do.

C’mon, Abel, you think that fast, heavy sword of yours can do anything against me?

I don’t care that your strikes surpass human capabilities; I’ll never lose to a head-on attack with a sword. I saw your opening during the entrance exam too. You’ve got to be kidding me. How little you must think of me to challenge me with this nonsense.

Abel kicked off against the ground, and his body became a blur as he launched himself toward me. An explosion roared in my ears, and my eyes, practiced as they were, could not follow him properly.

But that’s all he’s got. Ah, that swing is far too straightforward, far too easy to parry. See? Right here. And now the power you put into it is mine to redirect!

Abel gasped.

Hey now, what are you surprised about? Wait… You didn’t really think that blow would be enough to beat me, did you? Don’t underestimate me.

Abel’s strike carried him straight to the ground, and he went rolling past me into the dirt. He pressed his hands to the ground and looked up at me with wide eyes.

“What’s wrong? Done already?”

Abel shook his head as if clearing his mind, and the fighting spirit returned to his eyes.

Good. That’s right. Come on.

“Not yet!”

As he spit those two fighting words out, Abel began to super accelerate once more.

That won’t change a thing, though.

Abel swung and went rolling clumsily to the ground a second time.

I’ve endured three of his attacks now; I’m used to them.

As Abel launched into a screaming charge towards me, I held up my fist to meet him. It was a clean, direct hit, and I heard something crunch as my hand made contact with his face. My eyes met Abel’s as he sprawled on the ground from the impact of the blow.

The astonishment and despair I saw in his eyes instantly sent a rush of joy through my body like an electric current.

“Ah ha ha ha!”

***

It’s not like I thought I could win. I wasn’t that arrogant. But since I met Master Elka, I found my path to becoming strong. I passed the exam that everyone said I never would. Against all odds, I made it into Aslan. Somewhere in my heart, I have to admit, there was a small question: “What if?”

“Ah ha ha ha! What, we’re done already?!”

Abel looked up at the monster laughing above him.

He’s so…far away. Like a mountain so tall that I can’t even hope to see the summit. Nothing’s working so far. I keep trying and trying, but will I ever be able to reach those heights?

Abel’s heart was swallowed up by a black mist.

“You want to know, don’t you? You want to see how far apart the two of us are. Well then, let me show you.”

With that, Luke activated a spell in the blink of an eye.

“Dark Sun.”

A little black lump appeared in Luke’s palm.

“This is the core of my darkness, compressed and concentrated. Come now, let’s begin.”

Abel couldn’t speak. His vision was fading, he could hardly see, but one sensation was clear as it jolted through him—he felt every last drop of mana being sucked from his body.

He cried out, overcome by intense dizziness and nausea. He couldn’t pull any strength from his body.

“Wh-what?” he managed to choke out. “My mana…”

“Mwa ha ha, you worm!”

Abel looked up helplessly and realized that the audience was in an uproar.