Chapter 31

“Armor of Darkness.”

My darkness formed into a suit of armor, covering my body from head to toe.

“Fortify Strength × 2.”

I felt a massive amount of energy surging through my body.

“Here goes!”

“C’mon then.”

I grinned so wide I felt as if my face might split open as I kicked hard off the ground.

***

Yolande thought that his little sister, Alice, was the most beautiful thing in the world. No man could possibly keep away from her, and it was because he understood that fact better than anyone, that Yolande knew the day would come when he would have to let her go. He had prepared himself to accept it. But when he saw that his beloved sister had been altered, twisted by the demon Luke, something changed within Yolande as well. He could not accept this. So it was that Yolande revealed his true power, which he had been concealing for his own purposes. A monster that was never meant to have anything to do with the original work had now been unleashed.

***

This is fun… So endlessly enjoyable!

With limited mana reserves, it was normally impossible for magic users to maintain a spell with a constant, long-lasting effect. Many of Luke’s abilities should have been impossible, but chief among them was certainly the Dark Blessing spell. He developed it to combat Amelia’s Sound magic, and it made use of a number of Protection and Information magic spells. That was quite a while ago now, and since entering Aslan Magic Academy, Luke had devised a powerful new spell built upon that foundation.

He called it “Dark Spirit Drain.”

It used the nature of Luke’s Dark element to suck mana from a target, but not a human one. Instead, Luke targeted the mana in the air around him. Put simply, it allowed him to regenerate mana over time. This spell was difficult to disrupt, as well—if the target was not a living being, it could not resist, after all.

That was the contradiction that was born of Luke’s abilities; no matter how much magic he cast, the amount of mana he had at his disposal never dropped for a moment. In fact, it only ever increased. By devoting himself completely to his studies, Luke had succeeded in greatly improving the absorption of his Dark element, and the gap this contradiction created between him and other magic users was now massively significant.

In other words, Luke did not possess the one great weakness of all other magic users—he could almost never run out of mana.

Yolande had successfully managed to resist Luke’s Dark Spirit Drain, which was a testament to his own incredible power. Still, the fact remained that given the significant disparity between their mana reserves, Yolande would be the first to run out. Yolande realized this and provoked Luke, knowing that Luke was sure to rise to the challenge, even if he did sense that the provocation was deliberate. He had been right. All Luke had to do to claim victory was to keep using Dark Spirit Drain—especially since he had deliberately left some of his strength in reserve so that he could strengthen it in the middle of the fight.

But that would be boring.

I want him to show me everything his powerful Magnet magic is capable of. Then I want to crush him, head-on.

It was an arrogant desire, and one that Luke could not resist. In this case, arrogance was the only reason he had. But for him, it was enough.

“Ah ha ha ha!”

“You’re strong.”

A battle of swords ensued, blows that were just slightly too fast to be human—a speed made possible by magic. Those who looked on were left completely speechless by the spectacle, almost in disbelief that the fight taking place was between fellow magic users. The duel was so beautiful, so captivating, that none could bear to look away.

Abel found it particularly hard to tear his eyes away from their battle.

This is it, he thought.

He didn’t know why, but the duel made Abel realize something. He was convinced of it now.

The place I’m aiming for…it’s beyond this!

The story had changed significantly due to Luke—who should have been left to lazily, aimlessly drown in his own talent—taking charge of his life. Luke’s tireless pursuit of strength had driven Yolande to step up into a bigger role, despite his lack of relevance to the original book. In a roundabout way, the divergence and subsequent convergence of unexpected story branches spurred Abel to grow even stronger than he was ever meant to.

Luke parried a blow and sized up his opponent again.

In terms of raw speed, Yolande is just slightly faster than I am, even with these two stacks of Fortify Strength on me, thought Luke as the two of them crossed swords.

Incredible. He’s like an upgraded version of Abel.

Yolande’s mana was imbued with the magnetism of his element. Applying that mana to any objects, not just metallic ones, allowed him to attract and repulse them at will.

That’s really powerful magic… But I can also imagine how difficult it must be to actually use. He’s using his magnetism to facilitate that incredible speed and those unconventional movements that make a mockery of the laws of nature. Mwa ha… There’s such fearsome precision to his magic.

Yet the majority of Yolande’s spells had been rendered useless due to Luke’s Armor of Darkness. The spell did not just provide physical defense but also a guard against all magical interference. It was this ability that prevented Yolande from applying magnetism to Luke himself. Had Yolande’s opponent been anyone else, whether warrior or magic user, the duel would have simply been a matter of prolonging the moment he got in close enough to claim victory. Luke understood that fact, and it was precisely for that reason that he made the decision he did.

Luke resolved to use no further magic during their fight.

Yolande’s Magnet element could even affect other spells, provided they could be imbued with magnetism—but that did not apply to Luke’s Dark element. Dark swallowed all, and Magnet spells were no exception. If Luke were to use more of his Dark magic, the duel would be over far too quickly and easily.

What Luke sought was something else.

He wished to stand toe to toe with his enemy, face off on the same grounds, and twist them into submission with overwhelming strength.

He wanted a complete triumph; an undeniably clean victory with no excuses or complaints.

He believed without a shadow of a doubt that he had the ability to bring his selfish desire to fruition. His confidence was not the groundless kind, but the sort backed up by everything he had experienced up until that point in his life.

In terms of swordplay alone, Yolande is weaker than Alfred. It’s just that his magnetic abilities are aiding him. It’s going to take me a while to get a feel for how to handle them. They’re pretty tricky to deal with…

I…can’t land a hit. Luke’s completely on defense, blocking every hit at the last moment. I feel so little resistance from these strikes, it’s like I’m cutting through water. Ah, he’s got good eyesight. Very observant. He’s much better than I expected.

Their thoughts intertwined as they fought. To all those captivated onlookers, it must have appeared that Luke and Yolande were equally matched. That assessment was fairly accurate, given that Luke had arbitrarily forbidden himself from using several of his spells. However, that wouldn’t be true forever. Luke grew during battle, his technique maturing and adapting at a violent pace as he watched his opponent—his breathing, his timing, and his own unique rhythms. Luke steadily formed a clear picture of his enemy, as if sneering at his form, developing foresight that verged on premonition. With the element of magnetism, Yolande had an almost unlimited number of combinations with the sword. It wasn’t just his irregular movements that Luke had to watch out for, but the erratic vacillation between fast and slow due to his manipulation of the strength of the magnetism.

But all humans have emotions. Nobody can completely discard their own feelings. There must be some movements he hates on an unconscious level, some techniques he despises—and that will turn his unlimited abilities into limited ones.

He really is incredible.

Time slipped away as the attacks continued, and before anyone realized it, offence and defense had changed hands. The only one in the audience who wasn’t enthralled was Alice, whose head was presently a mess of dancing question marks.

Is that really my brother…? she thought.

Everything she had ever known to be true told her otherwise, but she could not deny what was currently unfolding before her. She had terrible butterflies in her stomach. Eventually, they rose, slowly burning a furious hole deep in her chest as she reckoned with the actual truth:

He lied to me.

She was angry at the betrayal. In that moment, she likely gave no thought to the cruel punishments that she had inflicted upon her brother over the years. All she felt was indignant rage flaring up inside of her.

The next emotion that filled Alice’s heart was frustration. Luke was smiling and seemed to be having so much fun while fighting the older brother that Alice had always viewed with such disdain. She feared that she could never satisfy Luke if she remained as she was, and that fact filled her with regret and frustration.

I want to become stronger than I am now, Alice thought, and she truly meant it.

I want Luke to look at me.

Alice was incredibly talented in her own right and, in the original work, was likely never meant to have such a thirst for power.

But Luke had made an effort.

That one action would come to warp the story in every single aspect. The battle had been underway for over a thousand strikes and had appeared as if it might continue forever, when it suddenly came to an all-too-easy end—the inevitable one. Yolande’s sword was knocked from his hand, flying through the air to lodge itself in the ground some distance away.

“This means I win, eh?”

Yolande paused. “Yes. I give up.”

There was a moment of silence, then an outpouring of cheers and applause.

“Whoa!”

“That was amazing!”

“Did you see when…?”

The students chattered excitedly, and the acclaim was universal and unreserved.

Just as planned, Yolande thought to himself.

Yolande had, in fact, also been present at Luke’s fight against Abel. He saw Luke’s true strength in that moment and had known from the outset of their duel that he had no chance of beating him. He hadn’t expected Luke to hold back, of course, but everything else had been largely as Yolande expected. But then why did he challenge Luke in the first place, you might ask?

For Luke’s own sake? So that the students could learn?

No, it was all to fulfill his own desires.

I’m supposed to be an instructor, yet I provoked Luke into a fight and lost. To add insult to injury, Alice saw the whole thing…

“Ah…oh m-my, how p-pathetic I am,” Yolande began to pant, overwhelmed.

In fact, it was all for the purpose of exposing his shame to Alice. Intense emotions raged within Yolande’s heart. He could no longer even stay on his feet and sank to his knees.

“A-are you okay?! Should I call a priest, Instructor Yolande?!”

“I-I’m fine… Mm…I’m j-just a bit tired…”

Then he met Alice’s eyes. They were drenched in the worst sort of disgust; a look she reserved for those she did not consider human. It was as if she were looking at a piece of filth.

Yolande’s brain short-circuited, and his consciousness was easy prey for the wicked and raging emotions within him.

“Huh? Instructor?! Everyone, come quickly! Instructor Yolande has passed out!”

***

Sunset was spreading across the sky as I left the academy. I walked towards the dormitories, feeling the slight chill on my arms as I went. I was slightly fatigued, but had a bottomless feeling of joy in my heart nonetheless.

That fight against Yolande was fun. Really, truly enjoyable. When was the last time I got that excited about something? Honestly, it was way more satisfying than the fight with Abel.

Perhaps that was the reason why my legs felt light underneath me, despite my tiredness.

“Luke.”

I heard a voice.

“Yolande?”

“Can we talk for a moment?”

“Sure.”

I’m in a good mood, and it’d be hard to think up a reason to refuse.

Yolande and I walked side by side under the evening sky.

***

Once there was a young boy who was very clever—too clever, even. He began to notice the “strangeness” when he reached the age of five. Those around him were simply unable to understand things that he took for granted as obvious. They were terribly unintelligent, he judged, and they could hardly be considered humans at all. This cruel reality overwhelmed the young boy, driving him into a bottomless pit of loneliness and isolation. It was so very dull.

From that point onwards, the boy’s view of the world began slowly but steadily to shift, as color faded from everything around him. All of his hope for the future eventually dried up, and he started to lose his reason for living. The faded, colorless world took a great toll on him, and his mind began slowly to warp and twist. He no longer cared whether he lived or died. By the time he reached his ninth birthday, the young boy had lost all attachment that he once had to the world. He lived only because he happened to still be alive. It was an incredibly passive life.

But one day, the world finally smiled at the boy.

He was injured, just slightly. The wound was nothing much, a small cut that any child might find themselves with after rolling in the fields with their friends. The cut didn’t trouble him in the slightest.

“Are you okay, Big Brother?”

Someone spoke to him. It was Alice, who was four years old at the time. She had been so insignificant to him up until that point that he had been unconsciously ignoring her, even when she did enter his line of sight. That was the first time he had really paid any attention to the existence of his little sister.

An angel.

That was the moment that color returned to the young boy’s world. He’d been shown a single beam of light in the darkness. She was so innocent at heart, kind in a way that was completely pure and unclouded. If she was not an angel, then nothing was, thought the boy. It was such a small thing, but it restored to his life such meaning so quickly and completely that it made everything he had been through feel like nothing at all. But in truth, it was too late. Far, far too late, indeed. The days of despair had eaten away at his heart, and the youth was twisted beyond repair.

I want to drag this angel down… To turn her into a devil.

The boy’s heart was ruled by a desire so heinous that it would have been incomprehensible to any normal man. He wanted to take those pure eyes filled with endless kindness and turn them cold and contemptuous.

The thought sent a shiver up the boy’s spine and made all of his hair stand on end. He resolved then, without a moment’s hesitation, to use all of his abilities to manipulate the emotions of others. The boy decided that he would win the hearts and minds of everyone who got close to Alice, including his own.

By controlling every one of the many variables that determined a person’s character and disposition, he would bring about the angel’s downfall… He would turn her into a devil.

The long-term planning for the boy’s terrible deed began that day. He decided to think of all the time he had spent powerless and despairing at the world as a sort of preparation, a method of maximizing the joy to come. Those around the boy thought of him as incompetent—and that worked perfectly for his purposes. He spent every day slowly nurturing within his sister the right emotions.

He sought to turn Alice into a devil with the heart of a sadist.

He completely manipulated those around him. It should have been impossible, of course, but the gods had unfortunately chosen to bless the young boy with a monstrously talented mind. It was when the boy became a young man that his efforts finally began to bear fruit.

“Big Brother, you disgust me. Would you stay away from me, please?”

“A-ah…”

Everything went as planned. The angel became a devil, and the days became like heaven for the young man. He was so shocked to find that living true to his own heart could bring such vibrant color to the world. Every time Alice showered him with looks of disdain, his body was filled with such uncontrollable pleasure and joy. But just as light had once entered the young boy’s life, the dark returned once more. When Alice was twelve years of age, she was invited to a party.

It was a celebration for a boy named Luke Witharia Gilbert.

As respected aristocrats who worried for their own reputation and standing, the young man had never been allowed to attend parties. It was, in a sense, an inevitable consequence of his playing dumb. To the young man who cared about nothing aside from his sister, Alice, however, parties were of no worth whatsoever.

Then the tragedy occurred.

It only took a single day.

In one day, Alice was changed completely. The young man had spent several years nurturing Alice’s sadism each day, but the boy named Luke had overwritten everything in but a single night. The young man realized it at once: There was no longer any devil in Alice’s eyes when she returned from the party that night.

It wasn’t that the sadism in her had disappeared completely, but that a pronounced sort of “masochism” and “love” now dwelled within her, similar to that of her brother. She no longer looked at him. The young man could not make sense of the situation, even with his extremely talented mind. What could possibly cause a person’s heart to change so drastically in such a short time, he wondered. He could have understood if Alice had simply fallen in love, but then where did the masochism come from?

What did she see? What did she experience? How has she been so thoroughly changed?

A few days later came the announcement that added insult to injury: Alice was engaged to that Luke boy. The young man could do nothing but laugh. He was shown that he had built his own happiness on thin ice.

But strangely, he did not despair.

The days that he had spent with Alice had changed the young man somewhat. He had become human enough to feel genuinely happy that his little sister might find joy of her own. Luke came to visit, and the young man was quite interested in him. He wanted to take the measure of him, this boy who had changed his little sister in a matter of days. The first time he laid eyes on Luke, he knew. He sensed Luke’s demeanor, and after a brief exchange of words, the young man was confident. He had never met anyone who was on the same level as he was until he met Luke—no, Luke was superior, even.

I see, thought the young man. Luke has not changed Alice but has instead returned her to who she always was. Alice must be so happy to have met a man of such stature.

As for why he knew, the young man’s desires and Alice’s were, deep down, of the same sort.

“I want to surpass myself in every way and yet still be abused by the one I love.”

That one twisted desire took complete hold of the young man. He had never had an equal before and had doubted whether one might ever appear. That was why he had tried to turn Alice into a devil.

The young man laughed. He laughed because he thought of how truly happy Alice must be and felt a little envious of her. There would be, he thought, no partner in the world more worthy of standing by Luke’s side than his supremely beautiful and precious little sister. He could not think of getting in their way, but neither could he give up on his own happiness. That is why he scrapped all of his plans and set sail on a new course.

***

“…And that’s about it. Man, the mistakes of youth sure are something, eh?”

“Huh?”

I figured we were going to talk about today’s class. Something sensible. Not…whatever all that rambling was.

This guy seriously just confessed to me that he’s spent years masterminding some kind of awful plan to groom his sister into his ideal girl. Who does he think he is, Hikaru Genji?!

I felt a chill run down my spine.

“So, let’s talk about the future for a minute,” Yolande continued. “Luke, will you allow me to be one of your pawns?”

“What the heck are you even talking about?”

“Ah ha ha. I know you understand me.”

What’s he laughing about so casually? I feel like I’m finally seeing the terrifying, hidden underbelly of the human race up close.

“This arrangement offers you three advantages,” Yolande asserted.

Ugh, my head hurts… And what’s this terrible sense of déjà vu I’m getting?

“First, I would be an incredibly capable and supremely pliant pawn in your service. I will perfectly accomplish whatever you ask of me, no matter how dirty the task may be. I suppose you don’t trust me in that respect just yet, but don’t worry, I intend to prove my worth to you.”

“…”

“Second, I’ve had a lot of experience with manipulating the emotions of others. Additionally…” He paused and looked around expectantly. “Hm, he should be here soon… Ah, there!”

A bald-headed man wearing a Magic Division uniform floated down from the sky. Upon landing, he deferentially dropped to one knee in front of Yolande.

“I apologize for my lateness, Sir Yolande.”

“Not at all. You’re right on time.”

Flight magic? Pretty impressive, but I’m not in the mood for any of this right now. I’m tired… How much longer do I have to listen to him blather on?

“Allow me to introduce you. This is Gordoba, division commander of the Second Royal Magic Division—of which I am a part, may I remind you.”

The division commander’s taking a knee and bowing to his assistant commander… I see. So this is what he wanted to show me. He’s demonstrating his talents.

“Okay, that’ll be all. You can go.”

“Yes, sir! I’ll take my leave, then!”

Gordoba floated slowly up into the air once more, then disappeared into the sky.

That’s the only reason you called him here?

“He seems quite disciplined,” I commented.

“I did my best with him, that’s why. Most of the Second Division have already sworn loyalty to me. What I’m trying to say here is this—I’m not the only pawn you’ll be acquiring.”

“…”

At this point, I’m confident this guy just isn’t sane. Why’s he trying so hard to win me over? Whatever he’s thinking, it’s so crazy I can’t follow along.

“Lastly…I don’t know if this counts as a bonus for you, but you’ll be able to show me just how happy you make Alice every day… W-wouldn’t that make you happy, Luke? It’d make you feel superior, right?!” Yolande seemed to be working himself up a little too much, and his breathing grew heavy. “Oh my… All I’d be able to do is sit and, ah, comfort myself, you know…? Uh…where’d you go? L-Luke?!”

I walked away and did not turn back even once.

Several days had passed since I learned the terrifying true nature of Yolande, Alice’s older brother. The things that happened that day, however, remained seared into the back of my brain, vivid and fresh in my mind.

I may never be able to forget the things he said. I mean, of course I won’t—I’m engaged to Alice. He’s going to be my brother-in-law someday, which is a horrifying thought. I never thought I’d ever sympathize with Alice either. Seriously, I feel really bad for her. Without that gross older brother hanging over her head, she might have grown up to be a kinder, better-adjusted woman.

Or, who knows, maybe that’s just wishful thinking on my part? No point in conjecture, anyway. All I can say for sure is that Yolande guy is so evil he makes me nauseous.

However, the conversation with Yolande did have one large, positive impact on me. That was the day I began to form an interest in the idea of “pawns,” as he phrased it.

Up until this point, I’d only thought to make myself stronger. I never compromised on that, and I don’t intend to start. I’m going to keep learning and growing, of course… But there’s a limit to what one man on his own is capable of. Sooner or later, I’ll need followers who will obey me.

“…Tch.”

I hated the thought of doing what Yolande had suggested. Worse still, I had a rational understanding of how useful he would be to me as a pawn.

As I lamented that fact, a thought occurred to me. There’s another option, another way to pick out the strongest followers, and it’s built right into the very culture of the academy.

I had little interest in them at first, but those rank duels might prove quite convenient for my purposes. One of them must be defeated in the end, after all.

“Mwa ha, perfect for an experiment, then.”

Come to think of it, isn’t this the day Mia and Lloyd are dueling?

***

The majority of the kingdom’s citizens lived their lives far from any sort of battle, much less the formal duels of those with magical talent. As a result, the rank duels that Aslan Magic Academy allowed the public to spectate were the finest form of entertainment that they had access to.

Abel and Luke’s duel had happened unusually quickly, but most fights were announced to the public before the event actually took place. That was one of several reasons they required all that paperwork. Since Mia and Lloyd’s duel had gone through the proper channels, the public was well aware of it, and the academy’s arena was filled with a great many spectators.

“First-years fightin’ today, right?”

“Yeah, yeah… Third-place girl called Mia’s up against Lloyd in fourth. Oh boy, higher ranks are at it already, eh?! This is hot stuff!”

“Yeah, but, like, the first-years never go as big as the upperclassmen. Their fights just ain’t as intense. Best battles are the third-years, when two veterans go head-to-head.”

“That’s dumb. You’re missin’ out on half of life! These first-years are diamonds in the rough. They’ve got so much potential, can’t y’see how amazing that is? Don’t matter how strong they are at first, what matters is that you can root for ’em. They try their best, they never give up, and you get to watch ’em grow. That’s what’s so great about first-years. We’ve gotta support kids like these! We’ve gotta cheer ’em on!”

“I knew you were weird.”

“ You’re weird, not me!”

The crowd continued to gather in the arena for the rank duel to come. Over the past hour, the few empty seats had filled up completely. The crowd waited with heated anticipation, their frenzied energy trapped in the arena with nowhere to go.

“Th-there are so many people here…”

Mia felt true fear for the first time in her life. She couldn’t breathe, and it felt as if someone’s hands had a tight grip on her heart.

“It’s okay… I’m okay…”

There’s no reason for me to be scared. I’ve been chosen, blessed with three elements. Not to mention I’ve been training so hard every day since I lost to Alice during the entrance exam. I can’t lose here, Mia told herself repeatedly, in an attempt to soothe her nerves.

“It’s time. Ready?”

“Yes!”

It’s starting, then.

The unsettling feelings swirling inside of her chest hadn’t faded.

I don’t want to lose. I won’t lose. I just won’t.

That was why Mia had made sure she shouted her response when they called her. She wanted to keep her spirits up, even if she had to fake it and put on a brave face. She walked slowly toward the arena. The fight hadn’t even started, but she felt unpleasant drips of sweat making their way down her spine. The moment she stepped into the arena, she was surrounded by thunderous cheers.

Overwhelmed by the piercing eyes of the crowd encircling her, Mia was thrown even further off-balance. She could hear her own heartbeat pounding in her ears.

“What’s wrong, pipsqueak? You look nervous.”

Lloyd smiled with ease. His demeanor was completely at odds with hers, and that only made the lead weight that was hanging on Mia’s heart feel heavier.

“Duelists, separate.”

Mia took another deep breath and slowly walked away from Lloyd. She took air in, then let it out, focusing on the physical process to steady her nerves just a little.

I’m okay… I can do this. Then I’ll beat Alice and even catch up to Luke someday. I won’t lose here!

The fire of Mia’s fighting spirit burned fiercely in her eyes as she stared down her opponent.

No matter what, I won’t let you win, she thought, fanning the flames within.

“Not bad! You’ve gotta put up a fight to make this interesting!”

Lloyd flashed a ferocious smile, eager to get on with the duel.

“Duelists, are you ready?”

Both students nodded, each convinced of their own victory.

“Then begin!”

Lloyd had just one element—Fire—but made full use of his incredible talent with it. Mia was capable of using the elements of Lightning, Chain, and Healing. The three combined quite nicely: Lightning allowed her to make magical attacks that could not be dodged, her Chain element enabled physical attacks and could also bind her enemies, and her Healing element allowed her to heal her injuries. No normal magic user would be able to stand against her in battle. She was, indeed, chosen.

A long, intense duel between the two…would have been rather exciting, wouldn’t it? However, this fight came to a sudden and ultimately very disappointing end.

Mia was blessed and cursed with the availability of many options at her fingertips, and she became paralyzed by indecision. She had always known that she was a little bit slow to activate her spells, and her inexperience only amplified the issue. Lloyd, on the other hand, had no such dilemma. He pushed his Fire abilities to their very limits—he did not command mere fire but ultrahot blue flames.

His overwhelming strength was simple and straightforward because that was the nature of fire—his only goal was to burn everything standing before him to ashes. Lloyd did not hesitate, and that was what made him strong.

He used huge amounts of mana to mercilessly bulldoze his opponent with his incredible blue flames. Lloyd’s spells weren’t completely artless, but art certainly wasn’t his focus. On a fundamental level, he concerned himself only with power, confident that raw brute strength was his most powerful weapon in battle.

The blue flames spread wide before Mia, encompassing everything. She felt a sort of instinctive fear jolt through her body. She had activated her Lightning magic at almost the exact same time that Lloyd moved, but she knew that her spell wouldn’t be as powerful, even if it did manage to reach him first.

She quickly redirected her energy into activating a Magic Barrier, but that was all she could manage. She knew that Lloyd’s attack would not relent, and the moment she shifted her attention to anything else, she would be consumed by the flames.

And checkmate. I’m done for.

“Aw, c’mon! What’s wrong?! We done already, pipsqueak?!”

“Argh… I c-can’t…” she choked out with great difficulty.

From that moment onwards, it was only a matter of time. The end was sudden and anticlimactic.

A piercing, awful scream erupted from Mia’s throat.

The last thing that she felt was the intense pain of her whole body being set alight, and the last thing she heard was the thunderous applause and roaring cheers of the people in the stands.

***

Mia awoke without a scratch on her. She felt heavy as she sat up and looked around. It took a few moments to regain her bearings and remember what had happened.

Her memories of defeat flooded back.

“…Ah.”

A single tear flowed down her cheek.

She desperately held back the rest and, with as much courage as she could muster, thanked the priest who had healed her injuries. With that, she left. She made her way down the hallway, then out of the school building. She walked, then walked some more, and finally began to run. That was the moment that the tears caught up with her. She ran straight to the dormitories and locked the door of her room the moment she was inside. Mia leaned back against the door, slid down to her knees, and slumped over. There was nothing left within her to hold back the tears now. Mia cried, ugly moans of despair escaping through clenched teeth as she sobbed. She wiped away her tears again and again, but they wouldn’t stop, and with them poured her jumbled feelings of regret, powerlessness, and frustration. Mia chose to stay in her shell for a time. She had no idea how long she had been like that when Lily and Abel came to visit, concerned about her. Mia ignored them both. She didn’t feel like talking to anybody at all.

Knock, knock.

Sometime later, there came another knock at her door.

Lily and Abel again? I’ve barely even spoken to either of them; why are they so worried about me?

“I don’t want to talk to anybody. Just leave me alone.”

There was a quiet anger and frustration in her voice.

Mia didn’t know why they seemed so insistent on bothering her, but whatever the reason was, she just wanted them to leave her alone. That was all she wanted.

“Who do you think you’re talking to?” came the unexpected reply, and it sounded even angrier than she was.

Mia immediately recognized the voice—it was Luke. That fact changed nothing, however. She wasn’t inclined to open the door for him any more than anyone else.

“Come out already. Let’s talk.”

“I told you I don’t feel—”

“Silence,” he interrupted. “You think I’m making a request? No, I’m telling you we need to talk.”

The way that Luke spoke was so arrogant, disregarding her feelings so thoroughly that it left Mia stunned.

“Hurry up. I’ll break down this door if I have to.”

“A-all right!” stammered Mia. “Fine!”

Mia reluctantly opened the door a crack, concerned that he might genuinely try to break it down if she refused. Luke pried open the door, her closed heart along with it, and stepped inside without taking off his shoes.

“What?”

“You look awful, Mia.”

His words were heartless. Mia felt anger bubbling up within her.

“Did it hurt?”

“…Eh?”

Her anger was immediately extinguished.

Luke had said so little, but Mia felt like every word wormed its way into her mind, seeping in through the cracks. She couldn’t understand what was happening, but in that moment, Mia felt a clear sense of calm wash over her. Then the tears came pouring down her cheeks once more. It took a moment for her to notice, but when she did, she wiped them away awkwardly in a fluster.

“I-is that all you came here to say?”

“No. I came to borrow a little mana.”

Suddenly, Mia felt the mana draining from her body. Everything was happening so fast it made her head spin.

“Wh-what do you think you’re—”

“Hmph, this is a fine element.”

A little chain twisted and spun rapidly around on Luke’s palm. Mia watched it in stunned silence.

“Healing’s great, of course, but Lightning and Chain are incredible too. I see… Lightning can enhance your physical abilities, but it works on different rules than regular enhancement magic, so theoretically, it could stack in an interesting way. It has its limits, but it’s a good element. Hm, I wonder if you could link Chain with Information magic to create an automated Counterattack spell.”

The chain on Luke’s palm split into pieces. Mia had only ever been able to control two at a time, but Luke had five. That wasn’t all—he had applied Lightning to each link. Mia gaped at the sparking chains, flabbergasted.

“Y-you…”

Incredible… He’s amazing.

Mia had known about Luke—or rather, had thought that she did. But it was in that instant that she realized:

He’s a monster.

Mia was made aware—not logically, but on an instinctual level—that the thing that was standing in front of her was not a person at all, but a monster wearing human skin.

“Hmph.”

In a flash, the spell that Luke had activated was gone.

“Right, then, I came here with a proposal,” he continued, as if nothing had happened. “Will you become my pawn?”

“Huh?”

Mia didn’t understand what he was saying. She knew what all of the words meant, but the proposal came so out of the blue that her brain refused to process it.

“Underling, servant… Call it what you will. I desire for one who will serve me and do what I say without question.”

The tone of Luke’s voice was conversational. He acted so casual about all this.

“I-I’d never join y—”

“Become my pawn, and you will never have to feel like this ever again.”

The words caught in Mia’s throat. She fell silent.

“As I just demonstrated, I am capable of guiding you. You want power, don’t you? You don’t want to feel like this any longer, do you? Become my pawn, then. I will free you from the fear of defeat.”

In the end, Mia succeeded in disregarding the ridiculous proposal—even managing to scoff at it. But Luke’s words had an unknown sort of power to them, sweet and dangerous. They bore a treacherous nectar that made Mia want very badly to believe what he was saying.

Wh-why do I feel like this?

Mia was truly afraid. Before she even knew what was happening, she found herself seriously considering becoming one of Luke’s pawns. Her choice was already taking root in her heart, and it almost seemed natural to her. She felt dizzy, like she was looking down at herself from somewhere above and shook herself back to reality. That bird’s-eye view of the scene was terrifying.

And yet, the sweet poison had already begun to seep into her heart.

“Your p-pawn… What would I have to do…?”

She just had to ask.

“Mwa ha ha.”

Mia’s expression, the slight trembling in her voice—from those small clues alone, Luke was confident that his experiment had been partially successful.

“Nothing difficult. I want you to lend me your powers when I have need of them.”

“You need my powers…?”

“Yes. I need your strength, Mia.”

Mia’s heart trembled at those words. Luke hadn’t come there to comfort her, nor to offer her any kindness. He had no respect for her feelings or boundaries. She’d told him she didn’t want to talk to anyone, and he half forced himself through the door, only to drain her mana and offer some insane deal to be his pawn?

And yet…

Luke says that he needs my powers. Just that fact alone… It makes me happy.

Mia felt a terrifying, intoxicating joy. She hadn’t spent much time with Luke up until that point, perhaps a few hours at most. But suddenly she found each word he spoke to her so sweet it melted her soul, immersing her in waves of warmth and comfort.

I want him to want me more.

An intense, irresistible, and primordial desire possessed her.

And yet…

“I need some time to think.”

In her heart, she wanted to obey him, but Mia somehow managed to stop herself from taking that step.

I shouldn’t make this decision on the spot. I need to stop and think this over.

Alarm bells were ringing in every rational part of her mind that remained functional.

“…Hmph. I see.”

For just a brief moment, Luke looked disappointed. It was only a flash, but the sight sent such pangs of guilt shooting through Mia’s body that she thought her chest might burst open.

I’ve made the wrong choice; I just know it. Oh, what have I done?

Waves of self-reproach assaulted her.

I should take that back. I have to.

But just as she resolved to speak again…

“I’ll ask again tomorrow, then. I have high hopes for your response.”

Luke lightly placed his hand upon Mia’s shoulder. The moment it made contact with her body, his fingers sent a brain-numbing sensation running through her, and her body shivered faintly at the touch.

“ Oh …”

Mia’s legs buckled and she slumped to the floor.

“Huh? What’s wrong with you?”

Luke hadn’t expected that. At the slightest touch, the girl had collapsed like a marionette whose strings had been cut. He had no idea what was happening, and the situation only proceeded to get more chaotic.

“Wh-what are you doing?!”

Luke turned to see Lily and Abel standing in the doorway.

***