Episode 47: The Hunt

Within the grounds of the military academy, there were several plazas meticulously maintained for drills and training. In one such plaza—

After classes had ended for the day, the plaza, bathed in the red glow of the setting sun, was occupied by a handful of students.

Three noble students stood together. A short distance away, two commoner students stood, trembling with fear.

“Heh, just watch, you lot…”

The one who muttered those words was one of the noble students—a short, chubby boy with a protruding belly.

He thrust his palm toward the commoner students.

“Pebble, fly forth and pierce the target.”

With that incantation, a fist-sized stone materialized at the tip of his palm. Then, the name of the spell was unleashed.

“‘Pebble Dart Telsdart’”

The conjured stone shot forward with great force. It seemed aimed at the commoner students, but it veered far off course, missing its target entirely.

Even so, the chubby student’s lackeys let out exaggerated gasps of awe.

“That’s incredible! Hugo, you’re seriously unreal!”

“Honestly, Hugo’s talent for magic is on a whole other level!”

Magic—a technique that manipulates magical energy to produce specific phenomena.

In this world, nearly every human possesses an energy known as magical power. For knights or swordsmen, enhancing physical abilities with magic is commonplace.

However, transforming that energy into phenomena—into magic—is an entirely different matter.

Converting magical power into elements like fire, water, wind, or earth to affect reality—that is the essence of magic.

But those capable of wielding it are exceedingly rare, said to be only one in a hundred.

And now, the chubby student—Hugo—who had just demonstrated it, was one of those rare individuals.

“Man… Hugo, you could totally become the chief court mage someday, right?”

Though Hugo could use magic, the spell he wielded was among the simplest of offensive magic.

Naturally, he lacked the talent to ever become a court mage.

But Hugo was born into a marquis family. His two lackeys, on the other hand, hailed from viscount families.

For these lower-ranking nobles, their goal was simple: flatter Hugo, keep him in good spirits, and curry favor with him.

“Heh, chief court mage, huh… Well, I might just consider it.”

Hugo’s mood visibly brightened at his lackeys’ words.

“Alright then, shall I show you the true power of the future chief court mage once more? …This time, I’ll hit the mark.”

Hugo turned his palm toward the commoner students again.

“Oi, don’t you dare dodge!”

One of the lackeys shouted.

To Hugo, the commoner students were nothing more than targets. And so, the incantation began anew.

“Pebble, fly forth and pierce the target. ‘Pebble Dart Telsdart’”

The stone launched from his palm flew straight toward the commoner students. A direct hit would be more than a mere bruise—it could even break bones.

But the moment the spell was cast—out of nowhere, a young man appeared.

A youth with silver hair and striking blue eyes.

“Hmph…”

The youth smirked.

With a sharp kick, he sent the stone—on the verge of striking the commoner students—flying back.

His movement was like a volley shot in soccer. The stone, redirected by the silver-haired youth, hurtled toward Hugo. And then—

“Guh!”

The stone struck Hugo square in the face, and he collapsed backward.

“H-Hugo!”

One of the lackeys rushed to Hugo’s side in a panic. The other glared at the silver-haired youth.

“You… what’s your deal?!”

“My deal, you say…”

Despite the lackey’s hostile glare, the silver-haired youth showed no sign of intimidation.

“I just happened to pass by and overheard something interesting. Apparently, the future chief court mage is right here, isn’t he?”

“Tch, that’s right! Hugo’s got the talent for it! How dare you—!”

“That’s odd. If he’s such a brilliant mage, why didn’t he deploy a spell barrier?”

A spell barrier—a defensive wall conjured using magical power.

It’s a fundamental technique for any mage.

But Hugo, obsessed with flashy offensive magic, hadn’t even mastered this basic skill. Of course, his lackeys could hardly admit that.

“Tch, that’s… You came out of nowhere, so he didn’t have time to prepare, that’s all!”

“I see.”

The silver-haired student pointed his palm at Hugo.

By then, Hugo had staggered to his feet, glaring at the silver-haired youth with a venomous “You…!”

To him, the silver-haired youth declared:

“I’m about to fire. Defend yourself.”

“Huh…?”

“‘Pebble Dart Telsdart’”

Another stone materialized and shot toward Hugo.

“Gah!”

He twisted his body to dodge, but the stone struck his shoulder.

“Urgh… You bastard…!”

“Hm? Why aren’t you deploying a barrier? Surely the future chief court mage can manage that much—‘Pebble Dart Telsdart’”

Another stone flew.

“‘Pebble Dart Telsdart.’ ‘Pebble Dart Telsdart.’ ‘Pebble Dart Telsdart.’”

The spells came in rapid succession. Hugo was helpless against the barrage of stones.

One of the lackeys muttered in shock:

“Th-this guy… casting spells in succession…! Wait, is that chantless casting!?”

—Chantless casting.

An advanced technique that allows a mage to cast spells instantly, omitting the usual incantation.

“H-How can you use such an advanced technique…!?”

“Advanced technique?”

The silver-haired student furrowed his brow.

“This is nothing but a parlor trick. Just something I picked up while training my magical control.”

With those words, the lackey realized.

To this man, magic—even chantless casting—was mere child’s play.

If Hugo was a one-in-a-hundred talent, this man was… one in ten thousand, no, one in ten million… perhaps even greater.

A vessel worthy of becoming the chief court mage. Or perhaps… someone without equal in this world.

“Urgh… S-stop… Gah!”

Hugo, desperately enduring, finally took a stone to the face and collapsed, unconscious.

“What’s that? Is this all the future chief court mage amounts to? I thought you’d at least make my training interesting.”

The silver-haired student let out a disappointed sigh.

“Well then, shall I have you two entertain me instead?”

He turned his gaze to the lackeys.

“Eek! No…!”

Their screams were in vain. Two more ‘Pebble Dart Telsdarts’ were fired, striking the lackeys in the face. Both collapsed, unconscious.

“With no moves from Randolph, I figured I’d seek out some villains myself… but these were far too small-time.”

Muttering to himself, the silver-haired youth turned to leave. But then, a voice called out to him.

“U-um… Th-thank you…!”

“Y-You saved us… We’re really grateful!”

The voices belonged to the commoner students who had been targeted moments ago.

But the silver-haired youth’s response was cold.

“Saved you? What are you talking about?”

“Huh…?”

“I merely hunted some villains. I didn’t do it to save you.”

With that, he started to walk away but paused, adding:

“Oh… If something like this happens again, let me know. My name is Siegfried von Kreving. I’m a second-year in the ‘Comprehensive Tactics Course.’ I have no intention of saving you, but… if you can point me to some villains, I’d welcome the information.”

With those parting words, Siegfried walked away.

—As they watched him go, they had no idea. From that day forward, Siegfried von Kreving’s ‘villain hunt’ at the military academy had begun.