Chapter 5: The Survival Battle

The days of the intensive training camp passed in the blink of an eye—

—and finally, the day of the survival battle arrived.

That day, the Alzano Imperial Magic Academy was enveloped in an odd atmosphere of tension.

Glenn’s class—forty students from Year Two, Class Two—and Maxim’s students—forty from the exemplary class—gathered in the academy’s courtyard.

Naturally, Glenn, Maxim, and Eve, who was serving as the judge for the survival battle, were also present.

From the windows of the east, west, south, and north school buildings, the academy’s students watched the scene in the courtyard… observing the fate of the academy with bated breath.

“I’ve done all I can…”

“Indeed, all that’s left is to give it our all.”

The students of Class Two were filled with tension and a quiet fighting spirit…

“Ugh, what a hassle. Are we seriously doing this? The outcome’s already obvious, isn’t it?”

“Whatever, let’s just mess around and have some fun.”

Meanwhile, the exemplary class students were steeped in laziness and overconfidence.

“So, are you ready to write your resignation, Glenn-kun?”

“Hmph… we’ll see about that.”

Maxim’s snide remark was met with Glenn shrugging his shoulders.

“Still… Eve-kun. I never would’ve guessed you’d side with Glenn-kun.”

Then, Maxim turned his words toward Eve, who stood beside Glenn, looking away indifferently.

“You’re remarkably young and beautiful. You have both power and talent. Truth be told, I’ve taken quite a liking to you. Why waste your time with a third-rate instructor like him? Why not lend your strength to me from now on?”

Maxim spoke with a gentlemanly facade, carefully crafted.

“If you join me, I can arrange all sorts of conveniences for you here at the academy. And I know about your circumstances. In time, I could even put in a good word with your father. What do you say?”

However.

“Not interested. I haven’t sided with Glenn or anything like that. I’m merely carrying out the task my father entrusted to me. I was asked to teach, so I taught as part of my duties.”

To Maxim’s blatant flirtation, Eve responded with a cold scoff.

“Besides, a small fry like you couldn’t possibly influence my father, could you? The current head of one of the empire’s three great ducal houses? Know your place.”

“Tch…”

“Hey, old perv. Save your age-inappropriate flirting for later. Let’s get this started already—our duel… the survival battle between our students.”

Glenn’s sharp words prompted a click of the tongue from Maxim.

“Hmph. Fine. The survival battle… the rules are as I previously outlined to you.”

The survival battle—a format of magical combat competition for mages.

All participants are scattered across a vast competition field, and the battle begins.

Participants seek out others to engage in magical combat, aiming to survive. If the situation is disadvantageous or they wish to conserve mana, they can flee or hide to bide their time.

The last person standing, or, if multiple survivors remain when time runs out, the survivor with the most eliminations, is declared the winner. That’s the basic rule of a survival battle.

However, this time, it’s a contest between Glenn’s class and Maxim’s class.

Thus, the class with the most survivors at the end will be declared the victor.

Unlike a magical corps battle, there’s no commander with an overarching view of the battlefield.

All participants must act on their own judgment, fighting through the series of localized skirmishes.

“As for the critical elimination criteria… don’t you think something like a sub-spell lethal judgment is a bit too lenient?”

Maxim said this with a sly grin.

“Therefore, for this match, we’ll use unconsciousness—simple combat incapacity—as the lethal judgment. And only basic self-defense spells will be allowed as attack methods… nothing too serious, right?”

Using only low-lethality basic spells, with combat incapacity as the lethal judgment… in other words.

(He’s fully intending to toy with us. What a brutal rule to propose…)

Alternatively, perhaps Maxim was wary that if they used a sub-spell rule, Eve, as the judge, might make biased lethal judgments in Glenn’s favor.

Either way, Glenn had no choice but to accept.

The right to choose the rules lay with the side accepting the duel.

“Is that settled? Then let’s open the ‘Hidden Academy’ right here and now.”

After confirming the rules, Maxim opened Memoirs of Alicia III. It was both the key and gate to the ‘Hidden Academy’… a kind of magical tome that controlled its functions.

“Hold on. I’ve got an additional rule.”

Before Maxim could act, Glenn suddenly interjected.

“Combat incapacity as the lethal judgment is fine. But for this survival battle, the use of fire-based spells is completely banned. Break that rule, and it’s an immediate disqualification. I insist you accept this additional condition.”

Instantly, scornful voices and glares from the exemplary class students rained down on Glenn.

“Pfft… banning fire-based spells? Lame.”

“What a bunch of cowards… are they that scared of getting hurt?”

Fire-based spells, even among basic self-defense spells, are particularly dangerous and prone to causing injury.

Hearing that combat incapacity would be the lethal judgment, Glenn must have panicked… or so the exemplary class naturally assumed.

But Glenn pressed on, unwavering in his demand for the additional rule.

“The conditions are the same for both sides, right? Please, just agree to exclude fire-based spells.”

Flashing through Glenn’s mind was, as expected, that mysterious document.

—Don’t use fire. You’ll be ×× and ××××. Absolutely, do not use fire.—

That warning alone… it gave him an uneasy feeling.

“Banning fire-based spells…? …Hoh, I see, is that your game…?”

Maxim glared at Glenn, as if something had clicked.

“That ridiculous prank note was your doing after all, wasn’t it, Glenn Radars?”

Glenn’s eyes widened at Maxim’s words.

(That tone… could it be? Was that mysterious document sent to Maxim’s camp as well?)

“Hmph. I don’t know what kind of mind games or strategy you’re playing with that note… but I won’t fall for it. Besides, you don’t have the authority to decide the rules…”

Assuming it was Glenn’s prank, Maxim was about to dismiss his proposal outright.

“If you agree to ban fire-based spells, I’ll make myself the prize of this duel.”

Eve, standing with her arms crossed and a composed expression, declared this firmly.

“Eve!?”

“That’s right. If you win, I’ll join your side. I’ll be your secretary, your mistress, whatever you want. Not a bad deal, is it?”

“Tch…”

Maxim’s gaze roamed over Eve’s elegant, proud figure, from the top of her head to the tips of her toes, practically licking her with his eyes… and he swallowed faintly.

“…Hmph. Fine. I don’t like it, but I’ll agree to your terms.”

And so, he was splendidly baited.

(H-Hey, Eve… you’re taking this a bit too far…)

Glenn whispered a warning to Eve…

(Idiot. How long are you going to stay half-asleep? Why is it that you’re always so slow to catch on until the very last moment?)

Eve shot back a look of exasperation and sharpness.

(Do you get it? From their reactions, it’s now almost certain that the mysterious document wasn’t some prank or trap set by Maxim’s camp.)

(—!?)

(In other words, the one who sent that document is very likely a benevolent third party intervening in this duel. I have no idea why, and I’m not eager to test it, but using fire-based spells in the ‘Hidden Academy’ is genuinely “bad news”.)

(So that’s how it is…)

(Exactly. The ‘Hidden Academy’, Alicia III… they’re all tied to urban-legend-level, ominous rumors. You’d better be careful too. This survival battle… something might happen.)

As Glenn and Eve exchanged these hushed words…

“Now, are you all ready? Let’s begin…”

Maxim opened a specific page in Memoirs of Alicia III.

“…《Open Gate》”

He traced a particular line with his left index finger. Instantly, mana surged through the journal, and the traced line began to glow brightly… and as if in response…

“—!?”

The surrounding school buildings and scenery warped and twisted like taffy.

The east, west, south, and north school buildings began to rotate clockwise around the people gathered in the courtyard.

The humans remained stationary while the world itself spun.

The angular velocity gradually accelerated, endlessly increasing, and the warped buildings and spinning world made the scenery progressively unrecognizable to the human eye.

Within that distortion and rotation, a new landscape slowly began to take shape.

After passing a certain critical point, the world’s rotation gradually slowed… and when it finally came to a complete stop…

An unfamiliar landscape stretched out before them.

It was—the entrance hall of some building.

Behind them was a massive front gate, resembling a portal, within which an infinite cosmos-like space glimmered with a galaxy against a dark void.

Stepping through it would likely mean falling endlessly into that infinite darkness, never to return.

The hall was vast, grand, and towering. The stone walls and tiled floor were bare, and the interior was far more rugged than that of the magic academy. It felt less like a mansion and more like a fortress.

The atmosphere was dim and heavy. Ancient lanterns mounted on the walls barely dispelled the darkness.

At the far end of the hall was a grand staircase leading to an open upper floor, and several doors lined the hall’s perimeter.

Glenn looked up at the vaulted ceiling.

Just how many floors did this place have? The upper levels were swallowed by an abyssal darkness, invisible.

The sheer size of the entrance hall and the height of the ceiling made it clear that this was an unimaginably colossal structure.

“S-Seriously… this place…?”

“Insane… something like this was hidden behind our academy…?”

The students present, including those from the exemplary class, were uniformly dumbfounded.

“Tch, this is the so-called ‘Hidden Academy’, built in some alternate dimension…?”

“I heard it was large-scale, but there’s got to be a limit, right?”

Even Glenn and even Eve…

“Do you understand now? The immense benefits that come from effectively utilizing this ‘Hidden Academy’’s facilities…”

Even Maxim, the instigator, was overwhelmed and trembling.

“…”

Only Mabel, for some reason, remained unfazed by the overwhelming grandeur, calmly observing her surroundings.

After everyone had been thoroughly stunned by the ‘Hidden Academy’’s staggering scale…

Maxim began tracing additional lines on another page of Memoirs of Alicia III.

Then, a Gate appeared before the students standing dazed in the center of the hall.

“Now, that Gate is set to randomly warp anyone who passes through it to some location within the ‘Hidden Academy’’s school building. The students’ initial positions will be determined by this Gate.”

“What’s to guarantee your students won’t get advantageous starting positions?”

“Yare yare… do you really think I’d need such petty tricks against your students?”

“I’ll be monitoring the students’ initial positions with a wide-range detection barrier as the judge. Cheating is impossible.”

After confirming various other minor details with Maxim and Eve…

Glenn turned to his Class Two students, still overwhelmed by the ‘Hidden Academy’’s scale.

“Alright, you lot!”

The students, who had been staring in awe, snapped back to attention and focused on Glenn.

“Forget about the academy’s future or my job for now! Just give it everything you’ve got! Unleash everything you’ve built up over these two weeks, and that’ll be enough!”

Perhaps inspired by Glenn’s hearty, confident words…

“Of course, Sensei! Leave it to us!”

“Yes! We’ll do our best!”

“Mm.”

Sistine, Rumia, and Re=L responded with vigor.

“Hell yeah! Let’s go all out, everyone!”

“Indeed, let’s show them the results of our training!”

“Hmph… getting beaten up isn’t my style.”

Led by Kash, Wendy, and Gibul, the Class Two students rallied with enthusiasm.

The exemplary class students sneered at their display, but no one paid them any mind anymore.

“Alright! Let’s march to battle!”

With Glenn’s rallying cry…

The Class Two students charged toward the Gate with high spirits—

—Tap.

The light sound of footsteps landing echoed through the area.

A profound silence pressed against Sistine’s ears.

“…Where am I?”

Having passed through the Gate, Sistine cautiously surveyed her surroundings.

It was a vast stone room, built in an archaic architectural style.

There was a lectern and rows upon rows of long desks. The ceiling was incredibly high.

Naturally, she was alone.

Was this—a classroom? If so, the ‘Hidden Academy’’s school building was indeed on a scale far beyond that of the main academy.

There were no windows. As a result, it was terribly dark, with poor visibility and a stifling sense of confinement.

The lanterns burning on the walls provided faint light, giving the place the atmosphere of a dungeon.

“This is the ‘Hidden Academy’… Sure, it’s huge, but I’d hate to attend classes in such a gloomy place.”

The survival battle had already begun. Sistine refocused and paid close attention to her surroundings.

“…Oh?”

Suddenly, Sistine noticed something.

On the classroom wall was a bulletin board-like fixture… with a piece of parchment pinned to it.

The parchment read:

—No fireplay within the school building.

—Those who violate this rule will face the ‘Punishment of Shredding.’

Headmaster Alicia III

“No fireplay… Hmm, just as Sensei said, it’s probably best not to use fire-based spells in this building. Though, it could just be a standard school notice…”

Sistine narrowed her eyes at the ominous words that followed.

“Still, ‘Punishment of Shredding’? What’s that? It’s kind of creepy.”

Well, dwelling on it wouldn’t help. Sistine decided to start moving.

“The key is to link up with allies as quickly as possible. Alright… let’s do this.”

Sistine activated a detection barrier spell and left the classroom.

She began walking slowly through the labyrinthine corridors…

Meanwhile—at the entrance hall of the ‘Hidden Academy’.

Above Glenn and the others waiting there, countless window-like projections floated.

The scenes displayed in the windows showed corridors and classrooms—the interior of the ‘Hidden Academy’.

Some of the windows captured students wandering through the ‘Hidden Academy’’s halls.

Additionally, a projection showing a simplified map of the ‘Hidden Academy’’s school building floated alongside them.

Thirty minutes had passed since the survival battle began—

“Kukuku… Isn’t this a magnificent view?”

Perhaps bored by the lack of significant developments on the battlefield, Maxim spoke up suddenly.

“This journal is truly a convenient tool.”

Maxim flaunted Memoirs of Alicia III to Glenn with a smug grin.

“With this single journal, I can control all of the ‘Hidden Academy’’s functions. Projecting the ‘Hidden Academy’’s interior using light magic, like this, is child’s play.”

“Wow, amazing, amazing.”

Glenn half-glanced at the boastful Maxim, lost in thought.

(Geez, that journal… it’s practically a magical tome at this point, not just a journal… and it holds considerable power. How the hell did something like that end up in his hands…?)

Glenn could only furrow his brow at the suspicious circumstances.

(And… what’s with that?)

Glenn looked at the projections above. Several of them showed the “no fireplay” notices.

At this frequency, those notices were likely scattered throughout the entire ‘Hidden Academy’.

(As I thought, that warning note… it’s got to be connected somehow…)

“…Glenn. The board’s starting to move.”

Eve’s words snapped Glenn back to reality.

Following Eve’s gaze upward… indeed, as she said, some of Glenn’s students had begun encountering Maxim’s students in certain windows—

In a certain corridor—

“Stop right there, you.”

At the sudden voice echoing through the hall, Sistine, who had been advancing alone, halted.

Two figures emerged from the corner of the crossroad ahead. Another stepped out from the classroom door behind her.

A total of three model class students appeared, surrounding Sistine from both sides.

“Hmph… You’re supposed to be a bit stronger than the rest of your pathetic class, huh? Sorry, but I’m gonna have to crush you early.”

“No matter how tough you are, there’s no way you can handle three of us at once, right?”

“Dirty move? Haha, don’t take it personally. This is a survival battle.”

The model class students were utterly confident in their advantage and victory.

But Sistine didn’t respond, silently readying herself.

Meanwhile, in a certain classroom—

“Oooohhh! Lucky! This is my lucky day!”

The model class student who appeared before Rumia—Dean—was practically bouncing with excitement.

“To run into the prettiest blonde, big-breasted girl from Class Two like this… Man, I’m lucky!”

“Haha… Um, thanks?”

“No worries, no worries! I won’t hurt you too bad, I’ll go easy on you! By the way, if I beat you, how about going out with me? Huh? Sounds good, right? I’m gonna show you how strong and cool I am right now!”

“Uh… I’ll have to pass on the dating thing…”

“Come on, don’t be like that. Girls just need to shut up and follow a strong guy, y’know? So, here we go—”

Dean pointed his left hand at Rumia, who was smiling awkwardly and clearly flustered—

Meanwhile, in a corridor on a certain floor with no cover—

“…Found you.”

A voice suddenly called out from behind Zack, a model class student walking down the hall.

Turning around, he saw Gibul standing there.

Apparently, Gibul had been hiding in the classroom nearby.

I should’ve had a detection barrier up… Zack clicked his tongue and said,

“Huh? What do you want?”

“Isn’t it obvious? …I’m here to settle the score from the other day.”

Gibul spat out the words, and Zack turned to face him, grinning mockingly.

“Hah, what’s a weakling like you acting all cool for? You dumb or something? You should’ve just ambushed me from behind. Not that a sneak attack from someone like you would’ve worked on me, though.”

“Enough talk. Let’s get started.”

With that, Gibul pushed up his glasses and glared sharply at Zack—

Meanwhile, at the landing of a certain staircase—

“Haha, found you!”

“Hehe… How should we cook you up, hmm?”

“…Wendy.”

“It’s fine, it’s two against two. I’ll take the front. Teresa, I’m counting on you for support.”

They had encountered a pair of model class female students.

Wendy stepped forward, shielding Teresa—

Meanwhile, in a certain ritual laboratory—

“Alright, finally found my first one! Man, my luck’s been crap… I gotta hurry, or the others are gonna steal all the prey!”

“Tch… Don’t think this’ll go like last time!”

Kash shouted at the model class student who barely seemed to notice him.

Across the vast expanse of the ‘Hidden Academy’,

Glenn’s students and Maxim’s students were beginning to clash one after another—

…………

At the start of the survival battle,

Maxim wore a smug, confident expression as he observed the footage streaming in from various parts of the ‘Hidden Academy’.

After all, the outcome was already decided.

The students he had trained had been rigorously honed under his correct educational philosophy, focusing solely on their combat prowess as mages. He had discarded everything else—any qualities unnecessary for a mage—and raised them to become what he considered the strongest mages.

To him, magic was nothing more than a weapon for war. Scholarship, wisdom for living—those were all pointless. Mere idealistic nonsense spouted by naive fools who couldn’t face reality.

Therefore, eliminating such waste and purely forging strength was the true path to becoming a mage. That was the essence of proper magical education.

Thus, this survival battle was a foregone conclusion. There was no way he could lose.

It was a guaranteed victory, a perfect demonstration to show this soft, peace-addled academy just how superior his educational philosophy was.

That’s how it was supposed to be—

“《O great wind》!”

“《O violet lightning of the thunder spirit》!”

“Too slow! 《O barrier of light》—!”

In the corridor, mana clashed with mana, exploding on impact.

Despite facing three opponents at once, Sistine continued to deftly counter every spell hurled her way with pinpoint precision.

“So fast…!?”

“What’s going on…? Three against one should’ve been an easy win…!”

“Damn it! Surround her, surround her—!”

Frustrated that they were being handled by just one person, one of the model class students broke formation on his own, trying to flank Sistine—

“《O violet lightning of the thunder spirit》—!”

“Gwaaahhh—!”

Sistine’s left hand unleashed a bolt of lightning, instantly striking the gap in that student’s defenses.

“Tch—! Now’s our chance!”

“《O white winter—”

Seizing the moment when Sistine’s mana biorhythm faltered, the remaining two model class students tried to hit her with a wave of freezing energy—

Bzzzt! Without even chanting, Sistine’s right hand fired another lightning bolt, felling yet another model class student—

“Wha—!? That just now—!?”

“《O great wind》—!”

In a single breath, Sistine realigned her mana biorhythm and unleashed another spell.

A localized gust from [Gale Blow] surged forward, mercilessly blowing the final model class student against the wall.

“No way… That was [Double Cast]…? Such an advanced technique…”

The student’s eyes widened in shock before he collapsed, losing consciousness.

“Alright, that’s settled! As expected of Eve-san’s training!”

Sistine cautiously scanned her surroundings before calmly leaving the scene—

“…I… I lost, didn’t I…?”

“Told ya! So, you get how strong I am now, right?”

Dean looked down at Rumia, who was sitting limply on the floor, her head bowed.

“But… Dean-kun, you’re amazing. I didn’t know you were that strong… You’re kind of wonderful…”

“Hahaha, finally starting to see it, huh? So, you falling for me yet?”

“Y-Yeah… I’ve never met someone like you before…”

“So? Ready to be my girl now?”

“Yeah… Please take care of me, Dean-kun…”

Rumia murmured faintly, her face bright red as she looked up at Dean…

…or rather, that was the happy dream Dean was having as he lay unconscious.

“…Guu… guu… guu…”

“Haha… Sorry about that.”

Rumia gave a wry smile as she looked down at him.

Right after the magic battle began, she had altered her spell, disguising a White Magic [Sleep Sound] as a Black Magic [Shock Bolt].

Dean, completely underestimating Rumia, had chosen the wrong counterspell, leading to his current state.

“…But we can’t afford to lose.”

For once, Rumia’s usually gentle expression hardened with resolve.

She set off in search of her next battlefield—

“W-What the hell are you…!?”

Zack couldn’t hide his shock.

“《Cry out to the void・let the echo resound・the roar of the wind spirit》—!”

Gibul unleashed a Stun Ball, firing a compressed air projectile.

“Tch—《O wall of air》!”

Zack hurriedly chanted [Air Screen], deploying an air barrier around himself.

The compressed air projectile exploded, its deafening roar and shockwave deflected by the barrier.

“Kuh… 《O thunder spirit—”

Amid the trembling air, Zack pointed at Gibul for a counterattack—

But Gibul was gone. He had already darted into a nearby classroom.

“You bastard—! Don’t run—!”

Zack chased after him, about to storm into the classroom—

“Whoa!?”

The moment he poked his head through the door, three bolts of lightning shot out from inside, forcing him to duck back.

“Damn it! 《O storm of white winter》—!”

Irritated, Zack thrust his hand into the classroom, unleashing a wave of freezing energy.

Instantly, a frosty storm swirled within, turning the room white—

“Heh, how’s that…? Can’t see anything now, can you…?”

As Zack stepped confidently into the classroom, ready to finish things—

“《O great wind》!”

A spell rang out from behind him.

It was Gibul. He had already slipped out through the classroom’s rear door into the corridor.

“Wha—!”

A gust like a warhammer surged toward Zack from behind—

“Tch, 《O wall of air》!”

He barely managed to deploy [Air Screen] in time—

“Uooohhh—!?”

But the gust’s force pushed Zack’s body back over ten meters, his shoes grinding loudly against the floor.

“Hmph…”

Gibul pushed up his glasses, glaring sharply at Zack without letting his guard down.

“Damn it… What the hell are you…!?”

Zack gritted his teeth in frustration.

Gibul… His magical skill hadn’t particularly improved since their last Duel Battle.

But—his split-second decision-making was on a whole different level.

Compared to before, his ability to choose his next move was so fast and precise, it was like he was a different person.

“What the hell did you do in these past two weeks…!?”

“I told you, enough talk. …Come at me.”

“Tch… Getting cocky, huh? Fine, I’ll take you seriously! Heh… Think you can keep up with my fast moves!?”

“Hmph… Compared to Eve-sensei, your moves are so slow they make me yawn.”

“Don’t underestimate me! 《O thunder spirit》! 《Zwei》! 《Dwei》!”

Suddenly, Zack rapid-fired three Shock Bolts.

“Hmph.”

Gibul dodged the first and second shots with precise movements—

“《Let calamity dissipate》—”

And neutralized the third with [Tri-Banish]—

“Wha—!?”

“—《O thunder spirit》!”

It was like a replay of a familiar scene—Gibul fired a [Shock Bolt] back at the stunned Zack, as if returning the favor.

“Gwaaahhh—!”

Gibul’s violet lightning struck Zack’s left hand.

Zack had been paid back exactly what he’d done to Gibul in their previous Duel Battle, trembling with humiliation.

“What in the world is going on!?”

The sound of Maxim stomping his foot echoed coldly through the hall.

The countless images floating above his head declared an undeniable truth—the model class’s overwhelming struggle.

No, it wasn’t just a struggle—they were being utterly dominated.

“Impossible…! My students, trained under my correct educational philosophy, shouldn’t be struggling against the soft rabble of this academy! They should be crushing them completely! So why—!?”

Face red with shock and humiliation, Maxim turned to Glenn.

“Well, damn… They’re doing way better than I expected…”

Even Glenn was blinking in surprise, watching his students’ impressive performance.

That meant the mastermind behind this upset was…

“Eve-kun… What did you do!? What kind of training did you give them!?”

Eve ran a hand through her hair, speaking coolly as if brushing him off.

“…Nothing special. I just made those kids properly do what you usually have your students do. …At a much higher level.”

“Wha—!? That alone couldn’t possibly lead to this…!”

“They already had that kind of strength. They just hadn’t fully mastered how to use it… that’s all.”

“L-Lies… There’s no way the students of this academy could have such power…! Not in this soft, wrong educational environment…!”

“It’s simple. Your philosophy versus Glenn’s. One seeks only the efficient pursuit of a mage’s power, discarding foundation-building as wasteful. The other doesn’t chase power, steadily building a mage’s foundation with no regard for efficiency. …Which one ends up on top in the end?”

“Guh…”

“The results are clear. Face it. Your educational philosophy was wrong. …From the very start.”

“No… It can’t be…! My… my philosophy…!?”

With a furious, near-murderous expression, Maxim glared at the images projected above.

By now, his students were being taken down one by one by Glenn’s students.

The tide of the battle was painfully obvious.

And Glenn’s students’ relentless advance showed no signs of stopping—

Bzzzt bzzzt bzzzt!

“Gyaaahhh—!”

A model class male student collapsed, his body crackling with violet lightning.

Nearby, Re=L stood expressionlessly, her left hand extended.

“Hmm. Big discovery. If I touch the opponent’s body directly, even I can hit with a spell.”

Re=L muttered this with a hint of pride.

“…Studying was worth it. …Not sure what I studied, though.”

Re=L’s new power—[Shock Bolt] at point-blank range.

Armed with this utterly backwards new technique, Re=L wandered off in search of her next prey.

“This way! Teresa, hurry! Please, quickly!”

“Y-Yes…!”

Wendy pulled Teresa by the hand, running down the corridor.

“Kyaha—! Hold it right there!”

“Think we’re gonna let you get away!?”

Two model class female students chased after them.

Wendy and Teresa had been engaged in a two-on-two magic battle with these model class girls, but after a while, realizing they were outmatched, they fled like startled rabbits.

Glancing back occasionally, Wendy and Teresa kept running—

Eventually, they crossed a strange line drawn on the corridor floor.

The two model class girls, unaware of the line, stepped over it—

Snap!

““Kyaaahhh—!?””

In an instant, a wall of violet lightning surged along the line, and the two model class students who took it head-on fainted and collapsed in a daze.

“Alright! It worked perfectly!”

“A conditional activation magic trap that only reacts to the model class… a success, isn’t it?”

“Being a mage doesn’t always mean fighting head-on, after all!”

Wendy and Teresa grinned at each other and high-fived.

“《O violet lightning of the thunder spirit》—! 《O violet lightning of the thunder spirit》—!”

“《O mighty wind》—!”

Countless bolts of violet lightning and battering gusts of wind rushed toward Lynn.

“《O shining wall・block their calamity・protect me》…!”

But Lynn, forcing her eyes open despite the terror threatening to close them, chanted Black Magic [Force Shield].

The barrier of light deployed before her eyes protected her body, just barely.

“Haa…! Haa…!”

Lynn exhaled heavily from exhaustion, her eyes brimming with tears.

Even so, she braced herself, trembling nervously, preparing for the next attack.

“Damn it… how long is this little brat gonna hold out…!”

“She’s just a weakling who hasn’t fought back once, and yet she’s so cheeky…!”

The two model class students glared at Lynn in irritation.

“Just give up already, okay? You… you’ve clearly practiced defense quite a bit, but you can’t attack, can you?”

“Yeah, you haven’t fought back even once!”

“…!”

Indeed, for the past two weeks, under Glenn’s guidance, all Lynn had done was practice protecting herself from Eve’s attacks.

Lynn had no means whatsoever to defeat her opponents.

By nature and ability, she was utterly unsuited for combat.

But even so.

(If I can make them cast even one more spell… tire them out even a little… then I… I can be useful to everyone, right? This… this is all I can do…)

Wiping her tears with a sniff, Lynn braced herself again.

“Tch… so annoying! Hey, Fara! Let’s finish this next!”

“Right, Jerid, together! 《O violet lightning of the thunder spirit》—!”

Once more, the two model class students chanted their spells in unison toward Lynn—

“《O shining wall・block their—ugh》”

Perhaps due to accumulated fatigue, Lynn stumbled over her chant—

As she stared helplessly at the violet lightning hurtling toward her—

“LYYYYYYYYYYNN!”

Someone, using [Physical Boost] to enhance their physical abilities, leapt in front of her.

They used their own body as a shield to protect Lynn.

“K-Kash-kun!?”

“You okay!?”

Ignoring the violet lightning searing through his body, Kash grinned boldly.

“You did great, now fall back! 《Cry out to the void・—》”

Then, Kash began chanting a spell toward the two model class students.

“Hah! Too slow, you weakling! 《O violet lightning of the thunder spirit》—!”

“《O freezing ice bullet》!”

The model class’s [Shock Bolt] unleashed violet lightning, and their [Freeze Shot] fired icy projectiles, mercilessly striking Kash mid-chant.

But—

“《—・resounding echoes・—》”

Despite the violet lightning constricting his body and his right arm and legs—used as shields—being frozen solid, Kash’s chanting didn’t falter.

“W-what!? This guy… he layered [Tri-Resist] multiple times in advance!?”

“What a musclehead—”

“《—・roar of the wind spirit》!”

Before the stunned model class students, Kash’s spell completed.

A compressed air bullet arced through the air—and struck.

“GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA—!?”

“NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO—!?”

With the explosive sound and vibration, the model class students were mercilessly blown away and fainted.

Crackle!

“Gwah!?”

“Ridel!? Damn it, again…!?”

The group of three model class students was panicking.

After all, they were being sniped with [Shock Bolt] from who-knows-where.

“Where the hell is this coward hiding…!?”

“So annoying, ugh…! Damn it!”

Far from them, at the end of a corridor near the stairs—

Cecil, cloaked in Black Magic [Self-Transparent] for invisibility and Black Magic [Noise-Cut] to block sound, was perfectly concealed.

At this moment, Cecil couldn’t be detected by the model class’s rudimentary detection barriers.

“…”

Of course, dedicating so much of his deep subconscious field resources to maintaining stealth spells meant Cecil couldn’t cast offensive spells powerful enough to take down opponents in a single hit.

(But this is fine… I’ll keep pressuring them, making them fear an invisible enemy, and wear them down bit by bit. I’m the support… this is enough…)

Feeling a twinge of guilt but steeling his resolve,

Cecil began slowly tailing the model class students as they hurriedly fled the scene…

“Damn it… you useless fools!”

Maxim’s frustration reached its peak at the sight of his struggling model class students.

“Where’s Mabel!? Where’s Mabel, the most exceptional of my students!? Hurry up and crush those wretched pests, Mabel!”

Maxim roared toward the window-like projections overhead.

But Mabel’s figure was nowhere to be seen among the countless projections.

Was she in a place this visual magic couldn’t capture?

“Yare yare. Mabel… that girl who overwhelmed White Cat in the last mock magic battle, huh?”

Glenn muttered bitterly.

“Yes, among Maxim’s students, that girl is truly a monstrous outlier. I’ve only taught the kids to run if they see Mabel.”

“…Yeah, that’s the right call.”

“I’d prefer Sistine, Gibul, and the other key members of Class 2 to regroup before she starts moving in earnest…”

“Yeah, Mabel could single-handedly turn this situation around. No joke.”

“Honestly, the world’s full of outrageous talents… I almost wish we could unleash Re=L’s swordsmanship and alchemy at this point.”

But, despite Glenn and Eve’s concerns—

Mabel showed no signs of appearing, no matter how much time passed.

“MABEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEL!”

In the entrance hall, only Maxim’s furious roars echoed.

The room was like a study, surrounded on all sides by bookshelves.

At the back stood an elegant mahogany desk, adorned with documents, a lit candelabrum, a paper knife, a quill pen, an inkpot, and other writing tools.

An open desk drawer revealed a flintlock pistol inside.

It felt as though the desk could be used as a workstation at any moment… or rather, as if someone had been here just moments ago and had only stepped away briefly. That was the atmosphere lingering in the room.

The flickering flames of the candelabrum on the desk faintly dispelled the darkness, illuminating the space—a room known to a select few as the headmaster’s office of the “Hidden Academy,” belonging to Alicia III.

This place couldn’t be reached by ordinary means. It was a “secret room,” magically concealed within the Hidden Academy’s grounds, accessible only by following a specific route.

The only one who knew the correct path—the passphrase route—was the late Alicia III.

Yet, standing beside the desk in this room, where no one should have been able to enter, was a lone girl.

It was Mabel.

She had shed her clothes, standing in her undergarments.

Using the quill and inkpot from the desk, she was frantically writing strings of text across her body by the light of the candelabrum.

“…I’m so glad this ink was still here.”

Muttering to no one in particular, Mabel continued her task without pause, inscribing words onto her soft skin.

Her movements were rough, almost violent, and swift.

It was as if she were being driven by some urgent force, her actions imbued with a desperate intensity.

“…Just a little more… a little more, and the recompilation will be complete… I’ll be free from her control…”

Write. Write. Write.

Muttering to herself, Mabel continued inscribing text onto her body with fierce determination.

“Hurry… I have to hurry…”

A single bead of sweat trailed down Mabel’s forehead, her usually composed and striking features now tense.

“She’s coming… she’s coming. She’s almost here…!”

In the darkness, no one was there to hear Mabel’s murmurs.