A Heart Entangled in Love and Hate

The ritual thrashed violently—ku-gu-gu-gu...!!—flaring wildly as if it might explode at any moment. 《W-wait! That's dangerous...!!》 The announcer's voice spread with panic. And at the center of the storm, Margaret stood quietly, letting out a sigh. All of it flashed across my vision.

Before I could even fully grasp the situation, my body was already moving.

"Blink ×10."

My lips moved rapidly as I chanted the spell. A blue window floated before my eyes, following my scattered breath.

With a crackle of sparks, my consciousness flickered. The next instant, I had arrived right beside Margaret.

Perhaps bracing for impact, she had curled into herself, eyes squeezed shut. The girl's silver hair whipped wildly in the ferocious flow of mana. I didn't hesitate. I stretched out both arms, pulling the staggering Margaret into my embrace. At the same time, I reached into my sub-space and grasped Bitan.

The dormant blade responded to my call with a faint tremor. Feeling the thrill it sent through me, I murmured the activation phrase.

"Bitan. Tear them apart."

-Mana Dispel-

I commanded Bitan, and it answered with a scream that tore at the ears.

-Kiiiiiiiiiik!!

The bizarre cry sliced through the air. Sorrow severed the buds of tragedy and devoured its very root. The ritual, on the verge of exploding, crumbled into scattered fragments in an instant.

A short mechanical sound rang in my ear.

Thankfully, I wasn't too late. I stared at the melting remnants of mana and let out a breath of relief.

As I calmed my startled heart for a moment, a faint groan rose from against my chest.

"Ugh...?"

Below my chin, I saw Margaret looking up at me with dazed eyes. Her trembling crimson pupils met mine. I offered her a faint smile and asked,

"Are you alright?"

"Uh... huh...?"

Margaret still seemed unable to process the sudden change, her mind completely blank. I steadied her by holding her waist as she kept swaying, waiting for her to regain her senses.

"W-what just happened...? The ritual was clearly going out of control..."

Before long, Margaret stammered out her confusion, her voice laced with bewilderment. She slowly lifted her head to look at me.

"Don't tell me... you saved me?"

"Who else would be here besides me?"

I gave her a plain, straightforward answer. Her expression grew complicated.

"......You've got a cut on your cheek."

"A cut...? Ah, you're right."

I brushed my cheek and felt a faint smear of blood on my fingertips. No wonder it had stung. It seemed a fragment of mana had grazed me during the dispel.

"Why did you save me...? You could have gotten caught up in it too..."

As I wiped away the flowing blood, Margaret scolded me for my recklessness. I simply shrugged with a calm expression.

"How could I turn a blind eye when the young lady was in danger?"

"......"

Margaret froze at my indifferent reply. Her red lips opened and closed repeatedly before finally falling silent.

Meanwhile, inside the arena, the announcer's excited cheers rang out.

A thunderous roar of applause and cheers erupted from the stands.

The announcer's sly voice followed, tickling the arena.

《You two make quite the picture, don't you~?》

".....?"

".....Ah."

We tilted our heads at the sudden remark, only then realizing we were still holding each other in an embrace.

".....!"

Margaret, who had barely regained her composure, squirmed free from my arms. After glancing around in a daze, her face flushed bright ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠red and she lowered her head.

The announcer was wrapping up the match.

Whistles and cheers slammed into the arena. Perhaps because the duel had been so spectacular, the audience was buzzing with excitement.

The heated attention made me feel strangely awkward, so I simply stood there in silence. As I awkwardly shifted my gaze around, I spotted Margaret walking weakly out of the arena. I watched her retreating figure in quiet silence.

Her steps looked as if they might collapse at any moment, leaving a bitter taste in my mouth.

"......"

Emotions tangled clumsily inside me. I followed her with my eyes until her silver hair completely vanished from sight.

And with that, the fourth match came to an end.

Margaret staggered as she left the arena. Even she herself didn't know where she was going. Her feet ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠simply carried her wherever they led.

-Are you alright?

The words she'd just heard kept replaying in her ears. That low, gentle baritone. The resonance that made something inside her chest creak caused Margaret to cover her ears.

-I was simply worried about you, my lady...

Shut up.

She bit her lip, muttering words she didn't truly mean. Her chest ached and her throat tightened. The girl looked dangerously close to breaking down.

The boy's image flickered before her eyes. Looking down at her with worried eyes, he spoke once more.

-Are you alright?

She was not alright at all. Her stomach churned so violently she felt like she might vomit. Her vision spun, and cold sweat ran down her back.

But what bothered her most was...

Thump. Thump...

Her heart, racing uncontrollably.

Margaret clutched her chest tightly, trying to calm it.

'Again...'

She had ended up relying on Raiden's help once more. The stubborn pride she'd held onto—because she hated him so much and didn't want to lose—had ruined everything.

'I should have just... forfeited in the middle and walked out.'

A heavy sigh shattered in the winter air. Margaret pressed a hand to her throbbing forehead and closed her eyes.

"......Please, get a grip."

It was a suggestion aimed at herself. She clutched her head and berated herself. Why had she done that? She had known she couldn't win, yet she'd acted out of character and let her pride take over.

Whenever she got entangled with Raiden, she found it impossible to control her emotions.

'Is it because I hate him so much...?'

The girl mulled over her painful monologue. Unfortunately, she was still young. Not mature enough to understand such complex feelings. So she simply labeled the intense emotion lingering inside ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠her as hatred.

Unaware that behind that hard shell, an entirely different feeling was hiding.

"......"

Margaret stared blankly up at the sky. The bluish heavens dyed her crimson eyes.

The first day of the ranking matches, which included her bout with Margaret, passed. The second day of the ranking tournament arrived.

Since I had no scheduled duels, I wandered around the academy, reviewing my final plans.

'The invasion comes tomorrow.'

I checked the magic scrolls I'd prepared in advance, the enemies' expected attack routes, the back alleys—everything. Only after confirming there were no issues did I feel a slight weight lift from my shoulders.

Yes, this should be enough. I'd prepared thoroughly. With any luck, I could completely block off the rear gate.

"The rest... I suppose I can leave it to the protagonist's party."

Now that I thought of it, I should go check on Alan's condition. I hadn't seen him once since the day of our falling out. I was curious how he was holding up...

"Come to think of it, this is exactly when Alan should be fighting in the rankings."

I headed toward the public arena. When I arrived, sure enough, Alan's match was being broadcast on the large screen.

"Burn of Star."

-Kwaaaaaaaa!!

Alan was overwhelming his opponent with brilliant techniques. Perhaps because of his flashy, light-bursting combat style, the crowd's reaction was equally heated.

-Waaaaaaaaah!!!

As Alan descended from the arena after the match, he flashed a wide smile toward the stands and waved.

'......Well, no need to worry, I suppose.'

At that level, he shouldn't have any problems tomorrow either. I turned away and left the arena.

As I walked through the bustling academy streets, a sudden cold wind tousled my hair. I swept my bangs back and muttered,

"All preparations are perfect."

I spoke the words aloud on purpose, to reassure myself. I quietly brushed away the anxiety that kept creeping onto my tongue.

As long as things went according to plan, it would be fine. I could protect the academy without anyone getting hurt or dying. So, just follow the plan. Just follow the plan......

Meanwhile, in a room steeped in pitch blackness. In a space swirling with ominous aura, darkness was stirring.

"All preparations are complete."

The twin demon mages, kneeling, bowed their heads toward the wooden chair placed before them. Seated on that shabby throne was a white-haired old man.

The identity of the old man radiating a menacing presence was Pyren, one of the Four Heavenly Kings. He was the culprit behind the murder of head instructor Lucas Crayden during the field trip attack incident.

Pyren closed the book he had been reading. Then he looked down at the twins who were showing him respect. A dreadful smile crept across his wrinkled lips.

"Hul-hul... It finally begins."

"Indeed, my lord."

The one answering Pyren's mutter was Lakious, the elder of the twin demons. He continued in a solemn tone.

"This invasion will serve as the greatest declaration of war against the new hero."

"Are you confident?"

"Of course."

Lakious explained the forces they would pour into the invasion. It was a massive army capable of annihilating most of the academy if all went well. Yet even as he listened, Pyren wore an unsatisfied expression.

"Hmm..."

"Is something wrong?"

Lakious tilted his head. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Pyren, stroking his beard, spoke.

"I was just wondering... if our forces might be insufficient."

About a month ago, Pyren had clashed with the academy during their field trip.

"The professor I met back then was quite strong."

Thanks to Lucas's existence, Pyren's evaluation of the academy's faculty had risen considerably.

"You're saying the academy's professors may be stronger than we anticipated."

"That's right."

The twins let out troubled groans at Pyren's affirmation. After watching them for a moment, Pyren offered a solution.

"Take the upper-rank commander, Lekus, with you."

The twins' eyes widened.

"Pardon? Lekus... you mean the 'Spear Ghost'?"

"Yes. Since we're doing this, shouldn't we make it thorough?"

"Hmm... His wild nature is a flaw, but his skill is certainly excellent..."

And so the story twisted onward.

The prayer Raiden had whispered—Just follow the plan...—was, unfortunately, in vain.

The world was already flowing in a direction no one could have imagined. A new actor had stepped onto the stage. No one knew what kind of impact he would have on this scenario.