I'll Take Him Away!
"Go chat with those folks waiting outside for a bit. In the meantime, I'll craft the sword... Ah, no. Wait. I need to record the staff specs too. Can't measure magic here, so we'll do it in the open space out back. Follow me."
Yeah, using magic in this cramped shop would probably shatter it into dust multiple times over.
Following the uncle out the back door revealed an open lot set up from the start for magic measurements.
"Use whatever magic you want freely inside there."
"Really? I can go all out?"
Back at the entrance exam, they told us to use magic freely too, but I later heard the barrier got wrecked so bad that even Iris had to step in and recast it.
"Yeah, the academy's barrier is top-notch, after all."
Hmm, I don't quite buy it. Better stick to non-destructive spells, I thought, brainstorming ones the staff could amplify. Oh, right—movement magic like teleportation gets a bigger range boost with a staff. Maybe start with that?
"Alright, I'll kick things off with a teleportation spell."
"Teleportation? You can use that?"
"Yeah, though not for super long distances."
"Impressive kid... To think you can pull that off at your age."
Teleportation really is an incredible spell when you think about it. Even I used to dismiss it since it barely moved me back then, but after realizing my own skills, I remembered something from the actual Ruin Game: Estelle was the only one described as able to use movement magic. So yeah, it's not some everyday spell people toss around casually.
"But I don't have a staff yet. Should I just go without?"
"No staff? No problem—just do it bare. Magic doesn't need a medium like swordsmanship does."
I nodded and stepped to the far end of the device area. Plan: Teleport to the opposite end, launch a fireball with controlled power, douse any excess flames with Water Shower if needed, hit the barrier with Ice Arrow, and use wind-infused mana for precision control on the Ice Arrow.
Slowly gathering mana, I focused my mind on the far end and cast the teleportation spell. Nausea hit less than before—I arrived right where I wanted.
It's like... the more I do mana breathing to refill and stabilize my mana, the less sick I feel during spells. These days, I spend every spare moment—like before bed or after meals—doing mana breathing to build mental focus.
"Fireball."
But no time for that now. Gotta show him what the staff needs to handle, so I chanted a basic spell and fired off a fireball.
Whoosh!
Boom!
I aimed away from the machines toward the barrier edge, but fierce flames still spread everywhere.
"Whoa! W-what do we do...!"
The uncle panicked only after seeing real magic. Meanwhile, I chanted the pre-planned Water Shower.
"Water Shower!"
Rain poured from the sky, slowly extinguishing the eternal-seeming blaze. Once the flames were out, I waded through the water—cycle complete.
"Whoa, incredible...!"
He started setting up a target on one side.
"Gonna shoot arrows now...?"
If this were the first time, he'd have mocked me, but now his eyes sparkled with anticipation. People, huh.
Anyway, I fired an Ice Arrow at the target—it hit dead center, but with a tiny bit of regret. Confirming that, I fired another, this time infusing wind mana for pinpoint precision.
"Ooh! Perfect...!"
As the uncle exclaimed, it pierced right through the target's heart. Ice spread outward, gradually freezing the whole lot.
"Mm, Fire Wall."
I made a tiny Fire Wall to melt the ice, then smothered the flames with dirt from the lot. Perfect finish.
The mana responded even better than expected. Right now, I could probably teleport past the lot to the dorms, and the other spells felt the same—ready for higher efficiency.
But doing that might wreck the measurement gear I need to buy weapons from. Can't risk it, so I held back.
"Alright, time to craft for real. Go have tea with Her Highness the Crown Princess and the Saintess. Feels like I finally met someone worth the effort after all this time. Pumped to make some weapons now."
Seeing the uncle's enthusiasm made me grin—good gear incoming.
"Whoa, Theo... You're no joke. Your magic's improved even more in that short time."
Estelle gawked at my magic demo, lost for words.
Iris knew I could use magic, but she was more talented in swordsmanship anyway. Still, she could tell how amazing it was. She'd helped restore the wrecked entrance exam barrier, so she knew just how badly it'd been shattered—enough to make her shiver at my power.
"Right? I can't even guess where Theo's limits are."
"Does he even have limits?"
Estelle wore an ecstatic, entranced expression.
Truth be told, if we dueled now, she'd win if she focused—she had regular magic and holy power, plus healing that made her near-invincible if she timed it right. Holy power so strong it could revive the dead. But only if she had time to heal. If I overwhelmed her relentlessly, could she match me with just regular magic? A strange competitive fire lit in Estelle's eyes.
"Someday, I'd love to spar with Theo."
"Spar? Yeah... I'd love to cross swords with him too."
They both clearly liked me. But beyond that, they felt a deep rivalry toward me too.
She couldn't even sense mana at first.
Especially Estelle—she'd taught me from when I couldn't even sense mana, so her rivalry burned hotter. She hated losing to anyone.
But to Theo... Losing might be okay. Means I can rely on him.
She wanted someone to lean on forever. That warmth felt better than she'd imagined.
"...If Theo came to the imperial palace, maybe my dreams could come true."
But she wasn't the only one craving protection, reliance, and to claim him as hers. Iris felt the same. Sure, no one was way stronger than her, and her sword skills were top-tier for her age. But someone surpassing her—and by such a wide margin it felt distant—that sparked urgency and unease. Yet a sliver of certainty that he'd become hers eased it.
"Oh? Theo's graduating to come with me, right?"
Estelle shot back with a pout at Iris's expression.
"Hah? Don't talk nonsense, Estelle. Theo's from Ermunt. His parents are here—why would he go to the Holy Empire?"
"Pfft, I'll arrange for his whole family to emigrate."
"Like anyone would let you?"
"Think I can't drag you all along?"
Crackle—
Sparks flew between their glares. That's when...
"Ahem, you two fighting again?"
I emerged from the lot, squinting at Iris and Estelle.
"N-no? Not at all? Right, Iris?"
"Y-yeah! We're not fighting! Super close friends!"
They forced awkward smiles, even linking arms. Super awkward, but I just laughed it off.
'I'll Take Him Away!' recorded.
A system window popped up, declaring I'd blocked yet another bad ending.
But what were they trying to 'take away' that triggered a bad ending...?
I had no clue the two women had nearly sparked a bad ending fighting over me—just relieved to have averted it.