Painting (2)

The moment I saw the black liquid monster's face—or what was left of it—my stomach dropped.

"No way... uh, Ray...?"

"Hm? Do you know ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠her?" Ella asked, her voice gentle as always.

"She's... my best friend, actually..." I muttered.

"Oh."

This was awkward as hell. I'd basically just exploded the heroine's best friend's head right in front of her. Talk about a fast track to getting treated like a monster.

'Fuck. She's not dead, right?'

Never mind the dying part—get up already. With a design like that, she didn't look like the type to die just because her head popped a few times. She could manage, couldn't she?

I was sweating bullets, worried I'd tanked the female lead's favorability while trying to farm some cheap experience points. But thankfully...

"You're alive!" I shouted.

"No, that's not what I meant... If you're going to insult someone, at ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠least be consistent. Are you a maniac, a psycho, or a lunatic?"

"I don't want to hear that from a black liquid monster, thanks."

My words came out sarcastic, but the truth was I was more relieved than anyone that she was still kicking. Of course a black liquid monster wouldn't die from something as minor as her head exploding. 'Thank god.'

If she hadn't gotten back up, Ella would've looked at me like I was less than human. Look at her now—the saintess who was staring at me with that 'What do I do with this guy?' expression just moments ago had already shifted her gaze to Ray.

"Huff... Since I owe you one, I'll send you off comfortably."

"There's just something, okay?"

The liquid monster clearly didn't like my answer. It stretched its body out like taffy until it was right in front of my face.

"Oh yeah?"

The liquid monster took my provocation hook, line, and sinker. It snapped its fingers, and from within the black sludge, three eroded female students rose up.

"Gueeeeh..."

"Guuuuuh..."

"Gauuuu..."

If that was all, they would've been no different from the ones I'd met earlier. But these three were on another level. One had arms swollen to grotesque size. Another had wings sprouting from her back. The last had razor-sharp thorns for hands and feet.

The mutations only appeared where the black liquid covered them. It didn't seem like it had tampered with their actual bodies...

'Then this is easy.'

All I had to do was peel the liquid off. Simple.

"Gueeeh...!"

"Whoops."

I'd only paused for a second to gather my thoughts, but the one with the massive arms couldn't wait. It charged straight at me. I instantly wrapped my Ashen's Gauntlet in flame magic and—

-Squelch.

"Gueeeeeeh!"

I ripped the black liquid clean off one arm. One down. Now for the other.

"Guuuuh!"

As I reached for the second arm, the winged one swooped in fast, slashing at me with her claws. But no matter how monstrous the black liquid made them, their base forms were still regular students.

"Guuh?"

"Got you."

I snatched her wrist easily, yanked her forward, and pulled her straight into a hug.

"Guuuh...!"

"Hold still a second."

I pinned the struggling girl tight with my right arm, then used my gauntleted left hand to tear her wing clean off.

"Guuuuuuh!"

The moment I succeeded in ripping one wing free—

"Gauuuu!"

The thorny one came leaping in. Using her spike-like limbs, she scrambled across the walls and ceiling like it was nothing. She launched herself at me from above, but I simply grabbed the hem of her shirt and slammed her into the ground.

"Gauuuk...!"

Then I tore off the winged girl's remaining wing.

"Guuh...! Uwaa...? W-what the—?!"

"One treated and benched."

I hurled a fireball into a corner to carve out a safe zone, then tossed the ex-winged girl inside.

"Kyaa?!"

"Ice Armor. Fire Wall."

I sealed her in safely, just like I'd done with Ella.

"Gueeeh!"

"Gauuuu!"

Maybe losing one of their own had pissed them off, because the remaining two charged together, far more frantic than before. But this level of attack wouldn't even faze fourth-place Kyle or Leon.

"Gyek!"

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

"Gauuuk!"

I grabbed the giant-armed one and swung her like a bat at the thorny one, using the opening to rip away the corrupted sections.

"Huh...? W-what's going on...?"

"Hiiik?! Where... where am I...?"

I tossed the two newly restored girls into the safe zone as well, then turned back toward the liquid monster.

"Your art's fucking garbage, you know that?"

"All that talk about how I wouldn't be able to do anything, blah blah blah, just you wait, wah wah wah... At this level, even the upper ranks of the academy could win easily. What were you expecting?"

"Wait, did you seriously think that would be enough to beat me? Does third place look like a joke to you?"

I could tolerate first and second place treating me like trash. But someone ranked below me? That shit doesn't fly.

"First and second are the real monsters here. I'm not exactly a pushover myself, you know?"

Third place is still impressive. Third place is still impressive. Third place is still impressive.

Why the hell did I repeat it three times?

Anyway, she couldn't have actually believed that would stop me.

"Bring out more. You've got to have something else hidden away."

'As expected.'

Good. She really did have a hidden card.

And that card was...

"Oh?"

Calling in the upperclassmen? Seriously?

"Huh? Seniors?"

I was still wondering why the hell she was suddenly calling for seniors when—

"...What the hell is that?"

A sound like whistling echoed through the pitch-black space. I sharpened my senses, trying to pinpoint the source, but no matter how long I focused, I couldn't locate it.

While I was still confused by the bizarre situation, the liquid monster's mouth twisted upward in excitement.

This is art. My art senior. And that eerie whistling.

Before my suspicions could fully form, the answer revealed itself.

"A painting is a frame that holds the soul."

"!! When did you—"

An arm draped casually over my shoulder from behind.

"Art exists everywhere, at any time. The clouds in the sky. The stars above them. Even the sky itself can be considered art."

"..."

"Therefore, this world is one giant canvas. And we are the ones who may place our brush upon it."

It was all absurd nonsense, but I knew immediately.

This guy was a black mage.

The 'Those who overwrite' faction from the first day. The 'The erased one' faction's wyvern from midterms. And now...

"Nice to meet you. I am the Brush of 'Those who paint.'"

Another great demon, a black mage from the 'Those who paint' faction. His movements and tone were ridiculously light, but out of everyone who'd shown up so far, this one felt the most dangerous. The relaxed ones during a fight are always the strongest. Plus, when I turned my head slightly to check his face, I saw it.

This bastard had squinty eyes.

"...Can you even draw properly with your eyes like that?"

"Art is born from the freedom of the soul."

Okay. So basically he draws however the hell he wants.

"Definitely a strong hidden card."

"Haha, I love seeing our junior so full of energy. That passion can become part of art too."

The squinty-eyed man stepped back from me, and in the blink of an eye he was standing beside the liquid monster. He was definitely moving, but I couldn't sense it at all. It felt incredibly unpleasant. Like watching animation frames instead of actual human motion. I could see that it moved, but I couldn't feel it.

"Then, as the senior, I suppose I should display some art for our junior's sake."

The squinty-eyed man adjusted his beret, then pulled a brush out of thin air. The tip of the brush turned pitch black, and—

-Swoosh!

He swung it through the empty space. At the same time, my body became stained with black.

"This is pretty new."

"Haha, what a relaxed child you are."

The fact that I couldn't even block it and took the hit directly proved it was a novel attack. But still.

"Flame Armor."

When I covered myself in armor made of flames, it should have burned away in seconds...

"Huh?"

"Haha. Did you think it would disappear that easily?"

"This... I didn't see coming."

I'd expected it to vanish, but the stain ran deeper than I thought.

"Beginner artists make many mistakes on their canvas, but skilled artists create works that remain in people's hearts."

"Hmm..."

The way he was showing off, it didn't look like burning it away with fire would work this time. In that case...

"Ella?"

"Ah, yes!"

I could borrow the power of our romance-fantasy heroine and saintess. Ella, who had been standing quietly in the corner, immediately gathered her holy power and directed it at me the moment I called.

"Hmm?"

"Haha. I did say it remains in the 'heart,' after all."

"Ah, it's not erasing...!"

I hadn't expected even this to fail. Wasn't the saintess supposed to be the ultimate counter to black mages? Why was it blocked so early?

"No need to panic. Simply surrender yourself to the beauty of art..."

Maybe it was because Ella's power had no effect and she looked flustered, but the squinty-eyed man's tension seemed even higher now. He kept spouting all sorts of unnecessary artistic nonsense.

And while he was monologuing, I slipped my hand into my subspace pouch.

"There we go."

"Huh...?"

I pulled out a single mana stone. The one I'd gotten from defeating the wyvern—the one containing the energy of the 'The erased one' faction.

"Gald Cup starts now. Let's see which is stronger—the eraser or the pencil."