The Torturing Bird
Another vigorous morning.
'Not really that vigorous, actually.'
Two days ago, something had happened during the duel preliminaries, and it still weighed on my mind.
The crime of the herb fanatic, no less.
She had struck a professor squarely in the face.
The power of a real-world compression punch, honed by climbing cliffs and digging up herbs, was truly something to behold.
Granted, the professor hadn't done anything about it afterward, but still.
'Something feels off.'
And with Instructor Lihel's attitude of studied indifference layered on top of it, the whole thing felt even more suspicious.
Were those two plotting something?
When I opened my eyes with that uncomfortable feeling gnawing at me, Lucia's sleeping face came into view.
'...Honestly, I don't think I'd care if the world ended, as long as I could keep watching this.'
For the sake of my peace of mind, I wanted to keep staring at Lucia forever, but I had a task to accomplish today.
'Being a sparrow is hard work too, huh.'
Reluctantly, I dragged myself out of bed.
...Not immediately, of course. That would be a hassle. Maybe I'd soak up a little sunshine by the window first.
'I shall take my place upon the windowsill.'
With a leap of a few dozen centimeters, I perched on the frame.
Sunlight wrapped itself around my body.
'I feel healthier already.'
I'd heard that basking through a window didn't actually help much, but what mattered was my mood anyway.
'Mm.'
Today was Sunday.
It had already been two days since the preliminaries.
'Nothing much worth reporting.'
My second match was against some bottom-tier extra, and I dispatched her with a light volley of three mana bullets. Aside from the fact that the girl allegedly ran out of the arena crying, the whole thing passed without incident.
'....'
That was a pointless trip down memory lane.
Having completed my daily photosynthesis, it was now time to face my true destiny.
'Heave-ho.'
I glided lightly down from the windowsill and approached that wardrobe.
-Creeeak.
Probably because I'd walled off a section of the room with magic, the inside felt a bit cramped.
Might as well remove it, then.
-Vmmm.
The moment I pulled the wall outside, the hidden purple portal revealed itself.
'Huh? There are scratch marks on the wall?'
Claw marks, as if something had frantically raked at it.
Hm.
Probably nothing.
I let myself fall into the portal.
-Whoosh.
In the blink of an eye, my surroundings changed.
A fog-shrouded forest.
'I wonder how the elf's been doing.'
It had only been a few days, but I'd meant to at least exchange a few words with her before leaving.
"Ghk... urk..."
I found the elf collapsed on the ground.
Her green eyes seemed to swim with a gray haze.
[...What happened to you?]
"Muuul..."
With her last shred of strength, she stretched a hand toward me, pleading.
[You want water?]
"Waaater, pleeease..."
She looked like she would genuinely die if I left her there.
'Water.'
I summoned water into the elf's mouth.
-Glllgllgll.
I figured she could handle it from there.
"...Kuwek! Kuhak! Kuaak—!"
Apparently it had gone down the wrong pipe, so I used telekinesis to extract the water.
'That was unpleasant.'
Sure, it was my fault, but pulling out water mixed with elf drool via telekinesis?
It might be a reward for some people. It was not, however, a reward for me.
[So why are you in this state? Did someone do this to you?]
"Blegh. Bleeeegh..."
As she retched, the light in the elf's eyes gradually faded.
'Hm. This is dangerous.'
Desperate for a solution, I lifted the elf with telekinesis and carried her.
Whooosh. Out through the portal.
And so I abducted the elf.
"..."
My eyes met Lucia's, sitting on the bed.
"Why did you bring that elf here?"
[She seemed thirsty.]
"Is it dehydration?"
[Probably.]
Lucia studied the floating elf carefully, then spoke in a grave tone.
"...Master."
[Yes? What is it?]
"Tell me. Is there... no water in the Fog Forest?"
[Uh... probably not?]
Elves were beings that lived on mana, after all.
That was exactly why I'd sealed her away without a second thought.
'The mana vanished because of ME!'
Ah-ha!
Because I didn't want to waste brainpower on the elf, I'd just tossed her into the portal without thinking at all.
'A pioneering act of laziness.'
I had nearly locked the Crown Prince of Elves in a storage closet and starved him to death.
"...Still, it shouldn't be life-threatening, right? I've heard that unlike humans, elves can survive four days without water."
[Really?]
Feeling slightly relieved, I calculated how long the elf had been sealed in the portal.
Today was Sunday.
The day I'd locked the Crown Prince of Elves in the closet was... Monday.
[It's day six today, though?]
"Ah."
Lucia and I turned to look at the elf at the same time.
Her body, still suspended in midair, was growing fainter and fainter.
Uh, why is she turning invisible?
'They say when an elf dies, it becomes a high spirit and comes back for revenge.'
I deeply, passionately hated that story.
-Wham!
Instantly, I blasted out of the room at 0.2-second ultra-high-speed flight and conjured a transparent bathtub with telekinesis.
'Water.'
Conjured water filled the transparent tub to the brim.
[Here, you can have water now. Just hang on a little.]
I lifted the elf, intending to simply dunk her in the tub—
'—Oh no!'
I had completely forgotten the knowledge I'd learned back on Earth!
'When rehydrating, it's better to drink small amounts many times than a huge amount all at once.'
That was what all those doctors who'd poured their lives into their studies said, so only a fool wouldn't believe them.
Therefore.
[Just endure it a little. I'll have you fixed up in no time.]
Gripping the elf's head with telekinesis—
-SPLASH!
I dunked her in the tub rapidly, then pulled her out. Repeat.
"Pbthh...! Wait a second—"
-SPLASH! SPLASH!
I revived the elf with reckless abandon.
And whether it actually worked or not, her half-transparent body began to return to normal.
'If I keep this up for another thirty minutes or so, she should be fine?'
I was diligently shaking the elf's head around with telekinesis when I paused for a few seconds to check on her condition precisely.
"KYAAAAAAAAAK—!"
How dehydrated do you have to be to let out a scream like that?
'Elf. I'm sorry.'
The moment I dunked her face back in the water—
Lucia turned her head toward the door.
'What now?'
I looked too, sensing something.
-Wham.
A woman with blue hair in an instructor's uniform.
Instructor Lihel was lying collapsed on the floor.
'...Why are YOU here?'
This was genuinely flabbergasting.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Sunday morning.
Warm sunlight poured in through the window, and yet—
"..."
Instructor Lihel had woken from a distinctly unrestful sleep.
She lay in bed, staring up at the white ceiling.
'It keeps. Coming back to me.'
A single memory surfaced unbidden.
That memory was of the incident during the preliminary round of the dueling exam, on Friday.
'Professor Leudi.'
The Basic Theory Professor had slandered Lucia.
Thankfully, unlike the time Lucia had been mentioned before, she hadn't sensed the Outer God's aura on that occasion.
'But it was watching. Without a doubt.'
The Outer God was omnipotent.
"...I just don't know anymore."
With a heart full of turmoil, Lihel stepped into the bathroom.
-Shhhh.
A jet of cold water burst from the showerhead.
She tilted her head back and took the water full in the face.
"Whew."
Gradually, she felt herself calming, and Lihel hurried through her shower.
She dried her hair with magic and checked the clock: nine o'clock.
On any ordinary day, she would have enjoyed a peaceful tea time alone, but...
'...No. Why does that bother me so much?'
The professor popped into her thoughts yet again, and her heart lurched.
"Is she looking down on me?"
Lihel was a little... no, considerably angry at Professor Leudi.
Back then—after Lucia's homework had been swapped out—she had given the Basic Theory Professor a formal warning.
If you keep demeaning the cadets like that, I will not be able to protect you.
'So then why? Why on earth?'
Ernel Ray.
To start slandering the girl out of nowhere, right in front of that cadet.
Ray striking the professor across the face had been unexpected, but Lihel had actually thought it a fortunate turn.
'It might have been dangerous if I'd been the one to stop it.'
If Professor Leudi was already marked with the Outer God's hatred, then trying to save her might have dragged Lihel into it as well.
This time, nothing had come of it.
'But next time it happens... what am I supposed to do, exactly...'
Lamenting deeply in her heart, Lihel stepped outside.
Maybe a long walk would clear her head. With that thought, she simply walked on and on.
'Mmm.'
Lihel was starting to feel considerably better.
'Right. Think positive.'
Come to think of it, there was no real need to worry.
Professor Leudi had flaunted her hostility so openly, and yet she was perfectly fine.
Besides, a long time had passed since the Outer God had revealed itself, and nothing unusual had happened at the Academy.
'It could be a benevolent Outer God.'
Behind history's great figures, Outer Gods had always been entangled.
The legendary general who had won an unwinnable war had, in truth, made a pact with an Outer God. And the hero of a bygone age who had struck down the Demon King had likewise been a human empowered by an Outer God who styled herself a goddess.
Of course, the academic establishment dismissed all of it as conspiracy theory.
But Lihel, former top disciple of one of the Great Archmages, knew the truth.
'And yet. Even if Lucia is safe, I can't let my guard down.'
Some Outer Gods, like the Goddess, showed favor to humanity.
But there were also those who would incinerate an entire continent for nothing more than amusement.
'...I need to think this through carefully.'
She was still deep in thought as she kept walking when—
-Bzzt. Bzzbzzt.
A strange mana ripple reached her senses.
Lihel turned her head toward the source of the disturbance. There stood the Dormitory Hall 2 building.
Worse still—
'Isn't that... where Lucia is staying?'
Lihel tried to ignore the ripple and hurry past.
She had judged that paying it any attention could only end badly—
-Vmmmm.
This time, an overwhelming force rolled over her.
A presence far too grotesque to simply walk away from.
Moreover, this aura was strong enough that any other instructor would have sensed it too, not just Lihel.
'The Outer God is... doing something.'
Lihel held her breath and stared up at the dormitory window.
Lucia's room. She couldn't see inside. But that unknown aura was unmistakably, vividly there.
'It's as if space itself is warping—'
-Bzzt! Bzzbzzt!
The vibration came again.
Lihel did not ignore it this time.
'This is the Outer God's doing, no question.'
The Outer God bound to Lucia was carrying out some kind of work.
A force far more intense than usual.
'This isn't something that failed to stay hidden.'
It simply hadn't felt the need to hide.
...In other words.
'It intends to erase everything. Every last trace.'
-Thump. Thump. Thump.
Lihel's heart pounded wildly.
Until moments ago, she had believed it a benevolent Outer God. And now it turned out she was wrong?
"Haa... haa..."
Lihel was now in a state of extreme tension.
If the Outer God had no reason to conceal its identity, only one conclusion came to mind: a massacre.
'...I hope I'm wrong. I truly do.'
Imagining the worst, Lihel waited for the mana ripples to stop.
And so, more than a few dozen seconds passed.
But the grotesque waves of mana never ceased.
'This is real.'
That Outer God was in the middle of something.
If she fled right now, some chance of survival still remained.
"..."
Lihel did not run.
It wasn't that she was some paragon of virtue.
Abandoning others and saving her own skin would not have burdened her with a shred of guilt.
But. This situation was special.
'I have to be the one to stop it.'
Lihel set her steps toward the dormitory.
Truthfully, even the word stop was laughable.
Only one choice was left to her.
Nothing but a plea, directed at the Outer God itself.
'Whatever I can do, I must see it through to the very end.'
She knew it was impossible. It was practically suicide.
And yet. At this moment, Lihel was beyond rational judgment.
Steeling her trembling body, she crossed the dormitory corridor.
-Hssssssk!
The mana the Outer God was venting grew stronger by the second.
Perhaps because of that, goosebumps kept rising along her skin even as she made her way toward Lucia's room.
'...Please, let me manage this.'
At last, she reached the door.
A part of her feared she might be suffering a delusion all her own, about to die for nothing—
But as if the Outer God had been waiting for her all along, the door to the room stood slightly ajar.
With every surge of mana, it drifted open a little wider.
Seeing that, Lihel knew there was no turning back now.
"..."
The moment she swallowed hard and pushed the door open—
"KYAAAAAAAAAK—!"
A golden-haired woman was screaming horribly in the middle of the living room.
And before that woman, water was floating in midair.
'What... is this...?'
Bewilderment froze her in place.
Then the woman's head jerked rapidly, as if seized by something.
-SPLASH! SPLASH!
Her head was being dunked, over and over, into the water suspended in the air.
Lucia stood right beside her, watching the scene with a blank expression.
A chill crawled up Lihel's spine.
And then the golden-haired woman's long, pointed ears came into view.
'...An elf.'
Lihel's breathing faltered.
The elf had apparently already been subjected to this torture for quite some time—she was broken beyond what words could describe.
'What in the world... has been going on here?'
Just as fear began to dominate Lihel's mind—
"...?"
Lucia's head whipped around.
Her blue eyes fixed on Lihel.
"Haa, haaa...!"
-Thump.
Lihel collapsed, hyperventilating.