The Mage Division
Time flowed on, and before I knew it summer vacation was slipping away.
Time really did just keep wandering aimlessly forward.
Aslan seemed to be getting along just fine on his own.
I hadn’t even looked in on him.
All I could hope was that he and Yuria were living their own little love story.
The guys back at the plant had been living it up.
I left the role of Saint to Bernoa and stepped into the main building of the Ashtar Mage Division.
I’d meant to come earlier, but between the expedition and a whole string of other problems, I was late.
“I knew you would come!”
Kise saluted me, a few of her close aides at her side.
In the Mage Division I was just a student. What was she playing at?
“I was always going to come. That was the plan from the start.”
“Welcome!”
“Yeah, yeah. I get it. Don’t look so thrilled.”
The moment I set foot in the Mage Division, Kise looked ready to die of happiness. The smile tugging at her lips was almost funny.
Maybe it felt like she’d finally beaten the Magic Tower?
“But why is she here?”
Kise’s eyes locked onto Celia.
Of course Celia had come along—she was one of my closest people. Claire was still a little awkward to keep right at my side, so Celia was filling that spot.
“Is there a reason she shouldn’t?”
“She’s a Magic Tower bitch, isn’t she?”
“Magic Tower bitch? Ha. Look who’s talking, washboard.”
At the word “washboard,” Kise’s eyes narrowed into slits.
Chest size was a touchy subject for any woman.
“Are you picking a fight?”
“Who started it, washboard?”
“Stop it, you crazy bitches.”
These two weren’t really fighting over me. They were just swinging for the pride of the Magic Tower versus the Mage Division.
This was already getting annoying.
Besides, even though I’d said I would join the Mage Division, my status was already more than enough.
“Look, I came into the Mage Division, but—”
“But? Don’t tell me you’re going to leave right away?”
The tears welling in her eyes made the sight a little hard to take.
I planned to stay in the Mage Division, but I still had to keep ties with the capital. I was Taesa, after all.
The Founding Festival wasn’t far off. The chieftains of the nomadic tribes might even come to the Empire, so I would still be going back and forth between the Mage Division and the capital.
“No, it’s not that. Just so you know ahead of time—I’m already registered as a court mage. More precisely, the Emperor’s ‘magic teacher’—Taesa.”
That was just how my life had turned out.
“So the Emperor simply made the post of magic teacher into the Taesa, and that Taesa also serves as court mage?”
“That’s right.”
I was juggling a whole pile of ridiculous titles.
“Our Lady Olivia’s future is so bright it’s dazzling. If you only take me along with you—ooh, you’ll be amazing.”
Celia sidled up, twisting her body in that sly way of hers.
In a sense I had already achieved my goal, but a grand title like Archmage still sounded nice.
Which meant I would probably have to shine in a war.
The Emperor and the military were clearly already thinking about one.
There was just one problem.
“So, is the illustrious Imperial Princess preparing for war?”
“Ah, Saint. Don’t mention war. The people might get restless.”
“We have to prepare ahead of time.”
“Mother has her own ideas, I suppose. For now it’s better not to talk about it—for Ashtar’s sake as well.”
Amelia’s reaction had been strange.
She wasn’t simply bracing for war in some vague way. It almost felt as if she wanted the Empire to take damage, as if she were deliberately hiding something.
If even the Emperor knew, there had to be some scheme behind it. That Emperor might be incompetent, but he wasn’t a fool.
In other words, they clearly knew war was coming.
“Just what the hell are those lunatics thinking?”
Were they actually planning to hand a chunk of Imperial territory over to the White King?
Judging by how hard Amelia was pushing firearms into the army, that didn’t seem likely either.
Maybe she just wanted better weapons.
Or maybe she intended to use the White King as a testing ground for new arms.
“Pardon?”
“Nothing. Anyway, I’ve decided to take part in the Founding Festival.”
“Isn’t the Founding Festival a celebration that everyone attends?”
I shook my head at Kise’s question.
“No, not that.”
“Don’t tell me… the Grand Tribal Council?”
Yes. Celia had it right.
The Grand Tribal Council. A gathering of leaders and key figures from the northern nomadic peoples of the steppes, a tradition stretching back into the distant past. Part social occasion, part political body—essentially their version of a parliament.
That council mediated wars between tribes.
It also arranged marriages.
In short, it was the meeting that bound the nomadic peoples together.
Its history began to change the moment the Ban tribe conquered Kart and founded the Armeria Empire.
The Ban absorbed the queen’s house of Kart and finally raised an empire; the Grand Tribal Council rocked on its foundations.
As the strongest force of their day, the Ban had already wielded enormous influence inside the council.
Now that they had founded an empire, the peoples who once sat at the council split over whether to hold it in the Empire or out on the steppes.
The smaller tribes that had become Imperial houses, including the Libelt, naturally chose the capital. Plenty of tribes chose the steppes, but in the end they bowed to Imperial pressure.
After the Empire rose, the Ban turned the Grand Tribal Council from a political body of the nomads into a tool of rule and a display of power over them.
They had done it themselves; they had no wish to see another tribe rise to topple the Empire.
“That’s right. The Grand Tribal Council.”
“Hmm. Come to think of it, if you go far enough back, Ashtar was one of the pillars of the Grand Tribal Council, so it’s only natural Lady Olivia should attend. Especially since she’s also Taesa.”
Yes. With that much standing, of course I would go.
“And at the Grand Tribal Council, the strongest warriors from each tribe come forward to display their martial skill, don’t they?”
“Probably.”
“Ooh.”
The smile curling her lips made me want to punch her on the spot.
“What is that filthy smile for, Celia?”
“I think I know why the Emperor summoned you. And as a representative, no less.”
How would you know something I don’t?
No—wait. At the Grand Tribal Council the greatest warrior of each tribe steps forward?
On paper the Empire also named a representative for every Grand Tribal Council. So they wanted me there?
The Ashtar clan was an Imperial house, so serving as the Empire’s champion was perfectly possible.
Nah. No way. Surely not.
“Don’t say ominous things.”
“There’s no other reason they would send the Taesa. Saint, Taesa, mage of the Ashtar Mage Division… my, what a colorful résumé.”
“Ugh, fuck.”
I could already see the whole nightmare playing out.
If that was the case, then the whole reason I had come here suddenly vanished.
“Hold on. Don’t they shoot bows at the Grand Tribal Council?”
“And?”
“They use bows and swords, not magic. And my lady…”
Was Kise underestimating me a little too much?
Unfortunately for her, I knew how.
“Oh my, you didn’t know? Lady Olivia is quite skilled with a bow as well. Skilled enough to stand as a representative.”
“Wh-what?”
“Naturally. She’s brought countless archery nobles to their knees.”
That was before you even arrived.
Where the hell did you hear all that?
“What kind of bullshit is that—”
So the word “bullshit” came out of Kise’s mouth.
Was it that shocking?
“It’s not bullshit. It’s true. I’m pretty decent with a bow.”
“How is that even possible?”
Why the stunned face?
“Atelina taught me well enough.”
“Ah… i-is that so? Then you’re good at magic too, of course?”
Had this girl never seen me use magic?
Or maybe she simply hadn’t been around when I really cut loose.
I hadn’t taken her along for the attack on Crad Castle, so it made sense.
“That’s why I came to the Mage Division. Let’s go in.”
“Still, this one over here is really—”
“Why are you starting another fight?”
Exactly. Kise was already glaring at Celia as if the previous quarrel hadn’t ended. This time, though, she shook her head as if it were different.
“That’s not it. I’m asking on what grounds a Magic Tower person is coming here.”
“I just said I was Lady Olivia’s attendant from the Magic Tower, here to watch.”
True enough. After the last expedition the Ashtar house had repaired its relationship with the Magic Tower.
The biggest reason was that Celia had fought beside Olivia during the recapture of Crad Castle—had protected her and helped defeat Berna of the Four Heavenly Kings.
Because of that, Celia’s reputation inside Ashtar was excellent.
Even the Ashtar officers who exalted me as a Saint treated Celia like a personal retainer of the young lady.
Naturally Ashtar could hardly refuse most requests from the Magic Tower.
And since I, the young lady of Ashtar, had declared I would keep Celia at my side, who was going to stop me?
Who would dare defy the Saint who had avenged the grudge of Eldacrad, the hero of Ashtar itself and of its people?
Besides, she wouldn’t even be attending Mage Division lectures herself.
“Well… still.”
“I’m Lady Olivia’s attendant, okay? What. Are. You. Gonna. Do. About. It?”
Lady Olivia’s attendant.
“Ghhk—”
“Even so, she won’t be joining the classes. She’ll just wait on Lady Olivia from the side.”
That part was fine.
One noisy person—me—was more than enough. If Celia started acting out it would only get uncomfortable.
“That’s my role.”
“Aren’t you the commander of the Mage Division?”
“Ghhk. That’s exactly why—”
Look at that. Even Kise was trying to slip in some quiet favoritism toward me.
Every famous woman in the Empire seemed to have gone completely off the deep end.
All of them harboring goodwill toward me.
Ah, but Kise was a slightly different case.
“The commander is going to play favorites with only our Lady Olivia? I’m her attendant so I only look at her, but you?”
“Ghhhh—”
Stop it. You’re going to make the kid cry.
Kise’s face had crumpled into something pitiful.
Honestly, our Celia was far too vicious.
“Hey. Kise, ease up.”
“Why are you only scolding me?”
Because you’re the bigger problem. You’re making this awkward.
She’d been close with the first generation. I wasn’t the same person. But bringing up the first Olivia would only create more trouble.
“Celia, you ease up too. You’re still Magic Tower. Even if Ashtar itself is friendly, the Mage Division might not be.”
“Fine.”
Celia pouted but nodded at my words.
“Just stay right beside me and pretend you’re a teddy-bear puppeteer.”
Even if she was Magic Tower, she was entering the Mage Division as a puppeteer and my attendant. The image would be more “puppeteer” than “mage.”
Her reputation as the strongest Battle Mage only needed to exist on the Crad battlefield.
Yes. That was the way. Otherwise the Mage Division would explode.
There would be idiots who picked a fight with the strongest Battle Mage Celia and got themselves wrecked, and the Mage Division’s honor would take the hit.
So we had compromised before that disaster could happen.
At the time, though, I was still being careless.
Maybe I had gotten a little too full of myself with my status as young lady and Saint.
“Just because she’s a noble lady means she can do whatever she wants?”
“Right? Going on about war hero this and that. Honestly, wasn’t all of that just Ashtar’s army doing the work?”
“Exactly. My father even supplied the provisions for the Ashtar troops.”
The kids learning magic in the Mage Division did not look on me kindly.
Atelina’s nightmare rose unbidden in my mind.