To the Battlefield
Coincidentally, today was the day the midterm exam results were announced. They combined all the pop quizzes to determine the midterm grades. The square had grown noisy, and before long, students had packed themselves in tightly. They were waiting for the grade reports to be posted on the large bulletin boards. Given the setting of this world, even the method of announcing grades felt antiquated.
"Not going to check?"
"I can see well enough from here."
I stood on the balcony of the mansion across the square, watching from above. With a little focus, interpreting the visible light from that distance—down to reading each individual character—wasn't particularly difficult.
"……?"
Suddenly the square erupted into commotion. When I looked closer, I saw Sergei and Ludwig approaching, each carrying a large scroll in their arms.
"Looks like they're about to announce the results."
"Seems so."
"Nervous?"
"……."
There was no need to be tense. In Combat Magic, the results of the surprise exam had been made completely transparent, so I already knew I had secured first place. Elemental Magic, however, was a bit more uncertain. First place would be ideal, but even if I didn't get it, it wouldn't be a problem. I could always overturn the ranking on the final exam. So for now, not being first wasn't an issue. There was absolutely no reason to feel nervous.
"Yeah. I'm nervous. Extremely."
But I had to admit it. I was clearly trembling. Emilia must have noticed, because a warm hand slipped gently into my left hand. Was she trying to help me relax? I squeezed Emilia's hand tightly.
"They're posting it. I can't see the writing at all…… Can you read it, Oppa?"
"Yeah. I can see it."
My heart pounded violently. The grade report was being unfurled and fixed to the bulletin board.
—First-year Elemental Magic Midterm and Other Exam Evaluations Combined.
The bold text stood out clearly. Below it, names were listed in dense rows. Starting from the very top. The very top. Who was first?
—1st Place: Schluss Heinkel
"Hah."
"Why? Why? What is it?"
I couldn't hold back the sigh. Honestly, I hadn't expected much from Elemental Magic, even if Combat Magic was a different story. I'd scored perfectly on the midterm, but my pop quiz results had been disastrous. There were far too many questions about the fundamental principles of magic that had never been explained in the original work, leaving no room for tricks—I'd had to study everything thoroughly just to solve them. More than once, I'd written down answers while wondering if they were even correct, nearly driven mad by the frustration. And yet I couldn't casually ask Iris or Erika to check my work either. Well, technically I could have…… but my pride wouldn't allow it. Even so, the fact that I'd taken first place was deeply satisfying. It meant all the effort I'd poured into the training room every single day had finally paid off.
"They're unfurling the next one too."
Amid the mix of sighs and cheers rising from the square, Sergei began spreading another scroll on the adjacent bulletin board. Unlike Elemental Magic, where I couldn't tell how I'd scored on the pop quizzes, Combat Magic had allowed me to gauge my position relatively intuitively. That was why I'd felt somewhat confident.
—1st Place: Schluss Heinkel
As expected. It was only natural. I had intended to turn around and head back inside without any fuss.
"Ah……"
"Oppa?!"
Suddenly my legs gave out. I collapsed on the spot, landing ungracefully on my backside. Thanks to Emilia supporting me from behind, I at least avoided the humiliation of falling backward and cracking my head.
"Why? Did you do that badly?"
"No. I got first in both."
"What? What did you say? First place? Top of the class?"
"It's not top of the class yet. There's still the final exam."
"Even so! Maintaining first place in both subjects while double-majoring? That's incredible!"
She grabbed my shoulders and started shaking me excitedly. It really was unprecedented. Those reckless enough to choose a double major usually dropped out by the second week at the latest. Maintaining top-tier grades in both was on the level of difficulty required to become a magic knight. You had to freely manipulate mana both inside and outside your body.
"You can relax now."
"……?"
"Relax. You worked hard, Oppa."
"……."
Emilia gently pulled my head backward. My head came to rest against something firm. It was Emilia's collarbone. Without even turning around, I knew. She had knelt down and was supporting me from behind. I let all the strength drain from my body and entrusted myself completely to her.
"Huu……"
"Aren't you being a little too relaxed in front of me? This is still a balcony, you know."
"Who cares. It's not like anyone below can see us anyway."
"If someone looks out a window from the building, they might."
"Let them look. What problem would it cause if they saw this?"
"……I guess there wouldn't be one. Yeah. There wouldn't."
The evening breeze as the sun set felt pleasantly cool. How many times since coming to this world had I been able to enjoy such a moment without a trace of tension? Before I knew it, I had come to trust Emilia this much. I was baring the back of my neck to the enemy closest to me—the assassin who was likely still hiding a dagger in her thigh even now.
"You'll be leaving soon."
"Yeah. I have to. Erika should have finished making her decision by now too."
"Oppa."
"Hm?"
Held by Emilia's delicate hand, I had no choice but to lift my head. I found myself looking up into her sharp black eyes, inverted. With one hand supporting my cheek, Emilia slowly leaned her face down toward mine.
'Ah.'
The moment Emilia's eyes slowly closed, I realized what was happening. I should have pushed her away. Staying still like this was no different from accepting it. But my body wouldn't move. It was as if my entire body had been anesthetized. The pleasant chill and the soft sensation against my back paralyzed me. I gave up. I slowly closed my eyes as well and surrendered to the situation. My reason wasn't strong enough to overcome my immediate desire.
Swish—
"Hm?"
I heard a rustling sound from my pants and opened my eyes. What I saw was Emilia, grinning as she waved a handkerchief in front of my face.
"I was just trying to take out the handkerchief. I wanted to recharge your mana before you left. Why? Were you expecting something?"
"……."
"You even closed your eyes so tightly. What exactly were you expecting? Hm? Hm?"
"Tsk……"
I'd been completely played. I placed my hand on Emilia's head as she continued to tease me and roughly ruffled her hair before standing up.
"Is the charging done? Then give me the handkerchief."
"Not yet……"
"……."
With her head bowed deeply, Emilia clutched the handkerchief in both hands. Three seconds should have been enough. Yet Emilia remained motionless, gripping the handkerchief as if time itself had stopped. I felt like I knew how to make time move again. I gently brushed Emilia's hair aside and placed my hand on the crown of her head. Then, slowly and softly, I stroked it in the direction of the strands. Time began to flow once more.
"Here……"
Emilia lifted the handkerchief with both hands. It had been neatly folded so that the pretty ribbon faced upward. However, her head remained bowed.
"Lift your head, Emilia. I can't say goodbye properly like this."
"……."
"Emilia."
"Hic…… Sob……"
"Are you crying?"
"Nooo……"
Emilia slowly raised her head. Sniffling, her face was crumpled, and her eyes were glistening with moisture, though no tears fell. Emilia was smiling. As she handed me the handkerchief. Brightly.
"I'll be back. It'll be quick—just a week."
"Yeah…… Have a safe trip. Go destroy everything and come back. Make them surrender completely so we never have to go again."
"Haha. That might be difficult."
"Hurry up and go. If you leave now, you'll be cutting it close to seven."
"I suppose so. I'm off."
"Yeah……"
I took the handkerchief and stuffed it into my pocket. With one final touch, I thoroughly messed up Emilia's hair. Whether angry at the mischievous prank or not, Emilia glared at me. Leaving her behind like that was fortunate. If she'd cried and tried to hold me back, it would have been truly troublesome. Perhaps the intelligence agency had judged that I wouldn't fall for emotional appeals. Either way, it was a relief.
I stood on the platform at the relay station, the bustling hub where all the empire's carriages gathered. I'd thought I'd arrived with little time to spare, but to my surprise, not a single person was waiting ahead of me. What a bunch of lazy idiots.
"Teacher!"
The first to arrive was Trie. She wore full-body armor, with her helmet tucked under her arm. It was the first time I'd seen her in complete armament. I'd seen her in light armor in the Wist Forest, but this gleaming appearance felt both unfamiliar and fascinating. As expected, all eyes on the platform were now focused on Trie.
"You wore that all the way here?"
"It would've been heavy to carry. Hehe."
"……."
Fair enough. A perfectly reasonable explanation. As long as one could endure a bit of embarrassment, it was an excellent choice.
"You don't have any armor, Teacher?"
"I'm not strong enough to run around with that much weight hanging off me. It would only restrict my own movements."
"But won't it be dangerous in close combat……?"
"That's when you'll protect me, won't you?"
I planned to leave most of the close combat to Trie. My own skills were nothing more than inflated bubbles cultivated through theory and one-on-one sparring in a room. In actual multi-opponent battles, they'd likely prove useless. I would be more effective focusing on my role as a mage rather than a swordsman.
"Whoa……"
"Wow…… Who is that person?"
"I-Isn't that the Saintess?"
Silence had fallen over the once-noisy platform. With a sigh, I turned to see a woman in a black nun's habit and veil slowly approaching. I'd only seen her within the academy and had momentarily forgotten, but she was indeed the Saintess.
"You're causing quite a stir. How about changing clothes?"
"You want me to change right here? Your tastes are rather……"
"I meant in the restroom……"
"Hehe. I can't do that. Outside, I must never hide the fact that I am the Saintess."
"……."
So she said. Thanks to Iris, we'd be causing a commotion wherever we went.
"Schlus! You were waiting ahead of us! Hah…… Hah……"
From a distance, someone came staggering forward carrying a large sack. Upon closer inspection, it was Ainz.
"What's that?"
"Mana stones! Hah…… I thought I was going to die."
"There'll be plenty of mana stones where we're going anyway. During wartime, they're releasing massive quantities."
"Ah."
At Iris's sharp remark, Ainz stood there dumbfounded. Because I'd told him to come alone, he hadn't been able to order his servants and had carried it all the way from his mansion himself…… I didn't want to make that effort meaningless.
"There will be plenty of mana stones there too, but the price will be more than double. It won't hurt to bring some. Give it here. Let's split the load."
"Kuh! You're the only one who understands me, Schlus!"
"Don't come running at me……"
I nearly threw Ainz, who was about to leap at me, into the path of passing carriages. The three people who had agreed to come had all arrived. Now we just had to wait for the one person who hadn't responded. We stared endlessly at the clock, waiting and waiting.
"It's seven. That's it."
"……."
Before we knew it, the sun had completely set and the moon had risen in the sky. It was time to depart.
—Piiiiiiip!
From afar, the coachman of a large carriage blew a whistle. That was probably the carriage I'd reserved. We couldn't wait forever for someone who wasn't coming.
"It can't be helped. Her parents must have held her back."
"Right, Schlus. Don't worry about it. Erika's mother holds tremendous power in their household."
"I-I don't know the details, but I think Erika would have wanted to come too."
Iris held a unique position within her family, so wherever she went, the elders wouldn't have been able to voice strong opposition. Ainz frequently caused trouble, so his parents had given up and simply told him to do whatever he wanted. Trie's mother must have been worried as well, but since Trie had recently taken up the sword again and this was an opportunity to gain real combat experience, she likely couldn't bring herself to stop her. Erika's situation, however, was different. As long as the formidable Lady Lichtenburg, who led the family with overwhelming charisma, stood in her way, Erika wouldn't be able to defy her mother's opposition. I hadn't expected much from the start.
"Get on the carriage. I'll be the last to board."
One by one, they climbed inside. Together, we lifted the sack of mana stones into the luggage compartment and secured it properly. When I peered inside, everyone had taken their seats and was looking at me. It was time to go. I had to let go of any lingering attachments.
The moment I stepped into the carriage—
"Schlus Heinkel! Stop!!!"
A familiar voice rang out. It was still loud and chaotic—the voice of an idiot.