The Day of Magic (1)
The day of the decisive battle had arrived. It was the Day of Magic, a holiday commemorating the moment the divine blessing known as magic was passed down to the continent.
Even the Imperial Academy seemed to be running its own event; a lively clamor drifted in from far away. I rose early, checked the condition of my body, and dressed at once.
“Will you be attending the Magic Day festivities, sir?”
“Yes. I intend to head to the plaza.”
“Shall I accompany you?”
“No. Please watch over the mansion, Miss Emilia. If you like, you may attend the events inside the academy instead.”
“……Understood.”
Emilia bowed her head with a faintly sullen expression. Was that acting or sincerity? Probably a mixture of both. She would have preferred to follow me around and keep me under surveillance. Still, there was no guarantee she wouldn’t tail me in secret. That was why I had laid a trap.
I had left the barrier in the training room unlocked, pretending it was an oversight. Emilia, curious about what I did shut inside there all day, would surely ransack the room the moment I left. To waste her time, I had crammed it full of random junk—books on sorcery and folk remedies, even flyers detailing how to summon demons. She would spin every wild theory imaginable while examining them. The thought of her flustered face made me chuckle.
“Why are you laughing, sir?”
“It just struck me as funny.”
“……?”
“I’ll be going, then.”
I walked the grassy path that smelled of fresh dew and left the dormitory building. The instant I passed through the Imperial Academy’s main gate—
“Whoa.”
I was overwhelmed by the sea of people spread before me. The capital always suffered from an absurdly high floating population, but with the Magic Day event added on top, the boulevard—wide enough to be a six-lane road—was already packed shoulder to shoulder.
“This is absolute chaos.”
Stalls hawking trinkets and snacks lined both sides of the street. I glanced over, wondering if I should buy some cotton candy, only to recoil at the price.
“Ugh.”
Fifty Tirion. Five thousand won. Had the world lost its mind? Today was clearly not the day to buy or eat anything. Shaking my head, I headed straight for the plaza.
“We will perform a brief inspection.”
“Bladed items are prohibited. We will hold them for you.”
Security was iron-tight, just as expected. Proof that someone important was in attendance—Roman von Bayern, the general destined to become supreme commander of the imperial army and the protagonist who would be today’s target of terror.
“Hoo…”
The moment I stepped into the plaza my breath caught. The square was fairly large, yet even so the crowd was overwhelming. Just the visible portion already exceeded three thousand. Counting those watching from hotel balconies, the total likely approached five thousand. The real problem was that the event had not even opened yet. Once the most popular academic presentation began, the number would easily break ten thousand. If the spell detonated then…
“Shit. This is fucking nerve-wracking.”
I didn’t even want to imagine it. I really must have been crazy. Why had I written the intelligence bureau as such a band of lunatics? Complaining changed nothing. The only option was to destroy the spell somehow. I scanned for a quiet spot with few people where I could concentrate.
While walking and looking around, I unconsciously glanced upward.
“There.”
The roof. Empty, secluded, with an excellent view. I ran inside the building at once, grabbed the drainpipe through an open window, and pulled myself onto the roof. Sitting down would hide my body behind the pointed gables. Standing would let me overlook the entire plaza. Moreover, its proximity to the sky where the enemy spell would be inscribed made it the perfect position from which to thwart the terror.
“Good day, everyone. Thank you for gathering in such numbers. Today we commemorate the god who bestowed magic upon humanity and swear together to uphold the righteous path of sorcery…”
The event had already begun. Listening to the emcee’s booming voice, I settled into a comfortable seated position. The intelligence bureau would wait for the exact moment Roman stepped onto the stage before activating their spell; that was the most reliable timing. All I could do was sit tight and wait.
The sunlight was perfect, the breeze refreshingly cool. Sleep threatened to pull me under. I was going to doze off at this rate.
“……Huh?”
Suddenly a wave of unease washed over me, snapping every nerve to attention. It was not my imagination. Schluss’s keen sixth sense had reacted. I shut down my sight and hearing, pouring every ounce of focus into sensing mana waves alone. Amid the familiar pulses hid something alien—a fluctuation so faint that even my mana sensitivity of 75 could barely detect it without total concentration. It meant someone was deploying a spell.
Ensure that no one at the event venue dies.
Difficulty: ★★★★★
Reward: 10 Shop Coins
The quest appeared the instant I detected the spell. Five-star difficulty was a first. The reward of ten coins was accordingly lavish.
It’s begun.
Now I truly felt the enemy moving. Sleep had fled long ago; tension ruled my entire body. But I could not afford fear. I alone could save them. I had to stay sharp.
“Om nom nom…”
“Director.”
“Om nom nom nom…”
“Director.”
“Ah? Yes? What is it, Professor Ludwig?”
When Alexia turned, Ludwig let out a deep sigh. In her hand was a puff of cotton candy—bought who knew when—her mouth smeared with bright streaks of color.
“It is almost your turn.”
“Do I have to give some kind of speech?!”
“Yes. You agreed to offer words of encouragement to your juniors in your capacity as Archmage, did you not?”
“Did I? It does sound familiar!”
“Haa……”
To think such a person was revered as an Archmage. No—she was not even human. She was a Ma-in. Most people believed Alexia had reached that pinnacle through blood and sweat… What would happen if they learned she had simply been strong from birth?
“Then! I’d better get ready!”
“At least wipe your mouth first.”
“Handkerchief! Thank you!”
Chaos would surely follow. In truth, quite a few other Ma-in lived hidden among humans besides Alexia. Did they all conduct themselves as sloppily as she did? The question suddenly occurred to Ludwig.
“Hmm…?”
While wiping her lips with the handkerchief, Alexia lifted her head at a faint sense of unease. The atmosphere above the venue had shifted slightly. She glanced at the guards, but they merely yawned; the change was apparently too subtle for human senses.
Alexia closed her eyes and probed the delicately altered flow of mana. Reading it completely was impossible, yet she could discern one thing.
Someone is playing a prank.
A spell had been drawn in the sky above the plaza and was now activating—a colossal one. The intent behind a working of that scale was obvious. Terrorism. Indiscriminate slaughter aimed at civilians.
This is trouble. I don’t think I can dispel it either.
A bitter smile curved Alexia’s lips. The waves were so faint it was difficult even to discern the spell’s structure. Someone had gone to great lengths to conceal it.
What should I do…? Evacuate them?
Alexia tilted her head in consternation. Using her authority as director of the Imperial Academy, she could order an evacuation without evidence. Yet that would create problems.
If I’m discovered, that child will scold me terribly.
It would violate the pact among Ma-in: never intervene in human conflicts under any circumstances. Tilpitz’s punishment would follow, and Alexia did not even want to imagine that.
Hmm?
While she wrestled with indecision, another wave of unease struck. The fluctuation had changed again, this time moving to destroy the spell. The method was bold yet meticulous. She thought she recognized the hand behind it.
This! It’s the same touch that shattered my barrier!
Schluss Heinkel. He was undoubtedly interfering with the spell. It was the same artistic finesse that had demolished the barrier of terror she had prepared with every precaution. In that case she could relax. This spell was large but far less intricate than the barrier of terror. If it was Schluss, he could handle it. Alexia smiled in relief.
“Is something the matter, Director?”
“Ah, nothing at all!”
“That only makes me worry more.”
“There’s nothing to worry about! Truly!”
“……”
Watching Alexia beam, Ludwig could not dispel the ominous feeling. She only smiled like that when matters were spiraling toward the worst. Perhaps he should flee while he still could.
“……Next we invite the Director of the Imperial Academy, Lady Alexia von dem Cloist.”
“That’s me! I’ll be right back!”
“Take care.”
After seeing Alexia off, Ludwig felt the strength drain from his shoulders. Spending time with her always made him feel as if his lifespan were being shaved away.
“After the director is General Roman.”
Recalling the schedule, Ludwig muttered. Why would a general who had not shown his face in public even once in two years attend an event like this?
“It feels ominous.”
For some reason an ill wind seemed to creep ever closer.
“Alexia here! If the speech drags on everyone will get bored, so I’ll keep it short! To all the mages walking the path of magic—I’m cheering for you!”
“Is… is that all, Director?”
“Yes! I’m finished!”
“Please, at least one more word of encouragement…”
The voice carried from the plaza through the window. Hurtlocker, who had been peering outside with the curtain slightly lifted, turned around.
“The Imperial Academy director’s turn seems to have ended quickly. Roman should be ascending the stage any moment.”
“I see. It really is almost time……”
Eric lowered his head. The lives of all those people hung on the tips of his trembling fingers. Their fate rested on a single digit. He was aware he was committing an atrocity. Yet he had no choice. For the survival of the kingdom, he had no choice…
“Still no reaction from the guards?”
“None. They are simply yawning.”
At the answer Eric turned. Three agents sat with eyes tightly shut, sweat pouring down their faces. All three were focused on suppressing the mana waves leaking from the spell. Thanks to their efforts, even the notoriously sensitive imperial police mages had failed to notice the formation hovering overhead.
“The director is stepping down. Next is Roman.”
“Then it is time to activate.”
The moment had come—the moment to unleash the worst terror in history. When the skyward spell activated, pillars of flame would surge. No, they would pour down. From heaven to earth. There would be no escape. No barrier could withstand them; people would be forced to receive the inferno directly. In an instant they would become blackened lumps of charcoal, without even time to feel pain. They would burn exactly as they stood listening to the speech, frozen forever in that pose, in that moment.
“Hurtlocker. Does God exist?”
“Why ask so suddenly?”
“Just wondering.”
“God is not dead.”
“I suppose not……”
There could be no God. Not when filth like them still walked the earth. Eric gave a self-mocking smile and manipulated the spell’s core.
“Roman has stepped onto the stage.”
“Good. Activating.”
Eyes wide, Eric triggered the spell. He intended to watch the rain of fire with his own eyes, to burn the tragedy into his retinas so he would never forget his sin.
But……
“What? Why isn’t it working?”
Nothing happened. He had definitely poured mana into the core to activate it. Only when he examined the formation again did he sense something wrong.
“Son of a bitch……”
The spell’s encryption had been undone. In other words, control had been seized by another. The instant he realized—
“Chief! The spell—!”
“I know!”
The formation shattered with a deafening crash.