You Too Must Remain That Way.
You Too Must Remain That Way.
"It's simple, really."
Just before the match.
After Theodore had been standing there waiting for a full ten minutes, that was the only thing to come out of Scarlet's mouth.
With his hands clasped politely behind his back, Theodore kept his eyes on Scarlet.
There had been no small commotion in Märchen Academy's Knight Department today. The reason, naturally, was the Knight of Embers, who had come in person.
A meeting between Theodore and Scarlet was more than enough to set the hearts of first-year knight cadets racing.
"You go out into the arena, crush your opponent, and it's done."
"I'll take it to heart!"
"Just act as you normally do."
"I will!"
Facing the spirited Theodore, Scarlet shifted her attention to the newspaper in her hand.
[ Plan, Proceeding with Chejeon Match in Coordination with the Chancellor ]
...The likes of you, a representative?
That was what baffled her.
He was only a first-year representative, but wasn't that tantamount to saying he'd outdone all his peers with magic?
In truth, that was precisely why she had come to the academy today.
Many understood it as 'Scarlet visiting to encourage Theodore'... but the real reason was her doubts concerning Plan.
"Are you concerned about it?"
Theodore spoke cautiously.
Scarlet's eyes, burning like embers, rolled silently toward Theodore.
"I heard from my peers. That it's highly unusual for the Magic Department to go as far as publishing a news article...."
"Concerned, is it."
It would be a lie to say she wasn't.
She was unsettled, but couldn't even identify why. Scarlet retraced her thoughts for a moment.
She couldn't blindly suspect he'd made a contract with some evil being. The Magic Department wasn't completely foolish. Disliking something and refusing to acknowledge it were separate matters.
However, if it wasn't a contract, there was only one way to explain Plan's growth.
'Effort.'
It was inexplicable unless it was effort at the level of burning his very soul. Naturally, someone born of a knight's bloodline would have no magical talent whatsoever.
—Deadline: until the midterm evaluation.
Scarlet remembered the promise she had made with Plan.
The confidence, the resolve, the certainty he had shown when he made that promise...
"No."
She shook her head.
Scarlet prided herself on the absolute accuracy of her own eyes. A knight's sharply honed eyes would show her nothing but the truth.
Thud. The newspaper landed at Theodore's feet.
"You just do your best. I'll be watching."
Whether that truly meant she would watch over Theodore, even she herself could not be sure.
◈
The Chejeon began in earnest.
The official name for Chejeon was actually the 'Märchen Magic Sword Grand Festival,' and its format was as peculiar as its name.
It was not a simple festival where all events were held within a set period; at Märchen Academy, every moment was part of the Grand Festival period.
The cause was the 'One-Month-One-Event System,' which dictated that only one event be held per month.
Yet today's event, 'Combat,' carried special significance.
It was the first event of the year—in other words, the opening match of the Magic Sword Grand Festival.
"...They're all quite fortunate."
Rumor had it that today's match would be observed by various scouts as well as officials from the Imperial Household. They were all quite fortunate indeed.
[ Theodore's Perfect Narrative.... 'Undefeated' ]
I glanced through the article on my opponent as well. Undefeated, was he? I was somewhat looking forward to seeing what sort of fellow he was.
After finishing training and parting ways with Yushia, I headed for the competitors' waiting room.
Perhaps because it was the day of the match, the scenery was quite different from usual.
To put it simply, there were far more people.
The sight of knight cadets and mage cadets mingling in a chaotic swirl was a spectacle you could only witness on match day.
"Oh, look, isn't that Theodore? Me, me! I wanna go say hi to Theodore!"
"No, it's not. Why does this guy think every blond hair he's seen for the last hour is Theodore?"
The atmosphere among the knight cadets was warm and genial. As if they'd come out for a flower-viewing picnic.
"Drinks.... Buy 'em or not?"
"Don't buy 'em. If the match ends before you even take a sip, it'll be fucking annoying."
Meanwhile, the mage cadets were full of concern. Whether they were cheering or not, their faces were tense.
I passed indifferently through their midst where arrogance and anxiety intersected.
"Plan, student~"
The moment I stepped into the waiting room corridor, someone clung to my side. It was Sepia.
"Aren't you supposed to do your reporting after the match?"
"If it were for reporting, I would have. But right now, I'm visiting for a purely personal reason, you see?"
"What is your business."
Sepia abruptly held out a hand to me.
"I'm here to cheer you on. Plan, student. And.... Ah, what else did I write? Märchen Rank, Mr. Kaplan?"
"I'll do well enough without cheering."
I walked past her.
Sepia let out a little yelp. Then promptly clung to my side again.
"Please make sure you do. This is confidential, by the way."
Sepia pulled out a paper bag and flapped it about.
"There's even a professor who staked her resignation on your victory. Because she's a very precious person to me, you absolutely must win. Oh, and...."
Sepia stealthily backed away.
"I think I'd best be off about now? Seems there's someone more desperate than me."
I had no interest in who that was, but someone promptly blocked my path.
A thick rose scent that stung the tip of my nose. It was Becky.
At more than twice her usual talking speed, she started babbling at a rapid-fire pace.
"H-hi. They say chocolate is good for when you're nervous. I made it myself.... No, that's not the important part. Just take this for now."
"Fine."
I took it.
With these things that women give you, refusing them tends to make things more troublesome, with a high probability.
"Plan. This is purely given as a show of support, okay? Okay?"
"That requires a more specific explanation."
"Ugh, really! You saved me back then in the Magic Labyrinth, remember? I haven't forgotten that."
Becky twirled a strand of her hair around her finger.
"So.... Me repaying you for that will come later, separately. This just means I'm cheering for you. I'm not some ungrateful person, you know."
I stared blankly down at the rather substantial amount of chocolate before quietly calling her name.
"Becky."
"Yeah?"
"...Did you have time to make chocolate?"
"Ah, hah? Time~?"
Unable to meet my eyes, Becky reddened.
"Well, you know. Normally? All day? No, was it shorter? Anyway. This much is basic!"
"All day, you say.... Understood."
I left Becky behind me.
How had she been able to make chocolate all day? I pondered that for a moment.
'I shall have to increase her workload of assignments going forward.'
◈
[ Magic Department Waiting Room ]
I opened the door with telekinesis.
The chatter of the female students died down all at once, and the space abruptly fell silent.
Precisely six pairs of eyes fixed themselves on me... before they promptly went back to conversing among themselves.
'Magic Sword Grand Festival Daily Staff'
So read the necklace-style nameplates hanging around their necks.
Originally, they were supposed to look after my condition just before the match... but I had no need for that kind of help, and they seemed to have no intention of providing it either.
I quietly closed my eyes and began emptying my mind.
"So you ended up as representative after all? Just like you wanted."
Out of nowhere, someone spoke to me. I found her face familiar; it was Hailey.
Suppressing the rising annoyance, I gave a rough nod.
"Think you can beat Theodore? If you can't handle it, you should've just stayed still. Why go out of your way to steal the representative spot."
I didn't bother to reply.
"Come to think of it, what's your relationship with Trixie anyway? Did you sweeten up the Fritz Family somehow?"
But since not replying only made her words stretch on endlessly, I had no choice but to open my mouth.
"Hailey."
At the same time, the things Hailey had muttered to me when I first entered this body resurfaced in my mind.
"You want to date a man you can magically respect.... Isn't that what you said."
Hailey scoffed.
"You remember well. Why? Did that one remark hurt your feelings especially?"
"Do you have no intention of correcting that conviction of yours."
"...?"
Hailey's head tilted to the side before she suddenly burst into loud laughter.
"What's that supposed to mean right now? 'Change your mindset and maybe look my way a bit more'.... Is that some kind of pathetic confession?"
"You are standing at a crossroads right now, and I am merely trying to offer advice."
I merely continued to speak calmly.
"I have no interest in you. Not even the slightest."
"...."
Hailey's face crumpled. Without avoiding that expression, I simply looked down at her.
"You, too, shall remain exactly as you are."
"Hey. I honestly have no clue what you're blathering on about."
Her voice, cutting off my words, was laced with venom.
"I'm gonna keep liking Louis, you know that? You think he's some pathetic guy like you?"
I didn't answer. Instead, I turned my steps toward the arena.
One step. Then another.
"...."
At last, an interesting sight entered my view.
I observed it naturally, and soon, I smiled a smile even I myself couldn't recognize.
──The vast arena bathed in brilliantly pouring sunlight, packed to the brim with spectators.
Gazes full of suspicion, or beyond that, outright hostility.
Murmuring so complexly intermingled it was utterly incomprehensible, the fuss of some stranger I'd never seen before.
The first event of the Magic Sword Grand Festival, where all of it converged into one. Combat.
To me, Kaplan.
All of this... was nothing but a beautiful melody.
I stood at the very center of that melody. And I was not alone.
"Ah, I've been waiting."
A spirited tone.
A gaze full of conviction. A female knight with an attitude brimming with zeal, devoid of malice.
"Many cadets are looking forward to this. I, too, am among them."
She planted her sword vertically into the ground, then extended her right hand toward me.
"Let us both do our best."