I've Already Prepared Myself for a Master-Disciple Relationship.
I've Already Prepared Myself for a Master-Disciple Relationship.
Once my interest took hold, my thoughts grew clearer.
Incidents spanning the eastern and central continent, a structure that possessed a degree of systematic design... these points alone marked this as a massive organization.
And they possessed a magical tool that warranted such interest. It was only natural to look forward to the exhibition.
The remaining information concerns the 'key figure,' then.
But the woman tilted her head.
"Um, by the way, Lady Maeve."
"What."
"It's nothing, really, only... you seem to have grown remarkably taciturn...."
So Maeve was the talkative sort. I stepped toward her.
"Look here."
And I quietly took hold of her chin.
I felt the woman tremble faintly.
"As you said, we are at a juncture with an important task ahead."
She opened her mouth but didn't answer. No, she couldn't. She simply nodded her head a few times.
"...And yet you make contact so defenselessly. Right in the middle of the academy."
"Ah, th-that, that is...."
"Why not just shout? Then the entire academy would learn our identities. Was that what you wanted?"
"I'm sorry.... I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"
I placed my index finger against her lips as she tried to raise her voice.
The gesture meant to keep her mouth shut, and she understood immediately and obeyed.
"I have no reason to receive a report. Perfect preparation is the basic premise. However...."
My gaze fixed directly on her trembling eyes.
"Since you're making this much of a fuss, I've grown curious. I'll give you a chance to speak in detail. But."
"Y-yes...?"
"If the content is beneath expectations.... you, too, are a rat. Keep that in mind."
The trembling spread through her entire body. She swallowed dryly and barely managed to open her mouth.
"W-we were only commanded to deploy personnel, but... we sought to refine the plan a little further."
"Are you saying my plan was insufficient."
"That is absolutely not the case!"
Her eyes bulged as if about to pop out.
"W-wasn't the matter of assassinating the key figure added rather hastily? Because Her Highness the Princess suddenly took an interest in the blue flame...."
Blue flame.
I silently mouthed the word. It was painfully clear who this key figure they spoke of was.
Trixie von Fritz. It could be no one else.
"However."
"As for extracting the blue flame from other members of the family, the mother is already dead and the father cannot handle the blue flame, so...."
"The conclusion."
At the word 'conclusion,' she let out an 'oh.'
"I'm sorry. Since the blue flame is a first-year student, we took note of their midterm evaluation and infiltrated accordingly. It will not be noticeable in the slightest."
That a magical tool beyond expectations was at the exhibition hall.
That the key figure they had recently taken an interest in was Trixie.
That there was a faction aiming for both of these things.
These three points were sufficient for now. I nodded.
"Then go."
◈
The moment I parted ways with her, I sought out the training ground.
The midterm evaluation was tomorrow, the wager with Trixie was approaching, and on top of that, a strange faction was entangled in it all.
There wasn't a single moment to spare.
"It's not without its uses, certainly."
[ Right? Master, did you see my popularity earlier? I told you I'm fairly useful, didn't I? ]
It was my first training session with Hera, and I received quite excellent assistance in the 'total capacity' department.
Growth from now on would be far easier.
[ And that woman earlier. She's a Blood Demon, absolutely. A Blood Demon. ]
I nodded silently. Even without her telling me, I had predicted as much.
[ That lot are absolutely crazy about dark things. ]
Yes, that was precisely the reason.
After investigating several more texts regarding Evil Ones and Blood Demons, I could see a very distinct difference between them.
Whereas the Evil Ones' pastime and ultimate goal is human corruption, Blood Demons move with their own independent objectives—that was the difference.
[ But Master~ you were so cool. If I had been that woman, I think I would've wet myself on the spot. ]
"Shall I make that happen."
[ Then it would get on your hands, Master. ]
"I dislike jokes. Even more so when they're unfunny."
[ Weren't you occasionally damp? Not with urine, though. ]
Suddenly uneasy at that, I hastily removed Hera and tucked her into my inner pocket.
I picked up Trivia. It was to obtain information regarding 'Sapour,' the magic exhibition hall.
'...It's closer to an art museum.'
Magic exhibitions in the previous world were organized so that various magic schools had their own sections, and guests could freely wander through and visit them.
However, the structure of 'Sapour' was slightly different.
It was structured so that all manner of things created through magic by every school, and things yet to be created—everything was displayed like works of art.
Among them, I had to locate the targeted object. Tomorrow seemed like it would be a day of constant motion.
But it was then.
The door to the training ground suddenly opened.
"...."
The uninvited guest was so unexpected that I tilted my head without realizing—very slightly.
Ivan.
Ivan, the representative of the Knight Department whom I faced in the first discipline of the Magic Sword Grand Festival—combat—approached me.
After staring at me blankly for a moment, she spoke.
"I came seeking you at Lady Scarlett's behest."
"That woman must dislike you."
While it isn't forbidden for a knight to come and go from the Magic Department, even so, those who do are exceedingly rare.
Because the way they look at each other is far worse than one might imagine.
For Ivan right now, this situation must be even more shameful. To have to set foot on Magic Department grounds after a defeat.
Scarlett would have sent Ivan knowing all of this. No, she sent her precisely because she knew.
Ivan nodded, unexpectedly meek.
"I understand. I brought this on myself."
She extended a single sheet of paper toward me.
"Lady Scarlett entrusted this to me, saying it must be delivered to the victor of the Magic Sword Grand Festival."
Delivering it to the victor, my foot—Scarlett must have been mortally averse to revealing that she and I are connected by blood.
I was the same. After receiving it, I examined it where only I could see.
[ After the midterm evaluation, a luncheon is scheduled for the Yudit family. ]
*Attendance mandatory.
The content of the slightly singed paper was short and simple.
I crumpled it up instantly with telekinesis and shoved it into my pocket. The scattering ash was a bit irritating.
"Confirmed. You may return."
But Ivan stood her ground like a statue.
"The official matter is complete, but a personal matter remains."
"Do you wish to settle your grudge over the defeat."
"I bear no grudge whatsoever, so there is nothing to settle."
Ivan smiled bitterly. There was no malice whatsoever in that expression.
"Then let's hear it."
"The loss, the resentment incurred by it, the disgrace—all of it is my own fault. I will acknowledge it cleanly."
Her face stiffened slightly.
"However, I cannot forgive myself for having dropped my sword at the end."
"So."
"When you have time, summon me as you did then. Whether it be three or five.... I would like your help."
This is somewhat unexpected. A knight seeking help from a mage—I hadn't expected such a thing to exist in this world too.
"Ivan, I am a mage."
"I know that much."
"Isn't it beneath you."
"It is, but I have a goal."
Ivan bowed her head once with a respectful attitude.
The paths of magic and the sword are far too different. But that seeker's attitude—the resolve to give one's all along the way—sat well with me.
However.
Even so, the timing now is far too early.
"If the time comes, if my mood for it arises, then I will do so."
But it was then.
"I implore you!"
She quietly laid her sword upon the floor. As if that were not enough, she even knelt.
"You need not teach me as a colleague, or as a friend. If only I may receive your instruction.... I am already prepared for a teacher-student bond."
She continued, as if wringing the words from her very core.
"Victory in the Subjugation Festival... is something I desperately yearn for."
"The Subjugation Festival?"
When I asked back, Ivan nodded.
"I refer to the second discipline of the Magic Sword Grand Festival. Four people form a team and sortie...."
"I don't see why you're asking me for advice when we're in competitive positions."
"We aren't in competitive positions. The Magic Department does not participate in the Subjugation Festival, does it?"
I narrowed my brow.
It's a discipline of the Magic Sword Grand Festival, and the Magic Department doesn't participate.
"Is participation by the Magic Department prohibited?"
"That's not it, but I've never heard of anyone from the Magic Department competing. Mages cannot perform group action, they say...."
That remark was slightly irritating.
Mages, too, can perform group action as much as they like if they coordinate. No, they can even achieve supremely powerful effects.
The reason I've acted alone all this time is simply due to my disposition, not because group action by mages is underdeveloped.
'...To think these so-called mages.'
Were incapable of seizing such an excellent discipline laid right before them.
After reaching a certain conclusion, I nodded toward Ivan.
"If the midterm evaluation concludes well, I will help you once."
"I-is that truly so!"
At that, a strange light shimmered in Ivan's eyes. She asked in a voice considerably brighter.
"Until then.... what should I prepare?"
"Who knows."
Since I wasn't a knight, I had little to say.
Looking at her still kneeling, I said one word.
"At least stand up."
◈
A space filled only with Void and silence.
At its center, upon a throne, a woman lay fast asleep. Without a single breath, as if dead.
Around her, twelve Blood Demons gathered in a circle. It was to discuss the 'operation' scheduled for the next day.
However, at present, they were reviewing a visual record wholly unrelated to the operational meeting.
That record vividly contained the exploits of a certain mage student from the Märchen Academy's Magic Sword Grand Festival.
The record had been extracted and delivered by a Blood Demon who had infiltrated the 'Mystic Gorge' guild.
In any case, the video ended with three dolls making their appearance.
The moment the record ended, one of them raised her hand briskly. It was a small Blood Demon with the physique of a girl.
"Hey, hey."
The woman standing stock-still beside the throne received that gaze.
"Did you finally get sick of being Secretary? Gonna quit by dying? Why are you showing us this random shit~?"
But that noisiness was reined in by a calm voice from the opposite side.
A man wearing a mannequin mask—flipped upside down so the mouth pointed upward—spoke.
"It was Her Highness the Princess who brought the record. May I take the remark just now as having been directed at Her Highness the Princess?"
"...!"
The Girl Vampire's gaze shot toward the woman on the throne.
Fortunately, she remained asleep. The Girl Vampire cleared her throat dryly and spoke again.
"...Well, that's a different story then. But, even so. Isn't this too random?"
The girl-bodied Blood Demon produced a red paper and a blue paper, one of each.
She pointed at them in order. The red was the assassination list, and the blue was the recruitment list.
"Look at this. That human isn't a guy who belongs on either list."
"Excuse me, an urgent report!"
When a formally attired Blood Demon appeared in a rush, their quarrel halted for a moment.
"This is Lady Maeve!"
"...!"
"...?"
A subtle shift in expression stirred on the faces of the other Blood Demons.
That alone revealed the sharp divide of opinion.
Four twisted their faces as if to say 'what nonsense,' four looked bewildered, and four wore expressions that said 'ah, so it was.'
Among Blood Demons, who band together like family under the concept of 'kindred,' Maeve is an oddity who particularly enjoys acting alone.
Although she does engage in actions helpful to the Blood Demons, it's truly difficult to find any trace or updates about her.
The formally attired Blood Demon continued her explanation.
"I met her in person today and confirmed that it was Lady Maeve. Perhaps Her Highness the Princess regenerated for that very reason as well...."
At that moment, someone spat toward her.
"If that isn't Maeve, you'll take responsibility for it."
"Yes. I am acutely aware."
Meanwhile, the gazes of the Girl Vampire and the Masked Blood Demon turned back toward the video.
The two murmured again. Only then did the pair come to an understanding.
"But it seems right, doesn't it? Now that I've heard it, I can see it. That way of delivering despair to the opponent—it's exactly Maeve's style."
"That aside, to begin with, it's simply not a magical achievement a human of that age can reach."
"Well~ then there's no need to keep the meeting going~"
The Girl Vampire stretched.
"That Maeve is totally self-willed, right? There's nothing to even discuss. Let's just let her do as she pleases this time too~"
The other Blood Demons also left their spots, more or less.
It wasn't that they fully agreed with the pair's opinion, but since the Princess wouldn't wake from her sleep, the meeting was impossible anyway.
One, two.... The Blood Demons dispersed into the darkness, and perhaps three more hours had passed when—
"Yaaawn..."
The Princess finally opened her eyes.
Despite the yawn, not a single part of her body so much as twitched—she had barely managed to lift her eyelids.
The Secretary beside the throne respectfully bowed.
"You are awake."
"Yeah.... Let's have the meeting...."
"It already ended. Three hours ago, in fact."
Three hours, she said. The Princess quietly scratched her head. The Secretary looked at the visual record and asked.
"Your Highness, was that man Maeve?"
"No.... He isn't...."
"...?"
The Secretary tilted her head.
"Several members returned, believing it was Maeve."
"I... went to see the blue flame... remember...."
"That's correct."
"I saw him by chance then. His summoning talent is exceptional.... So I had the record pulled and... that's why...."
The Secretary's head tilted slightly further.
"Summoning?"
"Yes.... To summon him, we would need a summoner of a transcendent level...."
The Secretary's head now tilted completely to the side.
"If that man is not Maeve, then it means he is ultimately a human mage. A mere human and yet... such...."
"I only... complimented his talent...."
Suddenly, the Princess's intonation became distinct.
A silence close to the Void descended, and the Secretary hurriedly bowed her head.
"...My apologies."
The Secretary hastily changed the subject.
"Oh my, this is no time for that. If that man is not Maeve, I must inform the kindred at once."
"No, no."
The Princess waved her hand. Her thin arm fluttered like a sheet of paper in the air.
"The very fact that a few thought he was Maeve... is proof that this human's talent is extraordinary.... So...."
"Yes, Your Highness. I'm listening."
Yaaawn, the Princess yawned and then barely continued.
"You keep watch tomorrow.... Whether he ends up on the red list, or on the blue list...."
"If you so command, I must obey. While I'm at it, shall I also look into the blue flame matter?"
The Princess blinked a couple of times.
"No, no.... You just watch that man...."
"I shall do so."
The Princess blinked another couple of times.
"No, no.... If we can observe both, let's do that."
"Yes. I shall do so."
The Princess blinked slowly, a couple more times.
"No.... Focusing on just one is best, after all."
"Your Highness, it's difficult for me when you are like this."
"Is it?"
The Princess stealthily raised her upper body.
"Then.... shall we just kill them all...?"
"No. You know very well that's not what I meant."
"Uunngg...."
The Princess lay back down.
"Right.... And one more thing."
The Princess dozed off, her head dipping.
"The moment I saw that man's face, a thought came to mind... "
It is never common for the Princess to lay out her thoughts in detail. The Secretary swallowed and strained her ears.
And one second, two seconds, three seconds...
Soft, steady breathing—
All that could be heard was the breathing of one fast asleep.
"...."