That's... It's Similar to the Flame of the Ember Knight, Sir...
That's... It's Similar to the Flame of the Ember Knight, Sir...
The infirmary of Märchen Academy.
Far too vast for just one patient, Trixie lay alone on a bed there.
It was the weekend, mercifully. No lectures to miss. But what gnawed at her now was the Subjugation Festival preliminary round. Only three days remained.
"Ngh...."
Trixie gritted her teeth against a wave of sharp pain. She had driven her body to such extremes—this was the inevitable result.
The infirmary staff had admonished her, stressing again and again: never use magic so recklessly.
The rumors had surely reached the other students by now.
They might start with the simple fact that Trixie had collapsed, then spiral into claims that her blue flame was nothing special after all.
But the thing that troubled her most was not petty gossip. It was Plan himself.
"...He forfeited."
She had learned that, too, through the infirmary staff. She replayed their duel in her mind, as clearly as memory allowed.
Midway through the match, Plan had posed a question to her.
At first, she had thought it was a cheap ploy to get under her skin and seize the upper hand. But the reality was nothing of the sort.
A genius, a mage, true elegance... every question had pierced straight to the core of who Trixie was.
But even so.
Whether Trixie had realized something, or transcended her own limits—that had nothing to do with winning or losing.
There was no reason for Plan to deliberately forfeit. If he could have beaten her, he could have simply beaten her.
He had forfeited by choice. As though the duel had a purpose beyond victory or defeat.
She exhaled deeply, tangled in her own feelings.
For now, she could not begin to guess what that purpose or reason might be. Only one thing was certain: Plan had not forfeited because he was outmatched.
[ *Teaching Auction ]
[ ▷ Trixie von Fritz. ]
[ ▷ Congratulations. You are now my disciple. ]
However the duel had ended, the result recorded was a victory. The proof remained on her Trivia, plain to see.
She could become the disciple of Teacher. The very thing she had longed for—and yet she still had not sent a reply.
Did I truly win? The doubt kept creeping in, making her hand falter every time.
Should she rejoice at the outcome?
But could this really be called a victory?
What in the world was Plan thinking?
Her mind was a storm. Lost thoughts went round and round, unable to find their way.
And yet.
Even now, with her body wrecked and her thoughts a mess, Trixie felt an inexplicable lightness.
No—she knew exactly why she felt light.
Because she finally understood how to move forward.
No more hesitating out of concern for others' eyes. No more locking herself inside a rigid mold. No more letting something else drag her along by the leash.
That was what a true flame ought to be.
She shook her head, shaking off the tangled thoughts.
For now, that feeling alone was enough. The questions about Teacher, the questions about Plan—she could ask them all in person when they met.
Trixie closed her Trivia. On the fine leather cover was embossed the jasmine crest of the Fritz family.
She quietly ran her hand over it.
Memories of her mother, the weight of being the next head of the family... a flood of emotions washed over her, leaving her with a strange ache.
"I..."
Her lips moved faintly, and she let her eyelids fall shut.
She was confined to bed for the day anyway. Closing her eyes and sorting through her thoughts would be enough.
"I'll work even harder from now on."
As the next head of House Fritz. As Teacher's disciple. And as the Subjugation Festival representative.
It was the first true resolution spoken by a mage.
◈
The Editing Department of Märchen Daily, Eliza's office.
The Reaper, the Death God, the Mad Dog... those were the nicknames she bore. She was a journalist for Märchen Daily, originally from the Knight Department.
And she had just been promoted to department head.
In a space arranged solely for her, Eliza sat before her staff, who were lined up in a neat row.
Her precisely cut bob, her shirt, her skirt, her shoes—all in uniform black—naturally evoked the image of a death god. But what she held in her hand was not a scythe; it was a thick sheaf of paper.
"Haah."
She let out a sigh. Every last one of those documents was about Plan.
"This is it? Seriously?"
Eliza rustled the stack of papers as she asked.
Plan.
A comet from the Magic Department who had appeared out of nowhere and won the first discipline of the Magic Sword Grand Festival. The student who had seized her full attention. Lately, Eliza had been practically desperate to learn more about him.
"Yes. We've culled only what seemed important."
"...Wow. Truly important. So much substance. Enough to flip the entire Knight Department on its head. What's the academy even doing? Not using this as a textbook."
"...."
The open sarcasm made the team leader's shoulders shrink.
But Eliza had every right to be irritated. All these papers gathered, and not a single new piece of information.
Grade trends, remarks, daily patterns... she already knew all of that useless drivel.
"Once his schedule's over, he holes up in the dormitory and disappears. So we haven't had anything proper to report on...."
"Even that I already know. Enough."
Eliza waved her hand dismissively.
She worked by the creed of writing only articles that would make a massive splash. That was what put her in direct opposition to Sepia's principles.
"Well, anyway."
One question still lingered in a corner of Eliza's mind. She scanned the staff lined up before her.
"Is this kid really planning to enter the Subjugation Festival with three people?"
"Pardon?"
"The Subjugation Festival squads are four people. Do you seriously think the Magic Department will compete with only three?"
Going in with three was absurd.
But with only three days left, it didn't seem plausible to add a fourth and build any real coordination either.
The staff shook their heads.
"Either way... it seems pretty ridiculous."
"Having three freshmen to begin with is sheer bravado."
"Right? I think so too."
But something was still snagging at the back of Eliza's mind.
"The one bothering me is Plan.... It's about time I started running articles, but...."
As she pieced together various provocative angles, Eliza's thoughts suddenly landed on one point.
A topic so simple and primal that any audience facing an upcoming match could not help but care.
'Who will win?'
The Subjugation Festival preliminary was structured around hunting demon beasts to accrue points.
Two squads entered the arena at a time, but ultimately all squads were ranked by their tallied scores, and only the top would advance to the main tournament.
The opponents stepping into the arena alongside the Magic Department were not to be taken lightly. Could they really hunt demon beasts while keeping the Four Siblings in check?
Eliza asked her staff.
"Just how much can the Magic Department actually show us?"
"Another difficult question... Ah, no. That's because I'm an idiot...."
"I mean, against the Knight Department's Four Siblings, how much of a result can the Magic Department produce? Make a prediction."
At that, the staff began to think in earnest.
Not because reaching a conclusion was difficult, but because none of them had any idea how to soften the answer enough to say it aloud.
"...Well, first of all, they absolutely cannot win. How do you beat the Four Siblings?"
The youngest reporter mustered her courage and broke the silence.
Everyone nodded. That was the baseline fact, non-negotiable.
Eliza rubbed her chin and spoke.
"Is there really zero chance for the Magic Department to win?"
"Ms. Eliza, those people are different from the ground up."
"The midterms barely ended, and the Disciplinary Committee has already convened six times."
The Knight Department's sophomore Four Siblings.
Four men and women, not bound by a single drop of shared blood, yet they were always together—and they each wielded a different sword, which naturally led to the nickname "Four Siblings."
A greatsword, a curved blade, a rapier, a deformed needle-like sword, plus top-tier swordsmanship and Inherent Abilities... facing them would certainly be a crushing burden for first-years from the Magic Department.
"Then what about Plan alone?"
"Ah, that guy... he's dangerous."
Dangerous. At the deputy head's remark, every staff member's eyes flew wide open and fixed on him.
The deputy head hurriedly waved his hands.
"Ah, I misspoke. My apologies."
"No. No, keep going. Ignore these people."
Eliza found the staff's collective reaction contemptible. They couldn't do their jobs, yet they were experts at reading the room.
Finally, the deputy head hesitantly opened his mouth again.
"Y-yes. First of all, having observed the fellow's flame element...."
Frantically flipping through the stack of papers, the deputy head suddenly began gauging his colleagues' reactions with extreme wariness. His eyes flickered a thousand times, weighing whether to speak or not.
"Having... observed...."
"Why drag it out? I said don't bother reading the room."
"Well... the flame resembles the Knight of Embers...."
A chill silence descended upon the room.
A moment later.
The team leader brought a hand down on the deputy head's skull with a crisp smack.
"Agh!"
The deputy head immediately clutched his head.
"You punk. Have you lost your mind? There are lines you don't cross. How dare you—!"
"B-but, shockingly, it's true. That bastard... he's a genuine freak. That's why I said he's dangerous."
"Both of you, stop."
Eliza raised a hand, cutting them off.
She pictured Plan. He had been nagging at her thoughts for a while now anyway.
His victory against Ivan, the way he hadn't been pushed back in the slightest against the blue flame....
'Is it all right to expose your full strength that openly?'
If he truly meant to pull something off at the Subjugation Festival, then hiding his skill at a time when journalists were swarming everywhere would be the clear advantage.
'...Or is even this a calculated move?'
Either way, it was intriguing and utterly unusual. One thing was certain: this was a guy who had to be categorized as an "outlier."
Which meant the deputy head's remark might hold some merit after all.
"Hmm...."
A flame element that resembled the Knight of Embers. The Subjugation Festival where the Magic Department was boldly declaring victory. Opponents who were the controversial Four Siblings....
Simply reporting it as-is would guarantee headlines.
Snap—!
Eliza snapped her fingers with satisfaction and called out.
"Good. Everyone, clock out."
"Whoa!"
"Yes, ma'am!"
The staff scrambled out of the office in an instant, and Eliza began to work her hands busily.
This was why she could never quit journalism.
◈
"Really?"
"P-Plan! Seriously? You recruited an extra person?"
The next morning, at the training grounds.
Becky and Louis fired the question back at Plan. All because he had announced that the final member for the Subjugation Festival had been chosen.
"...."
Becky swallowed nervously and stared at Plan.
Truth be told, Becky had been the most on-edge about other people's stares lately. Too many people took issue with her having been selected as a representative.
"She's a bit lacking, but I've decided to bring her along."
The moment those words left his mouth, Becky felt an involuntary wave of relief.
"La-lacking! Really?"
"Yeah."
"Heh, heheh...."
Becky was quite pleased with the idea of someone lacking joining them, truth be told. Then she'd have someone to share this crushing pressure with.
Plan continued in his flat tone.
"Her pride is needlessly strong, her magic is still sloppy, and her flaws aren't just one or two things... but look out for each other."
"Hehahah."
Plan glanced at Becky at the sound of that laugh. She beamed brightly and answered.
"Of course, of course. Be friendly, rely on each other. Naturally we'll get along~"
Leaving the cheerful Becky to herself, Plan glanced down at his Trivia, where a blue light glowed.
[ ▶ Thank you...! ]
[ ▶ But I have something to tell you! ]
[ ▶ I'm going to try the preliminary on my own! ]
[ ▶ I'll do it brilliantly and come find you. ]
[ ▶ Then please.... please meet with me! ]
[ ▶ Pretty please ^ㅅ^!! ]
Without even realizing it, he wore a quietly satisfied expression.
This message hadn't come from the kid who'd been trapped inside a rigid frame. It had come from a mage who had found her resolve.
She'd grown. And that was, in its own small way, commendable.
Just then, the training ground door opened.
"Oh, looks like they're here! Welcome!"
Becky raised her hand high, wearing a beaming eye-smile so wide it nearly hid her eyes.
And then, the moment the girl with blue hair came into view—
"...Urk."
Becky's face went pale.