10,096 Times.
10,096 Times.
At last, the morning of the Subjugation Festival preliminaries had dawned.
Music from the performers filled the campus, and the whole of Märchen Academy was steeped in a festive atmosphere.
"Lord Plan... Lord Plan... still no sign of him today. Wherever could you be, Lord Plan...?"
Yushia, meanwhile, was bustling about the campus.
Adventurers, mages from the Magic Tower, merchants, officials from the Imperial Household... the crowd gathered at the academy was a diverse cross-section of humanity.
Every single one of them was a wonder to Yushia's eyes.
"Is it all right to be drinking already? Won't they fall asleep during the matches?"
"Even so... how can you resist? Can you?"
"Well, no. You can't."
The sun had barely risen, yet the air was already thick with the sounds of eating and drinking. Yushia walked past the appetite-stirring aromas.
Her immediate priority, after all, was Plan.
"There are far too many people. Your Highness, if you need something, it would be best to let us procure it."
Yushia was not alone today. A treasurer from the Imperial Household, disguised as an ordinary tourist, was sticking close to her side.
But the girl tapped the nameplate at her chest.
"Sir Treasurer? I am an academy student too."
"Yes. However, you must not forget that you are the Third Princess."
"I have not forgotten, but today I intend to be a student~!"
No matter one's rank as treasurer, one could not override a princess, and so the treasurer ultimately let out a sigh and kept watch over Yushia.
"Newspaper~ Newspaper~"
Someone pressed papers into the hands of the students swaggering past. Yushia took one as well.
[ An Unprepared Magic Department... 'Plan Missing' ]
"Where on earth could Lord Plan be..."
The girl let out a deep sigh. Before the preliminaries began, she had wanted to meet him in person and offer at least a word of encouragement.
"Treasurer."
"Yes, Your Highness."
"You will join me in searching for Lord Plan."
"Yes..."
The treasurer nodded reluctantly.
Plan, Plan, Plan... a name that had come up more than a few times even within the Imperial Household. By now her ears were practically calloused from hearing it.
And then, at that moment.
"Did you bet? You bet like I told you, right?"
"Hey! While you're at it, place mine too!"
Yushia's steps halted in front of a particularly crowded shop. The sign read, 'Predictions.'
"Oh..."
This shop, set up exclusively for the duration of the Subjugation Festival, was essentially a legal gambling den for predicting wins and losses—yet it was more than enough to capture the Third Princess's interest.
"Predictions... what exactly do they predict..."
Yushia murmured, peeking her head forward, when a pair of male students latched onto her.
"Guess a first-year might not know~ Shall we tell you a bit?"
"Just do exactly as we say and you're guaranteed to win. Wanna hear about it?"
However, the two's less-than-innocent advances were promptly cut short.
"..."
Under the treasurer's glare, dripping with killing intent, the two broke out in sweat and quickly retreated.
"There are so very many people... it must be so much fun!"
Thanks to the treasurer's assistance, Yushia was able to push past the crowd. She came to her senses at the very front row.
[ Predicting the Subjugation Festival Final Preliminary Rankings ]
[ Predicting the Subjugation Festival Detailed Preliminary Results ]
[ Predicting the Subjugation Festival Preliminary Hunt ]
Yushia's sparkling eyes meticulously scanned the text. There were three categories in total.
The girl turned to ask the shop owner.
"Excuse me, how does this work?"
At that, the people around looked at Yushia as if she had lost her mind. That was natural, since she was likely the only person there who didn't know the rules.
The shop owner answered indifferently.
"You can predict just one. If you bundle all three and guess them all correctly, you get an additional payout."
"Ah! Then I shall bet on all three bundled together."
Simultaneously, the treasurer's face went utterly blank. By the time he came to his senses, Yushia already had three slips of paper in her hands.
The treasurer urgently whispered.
"Your Highness... are you truly thinking of participating yourself...?"
"Yes. Since it is Lord Plan's match, not anyone else's."
"Would simply cheering not suffice? This sort of thing is deeply speculative. You should keep your distance."
But Yushia resolutely picked up the pen. There was not a trace of hesitation in her movements as she filled out the forms. Before long, she held the slips out to the shop owner.
"Let's see here. No... what sort of prediction is this..."
The shop owner narrowed his brow as he received the papers. He stared at Yushia as if she were preposterous.
"The Magic Department finishes first overall and advances to the main tournament, detail results are a victory against the Four Siblings, and the hunting time is within 10 minutes per stage... are you really going to do this?"
At those words, the clamorous shop fell a little silent.
Eyes that said, are you joking? Eyes that said, you don't know how the world works. Eyes brimming with curiosity... all of them were directed at Yushia.
The treasurer was the first to ask, alarmed.
"You there, what would the payout be if she does this?"
"The payout..."
The shop owner quickly flicked beads on the abacus.
"10,096 times. If all three are correct, it's 10,096 times."
10,096 times.
...In other words, this was tantamount to saying it was impossible.
Laughter burst out from the people all around.
"If you've got that much money to burn, just give it to me instead~"
"Whew~ Bet just one gold coin and that's ten thousand of them. Ten thousand."
Could there be a spectacle more entertaining than watching someone else lose money? Anticipation was slowly dawning on their faces.
Anticipation over just how much money Yushia would lose.
The center of the commotion calmly held something out.
"Here, a gold coin."
It was not just a few gold coins, but an entire pouch. At the large sum, hard to believe was put forward by a mere first-year, the mouths of the onlookers fell agape.
"S-she's betting that much...?"
"How serious is she?"
"It's no use crying and throwing a fit later, you know."
The shop plunged into an uproar in an instant. The shop owner was just as taken aback.
"What do you mean, a pouch of gold coins..."
He soon shook his head and returned the pouch of gold coins.
"Our circumstances can't handle a payout that big."
The shop owner's attitude, as he replied, was already tinged with a little more politeness.
"Then how many can I bet?"
"10,096 times... one. Exactly one coin."
At that, Yushia took a single gold coin out of the pouch.
"Here you are!"
Within those golden eyes, sincerity was unmistakably shining.
◈
The World Within the Painting, 1:59.
"Ugh... ah..."
Becky flopped down onto the floor.
"Aigo... I'm dyinggg..."
"Would you like some water, at least?"
"No, no thank you... I don't even have the strength to drink water..."
Ivan held out water, but Becky shook her head.
Eventually, she lay completely flat on the ground. With this, Becky too had completed Plan's command to 'manifest magic a thousand times.'
"How irritating."
"Ahaha... in the end, all three of you did it. A thousand times each, no less."
Trixie spat the words out with a displeased look, and Louis nodded, wearing a faint smile.
"...Mages truly do have an astounding training intensity."
Ivan murmured quietly. Plan answered immediately.
"It's twice as hard. More than knights tend to think."
"I have only just realized that myself. I am witnessing it once more."
Ivan nodded silently. Today, she had been summoned by Plan and had come to visit the World Within the Painting.
She had come intending to discipline herself, but unexpectedly ended up observing the training of the other mage students as well.
Plan clicked his tongue as he looked over the three collapsed figures.
"Do you have a feel for manifestation now?"
His tone was as cool as ever. The three students immediately nodded.
From 1:58, they had been reciting the theories Plan had written down for them from memory.
Thanks to the summoned creatures that acted like real humans, this process had been relatively smooth. That was how they'd managed to push this world to 1:59, however narrowly...
Who could have ever imagined that the next schedule would be 'manifesting a thousand times.'
...But, they did it.
A thousand times. Not ten, not a hundred, but an entire thousand. It was impossible not to develop a feel for it.
Becky stared at her own palm in disbelief.
"A thousand times really is crazy... I never thought I'd be able to produce this kind of manifestation speed in my lifetime..."
Theory, the formula drawn based on that theory, and manifestation.
These three things had become as natural as a single motion. It was a result she had never even imagined.
Louis cautiously spoke up.
"Plan, I've clearly understood what you wanted to teach us. Seize the advantage with overwhelmingly fast manifestation. That's it, right?"
"On top of that, you add purity."
Plan appended.
"A pure element manifested at tremendous speed. With just that one thing, no follow-up strike is really needed."
"Hmm..."
Louis nodded quietly.
Plan's words were, once again, perfectly correct, and pointed to the essence with concision.
If you can land one extremely fast, powerful blow, why would you need a follow-up? You'd already have won.
"Alright, Plan."
However, a question still lingered for Louis.
"I'll do exactly as you say. But I'm also curious how much time we have left. Time is still passing in the outside world, isn't it."
He trailed off mid-sentence, then shook his head.
"No, I should rephrase the question. Rather than how much time is left..."
Louis's expression was serious.
"Can we actually reach that level before the Subjugation Festival preliminaries?"
It was a realistic question.
He had never learned so efficiently in his life, nor ever given it his absolute all... but the fact that the preliminaries were right around the corner was a separate issue entirely.
No matter how much they grew, failing to make the deadline meant, ultimately, elimination.
"...Did you listen to me with your ears turned inside out?"
"Hm?"
Plan answered with perfect composure.
"Today's training lasts until two o'clock. I don't repeat myself."
"When is two o'clock? I still don't know exactly how time flows in this world."
"Shall I explain it as simply as possible."
Plan jerked his chin toward Ivan.
"When you manage at least a draw against Ivan."
"Ivan?"
"That is when two o'clock arrives."
Becky's mouth dropped open.
Wasn't he saying they would be sparring against Ivan?
A draw, against Ivan the Flash Knight? Sweat began to pour from her whole body like a fountain.
"Excuse me."
This time, Trixie cut in.
"But, why are you helping us."
Her gaze was directed at Ivan. It was a short question, but it wasn't hard to guess her intent.
Why was a Knight Department student like Ivan helping them. That was what she meant, and everyone understood it.
It could be a sensitive and rude question. Or perhaps a difficult one.
But.
"...I simply want to become stronger."
With a faint smile, Ivan answered just that.
Even in those few short words, such a strong will could be felt that the three mages' expressions hardened with a touch more resolve.
It would only be proper that they too give their very best.
"From now on, we begin the final training."
Once he had confirmed the look in all their eyes, Plan spoke.
"However, precisely because it is the final one, we can't do it halfway."
His crimson eyes turned toward Ivan.
"Ivan, have you ever killed a person, by any chance?"
◈
In the inner corridor of the Magic Department dormitory, the mage-origin journalists had stayed up through the entire night here.
The reason, naturally, was one person and one person alone: Plan.
The fact that they were at least inside a building made it bearable; the situation outside was far more savage.
Outside the building was completely packed with knight-origin journalists. It was a scene like wild beasts laying siege before a rabbit hole.
"..."
A single bead of sweat slid down Sepia's forehead.
The deputy head beside her parted her lips.
"Um, Chief."
"What."
"The Subjugation Festival is far more important than the combat competition, isn't it?"
"Are you seriously saying that as if it's just words right now..."
Sepia swore at the deputy head with her eyes.
The Magic Department's victory in the combat competition was certainly a monumental event. A long, long dark age, and suddenly a single ray of light had fallen upon it.
'But it's still not enough.'
There was still a long way to go.
That single ray of light had to be nurtured into a radiant dawn.
If they could produce results in this grand event, so intertwined with the academy, every commercial interest, and the Imperial Household, it would be one massive step forward.
That was why it was important.
It was incredibly important...
He had even boldly declared victory...
'Plan.'
Sepia's head was filled with thoughts of nothing but him.
"For three days... he hasn't come out of his room..."
Sepia murmured dejectedly.
The Magic Department representatives hadn't shown their faces at all for three days. Not even a glimpse of them eating, much less at the training grounds.
The deputy head already reached a state of transcendence.
"Chief, I think we're screwed."
"Shh! I told you not to say things like that...!"
"The situation says it. I mean, what do you mean, three whole days..."
"Enough. Fine, I get it, so stop talking."
Sepia pressed a hand to her throbbing forehead.
The entire team of representatives was in Plan's room. Even Ivan, a Knight Department student, was in there.
Just how on earth was she supposed to accept this situation...
But then, at that moment.
"The, the door opened!"
One of the journalists shouted. At that cry, the personnel who had been waiting like trampled weeds all shot up from their spots.
"Plan! Just find Plan!"
"What'd you do with the question sheet? Did you not bring it?"
"Student Plan! Excuse me, Student Plan!"
However, a moment later.
"Wh-what the hell..."
"Why do they look like that?"
The journalists who had been charging toward Sepia all began to retreat in backsteps.
"...?"
Sepia pushed past the journalists retreating backwards and strode forward. And after a moment, she showed a similar reaction.
"Crazy."
What spread before her eyes was a scene from hell.
"I-I think I'm gonna throw up... uu-urp..."
"Ahaha... me too. I won't be able to eat breakfast."
"...My head hurts."
Sepia blinked before she knew it.
The Subjugation Festival preliminaries hadn't even started yet. So what were these utterly exhausted figures, as if they had already finished their matches?
"Arghh..."
Becky slumped down against the corridor wall, her back to it. Her gaping mouth and unfocused pupils were a chilling sight.
"What on earth is going on...?"
The moment Sepia murmured this, Plan finally revealed himself, last of all.
"?"
Simultaneously, the journalists' eyes widened.
This was because Plan alone looked exactly the same as ever.
His indifferent gaze, his neatly maintained attire, his characteristic composure. Plan was still precisely that.
Putting aside those who could not be told if they were alive or corpses, they all swiftly swarmed toward Plan.
A torrent of questions poured forth.
"Student Plan! Please answer a few questions!"
"Today is the day of the preliminaries. Are you aware?"
Amid the sea of questions, Sepia also managed to get a word in.
"Student Plan, what did you do for three days for you all to end up looking like that?"
Plan, who had been indifferent to it all, reacted to Sepia's question. His sharp eyes fixed on Sepia.
"Can you not tell by looking?"
What was she supposed to understand by looking; Sepia was dumbfounded.
"No. I haven't any idea?"
At that, the corner of Plan's mouth faintly curled upward.
"...Well, you will find out soon."