The Distortion Spreads from Gail
On the third day of the ranking matches, the distortion began to spread from Gail at its center. Professor Joshua spotted the panicked expression on Sera's—my—face and instantly realized what was happening. My magic had left my control and was acting on its own. I no longer had the power to rein in the rift.
"Everyone, evade! Run!"
I'd heard Sera wasn't in top form for the ranking match, but in the end, disaster struck anyway. Cracks spiderwebbed from the tip of the wooden wand I held, and it crumbled to dust. The spatial distortion grew more intense by the second.
"Help! Somebody help!"
"Evacuate! Everyone evacuate!"
"Isn't that... attempted murder?"
"Kyaaah—!"
The spectators leaped from their seats and fled, chaos erupting in the arena. The observers scattered in terror, while reporters braved the danger for their scoop, snapping photos nonstop.
"Space, divide!"
Professor Joshua raised his Estellon staff and severed the space itself to prevent the rift from spreading further. The distortion, radiating from Gail and threatening to devour the entire world, halted at the professor's barrier. But Gail, trapped inside, writhed in agony, unable to move.
The professor plunged straight into the rift he'd just sealed.
"Gail! Pull yourself together!"
"Grahhh—!"
As Professor Joshua leaped in, the distorting space tore into his shoulder. Another warped tear sliced clean through his cloak. Dodging lethal cracks that nicked his body, he repaired them on the fly and pressed toward the center.
"N-No... don't... come...!"
"What are you saying, Gail? Snap out of it!"
Gail, bleeding from every inch of his body, was mangled beyond recognition. Professor Joshua scooped him up effortlessly—just as his form was about to warp completely—and dashed out.
"You're my student. I can't let you die here."
"No... my fault... Arghhh!"
Gail's arm was severed clean off. Healing magic could regrow it, but the pain would be excruciating. No time to worry about details, though. The rift was gaining momentum within the seal, twisting space so severely that even the barrier's edge was vanishing.
This was the danger of void magic. Once it slipped from a mage's grasp, it tore cracks in the world's very rules. Dozens of regions had already vanished due to void magic. They'd barely sealed this one, but it'd take every void magic professor on staff to handle it for the foreseeable future. The sealed section of the colosseum would be off-limits indefinitely.
"This is a big mess."
As Professor Joshua emerged, the academy students who'd been watching erupted in applause. Covered head to toe in blood, he'd returned from the brink of death. But saving his student was just a professor's duty.
"Stretcher! Get a stretcher!"
"Yes, Professor!"
"What are you all gawking at? Disperse! You there—get any closer, and it's penalty points!"
Professor Joshua immediately shooed away the curious students. Safety officers rushed in, applying emergency recovery magic to mend Gail's broken body. The commotion dragged on a bit longer, but thankfully didn't escalate.
Once the cleanup was done, the professor stared at the cracked rift. If he hadn't sliced and sealed the space right away, it would've spread in an instant, engulfing the entire colosseum. Normally, you'd unravel void magic back to nothingness, but he had no idea how much mana had leaked, or how it had tangled. The caster herself often didn't know either, making it all the more tricky.
And the one suffering most would be Sera, kneeling there in a daze. Professor Joshua belatedly realized and approached her, but she'd already passed out and collapsed.
"...Damn."
There was no stopping the arrows of blame aimed at Sera now—she'd nearly killed someone. The professor could see the backlash coming clear as day, sweat beading on his brow.
"Kesera... you win."
Professor Joshua declared victory to the unhearing Sera. Then he loaded both of them onto a stretcher and headed straight for the infirmary.
The newspapers hit the stands. The public buzzed. All sorts of rumors flew. Even the echoes chattering outside the infirmary openly pointed at me, calling me a murderer.
The newspaper slipped from my weakening grip and flopped onto the bed. I folded it irritably and glanced sideways.
Did Professor Karia put us in the same room on purpose? At least she didn't stick us in the same bed... That guy over there was a total critical case. Wrapped head to toe like a mummy in bandages, the herbal scent for natural recovery stabbed at my headache.
As if blaming me.
"Might as well rest...☆"
It felt like I had a full-body flu—I could barely move. Ever since arriving at the academy, it'd been hospital trips nonstop. They told me to rest a full week this time. Who could've predicted the ranking match would end like this?
And... the folded newspaper caught my eye. Everyone was condemning me. Pathetic losers...☆ No matter how much useless trash like them criticized...
...Why.
Tears suddenly plopped down. It's all your fault. You almost killed him. He nearly died because of you.
Everyone was blaming me. No matter how skilled I was, no matter how well I cast magic. Almost killing someone was different.
Professor Joshua said something about linked thinking and that he'd take the blame as my advisor, but that didn't change the fact that I'd nearly committed murder.
Normally, in spars, the professor intervenes the moment the opponent goes down. So... I should've only used magic strong enough for the professor to block.
I had no idea how much mana had poured out from me or how it'd twisted everything. Complex numbers... imaginary magic extending to the soul realm, the integral constant reaching into that loser's soul and warping it.
"Haa..."
What happens to a torn soul? If that loser woke up with hollow eyes staring at me... Could I live carrying the guilt of murdering his soul?
I don't know. Tears flow. My vision blurs. My eyes grow wet.
I'd never cried of my own will since reincarnating, but tears soaked the sheets anyway.
Where did it all go wrong? For the eldest daughter of House Ascentrius, future great mage... What did I do wrong to end up like this?
Should I have shown mercy at the entrance ceremony and accepted him graciously? Called security on the possessed freshman? Eaten less mana ale at dinner with that girl? Or skipped the ranking match today altogether?
"Why are you crying?"
"Wh—uh, n-no, it's not."
Like warped void magic, my voice came out in broken fragments, absurdly spilling from my throat. Professor Karia, in her nurse uniform, injected blue serum into my vein.
"Kgh...!"
"Stop that. Who am I? Professor Karia, who could become an archmage with healing magic alone~ I'll fix you right up."
"Th-that's..."
If she'd been even a little later, that loser... might've been erased beyond repair. I don't hate that loser, but... he pissed me off first, so— Of course it wasn't my fault, so why am I like this? No, that's—
"Sera, you didn't do anything wrong."
"...Hic."
Tears welled up and fell again. Professor Karia stroked my red hair.
Le Armo Ascentrius. Beautiful red locks, symbolic of the family, trailed under her fingers.
"Adults take responsibility. It was our fault."
"No... that's not..."
"If not, then the system's to blame. It wasn't your fault."
This quack healer comforting me felt so unfair. Unfair enough to die. But her words actually soothed me... which pissed me off even more.
What if I'd used mana some other way instead of letting the void magic's residue burst? I knew regrets after the fact were pointless, but...
Why.
"Sleep if you're done. You worked hard today."
"...Hic."
With damp eyes, I surrendered to the wave of drowsiness.
While the two slept, Yerina could only peer through the window. She wasn't the only visitor for Gail—countless others had come—but Professor Karia enforced absolute bed rest, barring entry to the room.
"Yerina, no sabotage, obviously. You know better than anyone why you can't go in now, right?"
"...Yes, Professor."
"Sorry it didn't work out, but let's leave them to reconcile."
Yerina's insides burned. What kind of person was Professor Karia...? She was obsessed with forcing feuding boys and girls to make up before sending them off. Even knowing Sera was only seven... she didn't seem like a kid who was easy to reason with.
It was probably just overthinking. Leaving the flowers behind, Yerina turned and departed.