The Gathering Opens
Danvers felt as though Blow's words might drive her clean out of her mind.
Even so, she turned over the ranks of everyone filling the hall, and the eyes they had fixed on her, and only then managed to swallow her anger.
"…Understood."
Hearing the somewhat drained reply, Blow added nothing more. He turned at once and went to Skadi.
"What did you talk about?"
His unannounced move had left her a little worried, and she searched his face. Blow gave a small shrug, as if it had been nothing at all.
"Didn't say much. Lady Rebecca, I'll see you again later."
"See that you do…"
Blow offered Rebecca the proper courtesy and started for the seat beside the dais. Several of those who had watched the whole exchange found their expressions changing in dramatic fashion.
Once mana and aura reached a certain height, there was nothing one could not hear, if one wished to hear it.
The instant Blow had spoken to Danvers, Rebecca had no choice but to turn toward him in surprise, and the ghost of a smile touched Yulia's mouth. Far off, at Rachel's table, Renerit lit up with delight.
"Whoa! That's actually impressive. Blow Deblique."
"I thought the Scoundrel of Blanya might live up to the name and grab her by the collar. What a shame."
Yelich sounded thoroughly deflated. Rachel was still watching Danvers's stunned face, and she covered her eyes as she laughed.
"Hahaha! Honestly, what a funny bastard!"
With that she rose and strode straight up onto the dais at the front. The clamor of the banquet hall died in a breath. Haghia, who had been behind her, came forward and cast a voice-amplification spell on her at once.
"I am Rachel Campbell, your host. As you can see, the gathering is being held in Caipol, and Lady Yulia Edfolk has prepared not only the venue, but the banquet as well."
Applause poured toward Yulia, standing at Rachel's side. Rachel gestured to her, and Yulia stepped before the magic circle to speak in an unhurried, elegant tone.
"I am Yulia Edfolk. To all of you who have come from the imperial capital, thank you for making the journey. The banquet will begin in an hour and a half, at seven o'clock, so please come in on time."
When she finished and withdrew, Rachel came forward again, looked over the whole assembly, and said, "Ah—and I've brought something amusing. Enjoy it before the banquet, and after."
For some reason her gaze drifted toward Blow. Feeling it, he went uneasy all at once.
"What is it? What did she prepare?"
"I wonder."
Herbena, seated beside him, took up the question.
"Am I the only one who's nervous?"
"I'm nervous too. It's my first time in a place like this."
"I should have brought you more often."
"Please do. From now on."
Herbena stared at him as if she meant to bore straight through him, and he nodded readily.
"Sure. I'll bring you often. Jane, too."
"……"
Jane's name never failed to slip in at moments like this, and Herbena's face soured. Still, she was the one beside him now, so she decided to let that much pass.
Up on the dais, Rachel raised a filled wine glass, and every hand in the hall rose with her. She swept her gaze across them all and shouted so that everyone could hear.
After Rachel's opening declaration, Blow checked the kitchen and came back. Skadi and Herbena, who had been waiting only for him to emerge, drifted quietly toward him.
"Young Master Blow!"
"Hey. Call me that and you sound just like Senior Yulia."
"Would it kill you to just say it nicely!"
She had been wound so tight when they arrived, and now her face was entirely at ease. Quietly relieved, Blow crossed the hall and asked her lightly, "What were you doing?"
"Nothing, I just—"
"A great many handsome gentlemen from the capital came over and spoke to Lady Skadi!"
Jane answered in her place, smiling. Skadi flinched, then went on in a voice that shrank as she spoke.
"They kept talking to me, so I just went yeah, yeah."
"Good. Did you handle it as naturally as you do at school?"
"Not that naturally. I only answered. Only answered."
A flush still lingered on Skadi's face. The four of them left the stares trained on them behind and stepped out of the hall.
"Where are we going?"
"The garden. I've been on edge since earlier, and my head's starting to hurt."
"An excellent idea. Young. Mas. Ter."
Herbena, following at his back, delivered it in a stiff, formal tone, and all three gazes snapped to her at once.
"Why does that sound so awkward? Jane makes it sound natural."
"Why do you only ever pick on me?"
"Even I think it's strange, Herbena."
Skadi broke into muffled laughter at Herbena's pout. Once they were outside, a cheer rose from deep in the garden, and all of them naturally turned their steps that way. Several knight cadets were sparring there with wooden swords.
"Oh! A spar!"
The moment blades met, Blow's eyes lit, and he started toward them.
"Young Master!"
Jane's firm voice came from behind. Had this not been the Black Bridge Gathering, she looked ready to seize his sleeve. Beside her, Herbena's face crumpled without mercy, and she shook her head hard.
"No."
"No… what?"
"You are absolutely not allowed to spar."
Herbena nodded along with Jane.
"Absolutely not. Not under any circumstances."
"Who said I was going to? I was only going to watch."
"If you watch, you'll want to join. The way you want to cast the moment you see a good spell."
"That's right."
"The two of you match each other perfectly at times like this."
Blow looked from Jane to Herbena and let out a thin sigh—just as another cheer filled the garden.
"He won! As expected, the Black Bear of the capital! Rokan!"
"Rokan! Rokan!"
Rokan Vladimir bent his arm with all his strength, showing off the muscle. The man kneeling on one knee before him wore a look of pure humiliation, and from the uniform, he seemed to be a cadet of the Caipol Municipal Knight School. Rachel stood between them, yawning with a bored expression, while Rokan stepped up to the cadet and held out a hand like a bear's paw.
"Come on. Hand over the sword."
The man let out a long breath and offered it up. Rokan snapped the wooden blade in half on the spot.
"And with that—ten wins in a row! Haha!"
"You lot never stood a chance against us! You hicks from Caipol! Hahaha!"
"Rokan! Rokan!"
…Ten straight losses.
The faces of the Caipol knight cadets darkened. Blow watched them with a low sound caught in his throat.
This doesn't sit well with me.
Serdia, the imperial capital, stood for roots and legitimacy. Caipol was the empire's second city, grown at a furious pace through the Unification War. With the coming of peace, both cities had founded a host of academies, and a rivalry that had once stayed quiet had long since risen to the surface. Rachel Campbell had appeared, of course, with overwhelming martial power, and as time passed the nobles were gathering toward Serdia, so the balance kept tipping further to one side. Even so, watching Caipol lose was no pleasant thing for them.
"…This is too much."
Skadi's brow drew tight, and she murmured it just loud enough to be heard. Blow clicked his tongue.
"Senior Yulia told us something like this could happen."
"Even so, I don't think they have to look down on them like that."
"Stings the pride a little, doesn't it?"
"Young Master. No."
"No."
The moment an uneasy current ran through the talk, Jane and Herbena cut in. Blow turned to them and shrugged.
"I never take a spar I'm going to lose. I can't beat people who've actually been trained. That one called Rokan, especially, looks like a considerable fighter."
As if he had heard, Rokan lifted his sword toward the Caipol cadets.
"Next opponent, step up!"
"Come on out! Come at us! You hicks from Caipol!"
Skadi, her mood already spoiled, nudged Blow.
"Let's go back in."
"Yeah. I only stepped out for some air, and it put me in a worse mood."
Jane was quietly relieved to see him turn away. Together they stepped back into the hall.
"What's that?"
The moment they entered, all of them had to stop. A long cylinder of glass, adorned in beautiful marble, stood upon a cart inside the hall. Within it, glittering blue-green powder had settled to about a sixth of the way up. Herbena knew what it was at a glance, and her eyes sparked with interest.
"A Mana Bead!"
"They make them that large? I thought they only came palm-sized."
It was enormous—large enough for two people to step inside with room to spare. A crowd had already gathered, and simply getting close would take a while.
"Good day. I am Haghia, Lady Rachel's right hand. This Mana Bead is a magic tool Lady Rachel brought herself. As with the Mana Beads you all know, you need only pour in mana and set the powder flying."
"Ooh…"
"If any of you have been unable to discharge your mana on account of today's gathering, you may use this tool."
But everyone knew why it had been set up in the hall in the first place. Most likely, so the mages could compete with it—so they could compare, in real time, how much powder each of them could shape and command, easily enough that even a layman who knew nothing of magic could tell. Blow had not expected this at all, and he was quietly impressed by Rachel's planning. He caught Herbena as she started forward.
"Size it up first. Go later."
"Yes, I will."
A little later, the first to approach the Mana Bead was a student of the imperial capital's magic school whose face Blow did not know. Haghia went to her and spoke with polite formality.
"Before you use the Mana Bead, might I ask your affiliation, year, and name?"
"Ah. Ramsdale Harnia, fourth year of the Serdia Imperial Magic Academy."
"Yes. Press your palm as close to the bead as you can, so the mana transfers cleanly, and then begin."
"Yes."
A moment later a magic circle spread across the bead, and the powder inside began to scatter, starting from the top. Perhaps because of the bead's sheer size, even a wild scattering made for a fine spectacle. Blow, of course, was chuckling to himself, reminded of the dust bin on a vacuum cleaner from his years as Han Ji-hoo.
"Now that's a sight!"
"More than half the powder! A fourth-year indeed!"
The students of the capital's magic school applauded as they said it, and Ramsdale, who had given the demonstration, shrugged and bowed to everyone.
"Thank you!"
Rosalyn, who had been watching her with displeasure, stepped forward and tossed her words at Haghia as if they were nothing.
"Rosalyn Ropert."
She left Haghia, whose expression had stiffened slightly, behind her and set her hand on the Mana Bead at once. Far more powder than Ramsdale had managed began to whirl, and everyone's eyes widened.
"Caipol Magic School has come up in the world!"
Rachel's bright voice came from behind. Yulia stood beside her as well. Rosalyn stopped using the bead and immediately offered a bow. Rachel walked straight past her and up to Blow. Rosalyn froze for an instant. Rachel did not so much as look at her. She put her question to Blow at once.
"What do you think, Blow Deblique?"
"What brings you in here? Out in the garden, the knight cadets were sparring."
"A spar? It was one-sided, so it wasn't any fun. They've all come in already. The banquet's about to start."
Behind her stood the cadets of the capital, Rokan among them with a triumphant look. Blow glanced at them, let out a short laugh, and said, "So this is the main event, then?"
"Main event? I was only being considerate of you mages."
Contrary to her words, her smile was full of meaning. Blow answered her while thinking, Sure you were.
"The knights of the capital seemed very full of spirit."
"Of course they are. You know whose school that is. And that wasn't the question I asked you, Blow Deblique."
"If we limit the field to magic, Caipol will not be crushed outright by Serdia."
"Ridiculous."
An irritable voice cut in. It belonged to Yelich Serge, who had been watching them with open displeasure from the start. Blow shifted his gaze to her.
"Why is it ridiculous, Lady Yelich?"
"Must I spell it out?"
"I'm rather bad at taking a hint."
He played the fool at once. Watching him, Yelich's brow tightened, and she let out an empty laugh.
"I find it rather pitiful that you can't tell long from short unless you set them side by side, Blow Deblique."
"But isn't there a pleasure in setting the long against the short, Lady Yelich Serge?"
"For heaven's sake."
"Then you need only show us, don't you? Ah, unless…"
Blow's eyes narrowed. He lifted the corner of his mouth, and then he added, "You're afraid of losing where everyone can see. Is that it?"
At that faintly indifferent tone, every mage from the capital went rigid, and Yelich laughed as if she could not believe her ears. Yulia and Herbena, who had been watching in silence—and even Rosalyn—were quietly glad they were not the ones standing opposite Blow.