The Protagonist Is Always
Late on the Saturday evening of the Black Bridge Gathering, at Hills in Dusk Block.
Rowbedi sat in a corner working on an assignment, his face grave with concentration. At the next table, Alice was just as intent, drilling her notes into memory.
The sight left Megan oddly pleased. She set a cup of coffee on each of their tables, then crossed to Hans, who was checking the day's takings in front of the kitchen.
"I think the work's gotten into my bones. Not doing anything at this hour almost makes me bored."
"Same here. It's ridiculously peaceful."
Hans nodded along. Watching him, Megan remembered something and asked.
"Right — I think I'll be going down to Blanya with the young master soon, and coming back. Is there anything you'd like me to see to?"
"Blanya? Why?"
"To recruit more people."
"Ah, right. Washing those potion bottles really takes that much labor, doesn't it?"
"Yes. You ought to come too, Hans. Why not ask the young master?"
"No. Someone has to keep a solid watch on Hills."
He thumped his own chest as he said it. Megan, a smile tugging at her mouth, nodded.
The intermittent clatter from the kitchen died away. Melo came sidling over with a plate in her hands, and a moment later set it down before them: salmon canapés so pretty they were a pleasure just to look at.
Salmon and mayonnaise on biscuits, finished with olives. The sight alone put you in a good mood, as if you had already eaten.
"Oh my, Melo! Did you just make these?"
"Mm-hmm! Tomorrow's chef's special!"
"Salmon — that's not an easy thing to get a taste of."
"It's salmon canapé!"
"Look at that plating. Ever since Melo started going in to the hotel, it's gotten so refined. Rowbedi, Miss Alice?"
But before Megan had even finished calling them, the two had already come over and were swallowing hard at the sight of the canapés.
Alice carefully picked one up and said, her voice bright with pleasure.
"These look seriously delicious!"
"Melo just made them."
"I really did the right thing, working here. Every single day... I get to eat something this good."
Alice looked about one sniffle short of tears. Everyone smiled, pleased, and each took a canapé.
Alice, who had picked hers up first, hesitated to put it in her mouth.
"Alice? What's wrong?"
"I was thinking, for the others—"
Sure enough, the door opened, and the Red Forest crew came in.
Radness caught a glimpse of salmon among them, went wide-eyed, and practically ran over, calling out in a bright voice.
"Were you about to eat something delicious without us?"
"The potion shop's share is set aside right here!"
"Chef! Sob, sob — sense worthy of second-in-command, as expected."
Radness hammed it up as she took the plate. Linne, who had barely been there a few days, secretly envied how easily the girl fit in with everyone.
"Thank you, Chef!"
"We'll enjoy it, Chef."
"Th-thank you, Melo!"
"Hehe."
Proud of their praise, Melo folded her arms and smiled. Meanwhile Rowbedi asked Linne a question.
"Was the potion shop busy?"
"No! It's Saturday, so there weren't many people."
An awkward silence kept threatening to settle, and a faint smile spread across Megan's lips.
"As expected. With the young master gone, it's quiet."
"It really is, isn't it?"
"Yes."
Everyone nodded, as if in agreement. Then Melo spoke, almost too softly to hear.
"I hope he comes back soon. Big sister Jane, too."
"They're probably having a wonderful time right now."
The salmon canapés had vanished before anyone noticed. While the others stared regretfully at the empty plate, Alice, silent until then, opened her mouth, fidgeting.
"Um, so. Well...."
"Yes, Miss Alice?"
"There's something I'm curious about."
Every eye turned to her. Alice hesitated, twisting a lock of hair around her finger, then asked.
"Who is Young Master Blow's lover?"
The moment they heard it, Megan and Hans looked as if they had been struck in the head with a hammer, and stared at each other. Cosette, beside Alice, startled and cried out.
"Alice! What are you saying all of a sudden?"
"Was that too much? Did I say it for nothing? No — I only asked because I was afraid I'd slip up."
Embarrassed, Alice bit down on a fork that had nothing on it. Megan, who had been turning the words over, narrowed her eyes.
"You aren't even asking whether he has a lover. You're asking who?"
"Well, there are two people around him who seem extremely close. Senior Yulia, and Senior Skadi too."
"Lady Yulia is the young master's business partner, and with Lady Skadi he is simply very close. It isn't the sort of relationship you're imagining, Miss Alice."
"Oh. I see. Thank you."
Alice answered in a voice that had grown oddly bright. Radness, who had been watching the mood from the side, slipped in.
"There's Senior Jane too, isn't there? When the young master's with Senior Jane, his expression gets really nice."
"Even so, Senior Jane and Senior Hervena are his closest retainers, and they're commoners, same as us."
When Alice said it, hesitating, Radness's and Cosette's faces turned a little bitter.
"Ah."
"Yeah."
Silence fell between them again.
Melo, who had been listening with a blank look, opened her eyes round and looked at Megan.
"Megan."
"Yes, Melo?"
"What's a lover?"
Megan flinched. Hans quietly looked anywhere but at her.
After a long pause, Megan chose her words with great care and barely managed an answer.
"It means a very close relationship."
"Hmm? But the young master is very close with everyone. With Linne here, and with Megan, and with Lady Rachel, and with me too — super close!"
"A v-very d-dangerous way of th-thinking...!"
Appalled, Linne swallowed the rest. Megan pressed her fingers to her temple, wondering how on earth to salvage this.
Alice, realizing too late, glanced around at everyone and quietly rose from her seat.
And so a day at Hills without Blow was coming to an end.
"Are you afraid you'll be defeated in front of everyone?"
With those words from Blow, a bomb dropped on the banquet hall in the moments before the feast.
Yelich tilted her head and glared at him. The guests who had gathered by then watched the two of them with eyes full of interest.
The cadets of Caipol's knight school in particular seemed to feel a strange refreshment; faces that had been sour brightened considerably.
"Fine. Let's see how long that confidence of yours lasts."
Yelich's expression hardened. The instant she moved toward the Mana Bead, a fluff of white hair burst out in front of her, and its owner planted a hand on her hip.
"If the captain goes out already, where's the fun!"
Hair as abundant and white as a sheep's wool. Violet eyes.
Struck by a sense of familiarity, Skadi tilted her head and murmured without thinking.
"Teacher Aurora?"
"Oh my! You know my sister!"
Not only Skadi — Hervena, who had been trying since earlier to place where she had seen the girl, gaped as well.
The face was one thing. Even that excessively cheerful air was a perfect copy.
While Hervena thought so, Skadi, suddenly afraid she had committed a slip, dipped her head.
"If I've been rude—"
"Not at all! It's fine!! Anyway, I'll show you first!"
Renelit rolled up the sleeves of her dress. Rachel, watching her, spoke in a listless tone.
"Hey. Ease up."
"What's 'ease up' supposed to mean!"
Renelit answered with force. Her pure-white magic circle flashed, and every grain of powder inside the Mana Bead began to rise, floating.
Then the powder scattered as if it might shatter the glass.
To anyone who didn't know better, it would have felt as though an earthquake had struck the hall.
"That's Renelit, the Black Sheep."
"Incredible mana. Isn't she still a third-year?"
"They said she was the greatest talent in the house."
A moment later Renelit snatched her hand from the Mana Bead and turned to the room with a triumphant look. Cheers and applause poured out.
"Whoaaa!"
Among them, the knight cadets of the Imperial Capital preened as if they had done it themselves.
"This is what a mage of the capital looks like!"
"Serdia! Serdia!"
While Renelit hopped and waved both hands at everyone, Blow swallowed dryly.
She isn't going to point at me, is she? If she does, I'm finished.
He quietly avoided her eyes.
At that moment Renelit jabbed a hand in his direction.
Fortunately, the fingertip was aimed at Yulia, standing beside him.
"Well then, Lady Yulia! Show us."
"Oh."
Renelit even made certain of the target.
Every gaze swung to Yulia at once. Rachel chuckled, clearly pleased.
"Classic Renelit. She's got a real showman's streak, that one."
The one singled out kept silent for a moment, then lifted her dress slightly, approached Renelit, and looked down at her with a soft smile.
"You'll regret it, Lady Renelit."
"It's fine. We have a captain!"
Yelich Serge's sullen face entered Yulia's view.
Yulia met her eyes without yielding, stepped up to the Mana Bead, and laid a hand upon it with elegant grace.
At once her indigo magic circle appeared, and every grain of powder inside rose as one.
Then the powder split into two hosts. They spun in long ovals until the shapes met, and at the point where they touched, the grains poured downward at speed in a stream about as wide as a palm.
What had fallen churned and bubbled, then climbed slowly back up along the outer wall, only to descend again.
Seeing the form, Blow murmured without meaning to.
"A waterfall."
Julbert, watching, stroked his chin with an index finger.
"Oh. A theme of circulation in nature — very like Lady Yulia. One might even call it a deep aesthetic."
Blow looked at him, sensed his chance, and immediately played along.
"When you use a Mana Bead, you usually only worry about moving the powder. The lady meant to put a theme into it as well?"
"Exactly. That's the aesthetic of restraint. To run the inside of a bead like that, you need not only density of mana but quality, and Yulia has both. Unlike a certain someone."
Julbert and Blow, a duo in perfect step.
Properly needled by that last addition, Renelit narrowed her eyes and forced a smile.
Yulia, who had been concentrating the whole time, nearly lost her composure at their collaboration. She barely held in a laugh, then at last withdrew her hand from the Mana Bead with leisure. This time the applause came from the Caipol Academy side.
"As expected! Lady Yulia!"
"Caipol, Caipol, Caipol!"
Yulia answered with easy grace and walked over to where Blow and Rachel stood.
"Yulia? That was remarkable."
"Thank you for the praise, Lady Rachel."
"It was impressive. And those two's commentary was excellent — did you prepare it in advance? Renelit looks thoroughly irritated."
"Hardly."
Yulia shrugged and looked toward Blow and Julbert.
Something strange came over her at the sight of them, and she had no choice but to cover her mouth and laugh.
On the Serdia side just then, Renelit, in a foul temper, shouted at Yelich beside her.
"Captain! Go!"
"Yelich! Yelich!"
"Honestly."
Yelich looked down at Renelit with a bored expression, swept her hair back, and stepped forward to stand before the bead.
Silence fell again. She set her hand on the Mana Bead.
The powder inside did not divide into large masses the way Yulia's had. Instead, dozens of clumps the size of fists began to gather.
Seeing it, Skadi couldn't help murmuring.
"The control is extremely fine."
Soon the powder changed into the shapes of fish, gathered, and began to swim this way and that inside the Mana Bead.
A great school, scattering and coming together freely. The naturalness of it was enough to make you feel you were truly looking into water.
Blow's eyes narrowed.
...This won't be easy.
If Yulia a moment ago had seized large forms and given a sense of refreshment, Yelich was drawing admiration through dense, meticulous control.
But they could not take that side, so both Blow and Julbert kept their mouths shut and watched. Yulia's expression, too, had subtly hardened.
A little later Yelich took her hand away. A roar of cheers burst out again.
"Whoa!!"
"It's like watching illusion magic!"
"Yelich! Yelich!"
And amid the cheers came the whispers of the Imperial Capital's magic school students.
"The fineness — she's better than Lady Yulia, after all. It's a difference in how they handle mana."
"Lady Yulia was incredible too, though..."
"Still, of course it's Senior Yelich! You have to look at the mana. This isn't some art critique."
Remarks like that drifted over now and then.
But Yulia stepped forward unshaken, a smile on her lips, and offered Yelich her hand.
"As expected, you're remarkable, Lady Yelich."
"This much is basic."
"I learned a great deal. Thank you."
"Don't mention it."
Yelich said that, snorted, and turned sharply to walk away. Rachel, displeased, let out a thin sigh.
Yulia gave a small nod, as if to say it was fine.
When Yelich returned to her place, a shout rose from the capital knights, Rokan among them.
"Even so, you still can't beat a mage of the capital!"
"Serdia! Serdia!"
Watching that, Skadi's and Julbert's expressions turned peculiar.
"I don't think it was quite worth celebrating like that."
"But the one who went last was Yelich. When things are this close, order matters this much, Lady Skadi. Renelit set the stage well."
Skadi's face hardened, as if Julbert's words still failed to convince her.
In contrast, Blow, perfectly at ease, smiled and spoke.
"Which is why we go now."
Then he gave a nod toward the back, barely visible.
A girl with violet hair, in a crisp black dress, stepped up to the Mana Bead.
In an instant the cheers from the Serdia side died, and murmuring began. Those who knew who she was smiled without meaning to.