The Purple Demon vs. the Indigo Witch (3): A Candle Hidden in the Sun

Exactly two years ago, at this same season, Caipol Magic School was in the full swing of its entrance examinations.

Yulia Edfolk, then a trainee reporter attached to the student council's public relations office, had come out to cover them alongside her senior — Fleur, a fifth-year and head of the department.

"The examinees' magic, you know? You have to write it down as if you were painting it. So that later, just reading the words brings the whole thing back into your head. After a while, you won't remember a single detail."

"Yes. I understand, Senior."

"And you know you have to watch especially hard toward the end, right? It won't be easy."

"Yes. I heard they save the students with special circumstances for last."

"Right. Just like you, three years ago. Come to think of it, you're going to Academia too — how does it feel? Being the champion."

At her senior's gentle question, Yulia answered in a careful voice.

"It still doesn't feel real. Lately I've been worried, because my magic refuses to grow."

"Ah, I heard about that. You even asked the deputy, didn't you?"

"Yes."

"Keep at it and it'll come. Either way, you're the hope of our great Caipol Magic School. The hope! I heard you even beat that Yelich back then. Is that true?"

"If we fought again, I couldn't say how it would go. But back then, yes."

"Me, and the seniors too — we can't help pinning our hopes on you. Have I put too much weight on your shoulders?"

"I'll take it as praise, Senior."

Yulia offered a polite bow, and Fleur smiled.

Not long after, the second round — the practical — got underway. Twice the admission quota, all of them students who had passed the written exam, were to stand freely upon the dueling grounds and display their magic. Most of them had neither mana nor spellwork that had ripened yet, and both Fleur and Yulia were fretting over the lack of anything worth a story.

And so the exam slipped into its latter half. Yulia, who had just circled Rosalyn Ropert's application, let out a thin sigh as she wrote down the girl's magic.

…Why did she come all the way here? Did the head of House Ropert send her?

Rosalyn Ropert…

It was a name that sat heavily on her, and the sigh stretched longer.

"Was that Ropert young lady just now the last of them?"

"No. There's one more."

"Oh? Who?"

"Her name is Hervena Westriver."

"Judging by the surname, she's a commoner."

"So it seems. But the special notes say she's a disciple of White Flame."

"What? Really?"

Fleur's half-lidded eyes flew open as she pored over the application.

Meanwhile the girl herself, Hervena Westriver, pulled the hood from her brown robe and stepped up onto the dueling grounds. The air went solemn. Her voice, low and perfectly clear, carried across it.

"Examinee number 921. Hervena Westriver."

"If you're ready, begin. Show us your magic however you like."

Hervena bowed to the proctor and spread her hands toward the ground. In the same instant a magic circle, the same deep violet as her hair, flooded the entire examination hall.

"Wait — a magic circle?"

Fleur's voice cut through, already sensing that something was wrong. Then Hervena's ringing chant rolled across the whole of the grounds.

With the words, a vivid and overwhelming violet flame burst from the circle, and the head of a flickering lizard rose within it. The heat was tremendous. Every examiner who ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠had been slouched in their seat sat up straight, seized their glasses, and craned a long neck toward the testing ground.

"How is a girl who hasn't even enrolled casting a flame like that?"

"Even granting she's White Flame's disciple, think what you like — that is an incredible quality of fire…"

"No need to see any more, is there? I'm passing her at the top."

A stamp came down with a bang.

After that Hervena dispersed the magic, bowed to the hall, and stepped down. The examiners, every one of them bright with excitement, each tossed out a word about what they had just seen.

"An incredible kid just walked in! And look — she was first on the written exam too."

"Wasn't second place on the written also one of Blow's retainers?"

"That one, honestly… If they'd only worry about doing well themselves…"

"They don't even need to do well. Middling is enough, isn't it, Mnevoir?"

"Mm."

Fleur, who had been staring blankly all the while, leaned toward Yulia and whispered.

"Another monster just got in. Feels just like watching you, Yulia."

"……"

But neither her senior's words nor the teachers' reached Yulia's ears. Shock had taken her, and the voices simply brushed past.

Magic has a way of looking deeper the more one comes to understand it. To her, the depth in Hervena was truly past all speaking. Every fine hair on her body had stood on end.

Fleur, beside her, was comparing the two of them. Inwardly, Yulia shook her head.

…No. That gap isn't the same as mine.

The handling of formulae, the density of the mana, the potential sleeping under it… If she was already at that level before she had even enrolled, then in a few years no one would be able to follow her.

Water rising, lapping at the point of her chin. Yulia Edfolk felt that from a freshman who had not yet been admitted. She set down the pen in her hand, looked up at the sky for a moment, and slowly closed her eyes.

Faced with the cold that filled the dueling grounds, Yulia let out an empty laugh and remembered the first time she had stood before her.

"What in the world is this…"

"Walking around was a bother."

And Hervena Westriver smiled, bright and easy.

In truth, the spell Hervena had cast — Glacia's Plain — had originally been made for a match against Rebecca alone. Even the granddaughter of the Northern Grand Duke could not have gone leaping about on ice.

Bring Rebecca, granddaughter of the Northern Grand Duke, to her knees on a field of ice.

That concept of Hervena's reeked of a nasty little hobby, and contrary to her expectations she had never gotten to show it — Rebecca had fought almost entirely with flight magic. It was only because Yulia had met her in a mobile duel that the spell could be spread across the grounds now, at precisely the right moment.

Against Hervena's easy smile, Yulia's face had gone hard. Standing before that sheet of pure white ice, she turned over, carefully, how she might break it.

Melt the whole thing with fire, and it might even work — and if it does, Hervena only has to cast the same spell again. Then nothing is left but flight magic… and that narrows the possibilities far too much. What do I do?

She was lost in the thought for only a moment.

A violet circle bloomed beneath her, and sounds she could not afford to hear came flying into her ears.

Krrrack—

With the sound, ice spikes with razor tips shot upward.

"Ah."

She twisted aside on reflex, and still one of them grazed her shoulder. Her mitigation was up, and even so more than ten percent of her mana burned away. She could not keep her feet on that ground any longer. Yulia threw herself into flight magic and put as much distance as she could between herself and the ice.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

Hervena, planted squarely atop it, stretched one hand toward the earth and the other toward Yulia. With her at the center, ice spikes began to thrust up one after another, sharp as a hedgehog raising its quills. Violet light wound itself around Yulia's whole body.

And then, slowly, Yulia was dragged down into that hell of ice needles. She threw spell after spell at it, trying to tear free, and still there was only the feeling of a gradual fall. Judging that she could not shake it, what she chose was to thrust her right arm out.

Her battleaxe came flying back into her hand.

…If I'm going to be pulled down anyway, better to dive straight at Hervena!

Decided, Yulia led with the axe and lunged. Hervena read the thought. In a single breath she summoned a scatter of small magic circles all around the place where she stood.

Crack—

Again, that ominous sound of ice fracturing. In a few seconds they would strike her dead on. There was no doubting it. Yulia locked her core and finally chose.

…I have to break through instead. They'll come down on every line I try to slip away along.

Yulia Edfolk was yanked toward Hervena as if she had kicked off from empty air.

Crrrack—

Ice erupted all around her. She allowed a single graze along her side and flew in.

Hervena flinched at the ferocity of it and flicked her fingers downward.

The chant had barely ended before violet light wrapped Hervena's shoes. Along each sole, a simple skate blade took shape.

"That's just everyday magic, isn't it?"

"Using that in a duel…"

The whole of the stands startled at a spell no one had seen coming. Hervena was already gliding, fluid and unhurried, clear of the point where the attack would land.

BOOM—

The axe drove into the floor again, and the ice around the blow shattered to pieces. Hervena was already far off, sliding backward with her eyes still on Yulia.

"Well? Shall I get you a pair of skates?"

"……"

"No answer, I see."

Hervena had found her ease completely. Yulia dragged in a rough breath, indigo mana flickering over her side and over the shoulder that had been hit before.

…Then there's nothing else for it.

She closed her eyes and rose into the air. Watching her, Rachel clicked her tongue as if it were a pity.

The night before the duel. The practice room of Hotel Edfolk.

At dinner she had told Blow she would not practice anymore. Even so, Yulia stood in the moonlight, trying a sword, then lifting the axe. Rachel, who had somehow remained with her until that late hour, let out a deep sigh.

She had stayed glued to Yulia's side for days, helping her train, and Yulia had prepared for Hervena more broadly, and more deeply, than Rachel had ever expected. Even so, it seemed to her that Yulia would never reach that girl. It was a matter of a threshold. A single degree. Let water at ninety-nine rise by one, and it may turn to vapor; leave it forever at ninety-nine, and it remains only a liquid. To Rachel's eyes, Yulia had failed to move past that point for years.

Spent at last, Yulia lay looking up at the ceiling. Watching her, Rachel murmured without meaning to, as if the sight hurt.

"Yulia…"

"Yes, my lady?"

But Rachel could say nothing. She could not even cheer her on. Anything she offered would only be useless noise. So she hid her real face and lifted both corners of her mouth.

"At this rate, aren't you going to win too easily tomorrow? The crowd will be bored stiff."

She did her best to sound bright. For a long while Yulia gave no answer at all, only steadied her breathing.

…I shouldn't have said something strange.

Rachel clicked her tongue and was blaming herself when Yulia, after a long exhale, looked at her.

"My lady."

"Yes."

"I know I don't measure up to Hervena. I know it myself."

"……"

"I've felt it since her entrance exam."

"I'm sorry. I said something there was no need to say…"

"No. I'm truly grateful for your help. Because of you, even if I go down with nothing left, I don't think I'll be left bitter over it."

"Then I'm glad."

For a moment neither of them spoke. Then a faint smile touched Yulia's mouth.

"You know, my lady."

"Yes."

"The first time I saw Hervena, the water was up to my chin. Now it feels as if it's risen all the way to my eyes."

…So she knows.

The wording was different, but Yulia seemed to see the gap with perfect clarity. Rachel spent a long while choosing what she ought to say to a girl like that. Strangely, Yulia's eyes caught the moonlight and shone all the brighter.

"But listen. Tomorrow — for just one day — I mean to thrash with everything I have."

"……"

"If there's any chance I can beat Hervena, that chance exists only tomorrow."

"Honestly…"

While Rachel fidgeted needlessly with her own sword, Yulia added one thing more.

"He said he didn't think I would lose."

"Who?"

"Young Master Blow."

And Yulia smiled. If she went that far, even Rachel had no choice.

"Well. That guy's never been wrong, I'll give him that."

"So — would you hear me out?"

"Hear what?"

A brief stillness. Yulia took a sip of the water that had been sitting on the floor, and went on quietly.

…So she's going to do it now.

Rachel felt it almost in her skin, and tension drew tight across her face. Yulia had climbed high before anyone quite noticed, and she was looking down at Hervena. Hervena, still ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠gliding over the ice, smiled brightly and looked up.

"Shall I give you the same treatment?"

With the words she stopped and reached a hand toward her once more. But this time Yulia rather closed her eyes, drew a deep breath, and brought both hands together before her.

At last it appeared — Yulia's enormous indigo magic circle, one that had not shown itself even once since the duel began. Seeing it, Hervena's mind raced. Considering every spell the other girl had used so far, and that torn side, and that shoulder… even if it was Yulia Edfolk, she should not have been able to cast magic on that scale again.

…One last shot, squeezed out of everything she has. Good. This way is better. Let it be flashy.

Hervena decided she would take the spell properly, and she had just begun forming a circle fit to answer it when a single drop of blood fell from the closed eye of the girl floating in the empty air.

With Yulia's chant, a goddess the size of a house was summoned, flashing with indigo lightning. She might have been a goddess of war. Lightning crackled across her heavy armor and along the long trident in her hands. A moment later Yulia opened her eyes and pointed toward Hervena. The goddess resettled her grip on the spear and began to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠descend upon her with a tremendous roar.

With that chant, out of Hervena's circle, a dragon no smaller than the goddess raised its body in a ripple of violet flame, opened its jaws toward the goddess, and poured out fire.

An indigo-lit goddess hurling lightning, and a dragon breathing violet flame. Everyone in the stands had forgotten how to speak, and they were staring, when—

BOOOOOOM—

The two colossal magics finally struck, and a tremendous roar rolled across the dueling grounds. For an instant the indigo and the violet seemed to merge. Then they erupted in a flash so bright it felt as if it would blind every eye there. Everyone watching had no choice but to squeeze their eyes shut.

The instant passed.

Boom—

Only after that dull, heavy sound echoed through the grounds could they open their eyes again. The next sound that reached them was something not one person there had expected.

Hervena's scream, as if it were tearing the air apart. At the sight spread open before their eyes, every one of them was struck dumb.