The Forgotten Mage
Among the subjects the freshmen of Caipol Magic School hated most, one stood near the top of the list: Continental History.
The reason was painfully simple.
As the name itself made plain, it was a subject that had nothing whatsoever to do with magic. On top of that, the nature of the course demanded that students memorize every tangled event of the Unification War—where countless affairs had unfolded all at once—along with the near-identical achievements of emperor after emperor who had come before. The scope was vast. Most students gave up on studying altogether, or else strained themselves only far enough to avoid having to retake the class. Even Jane, who counted among the model students, would shake her head at history.
Every so often, though, an exception appeared. Hervena Westriver was one of them.
Lorana, the legendary diplomat. The 6 Great Mages. The Four Swords. The late Emperor. The age of imperial unification, when those figures had lived and breathed and brushed against one another, was to her an endlessly fascinating epic, a long saga she could never tire of. And because Caipol Magic School held so firm a place as the second-ranked magic school on the continent, she often found herself face to face with the children of the very people who had stood at the center of that history—Yulia, Skadi, Rebecca, and others like them. As a freshman, every time she looked at them, she felt as though she herself were riding the great current called history.
And so, while everyone else fretted over how to shrink the amount they had to study, Hervena read her way through book after book on the continent's past until she possessed knowledge enough to stand at a lectern. It was then that a single question began to rise in her.
When she laid out the lives of great figures and the feats they had accomplished, one by one, into charts, there were times when events and people failed to match, when cause and effect refused to line up. Gaps, in other words.
"Hervena, that's only natural, child. No one can record every single scene. And there may have been secret operations, or magic that was never made known."
Her history teacher had answered her that way. But Hervena, having organized the whole of it from end to end, had formed a hypothesis of her own.
Just one person. If there had been even a single additional figure on the level of the 6 Great Mages or the Four Swords, those contradictions would resolve. That was the whole of it.
Back then she had wanted to dig deeper still, and she had even received an invitation from her history teacher to a gathering known as the Caipol Historical Society. Once she became a second-year, though, the magic classes grew brutally demanding, and she had no choice but to quit. She set the matter aside with the vague thought that she would look into it someday, as a hobby.
That was how it had been.
Until a moment ago.
"Master, that name..."
"What."
"It's nothing..."
At Lisleia's curt tone, Mnevoir closed her mouth. Lisleia let out a soft snort of laughter and stepped toward Hervena, who stood with her mouth hanging open in shock.
"You caught on, didn't you, kid."
"I studied history rather hard."
"Did you?"
"Yes. When you study history, you start to feel as if one person is missing..."
"Hervena! Stop!"
Aurora waved her hands and shook her head hard. Lisleia glanced at her, tilted her own head, then shifted her gaze back to Hervena and gave a shrug.
"Well. I suppose I can allow this much."
"Master, this is—"
"It's fine, it's fine. And besides... this kid might drop dead any moment now, you know?"
At those words, Hervena felt cold sweat bead along her spine. A pressure she had never once felt since she began learning magic—the sense that she might die. The air around her seemed to sink. She squeezed her eyes shut and fought to steady her roughened breath.
"Why are you so scared?"
"With an archmage standing in front of me, I don't think I can help it."
"Weren't you Becarion's disciple? If that guy heard this, his pride would take quite a hit. I even limited my mana, out of consideration."
This is her with her mana limited?
Then how deep does this person go? The gap between us is this wide?
Hervena swallowed dryly. Lisleia took one step closer, brushed a gentle hand along her jaw, and leaned her face in near Hervena's.
"All right, then. Back to the point. How did you make that thing on your chest?"
"......"
"If you don't want to talk, well, nothing to be done."
In an instant, deep blue magic circles bloomed in a rush behind Lisleia. Hervena stole a glance toward Aurora, then forced the words out with everything she had.
"I made it by consulting books in the underground archive."
"The underground archive?"
"Yes."
"You mean the underground archive of this school's library?"
"Yes..."
"And Tana's books were there?"
"Yes. There were several volumes."
At that, Aurora had no choice but to go pale. She was the one who had issued Hervena the permit when the girl went in and out of the underground archive, and that was precisely why Hervena had found it so hard to speak until now. Both of them were trembling, afraid a thunderous reprimand might fall, when Lisleia, after turning something over in her mind, covered her eyes and burst out laughing.
"Hahaha! Look at that bastard Whittaker. Slipped them in on the sly, did he?"
"......"
"Kid. Was Tana's name written in them, by any chance?"
"No. They were all censored."
"Ha— what a shady little bastard. Take it out."
Lisleia gestured, and Hervena drew out the necklace. At the sight of it Mnevoir flinched, then carefully watched Lisleia's face. Lisleia gave a hollow laugh and fixed her eyes on Hervena once more.
"Right. A classic Tana formula. So you made this by reading a book?"
"Yes. It was written in such detail that..."
"And why did you make it?"
"That's... that's..."
The moment the question landed, color flooded Hervena's face. But lying to Lisleia, who seemed to know everything, felt as if it would end in disaster. She had no choice. She squeezed her eyes shut and barely managed to murmur the truth.
"Because I hated seeing the young master in pain."
"...What?"
"I made it because I couldn't stand him hurting during the experiments. I only happened across the book while I was looking for something about pain..."
"By young master, you mean Blow Deblique?"
Instead of answering, Hervena managed a nod. Embarrassment set her hands trembling, ever so slightly. Lisleia saw it, opened her mouth, and then shifted her gaze to Mnevoir, who was watching from the side with a thoroughly displeased expression.
"You really were right, Mnevoir."
"I told you."
"I didn't know you were so quick to notice this sort of thing."
"I don't think it's a good thing. Except in cases like this."
"Well, that much is true."
Lisleia nodded at her words, looked at Hervena again, and lifted both corners of her mouth.
"Kid, and here I thought you were in league with the bastard who put magic on your door."
"There's magic? On the door?"
"Yeah. That's Tana's magic too. We'll find out soon enough how on earth they managed to use it."
"When did you confirm that?"
"I felt something was off the moment I came into this school and saw that building. As for your necklace—these are my eyes."
With that, she shook a potion at her. It looked identical to the one Mnevoir had sent through Christina the day before.
So she meant to check the magic on the door, and saw the necklace as well?
While Hervena was watching Lisleia's mood, the archmage pointed toward Mnevoir and added, in a teasing tone:
"You ought to thank Mnevoir, kid. I was going to smash you first and ask questions after, but she saved me the trouble."
From now on, whatever happens, I wish you'd talk things through with me.
Hervena recalled the conversation she had once had with Mnevoir and stole a glance at her. Mnevoir answered with a deep sigh and a sharp, piercing look. Lisleia ran her fingers over the bracelet Hervena had given her, then handed it back.
"So that's how it was."
"Pardon?"
"I said I understand."
"......"
"Doing the exact same thing as Tana. So I'll let it slide. I will."
Lisleia smiled as she said it. The book had clearly stated that it was for the Emperor—and to think that had meant the late Emperor Petrus. Her feelings tangled, Hervena accepted it from her. Mnevoir, who had been standing beside them, came closer and held out her palm once more.
"Hand it over."
"Pardon?"
"I think it's right that I take it. You used magic that must not be used."
Her tone was unyielding, but Hervena could not easily offer up the bracelet. It was a gift she had given Blow, and for that same reason she herself had come to depend on it rather heavily. It felt as if she were connected to him. When things grew hard, stroking it seemed to call up strength she hadn't had.
So she stood there, unable to do one thing or the other, hesitating—until Lisleia shot Mnevoir a sidelong look and spoke in a thoroughly indifferent voice.
"I said it's fine. Why are you being so rigid?"
"Because it's forbidden magic. By the school rules..."
"The school rules can drop dead. You didn't even know there was magic on the dormitory."
"That was..."
"Whittaker isn't managing the place, is he?"
"He's been away from his post for a long time. And I'm only just beginning to understand his magic myself. Magic with the mana concealed..."
"Tana was a gloomy one. Which is exactly why I asked why they had to ban even the research. Her magic is so useful—"
"Master, I think that's as far as you should go."
While the two of them bickered, Hervena watched their moods. After a while Mnevoir folded her arms, squeezed her eyes shut, and let out a deep sigh, and Lisleia whipped back around toward Hervena.
"Go on and use it well."
"Pardon?"
"Your master, and the object of your affections, I suppose. That person."
"......"
"I said use it well. It's not as if I could stop you."
Having her heart laid bare before a complete stranger, Hervena felt as if she had been stripped naked. She touched her suddenly burning face with one hand, then carefully slipped the bracelet back where it belonged, inside her shirt.
"Thank you, Lady Lisleia."
"Sure. Stay grateful, will you?"
"There's one thing I'm truly dying to know. May I ask just one question?"
"Ask. You saying you're that curious only makes me more curious."
"Why was Sir 108 Swords struck down?"
The question leapt past several others and drove straight in. Lisleia burst into loud laughter, then turned her gaze to Mnevoir beside her.
"Well now. This one's mind really does turn fast."
"I told you."
"Kid, you've already thought that far?"
"From what I can see, you seem to have them dancing in the palm of your hand."
Hearing that, Lisleia let out a deep sigh and spoke.
"For now, yes. Because they're using Tana's magic."
"......"
"As for the question you asked before? The war ended far, far too long ago."
"Ah. So he's safe, then."
"By now he's probably crushing them in return. I don't know what those things even are, but the southeast ought to be in ruins."
With that she stroked her chin, swept her hair up, and set a hand on Hervena's shoulder.
"Which is why I'm about to start as well."
"By start, you mean..."
"From this moment, will you cooperate? Hervena Westriver? Since it's come to this, I intend to wipe them out root and branch."
She even let me keep the bracelet. And the attempt on Lisleia seemed tied to Redfrin, who had put Blow in a difficult position. Hervena had no reason to refuse. She offered Lisleia a Serdian salute.
"I will cooperate."
"A salute, really. Then summarize what those things said to you."
The words had barely fallen before Hervena lowered her hand and gave Lisleia a summary of what she had heard from the existence beyond that door. When the talk turned to the collapse of the current order, Lisleia narrowed her eyes for a brief moment, but she did not interrupt, and she listened all the way through. After the explanation ended, Lisleia followed the thread of her thoughts, nodded, and smiled again.
"Then go tell them you're joining their side now, kid."
"Pardon?"
"Tell them you'll join. Appropriately—so it doesn't look like you changed your mind on the spot."
"Understood. For now, as for today's session, how should I explain it to them..."
Hervena's words were nothing but cautious. Listening, Lisleia tilted her head as if she didn't understand.
"I'm the sort who only orders what's possible. So I'll leave that much to you."
"...Understood."
"My expectations are high, Hervena Westriver."
Somewhere along the way Lisleia had returned to her seat. Hands clasped, she gazed at Hervena with open satisfaction. Feeling as though she had been swept into something, Hervena looked to Mnevoir beside her. Swallowing a sigh, Mnevoir gave her a slow, firm nod.