Teacher, Mlnébeur Morgan (2)

Mlnébeur was looking at Hervena's face, every last trace of strength gone from it.

Not the school alone—the entire continent has its eyes on her. The students call her the Purple Demon, don't they? A thoroughly childish bit of naming. And yet this girl, Hervena, is far too easy to read, and far too tender in places, to deserve the name of demon. Even now those innocent eyes are filling with tears.

It was the same ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠pure surge of feeling Mlnébeur herself had once been caught in. For a moment she made a deliberate effort not ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to be swept up with it. Then she cleared her throat and spoke again, her voice gone businesslike.

"Word came from the palace on the day of the duel, and a meeting was convened."

"Ah..."

At that, Hervena's head dropped, limp.

Skadi, unable to follow any of it, could only stare at the two of them in frustration. Catching the look on her face, Mlnébeur beckoned to her assistant.

"Assistant. The minutes."

"Yes."

What landed on the table was the minutes of the meeting concerning Blow's rampage. Mlnébeur picked them up, looked at Skadi, and began.

"This has gone past the city. The imperial palace itself is watching. It was an emergency, so the meeting was held that same day, by communication magic."

"The palace?"

"Yes. A single student reduced an entire mana-stone arena to rubble. There was nothing else for it. You already know this, but the palace has long since taken the full measure of what level you're at, and what potential you carry."

Neither of them answered.

"That's plain enough if you so much as consider the palace's mage registry. We are under supervision. And strictly speaking, I am in favor of that supervision. The power of magic is simply too great for any one person to hold."

Mlnébeur turned a few pages of the minutes, then went on.

"Let's return to the incident. Do you remember when the sphere formed?"

"Yes."

"All of you threw yourselves on Blow to hold him while he rampaged. Rachel Campbell, in particular, stopped most of the shock that was headed for the stands after your Wave Four, Hervena."

"What?! Lady Rachel didn't intervene at all after the beginning—"

At the bewildered protest, Mlnébeur shook her head.

"Blow's magic, at the time, was not something a mere second-year like Linne could stop—nor Jane, who hadn't used magic in ages. Didn't you feel that something was wrong, Hervena Westriver?"

Hervena said nothing. She thought back to the magic of his she had taken head-on herself.

It's obvious. She's right.

Only then did she settle a faint doubt she had once entertained and shoved aside for lack of interest—why Rachel had kept Linne with her.

So Rachel had seen even that far.

It was so unexpected that both Hervena and Skadi were left with nothing to say.

"Your report was good. But it left out far too much about the danger of Blow's magic."

Some part of that struck home, and Hervena had no answer for it.

"In the end, this is not a good situation for Blow. As you know, human beings dislike variables."

"Just now, you mean..."

"Yes. Not only the talk of locking Blow away."

Mlnébeur chose her next words carefully, then added them.

"In some quarters, there is also talk of eliminating the variable itself."

"I imagine it hasn't surfaced openly only because the boy is a noble."

Hervena had expected as much once she understood how dangerous Blow was, but hearing it said aloud was another matter. The shock of it closed her eyes. Skadi, who had been sitting there swallowing her anger the whole while out of one last courtesy toward the teacher, could not hold it any longer. She kicked back from her seat and surged to her feet.

What is this person saying?

That Blow Deblique is dangerous? That depending on how things go, he might be killed?

That's too much.

No. I hate it. I truly, utterly hate it.

The thread of her reason snapped. Skadi screamed at Mlnébeur as if the sound were being ripped ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠out of her.

"You're lying!!"

"Skadi Hetaya!"

At last something like feeling entered the eyes of Mlnébeur, who had held her composure until now.

"I don't play games with a student's life."

"Don't let the word lie pass your lips again."

Hearing that, Skadi only seemed to grow angrier. She forced down the urge to throw whatever came to hand and glared at Mlnébeur as if she meant to kill her.

"You're saying that if it comes to it, you'll kill him. Blow..."

"I'm sorry. But as a mage, it isn't that I fail to understand that point of view."

The words had barely landed before Skadi began to rage.

"Don't say ridiculous things! Just try it. I'll tell my father—no. I'll kill every last one of them with my own hands."

Mlnébeur, who had been staring straight at her, drew a finger once along her chin and slowly leaned in.

"Yes. And if an imperial decree comes down, Skadi Hetaya, what exactly could Grand Duke Björn do?"

Skadi had no answer.

"And what, precisely, do you think a mere mage who hasn't even graduated from the academy could do...?!"

There was frustration in Mlnébeur's voice, and something that had not been there before—regret.

"Face reality. And think, rationally, about what can actually be done! That is what it means to be a mage. Do you understand?"

"Skadi. Why are you learning magic?"

Skadi was silent.

"Why do you think Greig is learning it? Julbert? Yulia? Rosalyn? Magic is power. And because it is power, it cannot help drawing close to authority. That is why it must be kept in check—must be. Are you telling me you still don't understand something so simple?"

Having heard that much, Skadi covered her face with her hands.

Hervena had not lifted her head once. She kept biting down on her lower lip, eyes fixed on the floor.

"Forgive me for letting my feelings show."

"You won't believe me, but I don't think that's the answer. Neither do my colleagues."

"What teacher would wish to weigh the life of her own student?"

A brief silence. Then she spoke again.

"Even so, we've been given a chance. The road to it wasn't easy, and I've been put in charge of the investigation and the experiments. Among the things you're worried about, I expect, is the process of putting Blow into suspended animation. Pain will be unavoidable."

"...Yes."

The answer came from Hervena utterly drained. To her, Mlnébeur spoke in a dry voice, as if none of it mattered.

"I'll run the experiments on my own body first, and find the spells that will hurt Blow as little as possible..."

"Professor!"

Hervena, who had been listening, jerked her head up in shock and cut her off.

"Your body and the young master's aren't even the same...!"

"We'll still learn an approximation."

"How many times are you planning to try?"

"Who knows? A few dozen? We could simply work through the spells ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠that just came into your head."

"That isn't something you can say as if it doesn't matter, Professor!"

"Calm yourself, Hervena. When emotion rises, the view goes cloudy."

"Professor!"

"At least put in the effort."

Mlnébeur looked straight at her and spoke in a stubborn tone. Seeing that expression, Hervena drew a breath, steadied herself as best she could, and opened her mouth again.

"You'll have to switch off Magic Neutralization as well. You read the report I wrote. That part is certain."

"Yes. I cross-checked it against Yulia's report, too."

"That doesn't make any sense."

"Why wouldn't it? Whatever the fire magic scorches, defensive magic can at least—"

Mlnébeur said it as if it were nothing.

But contrary to what she hoped, Hervena had already begun to sob. She shook her head and cried out.

"H-how do you expect to endure that? Those spells..."

"Well, Hervena."

Mlnébeur lifted her coffee cup and smiled, just slightly.

Hervena, having heard that much, could not answer at all.

And in that moment Skadi understood the weight of what Mlnébeur had just set down, and realized all over again how light a person she herself was.

Is she saying she'll endure every spell, the way Blow Deblique did then? That pain? That agony?

In truth, it didn't even have to go as far as magic. You could know it just by driving a needle up under a fingernail.

Skadi thought she still didn't understand magic very well.

Honestly, she had never much cared. The flight magic she was so proud of was something she had only worked at because cutting through the wind felt good. She had always believed she had come to this place—counted among the great schools—by simple luck. If Hervena, taught one thing, understood a hundred, then Skadi, taught one thing, barely grasped two. She knew that better than anyone.

Even so, when the long, grinding stretch of time laid before Mlnébeur came clear to her, tears that had been dry since childhood spilled from her eyes in heavy drops.

A little time passed. Mlnébeur gave a self-mocking laugh and only just managed to speak.

"Thinking about it, that was a funny thing to say. I don't even have the right to be called a teacher."

"What do you..."

"Because by the time I move, the thing has already happened."

"Professor..."

"Twice, at that."

Then Hervena remembered her—the woman she had sometimes glimpsed in passing in the recovery room, looking down at Blow with a blank face.

"Don't tell me... what happened at the summoning ritual..."

"Yes."

Mlnébeur was no longer looking at them. At some point her gaze had turned to the window.

From beyond it came the sound of students laughing, and of feet running.

At length she turned her head, glanced once at her assistant standing quietly off in the distance, and smiled.

"Our assistant... is going to get their wish."

She had probably meant it to lighten the air. The assistant only swallowed whatever they felt and barely managed to keep their head up.

It was easy enough to understand. Someone willing to tear her own body apart for a student was hardly going to fail her assistant.

Time passed, and Mlnébeur spoke to them in a voice close to pleading.

"So. Will you help me? Hervena Westriver. The more perspectives, the better—and I think your depth will be more than enough."

Hervena did not answer.

"You as well, Skadi."

Skadi didn't either.

They could not bring themselves to answer easily. And then Mlnébeur lifted the corner of her mouth once more, as if it were nothing at all.

"Your teacher is sorry. Let me ask this of you."

Mlnébeur held out her right hand.

It trembled, just a little. Hervena and Skadi had no choice but to take it.