Notice: Seems like I forgot to edit in a part for chapter 181. I fixed it. Just search “I threw a branch at the back of their heads as they ran.” and you’ll see the part I forgot to edit in.
Prepare (2)
Edsilla National Magic University. In the campus, brimming with the colors of November fall, interviews are in full swing.
However, the ‘interview location’ varied depending on how much and how well the problems were solved.
Seniors who barely scored over 10 points had their interviews in various university buildings, while seniors who solved almost all problems except number 12 gathered in ‘Bertrude Hall’.
“Elise, who scored over 20 points, has already passed.”
If, like Elise, one scored over 20 points, they were exempt from the interview itself.
Submit the exam ticket, present the solution, and it’s over.
“But… Elise, you’re applying for the Magic Department?”
At least they had to make small talk.
After all, the interviewers seemed to have a lot to say to her.
Elise gave a ceremonial smile.
“Yes. I’m applying to the Magic Department.”
“Indeed. It suits you.”
The ‘Magic Department’ is the top department of the Magic University. It accepts fewer students than the ‘Knight Department’, and it’s heavily influenced by talent, making it almost impossible to apply with average grades. However, judging by the interviewers’ attitudes, Elise is as good as pre-approved.
“It’s fascinating. Your father was a steel-hearted knight commander, and yet his daughter has such a strong talent for magic. What a curious world.”
“Even Mr. Ken was multi-talented. He chose to be a knight because he had a passion for it, but he could have easily entered the Magic Tower.”
The interviewers chatted among themselves about Petra, and Elise silently smiled.
“Well then. We won’t take up any more of your precious time.”
Bang──!
The interviewer with a satisfied face stamped the final exam ticket.
[Elise Petra]
[Application: Magic Department, National Magic University]
[Exam Number: 0002]
[Final Exam Participation]
“Well done, candidate number 0002, Elise.”
“Yes. Thank you.”
She turned around with a noble’s grace and left the interview room.
There were about thirty seniors in the hallway. Notable faces included Gerkhen, Asher, Layla, Kain, Soliette, and Mel?
“Next, Gerkhen. Please come in.”
Gerkhen entered the interview room, and Elise was the first to exit the building.
─Here she comes!
─Get the camera ready!
Before they knew it, the press had swarmed the campus, standing like a barricade. They fired flashes at Elise and thrust microphones at her.
She had expected it. After all, her father had given her a heads-up.
The image of a daughter being a model co-valedictorian is very beneficial for a politician.
─Elise, congratulations on becoming the co-valedictorian of the college board.
─What are your thoughts on being a ‘co’ valedictorian…
“I don’t think it’s a given. I’m not relieved or disappointed because I’m a co-valedictorian. I worked hard, so I have exactly as much pride as the effort I put in.”
She handled the press adeptly.
─The election is coming up soon. Regarding your father, Senator Ken Petra’s re-election…
“What are your thoughts on your father’s election, what major do you plan to pursue, any future volunteer plans?” Elise answered all these questions without hesitation until—
“Could you perhaps comment on the rumors of your romantic relationship?”
Some jerk had abruptly thrown in a bizarre question. Elise turned to look at the lunatic.
It was an entertainment reporter from ‘The Door’.
“…It’s not true. There are many things in the world more important than such gossip.”
Elise responded calmly.
The reporter didn’t back down.
“There’s a senior named Shion Ascal. He’s now ranked within the top 60 of the college board. A year ago, he couldn’t even make it into the top 3000.”
Shion Ascal. As soon as that name came up, Elise’s expression hardened slightly.
The reporter smirked.
“There are opinions suggesting that the senior, who was nowhere to be seen on the college board until now, has risen along with you, Miss Elise. They say you were together.”
“Risen together? I’ve always been in the same place. He must have made his own efforts. I have nothing to do with him.”
“Then—”
“I will not accept any more questions related to gossip. No, let’s end the interview here.”
Elise cut him off like that. Just then, a bodyguard from the Petra family appeared and escorted her.
As Elise brushed past the reporter amidst the flashing lights, he whispered with a smile still on his face.
“Ah, you’re lying too much. I have evidence… Shall I blow it up?”
Elise ignored him.
* * *
Meanwhile, at the prosecutor’s office in D-Section of Trick City.
Rena Heller was working in her office.
“It’s my first time in a damn place that lacks prisons… Oh, you startled me!”
She was surprised.
From the coat rack in the corner of the office, someone suddenly appeared.
It was Mila, dressed in a black suit.
“Sometimes it’s blue. Do you change it according to your mood?”
“It’s camouflage. I can change the color as I please.”
“Well… I thought you would come. Because of that news, right?”
Mila nodded.
“Was the B-Section assassination really the work of Raquel Dra?”
Rena shook her crimson hair from side to side.
“The B-Section nobles are so high and mighty. Seems like they don’t want a D-Section prosecutor like me to interfere.”
“You don’t know?”
“…Even if I don’t, I’m not one to fail to obtain information.”
Rena pulled out a file from her drawer and tossed it to Mila.
Mila caught it.
“What is this…?”
“The crime scene was analyzed by the mages of B-Section. You know, right? Mages can reconstruct the scene using magical residue. But the content is quite a joke.”
– The direct cause is a ‘Gale’ condensed with super-high pressure magic.[br][/br] – It extended like a curve, assassinating the target in an instant.[br][/br] – Super-high pressure and curvature are opposing properties. However, the criminal harmonized them very smoothly. All the mages involved in the analysis concluded it was a type of formula they had ‘never seen before’.[br][/br] – The formula and principle are similar to those used to kill the philanthropist ‘Berrieda’ and the religious figure ‘Raphael’ in D-Section.[br][/br] – A very high-level variant magic (or a personally crafted Infima mask) was used.
“The mages say it’s a Magic Spell they’ve never seen in their lives.”
A mage, or the formulas used by other mages, fundamentally differ in trajectory.
Raquel Dra thinks of ‘low’ formulas that fit the situation, assembles them into a complex and meticulous ‘single formula’, and then implements it with ‘tremendous output’.
“If I had to express it… a ‘Chimera formula’ perhaps?”
─Chimera formula?
“Yes. It uses various formulas to create a completely different, very lethal killing formula. So B-Section is in chaos right now.”
─……
Mila fell silent, lost in thought.
She didn’t know what kind of talent it was, but it was definitely a one she had never heard of before.
“The enforcers will probably move. The bounty will be about 1 million Ren. And Mila, you’ll probably get a request too.”
─What about the victim, Chevin Billington?
“He was a wicked tycoon. This time, he deserved to die.”
─…Is that so?
“He was like a hyena tearing up D-Section. There’s a private bounty of about 50,000 Ren on him, but it doesn’t seem like Raquel Dra killed him for that. It’s too cheap.”
─Right. A B-Section assassination wouldn’t be for 50,000 Ren…
“Well, more importantly, shall we share clues about this Raquel Dra?”
─…I’m sorry. I don’t have any clues.
Even for Mila, although she was chasing, there were no clues. The guy didn’t leave any traces.
“We’re the same. Well, we’re both incompetent. Or, this guy is incredibly meticulous.”
─Mhm, hm. So, if any clues are found, or if I need something.
Mila placed a ‘searchlight’ the size of a spoon on her desk.
─Please light this signal in the void of the prosecutor’s office.
“Huh? I’ve seen this before. Like in a comic?”
─…Yes.
A comic with a bat. It’s a method from there.
“You seem to like comics.”
─Not really… Huh?! What’s that!
At that moment, Mila pointed abruptly out the window. Rena turned to look.
“What? There’s nothing there…”
When she looked back, Mila had already disappeared.
“…Clever girl. Too clever.”
Rena chuckled softly, looking at the flashlight Mila had left behind.
* * *
Trick City’s D-Section, Valmant Manaology.
Kanya was in her workshop, watching the TV news and sipping a glass of whiskey.
[The assassination in B-Section, suspected to be the work of avenger Raquel Dra, has been labeled by high-ranking Senators as a terrorist act that shakes the foundation of Trick City…]
“Terrorist act, my ass. Just because some worthless person died.”
Kanya scoffed at B-Section. She had once been a noble in A-Section, but that very fact had led her to despise the upper Sections more than anyone else-
─Hey! Kanya! Kanya!!!
Suddenly, Diesel shouted from outside.
Kanya frowned. She had been trying to enjoy the atmosphere.
“What now─!”
─Sir Mage is here!
“What?!”
Kanya hastily opened the door.
There was only one person they referred to as Sir Mage.
Dale Kal.
“…Ah, Sir Mage.”
He was standing in Valmant Manaology.
“Hmm. What brings you here?”
Kanya faced him calmly. Her act was quite natural.
Dale Kal handed her a scroll.
“What’s this?”
“A Magic Spell. It’s called ‘Delivery Box’.”
“…’Delivery Box’?”
He nodded.
It was a future Magic Spell used during his ‘delivery’ days, found by rummaging through the memory of the 「Notepad」.
“What’s it do?”
“Unroll it and see.”
Kanya unrolled the scroll. Her eyes widened as she quickly took in the full circuit of formulas on the scroll.
Dale Kal explained.
“When you activate the Magic Spell using a mana stone as a medium, a box is assembled. It’s a 「Delivery Box」. The size of the box varies depending on the size of the mana stone. Once you set a path, it flies there and returns to its owner on its own. It can be recycled until the mana stone’s lifespan ends.”
“……”
Kanya’s hand trembled slightly. Dale Kal shrugged and continued.
“The purpose is obviously for supply or delivery. However, it’s difficult to use in dangerous places. There’s a risk of being plundered, and it’s hard to fly as high as an airship. But to counter that, I’m thinking of adding a ‘Protection’ formula.”
Kanya tilted her head slightly.
“A protection formula? There’s no protection formula on this scroll?”
“It’s a ‘Low-Class Delivery Box’.”
“Low-class…… Ah!”
Understanding his thought process, Kanya smiled.
“A price differentiation system?”
“Exactly. I plan to divide the ‘Delivery Box’ formula into low, middle, and high classes, and vary the box’s endurance according to the price of the formula. The low class doesn’t have a ‘Protection’ formula, but I plan to assign appropriate ‘Protection’ formulas to the middle and high classes.”
“Wow… You’re quite the businessman, aren’t you?”
Kanya praised him with a delighted face, but Dale Kal kept his expression in check.
He still didn’t know the ‘Protection’ formula. He planned to learn it from Elise later.
“I’ll test it out today.”
Kanya rolled up the scroll, licking her lips.
“But, if this works as you say, wouldn’t it revolutionize freight?”
“Hardly? It’s a method only mages who can use magic can use. It’s just a bit faster and more accurate than drones.”
In fact, it wasn’t used much in the future. The speed was too slow.
However, Shion Ascal combined the ‘Delivery Box’ with a speed auxiliary formula called ‘Soft Fluid’.
It’s not certain, but it should be faster than most drones.
“Drones are much more expensive, you know? They break more easily. You don’t know Trick City. While it’s an exaggeration to call it a freight revolution, you’ll see it quite often?”
“……Anyway. I’ll leave the rest to you. Check the speed in particular. It’s useless if it’s too slow.”
At his words, Kanya clenched her fist.
“Leave it to me.”
At the same time, she reaffirmed once again.
Dale Kal.
Whether he was Raquel Dra, the president, or Buddha, it didn’t matter.
She would follow him to the grave.
“Besides, are you okay? The Trick City self-defense force will be after you.”
Kanya was genuinely worried now.
Dale Kal was already a benefactor of Valmant Manaology.
“There are many monsters in the B-Section. You know the mage ‘Lato’ we met last time? Mages like him are in the lower-middle rank even in B-Section. And in A-Section, where I used to live… there were non-human creatures pretending to be nobles.”
“It doesn’t matter.”
Dale Kal turned around. Kanya said no more.
Considering his skill in assassinating people in B-Section, he didn’t seem likely to die easily.
“Check the formula in a month… no, make it two weeks.”
“I’ll also deliver the intermediate and advanced formulas soon.”
Dale Kal left the workshop.
About five minutes passed.
As if taking turns with him, Gerkhen visited Valmant Manaology. Kanya narrowed her eyes at him.
“What’s with your timing?”
“What do you mean?”
“…Wait. Aren’t you Dale Kal?”
“What are you-”
Kanya playfully squished Gerkhen’s face with both hands.
Just because she was in such a good mood right now.
Gerkhen pushed her away, scrunching up his nose.
“What are you doing all of a sudden?”
“Never mind! We have a blockbuster formula to submit, you know? Since you have nothing to do, help me check it. I’ll pay you for your time…”
* * *
Endex’s residence.
“You don’t need to worry too much about the final test, Shion.”
Soliette said, typing on her laptop.
I asked her.
“Why do you think so, little sister?”
“…It’s always been that way.”
She furrowed her brows slightly, seeming a bit annoyed.
“90% is cut based on college board scores, and mental tests are the main part. Just in case a spy from another country infiltrates the university.”
“I see. As expected of my little sister. Should I pat your head or something?”
“…”
Soliette clenched her teeth. Ah… A hot breath slipped through her tightly closed lips.
I tilted my head.
“What’s wrong? Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten about our deal, little sister?”
“…”
“You said if I answered question 12 correctly, you’d call me big brother. You said you’d stick to your word, little sister.”
“…Yes, big brother.”
“No.”
I shook my head.
“You should call me ‘older brother’.”
At that moment, Soliette’s eyes turned into murderous eyes.
What, eyes wide open with visible whites around the iris. The kind that comes up when you search for ‘killer’s eyes’ on the internet.
I quickly changed the subject.
“Little sister. How was the interview? I didn’t have to do it because I answered question 12 correctly.”
“…It was okay. The Knight Department.”
“Really? Good job, little sister.”
“But… Shion, will you use the dormitory?”
“I guess so?”
There’s no particular reason not to use the dormitory. The Knight Department of the Magic University offers single rooms and the dormitory fees are incredibly cheap. There’s no reason to commute from Endex to the national university.
“Then, is it okay if I continue to use this place?”
With that, Soliette excitedly shook her fist.
“Do you like it here?”
“Yes. I think the place is very good. Whether I sleep on the sofa or on the floor, I don’t have nightmares. My quality of life is better than ever. There’s a reason why Shion has grown rapidly in a year.”
I flashed a small smile.
“Alright. Let’s make a rental agreement then. 5,000 Ren per month.”
“…fuck. What the hell?”
“My little sister swears too.”
“…5,000 Ren is too expensive. Please make it 2,500 Ren.”
“Alright, let’s do that then.”
“Oh! No haggling.”
Her face instantly brightened. She got up, beaming.
“Then. I’ll go out for a bit. My mouse is broken.”
Just as she opened the door.
“…!”
I heard a gasp.
“What?”
I turned to look.
“Who…!”
I also gasped.
There was a person beyond the door.
If it had been a student president, or an Endex official here to catch an illegal resident… that would have been much better.
“…”
A sharp silence. This man, who was scanning Soliette and me alternately with knife-like eyes, was not just any person.
A middle-aged man with a half-bald head, a wild, bushy beard growing in the opposite direction, and a strong impression— ‘Gillon Berrieto’.
“Master Gillon…”
He was Soliette’s former swordsmanship teacher. He was a comrade who shared life and death with her father, Igris.
In other words, he is a confidant of Arkne.
