༺ Subjugation of the Floating Island (1) ༻
The first snow had arrived.
The late afternoon’s hazy sky was sprinkled with dainty snowflakes.
Märchen Academy proudly displayed its white beauty, all covered in snow and frost.
As the end-of-semester evaluation for the second semester approached, most students, while focusing on their studies and training, couldn’t help but get briefly lost in the beauty of the first snowfall.
Luce Eltania listened to the lectures with a cold expression, but would smile broadly as she sought out Isaac during break; she played pranks, studied with him, and even helped him with magic training.
In Isaac’s company, she exhibited such liveliness that her nickname as the Ice Princess seemed ill-fitting.
It was said that love had the power to change a person.
And at a glance, there was no doubt that she had an unwavering desire for Issac and no one else.
Meanwhile, Kaya Astrea was determined to surpass Luce in this semester’s end-of-semester evaluation.
However, even while doing so, she couldn’t help but secretly fret over Luce and Isaac constantly being together.
In the midst of it all, Dark Kaya got so frustrated that she would take over, occasionally cuddling Isaac from behind in an attempt to seduce him or feed him snacks.
Of course, Ciel Carnedas didn’t care whether there was an end-of-semester evaluation or not, as she decided to just sleep and see where life took her.
Lisetta Lionheart’s tough nature remained, but there were unbelievable rumors circulating among the Magic Department freshmen that she had become more humble.
Surprisingly, it was true.
She had let go of her preconceived notion that she was strong and had resolved to refine herself to become a true powerhouse. She tirelessly trained with Rock Bat, her magic weapon, while honing her skills to their very limits.
Tristan Humphrey was determined to prove his superiority in this end-of-semester evaluation as well. He pushed himself beyond what he would normally do and shed blood, sweat, and tears as a result.
He felt a subtle sense of urgency, as he did not want to be outpaced by the rapidly growing commoner, Isaac. Witnessing Isaac defeat Verga was shocking to him. Even Tristan, in his own way, was feeling a bit impatient and unsatisfied with his current level of skill.
Mateo Jordana studied in the library and trained his magic alongside the protagonist of ❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱, Ian Fairytale, and his rumored lover, Amy Holloway.
Despite being a commoner, he was determined to prove that he could exhibit skills comparable to nobles.
All of them wore the same uniform and lived in the same confined space of the academy.
They each harbored their own circumstances and diligently walked their own paths.
As such, time at Märchen Academy continued to flow.
[──────────.]
Suddenly, like a flying stone shattering a glass window, it appeared.
Evening, above the Arkins Sea.
As if to announce its very presence, an eerie wailing, akin to a woodwind instrument, echoed widely throughout the Zelver Empire.
As the sound waves shook the outer walls of the buildings, students looked towards the west with surprised expressions.
Despite being incredibly far away, it covered the sea; it was so large that it couldn’t be fully captured in their vision.
While enveloped in a huge advection fog, a massive island floated silently in the sky without any movement.
The grand scale left the students in awe with their mouths agape.
“What… is that?”
“Isn’t it dangerous?”
“How did something like that just pop up?”
“Wasn’t there nothing there just a moment ago?
“No way… Could it be… the Floating Island?”
The eerie and alien enigma that the island emanated aroused primal fear in humans.
A formidable mana, akin to physical force, surged like a raging tide.
Zelver Empire’s Number 1 Target for Punitive Expeditions: The Floating Island.
Historical records stated that whenever that island appeared out of nowhere, the surrounding areas turned into a wasteland.
A brave knight, who had reached the island and barely managed to survive, had recorded it as both paradise and hell.
The Floating Island, only seen in books, had suddenly appeared before the students.
It was an unbelievable sight for anyone.
* * *
The Floating Island, Cavallion the Earthshaker
During the first year of ❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱, it revealed itself above the Arkins Sea on the day of the first snowfall.
I had already arrived on the coastline near the Arkins Sea.
A demon landmass of grand scale floated in the sky above the sea, shrouded in dense advection fog.
Finally, the long-awaited last demon of the first year second semester had appeared before my very eyes.
[Cavallion the Earthshaker] Lv: 190
Race: Demon
Elements: Dark, Earth
Danger: Extreme
Psychology: [────────.]
‘Are you fucking kidding me? It’s fuckin’ huge…’
As expected, there was a stark difference between seeing it in a game and seeing it in reality.
Seriously… it was fucking massive. Even Hilde would be the size of a ladybug compared to this demon.
Moreover, due to the thick fog, it looked extraordinarily mystical; it was to the point that it seemed like an illusion.
If I recall correctly, the academy staff should be in a state of emergency by now.
Hegel Magic Tower’s Tower Master, Aria, would have detected the eerie and aggressive mana and relayed the danger through communication magic to Headmistress Elena.
Receiving this, Headmistress Elena would have ordered the academy’s staff and the Student Council to evacuate the students and had likely requested the Imperial Knights’ cooperation.
Additionally, academy researchers and Hegel Magic Tower would be working together to quickly analyze the structure of the Floating Island in order to formulate countermeasures.
For reference, the scene where people become surprised when finding out that the Floating Island was not a mere physical island, but a demon, would be revealed approximately two hours from now.
Woooooooong───.
Soon, large-scale magic circles were etched all over the body of the Floating Island. It was getting ready for combat.
Earth magic circles. They were a deeper shade of crimson than rock magic circles.
The rock element was nothing more than a derivation of the earth element. As such, the earth element could be considered the true fundamental element.
‘Anyway, since it’s pretty similar to the rock element…’
I recalled that about 70 percent of the earth element’s calculated damage was counted as the rock element.
I had set the Elemental Bracelet on my left wrist to the rock element. As such, my [Rock Elemental Resistance] was increased by 40.
Due to the colossal size of the Floating Island, even the grand scale of each magic circle appeared relatively small.
However, the vast black and brown magic circle slowly being drawn beneath the Floating Island was incomparable in its scale.
As it was a magic circle constructed with astronomical amounts of mana, the process of engraving its form into the air was painstakingly slow.
According to the calculations of Hegel Magic Tower’s Tower Master, Aria, that magic circle would assume its complete form approximately four hours from the current time; this information would have already been widespread within the academy’s staff.
If that vast magic circle was to unleash an attack towards Arkins Sea…
A portion of the Arkins Sea would utterly evaporate and at least a tenth of the vast Zelver Empire’s territory would undoubtedly be eviscerated.
And, of course, the island where Märchen Academy was located would be easily obliterated.
This was the content of the Bad Ending.
“S-Sir Isaac… Is that really… a… demon…? That entire island?”
On the sandy beach.
Beside me, a girl with light green hair, Kaya Astrea, asked in a trembling voice. Her eyes were emerald-colored; it was the original Kaya.
I had given her the same black hooded robe as me, which inhibited recognition from others.
I had given her information about the Floating Island’s appearance in advance to ask for her help. After all, with her, I could secretly and quickly fly to the Floating Island.
As expected, Kaya had fervently accepted saying, ‘If it’s to protect the peace of the academy!’, and had helped me get all the way here.
However, now that she was actually seeing the enemy with her own eyes, her emotions took a new turn. Both of her hands were trembling as she tightly held on to the Armana Wand.
Despite her fierce determination, it seemed like its colossal size and terrifying mana had completely overwhelmed her.
“We… have to defeat that thing, right? We… Ah, Sir Isaac?”
I kept my gaze fixed on the Floating Island while gently stroking Kaya’s head in an effort to soothe her.
“It’ll be okay. If it feels dangerous, just stick close to me.”
…Why do I feel scorching heat on my hand? Also, why is there smoke coming out of her head?
Without me noticing, Kaya’s face had suddenly turned bright red. Her body had stiffened and she couldn’t even move.
“Huaaaaah…”
A strange sound came from Kaya’s mouth, almost as if she was a deflating balloon.
Anyway, she didn’t look scared anymore.
“Let’s go.”
“Yes…”
Kaya lowered her gaze and her flushed cheeks were slightly covered with a strand of hair akin to a tail.
She nodded her head slightly and responded with a shy voice.
Just like how Leafa the Illusive had the unique magic [Penetrative Vision], the Floating Island Cavallion the Earthshaker had the ability to teleport as its own unique magic. It was commonly referred to as Warp.
In the world of ❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱, teleportation magic was incredibly rare.
‘There’s nothing more to say; even Dorothy and the Council of Kings can’t use it.’
Once the Floating Island teleported its huge body, it couldn’t use it again for at least a day.
For reference, the Empire couldn’t find it anywhere in this world because it had always hidden itself deep beneath the sea.
Usually, the Floating Island would warp Dorothy Heartnova, the person it cursed, and Ian Fairytale, the light element user it needed to kill, to itself. Because it was a unique magic that designated its target, it couldn’t be stopped.
Dorothy would be absorbed into its core at the center of its body and her curse would rapidly progress, thus rendering her incapable of controlling her own body. Basically, she would become completely helpless.
On the other hand, Ian would only be warped to someplace on the Floating Island.
Afterward, due to its constraints, the Floating Island would not be able to use warp magic until the end of Act 6 of ❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱.
‘Therefore, the first thing I need to do is…’
Support Ian.
Until the subjugation team from Märchen Academy arrived and joined Ian, I needed to protect him.
As expected of the protagonist, Ian was born with the temperament of a Hero. He would quickly assess the situation and determine that he needed to stop the Floating Island.
Then, he would defeat the Floating Island’s minions and head towards the center of the island.
Ian must unleash [Apostle of Light] onto the core of the Floating Island.
Only then would the Floating Island’s powerful protection magic be nullified, allowing effective damage to be dealt.
‘And that’s my cue.’
My ultimate goal was to unload firepower at the level of Dorothy’s ultimate starlight elemental skill, [Last Light of a Dying Star], on the Floating Island itself.
Therefore, since I couldn’t afford to waste mana, Kaya’s role would become crucial in many ways.
The Floating Island was both a paradise and a hell. It boasted a beautiful exterior and sparkling flames but was also filled with white mushrooms that sprayed poisonous spores, as well as jewels that would cause necrosis of the skin upon contact.
Still, Kaya’s plant elemental healing abilities were unparalleled, so she should be able to cover me in case of an unexpected emergency.
By the way, the subjugation team would be able to find Ian easily, thanks to the pin on his necktie. It was a present from the obsessive Amy; it was a magic tool that functioned as a location tracker.
Kaya and I put on our hoods. It was time to depart.
「Wind Generation (Wind Element, ★1)」
Whooooosh───.
Light green wind made of highly dense mana wrapped around me and Kaya and floated our bodies upward.
With that, we began to ride the wind while flying towards the Floating Island.
Infiltrating the Floating Island was incredibly simple… You just had to get there.
It didn’t stop any infiltrators at all.
This was because the corpses within its body would act as nutrients; a characteristic of the earth element.
This was also why the subjugation team from Märchen Academy could easily reach the Floating Island.
As such, there was no need to worry about being attacked while Kaya and I flew towards it.
“Sir Isaac.”
As we crossed the sea and pushed through the mist, Kaya called out to me.
She was blatantly staring at me with puppy-like eyes, but then quickly turned her head to face forward when our eyes met.
Underneath the hood, a rosy tint was visible on Kaya’s usually porcelain cheek.
“I’m saying that because it feels like this is an opportunity for me… and it’s kind of my personal whim, so you don’t really have to listen to it, and also it might be disrespectful to you, but… well… uh, it’s just that it’s a bit scarier than I thought, an-and, of course, you don’t have to do it, but…!”
“What is it?”
Why are you beating around the bush so much…?
Although Kaya turned her head to where I could only see the back of it, she slightly lowered her gaze while subtly extending her hand towards me…
…With a bright red face.
“Is it okay… to just hold hands while we go…?”
“…”
Come to think of it, she had seen me hang out with Luce a lot lately.
Whenever Luce helped me with my magic training tool, it didn’t look much different from a couple holding hands when seen at a distance.
I could tell Kaya was pretty envious of this thanks to [Psychological Insight].
I had a lot of things to be grateful for in regards to Kaya.
Even if I just considered today, if she wasn’t on my side, the circumstances and my chances would’ve been abysmally different.
Therefore, if I refused something as easy as hand-holding, it would make me feel like I was belittling her efforts.
‘This much should be okay.’
When I calmly grabbed the hand that Kaya extended, both of her eyes shook and her shoulders flinched.
“Ah, Heuahhh…!”
Kaya stared at her own hand as if she couldn’t believe what she was seeing.
Her face and hand turned bright red to the point of basically changing her skin color. The last time she had been this way was long ago, back when we defeated Garzia the Hermit together and camped outside.
[Kaya Astrean] Psychology: [Absolutely thrilled to hold hands with you.]
“Focus. Don’t let your mana scatter.’
“Y-yes, Sir Isaac…”
She responded with a voice that was both cutesy and flirtatious, almost as if she was a lover who just started a fresh romance.
Even under the hood, her head was practically fuming with smoke.
Her resistance towards males still seemed quite weak, but this much progress was significant. It could be due to the influence of Dark Kaya.
As I faced forward again, the enormous island, akin to a small nation, was now within my sight. I felt like I would get devoured just from its overwhelmingly imposing aura.
Even so…
‘I won’t let Dorothy die.’
If, until now, I had been working towards my goal by carefully progressing through the scenario while minimizing variables…
Today, I intended to completely overturn the entire scenario.
After all, I had grinded through this world, not only to defeat the Evil God, but also for today.
As always…
…Let’s do it.
[Status] Name: Isaac
Lv: 86
Gender: Male
Year: 1st
Title: Eager First Year
Mana: 14000/14000
– Mana Recovery Speed (B+)
