Schlus said.
“Walking a talentless path is a foolish act.”
“But if you’re going to insist on doing it, then put in the blood, sweat, and tears.”
“If you don’t, I won’t teach you magic,” Schlus threatened.
I followed those words.
Whenever I had free time, no, I made time to continuously practice magic.
I unfolded and dismantled spells every day until I was exhausted.
But even after repeating this for days, there was a weakness I couldn’t fill.
It was the direction indication of the spell.
If I relied on my instincts to set the spell’s direction, it always came out differently than I intended.
Of course, writing out the parts that specifically direct the spell would make it accurate.
However, in close combat, such time-consuming tasks could be omitted, and it was better to focus on defense.
Therefore, I decided to push all the long-range attack-related magic to the back.
Instead, what I repeatedly trained was—
*Whip crack!*
“Krkh!”
It was how to handle a whip-like flash.
In the case of a whip form, it was all connected from one end to the other, not breaking the laws of physics.
That being the case, I could use it with the same sense as handling a real whip.
Along with that, I practiced wielding my sword at the same time as using magic.
The result was this sight.
Whips surged around me, flying swiftly and knocking away the goons, and those approaching were immediately slashed down—this was the combat situation.
I finally understood.
Schlus’s words were indeed true.
I could really become a Magic Knight…!
“Wrap around me!”
“…?!”
At that moment, with a shout from what looked like the captain, the goons grouped together.
I was taken aback, wondering what their scheme was.
“Trie! Aim for Yusik’s heart! Now!”
“Huh?”
Schlus was uncharacteristically excited and shouting.
I felt a chill from his demeanor.
Was it such a dangerous situation that Schlus was flustered…?
*Whip crack!*
But no matter how much I swung my whip, I couldn’t penetrate the goons’ thick barrier.
Should I just sweep them away with flame magic in one go?
But if I did that, my aim would be so inaccurate I might roast the professors alive…!
“Trie! Get down!”
“Eh?!”
At that moment, Schlus urgently slammed my head to the ground.
A strong mana ripple was emanating from the front, enough to feel on my skin.
I didn’t know what it was, but it was dangerous.
If I ran out and wrapped around everyone, could I save them?
“Uwaaaah!”
Just as I thought that and twisted Schlus’s arm to stand up—
*BANG!*
With the sound of rushing wind, something flew in.
The mana ripple that was pouring out madly was no longer felt.
Dumbfounded, I looked at the spot where the goons had been, and one by one, they were collapsing with large holes in their bodies.
Finally revealed, the leader of the goons was sitting down with the left side of his chest blown out.
He had precisely aimed and taken out only his heart.
“Is it Erica…?”
As Schlus turned back, he quietly murmured.
The direction he was looking was towards the school…
He was staring at a building so far away it was barely visible to the naked eye.
*
“Graduate students. All confirmed dead.”
The professor who took Yusik’s pulse declared.
In the end, they had all been killed.
Not a single one captured alive.
Of course, I had no intention of blaming Erica for the sniping.
If Erica hadn’t been there, everyone present would have died.
“What impeccable timing. It must have been Iris who told Erica about this, right?”
“Ah…? Yes? Um… Well… let’s just say so?”
Iris kept avoiding my gaze.
Something felt off.
But now was not the time to nitpick about useless things.
“I just saw one cowardly running away. I’m going to chase after him.”
“Stop. How do you plan to chase with that body?”
“It’s urgent, every second counts.”
“I’ll leave it to the Imperial Police. You go and get treated.”
“………”
Ludwig firmly commanded while holding my shoulder.
My arm was certainly wrecked…
Damn it. He was right.
Even if I caught up, right now, the only way to fight was to ram into them.
But I couldn’t just send Trie either.
I couldn’t expose her identity to Trie yet.
“Understood. We’ll descend.”
The situation was over.
I decided to leave the bodies of the graduate students and Yuntier to the professors and turned my back.
I intended to trudge down the mountain like this.
But at that moment, my vision blurred and my body leaned forward.
“Ah…?”
As if waiting for me, Iris was opening her arms right in front of me.
It was a scene I felt I had seen before.
Just as I was about to fall onto Iris—
“Oh dear. You need to be careful, Schlus.”
“………”
I was grabbed by Trie by the nape of my neck from behind.
Right after that, I lost consciousness.
The last memory was Iris, unable to maintain her smile, showing a displeased expression.
*
Schlus, wrapped in bandages on both arms, appeared to be dead to the world.
With a peaceful face, Erica rested her chin in thought.
“What on earth is going on…?”
So many things happened today that she couldn’t process it.
First, she was unexpectedly manipulated by Iris’s internal circuit and had her body sealed.
Due to the limit on the tiny amount of mana that could be emitted, she barely managed to erase the spells embedded in her internal circuit after gathering a bit of mana over a long time.
When she stepped outside the dorm, what a sight it was…
A massive pillar of light pierced through the black sky.
The moment she saw that pillar of light transform into a sword shape, she guessed it was Schlus’s doing.
After that, a dizzying battle ensued.
Continuously observing with her observation magic, she saw a goon bizarrely growing larger and turning crimson.
Her instincts told her to pierce through his heart.
There was no time to hesitate.
Suddenly putting her mind together, Erica began unfolding and activating a long-range sniping magic spell.
“What in the world is going on? Schlus, you’ll explain once you wake up, right?”
She squeezed Schlus’s cheek.
To Erica, Schlus only seemed scary now.
She hoped more than anything that Schlus would wake up soon.
But Schlus always avoided her questions the moment he woke up, rushing off to somewhere.
He always did that.
Erica decided not to expect anything.
Blaming herself for not being strong enough to earn Schlus’s trust…
“Erica.”
“Huh? Schlus!”
At that moment, Schlus opened his eyes.
Startled, Erica quickly offered him a cup of water.
Schlus attempted to take it with his hand, but upon seeing his bandaged arm, he let out a grunt.
In the end, Schlus had to put his mouth to the cup of water that Erica was pouring for him.
“Schlus, you need to rest today. So, as much as possible—”
“Are you alright, Erica?”
“Huh?”
Schlus gently covered Erica’s hand with his, looking worried.
At that moment, not understanding the meaning, Erica tilted her head.
“You did kill someone, right?”
“Ah, that? It’s fine. Everyone else has already experienced it down south.”
“Erica. Don’t put on a front.”
“What are you talking about…?”
“Putting on a front is worse than not putting one on if it’s so obvious.”
“………”
Following Schlus’s gaze, Erica noticed that her hands were trembling uncontrollably.
Since firing the magic, she had been like this.
She thought it would have stopped by now.
“Wh-Why is this happening? Why… why…?”
“Is it painful, Erica?”
“N-no… I’m fine… I’m fine…”
“Be honest.”
“Sigh… Yeah. It’s painful. It’s painful. I’m scared. Because I’ve become a killer…”
Erica had to admit it.
That they all hadn’t adapted at all to the harsh threshold they had to cross.
Trie seemed unfazed by killing from the very beginning.
Aintz had only been flustered at first, but then hesitated not at all afterward.
As for Iris… well, she was a saint who couldn’t kill anyone in the first place, so she was out of the picture.
Everyone played their roles in extreme situations, and Erica despised herself for still being afraid of killing.
Everyone stepped into the mud without hesitation while she, alone, was a coward who wanted to avoid getting dirty.
“I’m a coward. A coward who can only pretend to be noble and proud…”
“If you were a coward, you wouldn’t have been able to shoot your magic. You’re not a coward, Erica.”
“But—”
“So what if it’s a bit late? So what if you’re in pain? There’s no one who kills someone and feels perfectly fine. If there is, that person has lost their heart. Everyone is troubled at first, it just gets a bit dull over time. What matters is the courage to think of and cherish your friends and not hesitate to kill. That courage was greater than your hesitation, allowing you to take the shot. You saved the lives of your friends and professors. That’s the only certain fact.”
Erica gradually felt her heart calm down to Schlus’s gentle voice.
The trembling in her hands started to subside.
But something felt off.
Her heart, which she thought would calm down, was instead beating even stronger.
When she finally got her wits about her and opened her eyes, Erica understood the reason.
“Are you calmed down now, Erica?”
“Yeah…”
Schlus’s face drew closer.
Almost touching foreheads…
“I-it’s okay now! Kyaah?!”
“………”
Erica couldn’t help but be startled and pull her head back, falling backward.
She had mistaken the chair for something with a backrest.
“Is your back okay, Erica? Should I call a doctor?”
“No need…”
Schlus joked with a grin.
Erica couldn’t help but chuckle.
For the first time since casting magic, she was smiling.
“Schlus. Can you tell me what exactly happened today?”
“………”
Erica threw the question out and bit her lip.
Schlus paused for a moment, pondering.
At that moment, Erica thought, *He still doesn’t trust me,* and lowered her head.
“Indeed, it would be better to explain everything together rather than separately.”
“What do you mean—”
*Creek!*
At that moment, the door to the hospital room burst open.
The ones who appeared outside were Schlus’s attendant, Iris, Aintz, and Trie.
Everyone wore expressions of concern, but Schlus’s attendant was quickly approaching the bed, eyes brimming with tears.
Soon, everyone crowded around Schlus’s hospital bed.
Schlus felt as if he had become a grandfather on the verge of death.
As they all looked down at him, ready to say something—
“I have something to tell everyone.”
With hollow eyes, Schlus quietly spoke.
Noticing the change in tone, Iris quickly spread the Recognition Interference Barrier around the hospital bed.
“However, hearing this means you will share a fate with me. You all understand my precarious political position, right? If you’re afraid of being involved with me, you can leave now.”
“………”
A quiet silence descended.
Including Emilia, not a single one moved their feet.
With a slight smile at the corner of his lips, Schlus continued speaking.
“Until now, there hasn’t been a concrete announcement about the organization behind the recent Imperial University terror incident. For now, understand that the Yuntier incident and that previous terror incident are tied to the same organization. Since there hasn’t been a name established for it yet…”
Schlus began explaining step by step, based on the facts that had been clarified so far.
He decided to share as much information as possible with his comrades who chose to share a fate with him.
As much as they trusted Schlus, he too decided to trust them in return.
