Book 4 Chapter 29
Chapter 103
For the first time since the 1388th admission year, all grades gathered and sat in the Grand Auditorium of Yongnyun Hall.
After a simple attendance check, while verification procedures for class and club festival preparations continued, Rain, who was in charge of stage progress, had to keep himself busy below the podium.
This is why first-year junior officers are so miserable… Once it was confirmed that there were no issues with all procedures, President Madelia ascended the platform.
“Welcome, cadets. First, I want to say that everyone worked hard to finish the two eventful exams of the first semester.”
“……!”
“This festival is a time for rest given to those of you who survived such a journey, and also an opportunity to fill in what you lack.”
A considerable number of renowned figures from the magic world participate in <Delaiten>'s festival, so it must be because there is an opportunity to showcase magic to them.
“Now then, embrace the pride of being a cadet of the Empire's foremost magic university and I hope you will create a festival that all visitors can enjoy.”
“Yes, President!”
“Then, this festival’s slogan is….”
Madelia's expression, having received the program from Rain, suddenly darkened and her voice momentarily broke off.
With a dignified clearing of her throat, Madelia forcefully raised her hand.
Normally, the president would read the festival slogan and then the cadets would repeat it, but it seems she decided to just skip it. I would have done the same.
“Now then, with your own hands, raise the curtain on <Delaiten>'s 1388th seasonal festival! I wish you all good luck, and a joyous festival!”
* * *
As soon as <Delaiten>'s school gate opened, countless crowds flocked in.
The seasonal festival offered a variety of sights thanks to the various magics performed by over three hundred cadets, and the school's resources for preparing the festival were abundant, so it was considered one of the Empire's three major festivals.
Noble families visited, rural natives came from afar to see the magic sights, and not a few adventurers visited, perhaps to find promising party members.
As many visitors flocked in, incidents and accidents also increased, so during the festival period, student council executives and organizing committee members were in a position where they had to take turns wearing armbands and patrolling the campus.
Fortunately, Rain's turn was from the third day, so he had time in the morning to help with the class festival.
“Ugh, ugh, aaahhck!”
“S-save meee!”
When the audience who experienced the ambitious work of [Cheonggang] Class, 'The Haunted House', scurried out the door, the class president clenched his fist.
“Haha! A great success again!”
The principle of the magic's operation was simple.
It was just a matter of creating a forest where not a single ray of moonlight shone, or an abandoned house, so they could build the magic circle much more easily than during the final exams.
And what was a drawback of the augmented space constructed with the Rune of Se(世) – that the shaped structures were not tangible but abstract – acted as an even greater advantage in this case.
Since everything appeared vaguely, it was for the reason that it further stimulated fear.
When the audience was drawn into Rain's magic, the [Cheonggang] cadets, waiting in ghost costumes, completed it by popping out in turn and scaring them.
“Wow, amazing! My heart almost burst.”
“This is magic?!”
“It’s like a rediscovery of magic! What an incredible experience this is?!”
While some people fled in terror midway, there were also people chattering excitedly with animated faces. Tastes truly vary.
“If you enjoyed it, please spread the word!”
“Of course! I’ll just bring a whole bunch of them!”
Seeing such diverse reactions, he thought, "So there was this way to use the Rune of Se(世) too," and a smile spontaneously formed on his face.
He thought he was sending one team, then two teams, but at some point, word-of-mouth visitors swarmed in, reaching a point where they had to control the queue.
By then, smiles were out of the question; he felt like he was going to die from exhaustion, and sweat was pouring down his whole body like rain. This was a 5-star magic, after all.
“Just how many people are coming?”
“Let’s see, it looks like well over a hundred.”
“Who’s the one who said to spread the word?”
“That would be me, Young Master!”
“You, come here.”
Consequently, the magic circle calculation reached a point where it was rushed for time, but Rain Ludwig was not the only talent in [Cheonggang] Class.
“Since I said I’d help one more time, I’m just keeping my word. Don’t make any strange assumptions.”
As the boy, who had rolled up the sleeves of his school uniform blouse, unrolled parchment next to Rain Ludwig and took out his writing tools, the onlookers' eyes widened.
“That guy… Hubert of the Rohinum School?!”
“A disciple of the Eight Great Schools helping a noble of an influential family──?!”
“Even if they're in the same class?!”
The [Cheonggang] cadets, already astonishingly surprised during the last volleyball match, simply clapped excitedly. Rain asked in a doubtful tone.
“My magic circle formula, did you understand it properly?”
“Is the Rohinum School to be trifled with?”
Just as a brief silence seemed to fall, as soon as the two boys exchanged smiles, their masterful brushwork exploded on both parchments as if competing.
“Oh, oooohhh…?!”
“Fast, incredibly fast…!”
“Not as much as Young Master Ludwig, but amazing…!”
Of course, he couldn't match Rain's speed, but the fact that he was drawing a magic circle alone, which would normally require the entire prop preparation team, was proof of his excellence.
However, even with Hubert's help, it didn't seem possible to match the rotation speed of the visitors.
As soon as that thought crossed his mind, a girl with dark brown hair appeared before everyone, arrogantly crossing her arms.
“You look like you desperately need help, don’t you? If you’re in a hurry, why don’t you beg Crysta Warden here for help! But you wouldn’t be able to do that─”
“Help me, quickly, please. I’m dying.”
“─that! Rather than obsequiously pleading with me, your lifelong rival… huh? Alright.”
When Rain readily begged (?), Crysta, who couldn't use thirteen of the fifteen lines she had stayed up all night to prepare, blankly unrolled the parchment.
‘Strange. It feels like I missed something….’
But even amidst such confusion, she copied Rain's magic circle next to her at a fierce speed, so it was natural for everyone to exclaim in admiration.
“It’s the magic genius trio!”
“What, what, is drawing magic circles quickly the festival theme here?”
“No, but all three of them are incredible!”
Perhaps because the sweat-soaked performances of those three drew even more spectators, [Cheonggang] Class's 'Haunted House' ended as a tremendous success, among the top three on the first day of the festival.
For reference, Kasena and Gertrude were on patrol duty today, so they could escape this hell.
* * *
The second day was the time for the seasonal sports festival, marking its beginning with the four major magic volleyball clubs competing for supremacy.
As it was a sport only mages could do, perhaps because the spectacle was magnificent, the magic volleyball match held in the Dragon Blood Arena was a great success.
Thus, since Griffinvalor and Snakemast each won in their respective blocks, they would play the finals on the last day of the festival. Griffinvalor would probably win with 99% certainty, but…
In addition to that, events combining magic and athletics such as obstacle relay running, magic ball rolling, and throwing magic balls into a basket, began amidst cheers and ended with laughter.
“Now it’s my turn.”
The third day was not for classes, but for clubs to gather and showcase magic to people.
Rain, in his turn, wore an armband that day and patrolled the wide campus.
He was watching visitors look at guidebooks and stop by clubs they were interested in to watch magic, when a familiar voice was heard.
“Rain!”
As he turned his head, an old man, whose family’s characteristic black hair was streaked with gray but whose physique was still more robust than any warrior, was approaching, leaning on a staff with measured movements.
“Grandfather?”
It was so unexpected that he opened his mouth.
Scalzi, it was Scalzi Ludwig.
My grandfather, who had provided the enlightenment education for Bell Curios. His illustrious name had reached not only the magic world but also ordinary people, so everyone opened their mouths and whispered.
“Wow, it’s Scalzi Ludwig.”
“The highest authority in magic!”
“The former Magic Star (魔道星)?! Is that the real person?”
Regardless of what voices were heard around him, without even a glance, Scalzi, who walked in a straight line, finally placed a hand on Rain's shoulder and squeezed it.
“I’m proud, truly proud. You truly are my eldest grandson, inheriting my blood! To be the top student twice, alone among the Golden Generation! Hahahaha!”
“Grandfather, what brings you here…?”
“Of course, it’s to see my impressive eldest grandson’s face, what else? And while I’m at it, I’m also submitting admission applications for our magic school’s fledglings.”
Still, perhaps because he was a person who had embodied noble dignity for decades, it was fortunate that he didn't stroke his beard or ruffle his hair right in front of everyone.
“Hmph, that one is a student council minion! Don’t you know you shouldn’t disturb someone while they’re working?”
At that moment, there was a person who made Scalzi’s eyes grow cold: it was Head Professor Marhena. She was also leaning on a staff.
“I came down thinking you might finally be dead by now, but the gods are truly indifferent, aren’t they? That one is still alive. What a long-lived fellow.”
“Hmph, who are you to say that, you rascal?”
A commoner speaking informally to a high-ranking noble might seem perplexing at first, but if you knew what kind of relationship the two had, it wouldn't be so surprising.
“First, I’ll have to deal with that old hag. Rain, let’s catch up later.”
Marhena and Scalzi walked towards the main school building, exchanging harsh words, but seeing Scalzi smile so brightly while talking to someone who wasn’t family was truly a first.
‘They’re close friends….’
If Rin, when old, had met his hero party members after a long time, would he have made a similar expression? What kind of stories would they have exchanged?
“You’re not doing what you’re supposed to and just slacking off. How bold are you, Rain Ludwig, for a first-year junior officer?”
What shattered those sad thoughts was the guy Rain considered No.1 of people whose voices he least wanted to hear at school.
Student Council President Valensidis.
He had approached at some point, and the sight of him thinking about what else he could torment him with was truly laughable.
“I can’t just leave you alone. You’ll just run off somewhere else and slack off again.”
“No, I won’t? I’m not going to?”
“I, the president, make the decisions. Follow me. I’ll only feel at ease if I keep you by my side and watch you. As a junior officer, you have no choice.”
He almost wanted to shout, "If you flap that mouth of yours one more time, you black magic bastard, I’ll grind up your tongue and make you drink it!" and pounce, but if he did, he’d just look like a madman.
And an officer talking back to the president, if seen by others who don’t know the full story, could lead to strange rumors.
Endure, I must endure… For now, he decided to obediently follow behind him as he wished.
“……?”
But something was strange.
He expected to be dragged around and tormented with all sorts of rumors, but he spent time carefully observing each club classroom and occasionally wore a faint eye-smile.
Perhaps because he had presided over this festival as student council president from beginning to end, was he feeling a sense of accomplishment?
“Oh, President! Young Master Rain! Hello!”
The place they arrived at while patrolling was in front of the classroom of the [Local Development Magic Club]. Joen, the club leader, greeted them warmly.
“How is it, has it become quite a meaningful festival?”
“It’s thanks to you, President! We were able to show our efforts to many people! There were even those who offered financial support!”
Valensidis meticulously divided the festival grounds and arranged them into entertainment zones and magic presentation zones.
- For those who came to enjoy themselves, local development magic would hardly catch their eye.
Instead, while subdividing the zones, he also meticulously redesigned the flow of visitors.
So that those who came to enjoy could enjoy themselves freely, and those who came to seek useful information or necessary magic could receive such great help.
Rain also acknowledged that efficient achievement… "I should use it similarly when I become student council president."
As he was thinking that, Joen suddenly bowed to Rain as well.
“And it’s thanks to Young Master too.”
“Me? Why me?”
“It’s the club and festival you protected, Young Master. Of course we should be grateful.”
For a moment, he was so dumbfounded that he simply opened his mouth foolishly.
He hadn’t even thought of that?
At that moment, Valensidis grinned and nodded as if in agreement, and that smile, unlike his usual sneer, was very slightly warm.
“Joen, then keep up the good work. We have many more places to visit, so we must go now.”
“Yes, President! See you next time!”
Valensidis, taking Rain along in that manner, patrolled countless clubs.
Except for the clubs primarily led by nobles, he received enthusiastic welcomes from everyone, and the more he saw, the more astonishing this charlatan's popularity was.
‘Yeah, but he’s still a con artist.’
Meanwhile, twilight gradually set beyond the Red Mountains, and the faint light covering the ground began to shine alluringly.
“It’s about to begin now.”
The place where Valensidis stopped was an area located quite high up within the school building, a spot overlooking the entire campus.
On the makeshift platform that had somehow been set up in the campus, all the professors of <Delaiten>, including Elin and Caroline, were standing, and people were gathering around them one by one.
The highlight of the magic festival, the fireworks, were about to begin.
Fireworks were the ultimate festival magic that could only be performed by those with exceptional skill in mana control.
“I told you before. About how to observe people.”
As he was looking down at it with interest, Valensidis abruptly brought up a topic. Since there was no one around, he just answered comfortably.
“You did. But why?”
“Actually, I was trained that way from the moment I was taken in, but my skill reaching its current level was all by my own choice.”
At that moment, as President Madelia's congratulatory speech ended, the first flame shot up and embroidered a lotus flower in the night sky, drawing exclamations from all over.
“At first, I killed all those I was commanded to without any doubt, but at the moment of the tenth killing, I realized the truth amidst ineffable regret.”
“……?”
“That there was no reason for them to die… and that my master’s command was not an absolute truth.”
Feeling a chill run down his spine, he looked back at Valensidis.
As he was a guy with a black heart, even in saying such things, he was certain that some suspicious ulterior motive was hidden.
But the eyes of the guy, illuminated by the second fireworks lighting up the night’s darkness, were relaxed to a perplexing degree.
Unlike his usual self, who concealed both emotions and inner thoughts with a perfect mask.
“From then on, I meticulously observed everyone who received a kill order. What kind of person they were, what beliefs they held, and if there truly was no other way but to kill them.”
Next, Associate Professor Kyle and Elin Ludwig simultaneously shot flames.
Those flames seemed to intertwine like vines in the sky, then combined at the end, brilliantly blooming into flower clusters and bursting with a loud sound.
The cheers that seemed to be gradually rising, at that moment became roars loud enough to hurt eardrums, shaking the campus.
“Since then, I have often falsely reported that I completed orders. A few times, I was caught again and lost quite a bit of my master's trust, though.”
“Why are you telling me such things now, anyway?”
“You’re still an impatient fellow.”
“Mind your own business.”
For that one moment, though it was truly just a moment, he wore a smile that could only be described as gentle. That smile that Ristana Brim often made…
“That it was truly fortunate I didn't kill you just by command, I was just starting to say this.”
It wasn’t an expression a murderer could make. It was an expression that shouldn’t be made. So his voice carried more coldness than he had intended.
“Who are you to judge whether people live or die? Try smiling like that in front of the families of the people you killed with your arrogant judgment.”
Amidst the continuous explosion sounds unfurling golden curtains in the sky, a sharp silence flowed between them.
If they deviated by just a single hair’s breadth, truly a single hair’s breadth, it was a situation, a distance, and a relationship where they could use magic to kill each other.
This tension was not surprising anew. Because he and I were in such a relationship from the start.
“They say that great causes come with sacrifices, don’t they?”
“What?”
“With those words, I have justified the killings I have done, must do, and will do, but now, I have no intention of doing so. After opening the new era (新時代), it will be a burden I must carry, living a life of atonement.”
It was a smile mixed with pain and resignation, one that could be called self-deprecating. Because of that smile, Rain felt extreme fear.
He shouldn’t talk any more.
If he exchanged any more words, he might someday become unable to face this guy as an enemy.
“I have no intention of humoring a murderer’s confession, got it? If you want to do that, go find a priest. And make sure you pay for your sins.”
He spoke firmly and turned to leave, *Whoosh*… the final fireworks launched by President Madelia brilliantly drew a fantastic flower garden in the night sky.
Sparks fluttering everywhere in the air.
The pungent smell of fireworks rising from the summer breeze infused with those sparks, the shouts of cheer erupting amidst the silence and darkness after the explosions.
“It was an unqualified youth, stained with lies and deception, but thanks to you, I was able to conclude it joyfully.”
So quietly that he wouldn't have heard it if he had focused on even one of the sensory commotions, he mumbled, then Valensidis disappeared into the darkness.
“Thank you, Rain Ludwig.”
For a moment, doubting his ears at those unbelievable words, he stopped in his tracks and instantly whirled around, but Valensidis was already gone.
Before he knew it, it was summer.