It was a completely ordinary day for Connie.
“Good morning,” Connie greeted his friends, his voice dispirited and listless.
“Good morning, Connie.”
“Good morning.”
Emmeline and Hagen didn’t mind—as this was typical of Connie—and returned his greeting.
“Huh? G’mornin’, Connie...” If anyone was acting differently, it wasn’t Connie, but Franz, whose reply was more sluggish than usual.
“Is something wrong?” Connie asked, confused by Franz’s strangely inarticulate response.
“No, not really...I think,” Franz replied.
“Hmm?” Connie was even more puzzled by Franz’s strange reply.
“He’s been like this ever since we met at the academy today. Hey, Franz, did you hit your head or something?” Emmeline asked with concern.
“No...I’m okay. I’m just a bit restless, that’s all.” Franz gave another strange reply.
“Restless?”
“I’m fine, I’m fine! There’s no problem!” Franz seemed to have abruptly gotten over whatever the issue was and was back to his usual tone. “Oh, by the way. How about we all go shopping together after school?” he suddenly proposed.
“Sure, but are you really all right?” Hagen asked, still worried.
“I said I’m fine!”
“Hmm.” Hagen shrugged, figuring that Franz was apparently back to normal.
“Do you think there are any badass swords around for sale? Like those golden or jade swords made by ancient dwarves or something? What do you think, Connie?” In typical teenage fashion, Franz began rattling off some real-life examples of powerful blades.
“Something of that level might just barely be possible...I guess?” Connie replied. Since Greer was essentially the center of the world’s magic, the chances of powerful swords circulating there were considerably higher compared to other cities.
“Take your seats. Class is starting,” the teacher announced, cutting off their friendly chattering.
“I’ve been looking forward to this class,” Franz said with a contented smile, some time later.
“Really? I’m sorry to say this in front of Connie, but is there even a point in it for us, since we can use magic?” Emmeline meanwhile seemed skeptical.
Apparently, their interest in this current lesson couldn’t have been any more different.
“Even if we are mages, we need to properly understand swords. Swords are also connected to proper etiquette,” said Hagen, his expression composed.
“Is that so?”
“Yes.”
“I see.” Emmeline gave a slight nod, seemingly convinced.
“By the way, how good are you with a sword, Connie?” Franz asked, paying Emmeline and Hagen no mind.
“Hmm... I think I’m pretty good. My training routine is pretty involved.”
“Really, now?”
Mages who were interested in swords or who could at least handle them well were in the minority. Magic swordsmen were a thing in fiction; it could take an entire lifetime for someone to master either swords or magic, so in reality, it was difficult to imagine someone who’d learned both at a high level.
“All right, let’s go.” With Franz at the front, the group headed out to the sports grounds.
“All right, let’s begin class,” Falke told the students after confirming they had all gathered in the sports ground. “My name is Falke. My role is to teach you the relationship between mages and swords.” Since the new school term was just beginning, Falke explained his job to the young students who were trying to step up to the next level.
“The first thing I want to tell you is that swords are lethal weapons, perfectly capable of killing mages. If your mentor or anyone else has told you that swordsmen are nothing to fear as long as you have magic, forget it. That remains true even if you become mages of the Deep layer.” Falke’s words weren’t making much of an impression on the students. Mages were clearly superior to swordsmen in terms of destructive power, and since there were also magic barriers that could block physical attacks, mages had the advantage in several ways.
“I have a question,” one of the boys addressed Falke.
“Go ahead.”
“I’d like to know your layer, sir,” he asked, thinking that his teacher was only calling swords dangerous because he wasn’t very skilled in magic.
“The Deep layer.” Falke’s reply put him just one step behind literal legends. Realistically speaking, the Deep layer was the most powerful one there was.
“Huh?”
“To put it bluntly, both swords and magic are means developed for killing. It’s incredibly dangerous to just assume that one is superior to the other.”
Emmeline slightly frowned and raised her hand, unconvinced by Falke’s lesson. “I’d like to share an opinion.”
“Go ahead.”
“My mentor says that since swordsmen can’t break through magic barriers, it’s impossible for them to defeat mages.”
An old scene played in Emmeline’s mind. Several large glass panes, water tanks, liquids, books, and magic circles. Even within the dark room, Udo’s eyes were gleaming as he stressed just how magnificent mages were...or rather, muttered it to himself. During her entrance examination, Emmeline had learned that what was common sense to her was considered absurd by the rest of the world, but she believed that Udo was right about the relationship between swords and magic.
“You are forgetting about physiological needs and instincts such as excretion, eating, or sleeping. Since people have the need to expel after they take something in, it’s impossible for them to constantly maintain a magic barrier. Enemies are always waiting for a chance to strike. Only a knight from a fairy tale would introduce themself in an open space and come at you head-on.”
Falke’s response left Emmeline at a loss for words. She’d been born and raised in isolation, so there were many things she had no real experience with. As a result, she somewhat lacked any idea of what she should do, and she was also unaware of how inexperienced she truly was. Udo was the one responsible for that: In his senility, he’d judged that real experience wasn’t necessary for Emmeline and had abandoned her.
With no destination and no clue, Emmeline had followed the idea that magic was magnificent and knocked on the door of the Magic Academy. There, she’d been treated as a scholarship student and had her tuition waived, partly because letting her roam free would be dangerous, and she had stayed there ever since. However, that had turned out for the best. Franz had reached out to her when she’d clearly been out of her depth, and she’d joined his circle of friends with Connie and Hagen, allowing her to quickly learn about society, obtain the real-life experience she’d been lacking, and establish her individuality as Emmeline. At the Magic Academy, she’d learned all sorts of fundamental things like society and sociability; in that respect, she was the same as Connie.
“High-ranking swordsmen, with those of the Clovis School being first on that list, can cut through barriers. They aren’t an absolute defense,” Falke explained.
“I can’t really believe that unless I’ve seen it in practice,” Emmeline insisted.
“Then allow me to demonstrate. Can you put up a magic barrier?”
“Y-Yes.”
Seeing, hearing, feeling, learning, communicating, playing. Having experienced all that, Emmeline had already reached the impressive rank of the Progressive layer, and she was a rare genius among her generation, with even the Deep layer not out of her grasp. When Falke broke through her magic barrier, she learned yet one more lesson.
It was just another ordinary day.
“The Hero has to be the strongest among the Hero’s party.” During break, Franz suddenly brought up the subject, possibly because he was bored and had nothing in particular to talk about.
“Where did that come from? I guess this is the same as usual, though. Hmm... Yes, I think the Hero is the right choice.” Hagen was used to Franz’s random behavior and indifferently agreed with him.
“I also agree,” Connie added. Great-great-grandpa also said that he probably couldn’t cut the Hero.