Halfway through July, three months after enrolling in Jenifa Royal Magic Academy, Sain stood in a densely packed auditorium. The weather was warming up, and many of his classmates had changed into summer uniforms, but he still wore the same getup as always.
“Well, this is one of those moments when I’m reminded that Jenifa really is the largest school in the kingdom...” said Sain, who happened to be standing in the middle of the large hall. He looked around in a circle. “There are so many students here.”
“Yeah, and this isn’t all of them. They can’t fit everyone into the auditorium, so they split us into three groups,” Alicia added.
The entire student body was here today for a school assembly. It wasn’t just Sain’s intermediate division; students from the junior and senior divisions were present as well.
“I see the student council president is going to be speaking today,” said Melia as she looked over at the people standing on the stage.
Marni nodded.
“A rare sight.”
Every so often, Jenifa students would be told to gather for a school assembly, where concerns or notices pertaining to all divisions would be brought to their attention. While such announcements were usually made by the headmaster and his staff, the presence of the president on the stage this time suggested that there was something more. With his neat blond hair and sharp gaze, the president immediately became the center of attention as he stepped forward to speak.
“I am your student council president, Cain Theresia. As many of you already know, the magic battle exposition for students of the intermediate division will begin next week,” he said, his voice carrying clearly through the expansive space of the auditorium. “The intermediate division did, of course, partake in their field studies only last month. Keep in mind, however, that the battle expo is an event of incomparably greater scale and significance. Many guests unaffiliated with the academy will be present. It may prove difficult to perform to your full potential in the presence of spectators, but for those who wish to make connections in the outside world, know that this will be an invaluable opportunity to make an impression.”
As one would expect from the intensely meritocratic Jenifa Royal Magic Academy, many of its students already knew what they wanted to do in the future and were pursuing their own goals. Some examples included Sain, who was striving to become the dark knight, and Alicia’s friend, Cisca, who was well on her way to becoming an experienced blacksmith. For students who had a clear vision of their future, building connections with those outside the school was a crucial way of getting ahead.
“Registration closes this weekend. We already have over twenty participants, but we’re still looking for more. I hope to see an enthusiastic turnout.”
With that, Cain concluded his speech and stepped back, but not before shooting a pointed glance in Sain’s direction.
“The student council president, huh...” Sain whispered to himself as he watched Cain turn and leave the stage. For a moment, he wondered if he was being too self-conscious, but he soon dismissed the idea. He knew what he saw; Cain’s glare was directed at him.
He turned his thoughts inward, replaying the incident from last month in his mind. He recalled how Cain Theresia had defeated numerous entities of Chaos without even breaking a sweat, and he did it while — for some inexplicable reason — exuding what seemed like a burning hatred for the holy knight. There was no question that the student council president was not a normal student. Somehow, he had to be connected to the holy knight.
Sain was roused from his musing when the assembly ended and students began returning to their classrooms.
“Sain, are you entering the battle expo?” asked Alicia as they filed out of the auditorium.
“Of course!” he answered with his usual zest. “After the field studies last month, I kept training, and I’ve added a few more dark magic spells to my repertoire. The best way to test them out is in direct combat. The battle expo is all one-on-one fights between students, right?”
“Yeah, it’s a tournament, and each match is a duel between two students. Unlike the field studies, there’s no survival element. It’s a test of pure skill... Win or lose, it’s all decided in the ring.”
“Mmhmhm, I can feel the darkness growing restless inside me. It wishes to be free. The day of the tournament shall be when I unleash its power—”
“Yeah, yeah, and humiliate yourself in front of hundreds of people. We all know how this goes already.”
“Rude!” he exclaimed indignantly.
She was definitely being rude. She might also be correct, but he wasn’t about to admit that in front of her.
“Master Sain, you haven’t registered yet, have you?” Melia asked.
“No, I haven’t, and I might as well go do that now, since we still have some time before the next class starts.”
Sain made his way toward the intermediate division’s school building where, since the week before, a registration desk for the battle expo had been set up on the first floor. As he walked, he glanced at Melia, who was matching his pace.
“So... I guess I’m the only one who’s going to be entering?”
“Actually, I was thinking of giving it a go, myself.”
“Really? The battle expo?” He gave his maid a surprised look. “This isn’t the kind of thing you’re usually interested in.”
“True, but I’m a student now, so I figured I should do some student things. Try new experiences, broaden my horizons, stuff like that... Also, it’d be hilarious if you end up facing me in the tournament.”
“Hah, yeah, that’d be hila— Wait a minute. What are you going to do if that happens?”
“Beat you to a pulp and officially reverse our relationship?”
Melia smiled innocently, while Sain visibly paled. Having spent so many years together, he was well aware of how strong she was. If his opponent was Alicia or Marni, he might sneak in a win if he managed to catch them by surprise. Against Melia, though, there would be no surprises. There would only be a swift, brutal beatdown. He wouldn’t even land a hit on her.
Training... I need more training...
The prospect of getting his ass kicked by his own attendant in front of a massive audience was too much even for him to bear.
“I think... I’ll pass,” Marni said softly.
“Miss Grim? How come? With your skills, you almost certainly have a decent shot at winning the whole thing.”
“Skills or not, I don’t like having so many eyes on me...”
Sain winced at her reply. The field exercises last month had changed something in Marni. Since then, she hadn’t worn her cloak at school. In other words, she’d stopped hiding her unmistakably dark elven traits — silver hair and long ears. He’d hoped the trend would continue, but the battle expo was admittedly a different matter. There would be numerous outside guests present, and while not all of them would be overtly hostile to dark elves, she’d nevertheless have to contend with plenty of malice. Either way, for someone who’d spent a good chunk of her life avoiding attention as much as possible, it was unlikely that she’d perform well in a full arena.
In fact, Sain grudgingly accepted, she’s probably better off not participating.
“In that case, I’ll sit this one out, too,” said Alicia. “I don’t want Marni to feel like she’s being left out. Also, at least one of the holy knight’s attendants should probably be on standby.”
“Hm.” Sain crossed his arms contemplatively. “You have a point. It’s true that Chaos has been showing up more often lately...”
It wasn’t just the onslaught during the field exercises, either. Even afterwards, Chaos had appeared multiple times near the academy. Each time, they’d fended off the invaders without much trouble, but the sheer frequency with which they were showing up was concerning. Ensuring continued vigilance during school events was probably a good idea.