The Akihabara School of Magic building was based on the former Akihabara’s VDX building and thus inherited the name. It was twenty-two stories high and just over a hundred seventy meters tall. The school’s design was a result of the ideological backgrounds and political negotiations between the old Akihabara and the old Lu Xel. Floors one to seven contained the school, while floors eight and up were government offices and residences, including the school’s dormitories, where Veltol and his crew would stay during their exchange program. A medium-sized aether reactor was installed beneath the school, providing Magic Town with mana and electricity. Veltol, Machina, and Takahashi had just arrived by elevator at the seventh floor, where the sixth-year classrooms were located. “Ehm, my name is Mag Rosanta, and I will be your homeroom mentor. I also serve as the principal’s aide. Pleased to meet you.” The unremarkable full-borg instructor spoke with a thick elvish accent. “Magro Santa? Quite a strange name,” said Veltol. “Reminds me of a particular Earthly holiday.” “Rosanta! Mag Rosanta! I’m no Claus!” “Hmm? Yes, it’s nice to meet you, Santa.” “Did you even listen to me…? And by the way, I am your mentor, I’ll have you know!” The school’s teachers made a point to use the word mentor instead of teacher. Only Mag’s and the three exchange students’ steps and voices echoed through the otherwise quiet hallway. “It’s super disorienting without my Familia. My vision alone just doesn’t cut it…” “You’re right… I never thought about it too much, but now I know I took mine for granted.” Takahashi and Machina rubbed their napes. Their Familias had been removed, the protective covers’ I/O ports now closed. Akihabara Private School of Magic was a prestigious academy with a long history of traditions and wearing a Familia inside its premises was strictly prohibited. As primitive and ironic as it might sound, this analog approach to studying magic helped mold people into outstanding magical engineers. “I find it to be an excellent education policy. A good sorcerer must not rely on his wand. One needs to experience the abyss of magic in all its forms to truly understand its essence,” Veltol said. Mag stopped in front of one of the classrooms. “Come in one by one when I tell you to.” “Gotcha!” “Y-yes, ma’am!” “Sure.” The three of them nodded. Once Mag entered the classroom, Veltol turned to Takahashi and Machina. “So now what do we do?” he asked. “Whatcha mean?” “Oh, please, Takahashi. Where did your sharp wit go?” Veltol shrugged and sighed. “It’s a custom for transfer and exchange students to stand at the front of the class and introduce themselves, correct? I know this from an adventure game I recently played that took place in an old Japanese academy. I never attended such a school myself, but I’ve learned all about the culture and etiquette from these games. You can learn anything from video games. What a truly marvelous invention.” “Ah! N-now that you mention it, yes, I’ve seen that, too! In anime! These important rituals always happen when the story is set in a school! It’s a momentous occasion! Gosh, now I’m getting anxious…!” “It’s basically a cliché at this point, yeah,” Takahashi noted. “As the Demon Lord, I will enter first. Heh… Can’t ruin our first impression.” “Yes! Let them know your splendor, Lord Veltol!” “Can’t say I’ve ever seen anyone this excited to introduce themselves.” Then they heard Mag’s voice come from the classroom: “Ahem. Everyone, silence, please. Come in.” “It’s time. I’m going.” Veltol put a hand on the door, slowly opened it, and entered the classroom. Birdcage-shaped lamps dangled from the ceiling, the white glow of the artificial will-o’-the-wisps inside them illuminating the room. Unlike the more commonplace aether lights and aether neon, these lamps were reminiscent of the lanterns used in the mansions of court sorcerers. Natural wood was considered a luxury, yet the desks and chairs were made of a type of charred oak called fehm. This school wasn’t prestigious in name only. The students eyed Veltol curiously. He gleefully lapped up the attention. “Ehm, allow me to introduce him to you all. He’s here from Shinju—” He took one step forward, interrupting the instructor. Then he puffed out his chest, lightly brushed away his bangs with one hand while placing the other on his hip, took a deep breath— “Bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!” —and cackled. A new city, a new student identity—everything felt fresh to him. “Ladies and gentlemen!” His voice was strong and clear, his royal splendor so charming that everyone present hung on to each and every one of his movements. He was not holding back an ounce of his Demon Lord charisma. “I sincerely doubt anyone here is as ignorant as to not know my face…but I am a courteous man! My apologies for wasting your time with introductions! I am merely following school etiquette!” And so began the Demon Lord Veltol Velvet Velsvalt’s first day at school. After all three finished introducing themselves, they were shown to their seats at the very back. They were now in the middle of mediumship class, although the pupils’ curiosity over the unusual exchange students remained unabated. One student—a blond half-elf girl—stole occasional glances at Veltol, but he paid her no mind and listened intently to the lecture. “As you can see, modern ethics consider mediumship a taboo much like—or perhaps even more than—soul cloning in necromancy or homunculi in alchemy. So why do we learn mediumship in the modern era? Simple: because this point of view is a misunderstanding. Mediumship involves observing the soul, which contributes greatly to the development of humanki—” Mag stopped midsentence to stare at Veltol, who was comfortably reclining in his seat without a care in the world. “What’s the matter, Ms. Santa? Please continue the lecture.” “Stop calling me that! Please tell me you’re at least taking notes?” “No need to worry, it’s all in my head.” “What…? Are you serious? Well then, please explain what happened in 722 CE, the event I talked about at the begi—” “The Railrod incident. Railrod, a court sorcerer for the Ruestand Kingdom, went berserk during a mediumship experiment. The heroic soul he summoned took over his body, and this led to the demise of the Ruestand Kingdom. Railrod’s infamy was then immortalized in the history books, and his name is now used to describe when an unstable subject of a medium summoning goes on rampage. It was a real disaster. I just happened to be passing by Ruestand around that time and could scarcely believe that his wife’s infidelity would lead him to use such a mediocre technic—” “Stop, stop, stop! That’s enough!” Veltol’s flawless answer, extraneous details included, had the classroom astir. “He seriously had it all in his head…” “The way he talks, plus that name… It really is the livestreamer…” “Wow… Guess he’s not just a pretty face and voice… What an exchange student we’ve got here…” Machina smiled as she saw Veltol inspire such praise, envy, and confusion in these mere mortals. “…Hee-hee-hee.” “What are you acting so high and mighty about…?” Takahashi said. The next moment, the bell signaling the end of the first period rang. Second period was applied mana studies. A short, male orc with thick Coke-bottle glasses stood at the desk. “As you all know, mana is just as important as electricity to today’s society. We transform aether into mana to create electricity…or utilize mana itself as a source of energy. Its uses are many, and every individual possesses their own source. Every student in this school is brilliant, so I’m sure you all can make great use of this source of energy…” His voice was high-pitched, his tone pushy, and he had the habit of clicking his tongue in the middle of sentences. It was extremely painful to listen to. “Though, there are some exceptions…” He looked at the blond girl in the corner of the classroom, and everyone snickered. “I believe the day where we’ll be able to sell our individual mana will come soon. Perhaps we’ll see a mana tax system… Now then, you, the exchange student. Yes, you, with the long black hair.” “Hmm? Oh, me?” Veltol was looking at the ridiculed classmate, but then he turned to the mentor. “Have you done your mana measurement yet?” the orc asked. “No, I haven’t.” “All right, then come here, and we’ll get it over with.” Veltol stood up as instructed and walked to the mentor’s desk. On it was a machine with numerous cables connected to it, and on top of that was an octagonal natri, a blue magistone. “This is our school’s mana-measuring device. We take measurements twice a year and publicly announce them to the student body. I’m personally quite interested in seeing just how good Shinjuku’s students are.” The mentor held his hand up to the natri, and numbers appeared on the holoboard, going up and up until the two figures stopped at three digits. “The upper figure is my reserve, and the lower one is my release. This machine converts your amount of mana into numerical values, as you can see. I’m slightly above average.” “Um, sir? I should warn you…” “Yes?” “This will break if I try it.” Veltol’s warning seemed to befuddle the orc mentor. He immediately burst out laughing. “Ah-ha-ha! You don’t typically use these in Shinjuku, do you? They cost a pretty penny, but rest assured, these machines are hard to break by accident. Oh, but do take care handling the natri; it’s quite precious. Don’t worry, though—even if you do wreck it, the school will charge me, not you.” “Hmmm…” “Really, it’s no problem. No need to feel ashamed even if your results are low. Well, as long as it’s not too low…” The orc shot the same blond student a mocking glance. “Mana reserve and release depends a lot on inborn talent. Your classmate Albert is a prime example. In any case, go on, try it.” Veltol did as requested and held up his hand. In that same moment, the natri turned to dust, unable to handle the Demon Lord’s mana. “Ah… Oh… Uh…?” The numeric values on the holoboard were corrupted. The orc mentor stared aghast as the AC’s gentle breeze blew the natri’s remains away. “I warned you,” Veltol said without surprise, arms crossed as he glanced at the mentor, who was now on his knees. “I-impossible… Th-this can’t be… No… There’s no way… It turned to dust… Even if he could destroy it, shouldn’t it have exploded…? M-my pay…” The orc’s lamentations brought a smile to Machina’s face. “…Hee-hee. Hee-hee-hee-hee-hee.” “Seriously, though, what are you acting so high and mighty about…?” With that, the bell signaling the end of the second period rang. We’ve got some serious weirdos in here. Hizuki Reynard-Yamada was now in one corner of the cafeteria eating her beef croquette. She liked having hers with Worcestershire sauce. She kept on thinking while dismantling the croquette with her chopsticks. Not only was this a strange time to get exchange students, but all three of them were in the same class, too. No, that shouldn’t matter. There has to be a perfectly good reason why they’re here, and it’s not my place to pry. What’s really bothering me is… Hizuki glanced to her side. The three exchange students were eating lunch at the table right next to hers. The silver-haired girl got a curry set, and the girl with a streak of red in her hair was eating a fried-chicken set. …that man with the udon… His name was Veltol, wasn’t it? She looked at the black-haired, obscenely handsome man, and her right eye started twitching. Veltol Velvet Velsvalt. Hizuki knew that name. It was the Immortal King’s, from five hundred years in the past. There was a crackpot theory on the net that said Veltol was, in fact, alive and well in the modern era, but Hizuki in no way believed this exchange student was the real Demon Lord. Considering the Demon Lord was an immortal, the likelihood that this historical figure was still living wasn’t zero, but she figured this Veltol person was either using a fake name, or his parents were tremendous lunatics. If it’s the latter…that means he also streams under his real name? I don’t want to ask him myself, though… Such thoughts tormented her as she detached the breading from the croquette’s contents. Suddenly, something bumped into her seat. She turned to look at what it was and found that it had been a male student sitting at the table right behind her. “Pardon me… Well, if it isn’t the head of one of the Three Houses, Hizuki Reynard-Yamada— Oh, excuse me, that’s Ms. Yamada. I suppose you don’t go by Reynard since your family has fallen out of grace.” “Albert Heygrams…” The elf student flicked his long blond bangs with a finger. Albert was Hizuki’s classmate, and she didn’t like him one bit. He always found time to annoy her and make her feel bad with his sarcastic remarks. He was from a noble family, and his father was president of the Akihabara City Council. An aristocrat through and through. “And what does such a talented and promising young man want from this failure of an ex-noble? I certainly have nothing to say to you,” Hizuki said bitterly in self-deprecation. Not only was Albert a blue blood, but he also had the top grades in the entire school. Hizuki, on the other hand, had the worst grades in practical subjects. They were like chalk and cheese, like chicken and cockatrice. “Oh, but I do have some words for you. Part of my duty as noble.” “What?” “Part of the noblesse oblige is to guide the common people, at least in my opinion. But what do you do in that regard?” “…” “You have no talent in magic, and yet here you are in this prestigious school, merely because of your Three Houses status! You spend all day in the corner staring at the ground—you call that being a noble?! Just looking at you makes me sick!” Albert spread his arms wider and wider and spoke louder and louder as he went on. Murmuring chatter could be heard throughout the cafeteria. Stop it… Hizuki’s spine trembled. She felt as if she’d swallowed a mass of lead. No one tried to help her out, and she understood why. All because I’m not a pureblood… She had a shaky standing between her classmates. Some expressed sympathy, but no one dared help. No one wanted to get that kind of attention, and even then, those who felt for her were few. Most of the students were of noble families, and most of them agreed with Albert. “Wouldn’t it be better for you to go to another school? At the very least, I don’t think there’s any reason for you to stay here if you can’t use magic.” What did I even do wrong…? Hizuki cast her eyes down and bit her lip. She felt sad, angry, miserable, powerless. All kinds of negative emotions swirled inside her. Just leave me alone. “Well, that’s what your mother gets for having a kid with an Electric Town man. Dirtied her bloodline. And to have a half-elf on top of it! Half-assed all the way through!” “—!” Hizuki instinctively got to her feet. “What’s with that look? Have something to tell me now?” “You can say anything you want about me, but I won’t let you get away with insulting my parents.” “Ha! You won’t let me get away with simply stating the truth? You—” Just as Albert was about to mock her once more… “Cease your screeching.” …someone spoke. The voice hadn’t been loud. In fact, it was more like a whisper. But someone who didn’t mind the attention finally spoke up. That short command silenced the murmuring that had been rippling through the cafeteria, and everyone unconsciously turned to look at the source. “Can’t you see I’m having udon? Let me eat in peace,” Veltol said calmly from his table, next to Hizuki’s. “Wh-what…?” Veltol slowly stood up and approached Albert, covering for Hizuki. Albert was about 170 centimeters tall, while Veltol was around 188 centimeters, so there was a whole head of difference. Add Veltol’s dominating aura on top of that, and Albert was completely overwhelmed. “Y-you’re…” “We are in the same class, correct? I’ve already introduced myself, but I don’t recall catching your name.” “Ah, s-sorry. I—I am Albert Heygrams, eldest son of the Heygrams family.” “Heygrams?” Veltol stroked his chin. “No matter. You’ve interrupted my udon meal… You see, udon must be eaten in silence—with utmost focus—and you’ve ruined it for some hollow nobility trash talk and meaningless insults?” There was no trace of provocation or contempt in his tone. He was simply speaking his mind. “…Excuse me?!” Albert’s eye twitched for a second, but he immediately took a deep breath to calm down. “I don’t think a livestreamer without a real job has any right to say my observations are hollow. You’re the one making dirty money by having the net fawn all over you.” “Oh-ho, you sound quite familiar with me. Have you watched my streams? Thank you for contributing to my ad revenue, then. It’s because of bizarre fellows such as yourself, watching me despite all your grumbling, that I get to eat such delicious udon.” “Imbecile! I just heard the rumors about you from our classmates! Don’t you dare talk to me like that, you damn pleb!” “Pleb…?” Quiet bloodthirst emanated from the girl seated across from Veltol. It was Machina, ready to pounce on Albert for insulting her king. “It’s fine, Machina.” That was enough to extinguish her anger. “You call me plebeian, hmm? I see. That’s funny. Machina, what do you make of this man?” “If I may.” She eyed Albert up and down with an icy stare. “He seems unable to discern your splendor despite your close physical proximity. Or perhaps he is simply not intelligent enough to comprehend it. Either way, he’s a gofer, at best.” Machina closed her eyes and gracefully took up her teacup. “You…! You dare say I, the eldest of the Heygrams, am a gofer?! You ignorant fool! This is beyond any sort of excusable insolence!” Veltol raised a hand to stop the agitated boy. “Wait. Heygrams, Heygrams… Oh! You’re the descendant of Ganfall Heygrams?!” “What? H-how do you know the name of my firstfather?” Veltol’s sudden statement baffled Albert, and rightly so. Why would an exchange student, who had just arrived at school, know his ancestor’s name? “Ha-ha-ha! I knew it! Don’t tell me that fool’s bloodline continues to this day! I see, I see… The coward must have survived.” Veltol wasn’t making things up—he did, in fact, know him. “I clearly remember Ganfall Heygrams. The poor fellow was so frightened before me, he soiled himself in the middle of the battlefield and ran off. He was so pathetic, I decided to let him go… I see now that I forever changed his destiny. Did this episode become legend? Truly, the cogs of fate work in mysterious ways…” “Wha—?!” Albert’s face was getting redder and redder. “Urgh! St-stop your slander! Don’t you dare speak ill of my firstfa—” Veltol snapped his fingers. “But what I find most bizarre of all is…” He smirked. A truly devilish smile. “…you ridicule that woman despite being less talented than her. How do you manage to be so pompous?” He glanced at Hizuki. “But I guess it’s no surprise, coming from the descendant of that cowardly deserter.” “—!” Albert’s face tensed up. “You say…my talent is lesser than the Reynard girl’s?” “Reynard…?” Veltol reacted to that word. “Fine.” Albert’s voice was quiet, though slightly trembling—not out of humiliation but ire. “Surely you won’t run away now that you’ve said so much. I’ll show you how we do things here in Akihabara!” “Oh? How exactly do you mean?” Veltol asked with honest anticipation. “Let’s…” “What was that?” “Let’s duel!” Albert declared, pointing at him. “I challenge you to a duel! I’ll show you how big of a sorcerer, of a noble, of a man I am!” That escalated quickly. Hizuki was baffled. She was in the school’s practice hall on the second floor. Students usually called this bowl-shaped arena the gym. The dark-haired exchange student was about to duel against the school’s top pupil. Rumors spread quickly, and students gathered in great numbers. It was still lunchtime, but they had nothing else to do. I wonder, do I count as involved in all this? …Or am I already a third party? She didn’t know whether she should be in there, but she had gone with the flow and followed everyone to the gym. She was in a corner, alone. No one attempted to get close to her. She was already infamous, plus she had been the spark to this duel in the first place. “Sheesh, what a mess, right?” The exchange student with the streak of red hair came up to her, already acting friendly. She put a hand on Hizuki’s shoulder and nodded. She’s awfully touchy-feely for someone who barely knows me… “Sorry for all the fuss our Velly’s causing.” She said her name is Takahashi, I think… What was her first name again? “They sure don’t like you, huh? What’d you do? Kill someone? Rob a bank?” Someone here doesn’t hold her tongue. Hizuki didn’t feel like Takahashi was being snarky, however. And she wasn’t; this was her usual self. “Takahashi, you shouldn’t say that!” The silver-haired exchange student reprimanded her. It all seemed like some sort of sick joke to Hizuki. Veltol, Machina… These were names that came up if you studied even the slightest of Alnaethian history. “It’s fine,” Hizuki told Machina. “I guess it’s not totally accurate to say I haven’t done anything… People just don’t like seeing a failure like me coming to this school.” “Huh, you’re a failure?” Takahashi said. “Yeah, a pretty big one.” “You don’t look like one to me, though…,” Machina interjected. “I mean, my theory grades are pretty good if I do say so myself.” Hizuki smiled in self-deprecation for speaking of her faults with such ease. “But I can’t use magic.” Takahashi opened her eyes wide. “What?! For real?! Why come to a magic school, then?!” “Taaakaaahaaashiii! Stop being rude!” “Ack, sorry!” “That’s all right. Besides, it’s the truth. I’m used to being told that. Apparently, I don’t have enough mana to use magic. Enough to boot up my Familia, but that’s it.” Hizuki paused for a second before continuing, “My mother was an alumnus of this school and wanted me to graduate from here, too. Principal Tratte’s been really good to me since she and my mother go way back. But yeah…there’s a lot going on, even with me.” “Whoa, sounds rough,” said Takahashi. “Also, it’s kinda weird that the school’s not trying to stop this duel.” “Yes, they seem quite lenient in that regard,” Machina added. “Our school’s ultimate objective is to raise sorcerers who can hold their own in combat. It’s a tradition as old as time.” The student handbook even said duels were allowed, so long as both parties and a mentor consented, and the mentor had to oversee it. Magic was a tool for making life easier, but it had also been used for war since time immemorial. The school did nothing to challenge this and even encouraged students to better themselves through combat. It just so happened that the arbiter for this duel was Mag Rosanta, whom Veltol had spotted in the cafeteria, much to her dismay. “Ms. Mag has it rough, too. She’s too soft.” Hizuki looked at Mag and giggled. “Why do I have to do this…?” Mag grumbled, standing in between Veltol and Albert. “Lunchtime will be ending soon, so let’s finish this quickly, shall we?” “Wait. Hey, you,” Veltol called from the center of the hall. He was staring at Hizuki. “Yes, you. Hijiki, was it?” “Zu, not ji! Hizuki!” she yelled. Their shouting grabbed further attention, which made Hizuki extremely uncomfortable. “Pay close attention, Hijiki!” “Stop calling me that! I’m not seaweed! My name is Hizuki!” Is he even listening? She held back from yelling at him more. Veltol chuckled. “Do not miss a second of Veltol Velvet Velsvalt’s brilliant fighting.” “You’re rather brazen,” Albert said. “I’d say you’re the brazen one, given your lack of talent,” Veltol replied. “Geez… I suppose an exchange student like you wouldn’t know, so let me tell you: I have an S in mana release, mana manipulation, and mana reserve—all practical aspects tested in school. That’s the highest grade, by the way. I’m this school’s top pupil in magical warfare,” Albert boasted, hand to his chest. Veltol snorted. “Ha! You? The top pupil?” “Of course.” “Then I think the school should reconsider its evaluation process. If your mana reserve can earn the highest grade, then there ought to be an even higher scale for that woman you like ridiculing so much.” Albert was incredulous—as were all the other students present. Everyone knew Hizuki had no magic talent. “Ooh, really, Hizuki? Nice!” Takahashi said. “Um, no, I got an F in mana reserve and all other practical tests.” “There must be something wrong with this school’s evaluation methods,” Machina offered. “After all…Lord Veltol said so. There is absolutely no way he could be wrong. Indeed… He is always right…” “How does that make any sense…?” Hizuki said before asking Takahashi, “Hey, is this girl okay…?” “Mm, yeah, this is pretty typical for her.” Hizuki winced at Machina’s eerie dedication. I know for a fact that I don’t have a lot of mana… They’ve even measured it. So where is he getting this idea from? …Also why does she call her classmate ‘Lord’? Hizuki turned to look at Veltol and Albert again. The latter’s eyebrows were twitching in anger. “You must be quite sure of yourself,” said Albert. “That, or you’re just an idiot.” “Heh. Would a dragon show any fear when facing a kobold?” “In that case…prove to me you have the strength to back up your confidence.” “It wouldn’t be fair to simply fight you straightforward. Let us add a handicap. Listen carefully!” Veltol lifted his arm, pointed at the heavens, and raised his voice. “I will win this duel without taking a single step!” The audience went wild. And how would they not? The good-looking exchange student was dueling with the school’s best pupil, on his first day, and had declared victory before starting. His voice was oddly charming—he instantly had his audience’s hearts in the palm of his hand. “You won’t take a single step? You must be joking, Veltol! You’d better not use this as a petty excuse when you lose!” “No offense meant. I am serious, Albert. I think it would be boorish of me to not hold back this much.” “I think you’re being plenty boorish already.” “Fine, fine. Let us make an oath, then.” “An oath?” “Yes. If I take even one step, then I will do anything you want.” “Interesting. I accept.” “And since you ruined my udon meal, you deserve punishment in case you lose. If I win…” Veltol pointed at Hizuki. “You will stop bothering that woman. It’s high time you ceased such unsightly pestering. You won’t talk to her again, not in the classroom, not ever.” “—?!” Hizuki gasped. She never expected someone she’d just met that day to lend her a helping hand, let alone make such an oath. “Okay,” said Albert. “Not like I care anyway. I’ll hold you to that promise.” “It’s not a promise. It is an oath. You say you’re a noble, so surely you must understand what I mean, right?” “Of course. I pledge that on my name as Albert Heygrams.” Oaths were beyond just words among nobles. Breaking an oath would mean dirtying their house’s honor. A noble had to fulfill their oath to keep their dignity. The stakes were now sky-high. Hizuki finally realized how serious the matter had become. “H-hey, you’re his friends, right?” she said, turning to Machina and Takahashi. “You should stop him—actually, stop him, please. Albert is strong; there’s a reason why he’s the top student. I know this is just a mock duel, but Albert’s actually capable of defeating a member of Magic Town’s aerial mage force!” “It’s fine, Hizuki. That boy hasn’t the slightest chance of winning.” “Yeah, you’ll see. Velly’s gonna wipe the floor with the poor guy.” They’re insane. Hizuki didn’t know what else to think. The two of them didn’t seem to be bluffing. They actually believed Veltol would win without taking a single step and that Albert wouldn’t even put up a fight. It was pure, raw insanity. And yet Hizuki, deep in her heart, was starting to feel like it wasn’t as crazy as it sounded. Veltol’s tone was convincing enough. “Santa, let’s get started already.” “Rosanta! I’m Mag Rosanta! You’re doing this on purpose!” “Give me the signal.” Mag shrugged, annoyed. “Ehm, very well, then. I, Mag Rosanta, will be overseeing today’s duel. Combatants, please name yourselves.” Albert took one step forward. “On the right, the eldest son of the Heygrams! Albert Heygrams!” Veltol also took one step forward. “On the left, Veltol Velvet Velsvalt.” They stared at each other. “Begin!” “Here I go!” Albert roared as he initialized his magic. “Come now,” Veltol chided him. “Albert…please. I can’t handle this much disappointment.” “What…?” “You don’t intend on killing me with that much mana, yes? I could tell immediately by your initialization. Don’t get cocky, you little runt.” Albert finally lost it. “You’ll regret this!” He put even more mana into his initialization. He was serious now, and everyone in the audience could tell. The school’s top sorcerer was about to release his full power in the first attack. Veltol wouldn’t come out of it unscathed. “Heygrams, calm down! A duel’s purpose is not to kill each other!” Mag yelled. “It is fine. Do not stop him, Santa. This will be a splendid learning experience for him.” “What are you talking about?!” Albert’s mana kept on rising, and it became clearer and clearer that this was no longer a game. The other students had not expected such a serious battle—the air around them tensed in a second, except for a certain pair. “Velly’s having a ball,” said Takahashi. “It’s a good old-fashioned magic duel. Of course he’s excited,” Machina commented. How are they still so calm?! thought Hizuki. Among the uneasiness, only Machina and Takahashi remained lighthearted. “All creation gathers here to fill the vast skies; my body takes arrow’s shape to defeat my foe!” Albert enounced the spell’s incantation engraved to the technic, the step of magic activation that was usually omitted in this era due to the wide spread of the Familia. “The incantation! Yes, this is it! Now this is more like it!” Veltol said with delight. Albert’s attack spell had been used since ancient times. Its name was: “Aether Arrow!” Albert’s mana solidified aether into an arrow shape on his hand which he held up in front of him. He then shot the blue aether light at full speed—not holding back, with enough power to pierce a thick concrete wall or kill a man—right at Veltol. “Run already! What are you doing?!” Hizuki screamed despite herself, yet Veltol did not budge. Everyone in the practice hall had the same thought: Veltol was about to die. However… …he flicked the arrow away as if it were a fly. The aether arrow turned to dust in the wind. “No way…,” Hizuki whispered, astonished. Veltol had used a very simple defensive tactic—releasing pure mana around his hand to repel the arrow. “Wh-what the…?” “Are you serious?” “Holy…” Veltol, meanwhile, was dissatisfied despite the voices of wonder and admiration. “Hmmm…is that all?” He looked at his hand, opening and closing it repeatedly. “I-impossible… He flicked my magic away w-with his bare hand…? S-something must be wrong here…” “Do not despair. That wasn’t bad at all. You might be a bit more interesting with another hundred years or two of training… But right now, you’re hardly even a clown.” “Enough with your bullshit!” “Oh, don’t fret. This was the expected outcome. Actually, your mana release and aether manipulation was better than I anticipated. Pretty good for a modern mortal.” Veltol stretched out his arm. “That said, the gap between you and me is more cavernous than the great castle walls of Velnull. But don’t let it get to you. After all, who would laugh at a kobold for losing to a dragon? No matter how great your magic talent might be relatively speaking, you are still a commoner up against me, the Demon Lord.” The aether reacted with his mana, engulfing his body what looked like bluish-black flames. It was obvious its quality and volume far surpassed Albert’s. His grandiose mana focused at one point—Veltol’s finger. “Here, have a reward: a brief taste of true magic.” Veltol flicked his finger. “Gargh?!” Then a bluish-black splash appeared in front of Veltol. A small bullet of the same color shot right at Albert, burying itself into his torso faster than the blink of an eye. Albert was blown away, crashing into the wall and cracking it. “Wh…a…?” He instantly passed out. Most of the audience couldn’t even process what had just happened. Hizuki, one of the few who could visually follow the bullet’s trajectory, was still confused. “What…was that?” “He shot a compressed lump of mana. To experience Lord Veltol’s mana directly… Truly an honor. Such a waste for a mere mortal!” Machina replied. Hizuki disregarded everything after the first sentence. “Huh…?” Anyone who had studied the slightest bit of magic knew how impressive an attack of pure, compressed mana release was. Mana dispersed the moment it left the body and touched the atmosphere, so at most, it could only envelop a person’s surroundings. One had to go through the aether to not have it instantly disappear. “Achieving an attack like that should require an unthinkable amount of mana and compression skill… That’s not something a student should be capable of…or any mortal, really…” The amount of mana needed equaled that of a large-scale destruction spell. Using it purely as release wasn’t efficient—one had to properly give it the shape of magic to get the most out of the mana. This didn’t even count as magic. It was a primitive feat of sheer strength. Even so, no sorcerer could ever say this hadn’t been a magic duel. This attack was the very essence of sorcery. “It’s been a while since I had a proper magic duel. You have my thanks, Albert.” Veltol commended the young man from the bottom of his heart. “Wh-what…did I just…witness…?” Mag stared at Veltol, dumbfounded. “What’s wrong, Santa? Declare my victory already.” “Right! Th-the winner is Veltol Velvet Velsvalt! Per the combatants’ oath, Albert Heygrams is prohibited from any further interaction with Hizuki Reynard-Yamada!” A moment of silence, followed by cheers throughout the hall. “I suppose it was fairly decent entertainment.” Veltol responded by raising a hand to the applauding crowd, then started heading over to Machina and Takahashi. “He really won…,” Hizuki said. “See? I toldja,” said Takahashi. Machina was smiling cheerfully. Veltol called out to Hizuki nearby. “Hijiki, did you pay attention?” “Hi-zu-ki!” “I dedicate this victory to you.” The statement was annoyingly pompous, and yet Hizuki felt inside her chest like everything was all right now. She could feel her head getting hotter and her cheeks redder. “Um…thanks, Veltol.” She looked down and played with her hair. Keeping her emotions in check, she added, “But you should stay away from me…” Her voice trailed off. “Hmm…?” Veltol stared at her. She didn’t dare meet his gaze. Instead, she turned and walked away, leaving just one statement behind. “Otherwise, you, too, will meet tragedy.”
Chapter 18
31 min read