“I... The timeline didn’t match up. I realized that much, at least,” Tim replied, his expression unreadable.
Godolphen nodded. “The events that occurred after the official conclusion of the fifth scenario were simply too exceptional. If I’d informed you of them from the start, it would have influenced your evaluations irrevocably. However, the chairwoman and I have discussed this most extensively and ultimately decided it is essential to share the concerned information with you all, though I do so reluctantly—I am quite a proud man, as you may know, and what you are about to hear does not reflect kindly on my capabilities. However, some temporary humiliation is necessary if we are to continue to protect the pride of this great Academy.”
All eyes turned to the chairwoman. “I have already consulted with His Majesty the King, and he left the matter to my discretion. Thus, as the Sage said, we deemed it necessary for you to learn what unfolded thereafter. However, I must also inform you that everything we discuss from this point onward is highly confidential. It has already been designated as clearance level 4, in fact. You are not to breathe a word of this to anyone, understood?” Michale asked, flashing one of her refined smiles. There was no sharpness in her expression or her tone, but a collective shiver ran down the spines of those gathered nonetheless.
Consulting the King over something as insignificant as a school camping trip... The mere thought was ridiculous.
“Sage, do you mean to say that you willingly agreed to extend their scenario?” Musica asked, dumbfounded. “Why in the world would you agree to such a thing when it would have an undeniable impact on their arrival order?”
“‘Score us however you like—I don’t care. I just want to run around and have fun with everyone right until the final whistle—and that includes you, Master!’” Godolphen replied in a nonchalant tone, much to Musica’s confusion. “That was what Allen Rovene said to me upon my attempted surrender. Thereafter, under the command of Vesta von Stocklode, they chased me up and down the Darleys until the very last second. There was no hesitation in their actions, Musica. Those children came at me with the intent to kill—the intent to truly put an end to Godolphen von Vanquish. Time was not on their side and thus their final stand ended in a draw, but truthfully... I was at my limit too. If they’d had only another hour to pursue me, I would have been defeated once more,” he finished, his eyes narrowing as he stroked his beard.
“I can’t...” Musica trailed off, shaking her head. “I know they have extraordinary potential—enough to shoulder the responsibility of leading this kingdom in the near future—and as the defending force, they obviously had the advantage of preparation, but even so... It’s simply impossible to imagine you being driven into a corner like that, Sage.” She shook her head again. “Fine. If Allen Rovene hadn’t made his ridiculous request, how would that have changed their arrival position?”
Godolphen inclined his head toward Musica. “We can never know for sure, but to the best of an old man’s estimations, I am all but certain they would have arrived before all of the other classes by quite a significant margin. Doing so, of course, would quadruple their basic score to 200 points. Therefore, we merely need to quadruple the score we’ve just decided upon, which gives us a hypothetical score of 21,000 points—if only they hadn’t wanted to ‘run around and have fun,’ as Rovene put it.”
The silence was deafening. The score was staggering, and the unspoken challenge in Allen Rovene’s words was even more so. He’d basically laughed at them—told them they weren’t even worthy to share the same playing field as the prodigious Class 1-A. The proud faculty members of the kingdom’s finest school understood that perfectly.
“The kid just keeps on surprising me... If not for the gag order, that tale you just told would become one of Yugria’s most famous legends in a century or two. Still, for a handful of twelve-year-olds to give you such a run for your riels in open combat wouldn’t have been possible if they’d relied on only conventional means. I’m guessing he dosed you with that mysterious substance he used on Tim and the main force earlier, Sage, but it would have been hard to get you to ingest it on the open battlefield... Did you see him using any kind of magical tool?” asked Emmie. Like Thora, she was another researcher affiliated with the Royal Academy, and she also served as advisor to the Magical Craftsmanship Club.
Godolphen fished out the red-capped vial he’d confiscated from Allen and carefully placed it on the table. Emmie immediately began to inspect it from all angles, and finally, after slowly unscrewing the cap, declared that it was not a magical tool of any means. Thora reached for the vial and sniffed it curiously, then traced one fingertip along the rim of the vial and pressed it to her tongue.
“Well, well...” she said, with another of her villainous cackles. “It’s far more concentrated than I’m used to, but it’s a fairly standard monster sedative, made of ingredients commonly found in the Darleys around this time of year. He must have mixed it up on the spot.”
Godolphen nodded in agreement with Emmie’s and Thora’s assessments. “Indeed. Wind magic is the only explanation, as far as I can see. Having read Tim’s report, by now you should all be well aware of how formidable the boy’s particular brand of ‘magic’ is in regard to Scouting and monster control. This I knew. However, I never dreamed it could also be used for something like this...” Godolphen bristled. “He maneuvered that sedative directly into my lungs every time I encountered the brat. Time and time again I barely managed to escape, mostly crawling on my hands and knees. He must have been refining the technique for months. Rovene... I have no idea what his true goal is. The rest of the world—us included—mock his brilliance as mere skirt-flipping shenanigans, and yet he stands so tall when any lesser man would crumple. It’s almost as though he can see the future, and knows what rewards his conviction will bring. Where does such confidence come from, I wonder...”
The attendees—most of whom had barely uttered a word since the meeting began—fell silent once more. Even Musica, the meeting’s designated facilitator, was lost for words.
“Now then, Musica,” Godolphen continued. “What might you be able to tell us about Leo Seizinger’s so-called spellsword? I must confess, it seems strange you didn’t find it necessary to inform me of his endeavors before now.”
Musica grimaced. As Godolphen had said, she hadn’t even considered that what she’d thought of as boyish tomfoolery on Allen and Leo’s part would ever be important enough to report to the Sage. “I... I was aware that Leo had begun attempting to combine magic with swordplay at Allen’s encouragement... However, it seemed Allen’s excitement was largely based on the idea that a flaming sword would look ‘awesome’ or so he told me. I didn’t think it would have any practical use, but I assumed the attempt would still help Leo further refine his elemental conversion, so I didn’t bother putting a stop to it...”
Godolphen shook his head slowly as though reprimanding a child, and proceeded to explain the particulars of his encounter with the spellsword-wielding Leo to all present. “It was dangerous—immeasurably so,” he concluded. “Even with my rather excellent defensive skills, one slight error in judgment and I would have been seriously injured. Musica, you are to prohibit student-on-student spellsword training during club activities unless absolutely necessary—and even then, have him use a regular iron sword, so we can at least minimize his mana output. Monitor his progress closely, and above all else, ensure no harm comes to him or any of the other students. I will reach out to the Seizinger family myself to inform them of this. Understood?”
The severity of Godolphen’s warning, once again, left those gathered speechless.
“There’s more,” he continued, rendering them even more speechless, if such a thing was even possible. “It would appear that Jewelry Reverence has succeeded in casting a simultaneous, multiple target healing spell, identical to that once used by Saint Sally. Tim, if you would?”
The attendees listened to Tim’s report. Unsurprisingly, it left them speechless.