Chapter 211
Icarus, who was lying on a high rock observing the situation, said, "Damian is slowly coming up."
Louis answered from below, "Is he moving as expected?"
"I thought he might notice because the mana field is so strong... But he's entered the trap too easily."
Louis nodded.
"He must be completely inept at magic."
"Should we start the ambush right away?"
Louis stood up, brushing off the dirt.
"Start the full-scale attack when I give the signal. Until then, slowly wear him down. We need him to keep his wits to extract the information he's gathered."
"Understood, Senior."
The Magic Department, generally weak in close combat, took charge of rear support from behind rocks and mist clouds.
And for certain suppression, Louis would step forward to directly face Damian with swordsmanship.
Damian stepped onto the central grassland of the plateau where magic traps were set. The traps had not yet been activated.
Knife-like winds blew fiercely along the mountain range's spine. White clouds rode these winds, covering the plateau where they stood. For a moment, their vision was obscured by misty vapor.
The sound of Damian's footsteps on the gravel grew closer.
At the right moment, Louis emerged from his ambush and approached Damian.
"Sending a first-year alone to a place like this, do your people have no comradeship?"
Damian's silhouette looked around and then spoke towards where Louis was standing.
"...Who are you?"
"Well, one of the many people targeting you."
"Are you from the Dance Club?"
"My, you've made enemies not just with us but with the Dance Club too? Looks like you're hopeless at adapting to Eternia."
Despite the sarcasm, he showed no signs of displeasure and spoke after thinking silently, "You're from the Drama Club."
"That's right."
Again, wind blew from the lower ridge. The mist clouds were swept away instantly, revealing Louis standing with his sword drawn.
"May I ask why you're doing this?"
"This is competition. If you lack skill and organization, you'll end up being devoured by other superior groups."
"Are the separated Art Club members in a similar situation to me?"
Louis raised his eyebrows as if it were obvious.
"It must be miserable. They have to face the top seat of the first and second-year Magic Department."
"That's the worst."
Louis politely smiled at the corner of his mouth.
"This is why you need to choose your ship well. When the rats start leaving one by one, you should know there's a problem with the ship."
"...Now I understand why the seniors gritted their teeth whenever the Drama Club was mentioned."
"Yes. Unfortunately, you'll end up gritting your teeth like your seniors."
Despite Louis's provocation, Damian maintained a calm attitude without being stimulated.
"I have no ill feelings towards the Drama Club."
Damian showed no fighting spirit. Louis approached Damian threateningly, holding his sword with both hands.
"Right, because you need to look good to girls like Luna and Trisha."
"...They are friends I care about."
Louis approached Damian in one breath and swung his sword down from above.
Clang!
Damian quickly reacted and received Louis' sword.
They stood in a deadlock for a moment, swords pressed against each other.
"Don't worry. Luna doesn't rely on you alone."
"..."
"Luna told me all about your weaknesses. Even things unrelated to combat. Even though I didn't really want to know."
"Is that so?" Damian responded insensitively.
He didn't seem to be paying much attention to Louis' words.
"Yes, that you're from a poor family, an orphan who knows nothing of dignity or etiquette."
"Hmm."
"And she was crying that she couldn't introduce you to her family because you have no family tree. That you're just friends within Eternia."
"I see."
"Luna was hostile to men at first, but as time passed, she slowly started opening her heart. Especially to me. Maybe it's because our backgrounds are similar."
Damian slowly stepped back while their swords were locked. He was gradually being pushed back.
"And this vacation, I'm going to the central Sky Garden of the Empire with Luna. As soon as I suggested it, she agreed right away. Women are creatures of vanity, they say. Ah, this might not be something you can relate to. It's a place only accessible to those with connections to royalty."
"It seems Luna is doing well in the Drama Club."
"I'm sorry, it feels like I'm stealing one of your few friends."
Despite the bold provocation, Damian showed no signs of being stimulated. This gradually made Louis feel frustrated.
He leaped in again and swung his sword at Damian.
Clang!
Although his defensive posture was clumsy, Damian's sword that clashed again didn't waver. Louis' hand ached as if he had struck a rock.
"How did you get admitted with such basic skills?"
Damian calmly proposed first, "Let's end this with a light sparring match. We have a long way to go, don't we? If I lose, I'll hand over the materials I've investigated."
"On top of that, never approach the Drama Club again."
"Is there any reason I should agree to that?"
"This isn't a proposal."
Then Louis kicked Damian's chest, pushing him away.
"Because I'm going to make it so."
Kicked away, Damian staggered backward but barely managed to keep his balance.
Louis raised his sword to the sky to signal his hidden companions.
Then the magic circle hidden under where Damian stood began to glow as it received mana.
From somewhere obscured by mist clouds, something came flying, cutting through the air.
Whoosh!
With a sudden impact, Damian's body, which had been pushed back, lurched forward again. A fireball had hit him from an unseen location.
It wasn't enough to cause a fatal wound, but it wasn't an attack that could be ignored either.
Damian briefly looked back to where the fireball had come from. There was only thick mist, with no human figure visible.
Perhaps surprised by the unexpected attack, Damian breathed heavily.
Louis smiled at the corner of his mouth.
"Did you think only I was here? Of course, I alone would be enough, but I couldn't leave those with idle hands alone."
"..."
The ambushing companions hadn't even made their move yet. Seeing how he greatly staggered from just one magic trap activation, it seemed things would go smoothly.
While Damian was regaining his balance, another fireball flew in.
"Kuhak!"
Damian fell to the side, taking a direct hit to his flank.
By Louis' estimation, Damian seemed to have no experience with this type of magic.
If he couldn't escape the magic circle, the fireballs would endlessly torment Damian.
Damian stood up holding his sword and deflected another fireball coming from a different angle.
Bang!
With a dull sound, a red-hot stone was deflected away.
Taking advantage of this opening, Louis rushed at Damian again. Damian hurriedly turned his body to defend. However, because Louis delivered an upward sword strike from below his line of sight, he couldn't respond immediately.
Damian hastily pulled his body back, but Louis' sword left a shallow, long wound on the front of his thigh.
He slightly frowned as he looked at his thigh.
Soon after, without a moment to catch his breath, fireballs rushed in again. Damian urgently twisted his body to avoid the attacks. He was barely avoiding direct hits but seemed to be struggling just to protect himself. It looked like watching an unskilled clown's clumsy performance.
"Is that all you've got? I expected something a bit more impressive."
"..."
"Looks like I won't need to use the second strategy."
Seeing Damian struggle against basic level coordinated attacks, Louis felt deflated.
Just as he was about to sigh, wondering why Ruscus had lost to such a guy in the sparring evaluation,
Taking advantage of his moment of carelessness, Damian corrected his posture and rushed at Louis, swinging his sword in the blink of an eye.
"...!"
His movements had changed to be as fierce as a cat's. His previous struggling appearance was clearly a deception.
Clang!
When Louis blocked the sword, a heavy impact was transmitted to his wrist. The trajectory of Damian's sword swing was somewhat clumsy, but the power behind it was formidable.
As his palm stung, Louis bit the end of his lip.
They faced each other's eyes with their swords locked. Damian's eyes were still utterly calm.
***
After separating from Damian, the combined group of the Art Club and Instrumental Music Club pushed on toward the next village. They had a smooth journey along the well-trodden mountain path, but this didn't last long.
They briefly stopped the carriage to find lunch, but had to hurriedly depart again when two Instrumental Music Club members who had gone scouting returned with pale faces, urgently warning of a threat.
"Wolves, wolves as big as bears are lurking nearby!"
The second-years showed bewildered reactions, but the first-years were terrified.
This was because the white wolf was like a symbol of Luna, the genius spirit summoner.
"Wolves?"
Cecil had to explain in detail to the second-year students.
"It's the wolf spirit that Luna from the Drama Club controls. It seems to have discovered us during reconnaissance, and if we're attacked, we'll be helpless against it."
"Is it strong?"
"I've seen it fight during Circulation System class. It's unbelievably strong for a first-year. None of us could handle it."
They had to leave urgently without even satisfying their hunger, but less than an hour later, they were being pursued by the spirit.
The carriage ran at full speed, but soon the wolf caught up at a terrifying pace, following along the forest beside the mountain path.
After about ten minutes of this chase, Sierra from the Art Club expressed doubt.
"W-why isn't it attacking? I-if it really decided to attack, it could probably overturn the carriage."
It seemed poised to pounce at any moment, but for now, it was only pursuing without launching a preemptive attack.
Lilith, who had been silently watching the wolves, said, "Maybe it's because it's Damian's carriage, or rather, Professor Silveryn's carriage."
"How polite. Is it waiting for us to voluntarily come out from hiding in the carriage?"
"It might be okay for now, but if we keep running like this, the horses will soon lose strength and we'll end up surrounded."
Then Fabella carefully said, "Let me down. I'll face it."
All the Art Club students tried to dissuade her.
But Fabella didn't back down.
"I faced Luna in the last sparring evaluation. Because we couldn't settle it due to an accidental incident, Luna is probably quite frustrated too. If I face her again, Luna might hold onto me and let you all go."
***
The carriage's speed gradually decreased. Accordingly, the pack of wolf spirits leaped in front of the carriage, blocking the path and slowly tightening the noose.
Finally, the carriage came to a complete stop, and Fabella opened the door and came out.
Then, looking towards the forest that seemed empty, she said, "It seems your goal is just me alone. Am I right?"
Then a blonde girl who had been hiding behind a tree revealed herself.
The other companions watching this covered their mouths in surprise.
Luna silently nodded towards Fabella, her mouth tightly shut.
"Will you let our carriage go for now? Well, I guess the remaining Drama Club members will attack anyway."
Luna quietly nodded.
"...Go."
The wolf pack cleared the path again.
At Fabella's gesture, the carriage started moving again. Thus, leaving only Fabella behind, the carriage disappeared from sight.
"What do you plan to do with me?"
"We're going to fight."
"You seem to have a lot of ill feelings towards me. Right?"
"..."
"If you act like this, Damian will come to hate you. Can you handle that?"
"...My friendship with Damian isn't so light that it would be shaken by such a trivial matter."
"A trivial matter..."
Fabella wore a lonely expression. Luna didn't understand why she had such a face.
"Do you really think so? Damian doesn't forgive those who turn against him."
"You speak as if you know Damian well."
Fabella leisurely combed her hair with her hand as she walked around. Despite the confrontational situation, her gestures showed no tension at all.
"Mmm, he's like a gem of the Art Club, you know. He pretends to be indifferent on the outside, but do you know how much he cherishes you? I couldn't just leave you alone."
"Damian isn't close with you, Senior."
"Well, things have changed a lot since we spent the night together yesterday."
Despite the obvious provocation, Luna bit her lip as if angered.
"..."
"How much do you know about Damian?"
"...I know him best in Eternia. Because I'm his closest friend. When I first saw him, he wasn't as handsome or strong as he is now…”
"Damian was strong enough when he entered the academy."
Fabella asked with a faint smile and unfocused eyes, "Why do you chase after Damian so much?"
"...I don't chase after him."
"Do you love Damian?"
Luna's eyes widened for a moment. Surprised by the sudden question, she kept her mouth shut and remained silent.
"If not that, are you just admiring him? Just like an apprentice mage following and investigating the footsteps of a great mage they respect."
"...That's none of your business, Senior. I came here to fight you, not for love advice."
"Why do you want to fight me?"
"...Because there's something I need to confirm."
"Is it something like... the pride of the first-year top seat who couldn't even beat an ordinary second-year?"
"..."
"You're not as perceptive as you look. Do you think the anomaly during the sparring evaluation was... just an accidental incident?"
The air around Fabella gradually began to grow heavy. A strong magical pressure that would instantly make someone untrained in magic lose consciousness was weighing down the surroundings.
Fabella slowly raised her head, ignoring Luna.
The sky, which had been clear, was now full of dark clouds, and the cool breeze now carried a biting chill.
Fabella's hair began to ripple as if it had escaped gravity.
Soon, white snow began to silently fall from the sky to the ground.
The spirits beside Luna sensed the ominous energy and began to surround Fabella. Although all escape routes were blocked, she just vaguely looked up at the sky.
"Damian is an unusual child. Wherever he goes, he disrupts order and absorbs misfortune."
"Don't pretend to know my friend."
Fabella, disregarding her, said something meaningful, "You might want to be with him, but with your half-hearted resolve and ability, you'll only be a burden."
Fabella stretched her hand towards Luna. Soon after, a blue light began to emanate from her hand.
***
The standoff didn't last long. Another barrage of fireballs aimed at Damian provided an opportunity for counterattack.
Louis kicked Damian's abdomen, pushing him away.
Damian cunningly slid his sword, cutting Louis' forearm as he was being pushed back.
Having received unexpected attacks in succession, Louis also hastily pulled his body back.
He wasn't injured, but the bandage wrapped around his left wrist was cleanly cut off and scattered into the air.
This revealed a clear wolf bite mark engraved on Louis's left arm.
Damian showed interest in that scar.
"...It's Luna's wolf, isn't it?"
"..."
There was nothing else that could leave such a large tooth mark except Luna's wolf. He perceptively identified the nature of the scar at once.
"What did you do to Luna?"
"It happened accidentally while we were playing intimately alone, but I don't want to explain in detail. I have no obligation to do so."
"I'll ask again. What did you do to Luna?"
Damian's voice, unlike before, carried weight.
"Even if you knew that, nothing would change. And I have no intention of telling you."
The veins on Damian's forearms bulged. Anger began to rise in his eyes, which had been calm until now.
A knife-like wind that came up the valley brought mist, suddenly enveloping the battlefield.
Damian's figure was obscured by the misty vapor.
With visibility completely blocked, their voices exchanged, "Where is Luna now?"
"Isn't it about time you stopped concerning yourself with Drama Club matters?"
"...You'll tell me soon. Because I'll make you."
"Such bravado."
Just then, Louis narrowed his eyes at a strange sight. Golden eyes flashed like those of a beast in the thick mist.
"...What?"
With the following gust of wind, the mist clouds were cleanly swept away.
And where Damian should have been standing, nothing remained.