Chapter 89
A moment of silence fell.
Even the professors were thrown into confusion by the first-year's outrageous act.
Miliang Levis.
A bona fide Rank 5 court mage, and a man who pursued the path of magic for the sake of the Empire.
But his true profession lay in entertainment.
It just so happened that he also had a talent for magic.
He looked around.
‘If things go on like this, Professor Karnarof should be able to handle it, but…’
He knew Karnarof's abilities to some extent.
An overwhelming might capable of folding the arena itself in half.
Of course, if things continued as they were, it looked as though he might fold the first-year in half instead.
But he couldn't control his instincts.
‘I've handled every imperial palace event with this kind of showmanship. I can't let this opportunity pass!’
“M-Monster!! The first-year summoned a monster!!!”
While everyone was flustered, he cranked the amplification magic's volume all the way up.
At the same time, he broadcast it live through the light magic installed throughout the arena!
“What on earth is happening!! A super rookie has appeared!!”
He poured oil on the fire with the appropriate commentary, and the spectator stands blazed as though they always had.
“Waaaaaaah!!!!”
“A new star is rising!!”
Even the Imperial Court Mage Corps, which had already left, was talking about it.
“As expected, a genius appears every once in a while. This won't be boring.”
“Could they be on Karnarof's level?”
“No way.”
Yumia put both hands on her hips and looked smug, while Karnarof pressed a hand to his forehead.
It was too late to take it back now.
Robin, the head of Lunaris's department, was also watching this unbelievable sight with his own eyes.
‘This mana, this pressure?’
The magic itself appeared to be an ordinary summoning spell.
But judging by that man's spirit and appearance…
‘Could he be an ancient hero?!’
Even summoned creatures often failed to obey their masters, yet that student was controlling hers perfectly.
How proficient was she with summoning magic!?
If this continued…
‘I might lose to Karnarof!’
The disgrace of the noble faction and an outlier in magical circles.
He had intended to crush that man's spirit, but wasn't he now in danger of being crushed in return?
Meanwhile, Richard was observing Leokan.
Its presence was certainly impressive.
But one creature at that level was manageable.
Yumia wouldn't be able to move freely after summoning something like that either.
That calculation was complete in his mind.
“Still not enough.”
At that level, he could still win.
Its mana consumption must be extreme.
But what if…
What if Yumia could move freely even after summoning that?
What if he had to face it while being attacked in concert?
Just as that question arose…
“Can you win?”
Robin approached.
Robin Schwertz, head of the department.
A top Rank 5 knight and a master counted among the Empire's most seasoned.
Even he was shocked by talent beyond all standards.
“I can.”
“You must win. Especially against that detestable Karnarof!!”
‘I hadn't planned on using that, but…’
Richard contemplated the mana flowing through his body.
Calm, yet heavy.
Mana that could turn violent at any moment.
Even apart from that mana, he was called a genius among geniuses.
He would have been the top student even without dragon mana.
But…
‘I may have to use it this time.’
A Tier-Five half-dragon.
The power of that overwhelming bloodline.
“This time, I'll show it to the world.”
He declared confidently to Robin.
“The difference in our class.”
* * *
“Nyaa, I thought I was going to die.”
Karnarof's gaze was sharp enough to actually kill.
[I'll let it slide this once. And if you're going to show your abilities, use your own magic.]
But the voice that echoed in my head was more lenient than expected.
It seemed to be thanks to the opposing professor having thoroughly riled Karnarof up.
I guess I can push it a little further.
‘Well, the emcee did tell me to show them something.’
Of course, it wasn't magic, but the Great Warrior's Mark was my bound item.
Couldn't this count as one of my abilities too?
He's awfully strict.
Then tell me some stronger magic.
I returned to the spectator stands, where Aris greeted me.
“What do we do now?”
“Now that they've finished introducing the student representatives… there's still time until the lower-ranked matchups this afternoon.”
It seemed to be a break.
Then Aris shouted.
“Oh, Your Highness!?”
Blue hair falling to her shoulders and golden eyes.
She had a rather composed air and wore a white uniform.
She was strikingly beautiful.
She was slightly taller than me and somewhat shorter than Aris.
“Do you know her?”
“Ah, you wouldn't know, Yumia. She's the second princess of the Stellane Empire. She's scheduled to enroll at Reinhart next year.”
“Hmm.”
So she was the child of a high-ranking government official.
An extraordinary one at that.
I understood.
“But people like that are usually rude. The noble bastards at this school are too.”
“Um… we're nobles too, you know…”
Ah. Even leaving Robert, the merchant's son, aside, they were nobles too.
Aris continued defending her.
“And she isn't like that. She has a truly gentle disposition. She was my childhood friend, too.”
“I'm more surprised that you're in a position to have a princess as a childhood friend.”
Robert retorted.
I thought so too.
I was surprised every time I reconfirmed that Aris was high nobility.
But she was coming toward the spectator stands.
“…Why is she coming this way?”
The princess looked around a little.
She seemed to be looking for something, and Aris waved and called out.
“Over here! Ray!”
Hearing that, she came up the stairs toward where we students were sitting.
Hmm.
So she'd come to see her old childhood friend.
I was just about to stand up, thinking I should give them some privacy, when
my hand was suddenly seized.
“So you're Miss Yumia! I'm Ray Stellane, the second princess of the Stellane Empire!”
“Huh?”
She gazed into my eyes with the corners of her lips slightly raised.
“I've heard a lot about you. I hear you've been making waves at the School of Magic. Oh, you can speak informally to me. I'm younger than you.”
“Then I will.”
“Ever since I heard about you in connection with spices, I've admired you quite a lot, Miss Yumia.”
Huh.
This was a little refreshing.
Usually people treated me as a troublemaker or a lunatic.
Admired?
“May I call you Big Sis?”
“Go ahead.”
I answered casually.
But the reply I received was unexpectedly shocking.
“Hehe, you're an interesting person.”
Was she serious?
“But being my little sister will be pretty demanding. Are you sure you're okay with it?”
With an absurdly strong dragon guy planted right there on guard.
Judging by the mana I could sense, he looked like someone who could uproot a mountain and throw it.
“I was taught that a junior's duty is to endure and overcome any adversity.”
That was beyond the level of adversity.
Well, someone like a princess should be fine.
Adrian probably wouldn't mind much either.
“Then may I borrow a little of Aris's time?”
“Anytime, if it's for Ray.”
The two of them scampered off somewhere.
“…What was that supposed to be?”
Robert, who had been standing beside me, explained.
“She's trying to recruit you. You're a valuable asset.”
“Popularity is essential in the imperial succession struggle, and recruitment basically starts with one's peers.”
“But do they usually close the distance like that?”
“Calling each other big sister and little sister isn't unusual. Usually, the princess takes the big-sister role, though. It is a little strange.”
I'm not the same age as her.
At this rate, I should be called uncle rather than big sister.
Sigh.
All these kids younger than me speak casually to me, while someone who treats human age as a triviality is calling me Big Sis, Big Sis.
My family tree had gotten thoroughly tangled.
* * *
Ray Stellane.
She was considered especially gifted and shrewd even among the Emperor's children.
Thus, despite not yet being an adult, she was a key figure receiving both the ministers' support and their scrutiny.
At last, she had made her move to find talent…!
Or so everyone thought.
“…I-I talked to her…”
After entering with Aris, she turned to Aris in a trembling voice.
“She was really amazing, wasn't she, Aris?”
“Pardon?”
“I mean Miss Yumia. I suppose you could say I've really come to admire her… If only I had that kind of strength…”
“Your Highness, I think that's a little different from what you're imagining…”
“Hmm? How is it different?”
Aris agonized over which version of ideal and reality she should explain.
But even if she explained reality, she didn't think the result would change.
“When I see her as my senior next year, I'm absolutely going to ask her to teach me magic!”
She smiled innocently,
and Aris couldn't shake the feeling that something strange had crept into the princess's emotions.
‘…Hmm, it's just a passing admiration.’
Aris decided not to think about it any further.
* * *
There are no matches today.
More precisely, only the lower-ranked matchups were scheduled for the afternoon.
The upper-ranked matchups are tomorrow.
Bored, I stopped by a booth in a corner of the arena.
Inside, it looked much like an ordinary pub.
The only difference was that it was located quite high up, with a view of the entire arena.
You could see the wins and losses at a glance, and even magnify them using something called an optical magic tool.
A betting parlor, gambling den, sports pool.
Whatever you called it, they all had one thing in common.
“They're open everywhere!”
It was doing brisk business here too.
More precisely, it was a system where you could bet on the results of the students' matches.
“Why am I…”
Of course, Robert had been dragged here too.
“But is it okay for something like this to operate so openly?”
I didn't really know, since I hadn't done much of this myself.
“Well, there are betting limits for commoners, and safeguards in place in various ways. It isn't exactly wholesome, though.”
“Then why did you come here? This is a place where you predict the students' wins and losses and make money…”
No matter how legal it was, this wasn't an atmosphere a student would normally visit.
From the start, commoners and nobles outnumbered Reinhart students here.
But I had come here to take this seriously.
“Robert. When you always win, gambling isn't gambling anymore.”
“What?”
“In other words, we're just here to earn money honestly.”
Spouting sophistry, I emptied out all my emergency funds.
‘I was short on money these days.’
I'd spent it all on buying this and that.
I took out four silver coins.
By the time we left this place, they'd all be gold coins.
“The first round is about to begin!!! Hurry with your bets!”
Using Dragon Eyes, I looked at the two contestants in last place.
They were definitely both commoners, barely enough to qualify as a mage and a knight.
But it was obvious who would win.
“Dealer, all in.”
“Four silver, received and confirmed!”
The employee accepted my silver coins and wrote out a betting slip.
“I told you this isn't a casino.”
It's my money.