109 Leveling Up

The world of Noblesse Oblige was one defined by swords and magic.

Everyone threw their best specialties at one another, and the person left standing at the end was the winner. Simple, right? Except "strength" and "weakness" weren’t exactly terms you could define in a vacuum.

For instance, if Cecil and Cynthia went head-to-head in a fair fight, Cynthia would probably win nine times out of ten. But if the objective changed—say, to a battle where they had to protect something or a Team Battle—the math changed with it.

Then there was the simple matter of compatibility.

Carta possessed an overwhelming Advantage in the air. Tura, despite her high marks on the Noblesse exams, was terrible against opponents like her. By the time her signature slashes reached Carta, their power was usually drained to almost nothing. On the other hand, in an indoor skirmish or a sudden encounter, the odds of Carta beating Tura were practically zero.

Magic only served to complicate the equation further.

My Inviolable Domain was a prime example. It was effective even if the enemy knew it was coming, and if they didn’t? Well, the Barrier alone was enough to clinch a Victory.

And so, I finally decided on my next attribute.

I could technically use all of them, but I knew it would be more efficient to pick one and practice it until it was second nature. After class let out, I headed to the Underground Training Room and called her out.

"Sorry for dragging you here right after class," I said.

"It is no problem," Tura replied, though she glanced around. "More importantly, are you certain it is wise for us to be alone together?"

"Yeah, don't worry. I got proper permission. Right, Tura?"

Cynthia and Tura had already reconciled... I think. I mean, Cynthia's jealous streaks were cute and all, but I’d rather not have her burst in here with a frozen look in her eyes.

"I assume this 'talk' you mentioned concerns my technique?" Tura asked.

"Ha, you nailed it."

After some soul-searching, I’d decided to aim for complete mastery of the wind. It was widely considered to have the best compatibility with swordsmanship, and since I’d already been practicing Flight Magic, I could piggyback off that progress.

Fire offered explosive power, water provided defense, and the earth was great for terrain manipulation—they all had their charms. But my real bread and butter was combat revolving around Time Lapse. Prioritizing anything that synergized with my Flash was the only logical move.

"Naturally, I’m not asking for a handout," I added. "If there’s anything I can give you in return, just say the word."

Everyone was pushing themselves to the limit these days. If I was going to take up someone else's time to get stronger, paying them back was only fair. I’d done the same for Carta. It was just good manners.

Tura went quiet, pondering the offer for a moment. "...Then teach me Unnatural," she said. "I do not possess a vast pool of mana, and my attribute is limited to wind, but if I can master that Unnatural Wall, it should broaden my offensive options."

"I can do that. But fair warning—it’s a weird technique. It’ll probably take you quite a while just to get the hang of it. And even once you do, you won't be able to spam it."

"That does not matter," she said, her voice brimming with absolute confidence. "If it is me, I will make those few uses count."

I couldn't help but smile. In the Original Story, her weaknesses were her over-specialization in ground combat and her lack of defensive formulas. If she could whip out an Unnatural wall even a couple of times, it would change her entire playstyle.

Am I making my rivals too strong? Probably. But hey, I’m getting something out of the deal too.

"Now, where is the scabbard?" she asked, looking around. "It is the heart of my technique, yet I do not see one."

"Oh, I'll just create one with magic. It’s no big deal."

"Abnormal as always, I see..." Tura sighed, then shook it off. "Very well. Let us begin with the method of merging wind and sword formulas—"

I was going to get stronger. I had to.

But I wasn't the only one with that mindset. After everything that happened during the exams—and the rumors of the Pseudo-Demon—everyone was feeling the heat. They were all going to grow.

Honestly? I’m kind of looking forward to it.

---

"Lilith, are we done yet?"

"Not yet... Duke-san. I can... I can still keep going!"

In the ruins of Noblesse City Area A, Lilith had set aside her signature knives. She was challenging Duke to a pure hand-to-hand brawl, her body surging with mana. Even though she was covered in bruises, she forced herself back up every time he knocked her down, sliding back into a combat stance.

"Sorry," Duke grunted. "I’ve never been much good at holding back."

"No... I appreciate it."

Lilith knew the truth. Her attacks lacked the weight to be a finishing blow. At this rate, she would only ever be a burden to Weiss. She had reached out to Duke specifically to find what she was missing.

Duke, however, was in the same boat. He knew his poor aptitude for magic meant he was likely to be left in the dust soon. If he wanted to keep his place, he needed to be better. Faster. Stronger.

Lilith was beaten into the dirt over and over, but she rose every time. Finally, she used Recovery Magic to mend her battered body and exhaled.

"You okay, Lilith?"

"...No problem. Now, it's my turn to teach. I’m sure you’ll be able to master this, Duke-san."

"Ha! I'm counting on it."

Lilith began instructing Duke in the formula for High-Speed Movement Magic. By applying the formula from his arm down to his fist, he could shave milliseconds off his strike speed.

"—I see. Like this?"

Duke unleashed a punch visibly faster than his previous ones. He grinned, looking genuinely pleased.

---

Deep within the Forest of Demons on Mount Galial, Allen was a blur of motion as he dodged a relentless onslaught from a swarm of monsters.

"Grrr, Gawrr!"

"Hah... hah..."

Olynn watched him from the sidelines, her eyes sharp. "Construct the formula there... and apply it!"

"Got it!"

Allen’s palm glowed with a brilliant light as he slammed it into the forehead of a Magic Horse. The beast froze for two seconds, its eyes glazing over—but then it began to rampage again.

"Dammit... no good."

He’d been at this for hours.

"Phew... Subjugation is brutal," Allen panted. "Weiss pulled this off on his first try, didn't he? And against a Demon, no less."

"Weiss-kun is just... he's in a league of his own," Olynn said with a small smile. "But I think you’re doing great, Allen-kun. Your formula is almost perfect. Now you just have to understand the monster’s heart. Although... I know that’s the hardest part for you."

Olynn knew his history. For someone like Allen, who hated monsters with every fiber of his being, Subjugation was an uphill battle. Yet here he was, trying to make the impossible possible.

"I want to be stronger," Allen muttered. "But Olynn, you're the one who's improved. Right, Carta-san?"

"Yeah!" Carta chirped. "I think it’s amazing you can stay in the air for that long. It took me ages to learn that!"

Olynn was currently hovering several meters up, perched on her broom. For a monster-tamer like Olynn, her biggest weakness was being a sitting duck for enemy attacks. She was training to stay mobile and maintain her flight while her summons did the work.

Suddenly, a Demon Wolf emerged from the trees. Then another. And another.

Soon, seven of them had surrounded the group. But nobody flinched.

"I’m going to work hard too," Carta said, her voice steady. "I won't let everyone leave me behind."

She leveled her right hand at the pack. An instant later, she unleashed a Mana Cannon. Midway through its flight, the beam burst apart, splitting into multiple streaks of light that slammed into the wolves.

"Missed one... but not for long."

One Demon Wolf managed to leap clear of the blast. Carta didn't blink; she manipulated the mana from a distance, curving the shot mid-air. It banked around like a Homing Magic spell and took the wolf out from behind.

"There."

"Whoa, Carta-san! You’ve already got the hang of Homing Magic?"

"It’s only because Olynn-san taught me how monsters move, and Allen-kun taught me about attribute tendencies. I’m still not ready to use it against humans yet."

"It’s still terrifying," Allen noted. "The thought of a Mana Cannon coming at me from the sky is bad enough. If it starts chasing me? No thanks."

"Hehehe! I’ll just keep firing until I hit!"

---

Over in City Area B, Cecil was sprinting through a dense cluster of ruins.

The ground beneath her feet suddenly lurched like an earthquake, liquefying into deep mud. Cecil’s legs sank instantly, and Magic Threads shot out from the soil to bind her.

"Impressive," Cecil noted. "But not enough!"

She summoned a sword using a construction formula and shredded the threads in a single arc. With a burst of raw leg strength, she tore herself free from the mire and charged toward Shari, who was waiting in her line of sight.

Cecil swung her blade with everything she had. "Got you!"

The sword connected, but Shari’s body dissolved into a splash of water, soaking the ground with a loud splat. In the same breath, the real Shari dropped from above, aiming for Cecil’s throat.

"That was a fake—"

"—I knew that!"

Cecil pivoted, using a foot technique she’d seen Sierra use to block Shari’s leg. She spun like a professional gymnast, reversing her momentum to press her blade against Shari’s neck.

"I lose..." Shari sighed.

"Fufu. But we’re finally even now, aren't we?"

"A draw despite me having the terrain advantage is basically a loss for me," Shari grumbled.

"Don't say that. I still can't maintain a long fight, you know. But if you want to set traps, you need a bit more finesse. They’re a little too obvious right now. For example, if you used your Water Mimicry Magic to hide the fact that the ground was a mud pit, you could hit them with a double-layered trap."

"I see... you’re reading that far ahead..."

"Actually, could you teach me more about traps?" Cecil asked. "I can't make them on your scale, but even small ones would give me a massive edge in combat."

"Of course! Okay, so the trick to the formula is—"

---

"...Phew."

Back in her room, Cynthia was buried under a mountain of books.

She was engrossed in her studies, her eyes scanning formulas for top-tier magic that would have made even Cecil’s head spin. The pages were filled with diagrams of the human body and complex Recovery Magic.

Unlike a simple scrape or cut, deep internal damage required the kind of anatomical knowledge expected of a modern surgeon. Cynthia never missed a day of study. She wanted to be ready for anything—no matter what happened to Weiss.

She had to be able to handle whatever the future threw at them.

"...I see. So this is the foundation of recovery in a Western Formula. If I use my ice... I should be able to stop the bleeding while I work..."

With their own hopes and fears held close to their hearts, the Lowerclassmen of Noblesse Academy prepared to welcome a new year.