019 Those Under His Spell

“These are the points for the month. The one leading the pack—by a terrifying margin—is Weiss Fancent. He is... he’s an anomaly.”

I stood in the Academy Director’s office, my usual stoic mask completely shattered. I could feel the fear creeping onto my face, and I couldn't stop it. I’ve evaluated countless students in my time, but the sheer, raw talent this boy radiated was unlike anything I'd ever seen. It was overwhelming.

“They certainly aren't the points you’d expect from an underclassman,” the Director mused. “And more than half the grade has been expelled... that has to be a new school record.”

“His Creation Magic of Darkness and Light has already surpassed the limits of what a student should be capable of,” I replied, my voice trembling slightly. “Even in swordsmanship, having been trained by that Milk, his skill is enough to make even my head spin. And to my utter shock, both Lilith and Cynthia are growing at a pace that would have been physically impossible when they first enrolled. Honestly... I don't understand it at all.”

Since I was a child, I’ve always been gifted—cursed, really—with the ability to see the true potential of others.

It’s a byproduct of my upbringing. I was born in a small, nameless nation, raised among the forced converts of a meritocratic cult. They taught me to trample over others, to discard even my closest friends without a second thought. By the time I reached adulthood, I was colder and more calculating than anyone I knew.

But then, a massive war wiped my country off the map. I lost everything. I survived by becoming a mercenary strategist, clawing my way up using nothing but my own pragmatism and experience, eventually earning a position as an instructor here at Nobless Academy.

Yet, despite everything I’ve seen on the battlefield, the growth of Lilith and Cynthia left me utterly baffled.

“Have you ever been charmed, Chloe?” the Director asked suddenly.

“...I’m not sure I follow.”

“Adoration, blind faith, devotion, fanaticism... or perhaps just pure trust. Every so often, a talent appears that is so overwhelming, it drags everyone else up along with it.”

“I understand the concept, of course,” I admitted. But aptitude is supposed to be innate. It’s the sum total of a person’s being. There are no exceptions... or so I’d always believed. “However...”

“Hmph. And what about Allen?”

The Director’s sudden question caught me off guard. Allen—the mediocre commoner. I didn't even understand how he’d avoided expulsion this long. Sure, he showed flashes of strange power occasionally, but from my perspective, he wasn't even worth my interest.

“I wouldn't call him the absolute bottom of the class, but he doesn't excel at anything. We have students with rare talents like Carta and Shari, but Allen doesn't even have a specialized magic type.”

“Hmph... You still have much to learn, Chloe. It isn't just those close to him who are being charmed. Mark my words, that boy is going to transform.”

I couldn't bring myself to believe it. Not the fact that Allen only passed his entrance exam because of the Director’s personal intervention, nor the fact that Darius—a man who never praises anyone—kept shouting about how the boy was going to become something "incredible."

At least, I couldn't believe it at this stage.

Meanwhile, Lady Cynthia and Lilith were sequestered in the depths of the school, throwing themselves into their training.

They were in the basement of Nobless Academy, inside an arena facility reserved for high-ranking underclassmen. The simple spectator stands were empty; the place was usually only used for exams. The center of the arena was wrapped in layers of soundproofing and anti-magic wards, making it the perfect place to train without being disturbed.

“Ice Lance!”

I fired the spell at Lilith without a hint of hesitation. The lances were transparent, nearly impossible to track with the naked eye, and packed enough punch to cause a life-threatening injury.

But Lilith didn't flinch. She charged straight at them.

At the very last second—the absolute limit of a heartbeat—the icy tips grazed her cheek as she dove past them, closing the distance between us instantly.

Our styles were total opposites. Lilith was talented enough to have earned the alias Silent Witch, and she excelled at lethal, close-quarters combat. I was the reverse; my strength lay in long-range magical bombardment. My ice was a rare evolution of the water element, one of the Four Great Elements.

I’d mastered it naturally as a child. Everyone called me a genius, and I believed them. Because of that, I never saw the point in trying. Everything was just... boring.

But meeting Weiss changed everything. Seeing him—never satisfied, always pushing himself toward some unreachable height—it did something to me. It struck a chord deep in my soul.

“Hah!”

Lilith lunged, driving a concealed knife toward my face with everything she had. I didn't move an inch. Instead, I deployed a partial Ice Shield to catch the blade.

Lilith didn't miss a beat. She used the opening to slam her left foot into my ribs, breaking my stance so she could follow up with another strike. Pain flared through my side, and I gritted my teeth to keep from screaming.

I let out a sharp breath, refining my mana with a no-chant casting. A blade of ice erupted from the ground, piercing straight through Lilith’s right shoulder.

This wasn't "training" anymore. It was dangerous. It was reckless. But we both knew that anything less than this was a waste of time.

If we wanted to catch up to Weiss, we had to go this far.

“Pant, pant... Not bad, Lilith.”

“...Hah... Neither are you, Lady Cynthia.”

We stayed like that for a long time, continuing our life-and-death struggle.

“Lilith, why do you work so hard?” I asked eventually.

We were taking a break, using Recovery Magic to mend each other's battered bodies. I knew the obvious answer was "for Weiss," but I still couldn't quite wrap my head around her intensity. I was his fiancée; if our engagement was broken, that was it for me. But Lilith was his maid. She could stay by his side regardless.

“...When I look at Lord Weiss, when I see his conviction and the way he never stops working... I realized I couldn't keep staying the way I was,” Lilith said softly. “At first, I just wanted to be near him. I was happy with just that. But now, it’s different. When danger finds him, I want to be someone he can actually rely on. I want to be strong.”

“I see... That’s very noble of you. But you’re wrong about one thing—you’re already strong, you know? Much stronger than me.”

“That isn't true. Your magic is... incredible, Lady Cynthia. Compared to you, I’m nothing...”

I shook my head slowly.

“I was just lucky. I had way too much confidence in that fake thing I called 'talent.' Now... I’m just grateful. Thanks to Weiss, I finally understand how to actually use my abilities. I want to see the world from his side. I want to see the scenery he sees. Not as some decorative accessory, but as someone he can be proud of.”

“Fufufu. Then let’s give it our all, Lady Cynthia. Someday, we’ll make Lord Weiss look at us and actually ask, ‘Won't you help me?’”

“Lilith, I like the sound of that. Fine then—as soon as we’re healed, let's go another round. We’re taking first place in the next tag match.”

“Yes! Let’s do it!”

Weiss Fancent. One single man was rewriting the very fabric of the world.