The atmosphere inside the mock battle arena felt different from the previous rounds.
A restless murmur rose from the stands.
Spectators watched with eyes full of expectation and certainty.
Standing at the center of the arena was——
Cedric Eisenwald.
Two students who clearly served as his followers stood behind him.
They really do look like attendants. Even though you’re nobles too.
As fellow nobles, it’s honestly embarrassing. Is it really fine to just hide behind Cedric the whole time? (Boomerang)
“Final match——Begin!”
A loud cheer erupted. It seemed everyone was simply enjoying the spectacle, regardless of who won.
However,
The girl standing beside me, Elysia, was acting strangely.
She was far too quiet.
She had never been particularly talkative, but this level of silence was new.
“…Elysia? Are you okay?”
“…Please don’t worry. I will kill that one myself.”
Her voice was completely flat as those terrifying words reached my ears.
What the hell is she saying? (Terrified)
A thin layer of frost was spreading across the ground at Elysia’s feet.
The grass froze with sharp cracking sounds.
Does she really hate Cedric that much…?
More importantly, the match had already started.
For some reason, Cedric hadn’t moved a single step.
“First, a probing attack. Fire.”
Oh? So you’re that type too?
The two followers hurriedly began their incantations.
“Flare Shot!”
“Air Slash!”
The beginner spells flew toward us, accompanied by the same tired incantations I had grown sick of hearing.
I had learned a lot from watching these matches, but honestly, this level of magic posed no threat.
Serena stepped forward.
“Too light.”
“——Wind Push.”
A burst of wind pressure scattered the incoming spells. So that’s what happens when two wind spells collide.
At the same time, Elysia acted.
“——Frost Edge.”
Rather than simply canceling the spells, her magic landed directly at the enemy team’s feet.
The followers’ movements halted.
“Uwah——!”
They slipped and fell hard.
That definitely broke something.
Without mercy, the follow-up came.
“——Ice Lance.”
I had seen Elysia’s Ice Lance many times during this tournament, but it had never once been neutralized by an opponent’s magic.
It felt like it simply overpowered everything else.
It’s pretty broken, honestly. I wonder what makes it so different?
The slender, razor-sharp ice spears pierced the ground beneath them, completely freezing the lower halves of the two followers’ bodies.
Light then enveloped the pair, and they vanished from the arena.
Both had been ruled unable to continue.
We now held a clear numerical advantage.
Cedric let out a sigh.
“Useless trash.”
Only then did he finally step forward.
Cedric drew a wand from his waist. It was likely an auxiliary casting tool.
Light gathered at the tip of the wand.
“Then I shall be your opponent.”
He raised the wand high.
“——Light Arrow.”
The arrow of light flew in a perfectly straight line… and it was fast!
The moment I saw that light,
I felt a strange sense of discomfort.
…This is similar to Yuka’s…?
No. Something’s off.
Yuka’s silver light was far more intense.
This guy’s is——
Compared to Yuka’s, it’s still weak.
“Serena!”
“I know!”
“——Spark!”
Lightning surged forward.
Light and lightning clashed at close range and exploded.
The dazzling flash made me catch my breath.
Cedric’s eyebrows twitched slightly.
“…I see.”
He began another incantation.
“Light Flare!”
What now?
Just as I thought that,
An overwhelmingly bright flash of light flooded the entire arena.
“It’s useless.”
Elysia’s calm voice rang out.
“——Frost Edge.”
A wall of ice rose up… Wait? Didn’t you just say Frost Edge?
…No. Looking closer, countless blades of ice were covering us like a protective shell.
The light refracted and scattered harmlessly.
In that opening,
Serena charged in.
“——Air Step.”
Accelerated by wind, she closed the distance to Cedric with light, floating steps.
“Spark.”
A lightning strike hit him at point-blank range.
Cedric’s body staggered.
Hey, hey, he’s dead, that guy (pity).
“…gh.”
His expression finally broke, yet he was still standing…
Then came the unexpected follow-up.
Elysia’s eyes glowed with cold light.
“——Ice Lance.”
An ice spear flew toward Cedric at terrifying speed.
It looked like a direct hit——but it was stopped just before impact by some kind of barrier.
“One more shot.”
“Hm? Serena——”
“——Spark!”
Lightning completely engulfed Cedric.
…Wait, did they actually kill him?
A brief silence fell over the arena.
Cedric had vanished.
It seemed the artifact had activated properly.
The referee shouted.
“…Due to the complete elimination of one team, the winner is Luka Team!”
The cheers that followed were so loud they hurt my ears.
After the match, when we returned to the waiting area, I found Cedric clutching his arm with a frustrated expression.
He slowly looked up.
Rather than pure frustration, confusion dominated his face.
“…Why?”
I didn’t order anyone to kill him. I don’t know anything.
Then Elysia spoke quietly.
“Be silent. For a member of the Count House to speak to Luka-sama without using proper honorifics is already completely inappropriate. Shouldn’t an apology come first?”
Her eyes were frozen solid.
Elysia is scary.
“If there is a next time, I will crush your entire house for that disrespect.”
That was clearly overkill. Good luck, Cedric.
Serena snorted.
“Apologize to Luka, Misunderstanding Count-kun.”
Please don’t start a verbal war. I’m already fine with this. Cedric didn’t mean any real harm, right?
“…Tch!”
Do you have a death wish? I’ll beat you up myself, you know?
Elysia and Serena can kill you with hypothermia and electrocution whenever they want…
…That’s right. In this match, I had simply stood in the back the entire time. I hadn’t done anything. No strategy, nothing.
We had won purely through the overwhelming power of my teammates.
Still, victory felt good. Thank you, both of you.
Cedric’s gaze turned toward me.
There was no longer any contempt in his eyes.
Instead,
He looked at me like something incomprehensible.
I recognized that look. That was the look you gave to an abnormality, wasn’t it?
And just the slightest hint of——fear.
The words he had spoken before the match, and that light magic of his.
…As I thought, it was somewhat similar to Yuka’s.
But the difference was decisive. It was the very rank of the magic itself.
Maybe I should ask Yuka about it.
The magic Yuka had started using without me noticing——I hadn’t paid much attention to it before, but now it was starting to bother me.
And so, my class practical exam came to an end. For the first time in a while, I spent the day lazily rolling around in my room.
“…Even if I want to ask, the timing never feels right.”
“What is it?”
Whoa!
That surprised me~! To think even I didn’t notice her standing behind me. Not bad, Yuka.
“…Is something wrong? You jumped quite high.”
“That was just exercise.”
“I see. So what did you wish to ask?”
…Ah, whatever. Let’s just ask! (Brain dead)
“…Yuka, you have the Light Attribute, don’t you?”
“…Yes.”
Eh? She admitted it surprisingly easily. So it was true.
That means what Cedric said was correct… but his magic and Yuka’s magic feel completely different, don’t they?
“I-I see.”
“Yes.”
That was it? Did I really hesitate so much just to ask that?
“…You aren’t going to ask anything else?”
“About what?”
“About the fact that I am a Dual Attribute Holder… or rather, more than that.”
I was surprised, but having both Light and Flame is basically protagonist-tier, you know?
“I was surprised, but that’s about it.”
“…Is that so?”
“Yeah. By the way, why were you in my room?”
The fact that she had entered her master’s room without making a sound was more concerning.
“That is… to receive my reward.”
“Reward?… Oh, right. That.”
“Yes.”
Yuka slowly approached the bed where I was sitting.
Reward. During the previous exam, I had relied on Yuka the entire time, so when I asked if she wanted anything, she had requested head pats.
My heart nearly stopped seven times (how am I still alive?).
I had been the most nervous, but since Yuka seemed to like it, she had started asking for head pats as a reward every chance she got.
We sat together on the bed. As Yuka tilted her head toward me, my hand hesitated for a moment.
“…Am I being a bother?”
“…No. I always think this every time, but is this really a reward for you? Isn’t this more of a perk for me?”
“…If that is the case, then please pat me without saying anything.”
Well, if Yuka says it’s fine, then it’s fine.
I placed my hand on Yuka’s head and gently stroked her hair, following its natural flow.
“……”
She fell silent, and I became completely absorbed in the silky smooth texture.
But even then, I couldn’t help but think.
…The reason Yuka needs this kind of contact is probably because of a painful past.
I want to know about it, but most of all, I care about Yuka’s feelings. If she doesn’t want to talk about it, she never has to.
I’ll do my best to respond to whatever Yuka needs.
Suddenly, while looking down, Yuka spoke.
“…Was he a nuisance? Cedric Eisenwald.”
Her tone was slightly different from before.
What kind of question was that? Not understanding, I answered while keeping my hand on her head.
“Not really. Cedric probably has his own circumstances too.”
I thought it was a safe, neutral answer.
“…I see.”
“Did something happen with Cedric? He was trying to invite you, right?”
I added a question of my own to keep the conversation going.
“No. If Luka-sama desires it, I was thinking of taking his head.”
“…Hm?”
As usual, her body was leaning against mine in a spoiled, childlike posture, her face still lowered.
Did I mishear? It felt like Cedric’s death flag just flashed before my eyes…
“…Shall I kill him after all?”
“No, it’s fine. Yeah, it’s okay.”
This time I heard it clearly. It seemed I had somehow gained the power of life and death over Cedric.
I want to throw that power away immediately.
When Yuka lifted her face and suggested killing Cedric, her expression was, to put it bluntly, pure horror.
Those crimson eyes were smiling gently, yet they seemed to be looking somewhere else entirely.
“If anything unpleasant happens, tell me anything, okay…”
“Right now, I am happy.”
…I see. Then that’s good (distant look).
To say something so unreal——that’s not like Yuka at all.
Yeah. I’ll seriously do my best to fulfill her requests.
Yeah, for real.