“Alright, everyone, thanks for waiting! We’re kicking off the dance party, the grand finale of the William Academy Festival! Have a blast until the very end, ya hear?”
A roar of cheers erupted from the crowd.
In the end, Sheraha had been so constantly surrounded by people that I never found an opportunity to speak with her. She clearly intended to participate in the party, having quite boldly secured Noah as her partner.
“Seriously, what is that woman thinking? If she’s going to do something, she should just get on with it and attack. It’s creepy as hell.”
“However, looking closely at that demon woman, she is quite the sight to behold. No, of course she cannot compete with my beloved Sylpha-tan, but she is certainly putting up a good showing, wouldn't you say?”
“What are you even talking about...”
Grimo shot a cold look at the groaning Jiriel.
While I was certainly curious about what Sheraha was plotting, I currently had a far more pressing problem on my hands.
“Let’s do our best at the dance party, Lloyd-kun.”
Standing by my side for the opening of the ball was Connie, dressed to the nines. Her short hair had been elegantly pinned up, and she wore a frilly mini-dress. Floral accents were scattered across the fabric, and her high heels looked like a nightmare to walk in.
“Heh, you look like a different person.”
It was refreshing to see Connie in a dress; she usually spent her time in coveralls or other work-friendly clothes.
“Sylpha-san dressed me, but... clothes like these don’t really suit me, do they?” Connie pinched her fluttering skirt and tilted her head doubtfully.
I didn’t agree. “No. They suit you very well.”
“I-is that so...?” Connie seemed a bit bashful, likely because she wasn't used to the attention.
“Hoho... not bad at all. However, she didn't take off her glasses. They coordinate with the dress with a desperate lack of grace.”
“Fool. That is exactly what makes it good! Removing the glasses from a glasses beauty signifies the total loss of her identity! As expected, Sylpha-tan understands the core of the aesthetic! And that precious, bashful face... Hmph, perhaps it is finally time I started calling her Connie-tan...”
I left Grimo and Jiriel to their usual bickering—
Originally, Sylpha or the others were supposed to be my partners, but Birgitte had shut that down. “Dancing with your own maids?” she’d scoffed. “Have you no shame as a man?!”
And so, I had ended up paired with Connie.
That part wasn't a big problem. I didn't want to stand out anyway, so I actually welcomed the change. The real issue was what lay ahead of me.
In the direction I was looking, the other students were desperately practicing their steps.
“Right, left, right, left... Okay, turn here.”
“Ah, I’m getting nervous... One more time from the top. One-two, one-two.”
Awkward steps, immature turns, strained faces... It was a disaster. It was less of a dance and more of a rhythmic convulsion.
That was the problem: the level of those around me was far too low.
I had no personal interest in dancing, but during a previous party in Saloom, I had used Control System Magic to copy Albert’s techniques because I was too lazy to learn them properly. Because of that, even at my age, I’d been labeled a dancing prodigy, and I had bitter memories of how hard it was to manage people's expectations afterward.
I’d had no intention of ever dancing again, assuming everyone would eventually forget about it...
“Lloyd, I won’t forgive you unless you win this thing. You haven't forgotten the techniques from back then, have you?”
“There is no problem, Lady Birgitte. I have given Master Lloyd thorough instructions through his swordsmanship training. There is not a one-in-ten-thousand chance of him losing.”
“That’s right. Lloyd’s skill is on par with mine. A little time away from the floor won't even count as a handicap. Go out there, have fun, and bring home the trophy, Lloyd.”
...Unfortunately, everyone remembered perfectly, and their expectations were sky-high.
This was bad. If I won, I’d stand out. If I didn't, Albert and the others would think I was slacking off. Since Albert and Birgitte were judges, any obvious sandbagging would be exposed instantly.
“By the way, aren't Sylpha and Ren of the Poison Moth entering?”
If those two, who were both beautiful and skilled, entered, I might be able to fade into the background.
“There is no point in me entering if Master Lloyd is not,” Sylpha said.
“I don't want to dance with anyone else either...” Ren added.
Both of them let out deep sighs and shook their heads. They seemed so depressed that they weren't in the mood at all. I had no idea why they were so disappointed, but I wasn't exactly in a partying mood myself.
If only Albert and the others were on the floor, I wouldn't be the only one standing out... Wait. I just had a brilliant idea.
With this, I should be able to finish this dance party without attracting any unwanted attention. Heh heh heh.
“...What’s wrong, Lloyd-kun? You’ve got a creepy smile on your face...”
“No, it’s nothing. More importantly, the music is starting.”
The melody had already begun, and the pairs ahead of us were ascending the stairs one after another.
“Let’s go.”
“Y-yeah.”
Taking Connie’s hand, I ascended into the illusory castle.
◇
The stairs led to a grand hall where a dozen or so pairs stood at regular intervals. As we took our positions as the final pair, the tempo of the music shifted. It was the signal to begin.
I led Connie by the hand and started to move.
Initially, the melody was gentle, and everyone began to dance calmly. However, even in a dance where technical skill shouldn't have been obvious, everyone around us was terrible. Since they were students at the continent's top academy, they were likely more devoted to their studies than the ballroom. While dancing was a requirement for nobility, this was a meritocratic school filled with commoners and people who couldn't care less about social graces.
At this rate, we were guaranteed to win, just as everyone expected... but I wasn't going to let that happen.
I kneaded mana into my fingertips and activated a spell.
Immediately, the movements of every single person on the floor changed dramatically.
“W-what’s happening?! It’s like my body won't stop moving on its own!”
“The sharpness of my steps is on a whole different level! Could my hidden talent finally be awakening?!”
Everyone was startled, but they were too absorbed in the dance to stop and think about it.
Heh heh, it worked.
I had used Control System Magic to make everyone on the floor Trace Albert’s level of movement. This was my plan: if I raised the average skill of the entire room to a master's level, I wouldn't stand out at all.
It was a brilliant strategy. Now, even if I didn't win, Albert and the others wouldn't suspect a thing.
“How unexpected... I didn't think the students’ dancing skills were this high, but it seems I was mistaken. This might actually make Lloyd’s victory uncertain.”
“Yes, but Master Lloyd will surely manage somehow. Let’s watch closely. ...Wait, how strange. Their style... it looks remarkably like yours, Master Albert.”
The voices of the judges came through the microphones, but I was pretty sure I’d fooled them. Probably.
As the tempo of the music picked up, everyone’s dancing grew sharper, and the atmosphere in the hall became electric. So far, things were going perfectly. Because everyone was performing at a high level, I was successfully avoiding the spotlight.
Moreover, there was an unexpected bonus.
At the edge of my vision, Sheraha swung her long skirt and performed a magnificent turn.
“Oooohhh!” the audience roared.
The pair standing out the most in the hall was Sheraha and Noah.
“Whooa! You go, girl!”
“Whoo-hoo! Look over here!”
Most of the cheers were directed squarely at Sheraha. She was truly magnificent. Dancing with a blend of ferocity and grace, her movements were like flowing water, captivating everyone who saw her. Even watching from the side, it was hard to look away.
“Hoh... to think even I would be enchanted by a demon's dance... Hmph, she is quite something.”
“Why are you acting so high and mighty, you Shitty Angel? But what is that woman up to? There's no way she just came here to dance...”
Regardless, I was grateful the attention had shifted away from me. I didn't know why she had crashed the party, but I hoped she would keep hogging the spotlight.
Then, the melody shifted again. This time, it was a rhythm like crashing waves, perfectly synchronized with Sheraha’s movements. It wasn't part of the original program; she must have won over the musicians as well. Her victory seemed like a foregone conclusion.
I figured I could just keep dancing plainly in the corner.
“...But the more I look, the more incredible that dance is. Truly wonderful.”
“Yeah, even I’m mesmerized. I can see why the entire audience is transfixed.”
Even Grimo was joining Jiriel in praising her. It didn't matter much to me, but maybe if I stayed a little further away, I’d be even less noticeable.
Just as I prepared to move, a sharp whizzing sound cut through the air.
Something lunged for my throat.
Water. A blade of water imbued with compressed mana was deflected by my automatically deployed Magic Barrier.
The source of the attack was Sheraha. While continuing her fierce dance, she looked toward me with a bewitching, predatory smile.
“My, how impressive. To still be able to move like that after being subjected to my Flowing Water Dance at such close range.”
Every time Sheraha spun, Noah jerked and swayed like a puppet. His eyes were hollow, lacking any trace of will. It wasn't just Noah; I realized that none of the students dancing or the people in the audience seemed to have any conscious awareness left.
Something was definitely happening.
“I am Sheraha of the Azure, one of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Demon Army. My dance captivates all who behold it! Now, sit and burn this image into your retinas. Flowing Water Dance: Ultimate!”
Sheraha’s movements became even more frantic. Spheres of water floated around her, morphing and pulsing in time with the music.
I see. This dance was being used as a medium for mana. She was shifting the wavelength of her mana to match the dance, exerting a powerful mental effect on her audience. It was similar to Telepathy System Magic or Holy Magic—specialized arts that could force confessions or rewrite a person's personality.
Using only mana wavelengths without a formal Spell Formula was a fascinating approach. Perhaps because dancing was such a primitive act, it allowed for an effect that bypassed standard cognitive defenses and worked directly on the mind. How educational.
As I watched with genuine interest, Sheraha’s dance reached its fever pitch. She was jumping, leaping, and spinning with incredible intensity. If I had any aptitude for the art, I might have been able to describe it better, but my vocabulary for dance was unfortunately lacking.
“Impossible... My Flowing Water Dance is a technique that bypasses any Magic Barrier to instill a hypnotic trance. How can you be taking it head-on from this distance and feel absolutely nothing?!”
“Even if you ask me that... I’m just not that interested in dancing.”
I could distinguish good technique from bad because I was surrounded by experts, but to me, it was just movement. I had absolutely, not even the slightest bit of interest in the act of dancing itself.
The idea of using dance to carry mana was clever, but the underlying technique was relatively simple, so it didn't really pique my curiosity from a magical standpoint. The occasional water blades she threw at me weren't particularly powerful, either. Honestly, there wasn't much here to keep me engaged.
“Ugh... my dance, which even the Lord Demon King praised, is failing?!”
Sheraha looked absolutely devastated.
Looking at her, I felt a twinge of guilt—like I’d done something a bit mean to her.