"...Hm? Rei? Where are you heading at this hour?"
It was night. Samarun, who had been reading in the cafeteria, caught sight of Rei stepping out of the dormitory and called out to him.
As befitted an Officer Academy located in Gracial—the seat of Duke Quento's domain—lighting magic items were in wide use throughout the facility.
Here in the cafeteria, thanks to both lighting and heating magic items, a handful of people besides Samarun were lingering over tea and conversation.
It served, in effect, as a common room.
"Just stepping out for some air."
"Air? In this weather, Rei?"
At Rei's reply, Samarun cast an exasperated glance toward the window.
Outside, while no snow was falling, a strong wind rattled the trees near the dormitory.
(Damn. Well, Samarun was assigned to support me—maybe I should fill him in after all.)
Few people knew Rei had been targeted during class today. Only Rei himself, Grink, who had been nearby, Academy Headmaster Erinde—and, though not human, Set.
Just those three people and one creature.
The fact that Samarun hadn't been told meant Erinde had likely judged there was no need to inform him. But as Rei's designated caretaker, it wasn't unusual for them to act together. Grink supported Rei during classes, but in day-to-day life, that responsibility fell to Samarun.
Weighing all this, Rei decided it might be best to bring Samarun into the loop. He gestured for him to step out of the cafeteria.
Slightly puzzled by Rei's manner, Samarun closed his book and came over.
Rei wanted to avoid drawing attention—making sure the others in the cafeteria didn't notice.
...Though this being the staff dormitory of the Officer Academy, there were plenty of skilled individuals about. Some had indeed picked up on something, but since it didn't seem like any real problem, they chose to pretend they hadn't noticed.
"So then, Rei. What are you planning to do outside on a night like this, in this wind? If you're going to see Set, I'll tag along."
"Nah, just a little errand. Tell you what—come along if you're curious. You might end up in some danger, though."
"Danger?"
Tilting his head, Samarun looked to Rei for an explanation.
Unsure how to answer, Rei decided to offer something that would pique Samarun's interest. Even so, with no telling who might be listening, he couldn't exactly blurt out that someone had tried to kill him.
What Rei finally said was...
"I was thinking of practicing a bit of magic... no, a skill."
"Magic!? I mean, a skill? Which is it?"
"Hard to say. Strictly speaking, I'd call it a skill that uses mana."
"Well, don't skills normally use mana?"
"That's not what I mean. ...Whatever. Like I said, come along if you're curious. Whatever skill I'm about to use, it's not like I'd mind someone watching."
Coming from Rei, that was enough. Samarun, who had unshakable faith in Rei's ability as a mage, had no choice but to go.
"Understood. Give me a moment to get ready."
Book in hand, Samarun headed upstairs.
Rei could easily guess he was going to his room to prepare for the outdoors. After all, it was a midwinter night with strong winds—cold no matter how you looked at it. He couldn't very well go outside dressed for a warm cafeteria.
"Times like this, you really appreciate the Dragon Robe."
The Dragon Robe, with its built-in climate control, was one of the most treasured items Rei had acquired since coming to Elgin. Without it, he'd be sweating in the heat and shivering in the cold like everyone else.
...Not that that wouldn't be perfectly normal.
After a few minutes of waiting near the cafeteria, Samarun came back down the stairs, bundled in several layers of robes and gripping a staff.
(A staff, huh... right, that makes sense. If it actually came to a fight, Samarun would need some way to defend himself. Without one, he'd just be dead weight. If he were a warrior who could hold his own in close quarters, it'd be different, but Samarun is a pure mage.)
By the time Rei finished that thought, Samarun had already reached him.
"Shall we go? I'm very much looking forward to this mana-based skill you mentioned, Rei. Where are we headed?"
Slightly swept along by Samarun's fervent enthusiasm, Rei briefly considered the spot behind the dormitory where he trained every morning—but immediately shook his head.
(I need my presence here to be noticeable. Can't go doing something like that right next to the dorm.)
If he activated a skill behind the dormitory, it would inevitably draw the attention of everyone inside. And if that happened, his goal of luring out whoever was watching him would be impossible.
(Or would they see me drawing attention and use the distraction to attack? ...No. Even if possible, the odds would be slim.)
He dismissed the thought as quickly as it came.
"Is there somewhere with not many people around? It's a skill practice, and I'd rather not involve bystanders."
"Somewhere empty? Well, it's a winter night, so there shouldn't be many people out at this hour to begin with. If anyone is, they'd probably be on patrol."
"...I'd rather not be seen by those kinds of people either."
Rei knew he was being somewhat unreasonable, but Samarun thought for a moment and eventually nodded.
"There is a place where people rarely come. It's a bit of a walk, though. Would that be all right?"
"As long as it's not too far. I'm not exactly fond of the cold either."
At that, Samarun gave him a rare flat stare.
"You say that, but you don't look cold at all."
"Well, true enough. More importantly, lead the way."
Samarun looked mildly put out at being brushed off, but the prospect of finally seeing Rei's mana drove the complaint from his mind.
(I would've preferred to see actual magic, though...)
He knew Rei trained outside the dormitory every morning and had gone to watch several times. But those sessions only ever involved physical exercise—bare-body training, nothing more. Samarun had never once managed to see the magic he so desperately wanted to witness.
That was why he couldn't help being intensely drawn to Rei's words—particularly the way he had emphasized "mana"—even if it was a skill rather than magic itself.
Fueled by that anticipation, Samarun guided Rei through the strong, freezing wind without paying much mind to the cold.
They arrived at an empty lot about ten minutes from the dormitory. There was nothing around—no buildings, no people. Naturally, it hadn't been shoveled. Each step sank about ten centimeters into the snow.
Samarun turned to Rei. "How about here? Not many people come this way. Though the snow's piled up, as you can see."
Rei silently surveyed the surroundings.
Samarun was momentarily gripped by the worry that this wouldn't do either, but the next words from Rei's mouth were unexpectedly favorable.
"No, this is actually better. Besides, the snow will be gone soon enough."
"Hm? What was that last part?"
Perhaps because the last few words had been too quiet, Samarun asked again, but Rei just shook his head.
"Nothing. You'll see. More importantly, keep your distance, would you? I doubt you'll be in any danger, but just in case."
"R-right... Understood. To think I'll get to see your magic—I mean, skill—with my own eyes. I'll be sure to study it closely."
Despite being told to keep his distance, Samarun drifted closer instead. Rei let it go with a wry smile—clearly, saying more would be pointless.
"Suit yourself. ...All right, then."
Rei's gaze dropped to the ring on his finger—the Ring of the New Moon, which concealed his mana.
Strictly speaking, there was no real need to remove it for what he was about to do. But his purpose tonight wasn't simply to practice a skill. It was to lure out whoever might be watching him.
...Or rather, to display such an overwhelming gap in power that the observer would falter and panic—giving away their position so Rei could track them down and capture them.
If that was the goal, removing the Ring of the New Moon made sense. He slipped the ring off his finger.
In that instant, a tremendous surge of mana erupted from Rei's body. Samarun, who possessed no mana detection ability, felt nothing—but watched with racing pulse, anticipating whatever was about to happen.
On the Officer Academy grounds, several instructors including Academy Headmaster Erinde sensed the enormous release of mana and were utterly stunned. Rei showed no sign of concern and focused his consciousness inward.
There were a few other students and instructors with mana detection abilities, but their sensing ranges were limited—either confined to their line of sight or otherwise quite narrow. That Rei's mana release didn't affect more people was, in retrospect, fortunate. A handful of others in Gracial had been hit the same way as Erinde, but the damage could have been far worse.
Rei concentrated on his mana—and the next moment, the skill activated. His ultimate technique: the Flame Emperor's Crimson Armor.
Mana, normally invisible to the eye, was compressed so densely that it became visible, swirling around Rei's body in a red haze. It looked as though he existed within the mana itself—or as if he were clothed in it.
"Red... red... mana..."
Samarun could barely manage those whispered words.
At some point he had sunk to the ground, but he showed no awareness of the cold snow beneath him. He could do nothing but stare at Rei.
That he merely collapsed rather than losing consciousness was because Rei wasn't directing his will at him. If he had been, it would have been questionable whether Samarun could have retained consciousness at all—just as the Mobile Unit members had been unable to during the civil war in the Bestia Empire.
There stood a figure radiating something that couldn't even be adequately described as overwhelming.
(Mana? ...Yes, this is mana! Without a doubt. I don't have mana detection ability, yet I can still tell that what Rei is wreathed in is mana!)
Because Rei's attention wasn't turned on him, Samarun somehow managed to pull himself together.
Once he did, his mind latched onto the situation before him. Despite having no mana detection ability, he could directly see and feel mana—a moment he could only describe as bliss.
(If Rei's mana is red, does that mean everyone's mana has a color? Rei specializes in Flame Magic. Does that mean visualizing mana reveals a color tied to each person's elemental affinity? No—Rei alone isn't enough data. If only there were someone else with a similar ability...)
Hypotheses multiplied in Samarun's mind, rising and falling in rapid succession.
(People who can see mana have been documented to some extent. The most common among them are those with Magic Eyes. If that's the case, then mastering this phenomenon—making it reproducible—could it mean that Magic Eyes could be granted to anyone? If so... if so!)
If Samarun had known that Rei acquired this mana-enveloping skill—the Flame Emperor's Crimson Armor—during his battle with Noise, and that Noise could use a similar ability called the Overlord's Armor, Samarun might well have traveled to the Bestia Empire.
That was how consuming his excitement was.
Rei cast a brief glance at Samarun, but having half-expected this reaction, he wasn't surprised. He turned his attention to scanning the surroundings.
Using his five senses and even his Sixth Sense, all sharpened by the Flame Emperor's Crimson Armor, he swept the area—only to confirm that nowhere, in any direction, was there anyone bearing hostility toward him.
(Gazes, though... well, I already know about that one.)
If he meant pure gazes rather than hostility, Samarun was right beside him, staring hard enough to bore a hole through him.