The School Preliminaries proceeded without a hitch from that point on, and several students had already secured their spots in the Magics Chevalier.
Amelia Rose was, of course, among them.
She remained undefeated, having won every single match thus far.
Most of her bouts were over in less than a minute. Her duel with Mr. Alium was the only one that lasted roughly five minutes, but even then, she had seized a comfortable victory.
Amelia’s entry into the Magics Chevalier was guaranteed even if she sat out the remaining matches. Yet, despite her success, I harbored a lingering concern.
She was impatient. Or perhaps "restless" was the better word.
Frustration? No, it might have been something else entirely—but whatever it was, it weighed on her while she fought. What did her strength truly mean? How could she become even stronger? It seemed as though she were plagued by these questions every time she stepped onto the field.
As her friend, there was something I could do.
It might have been meddling, but I decided that I should at least try to talk to her. I waited for Amelia to finish.
"Ray? What are you doing here?"
Having claimed her usual victory, Amelia was about to withdraw from the arena. I intercepted her in the corridor leading back to the waiting rooms.
I leaned against the wall with my arms crossed, watching her out of the corner of my eye.
"Congratulations. Another win, I see."
"Yes. My place in the Magics Chevalier is already secure, but I can't afford to be complacent."
"And yet... you don't look satisfied. You're impatient. You're wondering if you're fine as you are, or if this is even the right path to take... isn't that right?"
She caught her breath.
Based on that reaction alone, I knew my assessment had hit the mark.
"Do you want to become stronger?" I asked.
The person standing before me wasn't the usual Amelia.
Like me, she was hiding something deep within her heart. That much was easy to see. And what she sought, above all else, was strength.
"In the Newcomers' Tournament at the Magics Chevalier... I know the eldest daughter of House Algren will be there. And she is... stronger than me."
"I see. So that’s where the impatience comes from."
"Yes."
Her gaze was sharp—intense enough to strike fear into anyone else. This wasn't her usual face. I also sensed that this single rivalry wasn't the only thing troubling her.
Amelia Rose was the eldest daughter of House Rose, the Head of the Three Great Noble Families. She was praised as a paragon of noble character and magical prowess, but we didn't truly know her yet. We didn't know what was buried in the depths of her soul.
However, I intended to wait until she was ready to share it. You don't force a heart open. But if it was a matter of strength, then I could certainly help.
"There's less than a month left until the Newcomers' Tournament... I could coach you, if you'd like."
"Is that okay? But you..."
"It’s fine. I don't need to release my suppressed abilities just to give you instruction. Besides, I have something Ainsworth entrusted to me."
"What is it?"
"A training menu for the Ainsworth-style Boot Camp. It’s what I used to build the foundation of my current abilities."
"Your starting point?"
"Exactly."
"And you're willing to teach it to me?"
"I am. But be warned: this is a path of carnage. It is a grueling regimen that even battle-hardened soldiers would flee from."
"But you overcame it, didn't you, Ray?"
"I completed it when I was a child."
"Then I'll do it."
"Hmph. Good spirit. Then follow me, Amelia. From here on, the path is steep. But if you survive it, you will become strong. Far stronger than you are now."
"I understand."
Amelia’s aura remained tense, but I could feel the raw hunger within her. If that was the case, I would lend her my strength.
Helping a friend in need is, after all, the most natural thing in the world.
◇
It’s hollow.
Does this victory even mean anything?
I was simply, mechanically performing a task that didn't even deserve to be called a match.
Before we even crossed blades, my opponents looked at me with eyes full of awe and trepidation.
Even if they had the will to fight, I could tell they had already accepted defeat before the start signal ever rang.
Fear, anxiety, hesitation—I could sense it all as clearly as if I were touching it.
Of course, I never held back. I simply, mercilessly piled victory upon victory.
And so, I secured my entry into the Magics Chevalier. Along the way, I faced Albert Alium again. He seemed to have refined his skills after witnessing Ray's battle, but I still turned him aside without any real difficulty.
I will likely finish the preliminaries undefeated.
That was expected of me. For the eldest daughter of House Rose, it was the baseline. I had been told since I was a small child that House Rose stood at the pinnacle of all sorcerers.
Therefore, I was expected to occupy that peak with effortless composure.
Valuing one's bloodline is fine.
But I wanted to ask them:
Are any of the current Seven Grand Sorcerers from the nobility?
I already knew the answer. There were no members of the Seven Grand Sorcerers among the Three Great Noble Families, nor among any of the major houses. If there were, the nobility would have shouted it from the rooftops.
They would claim that noble blood is sacred and stands above all other sorcerers.
But almost none of the current Seven Grand Sorcerers have made their identities public. I haven't even heard a whisper of a noble holding such a title. If we cannot even reach that pinnacle, what is the point of our "noble pride"?
I wanted to spit those words in their faces.
"Amelia. You are doing well. I have high expectations for you in this Magics Chevalier."
"Yes, Father."
Summoned to my father's study, I reported that my participation was confirmed. There was no praise. He spoke flatly, as if my success were a foregone conclusion.
"Speaking of which... I recall you have a poor track record in practical combat against Lady Ariane of House Algren."
"I will settle that debt in this tournament, Father."
"That is the spirit. Do not lose. You are the eldest daughter of House Rose, the Head of the Three Great Noble Families. Never forget who you are."
"Yes, Father."
Ariane Algren.
The eldest daughter of one of the Three Great Noble Families. Like me, she carries the crushing weight of her lineage. But there is a decisive difference between us: Ariane takes pride in it. She turns that pressure into her own strength.
Some might call her audacious, but to me, she looked like a bird flying freely through the sky.
But I am a bird in a cage. A pitiful creature that can never escape.
And so, today as well, I paste on my mask—crouching within this gilded cage as a fool.
◇
"Ray? What are you doing here?"
After my match, I was heading back to the dormitory when I found him in the hallway.
Ray White.
He is an Ordinary, and despite the derogatory nickname "Withered Wizard" that some use for him, he doesn't seem to care in the slightest.
With his slightly bluish-black hair and refined features, his somewhat androgynous looks are actually quite popular among the female students. He stands at 180 centimeters with a slender build, though there are rumors that he’s surprisingly well-built underneath his clothes.
At first, people avoided him because he was an Ordinary, but his personality and his sheer competence as a sorcerer have gradually won them over. Most people now see him as a remarkably talented sorcerer for someone of his common birth.
But he isn't just a talented Ordinary.
No. Ray is the one hailed as the strongest close-quarters fighter among the Seven Grand Sorcerers.
He is the Ice Sword Sorcerer.
I saw his true power with my own eyes. He is a transcendent sorcerer who wields absolute anti-magic alongside his ice blades. His strength was so overwhelming that it was hard to imagine anyone being stronger than him.
Knowing his past made my own heart ache, but I found him truly dazzling.
He was a free man. Unlike me, he had wings that could take him anywhere.
Talking to him now was a little painful.
Because it felt like my own helplessness was being thrust right in my face.
"Congratulations. Another win, I see."
"Yes. My place in the Magics Chevalier is already secure, but I can't afford to be complacent."
"And yet... you don't look satisfied. You're impatient. You're wondering if you're fine as you are, or if this is even the right path to take... aren't you?"
He didn't know everything, but he was exactly right.
I was impatient. Could I really win the Magics Chevalier? Could I actually defeat Ariane Algren? The anxiety was eating me alive.
I fought to hide that agitation during my matches, but I had to hand it to him—Ray had seen right through me.
"Do you want to become stronger?"
I hesitated for a moment.
Did I want to be stronger? For someone like me, who was simply wandering, the only path left was to keep moving forward.
I wanted to believe that my true self lay beyond that strength.
I wanted to believe that the day would come when I could finally leave this cage.
And so, I accepted Ray’s proposal.
◇
"Now then, Amelia."
"What’s the first step?"
I thought we were going to the training grounds, but for some reason, we were standing at the school gate. Ray wasn't in uniform; instead, he was wearing khaki-colored gear with a ridiculous number of pockets. It looked like some kind of military field outfit.
He had a whistle around his neck and a large backpack sitting next to him.
What exactly was he planning?
"You are going to undergo the Ainsworth-style Boot Camp. As I said, it is grueling. Soldiers have been known to break under this regimen. Do you still want to proceed?"
"Yes. I’ll do it."
I didn't hesitate. I didn't want to stay standing still anymore.
Ray is serious, loyal, and a dear friend. If he was offering to help, I had no reason to say no.
"I see. Amelia, from this point on, I am the Instructor. You are a trainee. Your only response is 'Ranger!' Is that clear?"
"Wait, what? What do you mean—"
"I said your response is 'Ranger!' Amelia trainee!"
My heart jumped.
His entire aura had shifted. His gaze was as sharp as a professional soldier's, a world apart from his usual gentle self.
What was happening?
He didn't give me time to think. He barked at me again.
"Where’s your response?!"
"R—Ranger!"
"Good! First, you will run the perimeter, head into Kafka Forest, and return here. It’s a light twenty-kilometer run. You are forbidden from using Physical Reinforcement. Understood, Amelia trainee?"
"T-Twenty kilometers without Physical Reinforcement?!"
"I said the response is 'Ranger!'"
"R—Ranger!"
Without a clue what I had gotten myself into, I went sprinting out of the academy gates with him.
"Haa... haa... haa... this is... I’m going to die..."
"Amelia trainee, hydrate."
When we finally made it back after twenty kilometers, Ray smoothly handed me a canteen. I’d wondered why he was carrying that backpack, but it seemed he had prepared everything we needed.
But how was he barely out of breath despite running while carrying that heavy pack? I hadn't sensed any trace of Physical Reinforcement from him, either.
"Ngh... gulp... gulp..."
Water had never tasted so good. But just as I was relishing the moment, we moved to the training grounds. From there, it became a true hell.
"Hey! Come on, come on, come on! One more! You can do it! Hey, hey, hey! Move it, Amelia!"
"Nnnnnngh!"
Next came the strength-training hell. It was a relentless process of pushing my body to its absolute limit. Ray held my feet while I struggled through three sets of a hundred sit-ups. When I finally finished the last one, I collapsed onto the grass.
"Good. That’s enough for today."
"Haa... haa... haa..."
"Amelia trainee, salute! To your feet!"
"R—Ranger!"
Wringing the last bit of energy from my muscles, I stood up and saluted him.
"Good. That concludes today's training."
"Ray... haa... does this... does this actually help...?"
Now that training was over, his atmosphere had softened again, so I ventured a question. He wasn't nearly as scary when he wasn't barking orders.
"Of course it does. Listen, combat as a Magic Swordsman is built on a foundation of basic physical skills. Many sorcerers rely too heavily on magic like Physical Reinforcement, but in the end, the most important factor is how you've conditioned your body. I don't like talking about raw 'grit,' but training your body is essential for your mental strength too. No matter how strong your will is, it means nothing if your body can't keep up. My Master drilled that into me from day one."
"I... I see..."
It was true that physical conditioning wasn't a priority at the academy or among the nobility. They were far too focused on the nuances of magic.
But Ray was different. He had stood on real battlefields as a soldier. He was a specialist in the art of killing. His experience was the foundation of everything he was teaching me now.
"Now, Amelia. Today was just the light version. We start in earnest tomorrow."
"Wait... that was the light version?!"
"I said the response is 'Ranger!'"
"R—Ranger!"
And so, my grueling daily life began.
I really might die... mostly from the muscle pain...