◇ Chapter 2: New Characters
Carol Caroline (Female) Age: 29. Appearance: She had flashy pink hair, elegantly styled in loose vertical curls. A beauty mark sat beneath her right eye. She stood 163 centimeters tall. Profile: She had served in Operations Command, supporting the Arnold Kingdom Army's Real Combat Maneuver Unit. After retiring, she began working as a researcher. Since she found herself with a fair amount of free time, she accepted Abby Garnet’s request to teach at the academy. Though she was an old acquaintance of Ray White’s, she was surprisingly concerned about the fact that he disliked her, leading her to attempt a serious romantic approach. She was one of the Seven Grand Sorcerers, known by the alias "Illusion Sorcerer." Her essence was "Herrschaft." Her magic was also named "Herrschaft." While her skills as a sorcerer were world-class, her difficult personality caused her to be avoided by other sorcerers and the Magic Association alike. She was currently looking forward to her date with Ray. Despite appearances, she actually got along quite well with Lydia. Notably, she was completely unable to stand up to Abby.
Clarice Cleveland (Female) Age: 15. First-year. Appearance: She had blonde twin tails, a hairstyle she reportedly possessed an extraordinary obsession with. She was 154 centimeters tall and had a slender frame. While she pretended not to care about her lack of curves, she secretly attempted to improve her physique through calisthenics. Profile: The eldest daughter of the high-ranking noble House Cleveland. She was a girl who loved twin tails and was loved by them in return. She had spent much of her life alone without friends, but after meeting Ray and the others, she gained her first true companions. Although she usually maintained a prickly "tsundere" exterior, she was a kind-hearted girl at her core. Her dream for the future was to become a Hunter. She was currently troubled by various concerns, but she intended to consult Ray about them eventually. She hoped to spend plenty of time playing with everyone during the summer vacation.
Ariane Olgren (Female) Age: 15. First-year. Appearance: She had platinum vertical curls. Her height was on the taller side at 175 centimeters. While she possessed an outstanding figure, it was the result of disciplined effort rather than nature. She actually loved junk food, but she exercised strict self-restraint. She appeared to look forward to her "cheat days" with great anticipation. Profile: The eldest daughter of House Algren, one of the Three Great Noble Families. She was Amelia Rose’s childhood friend, but she harbored deep regret over the feeling that she had abandoned Amelia as the other girl drifted away. From that point on, she had strove to become a model for Amelia and a noble she could be proud of. Although she was the runner-up in the Newcomers' Tournament, she sincerely congratulated Amelia on her victory. Recently, she had become curious about Ray, the person who had changed both Albert Alium and Amelia. She suspected he was no ordinary person, a suspicion that extended to his cross-dressing persona.
Tiana Algren (Female) Age: 8. Appearance: She wore her hair in platinum vertical curls, a style modeled after her sister Ariane. She stood 125 centimeters tall. Recently, she had developed a fondness for frilly clothes. Profile: Ariane’s younger sister and the second daughter of House Algren. She had become quite active lately and often wandered out alone. While her family worried, she traveled to various places under the guise of "adventures." She had taken a liking to Lily and wished to meet her again. Furthermore, she possessed significant magical aptitude. It was said that she would one day become a sorcerer rivaling Ariane.
Maria Bradley (Female) Age: 14. Appearance: Her height was 172 centimeters, making her taller than her older sister, Rebecca Bradley. She wore her hair in an inverted semi-long bob, with her bangs cut diagonally so only one eye was visible. She had a large number of piercings on the ear she kept exposed, extending from the lobe into the cartilage. These piercings were her personal hobby, though they drew disapproval from her family. Profile: Rebecca Bradley’s younger sister. Her appearance was vastly different from her sister's, characterized by deep red eyes and pure white hair and skin. She had Albinism, which was said to be caused by magical factors. However, she had no health issues other than a strict need to avoid sunburn. At this stage, her relationship with Rebecca was not particularly close, but she had secretly attended every single one of Rebecca's matches during the Magics Chevalier. She had fallen in love at first sight with Lily during the tournament and had come to adore her as "Lily-oneesama." Although she had originally intended to go to a different academy, she had firmly decided to enroll in Arnold Magic Academy next year.
Lex Hale (Male) Age: 18. Fourth-year. Appearance: He had closely cropped black hair. Standing 195 centimeters tall with a heavily muscled build, his physique was the most impressive in the academy. Profile: The President of the Environmental Research Club. In reality, he was a member of a family that served as the Kingdom’s intelligence agency. He had been supporting Ray from the shadows, though he seemed to want to treat Ray well as his junior regardless of whether the boy was the Ice Sword. However, the mystery of how Ray could procure any material so quickly remained unsolved even for him.
Lucas Forst (Male) Age: 16. Second-year. Appearance: He tied his long black hair back in a single ponytail. He was 165 centimeters tall. His face was androgynous, and he garnered overwhelming popularity among women during the Magics Chevalier. Profile: A second-year student at Mercrose Magic Academy. Due to his overwhelming swordplay, he won the Magics Chevalier main tournament in his first appearance. His true identity was the current "Absolute Blade Sorcerer," one of the Seven Grand Sorcerers. Wishing to duel the Ice Sword, he had entered the tournament this year to flaunt his strength. He possessed ten Secret Swords; currently, only the Eighth Secret Sword: Afterglow Gloom had been revealed, but no one knew its true meaning.
◇ Chapter 2: Regarding Magic
Origin Magic Magic that was not general-purpose but could only be used by specific sorcerers was called Origin Magic. This was classified into four types: Wide-Range Interference, Physical Interference, Concept Interference, and Mental Interference. Wide-Range Interference and Physical Interference Origin Magic could basically be classified into the same two systems and seven types as normal magic.
→ Two Systems: Inside Code, Outside Code Seven Types: Quick Magic, Remote Magic, Chain Magic, Delay Magic, Material Shift, Extensive Magic, Extensive Chain Magic
On the other hand, Concept Interference and Mental Interference were completely distinct types of magic. Because there were very few sorcerers who possessed them, they were classified as Origin Magic.
Material Field A region covered by the Prima Materia that existed within humans. It surrounded a person like a thin membrane. While even an Ordinary possessed one, a sorcerer’s Material Field tended to be much denser and thicker. The more powerful the sorcerer, the denser it became. Because this Material Field existed, it was more difficult than usual to activate magic targeting a human being directly.
→ Specific Example of the Material Field It was theoretically possible for Ray to use an Anti-Material Code on a human to reduce their very existence to Prima Materia (since humans were also composed of it). However, because of the interference from the Material Field, it was practically impossible. Furthermore, if Amelia’s Butterfly Effect was to be used on a sorcerer, it required intervention into their Material Field, which caused the difficulty of Code Construction to skyrocket. It was likely the most complex code in existence. Consequently, using the Butterfly Effect on a sorcerer put an extraordinary strain on the Magic Area, leading almost immediately to a Magic Area Overheat.
Overview of Butterfly Effect A Concept Interference-type Origin Magic that manipulated causality, primarily triggered by the actions of the butterflies she created. It intervened in the very concept of causality that governed the world. It could intervene in causal relationships that were supposed to exist, causing them to break down, or it could connect them to different causalities to overwrite them. It boasted overwhelming strength against Physical Interference-type magic. Its effective range was heavily dependent on Amelia’s condition. Currently, she could only interfere with causality that flowed from a cause to a result, but reversal was theoretically possible, as the magic was meant to control all aspects of causality. However, this was currently impossible for Amelia. The activation process required four steps based on the Aitia.
Constitutive Qualia was the material for causality. It generated the butterflies that served as the source. Formal Qualia was the blueprint. It was the process of incorporating the mental image of the causality she wished to activate. Efficient Qualia was the action (cause) for manipulating causality. These were the actions of the butterflies (flapping, moving, exploding). Final Qualia was the activated causality itself. After completing these three steps, the "result" was finally fixed into reality.
Because these four steps had to be incorporated into the code, the Magic Area was heavily burdened. The magic could only be established by someone with a Magic Capacity as massive as Amelia's.
Details of Butterfly Effect While the Butterfly Effect was powerful due to being a Concept Interference-type magic, its "fuel consumption" was extremely poor. It could be maintained for five minutes at the absolute limit. If intervention in a sorcerer’s Material Field was required, that time became even shorter. If overused, the Magic Area would run wild and cause Apoptosis. This was because the processing for the Aitia was incredibly complex. Although it interfered with concepts, it was still magic that utilized Prima Materia; therefore, Ray’s Anti-Material Code could neutralize it. If Amelia were to face Ray’s Anti-Material Field, any causality she attempted to activate upon him would fail to establish itself. Regarding offense, the Butterfly Effect had to be channeled through the butterflies, limiting attacks to small-scale phenomena like explosions. It was impossible to ensure a powerful magic hit its mark because there was not enough capacity to include other magic. However, in terms of defense, it was nearly invincible, as she could link any attack to the result of "not hitting." In combat, the magic's true value lay in its defensive capabilities.
Anti-Material Field The Origin Magic used by Ray White. Centered on himself, it was a field with a five-meter radius that halted any undesignated matter or phenomenon through Deceleration and Lock, neutralizing them through Restoration. It was a Dual-Layer Field, consisting of a Perception Field and a Neutralization Field. The Perception Field could be expanded to a maximum radius of fifty meters. There was no need for the user to consciously perceive an attack; everything was processed automatically, leaving no blind spots. Even a surprise attack from total darkness would be neutralized. This differed from standard Restoration, which required coordinate designation and manual activation of the Anti-Material Code. The field was created specifically to compensate for those limitations. Compiling the processes of Deceleration, Lock, and Restoration into a single Code Theory and maintaining it as a Mental Model in the brain put a significant burden on the user.
Ogrification An Origin Magic that concentrated the surrounding Prima Materia and the Material Field covering the body into the limbs to vastly enhance physical capabilities. Being completely specialized for physical combat, its destructive power was exceptional. However, because defense for areas other than the limbs was weakened, positioning and movement were critical.
Ogrification: Scintilla Converts the Prima Materia enveloping the body into electricity. While the Inside Code boosted physical abilities, an Outside Code wrapped the body in an elemental aura. Currently, Ariane was only capable of activating Scintilla.
Eighth Secret Sword: Afterglow Gloom One of the Secret Swords possessed by the Absolute Blade Sorcerer. Further details remained unknown at this time.
Magic Eye A Magic Eye was a supernatural ability that resulted from magical factors becoming fixed within one's eyes. It was considered almost impossible to acquire one later in life. While many types existed, they had not been fully cataloged, and some remained shrouded in mystery. Rebecca’s Prediction was rare and difficult to control; in the past, some possessors had spent their entire lives wearing eye patches. However, as human aptitude for magic increased over generations, Rebecca had brought her Magic Eye completely under her control despite being only in her teens.