The final day of the three-day holiday had arrived.
Since we had to head back to the academy by evening, today’s training menu was scheduled to conclude just after noon.
"Hyaaaaaaaah!!"
She bolted.
I gave chase as Ariane wove through the forest with total freedom of movement. Unlike our previous sessions, everyone was utilizing magic this time.
However, I was the only one doing the chasing; Ariane was fighting me alongside Stella, acting as a mock team.
The rule for this exercise was simple: the two of them had to destroy the rose pinned to my chest. It was a mock battle conducted under rules nearly identical to the actual tournament. Furthermore, Stella’s role was strictly limited to support.
Ariane had to be the primary force standing against me.
In a sense, I was playing the role of a simulated Lucas Forst.
"I see... so that's the play."
I was currently occupied with Ariane’s frontal assault, but I was also acutely aware of Stella lurking in the branches above, waiting for an opening like a predator.
"I am not finished yet!"
In this short span of time, her proficiency in close-quarters combat had improved significantly. Moreover, she was becoming quite well-acquainted with fighting in a forest environment. She was distributing her Prima Materia across her body with excellent balance to ensure she didn't lose her footing.
I was truly struck with admiration by how quickly Ariane absorbed my instructions.
I parried. I parried. I parried.
Finally, Ariane lunged low for a tackle at my waist.
In that exact moment, Stella charged down from above, seizing the opportunity to try and pin me.
Their plan was likely for Stella to restrain me while Ariane delivered the finishing blow, but...
"Whoa!"
I firmly caught Stella’s arms as she dove and threw her with all my might. She was more than capable of taking a fall mid-air, however; she spun gracefully and executed a perfect landing.
Immediately after, Ariane closed the distance from outside my field of vision at an extraordinary speed.
She came from behind. It was a complete blind spot, but I dropped into a deep crouch.
"Wh—!?"
She swung at empty air.
Having completely lost her timing, her torso was left wide open. Naturally, I wasn't the type of person to hesitate in such a moment.
"Ariane. Brace your stomach, okay?"
I offered that advice as a final courtesy.
Then, I drove a fist charged with Inside Code into Ariane’s midsection without hesitation.
"Gu—huuuuuuuuuuh!!"
She tumbled across the ground, kicking up a spray of fallen leaves, though she managed to roll out of the impact properly.
As she did, the presence of the two girls vanished.
They likely intended to regroup and regain their footing.
"Now then, how will they come at me next?"
I tapped my feet against the ground and stretched my limbs.
I looked forward to seeing what kind of attack the two of them would come up with next.
◇
"Ugh... nngh..."
"Ariane-chan. Are you okay?"
"S-somehow..."
T-that was dangerous.
That attack—if not for Ray’s warning, I surely would have lost consciousness. I managed to concentrate my Prima Materia in my abdomen just in time to defend, but the force behind Ray’s fist was staggering.
I was on the verge of blacking out, but Stella and I managed to pull ourselves together.
"So, what's next?"
Stella asked for her next instruction with a serious expression, and I already knew my answer.
"I shall unleash Ogrification."
"Is that okay...? You're only allowed to use it once, right?"
"Yes. But if I miss the timing here, I shall not have another chance."
"Understood. Then I'll cause a distraction. Make sure you take big brother down."
"Please leave it to me."
I placed my hand over my heart.
Ray White.
It was precisely because I had stood against him so many times like this that I truly understood his strength. The only magic he was using was Inside Code. And yet, his power was overwhelming.
I could see that he was an existence that a sorcerer of my caliber could never hope to reach... but I would never give up.
As a maiden, I could not afford to break here.
Moreover, Ray had been teaching me all this time. He had given so much to someone as immature as me... so, to repay that debt, I desperately wanted to win against him.
The reason I felt this way was surely because I had met him.
Believing that I, too, could change just as Amelia did, I would continue to fight.
"Ariane-chan. Let's do our best."
"Yes. I am in your care."
Stella squeezed my hand firmly. Though it had only been a short period of three days, she had been a tremendous help to me. She was always smiling and cheerful, but her appearance when she fought was the spitting image of Ray.
They weren't siblings by blood, but they were so much alike; I had learned that the bond of siblings was not determined by blood alone.
I needed to repay Stella as well.
Until now, I had always been alone, moving forward by piling effort upon effort. Believing that I could one day reconcile with Amelia, I simply pushed ahead with single-minded honesty.
But I had learned that life was much longer and broader than that.
I had a premonition that meeting him would be the event that defined the course of my life from this point on.
Saying something like that might earn me a scolding from Amelia and Rebecca-senpai, but... as of now, I understood very well why one would be attracted to Ray.
It felt as though something were budding within the depths of my heart.
"Well then, the next time we meet, it shall be when we are victorious over Ray."
"Yeah! Let's beat big brother!"
We exchanged that promise.
After carefully refining the plan with Stella one last time, we set off to run through the forest once more.
"Hah... hah... hah...!!"
My breathing was ragged. My body was in pain. Without a doubt, my entire being was screaming.
But I would not stop. There was no way I could stop.
I would prove my own existence. That I, too, could move forward like Amelia. I believed that now was the culmination of everything I had gained by following Ray.
I was used to enduring. However, the unknown variables of combat in this forest had set upon me without mercy.
There were times when my heart felt like it would break. But I had managed to hold on at the very limit, enduring and moving forward.
Others often viewed me as free-spirited. I knew that I was regarded as a noble existence, loftier than anyone else.
But I was not such a grand person.
To be honest, I knew that my talent as a sorcerer was inferior to Amelia’s or Rebecca-senpai’s. Rather than a talent typical of a sorcerer, I simply had a high aptitude for magic involving Inside Code.
However, in aristocratic society, physical ability and practical combat capability were not highly valued. What people valued was flashy, spectacular magic. Indeed, Amelia’s Butterfly Effect or Rebecca-senpai’s Magic Eye were the prime examples of that.
I knew.
I knew that Ariane Algren was viewed as a fool who could do nothing but fight. That the aptitude of House Algren was not "noble-like." I had known since I was a child that such rumors existed.
But what did it mean to be "like a sorcerer"?
What did it mean to be "like oneself"?
There was surely no fixed answer. It was something one had to define for themselves.
That was why I continued to pursue the Ideal Maiden within myself.
As a maiden, I cannot afford to lose here!!
"I have found him..."
I spotted Ray.
However, he seemed to have seen right through my attempt to watch him from the trees, as he immediately turned his gaze toward me.
At the same time, I activated Ogrification.
Since I was only permitted to use it once during this session, if I did not close the distance now, everything would be over.
No, that kind of mindset would not suffice.
I would win.
I carved that resolve into my heart.
Because now was the time for me, as a maiden, to burn bright!!
With that determination, I leapt from the tree and charged ahead with everything I had.
"Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!"
I felt light.
My body was screaming from the last few days of training. I knew that better than anyone because it was my own body.
And yet, why? Why did I feel this sensation of my blood seething with such heat?
I stared him down.
Those black eyes captured my form clearly.
For Ray, the Ogrification that was my trump card was a level of magic he could easily handle. I knew that from my previous experience, but even so, I would not give up.
He had told me that I still had room to grow. In that case, I had to believe that I had improved through our special training, and I charged straight at him.
"Ngh...!"
He guarded the fist I swung, but I had expected that. From here on, the sheer number of strikes would decide the victory. I continued to fight Ray with every ounce of my strength.
While running freely through the forest, we swapped positions in a dazzling sequence of offense and defense.
I knew I was the one pressing the attack, but I lacked a decisive blow. Ray seemed to understand that as well, as he concentrated more on defense than offense... no, it was more like he was waiting for the perfect counter.
A thought flashed through my mind.
Looking back, until now I had only attacked with simple honesty. But through his teachings, I had learned a variety of attack patterns and the art of maneuvering. Furthermore, the forest was full of trees.
I repeatedly launched attacks while using the trees to break his line of sight.
Faithfully following those basics, I attacked. I attacked. I attacked!!
Because I was using Ogrification, red and black Codes ran across my limbs until they were visible to the naked eye, and the pain gradually intensified.
While accepting that pain, I continued my assault. If I stopped now, everything would end.
That was why I had been waiting.
I had been waiting for Ray to step backward toward the position where Stella was hidden.
"Stella! Now!!"
"Roger!!"
She did not emerge from the trees as she usually did. That was the trick—Stella had been waiting, submerged beneath the earth.
She had told me, "I can erase my presence enough that big brother won't be able to sense me temporarily," so I had suggested that instead of staying in the trees, she should submerge herself for a surprise attack.
"Ngh... from there!?"
Ray actually looked flustered as Stella’s body wrapped around him, locking him in a restraint. I did not miss my chance; I reached out with all my might toward the rose on Ray’s chest, but...
"Whoa...!!"
"Hmph!!"
To my shock, Ray threw his own body down against the earth. Stella was crushed beneath him, and the restraint was instantly broken.
"Ah..."
A stunned sound escaped my lips.
Everything seemed to move in slow motion.
I had completely missed my window. I had let the chance Stella created slip through my fingers.
From this point on, I couldn't even imagine a way to win.
—Ah. In the end, am I destined to lose just as I did back then?
—Will I never reach him, no matter how hard I try?
No. That is wrong.
That weak version of myself certainly exists.
But he told me that everyone is a weak creature.
In that case, I have no choice but to accept that part of myself.
It is fine if I cannot become a "sorcerer-like" sorcerer.
I will simply become someone I can believe is "like myself."
The moment I arrived at after yearning for so long is surely now.
Then there is no reason why I should give up here.
Surely, this is a battle with my tiny, fragile self. From the world's perspective, the existence of Ariane Algren must be no more than a speck of dust.
However!
As a maiden, I shall reach my Ideal Maiden!!
Right now, I am a blazing maiden!
Thump. Thump. Thump.
My heart hammered.
I had lived a life of simple, honest effort, but I had never looked back. That was because I was afraid to face my past. I was afraid to know where I truly stood.
I was the same as her. Just as much as Amelia—or perhaps even more—I had been terrified of what I was supposed to be as a noble.
That was why I acted positive and bright, trying to break away from that past.
But just as Amelia had faced her truth, the time has come for me to face mine as well.
She was the one who taught me that.
And so—I stood against Ray.
As a maiden, with my entire heart and soul—
◇
I don't remember much of what happened next. I only know that a surge of lightning erupted from my body, and when I came to, a charred rose was in my hand.
"Eh...? I...?"
My consciousness returned to reality.
Before my eyes lay a world of ice stretching as far as I could see. Not just the ground, but even the trees were completely frozen over.
It was as if I had wandered into a kingdom of eternal frost.
And countless Ice Swords were thrust into the frozen earth.
"Hah... hah... hah... You're back, Ariane."
"...Ray. What happened?"
"You seemed to be in a trance. At the very end, I brought out my Ice Swords, but I was too late. It's your victory."
"...I see. Is that so."
I didn't quite feel the weight of it yet.
It felt as though I had been watching myself from within a dream. But it appeared I had passed the trial Ray had set for me, awakening a new power in the process.
"Oh? Oh my, oh my?"
Tears began to spill from my eyes, drop by drop.
I wasn't sad at all. It was as if my emotions and my body had become separated; despite my lack of sorrow, the tears would not stop.
"Congratulations. I knew you could do it, Ariane."
"...Did I grow?"
"Yeah."
"Did I face myself?"
"The result of that is right here."
"...I see. Is that so..."
Ray slowly approached and gently stroked my head.
"You've worked incredibly hard. You really are an amazing girl, Ariane."
"Ugh... hic..."
"It's okay to cry today. I'm here for you."
When he spoke to me with such kindness, the dam finally broke.
But I felt that simply sobbing and clinging to Ray here would be wrong.
As an Ideal Maiden, I should be able to carry myself with more dignity.
"Ray! Thank you very much!!"
With tears still streaming down my face, I bowed my head with all my might.
Then, as I looked up, I gave him the most radiant smile I could manage.
Even if the tears were overflowing and I looked pathetic, this was who I was right now.
"Likewise. It's truly a wonderful achievement."
"As a maiden, this much is only natural!"
I placed a hand on my chest and puffed it out with pride.
Yes. This was only natural.
And that was why I would surely continue to move forward from this day on.
Continuing to pursue the Ideal Maiden—