"Well, it’s finally Ray’s turn."
The second round of the main tournament was finally underway. Ray and his team were slated for the very first match. Because they had been seeded, they had bypassed the first round entirely to reach this stage.
While this meant they were starting the fight in peak condition, they lacked the hard-won momentum of opponents who had already sharpened their blades in the opening round.
Of course, where Ray was concerned, that disadvantage was practically non-existent.
"It is Ray White’s first match of the tournament, but how do you see it playing out, Senpai? I suspect their start will be difficult, given they haven't experienced a real match in this arena yet," Lise asked.
As was their routine, Lydia, Carla, and Lise were watching the proceedings together. Lise turned to Lydia for her perspective just as the match was about to begin.
"He'll be fine on that front."
"Is that so?"
"Yeah. He’s likely already mapped out the entire three-dimensional structure of the Ancient Castle just by watching the monitors. Besides, Ray has the Anti-Material Field. He’ll probably deploy it immediately to get a perfect grasp of the layout."
"...If I recall, that technique is divided into two parts: the Perception Field and the Restoration Field."
"Exactly. Originally, I only used the Perception Field, but unlike me, Ray can manage a Dual Deployment. Well? Isn't he impressive?" Lydia boasted, a smug grin spreading across her face as if she were bragging about her own achievements.
Lise didn't have much to say to that. She was already well aware that Lydia was a hopelessly doting master.
She was so used to this behavior that she merely felt a twinge of exasperation. She never changes, she thought.
"I suppose so. He is truly remarkable."
"Now that I think about it, Lise, you seem strangely well-informed about Ray... Where are you getting your information?"
Lydia had been wondering about this for a while. It felt like Lise knew far too much about Ray’s specifics—even her phrasing regarding the Anti-Material Field suggested prior knowledge.
"From Dual Wings. Every time we meet, she won't stop talking about him."
"Dammit... That loli-hag again? She acts like she's Ray’s biggest fan, but I am absolutely not handing him over to her...!"
The Sorcerer of Dual Wings. She was one of the Seven Grand Sorcerers, and when she had met Ray previously, she had been utterly obsessed with him.
According to her, Ray was the supreme sorcerer—a masterpiece.
Since then, Lydia had been fiercely protective of Ray, but it seemed Dual Wings was independently digging up information on him.
"'Ray is a masterpiece! I want to make him mine!'...is what she was boasting at the last academic conference," Lise said, mimicking the woman's voice with her usual expressionless face. Her imitation was surprisingly accurate; she was unexpectedly gifted at capturing people's quirks.
"That damn loli-hag... I will never give Ray to her!"
"Oh, right. She was saying things about you too, Lydia-senpai."
"Hoh... and what did she say?"
"That 'Lydia is a hopeless doting parent and I can't stand her. Ray should live more freely!' or something to that effect."
"...I’ll kill her."
Lydia’s eyes were filled with pure, unadulterated murderous intent. Due to her personality, there were certain people she simply couldn't stand, but Dual Wings was arguably the sorcerer she was most incompatible with.
Where Carol was concerned, they were close enough to bicker as friends, but Lydia genuinely loathed Dual Wings.
The woman's obsession with Ray was abnormal, and her breezy, carefree personality rubbed Lydia the wrong way.
"However, I can understand why Dual Wings is so devoted to him."
"What? Are you after Ray too, Lise?"
Lydia turned her bloodshot, murderous gaze toward Lise. However, Lise continued as if she didn't notice the pressure at all.
"No, not particularly. Besides, I think you and Ray White make a fine match, Senpai."
"Wha—!!? Ray and I aren't in that kind of relationship!!"
Lydia barked her denial, but her face was flushed a deep crimson. Without any consideration for Lydia's inner turmoil, Lise bluntly stated what was on her mind.
"He is fifteen, I believe. You are twenty-nine. A fourteen-year age gap is hardly uncommon, is it?"
"Hah!!!?"
Lydia’s voice climbed even higher, but Lise remained unperturbed. She simply kept speaking her mind, for better or worse.
"There are couples with even greater age gaps in the world. I don't think it's particularly surprising."
"My affection is that of a parent! T-That's it! It's not the kind of feeling one has for the opposite sex!"
"Is that so? However, I do not understand the distinction between types of affection. Ultimately, what is the difference?"
"That... that's..."
Lydia tried to define affection, but she found no clear words for it.
It was an amorphous emotion residing within humans. Lydia hadn't lived long enough—or perhaps hadn't lived the right kind of life—to verbalize it. She had spent her youth as a student and her adulthood as a soldier focused entirely on magic.
She had absolutely no experience with such romantic nuances.
"This is just my personal observation... but I believe the critical factor is—"
"I-Is what?"
Lydia stared intently at Lise's profile, hanging on her next words.
However, the answer that came back was entirely unexpected.
"Ultimately, it is the presence or absence of sexual desire."
"Huh?"
"Living creatures and sexual desire are inseparable. Reproduction requires a sexual element. After all, affection and sexual desire are simply systems for the preservation of a species. In the end, I've always thought we are merely vessels for carrying genes. What do you think?"
"T-That... Y-You certainly have a point, but...!"
"Do you have any experience, Lydia-senpai?"
"Eeeh!!"
Lydia’s voice cracked. Her face was now a brilliant shade of vermilion; she was well beyond the point of simple embarrassment.
Even Abby and Carol, her long-time friends, had never broached this topic so clinically with her.
"No, I don't really have any of that...!"
"I see. So you are inexperienced. In that case, I am further ahead than you."
"Hah!? You have experience!?"
Lydia couldn't hide her shock.
She could never have imagined Lise engaging in such acts with anyone. Her voice was thick with pure astonishment.
"It only went as far as a kiss, but the last time was with Evan back in our student days."
"I-I see. So that's how it is..."
"So, what about you, Senpai?"
"I, well... I-I don't exactly have any experience yet, so to speak..."
Her voice trailed off toward the end. She was actually quite ashamed of her lack of experience, though in truth, Lydia wasn't entirely "uninitiated."
"I see. That is how it is, then."
"But, well... I suppose I've kissed Ray before... though I don't know if that counts for anything..."
"Are you perhaps referring to the battlefield?"
"Yeah. When I first met Ray, he was on the verge of death. I performed artificial respiration on him, but that wasn't that kind of thing! So, I'm still inexperienced! What, is there a problem with that!!?"
She ended up snapping in defensive irritation. This was exactly why Abby and Carol, despite teasing her, never pushed the subject too far.
She would inevitably lose her temper at the end. And when Lydia lost her temper, she tended to go on a rampage with magic.
However, Lise’s dry tone was a surprisingly good match for this conversation.
"No. Since I am in a similar position, Senpai, let us do our best together."
"Y-You're not going to mock me?"
"Mock you? Our ages only differ by a year. Besides, everyone moves at their own pace. It might be considered late if one's goal is to have children, but we are still only in our twenties. I don't think there's any need to rush."
"Y-You're right!! Wow, Lise, you really get it!! How about this? I'll take you out for drinks today! My treat!"
"Then I shall accept your offer without hesitation."
The two shifted their focus back to the monitors.
At that exact moment, the match began.
As Lydia watched Ray fight, she was transported back to the moment they first met.
She remembered a young boy, small and broken, crouching all alone on a blood-stained battlefield.
A boy who had despaired of the world, despaired of humanity, and had been dragged along by his fate as a sorcerer until he was lost.
At first, it had been nothing but sympathy. But every time she saw him grow, Lydia felt as though her own heart was being healed as well.
Now, that boy was a student. He had found friends.
And he was fighting. He was working hard alongside his peers to forge a future.
As she watched him, a single tear escaped and rolled down Lydia’s cheek.
"—Ray. I truly wish for your happiness, from the bottom of my heart."
The words slipped out naturally. Neither Lise nor Carla said a word in response.
The sentiment was simply too full of grace and maternal love to be interrupted.