"Ray White. This tournament is the first time I’ve seen him fight in person, but... he really is incredible."
Lucas Forst was spectating Ray’s match alongside Evi and Albert.
As his words suggested, Lucas only knew of Ray’s abilities through hearsay. They had met for the first time only recently, during this Magics Chevalier.
He had heard the rumors, of course—that the Current Ice Sword Sorcerer stood at the pinnacle of all sorcerers in history. Even with the lingering aftereffects of his Overheat, Ray possessed more than enough power to belong among the Seven Grand Sorcerers.
Lucas had shared that assessment, but seeing Ray fight in person confirmed that the rumors were no exaggeration.
Most importantly, Ray was still holding back. The performance he displayed while restraining himself was no longer on the level of a student.
I am likely the only one here who can match him, Lucas thought. But facing Ray one-on-one wasn't a sound strategy. If he did that, Evi and Albert would be forced to face Amelia and Ariane.
Lucas held those two in high regard. Their skill as sorcerers was already significant. However, facing two members of the Three Great Noble Families was a disadvantageous matchup for his teammates.
Yet, as he watched Ray's battle, his perspective was gradually shifting.
Furthermore, Ray wasn't the only one he was wary of.
"It seems Amelia Rose still isn't using her Butterfly Effect."
"Looks that way."
"The Butterfly Effect, huh... I saw it once. It was unbelievable..."
The three of them had already discussed this.
Ray White wasn't the only major threat in Team Algren. Of course, it would be a different story if Ray went all out, but there were also the concerns regarding his Overheat.
Taking that into account, the one they needed to be most cautious of was Amelia's Butterfly Effect.
It was magic capable of interfering with causality, allowing her to connect or sever cause and effect. Even among the spells Lucas knew, it boasted top-class performance; it wasn't something that could be ignored.
"...Lucas-senpai. Are you really going to face her alone?"
"Yes. I'm likely the only one who can deal with her. No—even for me, it might be a struggle."
"For you to go that far..." Albert muttered.
Even though Lucas was one of the Seven Grand Sorcerers, his specialty was cross-range combat. If he used his Secret Sword, he might be able to close the distance, but if she "connected" the outcome of "the attack will not hit," that would be the end of it.
Amelia Rose.
The other Seven Grand Sorcerers already acknowledged it; her magic that interfered with causality was just that troublesome.
"If there is a path to victory, it's for me to fight those two while you two take on Ray. I'm sure the opposition understands that as well. If we meet them in the finals, it’s obvious that's how it will play out."
"Understood. We'll fight Ray and show you we can win."
"Yeah! With Albert and me together, we can reach him!"
"That said, the situation changes by the second. We might want to consider a surprise attack at the start..."
Lucas let out a faint smile at their words. Like Ray, his past was anything but ordinary. In the first place, every sorcerer who reached the rank of the Seven Grand Sorcerers carried some kind of history.
Lucas was no exception.
He had enrolled in the Academy, but he had always been alone. He had accepted that. There were no sorcerers there who could match him. He only entered the Academy because the President of the Magic Association had suggested it would be for the best.
Like Ray, Lucas had been a wandering sorcerer.
However, after meeting his two juniors, Evi and Albert, he too was beginning to change.
Fighting alongside comrades isn't so bad... He was enjoying this tournament enough to feel that way.
◇
"Well then, Lydia-senpai. I'll take my leave now."
"Yeah. See you tonight."
"Yes."
With Ray's match over, Lydia and Lise decided to part ways for the time being. They had a promise to go out drinking tonight, but there was still time. Lise wanted to re-read some research papers at home.
When Lydia exited the venue with Carla pushing her wheelchair, she saw a small child standing defiantly with her arms crossed.
The girl had lustrous red hair that reached her shoulders, though her bangs were cut extremely short. She wore a small black coat made for a child.
Upon spotting Lydia, the girl shouted at the top of her lungs.
"—Lydia! I have been waiting for you!"
Seeing the girl shouting so boldly, Lydia’s face twisted as if she had bitten into something bitter. It was the expression of someone who had run into the last person they wanted to see.
Lydia then spoke the girl's name with clear annoyance.
"...Fran, why are you here?"
Her name was Françoise Claire.
Her alias was—the Sorcerer of Dual Wings.
"For Ray, of course! It seems the match has already ended, though..."
"I see. Then, I'll be going. Carla, move us along."
"Understood."
Lydia tried to pass by while ignoring her, but the girl grabbed Lydia’s collar with all her might.
"Hey! I have come all this way! Do you not have a single word of appreciation for my efforts!?"
"I don't. I have no respect to pay to a loli-hag."
"Mugiii! You are as impudent as ever! You should show more respect to your elders!"
Fran thrashed about wildly. Looking at her behavior, anyone would surely take her for nothing more than a child. Indeed, one would have no choice but to think so. She had a young appearance and childish actions. Her manner of speaking was somewhat strange, but most would assume it was just a child's quirk.
"...Sigh."
Lydia let out an exaggerated sigh.
Yes. The person in front of her looked like a mere child at first glance. From her behavior, she seemed like nothing more than a child throwing a tantrum.
However, Fran's actual age was sixty-two.
She was the oldest among the current Seven Grand Sorcerers. According to her, why her appearance remained young was a mystery. She claimed it was likely a magical influence, but the truth had yet to be uncovered.
However, Fran didn't particularly mind her youthful appearance. If anything, she’d just say, "Is it not fine to stay young! Gahaha!"
There were many eccentric people among the Seven Grand Sorcerers, but Fran was likely the most abnormal of them all. In Lydia's mind, she disliked Fran even more than Carol. Carol was at least within the range of being annoying, but Fran actually made her feel homicidal.
Most of all, she couldn't stand Fran's overbearing personality.
"So, when did you get back? You're always traveling the world, aren't you? The Magic Society meeting isn't for a while yet."
"I just got back! Fuhaha! I wanted to see Ray as soon as possible!"
"Ah... well, your magic is convenient, after all. So, what do you want with Ray?"
"I heard the rumors! That Ray has become a student! I brought him a celebratory gift!"
She pulled out an incomprehensible clay figurine from her large backpack, followed by various mysterious antiques. If sold to the right collector, they would likely fetch a decent price, but it seemed Fran had brought them all back as souvenirs for Ray.
After pulling out a mountain of items, she puffed out her small chest and spoke boastfully.
"How about it! Impressive, is it not!?"
"...They're impressive, but do you really think Ray would be happy with these?"
"What!? Does Ray hate antiques!?"
"Yeah. Absolutely."
—That was a lie.
Ray generally liked works of art. Antiques were no exception. If he saw these souvenirs, his eyes would surely have lit up. Ray had always been appreciative of such things.
But Lydia, wanting to keep Fran away from him, told a lie on the spot.
"Is that so... That is a shame..."
Fran's head slumped, and she sadly began packing the antiques back into her backpack. The sight of her slowly returning the items one by one was filled with melancholy.
Lydia felt a slight pang of guilt seeing her like that, but it couldn't be helped.
The Sorcerer of Dual Wings was obsessively fixated on Ray to an abnormal degree. It was a stroke of luck that Lydia had been the one to run into her.
The problem was that if she let her run loose, the girl would definitely head straight for Ray.
Thinking that she wanted to keep this idiot loli-hag occupied at least during the tournament, Lydia resorted to a desperate measure.
"Fran. I'm going out for drinks with Lise tonight. Do you want to come?"
"What!? A drinking party! And Lise is coming too!?"
"Yeah. You liked Lise, didn't you?"
"Umu! Lise is the only one who is kind to me at the Magic Society!"
That was a complete misunderstanding on her part. Lise only humored her because Fran kept talking to her... but Lydia didn't say a word.
Even if she told her the cold hard truth, Fran would stubbornly refuse to accept it.
Since she basically only processed things that were convenient for her, Fran had convinced herself that she and Lise were very close friends.
In reality, if one were to ask Lise if she was close with Fran... she would likely respond with, "No. Not particularly."
"Alright. Then follow us."
"Understood!"
Having secured Fran, Lydia and Carla continued on their way.
- The Ice Sword Sorcerer — Ray White
- The Sorcerer of Scorching Heat — Abby Garnet
- The Illusion Sorcerer — Carol Caroline
- The Absolute Blade Sorcerer — Lucas Forst
- The Sorcerer of Fiction — Lieselotte Eden
- The Sorcerer of Dual Wings — Françoise Claire
- Currently unknown