The morning after Dad was attacked, I found myself on the outskirts of Ulm. I had hired a carriage to take him back to our home village.
"—Please take good care of my father."
When I bowed my head, the coachman gave a quiet nod. The carriage set off vigorously down the road, gradually receding into the distance. I simply stood there, watching its retreating silhouette grow smaller and smaller.
Fortunately, Dad was barely clinging to life. However, if his burn wounds were to fester... it wouldn't end well.
"...Keep your chin up, will you?"
"That was quite the ordeal, Bauer."
Elena and Hermann appeared from behind me. Since I didn't know where to hire a carriage on short notice, I had asked for their help early this morning. Having the backing of Hermann, a nobleman, had been especially crucial.
"Thank you, both of you. It was a huge help."
"Still, what a cowardly bunch. To think the Church would..."
"It’s true. I always found it strange that the Church was managing the mage examinations... but to think there was such an underhanded side to it."
I had summarized what the innkeeper and Dad told me and relayed it to the two of them (with permission, of course). That the grimoires in the barn belonged to my uncle. That my uncle had also been attacked in Heldt Square years ago. And that the Church, backed into a corner by the rapid development of magic, had been secretly trying to manipulate the mage examinations.
"...So, what are you going to do?"
"Bauer, are you really alright leaving things like this?"
Elena placed a hand on my left shoulder, and Hermann on my right. They had hurt my father. There was no way in hell I was backing down now.
"That's obvious....Would you two come with me?"
The two of them nodded without a word. Even though getting targeted by the Church meant they could end up suffering the same fate as me... I was truly grateful.
The three of us turned on our heels and set off toward the center of Ulm.
"...I heard that Lisa, one of the examinees, was baptized the week after the first stage exam. Wasn't it her whom Bauer saw directing the ambush operation?"
"Sister Sophie, eliminating examinees like this is wrong. Keegan just happens to have talent; he's an ordinary person otherwise."
Hermann and Elena spoke up from either side of me. We were inside the office adjacent to the cathedral. The three of us stood facing Sophie, who wore an infuriatingly serene smile.
"...I see. To think Lisa would do such a thing. I will be sure to have a stern talk with her."
"Don't play the fool with us. I know Lisa too, and she isn't the type to attack someone out of spite over failing an exam."
"Are you intending to cut off your own tail to save yourself? Aren't you the one who put those ideas in Lisa's head in the first place?"
At Sophie's words, the two of them bristled with barely restrained anger. I was furious too, of course, but I felt nothing but gratitude toward them for sharing those feelings. No... rather, since the two of them had probably regarded Sophie as a saint for as long as they could remember, in a sense they might have felt even more betrayed than I did.
"You putting it that way troubles me. It's not as though you have any proof, do you?"
"Bauer is a genius from the countryside. Weren't you people afraid of him?"
"You must not make arbitrary deductions based on circumstantial evidence. We simply offer our daily prayers for the sake of God."
So she was determined to play dumb to the bitter end. She wanted to chalk it up to Lisa going rogue when they took Dad hostage and tried to sever my left arm, huh? How much of a fool did she take us for?
"Sister. Why did you have to drag my father into this?"
"Oh my, even you are saying such things? I thought you were a pious believer."
"I don't believe in God. But I don't dislike the Church, and I happen to like Ulm Cathedral."
"What are you trying to say?"
"Can you swear to God that you did not attack my father?"
"...Are you trying to test me?"
For the first time, Sophie furrowed her brow. Was resorting to ambushes and deception to eliminate inconvenient people the religious way? Could she do the same thing in the presence of God? Did she have no pride as a nun?
Uncle Leonard had his pride as a mage, so he never resisted. I had my stubbornness as a son, so I was willing to give up my left arm for Dad's sake. What did Sophie have? What was driving this woman to go this far?
"I realize it is impolite to use magic in front of a Sister, but there is something I would like to show you."
"...And what might that be?"
When I swept my right hand through the air in front of me, a faint red map materialized. Several dots were moving across it.
"I just don't actively pay attention to it on a daily basis, but I remember every magical signature in my surroundings."
"..."
"These are the magical signatures that were in the vicinity of Heldt Square last night. Presumably, they belonged to the court mages tasked with patrolling the city."
Without a word, Sophie listened to my explanation with a stern expression. I didn't think something like this would completely turn the tables. But... as a warning shot, nothing could be better.
"Tracing back the movement of these two points: up until a few hours before the ambush, these two were patrolling the city of Ulm. However... at a certain point, both headed straight for the church."
Remembering the magical signatures across all of Ulm had been exhausting. It had been especially difficult to track these two, since they were likely suppressing their magical output intentionally.
"After staying at the church for several dozen minutes, the two began moving toward Heldt Square. Upon making contact with the other mages patrolling the area, they had them leave the square. They probably told them something like, 'We'll take over security around Heldt Square.'"
"...And what of it?"
"What followed is just as you see here. When my father unleashed a burst of fire magic, their magical signatures spiked all at once. They likely used some sort of spell to drown out the sound of the explosion."
"..."
"The mages who stopped by the church were present at the scene when my father and I were attacked. Is this insufficient as evidence?"
Faced with the piercing gazes of the three of us, Sophie quietly closed her eyes. After remaining silent for a while as if pondering her options, she slowly spoke once more.
"...Such a thing can easily be fabricated. It cannot be trusted as evidence."
"Yes, quite so. You believe it to be a fabrication?"
"It is utterly impossible for the Church to rely on mages."
"...Well then, there is no helping it."
At that moment, the door behind us swung open. The previously composed Sophie sprang to her feet, her eyes widening in shock.
"Examiner Wittmann, why are you here...?!"
"Listening to the concerns of examinees is also part of an examiner's duties. As a court mage, I guarantee that Keegan Bauer's tracking magic is genuine."
"Taking the side of a single examinee like this is...!"
"I took careful note of your statement just now. If Sister Sophie, as the representative of the Church, doubts the appraisal of a court mage, then we will have to reconsider the administration of future exams."
I knew he was the one I should turn to. Edel Wittmann, a court mage who, like me, had fought his way through the exams from outside Ulm. If we framed the narrative not as 'His Majesty the King doubted the Church,' but as 'The Church doubted a court mage,' the crown would be able to openly review the administration of the mage examinations.
"Now then, you three. The fourth exam is just around the corner. Go home and rest up."
"Thank you very much. I am in your debt."
Wittmann urged the three of us toward the exit. Just as Sophie had said, having him get involved in the personal affairs of a mere examinee like me was normally out of the question. However, seeking consultation after 'being attacked during the examination period' was entirely justifiable.
"...Wait, Keegan Bauer."
Just as I was about to step out, Sophie called out to stop me. When I instinctively looked back, Sophie wore an impossibly radiant smile—and spoke a single phrase.
"It seems we are going to have a long relationship after all."
"Yes, I think so too."
Tossing the retort over my shoulder, I left the office behind. That's right, the fourth exam was right around the corner. I had no intention of letting her interference slow me down.
—Dad, at least stay alive until the exams are over.
Looking up at the clear blue sky, I set off into the streets of Ulm alongside the other two.