A Great? First Step (5)

As expected, the duel between Ariel and Mari ended with Ariel’s victory. Not only the participants, Ariel and Mari, but even Elaine who was watching predicted this outcome, so it was a natural result in a way.

Ariel, who grew up in a prestigious family and received numerous educations from childhood, versus Mari, who had talent but had a short learning period and even that was self-taught in the middle. It was obvious which side would win. However…

‘She’s much stronger than I thought.’

The electron cannon Ariel fired, although its formula was simple and rough, was a technique with considerable power. Even Elaine would have to exert quite a bit of effort to block it.

But the light beam Mari shot. That didn’t fall behind either. Ariel was able to win thanks to her surprise first strike, but what if they had used their techniques at the same timing? Then the outcome might have been uncertain.

Of course, there was no disagreement about the fact that both of them possessed power that was unbelievable for academy freshmen.

‘I’ll need to think about this more.’

The reason for separating these two at first was, as mentioned, because of the difference in their levels from the entrance exam. Still, I had thought about gradually teaching them power control and setting up a curriculum, then sending them to other professors. After all, it would be too much to teach while also holding the position of the magic department’s representative professor.

But after actually confirming their skills, that seems impossible now. It’s not that the other professors’ skills are lacking. However, I’m the only professor skilled enough in defense to properly handle any accidents these two might cause. Many of the others specialized in academics or offensive magic.

Elaine’s forehead wrinkled momentarily at the thought of increased future workload, but soon smoothed out. After all, taking charge of talented students was something to look forward to as a professor.

‘It’s strange.’

Mari stood dazed, feeling a rising emotion as she barely stood up holding Ariel’s hand.

‘Something’s boiling up.’

An emotion like a fire burning inside. What should this emotion be called? Throughout this duel, Mari was constantly swept up in Ariel’s pace and couldn’t do anything. She couldn’t attack properly and was busy just defending, even losing concentration to minor checks, and at the end, she could barely have a power struggle when Ariel seemed to give her a chance with a head-on battle.

‘I couldn’t do anything.’

Ariel was considerate of her until the end. When she was about to prepare magic recklessly, Ariel showed that she could interfere with it, and despite being able to torment her to the end using that method, she accepted a head-on battle. And at the end, she even left useful advice.

‘I’m weak.’

Clenching her fist, Mari could newly realize her situation. She had been too arrogant about being born with light attribute magic power. She thought she could do something with her teacher’s praise. She became intoxicated with pride, thinking she could become a “shining existence” after entering Milano Academy as the top student.

But that shouldn’t have been the case. If she truly aspired to be a “shining existence,” she should have worked harder. Just simply studying and reviewing what she had learned wasn’t enough.

Ariel showed her. That a magician must always be calm, and if that concentration is broken, a magician becomes more powerless than anyone. Although she didn’t tell her specifically how to overcome this, that’s an area Mari has to figure out herself. After all, Ariel was a fellow student, not a professor.

As Mari watched Ariel calmly composing herself after helping her up, her head naturally bowed. She couldn’t bring herself to look directly at Ariel, who had encouraged her and even helped her up. If their eyes met now, all Ariel would see would be her bright red face.

‘This won’t do.’

But she clearly understood that she couldn’t continue like this. Once again, unable to lift her head, she slightly moved her eyes to look at Ariel.

She was her roommate and a fellow student taking the same classes. And she was also the “shining existence” that Mari dreamed of.

From the moment they met at the entrance exam, Mari had looked up to Ariel and thought of her as someone above herself. She came to admire her.

And finally, when they met at the entrance ceremony and became roommates, the emotion of excitement was added to that. Thinking about being together with someone she admired, her heart naturally started racing and her expectations for future life grew even more.

However, now Mari harbored an unknown emotion towards her. This emotion that burns like a flame and seems about to reach out. Mari didn’t yet know the name of this emotion. But the spark that had just risen began to burn gently, remaining in Mari’s heart.

As their duel ended, the bell signaling the end of the first period rang with perfect timing, and Elaine immediately declared a break. Leaving the words that they could go anywhere as long as they didn’t leave the academy and returned on time, she hurriedly headed towards the Milano Magic Tower, seemingly having some urgent business. Suddenly left alone, an awkward silence hung between Ariel and Mari.

‘Ugh, I can’t look at her at all…’

‘If I speak now, it’ll be awkward, right? I toyed with her and even taunted her…’

Mari couldn’t bring herself to speak because of the disgraceful behavior she had shown earlier, while Ariel couldn’t speak because of the harsh things she had done(?). In the end, how long had they been avoiding each other without saying anything when that silence was broken by a sudden intrusion.

“Lady Walpurgis, are you here?”

“Your Highness?”

Ariel’s eyes widened at the sudden appearance of Reinhardt. Why did he come here all of a sudden? Did something happen?

The current point in time is, no matter what anyone says, the original timeline of [Arcian Chronicles]. Then the upcoming developments should be exactly as she knows.

If so, Reinhardt shouldn’t be coming here now. This place had not only Ariel but also Mari. Mari and Reinhardt’s first meeting after the entrance ceremony was supposed to start with a chance encounter after classes were over. It’s strange for him to come right after the first class ends and as soon as break time begins.

“Did something happen?”

“I was sitting quietly resting when I heard a rumor.”

“A rumor…”

As Ariel tilted her head slightly, wondering what he was talking about, Reinhardt glanced at Mari standing frozen behind her and spoke again.

“Lady Walpurgis, I heard a rumor that you were bullying a commoner girl…”

There it is. As expected, it’s going according to plan. The little Ariel inside her mind clenched her fists and swung them in the air. This is it. The academy villainess project has made a clean start.

‘Honestly, it’s hard to believe.’

Reinhardt was half-doubting even as he spoke. Bullying someone? ‘That’ Ariel? Of course, it would make sense if it was before she lost her memories, but the Ariel who woke up after losing her memories seemed so innocent that it would be fortunate if she didn’t get taken advantage of somewhere, let alone bullying someone.

But there’s always that slight possibility. As he had thought occasionally, what if she had regained her past memories? Then he would need to seriously change his attitude going forward.

The circumstances of how Reinhardt heard this rumor were exactly as he told Ariel. He was successfully taking a short break from swordsmanship class when he heard whispering around him. Wondering what was going on, it turned out to be talk about his fiancée who had caught attention since the entrance ceremony.

They say a rumor spreads quickly, and it didn’t take long for what happened at the Milano Magic Tower to reach the academy’s main building, even though not much time had passed since classes ended.

Ariel and Mari’s duel took place outdoors, so it was visible through windows if one was inside the Milano Magic Tower. From a distance, Ariel and Mari’s duel looked completely one-sided. Ariel attacked freely and even added checks, while Mari was constantly on the defensive and barely managed a power struggle at the last moment.

Moreover, Ariel was in high spirits at the time, so she naturally had a smile on her lips, which was caught by some people with good eyesight or those using far-seeing magic. As a result, suspicions arose that the Walpurgis lady might be bullying the other top student who was a commoner, and Reinhardt quickly came here to confirm the facts.

“Is it true?”

As if only to confirm the facts, Reinhardt’s tone was completely flat without any hint of interrogation. From his current perspective, Ariel seemed to still have the same silly look, not the vicious appearance from before.

Conversely, Ariel thought this was an excellent opportunity. What if she admitted her guilt here? If she brazenly said she just bullied a worthless commoner girl a bit? Everything after that would go smoothly without a doubt.

Yes. I am the villainess. Ariel inwardly smiled contentedly while outwardly maintaining a completely expressionless face. Now, if she just opened her mouth to confess her crime…

“N-No! Lady Ariel isn’t that kind of person!”

“Huh?”

Seeing Mari shouting with her fists clenched, Ariel’s thoughts came to a halt.