episode_0017

Swish, CRASH!

A thunderous roar ripped through his eardrums. Fragments of sword blades, soaring like butterflies, swirled into a storm. He murmured quietly. “This… I didn’t expect this.”

Standing before the wave of steel was a platinum-blonde girl. Charlotte stood frozen in place, dazed. Was it due to a sudden control error? She immediately reached out to regain control, but it was already too late.

Swish! Therefore, the girl intended to bear everything alone. To prevent harm to others. A flurry of scattered flower petals. Charlotte stood still, bracing for the impact.

‘…Did she twist the flow of power, straining herself, to protect me?’ He couldn’t believe she’d redirected the attack like that. Thanks to her, his plan for a spectacular defeat had gone up in smoke. Her personality was truly unpredictable. Just moments ago, she was relentlessly pushing him, yet in a dangerous situation, she stepped forward to protect him. She was indeed a quirky, unpredictable girl. Well… that part was what made her a charming character, though.

‘What should I do?’ If he left her like that, she would get hurt. No matter that she was Charlotte, she was still a young girl. As this was the early part of the original story, her abilities lacked stability, and she couldn’t perfectly control her own power. She was a genius in the midst of growth. If they collided like that, at the very least she would suffer light bruises or lacerations. At worst, she might end up so badly injured she’d be carried off to the infirmary. Of course, with priests on standby, she would heal quickly… but imagining his favorite character getting hurt made him uneasy.

‘Damn it.’ However, he hesitated to save her directly. The loss was too clear. His life had been spent as an unnoticed extra, seemingly present but hidden. He had gone to such lengths to conceal his power and act like a weakling, and if he saved Charlotte here, everyone would undoubtedly find it strange. The students couldn’t see past the barrier. But the faculty members were different. They were observing the situation. For a moment, he thought about blocking all the magical device’s vision, but it was impossible with his current remaining output. He had to choose. Should he save Charlotte for a moment’s satisfaction? Or should he let her get hurt for his future stability?

‘What to do about this…’ A fleeting moment, less than five seconds. Tens of thousands of thoughts flashed through his mind. What pushed his back, as he stood frozen, unable to make a hasty decision, was…

“…That’s going to hurt.” It was nothing more than a single phrase. A monologue without even a hint of wavering. The platinum-blonde girl, who had been standing calmly, gently closed her eyelids. As if falling into a peaceful sleep. He let out a hollow laugh. “Ha.”

How could he not save her after seeing something like that? It was a foolish dilemma from the start. Hadn’t he enrolled in the academy to see the children? To want to protect them as a helper, yet trying to avoid his own responsibility?

“I need to reflect on this.” Snap! He snapped his fingers. Following the clear popping sound that echoed, his vision flickered. The next moment. He moved behind Charlotte.

Charlotte was standing still, as if she had no intention of bracing for the impact. “Excuse me for a moment.” He gently wrapped his extended arm around the girl. As he pulled her slender frame into his embrace, with his other hand, he gathered ‘falsehood’.

Whoosh! A sound tearing through the surrounding air. He pointed a finger towards the tsunami-like wave of blades, gathering an appropriate amount of power. A fleeting smile crossed his lips. What he spoke was darker than anything. What he accomplished was more enchanting than anything. The youngest ossuary in the world. He was the Star’s Proxy, or the Tooth that hung upon the bowstring. “Shatter.” He moved his lips. And then.

CRASH! The showering fragments of steel shattered into countless pieces. As if unable to withstand immense pressure and exploding, the surrounding scenery fractured again and again. The sturdy barrier collapsed. A grey garden scattering into dust. It was a scene perhaps resembling a non-existent apocalypse. What was once a single world was consumed by paradox, slowly colored by a beautiful disintegration.

‘Perhaps I overdid it.’ He contemplated his indifferent thoughts, shaking his hand. He had tried to control his power, but it seemed the unstable barrier had shattered along with it.

“Hoo.” As he briefly composed his breathing, he soon felt a squirming movement from his chest. The platinum-blonde girl held in his arms. Her transparent blue eyes looked up at him. It was a gaze that didn’t understand the situation. “…” “Are you alright?” He lightly questioned, checking the girl’s condition. Fortunately, she seemed unharmed. A sigh of relief escaped him.

Charlotte seemed unable to grasp the situation. Her expression was blank, lost in thought. He deliberately threw a playful remark at her. “Well, well… Could I say you owe me one?” “…” “Heh heh.” A knowing smile played on his lips. He held Charlotte carefully until every aspect of the barrier had crumbled.

***

“I forfeit.” With Charlotte’s declaration of forfeiture, the match ended. Perhaps the aftereffects of the hypnosis still lingered, as the girl stood, swaying unsteadily. Murmurs could be heard from the surroundings. -What? She suddenly forfeits? -Then the top student from the ‘bubble’ won? -No way. -Princess Charlotte was clearly dominating… what on earth happened inside the barrier? -That Her Highness lost to such an unqualified person… The students hadn’t seen what happened inside the barrier. All they remembered was how he struggled to keep up before Charlotte unleashed her domain. Their bewildered reactions were natural. They had expected a scenario where he would be thoroughly crushed. But when it played out, the exact opposite result appeared. It was a situation where question marks couldn’t help but pour out. -What trick did he use? -Honestly, just looking at his sword skills, he wasn’t a ‘bubble’. He seemed quite outstanding… -No, but for him to defeat Her Highness, does that even make sense?! -Didn’t Her Highness go easy on him intentionally? Ignoring the clamorous reactions of the students. He looked at the girl standing before him.

“…” “…” Charlotte was also staring at him. Silence stretched between them, devoid of conversation. It was Charlotte, no less, who broke it.

“So it was true after all. That person I know.” She murmured plainly. The girl, who seemed to have fallen into thought for a moment, parted her lips again and spoke to him. “Hey.” “Yes, Your Highness.” “Why did you save me? You could have just left me.” “Well…”

He lightly shrugged his shoulders. He pretended to ponder the answer slyly, but he already had a clear reason. He subtly poked the girl’s cheek with an outstretched finger. A soft, squishy touch. Charlotte tilted her head. “…” Her eyes were truly innocent. Her pupils transparently reflected the light. A gentle smile naturally formed on his lips.

“I just… didn’t want you to get hurt.” This time, it wasn’t a lie. It was entirely his sincere feeling. “Does that answer your question?” “I don’t know.” “That’s unfortunate.” “Yeah.”

Her voice came back curt and blunt. He, who even enjoyed hearing such reactions, let out a chuckle. It was a smile filled with ominousness, as usual. His unique trait was truly inconvenient at times like these. Not allowing him to laugh freely… Just as he was muttering, a lament that wasn’t quite a lament.

“Your smile is pretty.” A sudden compliment came his way. The speaker was none other than the Little Prince. Hearing words he had never heard in his life, he asked back, with several question marks floating in his mind. “…Are you talking about me?” “Yes.” “What part, exactly?” “It’s a clean color. That’s why it’s pretty.”

What did ‘clean color’ even mean? While he looked at her with skepticism, a faint smile formed on the girl’s lips. “I think I can watch you for a bit.” “Hmm?” “I still don’t know if you’re a good person or a bad person. So, yes. I’ll watch.” “You mean judgment deferred?” “Something similar.”

This was somewhat unexpected. Given that she now knew about his ominous power, he had at least expected her to show some reluctance. But Charlotte was showing interest instead. Should he call her eccentric? Or innocent? He couldn’t say which, but… it was exactly the reaction of the ‘Little Prince’ he remembered.

“Are you perhaps a bad person?” “What do you think?” “I don’t know.” “Your Highness truly possesses a mysterious discernment. Perhaps nine out of ten would say I seem like a bad person.” “Just because it’s one out of ten doesn’t mean it’s always wrong.” “You are right.”

As they exchanged those simple words, an announcement signaling the end of the test could be heard. 《The 7th test has concluded.》 《Students whose tests have ended, please exit following the faculty’s guidance.》

“It seems this is the end here,” “Mm.” “I’ll be going now.” “Alright.” They each slowly took their steps. Turning their backs on each other as if no conversation had taken place, they proceeded towards the respective entrances they had used.

《Charlotte Little von Staufen has forfeited. The winner is Juda Snakers.》 And so, the class placement test ended.

***

Meanwhile, in the faculty waiting room. All the faculty members, including the dean, were gathered in the spacious room. They were seated to evaluate the class placement test. As it was one of the important academic schedules, it should have proceeded seriously, but for some reason, the waiting room was filled with commotion.

“What on earth did I just see?” “Rewind to that scene quickly! Wasn’t something recorded incorrectly?” “…Impossible.” “Is that magic even possible at a student’s level…?”

The professors stared at the screen, each with a dumbfounded expression. The screen, streamed through a magical device, repeatedly replayed a scene that had occurred during the 7th test. 《Shatter.》 A narrow-eyed boy lightly murmured the incantation. Immediately after, the sturdy garden of steel shattered into countless pieces. Witnessing the barrier being terribly crushed, the professors could not hide their astonishment.

“What in the world… was that?” A professor’s murmur echoed softly. The faculty members stared blankly. At the golden-haired boy, who wore an ominous smile.