Chapter 18

◈ Episode 18

I hooked both arms around her waist from behind, then snapped my spine straight and swung my sword.

The blade's target: El's slender, pale neck.

The heavy edge shot forward.

Instead of the feel of cutting flesh, a metallic clang rang out.

She knocked my sword aside with ease.

"Hmm..."

Her reaction was almost bored—like she was sizing me up.

But one deflection didn't stop me.

I kept carving toward her throat, over and over.

No breathing room, no chance to counter.

I attacked with savage abandon.

Dropping low, I plunged in deep, gripping the hilt and slashing upward.

Again—always the throat.

She placed her blade exactly where mine would meet it.

Just as I braced for another parry—

"Looks like I'll have to use the natural magic..."

I noticed her skin darken.

Heat rose from her body, steam curling off her.

The Red Family Swordsmanship, in that single instant,

surged with explosive power.

Her sword came crashing down.

Not cutting—hammering. She drove it into me again and again.

I angled my blade to block, but I felt like nothing more than a nail head under a sledgehammer.

Barely holding.

Each blow drove my legs deeper into the earth.

Then her next strike came fast.

"Hup!"

A horizontal slash—right to left.

I wrenched my body backward, arching like a bow, just barely dodging.

The edge snipped a few strands of my hair.

My face tilted toward the sky.

The sunlight blazed into my eyes.

Even shut, it stung my lids.

And then I saw it—a trail of sword-ripple left in the air.

A heat shimmer.

It blurred my vision.

The same mark Bell's swordsmanship always leaves.

What followed was inevitable—an explosion of noise.

I shot backward, putting distance between us.

The one difference between her and Bell?

After using that technique, she stood perfectly upright.

"Are you going to keep fighting with your eyes closed?"

She asked.

"You're as impressive as ever."

I stepped forward again.

Her throat.

Only her throat.

"I don't know what kind of trick you're pulling by closing your eyes, but your attacks are way too predictable!"

I didn't bother answering. I just kept pushing.

When she saw me repeating the same move, she did the same—blocked a few times, then seized an opening and raised her sword high.

The blade came down with a fierce wave of heat.

That's when I twisted my wrist, tilting the sword flat.

The ground beneath my feet was the exact same spot as before—

The spot where the sunlight had slammed into my eyes moments ago.

The intense rays caught the polished steel of my blade and reflected straight into El's eyes.

"Ghk!"

She squeezed her eyes shut.

Just like I had.

I grabbed her collar in an instant, yanked her forward, stole her center of gravity, and drove her straight into the dirt.

The impact rattled through her whole body, and she dropped her sword.

"Khak!"

The blade clattered across the ground.

As she tried to push herself up, I brought the tip of my sword to her throat.

Freezing her in place.

I opened my eyes lazily.

The crimson flush on her cheeks wasn't because of the Red Family's bloodline.

"Mago."

The Head Instructor's voice cut through the air.

"Sheathe your sword."

Meaning the winner had been decided.

I slid my blade back into its scabbard and reached down.

El took my hand and got to her feet.

"I'll keep it a secret that you lost," I said with a playful grin.

"Yeah, whatever..."

She pouted and brushed the sand off her clothes.

Oscar, who had been watching, grumbled under his breath. "That bastard Mago actually pulled it off solo."

"Why did he only go for the neck? Turns out he was calculating that far ahead," Kinzo replied.

"What do you mean?"

"Mago kept his sword in a high guard from start to finish. He wanted to reflect the sunlight from a fixed position."

"From the start? What are you talking about?"

"He made you think he was obsessed with your throat. Deliberately. The blade always came from above, so your eyes kept looking up. That's when he got you."

Meanwhile, I picked up the sword El had dropped.

"El, you should take this. You've got to face the next person..."

The moment I lifted it, the blade shattered into several pieces.

The cheap training weapon couldn't withstand her destructive force.

---

Elizabeth Red—I'll just call her El.

She stood staring blankly at the notice board plastered with scores.

"Just as the Instructor told me..."

She looked utterly shocked.

It reminded me of Bell, not long ago, pressing her forehead against the same board and muttering to herself.

They really are alike.

"At this rate, I won't make it into the Sp-Special Forces. Right, Mago?"

I had no choice but to nod.

"How did Bell end up at 41st place...?"

"The written exam was brutal."

I kept to myself the fact that losing to me had dropped her even further.

She stared at the top of the scoreboard.

Right at the summit—Top Student.

My name.

"Mago, you and Bell... you get along?"

Just yesterday—

What do you two think you're doing? Louise's what?

Bell's chilling eyes flashed in my memory.

"We get along fine. We're close."

"Mago."

She called my name with an unusually serious expression.

"Why do you think I took on the role of special instructor?"

I'd been wondering about that myself. She wasn't part of the Imperial Army, so she had no real connection to the Head Instructor. And while she'd been here, Bell had left the training camp for a while. She hadn't come to visit family either.

So that meant—

"It's because of Bell's grades, isn't it?"

As if I'd guessed correctly, El nodded.

"I received a letter saying her grades had dropped badly. I wanted to help her somehow, but by the time I got here, Bell was already gone..."

She paused for about three seconds.

"So... I had no choice but to enlist another trainee's help."

"And that trainee is me?"

"Hmm... yes."

I'd beaten her in sparring. I was the current Top Student. My skill was proven.

What she wanted was for me to help Bell raise her scores.

Now that I knew what she was after, it was time to take control.

The initiative was already in my hands.

"Why should I?"

When I countered, El couldn't come up with a proper answer. She just stammered and hesitated.

"The 4th exam splits the ranks into odd and even groups. Bell and I are both odd numbers, so we'd be in the same group. I could help her... theoretically. But I have no reason to."

I threw that out one step ahead of her.

I wanted her to realize that if something came my way, something had to go back.

The 4th exam would be suspended due to the Demon King Army's invasion anyway.

Which meant no one would get a score—it would all be for nothing.

"Mago, is there something you need? You can be honest."

I needed a decent weapon, but I'd already taken care of that.

What I wanted from El was for her to stay here—at the training camp—four days from now, and take part in the 2nd invasion defense.

"Then stay at the training camp for one more day."

"Wh-What? That's a bit difficult. I promised I'd only stay until before the 4th exam..."

"That's what I'm asking for. Otherwise, I can't help Bell."

"Are you saying I should just... sneak around and hide?"

"If I have to."

"What difference does one more day make?"

"Think about it. I've been selfishly focused on my own exams all this time, and now suddenly I'm helping Bell. People might get suspicious."

"Suspicious?"

"If that happens, you'll need to step in. If a sister who was supposedly hiding suddenly appears, it'll look like you orchestrated the cheating—not me."

"You're sharp."

El grimaced.

"You'll have to take that risk, El."

She lowered her head.

And stayed silent for a long moment.

Then—

"......Fine. It's a deal, Mago."

She extended her right hand.

"Agreed."

I took her hand and gave it a firm squeeze.

I remembered the black ink that had dripped from her clenched fist last night.

For the upcoming invasion, I needed two things: people and weapons.

People—done.

Next: weapons.

On my way back, I glanced at the Armory.

An Instructor stood guard.

There was no way I could march in and haul out the arsenal for the exam grounds. Not without the Instructor's approval. Not without a solid explanation.

"Mago. Something wrong?"

The Instructor noticed me lingering.

"Nothing, sir. Just walked this way without thinking."

"Boring answer. Get back to your quarters."

"Yes, sir."

Outside the Armory, orc models lined up in a row.

One of them lay on its side, shredded to pieces.

Bell's handiwork.

"Sir, shouldn't that one be replaced?"

"Hm? Oh, right. Actually, a new shipment of models is coming. We need them for the next training session."

That matched what I remembered from my past life.

The supplier would deliver the models.

It was the only chance to bring in outside equipment before the invasion.

I just hoped Bell was holding up her end.

---

"Why are we the only ones getting kicked out?"

I heard Bell's voice from across the training ground, sharp with accusation.

"We're not getting kicked out. We have our own mission, remember?"

"Amon. Be honest—are we hated or something?"

"Don't talk nonsense. And are you even listening to me?"

"Then what's this all about?"

"Listen, Bell. This is called 'ace-checking.' We're not hated—we're being targeted."

"By the Instructors?"

"Exactly. Four days until the 4th exam. They're planning to bench us until then. Trying to weaken us so we're on the same level as the other trainees."

"Hmm..."

"So that means we're the aces..."

"Then Mago should've been the one sent out."

"Huh?"

"You said we were being ace-checked. Wouldn't the natural choice be to bench the Top Student, not us?"

"W-Well... yeah."

"Use your head for once."

"I can't believe I'm hearing that from you."

Amon stopped mid-stride.

"Bell. Truth is, I already know."

"Know what?"

"That this whole thing is off. This 'mission' is just a glorified errand. Why do I have to buy the Head Instructor's cigarettes? Hell, the more free time I have, the more lost I feel. What else am I supposed to do?"

"I actually have something to do."

"What?"

"Mago asked me to take care of something before we left. Don't ask me how he knew we'd be sent out."

"Mago asked you?"

"Look at this."

Bell pulled out a piece of paper.

Amon peered at the back of it.

"The edge is singed. Also, Bell—how am I supposed to see it if you're only showing me the back?"

Bell twisted her wrist to reveal the front side.

"I didn't show you on purpose. You wouldn't understand it anyway."

She added that with a shrug.

"Hmm..."

Amon squinted at the characters on the front.

"I really don't get it. What language is this?"

"No idea."

"Some kind of code?"

"That's what I'm assuming."

"What are you going to do with it?"

Bell pulled out another sheet of paper.

"I'm supposed to bring that to this place. Probably the code they use there."

The second paper was a crude map.

They headed straight to the location.

Never once imagining it was a thieves' hideout.

They even knocked politely.

A scruffy face appeared in the gap of the door.

"Who's there?" the thief snapped.

"Hello there."

Bell gave a small bow.

"Uh... hello."

Amon bobbed his head from behind her.

"This isn't a place for kids."

The thief started to close the door—

Then his eyes caught the dark blue fabric of their uniforms.

He stopped.

His gaze traveled down their clothes, then landed on the emblem stitched over their left chest: a downward-pointing longsword.

Trainees... this batch's...

The thief's expression flickered.

They're from the same class as those two!

He swung the door wide open.

"And what brings you here today?" he asked, all at once adopting a tone of gentlemanly courtesy.