"Hahaha, how terrifying indeed. There's no need to glare at me like that; it was just a greeting."
Ernesta fled to hide behind Camilla, her face revealing a mischievous smile.
"This is a great opportunity to let bygones be bygones and start all over as friends! To be able to meet not only Swordsman-kun, but the Gruene RosePetalblaze Witch as well is awesome!"
"Even if you hadn't been directly responsible for the Cyrus incident, I despise your school. Don't try and get close to me."
Julis' malice was bared for all to see, allowing one to feel the strength of her resolution.
Reacting with such vitriol to the other side requesting to be friends, it was clear that Julis had some sort of past with Allekant.
"Oh...How unfortunate."
"I apologize, Ernesta, she...well, her personality is pretty much what you've seen. Allow me to greet you all in her place."
Camilla gave a bitter laugh and bowed her head in greeting.
It seemed at least this person ーCamilla Paretoー had a rather earnest personality.
Suddenly, Camilla's gaze rested upon the weapon in Saya's hands.
"Hmm, pretty interesting, that. It's a Lux with a lot of personality. It has two, no...three Mana Dite cores? Its power seems to derive from forcibly linking them together - that design sure is nostalgic."
Unbelievably, Saya's expression changed, and surprised, she turned to Camilla.
"...That's correct. How did you know?"
"This falls within my field of expertise. That said, that design is hardly practical."
Saya's eyebrows twitched.
"The LOBOS method for connecting multiple Mana Dite cores is an incomplete design already rejected over a dozen years ago. Its power output is unstable, its burden on the user is high, and both its volume and mass are substantial. In order to maintain a high level of output, it requires an excess of Mana as well as a significant pause between shots. Moreover, a way to overcome these flaws has yet to be discovered."
Camilla broke out into an unceasing torrent of words, the contents of which Ayato understood not one half, though he at least grasped the main point, which was that Saya's weapon had extreme limitations on usage. To be honest, a weapon which relied on the Mana overdrive phenomenon ーMeteor Arts, in other wordsー was something that could only ever see use within the bounds of a duel.
"...That's very true."
Unhappy, Saya bit her lips as she returned Camilla's gaze.
"ーBut I still can't forgive you for insulting my dad's hard work. Take it back."
"Your father...?"
Camilla took a deeper look at Saya's face.
"Ah... I see. You're the daughter of Professor Sasamiya then?"
Her voice was tinged with an element of both nostalgia and mockery.
"What of it?"
"In that case, I definitely won't retract my words."
Camilla shrugged and Saya's gaze grew sharper.
"Professor Sasamiya is a heretic. He's someone who was chased out of Allekant by my group, the FerroviusLion Faction. Infinitely more important than raw power is a weapon's suitability with the powerless masses. This is the founding principle of Ferrovius, of which I am the representative. There is no way I will acknowledge that warped thinking of his."
"..."
Saya and Camilla glared at one another, neither giving an inch.
As the situation appeared about to erupt-
"A~hem."
Claudia exaggeratedly cleared her throat as she seized a hold of Saya.
"Now then, our guests, if you would. It's about time we began discussing what we came here for, yes?"
"...You're absolutely right. I apologize for my poor manners."
Camilla gave a heavy sigh and turned.
Then, as if to lead Claudia on, she turned her back on Saya.
"Camilla's always this stubborn! Refusing to budge even the teeniest bit, that's her," Ernesta declared with a gleeful laugh, her face alight with childish delight as she watched the scene before her.
"ーWords are meaningless. Use power to prove your pointー isn't that the way of things here?"
"...You want a duel?"
"Nyahaha! Not a chance, there's no way Camilla would accept."
Ernesta laughed aloud as she waved her hand.
"That said, we did register for the coming Phoenix."
"Phoenix?"
"If you reach the finals, feel free to demonstrate your point then."
Although Ernesta laughed as before, that act had since ceased to mirror her mood.
"Ernesta, let's take our leave."
"Sounds good to me. Well then, everyone, until we meet again~"
Following the voice which had trailed through the entrance, she bounced out of the room.
"...Seriously, what an infuriating woman," Julis muttered, after some time had passed.
Her expression indignant, she picked up a beverage beside the wall.
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"Even if they said they'll be at the Phoenix, no matter how I look at it... aren't they researchers? Were they really being serious?"
"Researchers?" Ayato asked Lester.
Lester answered with an expression that showed he didn't quite understand either.
"Allekant Academy's students are divided into those that research Lux weapons and those that participate in the Festa. Generally speaking, these two groups are mutually exclusive."
"Oh..."
Although the two girls were undeniably members of the Starpulse Generation, it didn't look like they'd undergone any training either. But if that was the case...
"...Ayato."
Just as Ayato sunk deep into thought, Saya pulled him out of it.
"Hmm? What's up, Saya?"
"I'm also going to participate in the Phoenix. I've decided."
"The Phoenix...? Well, that's alright with me, but who's your partner going to be?"
"You, of course."
"What did you say!?"
Julis interrupted her drinking to shout a response to Saya's straightforward reply.
"W-Who do you think you're kidding here?! That guy is my partner!"
Saying this, Julis reached out to grab Ayato's right wrist. Saya, refusing to lose, grabbed his left, and pulled him in the opposite direction.
"...Monopolizing him is prohibited."
"W-W-Wait just a minute, you two! It hurts! Owwwwww!"
Even if Gandhi himself were here, chances were good he'd be unable to separate these two girls.
"You should just continue what you were doing earlier, and partner up with Lester!"
"I refuse."
A reply without hesitation.
"I'll pass on that as well! A psycho like her who blows away both friend and foe I can do without! Actually, before all of that, I already have a partner!"
"...Good point. The only person who can completely avoid my attacks is Ayato."
"That's something you should change! Anyway, the deadline for registering for the Phoenix is already past! What're you planning to do about that?"
"Hmm... That is a problem."
Saya released Ayato's arm and began to think.
Julis seized the opportunity to pull Ayato to her, and as if protecting him with her body, took up a threatening stance like a mother cat.
"Well, for now, just sign up as an alternate. Every year people drop out anyway."
"Good. Then that's that."
Saya thumbed up her approval of Lester's suggestion.
Facing Saya, Julis guardedly questioned further.
"...And your partner?"
"Ayato."
"REJECTED!"
Julis and Saya began to quarrel once more.
Ayato sighed, and thought of what Ernesta had just said. "ーHowever, I wonder if things won't be different next time?"
Although her tone had implied it was a joke, he was decidedly concerned.
(What did she mean by "next time"?)
- ψ -
"Honestly... Please try not to give me another heart attack, OK, Ernesta?" Camilla pleaded with Ernesta, walking before her.
After having smoothly finished signing the agreement, they were leaving Seidoukan grounds.
"Hmm? When did that happen?"
Ernesta turned back with puzzled expression on her face. They'd been friends for too long, however, and Camilla wasn't about to be taken in by her pretended innocence.
"The fact that you were responsible for the incident a few days ago... There was no need to make them aware of it."
Camilla was referring to what she'd said back in the training room.
Back then, she'd revealed herself as the mastermind behind the plot, and needlessly put them on guard. There had been no benefit in doing such a thing.
"Whatever. We've just formalized the agreement, so there's no need to worry about it coming back to bite us now, anyway."
"That's true..."
The agreement this time was, of course, exceedingly in Seidoukan's favor, so they had nothing to gain by going back on their word.
"First, let me express my gratitude for the assistance of Ferrovius. I mean it. Dangling the idea of developing new Lux technology as bait... they simply had no choice but to accept."
"In any case, it's not like they'll really be able to use what they learn from us, so who cares? If that's all it costs to have the PygmalionSculptor Faction indebted to us, then we count it cheap."
That was certainly true.
Practical deployment of 'that technique' was something that Ferrovius ーCamillaー felt might as well have been impossible.
...'That' belonged to essentially the same system of things as Professor Sasamiya's weapon.
"Nyahaha. In any case, I never would have thought I'd see the day when Camilla would be so openly provocative, and to that blue-haired little girl. Given your personality, that's something unprecedented."
"...It's nothing. Something that small hardly counts as a provocation. I was just expressing my true feelings. Anyway, more importantly, is everything ready to begin?"
"Yep yep, it's all gone very smoothly. The opportunistic SonnetDark Lady Faction[3] and MethusalehIdea Faction have been roped in for the moment. That being the case, the TenorioUbermensch Faction ought to keep quiet for a bit," Ernesta spoke nonchalantly.
With this, they'd taken control of the assembly.
"...You sure move fast."
Camilla had no doubts regarding her own ability. When it came to Allekant Academy, which gathered the very brightest from the four corners of the world, she had the confidence to stand at the head of the very largest faction.
However, when she stood next to the girl in front of her, she could feel the difference between herself and this heaven-sent talent. Whether it was in her role as a researcher or in her role as a leader, it made no difference.
"The President didn't do too bad a job at the Rikka Garden Council; the stage is set, and our people are making the final arrangements."
At last, Ernesta's expression turned dark.
"Is there a problem?"
"You could say that. The drive system's been completed thanks to Cyrus' help. We have all the data we need. The output system, however, is a little unstable. It's going to need more time."
"If he's willing to obediently come over to Allekant, then we can wrap things up pretty soon."
"That can't be helped. He's not like those Strega and Dante that just go wherever they want. Anyway, who'd willingly sign up to be a guinea pig?"
Ernesta spoke quite cheerfully, and even Camilla gave a wry smile.
"Hence the lie? Leverage?"
"Yes. I'll use any method to achieve my ends. It's for the purpose of realizing my dream, after all."
As Ernesta spoke, she raised her head to gaze at the twilight sky.
She'd squinted her eyes as if playing a prank, but within their depths lay a fearsome seriousness. On this, Camilla was most clear.
"When you said you wanted to see him, this was your reason?"
Camilla inquired as Ernesta continued to stare at the sky.
"Mm. You know, when it comes to the Phoenix, I think that swordsman is our biggest foe. So I wanted to see things with my own eyes, confirm things a bit."
"Amagiri Ayato, his name was. The data we've collected seems to be legitimate..."
From their meeting just now, the boy had seemed rather juvenile.
The way Camilla saw it, he was anything but out of the ordinary.
Even if you included the fact that he wielded Ser-Versta, he didn't seem to be a threat.
"I wish there was more info on him...Mm, I wish."
Ernesta mumbled to herself.
"...Please don't tell me you're plotting something again?"
"This is pretty frustrating, to be honest. I can't use my puppets since they're being adjusted at the moment, and there's no time to go play with another school. Originally, I'd figured I'd do something here, but there's no one else like Cyrus-kun to take advantage of. Moreover, the data measurement terminal should already have been prepared..."
Ernesta spoke without stopping before suddenly raising her head.
"ーOh, that's right. There's still that way."
"Something just occur to you?"
Ernesta nodded proudly in response to Camilla's inquiry.
"The Tenorio, weren't they recently raising a fuss? Something like the incident with Cyrus bringing disgrace to Allekant or something."
"That was just something they said for appearance's sake."
In comparison with the humiliation the Tenorio had suffered four years prior, Ernesta's failure was a minor thing.
More correctly, the original goal of the thing with Cyrus had been to measure the Mana transfer efficiency rates at which telekinetic ability users used their abilities. This data had been collected, and thus in regards to this aspect, the plan had been a complete success.
Added to that, it had been Ernesta's own Ferrovius which had paid the cost of compensation. Tenorio hadn't a leg to stand on with their complaint.
"I think we ought to give them a chance to reclaim their honor. That's only fair, after all."
Ernesta, enjoying herself thoroughly, laughed delightedly.
"...What's the plan?"
"If they were able to eliminate the cause of our defeat, then wouldn't that mean that their research's results are superior to ours?"
So that's how it was. Camilla had more or less grasped the plan.
"You're going to provoke them."
"Hehehe, killing two birds with one stone is most interesting, after all."
Seeing Ernesta immerse herself in her new idea, Camilla gave a wry smile.
This was a person who was absurdly reckless, and yet a terrifyingly reliable friend.
For this reason, though she was forced to endure countless hardships on her behalf, she'd accepted it without a second thought.