Chapter 91 - Elinàsze at the Oldwass College of Magic

◇Houghtow City—Flio's House◇

One night, Belano stood knocking on the door to Elina sze's private room. Much to her

surprise, however, there was no response from inside.

I wonder what's going on… Belano thought, cocking her head curiously as she went to

knock again. She's usually in her room around this time of night… The second knock got

no more response than the first. I wonder if she's out…? Or maybe in the bath?

As Belano stood there, debating with herself whether she should knock on the door a

third time, she suddenly heard Elina sze's voice inside her head. "Hello? Miss Belano, is

that you?"

"Fweh?!" Belano exclaimed, jumping back. Discombobulated, she looked all around

trying to identify the source of the voice. Elina sze, however, was nowhere in sight.

"Oh, I'm out of the world at the moment," said Elina sze's telepathic voice. "Please wait

just a moment!"

"Wh-What?" Belano asked, confused. "You're… out of the world?"

Before long, however, Belano saw a magic circle appear right before her eyes. A black

door arose out of the circle. It opened with a click, and out stepped Elina sze. She was

wearing the comfortable clothes she favored for daily wear around the house,

complete with a pair of big round glasses. "I'm sorry to keep you waiting," she said. "Is

there something you need?"

"O-Oh! Yes…" Belano answered.

"You can come inside if you like," said Elina sze, beckoning Belano inside the door she

had conjured. "Right this way."

Belano took Elina sze up on her offer and stepped inside, glancing curiously all around.

Is this… a Teleportation Portal?

The space on the other side of the door was quite large. There was an enormous

bookshelf taking up an entire wall, stuffed to the bursting point with magic grimoires.

It was more than five times Elina sze's height, but there was no sign of any sort of

ladder or stepladder she might use to reach the top shelves. The room was furnished

with a number of tables, each with an array of magic devices set out on top for creating

concentrated solutions extracted from medicinal herbs and combining them into

magic potions.

Elina sze led Belano through to another door on the far side of the room, which swung

open without her needing to so much as touch its handle. "In here, if you please," she

said. As she made her way across the room, she reached towards the bookcase and a

number of volumes stored high up on the shelves silently glided through the air and

within reach of her hands. Elina sze selected one and started referencing something

written inside even as she continued on through the door.

On the other side of the door was a cozy space quite unlike the vast room they had just

passed through. Elina sze sat down at the large desk tucked away in the far corner.

"Elina sze…" Belano said, a bewildered look on her face as she looked all around the

area they found themselves in. "What is this place…?"

"Oh, this is a world I've artificially created," Elina sze answered. "Technically, it's a

planetoid world, of the same structure as the world of Klyrode. Right now the only two

rooms are the laboratory you entered through and this study, but I plan to expand it

little by little in order to create a convenient space for my purposes." The magic

grimoires flying in the air around Elina sze came to land atop her desk. Then, with a

single wave of Elina sze's finger, she conjured a chair and offered it to Belano to sit

down. "Now, what was it you wanted from me?"

"Ah! Y-Yes, of course…" Belano took a single sealed envelope out from her chest pocket.

"It's about this."

"A letter?" Elina sze said, accepting the envelope and looking to see who it was

addressed to.

It read: "To Miss Elina sze, Houghtow College of Magic."

I sense magic power coming from the letter inside… Elina sze mused, flipping the

envelope over to see who it was from.

"What's this?" Elina sze asked. "A letter from the Oldwass College of Magic?"

"Yes… that's right," said Belano. "They sent a letter just addressed to the college too. It

sounds like they want to try a short-term exchange program with the Houghtow

College of Magic. They put us in charge of selecting students to participate for the most

part. You were the only one they asked for by name…"

"Oh really! I see…" Elina sze said, looking up from the envelope as Belano explained the

situation. She waved her hand and a tea set came flying over from the magic kitchen

built into the wall of her study. A cup alighted on the desk in front of Belano, and the

teapot promptly flew up in perfect silence, filling it with tea.

After making extra sure that the teapot had finished pouring, Belano accepted the cup.

As she lifted it up, the magic rings she wore on her fingers, of which there were a great

number, glinted in the light of the room.

Belano noticed that Elina sze was staring at her rings and quietly stared back, her eyes

open wide in confusion.

"Oh! Pardon me!" Elina sze said, quickly shaking her head as she opened the envelope

to retrieve the letter inside. "It's nothing, don't pay it any mind!"

◇Houghtow City—Flio's House◇

It happened that the next day was a work holiday in the Kingdom of Klyrode. That

morning, everyone gathered in the living room to eat breakfast as usual. There were

only a few absences—Blossom, Ura, and Kora had gone to do their early morning

vegetable market in spite of it being a day of rest, and Rylna sze had gone to help, taking

the familiars and Sybe's family with her.

"Huh!" Flio said, reading over the letter that Elina sze had handed him. "So you got an

invitation to take part in a short-term exchange program with a school called the

Oldwass College of Magic?"

Elina sze was sitting in the chair beside Flio as always, drinking a cup of after-breakfast

tea Charun had poured for her. "So it seems, papa," she said, finishing her sip and

setting her cup to the side. "It's meant to be an exchange program with the whole

Houghtow College of Magic, but it sounds like they asked for me by name."

Flio looked over the letter as he listened. It read: "Dear Miss Elina sze, we at the

Oldwass College of Magic most eagerly anticipate your participation in the exchange

study with your institution. Signed, Chairman Decona, Oldwass College of Magic."

Nothing here seems at all out of the ordinary… Flio thought as he looked it over. "So?"

he asked, looking back up at Elina sze. "Are you going to participate?"

"Yes, I believe I shall," Elina sze reported. "I've been trying to further my studies of

magic, after all. Studying in a different location might turn out to be a useful

experience."

Flio smiled and nodded. "I see! By the way, what sort of place is the Oldwass College

of Magic?"

"I believe I, your humble servant Hiya, may be of use in such an explanation," Hiya

volunteered, turning their ever-narrowed eyes towards Flio and bowing deep. "The

Oldwass College of Magic is an institution of magical education that lies in the north

of the Magic Kingdom of Klyrode, on the border between that kingdom and the Dark

One's domain. It was established during the first days of the Magical Kingdom itself,

for the purpose of training first-class mages that might labor for the kingdom. Indeed,

the very mage who created me, Hiya, was among the mages produced by the Oldwass

College of Magic."

"Well, what do you know!" Flio said, an expression of surprise on his face. "The mage

who created you, huh…"

"Ah, well, my creator he might have been, but I lost any illusions I had about him when

I came to understand the depths of his incompetence. The fool was not even able to

dispel my Collar of Sacrifice when I— Ahem, perhaps I have said too much…" Hiya

cleared their throat with a chuckle and a suggestive grin.

The Collar of Sacrifice… Flio thought, his own smile somewhat stiff. That's the magic

item that Hiya used to place on people's necks to mark them as ritual sacrifice for

payment when they felt like granting wishes to humans. Did they really use that on their

own creator? Th-That seems like a bit much, even for Hiya…

"Returning to the point at hand," Hiya continued, "after that incident, the Oldwass

College of Magic continued to produce outstanding mages and send them to the

Magical Kingdom… until a certain time, at which point the flow of students stopped.

This is the first time I have heard their name spoken in over a decade."

"What happened at that certain point of time?" Flio asked.

"In exchange for their efforts training mages to the highest degree of quality, the

Magical Kingdom of Klyrode made a promise to provide the Oldwass College of Magic

a stipend of funds. The former King Klyrode, however, discontinued the provision of

financial aid under the name of war expenditures for the conflict with the Dark Army."

"I see…" Flio said, nodding in understanding. The Maiden Queen's father, huh? he

thought. From everything I've heard, that guy practiced some pretty egregious

misappropriation of funds. I wonder if the money he saved from discontinuing support

to the Oldwass College of Magic went to lining his own pockets too…

"Thank you, Hiya!" Elina sze said with a smile. She had been listening to the

conversation between Hiya and Flio from off to the side. "I suppose I'll try out the

exchange program after all. It sounds like this school has a lot of history, and if it's the

school your creator came from I'm even more interested!"

"If that's your decision, you have my support," Flio nodded, his usual easygoing smile

on his face.

"Thank you, papa!" said Elina sze, beaming back at her father. "Just you watch—I'm

going to learn a ton of magic, and then I'll be better at helping you out!"

◇Magical Kingdom of Klyrode, North—Oldwass College of Magic◇

The Degadon Mountain Range lay to the north of the Magical Kingdom of Klyrode.

Unlike the temperate Houghtow City, the mountains were a world of winter white,

closed off from the rest of the kingdom by frozen ice and snowstorms that raged year

round. It was deep in those frozen mountains where one could find the Oldwass

College of Magic.

Chairman Decona stood in his office at the pinnacle of the tall tower located at the very

middle of the college. With him was the magus Neriep, the current headmaster,

dressed in her black robes. "Chairman Decona…" she said, her voice calm and

composed, but steeped in quiet anger at the old man across from her. "Exactly what,

may I ask, could you possibly have been thinking?"

Decona, the chairman of the college's board, laughed a good natured "Oh ho ho!" as he

stroked his beard, which came all the way down to his waist. "Now, now, Neriep!

There's no need to lose your temper!"

"On the contrary, I haven't lost my temper at all," Neriep objected.

"Oh ho ho! You haven't? It rather looks like you have to me, but if you say so, I suppose

I must be mistaken!" Decona waved one of his fingers and a cup of black tea appeared

in front of Neriep. It was steaming, as if it had been brewed only just then. "Here, have

a drink and calm your nerves a little," he said, offering her the cup with a smile.

"I'm telling you, I haven't," Neriep insisted, glaring indignantly in Decona's direction.

When the old man just kept on smiling as cheerfully as ever, though, she sighed heavily

and accepted the cup. "Very well, if you insist. Thank you for the tea."

Decona nodded in satisfaction as Neriep picked up the cup. "Neriep," he said, "I

understand your concerns perfectly well, believe you me. But please do try to keep a

cool head. We know the Diabolists have been working to extend their influence into

the Oldwass College of Magic. For all we know, their minions might have already

infiltrated the school…"

"But Chairman Decona!" Neriep protested, her eyes snapping open. "That is exactly

why we should be gathering the students and faculty of the college in one place while

we work to seal the Diabolists back under the permafrost from whence they came, is

it not? Why would you invite another school for a short-term exchange study program

in such a state of emergency? And without a single word to me about it, no less!" She

drained her teacup and returned it to the table, fixing Decona with an angry glare.

Decona smiled as warmly as ever as he met Neriep's eyes. "Oh, well, how do I put

this…? I hope you can tolerate a few whims of my own during the twilight years of my

life…" he said with a sickly cough that he seemed to be doing on purpose. In fact, while

Decona looked quite old, his long ears were as perky as ever. It was clear from looking

at him that at least some of his ancestry was from the long-lived elven folk.

This old man… Neriep thought to herself. Always bringing his age into things just to

make my life harder… Still, Neriep couldn't help but soften at the performance. After a

while she sighed, resigning herself to defeat. "Very well," she said. "I'll let you have

your way this time. But I would very much appreciate it if you would find someone

besides myself to put in charge of the visiting exchange students." She turned with a

flip of her robe and left the chairman's office behind.

Simply ludicrous… Neriep thought. He has no concern for what others think sometimes.

We still have to worry about the Diabolist's attack—what would we do if something

should happen to him…?

She strode down the hallway with long steps, a complicated expression on her face.

◇ ◇ ◇

Alone in his office after Neriep had left, Decona shook his head, sighing as he stared

after the door she had left through. "Neriep is an excellent magus, to be sure, but I'm

afraid she knows precious little about subjects other than magecraft," he said. "It's

hard to blame her, of course. She became headmaster during the years when we had

broken off ties with the Magic Kingdom of Klyrode, after all. She never knew what it

meant to rely on help from others in the first place. I suppose that doesn't just go for

Neriep, though. All of us in the Oldwass College of Magic are in the same boat, as far as

that's concerned…"

Decona pressed his right index finger to his temple, sending out a telepathic signal.

"You summoned me, Chairman Decona?" came the response.

"There you are, Aryun Parn-Parn," Decona said with a warm laugh. "I'm terribly sorry,

but would you be willing to be the one to meet our exchange students from the

Houghtow College of Magic? Neriep refused me point-blank."

"I had a feeling that would happen," answered the voice. "Although I must say, I can't

imagine what you could possibly be intending, inviting exchange students over now of

all possible times…"

"Oh, don't you start with that. I'm asking you a favor here," said Decona.

"All right, I'll do it. But in exchange, you had better pay me a handsome bonus." With

that, Aryun Parn-Parn cut off the telepathic conversation.

"Oh ho ho!" Decona laughed again as he strolled his way over to the office window.

"Under the Maiden Queen's leadership, the Magical Kingdom of Klyrode has once

more become a place with which we would do well to have a formal relationship," he

said, muttering to himself as the snow fell outside his window. "If our current

predicament can result in us reestablishing our old connection, why not leap at the

opportunity?"

Decona watched intently as the flakes of snow danced through the air. Whenever one

touched the building, however, it would immediately evaporate and vanish into the air.

The defensive spells active on the Oldwass College of Magic meant that no snow storm

would ever touch its walls.

◇Days Later—Houghtow City◇

One day, a single Enchanted Frigate came to a stop beside the boarding station next to

the Fli-o'-Rys General Store. A smaller model than a typical ship of the fleet, this one

had been prepared specially by Flio for the purpose of taking the students from the

Houghtow College of Magic to the Oldwass College of Magic high in the Degadon

Mountain Range for their short-term exchange program.

A smile came to Garyl's face as he looked up at the ship. "Looks like it's finally time to

set out for the Oldwass College of Magic!" he said. He wasn't wearing his usual

adventuring attire, but had instead showed up dressed in the uniform of the Klyrode

Institute for Chivalric Education.

"So you're going dressed in uniform then, Garyl?" Elina sze asked, stepping up beside

her brother.

"That's the idea," Garyl confirmed. "The Houghtow College of Magic doesn't have a

school uniform, after all, so when I tried to think of how I should dress properly as a

visiting student, this is what I came up with." Plus, he thought to himself, I wouldn't

want to mess up and do something that might cause trouble for Miss Ellie…

"I see…" Elina sze considered. "I suppose I can see the logic." For her part, Elina sze was

dressed in the same dark-colored casual outfit she wore when she was working in her

laboratory, her long hair tied back in a simple messy ponytail.

"Big sis…" Garyl said. "You didn't come straight from your laboratory, did you?"

"Oh! You could tell?" Elina sze chirped.

"I mean… I'd have to be really out of it not to," Garyl replied, glancing over with a smirk.

"Ah, well…" Elina sze sighed, looking down. "I suppose I can't get away with this outfit,

then, can I?"

"I mean, maybe…" said Garyl, choosing his words carefully. "Everyone thinks you're

cute. You probably won't get in trouble for it…"

Elina sze, however, could infer what Garyl was trying to say. "All right, then," she said,

waving a finger. "How about this?" Suddenly, her outfit transformed into a gorgeous

blue ensemble made from Indolan cloth, complete with a miniskirt that lent the whole

thing a soft and flowery appearance. Her hair, meanwhile, formed itself into a threestrand braid that reached down to the base of her neck. "What do you think?" she

asked, removing her glasses and turning back towards her brother.

"It's great! I think that'll do fine!" said Garyl, smiling brightly. "By the way…"

"Hm?" Elina sze asked.

Garyl raised his head to look at the veritable mountain of suitcases stacked up behind

his sister. "Are you bringing all of that stuff aboard…?" he asked with a smirk.

"Well, what else am I supposed to do?" Elina sze countered. "The rules say that all items

brought aboard the Enchanted Frigate must go through a security check! Once we've

gotten through that I'll send them all to my private world, though, so I'll be showing

up at the College of Magic empty-handed." She waved her arms as if to demonstrate,

smiling cheerfully.

"Even so, that sure is a lot of luggage!" Rislei, who had come to see the others off,

smiled in amusement herself at the unwieldy pile.

"Is it?" Elina sze said. "It's mostly magic items and grimoires. It's not as if I have that

many daily necessities." Besides, if I've forgotten something, I can always go get it from

the laboratory space I can enter at any time. Although I was planning on keeping that

bit to myself…

As Rislei began chatting with Elina sze, Salina watched from off to the side, staring

intently. Behind her was a massive pile of nearly fifty enormous suitcases. It was easily

twice the size of the heap of luggage Garyl had been teasing his sister for. But, but,

but… she thought to herself, litigating the matter inside her own head. I was lucky

enough to be selected to participate in the exchange program, after all! That means I've

won a whole week to spend together with Lord Garyl! This much luggage is the bare

minimum I need to avoid embarrassing myself in front of him! Yes—all of this is for my

beloved Lord Garyl! What else could I have done? She nodded, apparently satisfied with

her reasoning.

A short distance away, a number of other girls had come to see the ship off.

"That Salina…" Irystiel's black cat plush grumbled, animated by its owner's

ventriloquism. "I can't believe it! Mreowr…"

"Me neither!" agreed Snow Little, puffing out her cheeks in a pout beside her. "I should

have been the one to win the ticket for a weeklong date with Lord Garyl…"

Those two were far from the only wistful ones. No small number of students from the

Houghtow College were there—and most of the girls seemed to be glaring in Salina's

direction with clear envy.

Oryou and Belano, who had boarded the ship ahead of the students, looked down at

the crowd. The two were there as members of the Houghtow College of Magic faculty,

chosen to look after the students on their trip.

"Miss Oryou…" Belano said with a polite little bow. "Thank you for helping today…"

Oryou, however, didn't respond.

"Um… Miss Oryou?" Belano asked.

"Ah! You are speaking to one such as myself? Or… I mean… to me?" Oryou said. "I

apologize for my inattentiveness. It is I who must thank you."

Belano stared back at Oryou in silent confusion as her colleague replied. That's

strange… she thought, cocking her head to the side as she watched Oryou look out at

the crowd. It doesn't look like anything's wrong with Miss Oryou, but there was definitely

something off about the way she was talking just now…

◇ ◇ ◇

As everyone busied themselves getting ready to board the ship, Flio appeared in front

of the crowd.

"Papa!" Elina sze cried when she saw who it was, her expression brightening instantly.

She had been standing to the side waiting for the ship to finish its preparations with a

somewhat cold demeanor, but the instant Flio arrived she couldn't help herself from

running up to greet him, full of cheer. "Have you come to see us off?"

"Well, not exactly," Flio said, smiling his usual easygoing smile. "I'm going to be flying

the ship and visiting the school along with you all."

"You will?!" Elina sze's smile grew even brighter at Flio's words. "Really?!"

"The Enchanted Frigates are the property of the Fli-o'-Rys General Store, after all," Flio

explained. "And since this is our first time going to this school, I thought it might be a

good idea to pay them a visit and introduce myself."

"Oh, hooray!" Elina sze cheered, hugging her father tight. "I'm so glad we'll be making

the trip there together, papa!"

Garyl cracked a knowing smile as he watched Elina sze's sudden display of unreserved

emotion out of the corner of his eye. Big sis Elinàsze acts so cool and aloof towards

everyone so much of the time, he thought, but she's so expressive whenever dad comes

around…

Elina sze paid her brother no mind whatsoever, simply reveling in her father's

attention as Flio patted her gently on the head.

◇ ◇ ◇

Some time later, with everyone on board, the Enchanted Frigate disembarked from the

tower. Flio, who had taken the helm in the ship's control room, gestured in front of him

with his right hand and a map appeared at his fingertips displaying the surrounding

region. In one corner of the map, the location of Houghtow City, was a blinking light

indicating the position of the Enchanted Frigate. To the north, deep in a part of the

map dominated by towering mountains, blinked another.

"All right," Flio said. "No problems entering in the destination. Then, shall we be off?"

He took the controls, and the ship began to rise into the sky. Down on the surface, the

students and faculty from the Houghtow College of Magic who had come to see them

off waved as the Enchanted Frigate flew away, picking up speed.

"I wonder what the Oldwass College of Magic is gonna be like," Garyl said, watching

the land go by from one of the ship's windows as they flew.

"No matter what it's like, any place is as good as the Celestial Plane itself as long as I

can go there with you, Lord Garyl!" said Salina, who had sidled up next to him as close

as she could possibly manage. She clasped her hands together, holding them against

her cheek in her very best attempt at an adorable pose, complete with a sugary sweet

smile pointed straight towards the object of her affection.

Garyl, alas, did not even turn away from the view outside to look.

W-Well, that's no matter! Salina told herself. I have an entire week with Lord Garyl after

this! That's plenty of time to appeal to him with my cuteness… Forcing a smile to her

face, she nodded resolutely.

Next to her, Garyl's thoughts were on a different matter entirely as he gazed out the

window. Rylnàsze stayed behind to look after the magic beasts, and Rislei wasn't chosen

for the exchange program… he thought. And none of the other kids in the house have

started school yet, so they couldn't come along. Wyne really wanted to join us, though,

didn't she? I wonder why she didn't show up to see us off…

The ship flew along smoothly above the clouds. Outside was a sea of white as far as

the eye could see. And then, all of a sudden, Wyne's face popped out of the clouds right

in Garyl's field of view. "Aha! Gare-Gare!" she mouthed, waving excitedly with a huge

grin on her face. "There-there you are!"

"Big sis Wyne!" Garyl said with a wry smirk when he saw his premonition had been

right on the money. "I had a feeling you'd turn up."

"Ah ha ha!" Wyne laughed inaudibly on the other side of the window. "Of course I'm

coming with you-you! Wait… how do you open these windows? Gnhhh!" Before Garyl's

eyes, Wyne seized the window with her hands, doing her best to wrench it open by

force. "Gah! This thing's a pain-pain in the butt!" she declared, her eyes glowing bright

red in her mounting frustration. Garyl could see crimson flames welling up inside her

mouth.

"B-Big sis Wyne! Wait!" Garyl cried, flailing his arms to try to signal for Wyne to stop.

"I'll take care of it! Just no breathing fire!"

Salina stared in disbelief as Wyne raged outside the window. I-It's another one of Lord

Garyl's sisters! she thought. And the meathead of the bunch, no less. This is going to be a

chore and a half, isn't it…?

Still, she didn't neglect to take advantage of Garyl's distraction to grab hold of one of

his arms.

◇ ◇ ◇

"Oh? Big sis Wyne's coming along too, is she…?" Elina sze shook her head, smiling with

exasperation. She had been scanning the area outside the Enchanted Frigate when she

noticed Wyne, her draconic wings fully manifested, clinging to the side of the ship.

"I sensed her coming right after we took off," Flio said, smiling wryly. He understood

Wyne's motivations as well as anyone. "I guess she'd prefer to join us than just see us

off."

"What should we do, papa?" Elina sze asked.

"Well," said Flio, "we could try convincing her to go home, but she probably wouldn't

listen right away, and taking the time to convince her would delay our time of arrival.

Here, why don't I bring her along and tell them she's accompanying me as an

assistant?" He waved his hand, transporting Wyne to the inside of the ship.

Immediately, she vanished from the scan Elina sze was doing of their surroundings.

"Incredible as always, papa!" Elina sze gushed. "I can't believe you were able to cast

Teleportation on big sis Wyne while she was moving around like that!"

"Now, now," Flio demurred, smiling his usual easygoing smile. "That spell wasn't

anything special." He looked over at his daughter, who was beaming joyfully beside

him. Come to think of it… Flio thought. Elinàsze was supposed to be sitting with Garyl

and the others for this trip. She came into the ship's helm at some point acting like she

belonged here… He smiled knowingly, as the ship sailed through the sky on its way to

the Oldwass College of Magic in the Degadon Mountains.

◇ ◇ ◇

Half a day's flight later, the Enchanted Frigate entered an area shrouded in a blanket

of snow.

"I'd been told what to expect, but that really is a lot of snow!" Elina sze remarked. She

had magic windows open all around her, each displaying images of the area around

the Enchanted Frigate. Just as she had said, however, there was so much snow that

each and every window simply displayed an image of pure white. It was too thick to

properly make out their surroundings. "Although…" she continued. "There's

something odd about all this snow…"

"So you noticed it too, Elina sze?" Flio asked, nodding. "This snow was created by

magic, no doubt about it." Turning the ship's wheel, he waved his hand and the dull

plink of an enchantment being broken rang out. The snowstorm, which had been

raging so fiercely just seconds earlier, vanished immediately.

"While they clearly set up a barrier to make it look like it's snowing, I don't sense any

hostility from the magic," Elina sze observed, folding her arms as she looked over the

situation in her windows. "If they were really trying to keep us away from the Oldwass

College of Magic, one might have expected them to include some sort of offensive

magic as well."

I wonder… Flio thought as he steered the Enchanted Frigate down towards the land

below. Maybe they were testing us to see how powerful our own magic is…

Ahead they could see the Oldwass College of Magic, built using the terrain in a natural

gap in the mountains.

◇ ◇ ◇

In a room in the Oldwass College of Magic, Headmaster Neriep peered into the crystal

on her desk, which currently displayed an image of Flio's Enchanted Frigate making

its way through the sky.

"These are students hoping to study at our Oldwass College of Magic," she said. "If they

can't dispel a barrier of that level, then as far as I'm concerned there's no chance of

allowing them in our institution." She watched through the crystal for a while as Flio

accomplished exactly that. She sighed. "Ah. It seems they were capable after all. In that

case, I suppose I must provide them with a suitable level of reception, lest Chairman

Decona's reputation fall into complete ruin." Sighing again, Neriep stepped out of the

room.

◇ ◇ ◇

"Eghk! S'cold! Cold-cold!!!" Wyne wrapped her arms tight around her body, shivering

furiously as she disembarked from the Enchanted Frigate. Wyne might have been a

dragon with hot fire burning inside her body, but dressed as she was, in only a light

poncho, the intense cold proved unendurable.

"Big sis Wyne, honestly…" Elina sze waved her hand, and a heavy winter outfit

appeared on Wyne's body. "Well? Still too cold?"

"Nuh-uh! Thank you, thank you, Eli-Eli!" Overjoyed to be given relief from the cold,

Wyne hugged her sister tight—so tight that Elina sze felt like she was struggling for

her life, crushed by her sister's immense strength.

The slopes of the Degadon Mountains were a winter wonderland, silver snow falling

everywhere as far as the eye could see.

"I-I thought it would be cold…" Salina said. "But this is a bit more than I expected!" She

was wearing decently heavy winter clothing herself, but even so, she was shivering

hard as she pulled a supplementary coat out of her Bottomless Bag.

Flio, meanwhile, didn't seem to pay the cold any mind as he looked all around. "Well,

this is the spot Headmaster Neriep told us to dock the ship…" he said, peering every

which way.

The group was in a forest not far from the Oldwass College of Magic. The ground had

been artificially leveled in order to provide a clear landing area, but there was no sign

of any person in the area. Flio tilted his head in confusion before noticing a group of

people making their way towards them. Hm…?

Said group was using the spells Concealment and Camouflage, moving silently through

the woods as they approached. "I don't sense any clear hostility…" Flio muttered under

his breath. "Maybe I should just watch them for now and see what they do."

Flio and Elina sze, as well as the instructors Oryou and Belano, had all spent time

honing their magic, while Garyl and Wyne both possessed keen intuition. The six of

them all noticed the group's presence as they approached and stood to face them.

Salina, however, had no idea anyone was there at all. "What? What?" she said, looking

around at everyone in bewilderment. "What's going on? Is something happening?"

Flio reached out with his magic, scanning the area around them. I'm still not getting

any hostility… he thought. If I had to say, it seems like they're observing us.

After some time with the party from the Houghtow College of Magic standing on guard

against the invisible group approaching them, a collection of robed figures revealed

their forms.

One of them, a young girl with long rabbit ears, stepped forward, her arms folded as

she looked over in Garyl's direction. "You would be the exchange students, I suppose?"

she asked.

"Yes, that's right!" said Garyl with a smile and a polite bow. "We'll be in your care for

the next week. It's nice to meet you!"

For once, this girl showed no signs of swooning over Garyl. She looked him over, her

expression unmoving. "Yes, that's all well and good. But first, would you perhaps be

interested in a friendly bout? Nobody at school is any match for us—we've all been

desperately bored." Her long ears wiggled two, then three times as she examined the

Houghtow College of Magic group. "Although I must say," she added, the corners of her

lips turning up. "The lot of you do look somewhat weak."

"Excuse me?!" Elina sze shot the girl an icy glare. "We look weak, you say?" she

demanded, the gem on her forehead glowing red. "I don't suppose you're including my

papa in that, are you?"

The color of light Elina sze's gem gave off changed when she was experiencing a strong

emotion. Red corresponded to the emotion of rage. Elina sze, obsessive daddy's girl

that she was, could not suffer an insult to her beloved father. As for the insult to herself,

she paid it no mind one way or another.

Flio, noticing his daughter's state, wasted no time in placating her with a pat on the

head. "That's enough, Elina sze," he said. "Let's leave it there."

"But, papa!" protested Elina sze.

"Now, now, settle down," Flio said.

"Well… if you say so…" At Flio's urging, Elina sze finally calmed back down. The light in

the gem on her forehead vanished as well.

Another of the robed figures—a boy with a distinctly girlish face—stepped up to the

rabbit-eared girl. "Loppul, stop it!" he said, furrowing his brow. "Didn't Professor

Aryun Parn-Parn tell us to welcome the exchange students and show them to the

College?"

Loppul, the snow rabbitfolk girl, shot the boy a stern look. "Nobody asked you, Ysel!"

she snapped. "We finally have some opponents who might give us a bit of

entertainment; what's wrong with taking a little while to play with them first?"

She turned from castigating Ysel, who seemed to be a run-of-the-mill human, and

snapped her fingers. On cue, a particularly hefty male student stepped forward from

behind her.

"This is Jentle, a polar bearfolk. He and I will be your opponents," she continued,

turning to the Houghtow group. "Now, send someone to face us, if you please. Although

I'll warn you, we do happen to be quite strong opponents. I don't expect even your

adults could hold a candle to us!" Loppul gave Jentle, the polar bear folk, a few good

smacks on the back, around his waist level, snickering mischievously.

"Hey, Loppul…"Jentle said. "C-Can I really do those kinds of things with the girls…?" He

was breathing heavily in anticipation, leering at the women in the party—especially

Wyne and Oryou.

"Hey!" said Salina, her face growing red with indignation. "Why are you looking at

them instead of me?!" It seemed she was offended that Jentle's leering gaze didn't

appear to include her in its list of targets.

"You don't have enough tits and booty for my taste," Jentle answered flatly.

"Hmph!" Salina flailed her arms and stomped her foot. "Why, I've never met such a

rude boy in my life!"

"That was very rude!" Garyl agreed, stepping out in front of Salina. "And especially to

such a lovely girl as Salina!"

"What?" Salina blinked. "I-I'm lovely?"

"Of course!" said Garyl, giving her a cheerful grin. "I think you're a wonderful lady,

Salina!"

Ba-dump! Salina's heart skipped a beat. As she gazed at Garyl's smiling face, her face

turned even redder than it had been from her rage just moments earlier.

"Why don't you let me take them on?" Garyl offered. "I'd be happy to pay them back

for saying such horrible things." Still smiling, he stepped out towards Loppul and

Jentle and began doing warm-up stretches.

"Are you making fun of us?" Loppul said, clicking her tongue in irritation as she

watched Garyl do his calisthenics alone. "You can't be planning to take on the both of

us alone."

Jentle looked positively angry as he regarded his prospective opponent. "Hey, come

on!" he complained. "Loppul! This one isn't a girl!"

"I suppose not," Loppul said. "Fine, then. How about I promise to go on a date with you

if you win? Would that be sufficient motivation?"

At that, Jentle's disposition did a complete one-eighty. Suddenly, he seemed raring to

go. "All right then! In that case, I'll send Mister All-Style-No-Substance flying!" Without

waiting for a signal for the match to start, he clasped his fists together, swinging them

down towards Garyl's head.

"Wait! You coward!" Salina cried. The next moment, however, her eyes opened wide in

confusion. "Huh?"

Jentle was more than twice Garyl's size. Ordinarily, one would expect the smaller boy

to dodge a full-power attack from such a massive opponent. Garyl, however, stood

firm, meeting Jentle in a matching grappling stance. It seemed he intended to contest

him with pure physical strength.

"Ghrrr…"Jentle's body shook as he pushed down on Garyl, an expression of monstrous

exertion on his face. A magic circle appeared around his arm. There was no question

as to the effect of the spell—he was using magic to heighten his physical strength still

further. Garyl, on the other hand, had a cool smile on his face. He didn't seem to be

taxing himself much at all as he held Jentle's massive arms in check.

"What are you doing, Jentle?!" Loppul demanded, smacking Jentle on the back in

irritation. "Enough playing around! Just toss him away like you always do!"

Jentle's strategy of using magic to enhance his physical power resulted in a fighting

style boasting top tier attack strength even among the Oldwass College of Magic. As a

result he had a bad habit of underestimating his opponents, leading to him

intentionally holding back. Loppul thought that this was another such occasion of

Jentle falling into his bad habit.

"Seriously, quit it with the games!" Loppul said, smacking him on the back once more.

"Hurry up and end it!" If this takes any longer, she thought, the professor is going to

arrive!

"Ghraaaaaah!!!" Jentle concentrated more and more power into his arm. His whole

body was shaking with exertion as he planted his feet and redoubled his efforts to

crush Garyl's guard. Soon, however, his face contorted in pain. "Th-That's not it…" he

gasped. "I-I'm using my full power! B-But this guy won't budge an inch…"

"S-Say what?!" Loppul's eyes shot open.

Garyl, meanwhile, simply continued to hold fast against Jentle's assault. "Are you

finished?" he asked. "Then… how about I do an attack of my own?!" And with that, he

effortlessly lifted Jentle's body up in the air.

"H-Hwah?!" Jentle cried out in shock at having been hoisted so easily. He was more

than twice Garyl's height—and Garyl was a slender boy—but Garyl had lifted him in

one go without even using any magic.

"And… hup!" Garyl said, tossing Jentle straight towards a nearby cliff.

"Fwaaaaaah!!!" Jentle's massive body flew through the air like a ping-pong ball. Garyl

had tossed him without much apparent effort, and yet now he found himself careening

with truly incredible velocity. Jentle was tough, but even he wouldn't emerge

unscathed from a full-on collision with the cliff face at that speed.

"W-Wait!" Loppul began a hurried spell, trying to stop Jentle in midair with magic. At

her casting speed, however, it didn't seem like she would make it in time before Jentle's

momentum came to an unceremonious halt.

Garyl glanced over at his sister Elina sze, who sighed and waved her hand with an air

of great tedium, conjuring a magic net mere moments before Jentle collided with the

cliff, catching him and depositing him in the nearby snow. "All right," she said with

another sigh, looking to make sure Jentle was unharmed. "Well fought, you two."

Loppul, who had been staring wide-eyed for a while now, fell back on her butt in pure

astonishment. H-How can this be? she thought. It was like Jentle's power wasn't doing

anything at all! And that girl was able to cast magic even faster than me! H-How could

some nobodies from a magic school in the countryside perform such magnificent feats?!

Just then, the group heard a voice coming their way. "Hey! Loppul! Jentle! What do you

think you're doing?!" It was Aryun Parn-Parn, arriving to greet Flio and the rest. He

was sprinting towards them, pale-faced and wild-eyed with anger. With Jentle

twitching off in a snowbank and Loppul sitting on her backside in shock, there was

little room to doubt what had happened here.

Flio stepped forward to meet him. "Ah, excuse them, please," he said. "These students

were just giving us… how to put it… a passionate welcome."

"A-A passionate welcome?!" Aryun Parn-Parn repeated, eyes threatening to bulge out

of his skull.

◇ ◇ ◇

Thanks to Flio and the rest of the party's intercession, the Oldwass College of Magic

chose to overlook the conduct of Loppul and the other students who came to test their

strength, although they did get a good scolding from Aryun Parn-Parn. Loppul and the

rest were chosen to help show the visitors from the Houghtow College of Magic

around the school. And after their experience being hopelessly outmatched by Garyl

and Elina sze, the group never tried to start a fight with them again.

◇Oldwass College of Magic—Grand Hall◇

That night, Flio and company were shown to the grand hall of the school. They arrived

to find row after row of tables set up in the middle of the room, with flags displaying

the emblem of the Oldwass College of Magic hanging proudly from the ceiling. The

entire student body and all of the faculty of the school had already gathered in the hall

ahead of them, chatting animatedly as they waited for their guests.

The exchange students from the Houghtow College of Magic, Elina sze, Garyl, and

Salina, as well as Oryou and Belano, the instructors responsible for the group, took

their seats in the innermost part of the room in front of a carved stone statue of a

witch, directly facing the crowd of students. From their vantage point, the five of them

had a good view of the entire room.

"Goodness…" Salina said, growing increasingly tense as she glanced around every

which way. "That's quite a lot of people, isn't it?"

"It really is quite the number!" Garyl agreed, for his part seeming perfectly relaxed as

he took in the sights. Garyl had spent time in the Klyrode Institute for Chivalric

Education, and had grown comfortable sitting in front of such vast crowds. "I'd say

there's ten times as many students here than at the Houghtow College of Magic… or

maybe even more!"

Elina sze, seated next to them, just seemed vaguely bored with the proceedings. Haah…

she sighed to herself. I had really been hoping to spend the entire time with papa, since

he came along and everything… she thought. I can't believe they wouldn't let him take

part in the welcome ceremony…

The students and teachers from the Oldwass College of Magic were whispering to each

other as they stared at the newcomers seated in the back of the room.

"What are students from some seedy backwater school doing here, anyway?"

"At least the boy is somewhat handsome…"

"They say they're exchange students, but the school they study at is just some country

magic college, isn't it?"

"I can't imagine students from a school like that would have any magic power to speak

of…"

Salina's face turned bright red with indignation when she heard what everyone was

saying. "Why! The nerve!" she fumed. "I wouldn't mind if they were only speaking ill

of me, but how dare they belittle Lord Garyl and Elina sze?! Are the people of this

college blind?!" Before she could spring to her feet in a huff, however, she felt Garyl

place his hand gently on hers. "Hwhah?!" Salina exclaimed, her eyes opening wide.

Garyl smiled and leaned in towards Salina. "Don't let it get to you, okay?" he said in a

quiet voice.

Ba-dump! Once again, Salina's heart skipped a beat. Lord Garyl… she thought, a blush

creeping into her cheeks. He has such a magnanimous heart…

Eventually, Chairman Decona, who had been sitting with the other Oldwass College of

Magic faculty, got slowly to his feet and raised his right hand. All at once, the chatter

ceased. When he saw that the hall was quiet, Decona gave a satisfied nod. "Well then!"

he began. "Teachers, my precious students, today is an auspicious day. Today we have

been given an opportunity to welcome our fellow students of the art of magic, who

have journeyed from afar to visit our institution!"

Decona turned to face the students from the Houghtow College of Magic and began to

clap. The rest of the faculty and students joined in. It was a somewhat heartless and

scattered applause, however, lasting only a scant few seconds. Decona tilted his head

as if he were puzzled by the perfunctory applause. Then, clearing his throat, he turned

towards the large statue of a witch Garyl and the others had been seated in front of.

"The statue in the great hall depicts the first practitioner of magic, who founded the

Oldwass College of Magic many centuries ago. Since then, thanks to the efforts of

everyone here and those who came before us, we have set the gold standard for magic

education in the Magical Kingdom of Klyrode, an achievement for which we no doubt

take a great deal of pride in." Decona gave a meaningful nod of his head. "Surely such

a venerable college of magic would never wish to give a cold reception to their guests…

would they?" He smiled at the assembled crowd, a glimmer of mischief in his eyes. The

room began another round of applause—a far cry from the few paltry claps that had

come before. This one almost threatened to bring down the hall itself in its din. Decona

looked around the room and nodded happily.

The chairman is amazing! Garyl thought in admiration as he watched. That speech he

gave completely changed the mood of the room!

Decona let the applause continue for a long moment, then smiled and raised his hand.

Once again, the room fell silent. "Remember, everyone, you must never become

satisfied with your current level! Exchanging knowledge with our colleagues in other

institutions is an opportunity to hone your own ability. You must see this as an

invaluable part of your studies. Take this to heart and welcome our friends from afar

for this coming week. I'm asking for your cooperation to make this time a worthwhile

experience for our guests and for yourselves." Decona bowed his head low towards

the crowd.

"Yes, sir!" the hall replied as one. It was clear, however, that a majority of the students

of the Oldwass College of Magic regarded their guests as nothing more than a

nuisance. Decona had urged them to applaud and even gone so far as to lower his head,

but it was clear from the faces of the crowd that they looked down on Garyl, Elina sze,

and Salina, and had no desire to welcome them with open arms.

My, my… Decona thought to himself, sighing deeply. My students are excellent at their

art, it's true, but after so much time cut off from the outside world they've developed a

bit too much contempt for students from other schools… or perhaps they've come to

overestimate their own abilities… Nonetheless, he cleared his throat, rallied his spirits,

and continued. "Now, with that out of the way, we've prepared a small banquet to

welcome these students to our school! Everyone, please enjoy this time to its fullest

and take the opportunity to get to know our guests!"

Decona raised his arm again, and plates of food were brought into the hall, eliciting

the most genuine cheers of the assembly. Decona smiled wryly. I suppose I can't fault

them for being more excited for food than a lecture, he thought, looking towards the

foot of the teachers' table, where a number of students were sitting. As if on cue, the

three of them stood up—it was Loppul, Jentle, and Ysel, the trio who had picked a fight

with Garyl and the others when they had first arrived.

"You three are acquainted with our exchange students, are you not?" Decona asked.

"Would you be so kind as to look after their needs?"

"Yes, sir!" they replied together, standing sharply at attention.

Suddenly, the students in the hall began whispering to each other once more as Loppul

and the others stepped up to the guests.

"H-Hey… Wasn't Loppul's gang opposed to taking in exchange students?"

"How come they're so eager to wait on them…?"

"What the heck is going on?"

◇ ◇ ◇

"Um…" Loppul said as she handed Garyl a plate heaped full of food from the buffet. "II really hope you don't take too much offense at how everyone's been acting. They just

don't know how good you are, that's all. They would never take an attitude like that if

they did. Once they know what you can do, I'm sure they'll change their tune in a

heartbeat… l-like we did, you know?"

Behind her, Jentle and Ysel were bringing plates of food to Salina and Elina sze as well,

smiling all the while. Ysel's seemed genuine, but Jentle's smile looked somewhat

forced after the crushing defeat he had received from Garyl just earlier. "L-L-Loppul's

right…" Jentle said. "We've always been able to crush students from other magic

colleges whenever we've fought them before… I'm sure they have no idea there's

anyone as strong as you at any school outside our own…" He bowed his head in

apology, as did the others.

"I understand! We've only just met, after all!" said Garyl, a smile on his face. "And don't

worry! Loppul, Jentle, I think of you as my first friends at the Oldwass College of Magic!

I'd like it if we could get along." So saying, he offered his hand to the pair.

"Us?" said Loppul.

"Your first friends…?" said Jentle.

The two shared a look, and then burst out smiling. "W-We'd be honored!" they said at

once. This time, the smiles on their faces looked like genuine articles.

"Erm…" said Ysel, timidly approaching from the side. "I-I hope I'm not out of line, but

is there any chance I could be your friend too?"

"Of course!" said Garyl, giving Ysel a smile as well. "It would be my pleasure!"

◇ ◇ ◇

The students in the great hall eyed Loppul's gang as they chatted happily with the

visitors from the Houghtow College of Magic. One of them, Laddon of the snowmallet

clan, looked over at Tsulala, a snow rabbitfolk and president of the student council.

"Hey, Tsulala…" he said. "What's your sister doing hanging out with that bunch?"

Tsulala's long snow rabbit ears twitched busily, but before she could reply, the snow

maiden Khime leaned in from her opposite side. "Weren't Loppul and her friends

telling everyone they were going to grind the exchange students to a pulp when they

got here?" she asked, her expression as cold as ice. "Why are they playing at being

lapdogs for those outsiders?"

Tsulala heaved a hefty sigh. "They didn't stand a chance, by the sounds of it."

"For real?" Laddon cocked his head. "Somehow that's a bit hard to believe."

Khime folded her arms. "Well, what's done is done, I suppose. Tsulala, you've already

prepared our next move, I assume?"

Wordlessly, Tsulala nodded.

◇ ◇ ◇

Rumble…

"Wh-What was that?" Garyl asked, startled by the loud noise that came reverberating

throughout the room.

Decona wheeled around in his seat at the head of the room towards the college guards

stationed in the back. "Guards! What's going on?!"

No sooner had he asked than another guard came bursting into the grand hall. "S-Sir!

It's an emergency!" he cried. "A devil golem appeared out of nowhere—it's headed

straight for this room!"

"Say what?!" Decona exclaimed in alarm. "How could a Diabolist combat automaton

have found its way inside our school?!" He stood and rolled up the sleeves of his robes,

hustling across the room to the front door of the grand hall. "Well, be that as it may, I

must ask all students to evacuate posthaste. Teachers, behind me! We will fight this

thing together!"

"Chairman Decona, wait!" Neriep objected, running up behind the chairman. "Don't

tell me you intend to fight!"

"Of course I do!" Decona snapped, furiously rubbing his long white beard with both

hands. "Why would I have spent all that time practicing my spellcraft if I didn't intend

to fight at times like this?!"

Neriep hurried along after the chairman as he ran towards the door. "You can't! I don't

want you taking part in any battles! You and I should evacuate along with the students,

and—"

Before Neriep could finish, however, the door to the Grand Hall shook violently. A mere

second later, it came flying off its hinges, debris scattering every which way. In the

ruined doorway stood an enormous golem.

"I don't believe it!" Neriep gasped in surprise. "How could one so large have made it

all the way inside the school without anyone noticing?!" She watched as the golem

swung its lumbering arms, shattering the nearby pillars to pieces and sending shards

flying everywhere. "Watch out!" she cried, turning towards the students, who had only

just begun to evacuate. She reached out, conjuring a magic barrier above the students'

heads to shield them from the falling rubble.

Neriep clicked her tongue. My barrier is too small to protect everyone, she thought. But

just then, a barrier much larger than her own appeared, enveloping Neriep's barrier

and then some. "Wh-What an extraordinary barrier!" she exclaimed. "Who could

possibly be casting it?" She glanced around the room, puzzled, until her eyes settled

on Belano, standing with her arms reaching up towards the ceiling as she chanted a

complicated magic incantation. The one casting the high-level barrier, it seemed, was

her.

"Leave this part to me," Belano said, glaring defiantly at the golem as she continued to

chant.

"That's our defensive magic teacher!" Salina cheered. "You can do it, Miss Belano!"

Just as Salina spoke, however, Belano was struck by a sudden wave of nausea. "Ngh!"

she grumbled, desperately resisting the urge to vomit.

Belano, it happened, was born with only a small amount of innate magic power. Her

body simply couldn't handle expending large amounts of magic all at once. Whenever

she tried, she would find herself suffering symptoms of magic depletion and wind up

expelling the contents of her stomach all over the floor.

N-No way, Belano thought. Is this really all I can do? Pushing herself, she managed to

suppress the nausea suddenly welling up in her stomach. In the struggle to control

herself, however, she lost her concentration on the spell and a portion of the barrier

began to falter.

"I'll help, Miss Belano!" Elina sze volunteered. She ran up beside her teacher and waved

her index finger a single time. All at once, a gigantic compound magic circle appeared

above her head, encompassing the entire student body underneath and keeping them

safe from anything that might fall on their heads even after Belano was forced to

excuse herself.

"It looks like we're okay on the defense front," Garyl said, lowering himself to a running

stance. "All right! Let's go!"

"Let's go-go!" Wyne echoed from behind him. She charged ahead at breakneck speed,

overtaking her brother and strafing past the golem, which was still attacking the

pillars, doing its best to destroy the room. She lashed out with her tail as she passed,

striking the golem square in the face. "Got 'em, got 'em!"

"Gwaaahhh!!!" The golem staggered back, clutching its head. Wyne was moving so

quickly that the golem's senses had been completely unable to keep up—fast enough

that the single blow with her tail had dealt it a considerable amount of damage. But

that wasn't all.

"Hah!" Garyl, who had come dashing after Wyne, delivered a kick to the golem's chest,

not slowing his pace in the slightest as his foot made impact. The golem reeled back

still further from the direct hit, but Garyl wasn't finished. "Hiiiyah!" he cried, focusing

his magic power into his legs, which glowed bright red as he launched kick after kick

against the golem's chestplate, each blow sending chunks of the golem's body flying

off.

The golem raised its arm, trying to knock Garyl out of the air, but as it tried to bring its

arm down it found there was something holding it in place, keeping it from moving.

While Garyl and Wyne had been launching their assault, at some point someone had

begun singing a peaceful melody.

I can stop the golem from moving, if only for a moment! Salina thought. I will be of use

to Lord Garyl! Standing close beside the golem, she sang the Song of Binding. The song

moved through the air like a living thing, wrapping around the golem and preventing

it from moving completely.

As Salina's magic held the golem in place, Wyne took in a deep breath of air. "Take thisthis!" she shouted, breathing out a roaring inferno. Overwhelmed by her dragon's

breath, the golem fell to the floor.

"All right and now, the finishing blow!" Garyl took a great leap into the air, planting his

feet on the ceiling and using that vantage to launch himself back down towards the

ground, plummeting with tremendous velocity straight towards the fallen golem's

head. His right hand transformed into the claw of a lupine demon as he lashed out

with a powerful blow. There was a tumultuous crash, and a cloud of dust enveloped

the area, blocking both Garyl and the golem from sight.

The students watched with bated breath as the dust cleared, revealing the golem lying

motionless on the floor. And given that everything above its neck was completely and

utterly destroyed, it didn't seem like it would be getting up anytime soon.

"Hah." Garyl, his arm once more returned to its human form, let out a breath once he

was certain the golem had stopped moving. "Looks like we did it!"

"Lord Garyl! You were so cool!" said Salina, tackling Garyl and hugging him tight, a big

smile on her face. "I mean, of course you were!"

"Yeah! Yeah!" Wyne agreed, hugging Garyl tight as well. "That was awesome-awesome!"

"Hmmm," Elina sze muttered to herself as she approached the golem, a hand extended

as she used magic to scan the figure. "Now, this is interesting. I wonder what sort of

magic it is." She cast a spell under her breath and a magic circle appeared around the

fallen golem. The golem vanished, sucked into the circle. Elina sze had effectively taken

advantage of the confusion of the moment to claim the golem as materials for her own

research.

Unfortunately, her actions had not gone without notice.

"E-Erm… Madame Elina sze, is it?" One of the guards in the great hall called out to

Elina sze, stopping her before she could leave the room.

"Yes?" Elina sze asked. "Is there something you need?"

"Well, it's just I-I'm terribly sorry, but could I possibly impose on you to kindly return

the golem's remains to the college?"

"Hmmm," Elina sze said, hemming and hawing in clear dissatisfaction at the request.

"B-But," the guard stammered, "I really do apologize, but we need to examine the

remains in order to learn who was controlling the golem."

"Hmmm," Elina sze repeated.

"C-Come now. Would you please be reasonable about this?"

"Hmmm" was all Elina sze would say.

The two of them continued on in that vein for quite some time.

Meanwhile, the eyes of the room were on Garyl. Even Decona hurried to the boy's side.

"Well now, Garyl! I never would have expected a student to be the one to defeat that

golem. Truly, you have my gratitude."

"It wasn't just me," Garyl insisted, a cheerful smile on his face as he looked between

Wyne and Salina, who were still hugging him tight, and Elina sze, who came walking

up beside them. "My friends and I all worked together to beat it!"

Suddenly, the students of the Oldwass College of Magic began an uproarious round of

applause for Garyl and his friends, chattering animatedly.

"D-Did you see that wolf boy? He was incredible!"

"I told you! I told you he was handsome!"

"They were all rather incredible, to be honest."

"I'm sorry for not clapping for you earlier!"

As the applause grew louder and louder, Loppul, Jentle, and Ysel came walking up to

Garyl as well.

"Oh!" said Garyl. "And a big thanks to you three too, for helping all the Oldwass College

of Magic students evacuate! We wouldn't have been able to fight so hard without you!"

The three of them grinned happily at Garyl's words.

As the students' adulation swelled to a veritable storm of spontaneous applause,

Decona stroked his beard with a satisfied smile. "The golem was a little unexpected,

but the students here seem to finally understand how skilled the students from the

Houghtow College of Magic are. They certainly seem eager to laud them with praise

and applause," he said, nodding to himself. "Very good, very good."

◇ ◇ ◇

The group left the college's grand hall, which had been wrecked in the golem attack,

to continue the welcome banquet in the assembly room. Throngs of Oldwass students

gathered around Garyl, cheerfully clamoring for his attention. Where before there had

been a wall of prejudice against the students from Houghtow for having come from a

different college, now everyone was eager to make friends. There was no longer any

trace of their original attitude. Some of their number were still directing the odd

hostile glance towards Garyl and the other outsiders, but they were now clearly in the

minority.

Decona stroked his beard as he looked out over the crowd. If this has gotten them to

understand that people of extraordinary talent exist in the outside world as well, that

alone should mark this exchange program a success. His gaze fell on a table in the back,

where he noticed a group of students from the faction still taking a dim view of the

visitors from the Houghtow College of Magic. He watched them for a while, before

calling over one of the guards. "Tell me," he said. "Did that girl ever end up handing

over those golem remains for our examination?"

"Yes, sir," reported the guard. "Although I have to say, she took some convincing."

"She certainly seemed like she was being stubborn on that point, from what I saw,"

Decona said. "Well? Have we learned anything?"

The guard leaned in to whisper in Decona's ear. "The examination is still ongoing, of

course," he said. "But we were able to analyze the magical record engraved in its body

and identify the individual believed to be controlling the golem." He whispered the

next part even more quietly, taking extra care not to allow the people around them to

overhear.

◇Oldwass College of Magic—Gymnasium◇

The morning after the incident with the golem, students gathered in the college's

indoor gymnasium. It was an enormous space, boasting vast dimensions both vertical

and horizontal. At that moment, Wyne was flying circles around the room. "Yahoo!"

she cried out in a cheerful voice.

Chasing after Wyne came two students mounted on broomsticks, flying after her at

high speeds and doing their best to shoot her out of the air with their attack spells.

"What the heck!" one of them complained. "This girl never stops moving!"

The students were currently attending their Offensive Magic class, where they had

been partnered with Wyne for a mock battle in the gymnasium. Even though she was

outnumbered two-to-one, however, Wyne was able to dodge every spell with ease,

sometimes dropping precipitously or making sharp turns to avoid projectiles as she

flew around the room unimpeded.

"I know the Oldwass College of Magic rules say that big sis Wyne has to be treated as

a student and participate in class exercises, but really, it's not a fair contest to pair her

up against students." Elina sze smirked with wry amusement as she watched from the

stands.

Wyne was still quite young, but she had once been known as the ace of the legion of

dragons, the strongest unit in the entire Dark Army. She was used to fighting in actual

battles. The students of the Oldwass College of Magic, who had little experience with

real combat, didn't even register as opponents.

"Oh! It's Eli-Eli!" Wyne looked Elina sze's way, smiling and waving without any concern

for the training exercise she was taking part in. "Hi-hi!" The students she was fighting

launched an attack while Wyne was distracted by her sister, of course, but Wyne

simply dodged it without even looking.

"Big sis Wyne, honestly!" Elina sze said, unable to stifle a laugh at the sight. "There's no

need to speak to me right now! Focus on the mock battle!"

"Ah ha ha!" Wyne laughed. "Don't worry-worry! I've got this in the bag-bag!"

At that, the other students from the Oldwass College of Magic who were watching the

fight let out a laugh as well—not a scornful laugh mocking a reviled outsider, but a

laugh full of affection that one would give a friend.

Her opponents, for their part, grumbled atop their broomsticks. "She's really giving us

the runaround, isn't she?"

"How can we be losing against someone who can't even use offensive magic?! All she

can do is run away!"

"I can do way-way more than run away!" Wyne protested. She began spinning in

midair, her wings spread wide as she flew up alongside the pair. The move produced

a blast of air that buffeted the students, ruining their balance on their broomsticks and

sending them plummeting to the ground.

"Wh-Wha?!" they cried, and then, swift as the wind, Wyne grasped them out of the air

and hoisted them up by their lapels. The two dangled precariously from Wyne's arms.

"Are you okay-kay?" Wyne asked, genuine worry in her voice.

"Y-Yeah, thanks."

"You saved us."

The two acknowledged their defeat, thanking Wyne for the rescue. The students

watching all laughed and cheered happily, applauding and celebrating Wyne's victory.

"Those two sure talked tough, but they couldn't do a thing against that girl!"

"Who was just boasting about how they'd never lose to a demihuman, hmm?"

"But wow! That Wyne girl is one demihuman who sure can fly!"

"No kidding! That was, like, total freedom of movement!"

The students applauded on and on. Not one of them, it turned out, had it in their heart

to dislike Wyne.

◇ ◇ ◇

Ever since their victory over the invading golem, the students from Houghtow were

finding themselves receiving favorable treatment from everyone at the Oldwass

College of Magic. It had come to light that the golem who attacked the banquet had

already defeated a number of college guards. It was an enemy even trained fighters

couldn't handle, but the visitors from the Houghtow College of Magic had bested it and

had come out virtually unscathed. It was a feat that earned them the respect and

approval of the Oldwass student body. There were still a number of students who

insisted on treating them as outsiders, adopting an attitude of open contempt, but by

the end of the day, their number had dwindled to a small group of holdouts.

In the break period after the mock battle exercise, Salina found herself sitting in the

school dining hall. "Well, I suppose I should be grateful," she said, taking a sip of the

black tea she had purchased, glancing furtively at the group of girls from the Oldwass

College of Magic. They were surrounding Garyl from all sides, bombarding him with

words of effusive praise.

"Oh, Garyl! You were so dashing yesterday, you know!"

"You saved our lives!"

"I've never met someone so handsome and gallant!"

"You were extraordinary in the mock battle today too!"

Hemmed in on all sides, Garyl smiled awkwardly and thanked everyone in turn. "Oh!

Well, thank you for saying so!"

Garyl and Salina had gone together to the dining hall after the mock battle was over

but had split up when they arrived; Salina went to get herself a drink while Garyl

bought something from the bakery. No sooner had they separated, however, than Garyl

had wound up surrounded by a throng of female Oldwass College of Magic students.

It was hardly a surprise. Garyl was a well-groomed boy with handsome features and

every quality that made someone a target of attraction. Not only that, but he had

played the greatest and most dramatic role in defeating the golem the day before, and

his attitude throughout the day he had been in the college made it clear that he valued

his companions dearly.

Many of the girls at the Houghtow College of Magic had fallen for him already. They

had begun whispering to each other in the halls.

"He's not just a pretty face, is he?"

"His strength is certainly extraordinary."

"No kidding! I'm getting the chills just thinking about it!"

"And he's such a loyal friend too, isn't he?"

Before anyone knew it, Garyl's fanclub had spread to the Oldwass College of Magic.

And now, once again, he was surrounded by girls.

Finally, Salina had had enough. She strode over to Garyl, haughtily clapping her hands

to get everyone's attention. "That's enough, everyone!" she said. "It's nearly time for

the next class to begin, you know. Now, clear out and hurry back to your classrooms!"

She pushed her way into the middle of the group, circling protectively around Garyl.

The other girls tried to pull her away from Garyl by force. "Hey! Who does this girl

think she is?" said one.

"I do hope you're not trying to get between us and Garyl," said another.

Salina, however, refused to budge an inch. She kept on loudly clapping her hands,

circling around Garyl in an attempt to keep the girls away. In the end, they relented

and left Garyl with Salina despite their clear reluctance to go.

"Come back never!" Salina said, making a tremendously rude gesture at the girls'

retreating backs.

"Thanks for helping me out there," Garyl said, wincing at Salina's behavior. "But I really

wish you wouldn't make gestures like that, Salina. It's not a good look for a girl as

lovely as you."

"M-My apologies…" Salina dropped her head, deflated. "I won't do it again."

◇Oldwass College of Magic—Assembly Room◇

Following the golem's attack, the school locked the door to the assembly room shut,

sealing it with magic. Inside were the remains of the golem itself, graciously returned

to the college after Elina sze had briefly claimed it for her own. The faculty of the

Oldwass College of Magic had been busy over the past day, inspecting it thoroughly

with all kinds of spells.

"As I suspected," said a man wearing a blue outfit stood with his arms folded, staring

at the golem as it lay lifeless on the floor. "I don't see any of the signs we would expect

if this golem had come from outside the college."

"So, then, Sage Ironwall, we were correct?" Beside him, Decona delicately touched his

hand to his beard.

Sage Ironwall had originally been one of the Heroes summoned by the Magical

Kingdom of Klyrode. In the world he had come from, he had been an accomplished

martial artist with a particular focus on defensive techniques, his abilities earning him

the name of Hero Ironwall. Since his retirement from the post of Hero, he had become

a famous practitioner of defensive magic. He changed his title from Hero to Sage, living

out his remaining days in the Degadon Mountains and making occasional visits to the

Oldwass College of Magic to deliver the odd guest lecture. That day, however, Sage

Ironwall had stopped by the college for a different reason—investigating the golem

that had appeared suddenly and caused such a stir.

Sage Ironwall crossed his arms as he looked around the room. "I see no sign of any

incursion from the outside," he said. "Besides, for a golem created by the Diabolists'

magic to appear inside a building as heavily protected by magic security as the

Oldwass College of Magic, I would have to conclude that someone deliberately let it

in."

Decona furrowed his brow at Sage Ironwall's report. "You know, we were able to

analyze the traces of the technique used to create this golem and identify a member

of our college who uses the same style of magic, but I'm afraid this individual never

returned to her room after the incident last night." He shook his head from side to side.

"It's truly a terrible situation. We need to find her as soon as we can!"

"Well, chairman?" Sage Ironwall asked, turning to face Decona. "What is this

individual's name?"

"Ah, yes," Decona said. "Her name is—"

◇Oldwass College of Magic—Student Dormitories◇

That evening after classes had finished for the day, Elina sze returned to her room. All

of the exchange students from the Houghtow College of Magic had been assigned

empty rooms in the student dormitory to stay in for the duration of their trip.

"I really hoped I would be able to stay with papa while I was visiting this college," she

said, puffing out her cheeks in a sullen pout. "Why is he staying in an inn in Klyrode

Castle Town while I'm all the way over here?" As Elina sze pondered her misfortune,

however, there came a knock on the door. "Yes? Who is it?"

The door opened, revealing a girl dressed in the student uniform of the Oldwass

College of Magic—Tsulala the snow rabbitfolk, president of the student council.

"Oh! Good evening, Tsulala," Elina sze greeted her. "Have you paid Loppul a visit yet?

She was looking for you back when we were finishing our classes for the day."

"I have," said Tsulala, tilting her head down and glancing at the room around her with

upturned eyes. "Don't worry about that—it's all taken care of."

"Hm?" Elina sze noticed Tsulala casting her gaze around the room. "Is there someone

else you're looking for? I'm afraid the only one in this room is me."

"I see," Tsulala said. "That's all right. I don't mind if it's just the two of us." She raised

her head, looking up at Elina sze. "I know a spot behind the residence hall where you

can find magic flowers with uncommon properties growing in the wild. Would you

perhaps accompany me there, as a symbol of our friendship?"

"Oh?" Elina sze cocked her head, clearly interested. "Rare magic flowers, you say?"

Tsulala nodded, an eager smile on her face.

◇Oldwass College of Magic—Behind the Residence Hall◇

Some time later, Tsulala was leading Elina sze on a walk behind the dormitories. "So,

Tsulala," Elina sze said. "We've been walking for quite a while, haven't we? How much

further are these wild-growing magic flowers of yours?"

"We're almost there," Tsulala said, looking back over her shoulder at Elina sze. "They're

just a short ways up the slope of the mountain behind the school." She went to take

Elina sze's hand to lead her farther on, but a magic circle appeared at Elina sze's

fingertips, forcing Tsulala's hand away. "E-Elina sze?" Tsulala asked, confused.

Elina sze refused to budge from the spot. "I'm very sorry," she said, looking over at

Tsulala. "I can't go any farther away from the dormitory. Our group leader Miss Belano

told us in no uncertain terms that it wasn't allowed." She bowed politely and turned

around, starting back the way they came.

"H-Hey, wait!" Tsulala called to her, holding out her hand. "It really is just ahead! We've

come this far—we should really go all the way!"

"I'm very sorry," Elina sze repeated, without so much as turning around. "I really can't

break the rules." She continued on her way back towards the dorms.

"Tch," Tsulala muttered under her breath. "And I was so close to getting her outside

the Oldwass College of Magic barrier. Well, no matter. This is close enough." She raised

her right arm to the heavens, a black magic circle appearing at her feet. It began to

rotate, summoning golem after golem. Even a quick glance would be enough to tell

that they were the same sort of golem that had attacked at the banquet the night

before.

"Hm," Elina sze said. "So you were the one, Tsulala." She pressed a hand to her temple,

sending a telepathic message. "Garyl, can you hear me?"

There was no response.

"What a pity," Tsulala said, a victorious leer on her face. "There's a spell on this area

preventing telepathic communication. I'm afraid there won't be any calling for help

from you. Not only that, but you'll find the spell Seal Magic will prevent you from using

any of your own magic as well."

"Oh, really," Elina sze said, seeming strangely unconcerned as she looked down at her

hands.

This girl. A crease formed in Tsulala's brow. Does she not understand the situation she's

in? Or is she so overcome with fear she's gone a little strange? "Elina sze," she said,

smirking diabolically. "Come along quietly and be my hostage, if you please. With your

life and Tsulala's as bargaining chips, this time we might just be able to claim a certain

item from that old fool Decona."

Elina sze curiously cocked her head. "Tsulala's life, you say. You know, I had a hunch

there was something off about you since we first met. I suppose my instincts were

right. So then, who are you really?"

The girl who had taken Tsulala's form changed before Elina sze's eyes, becoming a

small girl with pink skin and two jet black wings. "Not Tsulala, for certain, but

someone taking her form," she said. "Ah, but I'm afraid I have my reasons for not giving

you my name." She spread her wings, flying at Elina sze and knocking her to the

ground. Without delay, she set to binding Elina sze's hand behind her back. "You're my

precious hostage, you know," she said as she stuffed a magic gag into Elina sze's mouth.

"Behave yourself, and you might just make it out of this alive."

"So tell me."

"Huh?"

"This thing you're trying to get from the chairman—would you tell me what it actually

is? I have to admit, I'm a little curious."

"No! Shut up! I told you to behave yourself!"

"Oh, come now, there's no need to be so mean about it. Would you at least give me a

little hint?"

"No, no, no! You're my hostage, I say! Behave yourself, and—" Just then, the pink girl

realized something was very wrong. W-Wait a minute, she thought. The only people

here right now should be me and Elinàsze, right? And I have Elinàsze tied up with a

magic gag in her mouth to prevent her from speaking! Then… who have I been talking

to?

The pink girl stopped what she was doing and looked up, confused. There in front of

her was none other than Elina sze, sitting on the ground with her hands wrapped

around her knees. "Hwaaah?!" she exclaimed, wide-eyed in disbelief.

"Hm?" Elina sze said, her own expression one of mild curiosity. "Is something the

matter?"

"Wh-Wh-What do you mean, 'is something the matter'?!" the girl sputtered. "I just tied

you up, didn't I?!"

"Oh, that?" Elina sze said. "That was just my illusory double."

"What?!" The pink girl's eyes shot open once again. She looked down at the image of

Elina sze she had bound at her feet and watched as it slowly melted away. "Y-You cast

the spell Illusory Double? But how?" she asked in disbelief. "It should be impossible

to use magic inside this area!"

"Oh, because of your Seal Magic spell?" Elina sze said. "I'm sorry, but that spell isn't

enough to seal away my magic." She waved her right hand, summoning an array of

magic circles wherever she pointed. The spell Seal Magic, after all, was only able to

prevent spellcasting as long as its target was a lower level than the one casting it.

"Th-Then… that would mean your magic level is higher than mine?"

"Yes," said Elina sze. "By quite a bit." A magic circle appeared behind Elina sze's back,

rotating slowly. The pink girl trembled in fear at the sight.

"W-Well!" the girl said, rallying her spirits. "My magic level may be lower than yours,

but that only means your weakness is brute force! Do you think you can handle an

attack from this many of my golems?" She swung her arm dramatically, giving an order

to the golems she had summoned earlier, who were still standing by behind her… or

so she thought. "H-Huh?" When there was no response to her signal, the pink girl

finally sensed that something was wrong. She turned around to find that there was

not a single golem anywhere in sight. "Wh-What's going on?" she said, looking all

around in mounting distress. "What happened to all those golems I just summoned?"

Elina sze regarded the pink girl wordlessly. I claimed them all with my magic circle, to

make up for having to give back the golem remains from earlier, she thought. But if I tell

her that, she'll tell me to give them back too, so I think I'll keep my mouth shut for now.

And so, she simply watched as the girl continued to panic.

"Wh-What?!" the girl snapped, noticing Elina sze staring at her. "Don't you look at me

like that! I don't need your pity!" A tear ran down her cheek.

She does seem sort of pathetic like this, though, doesn't she? Elina sze thought. If she

hadn't pitied the girl before, she certainly was now.

"Elina sze?" Just then, Elina sze heard a man's voice calling out to her from behind.

Th-That voice! Elina sze turned around in a hurry. There, having come looking for her,

was her father Flio. "Papa! What are you doing here?"

"Well, it's almost time for dinner," Flio said, "and I saw your signal was coming from

this place in the middle of nowhere. I was worried something was wrong, so I came to

check. I'm not interrupting something, am I?"

"Oh, um… No, it's all right," Elina sze replied, clearly disappointed. She was happy to

see Flio of course, but there was a complicated expression on her face as well. Now

that papa's here, I suppose we've been caught. And now he'll figure everything out

himself.

The pink girl looked fearfully between Elina sze and her father. I-Impossible! she

thought. This man's magic level must be higher than my own as well!

"There was no need to worry for one as accomplished as Madame Elina sze, of course,"

said Hiya, appearing by Flio's side. "So this is the mastermind behind the golem

attack…"

"I mean, I wasn't worried or anything," Damalynas agreed, showing up as well. She

fixed the pink girl with a piercing stare. "So, who's she supposed to be?"

"Big sis Elina sze!" said Garyl, who had come running all the way from the dorms.

"What's up? How come you cut off your telepathy?"

"Oh, excuse me," Elina sze said. "This person said she had sealed my magic, so I thought

I'd play along for a little bit."

D-Don't tell me… the pink girl thought, trembling even more violently as she listened

to the newcomers' conversation. Her telepathic message went through after all…?

Before she knew it, the girl had found herself surrounded by the members of Flio's

house.

"Oh, yes," Elina sze said, suddenly remembering something. She turned back towards

the pink girl, who at that moment was lying on the ground, arms and legs bound tight

by Hiya's magic. "You said you had the real Tsulala captured somewhere, didn't you?

Would you mind telling us where she is?"

"Ha!" the girl turned her head away defiantly. "I'll never talk!"

"Hm. I can't say I hadn't anticipated this, but it seems this girl is unwilling to

cooperate," said Hiya, a lascivious smile spreading over their face as they looked down

at the bound girl. "In that case, Damalynas and myself shall simply ask the question of

her body instead, with the arts we have mastered over our training." They gave a

sinister, suggestive laugh.

The girl twitched, straining against the bonds to lift her head and look up at Hiya. "YY-You won't be speaking to me like that in just a moment! Don't let it go to your head

just because you have me tied up! Soon, my allies will come to my aid, and then you'll

be sorry!" Her eyes were swimming with tears, but even so her voice was still full of

bravado.

"By allies, do you mean them?" Garyl asked. He pointed behind him, where Ben'ne

appeared, carrying two girls in her arms wrapped in a bamboo mat—Laddon of the

snowmallet clan and Khime the snow maiden, Tsulala's best friends at the Oldwass

College of Magic, who followed her wherever she went.

"They have already confessed to everything," Ben'ne said. "How they grew close to the

maiden Tsulala, earned her trust, and then captured her so that you could take her

place." She tossed her two captives to the ground and thrust the naginata against their

throats, looking down at the pink girl.

"I-I'm so sorry…"

"We were just following orders…"

The two murmured feverishly, pale-faced with terror.

"U-Um, Ben'ne?" Garyl started.

"Yes, my master?" Ben'ne asked.

"Well, it's just… Those two seem really, really afraid," Garyl said. "What did you do to

make them confess?"

"I did nothing worthy of note," said Ben'ne. "Merely the lightest application of the

interrogation techniques passed down in the Land of the Rising Sun."

"Merely the lightest touch, huh?" Garyl said, looking down at the pair. Laddon and

Khime were both shivering with fright. Somehow I find that a bit hard to believe, he

thought, frowning and cocking his head to the side.

"Now then," said Flio, smiling his usual easygoing smile as he looked over at the pink

girl. "It looks like there's nobody coming to help you. Even if you have allies outside of

the Oldwass College of Magic, they can't break through the barrier around the school,

can they? It would make this a lot easier if you'd cooperate and tell us what you know."

"I must object," said Hiya. "There is no need for you to sully your hands with this,

Exalted One. Your unworthy servant Hiya can easily change her attitude with the skills

I have mastered in my training." They looked down at the bound girl, making ominous

grabbing gestures with their hands.

"No!" said Ben'ne, pointing the blade of her naginata towards the pink girl's neck.

"Please, allow me to use my interrogation techniques to secure her confession!"

"Y-Y-You'd better not do anything stupid, or you'll never learn anything!" the girl said,

still putting on a brave face in spite of how hard she was trembling. "You don't even

know my name, do you?!"

At this, Flio pressed his right index finger against the bound girl's forehead,

summoning a small magic circle.

"Wh-What are you—" the girl began, but Flio ignored her and simply finished casting

the spell.

"This girl's name is Gelado," he reported, removing his finger after just a moment.

"What?!" the girl—Gelado—stared in disbelief. "You! D-Did you just read my mind?!"

"She's a part of the Diabolist clan," Flio explained, smiling as mildly as ever all the

while. "It seems they've been trying all sorts of things to bring the Oldwass College of

Magic under their control. I was able to figure out where they've been keeping the real

Tsulala too."

Elina sze, Garyl, Hiya, Damalynas and Ben'ne all gathered round to hear what Flio had

to say.

"W-Wait!" Gelado said. "Wh-Who are you, anyway?"

The look on her face was one of pure despair.

◇ ◇ ◇

The next part happened unbelievably fast. Flio, having pulled the location Tsulala was

being held captive straight from Gelado's mind, brought Elina sze and the rest straight

to her prison, rescued Tsulala, and destroyed the building in less than a minute's time.

Then, after reporting the situation to Decona with a quick telepathic message, they

headed back to the Oldwass College of Magic.

"Sister!" When they got back, Loppul, who had been informed of the situation, greeted

Tsulala with a joyful hug. "You know, I did think you had been acting strange lately…"

she said. "I can't believe that was an impostor…"

"Loppul…" said Tsulala. "I thought I might never see you again… I'm so glad…"

The two sisters hugged each other tight, tears streaming from their eyes. Decona

smiled as he watched, placing a hand on his long white beard. "I must say, Mister Flio,

you and yours have done us a great service today," he said.

"Not at all!" Flio remarked, smiling his usual easygoing smile. "I just did what anyone

would."

"Incidentally, Mister Flio, if I may…" Decona continued.

"Yes? What is it?" Flio asked.

"Well… who exactly are all these people you have with you?" Decona gave a bewildered

glance at the pile of unconscious humans and demons of various types, all tied up

together in a big bundle.

"Oh!" Flio said with a smile. "These people were all stationed as guards protecting the

prison where they were keeping Tsulala. I figured I might as well capture them and

bring them along."

Decona's hand stopped mid stroke. "Th-Then… you mean to tell me… all of these

people are Diabolists?"

"Yes, I suppose so," Flio said.

But if that's the case… Decona thought. There has to be at least fifty of them in that pile!

He looked back towards Flio, flanked by Elina sze, Garyl, Hiya, Damalynas, and Ben'ne

for a total of six. Did six people really just destroy an entire Diabolist stronghold?!

"Chairman Decona," Sage Ironwall said as he walked up. "We should dispatch a team

to investigate the ruins of the stronghold Mister Flio destroyed. If we can find

something that might lead us to the Diabolist's headquarters, we might just be able to

bring this conflict to an end."

"Yes…" Decona said. "Quite right." He began stroking his beard once again, as if he had

just remembered it was something he was supposed to do.

"In that case," said Sage Ironwall, "let us leave at once." Then, turning to Flio, he smiled

and held out his hand. "Mister Flio, was it? I thank you from the bottom of my heart

for your assistance in this incident. Myself and Chairman Decona can handle the rest."

"Oh!" said Flio, looking just slightly alarmed. It only lasted a moment, however, before

he returned to his usual easygoing smile. "Um… well… good luck with that!"

They exchanged some words of parting, and Sage Ironwall stepped out of the room. I

wonder… he thought. Why did Mister Flio seem so perturbed for that one moment? He

made his way down the hall, the matter nagging at his heart the whole way.

◇ ◇ ◇

Several days passed, and the exchange program came to an end. Elina sze and the rest

boarded the Enchanted Frigate, with Flio once again taking the wheel.

At the ship's helm, Wyne was pouting dramatically about the events of the trip. "It's

no fair!" she said. "I wanted to go smash-smash bang-bang too!"

"Well, I wanted to see Lord Garyl heroically vanquish the evildoers!" Salina chimed in,

stomping her feet.

Wyne and Salina had been complaining about being left out of the attack on the

Diabolists' stronghold for the whole duration of the exchange program.

"Ah ha ha," Garyl laughed wryly. "Well, will you forgive us for this one if I promise to

let you know the next time something like this happens?"

Elina sze scoffed as she looked over at Wyne and Salina. "Those two can be such a

headache sometimes," she remarked. "Don't they know they'd be better off not getting

into fights?"

"Well said, Elina sze," Flio said, nodding his head. "I agree."

Behind him, Belano nodded in agreement as well.

"By the way," Elina sze said, turning to look over at Oryou, who had been standing next

to Belano. "How long do you plan on keeping up that disguise, Hiya?"

A smirk came over Oryou's face. "So," she said, "you found me out?" Oryou's body

changed shape, transforming back into Hiya's usual form.

"I mean…" said Elina sze. "Your magic is a completely different color."

"That's right," Flio nodded, an amused smile on his face. "I would be surprised if you

hadn't figured it out, to be honest."

Hiya gave the two a deep, elegant bow. "I was simply struck by the desire to visit the

place of my birth after so long away," they said. "And, well, I suppose you can infer the

rest."

"And?" Flio asked. "Was it worth the trip?"

"It was indeed," Hiya said with another bow. "I must thank you for the opportunity."

Flio gave Hiya one of his easygoing smiles and put his hands on the controls. As he did,

the ship rose into the air. "All right," he said. "Ready to head home?"

The crowd of teachers and students from the Oldwass College of Magic who had come

to see them off waved vigorously as the ship took off, while Garyl and the others waved

back from the windows as they flew higher and higher.

"All right!" said Flio, turning the ship's wheel. "Next stop, Houghtow City!" The bow of

the Enchanted Frigate turned south, speeding up until it vanished into the clouds on

its course back to Houghtow.