“You… what the hell are you?”
Aion did not answer.
Leon emerged from the steam.
His hand quietly closed around Bruno’s wrist.
“What are you doing to a freshman?”
“And you? How exactly do you intend to clean up this mess?”
Bruno immediately shot back. Leon fell silent for a moment.
Then—
“…Let go.”
It was a weak voice, but Bruno heard it clearly.
“……What?”
Aion looked up at Bruno with cold eyes.
“Let go of this.”
In that instant, Bruno’s body stiffened.
Those eyes.
He felt as though he had seen eyes like that somewhere before.
They were the same eyes as the person who had left the scar across his face.
…The strength gradually drained from Bruno’s grip.
“…Tch.”
Bruno turned toward Leon.
“Hey, you said you would take responsibility, right?”
“…Yeah.”
Leon replied shortly.
Bruno gave a derisive snort.
“Fine… Handle it however you want. And…”
Bruno’s gaze returned to Aion.
“Hey, you. What is your name?”
Aion looked at him for a moment.
“…Aion Iskar.”
Bruno raised an eyebrow.
“Iskar? Ah, the one from the dormitory fire? I see… So that is why they have their eye on you.”
He spoke in a low voice.
“Listen. Be careful.”
Aion furrowed his brow.
“Those bastards. They are definitely after you.”
Bruno said no more before disappearing down the corridor.
Leon crouched before the shattered shock-absorption panels and ran a finger along their torn edges.
Silence continued for some time.
“To be honest….”
Leon slowly opened his mouth.
“Even with Hydro Gale, it was not easy to suppress the flames completely.”
“Huh? Even for you, Senior?”
Iris looked flustered, but Leon continued calmly.
“The internal circuits of the shock-absorption panels have been severely damaged. Natural restoration will be difficult. They will need a complete repair.”
At those words, Aion’s expression darkened sharply.
The Terminus Formula… No, Meltdown was that destructive?
It had damaged even the intermediate measurement room’s shock-absorption panels.
【Flame: See? What do you think would have happened if this had been a beginner-level measurement room?】
Leon turned to Aion. His eyes contained many emotions, curiosity among them.
“To think there was another first-year who could use magic with this much destructive power. This year’s freshmen are… frightening.”
Aion flinched.
…Another?
That meant someone else could use magic with destructive power comparable to the Terminus Formula Aion had just unleashed.
And that person was also a freshman.
【Water: There are quite a few people who might be capable of that.】
【Flame: Even if it is my magic, there would be plenty who could perform it at his level.】
【Earth: It was crude, tch.】
As usual, Aion had been sitting quietly and somehow ended up being insulted.
“Senior Leon, about the damage. You said you would take responsibility, so… you will explain it to the caretaker on behalf of the freshman. You know what I mean, right?”
Leon reacted to Iris’s words.
“Yeah…. Although I did not mean this sort of responsibility when I said that.”
“I understand. I was surprised too. More importantly….”
This time, Iris narrowed her eyes and began circling Aion.
Poke, poke—
As if she had found a rare animal, she poked at his shoulder and arm.
“What exactly are you? I heard there were a lot of monster-like freshmen among this year’s intake, as usual. But you were not on the list of promising students I received.”
“Iris, we heard his name earlier.”
“That is true, but… Hmm….”
Marcel took over.
“Then I will ask instead. This magic of yours… what kind of magic is it?”
“…Marcel, that is an extremely rude question. Asking a mage about the principles of their secret arts is like asking a lady her weight.”
“Tch… I tried to ask casually, too. What a shame.”
This time, he pretended to whisper to Aion while speaking loudly enough for everyone to hear.
“Then… you can at least tell us your tier, right?”
“I am a first-tier mage.”
Aion’s answer was heard by everyone present.
“……What?”
“Wow….”
“Wait a moment….”
Marcel asked with a shocked expression.
“A first-tier mage can produce this much destructive power? You are not lying, are you?”
Leon immediately stopped Marcel’s thoughtless question.
“Enough, Marcel. He does not look like he is joking.”
It was exactly as Leon said.
Aion’s expression was far too calm, with not a trace of mischief.
It seemed as though the barrage of questions would continue, so Aion asked one of his own.
About the words Bruno had left behind.
“What did Bruno mean by what he said earlier?”
Iris and Marcel became visibly flustered, waving their hands.
“Uh, uh… That? Ah… I do not know what he could have meant…?”
“Not at all! Not at all, not at all! I have no idea either. Yes, I really do not know. Ahahaha!”
Yet they kept glancing anxiously at Aion.
Iris fussed with her hair, while Marcel looked up at the ceiling.
Both of them were busy avoiding Aion’s gaze.
“Well… it is not as though we are just people sitting around here with nothing to do….”
“We are all, in our own way, quite dedicated to our school lives. …More or less.”
Aion understood at once.
They were hiding something from him.
Swish—!
Iris and Marcel looked at Leon.
Leon let out a sigh and said,“Aion, may I introduce myself again?”
“……? You are Leonhardt Kael, are you not?”
“Yes, that is right. Third-year Leonhardt Kael. And….”
The air around him changed.
“I am the president of Exion Magic Academy’s Student Council.”
“……What!?”
The person who had been speaking with him until just moments ago was the student council president of Exion, this enormous magic academy.
“I am sorry I did not tell you earlier. I was actually thinking of making you an offer….”
***
Click.
The moment he closed the door to his temporary quarters, Aion sank onto the bed as though collapsing.
“Whew….”
Once the tension left him, the pain he had been suppressing came crashing in like a tide.
His right arm throbbed as though it were being stabbed with forks.
When he rolled up his sleeve, swollen red veins were exposed.
【Flame: You look terrible. That is the price of using Meltdown with an unprepared body.】
Flame clicked his tongue.
“…When will I be able to use this properly?”
【Flame: Well… When was it that I completed Meltdown…?】
“How long will the side effects last?”
【Flame: At least a full day in that state. If you use more magic now, it will last far longer.】
“Then I cannot use it carelessly.”
【Flame: That is about right. Still, there is no harm in knowing it for emergencies.】
Aion repeatedly opened and closed his hand as he spoke.
“That was incredible power…. I have never seen magic like that before.”
【Flame: Well, it is a usable level for a mage who has only just entered Exion.】
【Water: Your standards are far too high. I did not think it was bad.】
【Flame: Is that because water magic lacks destructive power?】
Aion smiled wryly and massaged his arm.
【Water: ……That was a poor joke. Let me correct myself. By my standards, Meltdown is not even worthy of being called magic. It is a mere trick.】
【Earth: Stop fighting, you old fools. It is unsightly.】
A brief silence followed.
【Flame: In any case, the Meltdown you used in Arcane Hall is still no more than a hatchling’s effort. Well… it is somewhat impressive that you did not faint.】
Though Flame spoke playfully, he did not forget to offer a warning.
【Flame: Aion, remember this: Meltdown is not magic to use whenever you please. It has the major disadvantage of requiring direct contact with the target. Always keep that in mind.】
“…All right.”
It was advice from the one who had created the spell. Aion had to take it to heart.
…More importantly, he had another matter to consider.
The Student Council….
Leonhardt’s words, spoken just before Aion left the measurement room, lingered in his ears.
— I am planning to recruit new members for the Exion Student Council’s executive committee. I had other candidates in mind originally, but I am considering making you an offer as well. What do you think? Would you like to become a member of the Student Council?
The executive committee of the Exion Student Council.
It was an organization Aion had heard of for the first time, but the Terminuses were different.
【Earth: Well, if you can take all the benefits and leave, joining the Student Council is not necessarily a bad thing.】
【Water: I am against it. The Student Council is not so leisurely. It will not be much help to your cultivation.】
【Lightning: Heeheeheeheehee! Still, you will probably get caught up in all sorts of incidents!】
【Water: …Well, you would certainly come into direct contact with more events.】
Arcana’s voice lowered.
【Arcana: Leave everything to Aion’s will. Do not forget that the Terminuses are merely aides.】
【Flame: …Yes, I know.】
Aion’s gaze darkened.
In truth, even after their previous discussion, the Terminuses had spoken about this issue from time to time.
Their concern was whether keeping silent about the future might instead lead to a worse outcome.
Everything was still unfamiliar to Aion, and it was difficult for him to make a clear judgment.
And for now, there were more urgent problems.
…First, I need to resolve the dormitory issue.
He had not even been assigned a new place to stay after the fire, so it was difficult to concern himself with what came next.
“Haah….”
Just then—
Knock, knock—
A knocking sound broke the silence.
Aion pushed aside his thoughts and looked toward the door. There was no one who would come looking for him personally all the way here. He assumed the dormitory assignment had been resolved.
“Who is it?”
“I am from the Office of Academic Affairs. Is student Aion Iskar inside?”
Thinking it was exactly that, he opened the door.
Outside stood an unfamiliar Academic Affairs employee rather than a dormitory administrator. His expression was stiff.
“So it is not about the dormitory assignment.”
“…No, it is not.”
The employee gave a brief denial, avoiding Aion’s eyes.
“It is a witness interview regarding the fire incident. You will need to come with me for a moment.”
Aion sensed it at once.
Perhaps it would be difficult to go to sleep early tonight.
The employee lowered his voice.
“The matter is serious, and there are several injured students. The Magic Council’s Special Inspectorate has been asked to investigate, and an inspector has been dispatched.”
“…An inspector?”
“There will be no problem as long as you truthfully state what you know.”
Intervention from outside Exion.
Aion calmly nodded and followed.
Well, as long as I say what I know, it should be fine.
He was led to Reception Room Three in the basement of the main building.
It would ordinarily have been a comfortable room used for consultations, but now even the atmosphere was different.
Creeeak—
The moment the heavy iron door opened, a chill pricked at his skin.
“You have arrived. I have been waiting, student Aion.”
A man sitting crookedly on the sofa and flipping through papers spoke.
An old long coat, disheveled hair. He looked more like a hunter than a mage.
Flinch—!
……He is dangerous.
Aion instinctively realized this man was not someone to take lightly.
And then—
Pant, pant….
A huge black dog sat at the man’s feet. From the instant Aion entered, it stared at him with shining eyes.
“Ah, do you happen to have a dog allergy?”
“…I do not.”
“Then that is fortunate.”
When the man stroked the dog’s scruff, the dog lay down.
“Bark, you must behave.”
Tap—
He closed the documents and raised his head.
Despite his gentle-looking eyes, his gaze was sharp enough to pierce through Aion.
“I am Inspector Raven of the Magic Council’s Special Inspectorate.”
“…I am Aion Iskar.”
“I did not expect to see a member of the Iskar family from the distant North here in Exion.”
“…You know the Iskar family?”
“Of course I do. It is quite well-known, after all.”
Raven rested his chin on his hand and observed Aion.
Rustle—
“As you already know, I am here today because of the fire incident.”
“……”
“There is no need to be nervous. I will not eat you. I have no intention of using coercive measures if I can help it.”
His gaze turned cold.
“Today, I summoned students who were involved in this incident or were likely to have witnessed something.”
“Students…?”
It seemed Raven had not summoned Aion alone.
Just then, there was another knock on the closed door to the reception room.
Knock, knock.
Raven’s lips twisted upward.
“Oh, they have arrived at just the right time.”
The door opened, and someone appeared with an expression caught between irritation and anxiety.
“……Ha.”
A deep sigh.
Aion saw the person’s face and swallowed a hollow laugh.
…I thought it might be him.
The person who entered with a pale, drained face was none other than Kael Pyron.