Reina and I stood face-to-face in the exact center of the sparring hall.
The only things I had ever swung in my life were a flyswatter and a badminton racket, yet I now held a real sword.
There was no way I knew how to grip it properly. I adjusted it several times, but even I could tell how awkward I looked.
Reina did not laugh at me. Instead, she stared in surprise and asked,
“Wasn’t House Astraea a prestigious family of mages? You know how to use a sword too?”
It seemed my movements did not look as unnatural as I had feared.
“I learned how, though not exactly by choice.”
I possessed the skill, but that did not make me feel as though I were any good with a sword.
Reina, unaware of my thoughts, smirked.
“Well, that’s how it is for nobles. Most of the time, you learn things because you have to, not because you want to.”
As she spoke, she casually swung her practice sword. Unlike me, every movement traced a clean arc, fast enough to leave an afterimage.
Since things had come to this, perhaps I should test my magic before the fight.
Surely no one would call it unfair for a direct descendant of a famous magical house to use magic.
I remembered every word of the game’s description of spellcasting.
‘Mana exists throughout nature. One detects the mana in the air and draws it in as naturally as breathing. Then, one gathers the mana circulating through the body’s mana circuit in a single place and constructs a magic circle.’
I closed my eyes and focused all my senses. Before long, I felt something I had never experienced before.
Something unknowable was circulating through my body. It was not blood.
Then this had to be mana.
The mana dispersed throughout nature repeatedly entered and left my body through its mana circuit, flowing in a continuous cycle.
I gathered it in my right hand and envisioned a magic circle.
The spell I had chosen was the First-Circle fire spell, 【Fire】.
I had seen a First-Circle magic circle more times than I could count, so constructing one was not difficult.
The mana gathered in my palm rose into the air and formed a crimson magic circle. It glowed faintly, and a flame sprang to life.
“Oh……”
It worked.
That was easier than I had expected.
Once I had cast it, I understood how mana felt. After extinguishing and reigniting the flame several times, the process quickly became familiar.
This should be enough.
I held the iron sword in my right hand and prepared to cast magic with my left.
Reina, already waiting for me, looked on with bright anticipation.
“Are you trying to become a magic swordsman?”
Magic swordsmen were rare in Spell Breaker. Merely using martial arts and mana together did not qualify someone for the title. Only those who reached a certain level in both were called magic swordsmen.
I only intended to use the sword as support for my magic.
“Not really. I simply intend to use every option available to me.”
Truthfully, my chances of defeating her were slim.
I was a complete beginner who had never cast magic before today, while Reina was already an accomplished swordswoman.
But that did not mean I could surrender without trying.
If I won—or at least gave her a satisfying match—I could build a good relationship with her.
Reina smiled approvingly at my declaration.
“I like that.”
Before we began, I made a proposal.
“Let’s place a few restrictions on the match.”
“What kind?”
“I won’t use fire magic, and you’ll stop your sword before it touches my body.”
Neither of us had even taken the entrance examination yet. Arriving with our clothes burned or torn would hardly make a good impression.
Reina tilted her head, apparently not understanding my intention, but nodded anyway.
“Then what are the victory conditions?”
“If someone stops their sword before contact and the opponent cannot block or evade, that counts as a win. The same goes for taking a spell head-on.”
That was my second objective.
My stats were too low to win through raw strength, so I would aim for a judgment victory.
Reina still seemed unable to read my intentions, but she smiled and nodded.
“Fine. Let’s do that.”
“You can give the signal.”
“Are you yielding because I’m a woman? That bruises my pride a little, but I won’t refuse your courtesy.”
I held my sword out in front of me and assumed something resembling a kendo stance.
Reina, by contrast, lowered her blade.
For a brief moment, silence filled the hall.
A breeze blew in through the open ceiling and stirred our hair.
The wind gradually weakened. The instant it fell completely still—
“Begin!”
Reina kicked off the ground and charged.
Her movement was so explosive that I almost imagined sparks flying from her feet.
The distance vanished in an instant. I swung my sword as quickly as I could.
Reina read the attack and hooked my blade with her own, aiming to disarm me.
But that did not matter.
The sword was a feint from the beginning.
I had never intended to challenge a swordswoman at the level of an apprentice knight in a contest of blades.
For someone as inexperienced in combat as me, an ambush was the only way to land even one attack.
I released my sword and stepped backward.
Even in that fleeting instant, I met Reina’s pursuing gaze, thrust out my left hand, and gathered mana.
The spell I would use was the First-Circle water spell, 【Aqua】.
It merely launched a stream of water, making it a nonlethal spell—and perfect for a match where landing a hit meant victory.
“I expected that!”
Reina briefly released the rising sword, caught it again, and brought it down. Its momentum changed direction under her strength, and the blade headed straight for my shoulder.
I could not win this.
Still, this was exactly how strong my favorite character ought to be.
But I did not give up.
If I surrendered midway, Reina would undoubtedly be left dissatisfied.
Then something unexpected appeared before my eyes.
【■■■ activates.】
【Mana for the next attack is doubled.】
Huh? Wait, if that happens……
Before I could organize my thoughts, the completed magic circle flared with brilliant blue light.
A massive volume of water erupted from my palm.
The torrent blasted forward like a waterfall.
“Wai—!”
WHOOOOOSH—!
The water cannon struck Reina head-on.
……I’m screwed.
***
Fortunately, Reina was unharmed. She had only been knocked unconscious.
Had she not possessed the body of a trained knight, this might have become a murder case.
After laying her on a bench, I sank into thought.
【■■■ activates.】
What had that been?
I knew of no passive hidden skill with an effect like that.
Even temporarily doubling one’s mana was absurdly powerful. How could someone with such a broken ability have gone unnoticed?
I already knew Van was no ordinary scoundrel, but I had not expected him to conceal a skill like this.
While I pondered, Reina slowly regained consciousness, clutching her head.
“Ugh…… My head hurts.”
“You’re awake. I’m sorry I hurt you.”
“It’s fine. Getting hurt during a spar is nothing unusual.”
Even if it had been accidental, guilt weighed on me.
Reina stared at my face for a moment, then abruptly slapped me hard across the back.
SMACK!
“Aagh!”
“Why do you look so serious? Let’s call that payback and leave it even.”
She dusted off her hand and chuckled mischievously.
It was a simple resolution, exactly like Reina.
If anything, she seemed delighted that I had managed to catch her off guard.
“You’re even more impressive than I thought. I expected you to abandon the sword midway, but I never imagined that ending!”
Neither did I.
“I heard you could only use fire magic. Who knew you could use water magic too?”
Wait—that was the part she cared about?
I did not know why Van had pretended to know only fire magic, but suddenly revealing other elements could be dangerous.
If he had hidden his abilities for a reason, and someone knew that reason, they might interrogate me.
I was searching for a suitable excuse when Reina spoke first.
“You were obviously hiding your ability until now, so why show it to me? Are you finally trying to throw away the title of scoundrel? Or did you take a liking to me?”
It was a teasing question, but buried inside it was the perfect answer.
“That’s right. I like you.”
I have for quite a long time.
Unlike her usual playful self, Reina visibly flustered.
“A-Are you the type who just says things like that? I suppose you aren’t trying to discard that scoundrel title after all.”
……Did I phrase it badly?
As I considered calling it a joke, Reina let out a quiet laugh.
Her reaction was difficult to read, but she did not seem displeased.
“You’re the only person I’ve shown, so keep it secret from everyone else.”
“‘Only me,’ huh…… Fine. I’ll keep your secret.”
For some reason, Reina found that very amusing and continued to giggle.
That should be enough to secure her silence.
Merely seeing her smile made me happy, but it was time to pursue my other objective.
Coincidence had given me the perfect opportunity to bring it up.
“I still injured you, so I want to make it up to you. Is there anything you need?”
I asked for her opinion, but given her personality, she was unlikely to request anything. There was little I could obtain for her immediately anyway.
So I intended to give her information.
The method for becoming the top-ranked student.
Whoever earned the highest score on the entrance examination would remain first in the entire year, at least through the first semester, and receive numerous benefits.
Restrictions on facilities would be relaxed, training and research would receive extensive support, and more.
Most important for Reina right now was the attention of the professors.
If they took an interest in her, most of the threats that would otherwise claim her life could be avoided with ease.
That would make future attacks far easier to thwart and leave me more time for other preparations.
But while Reina was strong enough to pass without difficulty, becoming the top-ranked student was another matter.
This was where a trick was needed.
“No, I’m fine. I’m much less hurt than you think!”
“No. I’ll feel guilty if I do nothing.”
“But……”
Reina looked troubled. She was too kindhearted to reject the offer outright.
So I pushed shamelessly.
“I see. You want me to keep feeling guilty even though I’m trying to apologize……”
“No, no! Of course not!”
“Then you’ll accept compensation?”
“……Fine. But I don’t need anything.”
“How about the method for earning the highest score on the entrance examination?”
“I don’t need that. It might sound arrogant coming from me, but I’m certain I can pass.”
Reina smiled confidently. She probably intended to dismiss anything I offered.
But she was already in the palm of my hand.
“You weren’t listening carefully. I didn’t say ‘pass.’ I said ‘earn the highest score.’”
Reina merely blinked, apparently unable to process my words.
***
“Candidate 329! Reina Serenia!”
At the proctor’s call, Reina entered the examination room.
I watched through the window from outside. The candidates scheduled after her sat nearby, waiting their turns.
Only Reina, the proctor, and the test stone stood inside.
The test stone was an enormous, rough boulder. The entrance examination for Martial Power and magic converted the damage inflicted upon it into points, which determined whether a candidate passed.
Before the test began, the proctor inspected Reina’s sword. Once it was confirmed to be acceptable, he returned it, and she slowly assumed her stance before the stone.
The martial test allowed only three strikes.
The total damage from those three attacks would become her score.
What was Reina thinking right now?
I had told her how to earn the highest score, but whether she would actually follow my instructions was uncertain.
Reina disliked receiving help. Out of stubbornness, she might ignore me and do whatever she wanted.
Even so, I believed she would move exactly as I expected.
The Reina I knew wanted to accomplish everything through her own strength, but she was also intensely ambitious about her achievements.
That was why she had listened so carefully despite making her displeasure obvious.
She swung her sword vertically at tremendous speed.
The first strike.
A shallow cut appeared along the edge of the test stone.
Damaging it was not unheard of, but it was rare enough to draw every candidate’s attention.
“Look at that. She left a mark!”
“Even rotten, a prized fish remains prized……”
But Reina’s assault was not over.
From this point on, she began following the instructions I had given her.
She recovered her blade, turned it horizontally, and prepared her next attack.
The second strike.
It left another mark, but where the two cuts crossed, the damage became markedly deeper.
Even the proctor looked surprised.
Of course he did.
He had probably never seen this method before.
The test stone was believed to be almost impossible to process.
Its hardness was such that only someone at the level of a knight battalion commander, a Magic Tower elder, or a Church cardinal could cut through it.
That was because the stone recorded the damage it received, then increased its hardness by rearranging itself to counter subsequent attacks.
The property made it seem perfect for testing candidates. That perception changed near the end of the second academic year, when a genius uncovered the mechanism by which it adapted to impacts.
It changed its internal grain so that it ran perpendicular to the force it had received.
Therefore, attacking immediately at a right angle to the first strike inflicted greater damage.
I had given Reina that information, and she had struck the stone exactly as instructed.
Then came the third and final attack.
This time, Reina prepared to thrust.
The test stone possessed extraordinary hardness, but only ordinary toughness. In other words, it was comparatively vulnerable to internal shock.
If one carved a sufficiently deep flaw into it and then struck that flaw with great force, it would shatter like glass.
Of course, the final thrust required immense concentration and skill. She had to hit the exact point where the two perpendicular cuts intersected.
Reina struck it as if doing so were only natural.
CRACK—!
With a clear ringing sound, the edge of the test stone shattered and fragments scattered across the floor.
Every candidate shot to their feet in shock.
“That’s insane! She broke the test stone!”
“Is a student even allowed to do that?!”
While everyone else reeled, Reina stared blankly at the broken stone.
Apparently, even as she thrust her sword, she had not truly believed it would work.
To an outsider, all this excitement over breaking a small corner might have seemed excessive.
But the true significance was that an ordinary prospective student had damaged a stone believed breakable only by the Empire’s greatest experts.
The proctor stared at it in silence, then finally recovered and spoke in an even voice.
“Candidate 329. You pass.”
The students began murmuring. He had announced the result without even checking the converted score.
On the surface, the entrance examination was fair. Though imperial heirs and children of prestigious families were certain to pass, results were not ordinarily announced on the spot.
Yet Reina had received immediate confirmation.
That announcement meant she had taken first place.
Reina, however, neither celebrated nor panicked at the reactions around her.
She only stared at the sword in her hand.