[241] 5. Match Point (3)
"All right. I'll give you one last chance. Beat Sabina and Closer and work your way up. I beat Boil, so you can't complain, right? If you beat those two, then I'll face you myself."
Closer and Sabina cheered. That set the stage for Dante. Of course they had no intention of throwing the match for Shirone.
"No. That won't be necessary."
Shirone refused Dante's offer.
"Hey, get a grip. You're the challenger. If you want to face me you should at least—"
"All three of you just attack me at once. Get it over with. I don't want to deal with this any more than necessary."
"You crazy—!"
Dante's group gaped. Even at the Royal Magic Academy, they'd never seen an insult like that.
Nade, watching from the sidelines, clicked his tongue.
"You're lethal with words. I'll never argue with Shirone. Not worth it."
"You're great at pissing people off. You just don't because you don't want to."
With that, Iruki stepped forward into the tense crowd. Up to now Shirone had held back, and they'd restrained themselves because of that; it wasn't some perverse pleasure in being ignored.
"Yo, Shirone. If it's something fun like this, count me in too."
Dante glared at Iruki, who'd inserted himself like an unwanted guest. It was obvious he was trying to force it into a team fight—Shirone alone might be too much.
"Iruki, this isn't your place. Your intention's obvious."
"What are you talking about? This is my specialty. I'll take them on at once. If I count one second per person, it'll take exactly one second."
Closer snorted.
"You idiot—one second per person would be three seconds—"
He stopped when he got the joke and scowled.
"You lot are for real! Are you crazy? Who do you think you are, getting cocky with us?"
"If you're so sure, then fight one at a time. The point is to fight and win, right? Why make it more complicated than that? Right, Dante?"
"You've got it wrong. I'm not saying beat people just to dismantle Shirone's lineup. I'm saying: if you want to challenge me, prove you're qualified."
"We're qualified. If we beat Shirone, no one will dare take you on afterward."
Iruki pointed to the students watching.
"See? No need to overthink it. Beat us and you're the top. You'll control the advanced class. That'd be the mission you were given by someone, right?"
That hit the mark. As someone who'd spent time at the Royal Magic Academy, Iruki would know Olivia's tactics.
Even if he didn't, he could sense someone else was pulling the strings behind their rowdiness.
Once their cards were revealed, Dante didn't hide his hand either.
"All right. Team battle it is. We can't interfere with classes, so hold an unofficial match on the weekend at Practice Field No. 2000. Each week one person fights; first to two wins takes it. If you rack up two losses first, then Shirone and I don't even need to fight—my victory stands. Acceptable?"
"All right. If you want to keep up appearances, fine. Either way I'll win. There won't be any reason for you to avoid facing Shirone."
"Hmph. You talk big. Then add one more person on your side. Whoever. Even call Boil if you want."
"That'd be no fun. We have our own lineup."
Iruki turned his head. Nade pointed at himself with a stunned look.
Helping Shirone wasn't the issue, but he hadn't expected to be dragged into the battle. And if he refused now, Shirone's momentum would falter, so he couldn't not go.
When Nade stepped forward, Dante cocked his head.
"Nade? Is that enough?"
From what they'd seen, Nade's grades weren't stellar and he hadn't stood out in practicals.
But Iruki had said "lineup." If someone had been ordered to take Shirone down, it made sense to crush anyone even tangentially involved.
When they reached the field, Nade whispered to Iruki.
"Hey, what are you thinking? What if I lose?"
"Just be the numbers. I'll handle everything."
While the two whispered, Dante went to speak with the teachers. He'd heard the whole conversation from the start, so no explanation was necessary.
"We want to settle this. We request that Practice Field No. 2000 be opened this weekend for an unofficial duel," Siina said on their behalf.
"This isn't strictly our call, but we'll review it. Go back and wait," the teacher replied.
The students halted their practice and waited anxiously. Shirone's thrown gauntlet was unprecedented, but without school approval the match would be nothing.
Once all teachers in charge of Field No. 2000 gathered, Siina spoke.
"So this is how it turned out. Perhaps it was bound to happen eventually?"
Sade shook his head.
"I'm opposed. We shouldn't let students judge another student's wrongdoing. We should convene the disciplinary committee and publicly announce that Pandora was harmed."
Etella, lost in thought with her chin in her hand, spoke up.
"Hmm, I agree with Sade to an extent. But the word 'judgment' feels extreme. Couldn't this be seen as student self-regulation?"
"I understand the importance of autonomy. But this is a duel. Having students fight each other with magic to decide things feels wrong."
"Still, Boil and Dante already finished their match. Many students are dueling even now. Opening Field No. 2000 on the weekend is no different from holding supplementary lessons, in my view."
Siina thought Sade's concern had merit but also understood Etella's wish to trust Shirone. She knew Sade's words wouldn't carry far in the school.
"If opinions differ, we must consider practicalities. If we refuse, Dante will appeal to Principal Olivia. What do you think she'll decide?"
A trace of bitterness leaked from Sade's voice. Olivia would almost certainly approve. It seemed Dante had expected this from the start. Moreover, everyone at Alpheas answered to her. What on earth was their mentor thinking bringing Olivia into the school?
"Are teachers supposed to be the ones to trust Shirone? Why would we?"
"Because Principal Olivia trusts Dante. And Principal Alpheas trusts Shirone. Looking back, this isn't just a student issue."
Etella said.
"I want to trust as well. As I am both teacher and monk, Shirone—though a student—possesses the ascetic spirit of one who pursues the good. Knowing that, perhaps Principal Alpheas entrusted full authority to Principal Olivia."
Sade fell silent. In retrospect it did seem odd. No matter how great a mentor was, they wouldn't normally invite Jerome Olivia, the kingdom's top teacher, without a strong reason.
There had to be a compelling backstory.
'How does my mentor keep causing more trouble than his pupils?'
Sade sighed and walked to the students. He announced the initial result of Dante's request.
"After an emergency meeting, we will permit the opening of Practice Field No. 2000 and recognize this unofficial one-on-one combat training."
The students erupted into cheers. Sade's earlier insistence that higher approval was required was drowned out.
"This is huge! A major event!"
"Finally! Shirone versus Dante! Dante and Shirone! Wooaaah!"
The students went wild. Amid the hullabaloo, Iruki slapped shoulders and pointed at himself.
"Hey, I'm not just Shirone's second. I'm fighting too."
"Wooaaah! Iruki! Did you hear? Shirone and Dante are going to fight!"
"...."
News of the match spread through the school by word of mouth.
The shadow research club had already started distributing flyers with the two's info to encourage betting.
The teachers' meeting room buzzed as well. The entire faculty convened to debate how to handle the situation.
"Again, this is dangerous. Letting students resolve personal disputes by physical conflict goes against our policies," Sade warned, but Olivia didn't bat an eye.
"This isn't about fighting—it's about deciding who's the best. They're all seniors or will be within a year or two. Think of it as intensified competition."
"But Principal! If this keeps happening it could damage the school's reputation—!"
Olivia raised a hand as if to stop him mid-sentence.
"Shirone and Dante's duel will be a kingdom-wide event. I'll personally propose we send a correspondent."
The meeting fell silent. The inspector for the teachers herself was calling for a special correspondent. If that happened, Alpheas School of Magic would draw public attention. With the kingdom's star Dante at the forefront, press coverage would be an enormous boon.
Sweet fantasies floated through the teachers' minds: Alpheas School of Magic, the kingdom's top academy. And me, the teacher who trains those students.
Sade was displeased. He supported the school's fame rising, but he didn't like it being used to silence dissent.
"Principal Olivia, I'd like to say something."
"Sade, proceed as you will."
"Yes—proceed…huh?"
Sade's face flushed as he turned.
Alpheas stood at the back door. Given the matter, Olivia had not barred visitors this time.
"You truly have foresight, Alpheas. This will be a tremendous boon to the school; to let it pass would be foolish."
"Is that so? Thanks to this, I too will have my name known in my later years. Ha ha ha ha!"
"When the duel ends, a major article about Dante's victory will run. The child Shirone will take a lot of flak. It's almost pitiable to see him so excited."
"Ha! Both children attend Alpheas School of Magic; they're practically my students. But I also believe we must determine who's the best."
Olivia's eyes narrowed. For once Alpheas's gaze was ruthless. Two veteran educators who'd devoted their lives to teaching had found pupils who might represent the culmination of their careers—a clash of decades of educational philosophy.
An hour later, the unofficial duel request had completed its formal procedures and was approved.
6. Magic Clash (1)
The students counted the days until the coming weekend.
In nearly ten years at Alpheas School of Magic, nothing had generated this much gossip.
Word spread that the teachers' council would even dispatch a correspondent on the day Shirone and Dante fought.
The boys joked about pulling outrageous pranks to make themselves known; the girls fretted over what to wear.
Iruki and Nade headed to the research club. Even on the short walk they heard countless rumors—real and fake—that they couldn't tell apart, yet none of the rumors concerned them directly.
"I didn't expect much from the start, but now that it's happening, I feel left out. Are we just bystanders?"
"At least the archivist will come. Um… maybe I should go first?"
Nade had been worried ever since the match was approved.
Closer had his sights on Iruki, so Nade's opponent would probably be Viltor or Sabina.
A woman who speeds herself up with Haste while scattering Wind Cutters in every direction—a terrifying fighter.
Aside from the graduating class, she was talented enough to rank among the nation's top twenty. Regardless of matchups, it was bound to be a hard fight.