How to Survive at the Academy
chapter-95

Election for the Student Council President (8)

– Crackling, crackling.

In a cabin at the Rameln Mountains, the sound of firewood burning was constant.

The fleece blanket was pulled up just below the nose.

Lucy, who always fell asleep sprawled somewhere around her, rarely wrapped herself in bedding.

However, unusually swaddled in a blanket like this, she was down with a cold.

Destined to become an outstanding prodigy of magic, she was no more than a girl who had just entered puberty now.

It is the same for girls of that age group.

Although one could simply stick to a corner of the cabin when it rained, there were countless times she caught a cold by aimlessly wandering the mountains.

Even though her magic abilities swelled at an unbelievable pace, she was still in a transitional period and couldn’t fully protect herself from the surrounding environment.

An old man was stirring the crackling campfire with a poker.

Only his back was visible in the line of sight.

But from the bent back and hunched shoulders, it was clear he was a diminutive old man in the twilight of his life.

He definitely had glorious days in the past, obviously long before Lucy was born.

He roamed the continent researching all kinds of high-tier magic, took in many disciples, started a family with his beloved, made a name in the academic world, became the leading contributor in the subjugation of high-tier magical beasts, and even received accolades from the royal household a number of times.

It had been a life charging full speed on an open road.

He had carved out more achievements than most, simply because he never looked back as he ran forward.

Nevertheless, the days of the great archmage were drawing to a close in a cabin situated on the outskirts of a mountain range that saw few visitors.

What had happened, what he had gone through…

Now, alone in the cabin, poking at the fire, with not even his numerous disciples or beloved family by his side…

The only tie he had left… was a girl who hardly qualified to be called his disciple.

– “Getting soaked in the rain and rolling around outside, it’s only natural to get sick.”

– “You, Lucy, will undoubtedly become a magician so strong that others won’t be able to follow.”

– “The feeling of being sick will surely become a distant memory of the remote past.”

– “Situations where you’re bedridden with a cold, or injured directly, will become increasingly rare.”

It’s uncertain how deeply naïve Lucy understood these words.

Still, Gluckt found meaning in the act of speaking itself.

– “Due to your innate abilities, life might seem uninteresting, or everything may appear meaningless,”

– “You’ll meet plenty of inadequate people… those who dedicate all their lives to things that seem too easy or trivial for you.”

– “So, cherish these feelings you have now.”

The sensation of being ill will surely turn into a vague memory of a distant past.

Lucy might not fathom the significance of this yet… but at least, she could understand that Gluckt wanted to convey something.

After all, these memories had already sedimented into the deep past.

– Ssshhh

Spring rain lashes against the skin.

Crossing the rose garden of the Ophelius manor, one finds maids and students petrified, trapped in a time prison, standing in rows like statues.

Lucy, staggering through them, firmly grips her hat and looks up at the sky. The persistent rain heavily weighs her down.

Even if few knew, Lucy, despite her inherent laziness, held respect for those enthusiastic about life. She simply didn’t show it or lend a hand, but would never belittle them as insignificant or look down upon criminals.

It goes without saying that this was Gluckt’s influence.

With half-open, dazed eyes, wandering through the Rameln Mountains, the old man’s passion for life had to be watched closely and lived by.

The man, who had let go of all his life’s achievements and had become a meager and ragged old man, alone in the mountains, still strove to live each day with value.

The realization that she harbored more than just affection for Ed, even when cornered, came from an inward acknowledgement of how tenaciously he clung to life.

At the very least, he wasn’t a man worthy of a hollow death.

“…Lying old man.”

Had he not said, one day as a powerful magician, pain and hardship would turn into forgotten memories of the distant past?

Yet what rose sharply in her chest was the long-forgotten ‘pain.’

The preciousness that becomes greater after loss is what truly holds value.

Lucy knew this fact well through experience.

And she did not wish to experience it again.

The times spent gossiping around the campfire munching on grilled fish, or lying limply on Ed’s lap while reading a book and aimlessly gazing at the sky, weren’t anything special.

But she knew… they were the truly valuable moments.

How vulnerable are human beings.

Though she was born with the ability to manipulate high-tier magic with the dexterity of her limbs, and her talents made even historical geniuses shake their heads…

The irony that the death of just one person could hurt so much.

– Boom!

Just then, as Lucy walked resolutely toward the main gate of the Ophelius manor, a massive explosion erupted beneath her feet.

Enormous smoke billowed, and intense heat enveloped the area, but Lucy cleared all the aftereffects with just a wave of her hand.

“That was quite a coup de grace, of sorts.”

Merely by walking to the main gate of the Ophelius manor, the people Lucy suppressed became apparent.

Ophelius Hall Head Maid Belle Mayar, 4th year Magic Department top student Patricia Bloomriver, 4th year Alchemy Department top student Dorothy Whitepeltz, 3rd year Combat Department top student Drake Lagers, and even 14 senior maids.

If she dealt with such a force single-handedly without a scratch, at least within these walls, there was no one who could stand against Lucy.

The girl now facing Lucy must also understand that she has no chance of victory.

2nd year Alchemy Department top student, a meddler named Elvira.

Armed with all sorts of magic engineering tools and alchemy potions, basic spells… her combat abilities were significantly inferior compared to those of other top students.

“I had presumed you’d be more rational, Lucy.”

“…”

Lucy’s frosty eyes stared silently at Elvira, who stood guarding the doorway.

“No, or rather, you’re actually still rational to an extent, right?”

The magosphere filling the sky above Ophelius manor, maids trapped in the time prison, the rose garden filled with magic formulae bestowed by Lucy.

While it seemed like an absurd chaos had been wrought, there was a clear ‘line’ to Lucy’s tantrum.

Unnecessary destruction was somewhat suppressed, and of course, there was no loss of life. She seems capable of demolishing the Ophelius manor if she truly lost her mind, but that was, after all, a last resort.

The students of Ophelius Hall were busy trying to escape. Menial maids were leading the race, sprinting out through the back entrance.

Elvira… if she could stop Lucy’s progress even momentarily, that would be enough.

“Move aside.”

But perhaps, even that was presumptuous.

As if sweeping away leaves blocking the view in the forest, her motion, just a simple flick of her arm, was all it took.

With that gesture, Elvira was hit with a magnitude of magical power she could not have hoped to withstand.

It wasn’t even magic. It was merely a physical force created by materializing and thrusting forth mana.

Yet, Elvira’s body was flung into the flower bed.

“Ah, uh!”

She was well aware of the disparity of strength.

Elvira’s true intention was the array of magic engineering tools she had set near the main entrance.

With the click of a switch, mana began to rise from behind the pillars at the entrance, hidden in a concealed space.

If simple force couldn’t defeat Lucy, she had to rely on the laws and principles.

Even Lucy, born with immense power, couldn’t escape the providence of the world.

Rain makes you wet, wind makes your clothes flutter, cold lowers the temperature, and boiling water eventually evaporates.

The basic laws that make up the world, no one but a deity is free from them. Even if it is sanctified magic that twists these laws, the basic principles of mana cannot be escaped.

Thus, Elvira decided to ‘evaporate’ the mana in its entirety.

As the hidden machinery behind the pillars came into view, the various magic engineering tools Elvira had brought from the secret laboratory, filling a large backpack, were revealed to Lucy.

They seemed to number in the dozens. It was impossible to list each by name. The quantity was that vast.

“Huff!”

Elvira, who had been thrown out, wiped her mouth and stood up, pulling together the smidge of mana she had to manifest a new spell.

She raised her hand towards Lucy and clenched it tight, causing the various magic engineering tools she had installed to begin running amok all at once.

The Crux Mana Separator, the Noise Generator, the Elemental Reversion Stimulator, the Claw Hand, the Wave Orb, the Illusion Disc, the Catlan Mana Purifier…

All sorts of magic engineering tools that Elvira had spent her scholarly life researching after joining the Sylvania Academy burst into action.

Each magic engineering tool had a different purpose. There were plenty that didn’t fit this situation and were not originally intended for combat.

However, Elvira’s objective was not to ‘utilize’ the magic engineering tools as they were meant to be.

Although each was a precious invention as dear to her as her own children, Elvira went ahead and caused the ‘Crux Mana Separator’ at the front to run wild without hesitation.

Alchemy, one of the branches of magic, is a discipline specialized in the scholarly analysis of the properties of mana itself.

It’s the ‘understanding of mana’ that differs from the instincts of magicians who wield mana.

“Let’s see… if you can break through this!”

Elvira pulled a ‘Scarlet Crystal Potion’ from her bosom and threw it.

Lucy quickly grasped with her hand to shatter the potion bottle midair, but the purpose had always been to sprinkle the potion in the first place.

Having fulfilled her objective, Elvira swiftly sprinted out from behind the flower bed.

– Thud, thud! Thud!

The Scarlet Crystal Potion temporarily increased the fluidity of mana itself, acting like a lubricant.

Activating the magic engineering tools naturally requires mana. However, infusing one’s mana into a specific object is no easy task.

Simple magic engineering tools don’t consume much mana, but as the structure becomes more complex, they demand a significant amount of mana to operate.

The original purpose of the Scarlet Crystal Potion was to make the flow of mana used to power these tools a bit more sensitive.

Even with the same amount of mana, the potion’s effect would allow it to flow more smoothly into the magic engineering tools.

It’s merely an auxiliary potion, but it’s quite helpful for alchemists.

Indeed, Elvira’s intent behind throwing the Scarlet Crystal Potion was entirely different.

– Thum, thum, thum!

The ‘Crux Mana Separator’ gone rogue started devouring the surrounding mana.

It’s a device that acts as a ‘circuit,’ absorbing mana from the environment and efficiently supplying it to the connected magic engineering tools.

But once it overloads and runs wild, it transforms into a monster that indiscriminately devours all mana in the vicinity.

If the connected magic engineering tools operated normally, this rampage would stop. The problem was that all the magic engineering tools Elvira spent nearly a lifetime creating were connected to the mana separator.

She didn’t have the time to properly calculate mana efficiency; she had just forced the circuit together haphazardly.

But that was enough for her. A ‘normal operation’ isn’t what Elvira intended.

Her real goal was the absorption of mana itself.

Lucy’s mana, lubricated by the Scarlet Crystal Potion, started being sucked into the magic engineering tools at an uncontrollable speed.

Centered around the mana separator, all sorts of magic engineering tools began to run wild.

They exploded, created illusions, and made loud noises, making the rose garden chaotic.

Bright lights shone, smoke puffing, mana emanating… the sight resembling a giant mana factory.

The magic engineering tools, connected haphazardly, had near-zero mana efficiency.

Even a prodigious mage couldn’t handle that amount of mana alone.

Correct. When the force of magic isn’t enough, relying on the laws is the way of the alchemist.

However, unfortunately, her opponent was someone who transcended even those laws.

– Whoosh!

In a situation where mana was being rapidly drawn out, the choice Lucy made wasn’t to control the outpouring mana, but rather to release it.

The berserked magic engineering tools, instead of coping with the influx of mana, began to explode one by one.

– Boom, bam!

– Bang, bing-bang!

With the girl, still clutching her hat, as a backdrop, Elvira’s lifework of magical engineering tools started to go up in smoke.

The equipment began to explode in unison.

“Is this… madness…?”

Elvira rubbed away her wounds and swallowed her breath.

Although not exactly, she was able to roughly calculate the amount of magic power that would have been absorbed when all those magical engineering devices exploded.

Yet the number was astronomical. It simply wasn’t at a level that could be academically predicted.

In the midst of the explosion, Lucy turned around, her eyes disturbingly eerie.

She seemed devoid of any emotion, yet it was precisely because of this that Elvira could tell a storm of emotions was swirling inside her.

Stopping that girl was impossible. Yes, this is what they meant by ‘the realm of impossibility.’

Banging one’s head against something impossible was foolish.

Overcome by fear, she involuntarily took steps backward, but Elvira clenched her teeth and stood up straight again.

“If it’s come to this… I’ll just have to smash the entrance…!”

She attempted to invoke basic fire magic, but with a gesture from Lucy, Elvira was pinned to the ground and subdued.

It was over in less than a second.

“Argh, cough!”

Elvira rolled on the bloodstained marble floor. Biting her tongue during the fall, her mouth filled with a metallic taste.

Having rolled right up to Lucy, Elvira looked up to see Lucy’s eyes staring directly at her.

A primal fear overtook her.

There was no intent to kill in Lucy’s eyes. Naturally, as she had no intention of causing casualties. If there was no need to kill, she would not.

Yet, Elvira was swirling with a certain conviction that if it were necessary, Lucy could do it.

To interfere with this girl now would be insanity.

Her brain screamed that truth.

However… Elvira’s hand reached out through the pouring rain, grasping at Lucy’s ankle.

“…”

Lucy did not speak.

It was Elvira who broke the silence first.

“If you go on like this… you’ll regret it…”

Was it only her mouth that was alive? That wasn’t the case.

“I get that it’s painful, but the dead won’t come back because of this… Please, think of the departed ones for once…”

“…”

“Even Senior Ed… wouldn’t have wanted this…”

For a while, only the rain poured down.

The sound of the spring showers hitting the world equally filled the air.

“That… I will decide after meeting Tanya.”

At that moment, as Lucy looked down at Elvira, she began to invoke the time-class empowerment magic, ‘Time Prison.’

– Crash!

An impossibly fast sword strike ensued, but it could not cut Lucy.

It could, however, separate Elvira and Lucy.

The figure that darted between them launched another sword strike towards Lucy, prompting her to swiftly leap towards the rose garden, widening the gap.

Elvira was completely overwhelmed, unable to control even her own body.

All she had tried to do was desperately grasp at Lucy.

The man standing erect before Elvira, sword pointed at her, cursed.

“I’m really… insane. A madman, a lunatic…!”

Already long and gloomy hair became darker as it soaked in the rain, tremors visible in his heavily dark-circled eyes.

Clevius Nortondale, second-year combat department’s chief, a boy who couldn’t control the blood of the sword demon in him and ended up killing his own brother, cast out by his family to lead a gloomy life.

“This… monster… how… how am I supposed to… handle this… F*ck… damn f*cking…!”

The advantage was overwhelming.

Within the students of Sylvania Academy, none could defeat Lucy Mayrill.

A trial that a hundred out of a hundred would categorize as impossible. To anyone, fleeing was the correct answer.

Clevius had many chances to escape. Lucy wasn’t even hostile to him. After all, Clevius’s constitution wasn’t robust enough for Lucy to consider him an enemy.

Clevius lived the life of a runaway.

He became used to the slurs of cowardice, always running from his destiny etched in his destiny, from challenges, and from the curse of blood.

It would be the same this time. It was most obviously a situation where escape was the correct answer. No one would blame him if he fled.

Nonetheless, Clevius drew his sword.

Not all students from Ophelius Hall had evacuated. The maids hadn’t completed all their duties either.

Indeed, it is foolish to challenge the impossible.

That sentence that must have been constantly rehearsed in Clevius’s heart floated up to his heart again.

The rose garden’s view, which the pathetic loser who lived a life of fleeing had easily forgotten, stubbornly remained in his eyes.

The many statues filling the rose garden were the marks of the losers. Yes, they were all losers.

Fools – both this man and that – who charged at the great disaster known as Lucy Mayrill despite sensing defeat.

They were all fools who rushed behind the romantic words of duty to protect the students, of justice, and ended up incomplete in their own deaths.

The young alchemist lying behind was no different.

No matter how much she was the second-year alchemy department’s chief, she knew well enough that it was impossible to fight such a monster alone.

Yet his feet would not move. They were his legs, yet they refused to listen.

“You… you can’t pass… damn bastard….!!”

There was no hope of winning from the beginning. However, if he could somehow stall for time, then perhaps.

Clevius screamed and rushed at Lucy with his sword.

His body, soaring like a hawk, headed towards Lucy– and with one gesture from her, she completely knocked him away.

Unable to withstand the magical bullet, Clevius’s body received a huge impact and rolled into the flower beds.

Again, the outcome was decided in less than a second.

“This… stupid… Clevius…!!”

The fallen Elvira clenched her teeth and could only watch the smoke rising from the flower beds.

Lucy let out a small sigh and calmly looked at Elvira, then eventually moved toward the main entrance of Ophelius Hall.

To stand in her way was madness.

– Clang! Clang!

– Whoosh!

Zix Effelstein was capable of handling almost every type of weapon. He could have enrolled in the combat department without it being strange, given his abilities.

What he swung now was a ceremonial rapier that had been decorated on the fireplace. He mixed in actions from his own interpretation to the ceremonial rapier sword skills he’d learned from the Islan household.

Startled by the incoming sword strike, Wade quickly took a defensive stance.

Expecting thrust-focused strikes, Wade found unexpected freedom in Zix’ moves.

‘No… this is…!’

To find a gap in Zix’ ability that wasn’t constrained by weapons was tough.

The life of a beast wandering the northern grasslands and the life of a noble learning decorum in the Islan mansion melded together to form his swordsmanship. It was highly practical, yet not isolated completely from theory.

For Wade who had mastered the noble’s swordsmanship to the limit, it became a challenge too tough to handle. The level was simply unopposable.

Although Wade himself was a strong enough figure as well, if he were to oppose Zix through swordsmanship, he would need to overturn entirely the ideology of his martial arts.

‘But… it’s not completely without gaps…!’

As Wade tried to exploit a gap that momentarily appeared on Zix’ flank, his sword strike was repelled with a whoosh and a clang.

Wade couldn’t understand the situation for a second. Zix should have been in a position that couldn’t deflect a sword.

However, realization dawned.

It wasn’t Zix’ sword that had repelled Wade’s blow – it was magic. An air blade summoned by Zix had deflected the attack.

The gap on his side had been deliberately exposed. By the time he realized, he was already struck on the neck with the sword handle.

“Gu, hurk!”

With that, Zix kicked Wade’s abdomen. Wade, sent rolling to the corner of the room, coughed violently a few times before barely managing to get up.

“Are you done?”

“Of course not, Senior Zix.”

Wade brushed down the corners of his mouth, stood up, and glared at Zix again. And then he recognized the gap in their skills.

A fact so tangible it was strange he had forgotten.

Zix… was a magician. Swordsmanship was just secondary.

Upon realizing that, Wade experienced the categorical difference between him and Zix. Still, he smiled.

“Do you think I’ll give up so easily? Senior Zix.”

“…”

“Heh… hehehe… heh… I take joy in fighting the strong. To have the chance to fight a mighty human from the magic department like Senior Zix, how could I give up so easily.”

Wade chuckled as he rose and picked up his sword again.

“Please… make it a bit more enjoyable for me.”

Zix crossed his arms and quietly watched Wade. He then closed his eyes before slowly speaking.

“How petty, Wade. You don’t enjoy the match; you enjoy victory. I guess you wouldn’t have that kind of competitive spirit unless you saw some possibility of winning against those guys.”

“What are you saying?”

“Originally… you’re a small fish. Answer me. If you really wanted to fight a true strong opponent, why specifically challenge me from among all the second-year magic department students?”

Zix’ rapier once again pointed at Wade.

“The magic department’s second-year chief isn’t me; it’s Lucy Mayrill.”

That statement hit the bullseye.

Zix had seen through Wade’s inner thoughts all along.

“It’s easier to categorize it as impossible and dismiss it. After all, there indeed seems to be no chance of winning. You couldn’t possibly win, can you?”

“That’s… natural…”

“Yes. That’s your capacity.”

Zix’ sword thrust once more against Wade’s.

“Kr, ugh…!”

Wade was overwhelmed just by defending. Exchanging swords, Zix looked him straight in the eye and said,

“Hold your sword tightly. You coward.”

It was the first time Wade had seen Zix, usually so earnest, spew curse words. Was that also part of the strategy to unnerve him?

Despite Zix’ warning, the sword in Wade’s hand dropped. He had kicked the sword surface squarely during a moment of distraction.

– Clang, clang!

Wade’s sword tumbled through the air a few times before rolling on the floor.

Zix’ rapier was now aimed straight at Wade’s throat.

“This is…”

“Looking for excuses? Or finding reasons to accept the inevitable defeat?”

Wade’s pupils flickered several times.

There was nothing he could do but indicate surrender. Continuing to resist in such an overwhelmingly unfavorable situation would be madness.

Not that there was no way to resist.

Pretending to be insane by grabbing the sharp rapier blade and throwing himself forward, preparing to be stabbed somewhere while picking up the sword, anyway, as long as he’s ready for a fatal wound… There were an infinite number of methods.

But Wade knew all too well, from too much experience, that continuing to fight would only increase his injuries.

Unable to overcome that fear, Wade slowly raised both his hands.

“Right… that’s your limit.”

– Boom!

– Rumbling!

That was followed by the sound of collapse from the entrance of Ophelius Hall.

*

It was as if a huge cannonball had hit, not a sword strike.

One could scarcely believe that result came from a single strike.

The columns supporting the entrance of Ophelius Hall were utterly crumbled.

– Rumble, thud!

Smoke rose amidst the trickling rain.

The boy, who had somehow emerged from the flower beds, was bleeding profusely from the top of his head.

He stood again in Lucy’s path, an atmosphere almost inhuman with the sheer ghastliness of his aura.

With hair plastered down by the rain, hiding his expressions and gaze,

he was visibly injured on one leg… kneeling on one side in a stooped posture, clutching the sword in its sheath.

Even though he knew he couldn’t win.

He would at least stall for time.

There was no guarantee that stalling for time would resolve anything.

Hoping that some superhero on a white horse would appear and set things right, he found such hopes were as empty as they felt.

The unrelenting rain. The Ophelius Hall’s entrance, now a ruin.

The Sword Demon, drenched in blood and gripping his sword hilt, sat quietly with his head bowed.

Absent his usual barrage of curse words, and the sound of teeth chattering in fear, the silence on this day was chillingly quiet.

In the silence, the Sword Demon seated there seemed as if time itself had stopped around him…

And the fallen Elvira momentarily forgot even to breathe.