Note: I’m going to change some uses of the word magic to mana, as sometimes it refers to the resource that magic uses rather than magic itself.
Saikyou Mahoushi no Inton Keikaku
Part 1 Chapter 1
5. True Identity
There was silence.
Tesfia who had not moved an inch slightly moved her hand. She gradually lifted up her head and frailly stood up.
She probably still wasn’t aware of the situation. Tesfia’s head was in chaos trying to process what had happened and that she had collapsed on the ground.
「Are you alright, Fia?」
「……Y-yes」
She was blown magnificently through the air, but she should’ve no damage at all. After all she was hit with a pile of paper, and no matter how much mana you cover it in there was a limit to it’s strength.
As Tesfia was thinking about what had happened during the middle of the match, she scowled at Ars and opened her mouth.
「What did you do」
「Don’t joke around, it wasn’t paper. It felt like I was hit by something hard….」
Once again, Tesfia caresses her face and boils with anger.
However from Tesfia’s point of view it really did seem like she was hit by a piece of paper. Because it actually was a paper pamphlet that hit her.
He only covered the pamphlet in mana just before it made contact which caused it to be as hard as stone.
It was a wonderful performance that showcased the difference between their skill levels.
「You would understand if you read that book that you hit out of my hands earlier today.」
Ars declared as if blaming her. The book that Tesfia hit was something that researchers spent many years working on, and was the fruit of their efforts. To desecrate their wisdom was an unforgivable sin for mages.
「Ugh…….」
「I don’t know what you did, but don’t get full of yourself from just hitting me once」
「Fia! Isn’t it enough already…」
Alice warned her, but as expected Tesfia didn’t pay heed to what she said.
The amount of mana leaking from her body grew alongside her anger.
「What are you talking about, Alice? He managed to land a blow on me by chance, I’ll defeat him immediately」
Tesfia took a deep breath and held her blade in front of her. She traced two fingers down the blade with flowing movements.
As she finished tracing her fingers down the blade, the magical characters on her blade lit up.
「Fia, that’s overkill!!」
Alice guessed what Tesfia was planning to do. Her words did not reach Tesfia as she continued to glide her fingers all the way over it to the edge of the blade.
Tesfia pointed her blade horizontally, and concentrated mana on the tip of the blade. From Tesfia’s own body through the AWR, a light began to gradually shine.
―With a crackling sound a giant block of ice was formed midair. As the blade was lightly swung downwards, it broke the surface of the ice block and a large transparent sword was formed.
「【Icicle・Sword】」
It was the first time seeing it, but the unique magic was well known as it was recorded down in encyclopedias. However, it was still his first time seeing it in person.
「That’s amazing」
Ars praised the technology that created the block of ice, which acted as the mold for the ice blade. It wasn’t completely suited to killing as there were unnecessary parts on the blade, but it held a charm that captivated all spectators. More than anything else, it was a direct compliment towards her as normal freshman would not be able to use such magic.
Without any sign of her hearing his compliment, Tesfia without a word pointed the tip of the blade towards Ars and charged directly towards him.
She was fast, but to Ars it was a sluggish and simple attack. Which is why it would be easy to dodge.
It would probably be safe to say that this was Tesfia’s strongest magic. As proof, you could see her shoulders sway up and down tired from spending so much mana.
He calmly faced her straight on.
It wasn’t as if this was a gamble. For Ars this level of magic wasn’t something he couldn’t handle.
「No!―― Avoid it!」
With a pale face Alice called out. She tried chanting a protective magic, but for this generation of mages who were used to using AWRs her speed wouldn’t make it in time. Her incantation which was cut in half changed into an anguished cry.
Ars took a small breath.
The mana that covered his hand grew, and at the tip of his hand formed a blade made out of mana. He formed a blade that was constantly flowing with mana, a blade sharp enough to even slice through time.
At the moment of collision, Alice looked downwards and waited for the outcome with an expressionless face as if the result was obvious from how Tesfia had overdone it.
The result that both girls expected didn’t occur.
Alice opened her eyes not because she wanted to see what she had expected to happen, but because she didn’t hear the crushing sound of blade on body.
Ars was in front of Tesfia standing there composed and calm. Behind him was the ice blade split evenly into two.
The mana which held the shape of the blade was unable to do so anymore, and fine cracks appeared all over the blade. It didn’t break into pieces as cracks appeared, but rather dispersed back to mana.
「――――!! No way…….」
Alice let out her astonishment, while Alice had a dumbfound expression on her face.
What did Ars do? The only person who understood was probably the chairman who was spectating from quite a distance away.
Mana is the resource for using magic*. However to use mana itself as an attack not in the form of magic was outside of common sense.
Mages tend to use existing magic, choosing not to create their own. This was because it was the most common method. To defeat demons was the role of a mage, and the research of magic to combat demons were the roles of scholars and researchers. Therefore mages left understanding unknown phenomenon to others.
What Ars did was a precise magical maneuver. It was the same idea as covering weapons with magic.
Basically if you cover a weapon with mana, what comes into contact is still the mana that covers the weapon, so using that logic one could extend mana independently to form a blade made out of mana. However this method wasn’t widely known at all. It was a loophole Ars discovered.
Mana that was used on organic matter to produce a blade made out of mana was realistically impossible. However Ars had wisdom about this unique magic all to himself. Roughly speaking it was something that destroyed the characteristics of mana, and by layering mana upon itself organic matter would lose it’s characteristic of absorbing mana and function as if it was an inorganic substance. It was a technique to transform the characteristics of substances, which you could use mana to form or shape it.
You would have to control the mana that was constantly being produced inside your body, which would require someone to be able to use such a technique.
As the energy that fueled all applications and uses of magic, mana was not something people normally studied about as most mages concentrated on learning magic.
That’s why the girls didn’t notice anything.
He used the pamphlet in his left hand to lightly tap his shoulders. Almost as if it was to signal that this was the end of their duel .
That’s why he would end it simple. Because one simple line could demonstrate it’s power of reconciliation.
「It was my bad.」
「――――!!」
Tesfia who was confronted with a sudden apology was surprised and lost for words.
Tesfia herself knew best who was the winner and loser in this match. Which was why there was no need to say it out aloud.
「I don’t mean for this to insult you, but if what you said was the case then I apologize for it.」
It was an apology from the bottom of one’s heart, as Ars walked in front of Tesfia and bowed deeply. It was an action that solved all this misunderstanding, and with this everything should be settled. He settled for Tesfia’s pride as compensation and since both side’s demands were fulfilled, he was able to settle this matter without any potential further disputes.
「…..I,is that so? I’m also sorry for being so stubborn」
Although it may not seem like it, Tesfia was originally a very understanding and sensible person.
Which is why Ars chose this method to conclude it all.
「Then, I’ll excuse myself now.」
「Wai-……….」
As he tried to pass Tesfia, she grasped his sleeve and he turned around slightly annoyed.
「What?」
「….. How did you do it」
Tesfia timidly averted her gaze from him and asked. It was almost an unspoken agreement to not pry into other classmate’s magic. Since she was just an apprentice mage, her voice was lacking any force.
Tesfia wasn’t the only person with questions as Alice also approached the two and strained her ears trying to hear into their conversation without saying anything.
He tried to pull his arm away two or three times, but she must’ve been gripping his sleeve fiercely as she didn’t budge.
Because further prying from the two of them might reveal his rank if he spoke too much.
As if aware of the situation, the chairman appeared as if she was there the entire time while applauding.
There was no doubt that Tesfia and Alice turned their eyes towards the clapping chairman.
「「Chairman!!」」
She stopped clapping, and leapt down over the railing from a height of three floors. She landed softly on the ground and stood up gently.
「As one would expect of the Faver house’s daughter, I was treated to a high level practice match.」
She was the chairman of the school, but also a figure of admiration of any person who desired to become a mage.
As if to dispell his concerns, Cisty-chairman approached them.
「To be able to use such high level magic despite being a first year」
「…. Thank you very much. But why are you here, chairman?」
It was an obvious question. Tesfia was wearing a bitter face after recognizing her defeat, but it couldn’t be helped that it changed to a look of glee as she was praised by a former single rank.
「That’s because Ars-kun made a request to reserve the practice arena. I came to spectate」
「――――!!! Chairman!」
Ars panicked for a moment as he was exposed.
This time their gazes were concentrated on Ars, as even the chairman’s gaze was laid upon him.
「Ars・Reigin, was it? What are you? To be able to slice my 【Icicle・Sword】 in half」
「That’s to be expected of him. What I came here for was to ensure the safety of you girls.」
Ars decided to leave all the talking to the chairman who was smiling.
But he had a uncomfortable feeling at how this conversation was going.
「What do you mean!?」
Tesfia was the one the one trying find out what was going on, but suddenly Alice had crept up beside them and asked the question they were wondering.
「Well, it might be faster if I show you」
The chairman turned around to face Ars and pulled out a card from her bosom.
「Is that a licence?」
「………….」
Alice who had asked the chairman about her question thought that she would get a more direct answer, and was slightly confused when they mentioned “military”.
Ars could guess what she wanted to do. Which is why he wasn’t surprised when the chairman handed over the card and touched the ranking entry on it.
A bright stream of mana leaked out of the licence card and a crystal-like display was projected.
1. Mana is the resource that magic uses. To clarify older chapters, basically the body constantly generates mana which can then be used for magic.↑