In front of the Aura Blade, which indiscriminately cuts through everything whether it be magic or armor, facing it head-on would indeed be a foolish act.
And so, William quickly retreated, distancing himself from Kail who was charging towards him.
[Flight]
[High-Speed Movement]
Two spells simultaneously processed in William’s hands, propelling his body into high-speed flight. Watching him use two spells at once, Kail realized that his suspicions had been confirmed.
Even the principal, who had taken the data, didn’t have time to master double casting—there was no way William, not even a Master, could achieve such a feat with talent alone. So, he definitely stole it.
“Hahaha-! You’re slow! You brute swordsman!”
“That d*mn spellcaster…”
Kail chased after William, smashing the ground at full speed, but he now understood just how terrifying a magician capable of using two spells at once could be.
While the opponent flew and accelerated, he struggled even to move. Suddenly sprouting tree roots entangled his feet, and out-of-nowhere boulders tripped him up.
Gravity felt heavier, his strength weakened, and his speed slowed down. These were William’s specialty: status ailment spells.
“─If you drag this out, the disadvantage will be on your side.”
“Disadvantage? What are you talking about? Even you, a Master, can’t catch up with me. I’ll just escape by flying away.”
William was right. If push came to shove, he could simply fly away and escape far from here.
Though an empire-wide manhunt would ensue, no country would turn down a magician with the drool-worthy skill of double casting. He could seek asylum anywhere.
Moreover, William had no family, so there was nothing to stop him.
“Still, creating a technique like this—The principal is a genius after all. I only thought of him as an old has-been…”
“What?”
“Is it strange for a professor to badmouth the principal? All office workers end up cursing their bosses—it’s natural.”
William muttered things like, “When you become a working adult, you’ll understand,” and “Noble brats shouldn’t do this or that”—but Kail wasn’t surprised because he insulted the principal.
He was shocked because Kail didn’t know who created double casting.
‘Didn’t Yuri find those documents in the library after hearing something from someone?’
That tone made it sound like he regularly sneaked in and out of the principal’s office to steal documents.
After pondering for a moment, Kail shook his head to clear his thoughts. Whatever the reason he stole it, that wasn’t important right now.
Once caught, he’d find out all the details later. The priority now was catching him, not deducing his motives.
‘Simply running won’t catch him.’
The enemy was a magician capable of 3D flight. On the other hand, he was a swordsman who couldn’t change direction once his feet left the ground. To catch him mid-air, he needed to gain flight capabilities himself.
How?
Wooosh—Aura burst forth beneath his feet. After glaring at William momentarily, Kail exploded into the air like a rocket.
“You fool. How exactly do you plan to defeat a magician in the air—”
Just as William began casting a spell towards Kail, Kail condensed the aura beneath his feet to create a foothold.
Stepping onto the condensed aura platform, he changed direction mid-air. After changing direction, he created another aura platform and jumped again.
Aura — Air Treading.
Seeing Kail wildly changing directions in the air to close in on him, William hardened his expression and immediately triggered an Ark discharge around his body.
Whether he was an Aura Master or not, if his body stiffened from electricity, he wouldn’t be able to move—
“Uh…?”
“It seems you don’t know jack about Masters.”
However, there was one thing William hadn’t accounted for. A four-star magician capable of double casting was certainly formidable, but an Aura Master wasn’t someone you could overcome with just that.
While they could certainly be a nuisance, the only ones capable of inflicting decisive damage were fellow Masters—at least five-star magicians.
A four-star magician like him still had yet to reach that distant realm of magic.
“That won’t work on me—!”
Whoosh—!
Kail swung his sword and smacked William on the head. Struck by the flat of the blade, William shot towards the ground like a projectile.
Crater forming upon impact, William collapsed onto the ground. Approaching him, Kail realized he had fainted. To think he caused so much trouble before going down with a single hit…
‘If he knew about Masters, he would’ve fled the moment he saw me.’
Blinded by the allure of double casting, William failed to properly gauge the gap between them. That was his fatal mistake.
Immediately grabbing William by the scruff of his neck, Kail dragged him off to the principal’s office.
Late at night, the principal, who usually worked overtime, seemed to have gone home early today for some reason. Kail plopped down on the couch and started looking for something to tie William up with.
“Isn’t there some rope around here…”
Assuming the principal was probably a pervert and might have some rope lying around, Kail rummaged through the principal’s locker but found none.
Eventually, Kail immobilized William’s limbs with Aura and realized he had to stay and keep watch.
“Ugh—I’m pulling an all-nighter.”
Exhausted from using his power earlier, but unable to let William go, Kail spent the night awake.
Early in the morning, the principal, arriving at sunrise, hesitated upon seeing the unlocked door to his office. After increasing security following a recent theft, could it have been burglarized again?
What exactly was there in the principal’s office worth stealing so often—sighing, the principal prepared a spell as he opened the door.
“Oh, you’re finally here.”
“…Cadet Kail?”
“Yaaawn—Ugh, I’m tired.”
Sitting on the couch inside the principal’s office, yawning loudly, Kail casually tossed whatever he had been sitting on toward the principal.
Using magic to catch it, the principal realized it was Professor William Taylor from the Department of Magic.
“Professor William? Cadet Kail, what on earth…?”
“He’s the culprit behind the theft. He confessed it himself. I arrested him last night—but I couldn’t hand over a four-star magician to regular guards. So, I kept him here.”
Yawning again, Kail stretched and got up from the couch, acting as though he’d done his part. The principal looked at him with an expression of disbelief.
“Professor William was proven innocent during the investigation. How did you determine he was the culprit?”
“Oh, well, after thinking about it, it seemed like he was the only possible suspect, so I pretended to be a thief and demanded he return the stolen items—and he said he’d give me the documents. Okay?”
“…Cadet Kail, that’s illegal.”
“Exactly. It’s our little secret, Principal.”
With that, Kail turned and walked out of the office. The principal stared at William, who had been captured by Kail. Though the investigation process was unlawful—the principal had the power to twist the rules as he pleased.
He could easily adjust the story to say William had confessed out of guilt, and no one would question it.
The principal sighed and looked down at William.
“Professor William, get up.”
“…Did you find out? Principal.”
“I imagine Cadet Kail already knows as well.”
Click, click—the principal’s magic bound William’s limbs. Unlike Kail’s crude method of binding with Aura, the principal’s magic was structurally elegant.
With William restrained, the principal began glowing his eyes with magical energy.
“To think you’d dare break into my room and steal something—quite bold of you.”
“Principal, let’s make a deal. About Kail Meyer being a Master—”
“A Master? And what about it?”
The principal glared at William, exuding a menacing aura. Unfortunately for William, he wasn’t in a position to negotiate with the principal.
He could only beg on his knees, plead, and beg for his life.
“Did you really think I wouldn’t know about this? Everything happening within this academy is under my control.”
“Ha, hah—Are you the same person who didn’t even realize I stole those documents?”
“Yes. Which means—I need to find out exactly how you managed to steal them.”
Thud—The principal grabbed William’s head and smirked as he began chanting a spell. Realizing what the spell was, William struggled to break free from his restraints.
But alas, already bound to the point where he couldn’t even move his magical energy, there was no way to resist the magic cast by a higher-level magician.
“Guh, grrrrr!?”
“First, I’ll unfold every wrinkle in your brain and find out what you were thinking when you did this.”
“AAAAAAHHH—!”
A pain akin to scraping iron bars across every fold of his brain overwhelmed William. A horrific ordeal. A time forbidden by ethics.
Fortunately, only magicians were present in this room.
The principal began sifting through William’s memories and knowledge one by one. It wasn’t long before he discovered where the stolen documents were hidden.
I slept all day.
Literally, all day.
By the time I woke up, the sun had set, and I realized my stomach was screaming for food. Good thing I returned to the mansion instead of the dormitory.
The academy cafeteria closes outside designated hours, so I couldn’t grab anything simple to eat there.
Groaning, stretching, and loosening up my body, I left my room and headed to the maids’ lounge. Asking them to whip up a quick snack, the maids sprang into action and started preparing food.
It felt a bit awkward asking for food at such a late hour, but—what could they do? When the master orders, they obey.
“Young master, your meal is ready.”
“Ah, thank you.”
As I ate the dinner prepared by the maids, I thought about how William managed to pass the investigation. Force abilities activate instantaneously, and even Masters can’t avoid them if caught unaware—there’s no way William, just an Expert, could have blocked it.
‘What method did he use?’
Lost in thought, I considered the possibility that William might not be the culprit and continued in silence. Surely, he must be.
…Surely?
*
A sculpted walkway within the academy grounds.
A woman humming a tune realized one of her connected ports had been severed.
“My, my, Professor.”
It was Professor William’s port. Had he been caught? Well, he did possess quite useful abilities, which he frequently used.
She sighed bitterly and resumed her humming. As she continued singing, three cadets approached her from afar.
“Whew—We heard someone singing and came to check it out. Turns out, it’s a cute girl.”
“Hey, hey, isn’t that her? A commoner girl.”
“What? A commoner? Hah, a lady? More like a piece of trash…”
The men, seemingly nobles, changed their tone and gaze upon realizing she was a commoner. Looking at her with contemptuous eyes, they began touching her as if it were convenient timing.
“Perfect timing, let’s have some fun here—”
“Back off.”
“What? A commoner wench dares—”
“I said back off. Didn’t you hear me?”
Her sudden outburst caused the men trying to touch her to stiffen. Confirming her ability had activated correctly, she issued her command to them.
“Each of you, return to your dorms. Once there, beat each other senseless. Oh, and forget you ever saw me. Got it?”
“…Yes.”
“Then get lost.”
Watching the cadets shuffle away, she let out a light sigh. There were too many of these kinds of guys in this academy. Nobles who look down on and despise commoners.
Only one person stood apart.
Thinking of his face, she began humming lightly again. Despite the cold night air, her cheeks flushed red.
