Volume 1: Enrollment at Magias Academy of Magical Arts
Chapter 6: This Is Wild!
Gary Rock raced down an empty highway.
Perhaps twenty minutes had passed since he began pursuing Mercedes and Gerald. He’d left as quickly as possible, yet there was still no sign of him catching them.
If anything, he felt as though they were gradually pulling farther away.
There should’ve been almost no difference in their starting times.
At Gary’s ordinary running speed, he could overtake most capable people in ten seconds.
The fact that he hadn’t caught them proved the two ahead were traveling at least as fast as him.
“I have no interest in the weak.”
It had been a childish provocation, but after she challenged him that way, Gary couldn’t quietly back down. Gerald was probably the same. In that moment, prioritizing one’s pride over order was the proper choice for a mage. Gary felt slightly sorry for the faculty representative, though.
People evolved through competition.
He had no intention of obediently devoting himself to some lukewarm field trip meant to encourage friendship.
But—
I still haven’t caught them…
The landscape had opened up, yet he couldn’t even see Gerald, who’d left second. Perhaps he should increase his pace despite the additional exhaustion.
Crackle.
A small bolt of lightning danced across Gary’s forehead.
Now that he was far from any settlement, he could move rather dramatically without subjecting nearby residents to vibrations and noise. He didn’t want to reveal too much of his ability to his new classmates on the first day, but…
At that moment—
A carriage entered the edge of his vision.
A small elderly woman who appeared to be transporting goods stood nearby.
“……”
In a single instant, Gary understood most of the situation.
From what he could see, a wheel had slipped off the road.
It must have caught in a hollow.
A magical beast could pull itself free, but an ordinary horse might not.
What rotten luck.
This was an empty stretch of land at just the wrong distance from any settlement.
Furthermore, few people used this highway.
The old woman could never fix the problem with her own strength. Even if someone came along, they could do nothing if the carriage itself was damaged.
It was unfortunate, but ultimately a trivial matter.
All Gary could do was pray that wild magical beasts didn’t attack her.
Right now, his contest of pride mattered more than some unknown old woman—
◇
“Thank you for helping me.”
“…Sure.”
Even fully loaded, lifting the carriage alone was easy for Gary. He didn’t need to use a lever. By converting mana into kinetic energy within his body, he could gain enough strength to raise it.
Physical enhancement was one of magic’s fundamentals.
He’d turned back to the old woman about a minute earlier.
Approaching without frightening her and explaining himself had taken longer than lifting the carriage.
“But, oh dear, this is a problem. The wheel…”
Just as Gary feared, the damage was severe. Simply put, one of the iron wheels was ruined. It must have suffered an enormous load; the crack was clean enough for even an amateur like Gary to recognize.
He suggested replacing the wheel, but she had no spare.
The old woman explained that she ran a restaurant and was returning after purchasing ingredients from a farmer she knew.
Even on a maintained highway, the smell could attract magical beasts after dark.
Leaving after helping only halfway didn’t sit right with him.
His only choice was to return to the royal capital and summon assistance.
“Gary. So this is where you were.”
He turned to find a man with unruly dark-brown hair.
The harmless-looking fellow’s face seemed poised on the boundary between boy and young man.
Gary’s memory wasn’t so poor that he’d forgotten someone who introduced himself only moments ago.
Yes—Brendan Walker.
The unfortunate man whose irresponsible homeroom teacher had dumped the position of this year’s Emperor Faculty representative upon him.
More surprising than his identity, however, was the fact that someone had caught Gary. He’d been delayed, but he hadn’t run so feebly that anyone should’ve been able to make up the difference.
Brendan wasn’t breathing heavily either.
Apparently, he had some ability.
Gary had watched every practical-exam result.
Of the four who’d remained behind, only Luluk, the witch’s descendant, seemed capable of catching him. Had this man even been at the exam? No matter how Gary searched his memory, Brendan’s face matched none of the applicants.
“Oh my, you have the same uniform. Are you this boy’s friend?”
At the old woman’s question, Brendan glanced at Gary and answered.
“Yes. What happened?”
“My carriage broke down.”
“You’re right. It’s shattered.”
Brendan’s movements from that point were, for lack of a better word, practiced.
First, he measured the wheel with the tape hanging from his waist. He marked the damaged area with chalk. Finally, he tapped the core material lightly with a hammer.
The warped wheel made a sound like cracking ice as it changed shape, then immediately contracted into a perfect circle.
Refinement magic.
But Gary had never seen the process performed with such speed and beauty.
What was that?
“Oh my, so you’re a mage?”
“An apprentice.”
“How impressive. I must give you something as thanks.”
“That’s all right. We’re in the middle of a lesson, so we need to leave.”
“Is that so? Then come to my restaurant sometime. I’ll treat you properly.”
“Thank you.”
“And thank you for helping me too, young man.”
Distracted by Brendan’s magic, Gary answered the old woman’s gratitude a beat late.
“No, I…”
“Bring this boy and all your other friends. That’s a promise, all right?”
“…Sure.”
They briefly introduced themselves, and the old woman thanked them once more before departing.
“That worked out.”
“…Not bad.”
Gary responded awkwardly, but Brendan continued as though he hadn’t noticed.
“It’s the family business. You learn whether you want to or not.”
“You’re from Decol, right…?”
“Yes. Where are you from, Gary?”
“…Around here.”
“Perfect. Would you mind coming with me to the national park?”
Gary more or less understood Brendan’s intention.
Though their reasons differed, he wanted to catch the two ahead. Perhaps he was dutifully trying to obey the homeroom teacher’s order to guide the group—or perhaps there was another reason.
“Fine, but there’s no catching those two now.”
“Are they that fast?”
“Honestly, it’ll be difficult.”
Not even a trace of their presence remained.
With no realistic way to recover, Gary’s race was effectively over. Put plainly, he’d lost their contest of pride.
“They might have stopped for trouble too, like you did. Let’s run a little farther.”
“I’m pretty fast.”
“I’ll manage somehow.”
Without showing any tension, Brendan lightly cracked the bones of one hand.
Brendan Walker.
Gary had never heard the name, but what he’d just witnessed told him Brendan was no ordinary mage.
There was also the upcoming Freshman Tournament to consider.
Until Gary properly understood Brendan’s strength, he didn’t mind following the faculty representative’s wishes.
◇
Gerald sensitively noticed the change in the atmosphere around him.
He was deep in a forest.
Gerald floated silently along a woodland path that only barely deserved to be called a road, gliding above the ground. He could’ve run, but it would be a shame to dirty his artisan-made leather shoes on an unpaved trail.
Less than half the distance remained.
It was nearly time for his final sprint, but first he needed to confirm something.
“…Here they come.”
Quadrupedal magical beasts streamed from the brush ahead. Every one had bloodshot eyes, and their exposed fangs immediately revealed them as carnivores.
Magical beasts.
Magic was incorporated into their biology. They came in all sizes, and even a small specimen could easily tear an unprotected adult man to pieces. Unmanaged wild beasts were one of the country’s persistent problems.
“Graaah!”
Gerald showed no response to their threats. He merely glanced at the charging pack.
The entire group suddenly slammed flat against the earth, every body crushed as though an invisible giant had stepped on them.
“Hmm…”
Gerald was ordinarily the type of mage who could fly, but this was why he’d deliberately descended to the ground. Dangerous magical beasts had been released into this forest owned by Magias.
The professor had described the trip as a chance to socialize, but this must also be an aptitude test. Gerald could’ve flown around them, but passing by entertainment that the teachers had gone to the trouble of arranging seemed discourteous.
The result had been anticlimactic.
There was another reason he’d come down.
Looking closely, he could see scraps of magical-beast flesh stuck throughout the surrounding area.
Apparently, someone had already rampaged through here.
As expected of the Sword Saint’s only daughter.
Mercedes was advancing faster than Gerald anticipated and stubbornly refused to let him catch her.
Even so, he felt no impatience.
Considering the distance between them and their difference in speed, he could comfortably overtake her before they arrived. He needed only to avoid making a mistake until then.
“Just a little farther…”
The corners of his lips rose unconsciously.
Gerald himself hadn’t expected to enjoy a simple pursuit this much.
The truth was that until now, he’d never lost even a game of tag to someone his own age.
His body trembled at experiencing genuine competition for the first time in years. He’d long since forgotten about the people following behind, whom he’d only just met.
◇
The three students left behind—Amae, Filiestra, and Luluk—were leisurely enjoying their journey through the sky.
“I see. So you already have a medical license at your age, Filiestra.”
“Yes. Though I’m still little more than a trainee doctor.”
“That’s wild. Isn’t it wild? What do you think, Miss Witch?”
“This is wild!”
“Let’s ride my broom and chase everyone.”
Luluk had made that proposal before they departed.
Hearing the name Luluk Lulu Lunlun was enough to suggest that she came from a family of witches. Still, carrying a flying broom proved her status as a practitioner of traditional magic.
The broom’s size could apparently be adjusted to some extent. Even with Luluk, Amae, and Filiestra aboard, it remained spacious and cruised at high speed.
Neither air pressure nor temperature affected them. The space around the broom stayed comfortable.
Luluk seemed somewhat carefree, but apparently her ability as a mage was genuine. At the very least, she could use advanced flight magic while participating in the conversation between the two passengers behind her.
“Then, can I call you Fily?”
At Amae’s suggestion, Filiestra blinked a few times, then slowly smiled.
“In that case, may I call you Amae?”
“Sounds good. Let’s be friends.”
As Amae and Filiestra immediately deepened their friendship, Luluk hurriedly interrupted.
“What about me!? What will you two call me!?”
“Let’s see, Miss Witch… Which do you prefer, Lun-Lun or Lulu?”
“Oh my! How can I choose!?”
Unlike the people racing ahead, the group at the rear truly had the atmosphere of a field trip.