Chapter 20: Self Observation
Was it ever a secret?
In the first place, the only reason Ilya had never displayed any aptitude for magic was because Vera had yet to teach him a single spell.
It wasn’t that he lacked the ability to cast magic. Rather, until he fully understood the nature of his Domain and the risks surrounding it, he had deliberately chosen not to experiment on his own.
It was nothing more than risk management.
No two Fallen Wizards were exactly alike. The condition that allowed one Fallen Wizard to grow stronger might very well become the cause of another’s death, while a method that alleviated one person’s burden could just as easily accelerate another’s fall.
There were no universal rules, no established manuals, and certainly no guarantees when it came to Domains.
Who was to say that something as simple as casting a light spell to illuminate the darkness wouldn’t become the very trigger that hastened his death?
Until Vera understood his Domain well enough to guide him safely, blindly experimenting with magic was no different from gambling with his own life.
Even so, calling himself a wizard now would have been disrespectful to those who had devoted years of their lives to mastering the craft.
"I have the aptitude for it. That’s all."
"...More than the sword?"
"So much more than the sword."
Siegfried processed the answer as they continued walking through the forest.
"I suppose..." he murmured. "Knowing House Belozersky’s traditions, I can understand why that would complicate things..."
"Yep."
"So I take it... this is supposed to be a secret?"
"A secret?" Ilya shook his head. "Not really. I’ll be transferring to the Magic Department next semester anyway."
"Oh..." Siegfried blinked. "So it isn’t a secret... just... a surprise?"
"I guess you could call it that."
A grin slowly spread across Siegfried’s face.
"Then I’ll keep your surprise a surprise."
"You’re making it sound much more dramatic than it actually is."
"I’ll take that as permission."
"...It’s really not that big of a deal."
Ilya let out a sigh but couldn’t find it in himself to argue. Shaking his head, he continued walking along the narrow mountain trail, leaving Siegfried to fall in step a pace behind him.
Siegfried kept both hands in his pockets, a faint smile on his face as he watched Ilya’s back for a few moments.
"I’ve always wondered," he murmured. "How has no one noticed?"
His gaze lingered on Ilya’s profile.
"...You really do look a lot like her."
* * *
The next day.
Bang——!
A crimson signal flare shot into the sky, piercing through the canopy before blooming high above the mountain, visible from nearly every direction.
The six of them stopped almost simultaneously.
Unlike the previous two objectives, which had simply required locating predetermined locations, this signal had clearly been created after the examination had already begun.
Whatever the academy intended, it was obvious that every nearby team would be converging upon the same location.
"We should move," Siegfried said. "If it’s first come, first served, standing around won’t earn us any points."
The group immediately broke into a run, moving through the snow-covered forest while keeping the signal flare in sight whenever the trees allowed it.
The mountain gradually became steeper the farther they traveled, forcing the knights to clear a path while the three wizards followed closely behind, careful not to lose their footing on the icy terrain.
Nearly twenty minutes later, the smell of smoke reached them.
"...There."
Breaking through the treeline, the six arrived at a small clearing where several overturned wagons were scattered across the snow.
Wooden crates had been thrown in every direction, torn canvas flapped against the wind, and a handful of horses, all conjured through sophisticated academy magic, wandered nervously nearby as though their handlers had fled moments earlier.
"They’re constructs," Lucie observed after a quick glance. "The professors from the Magic Department must’ve created the entire scene."
"Which means..."
Siegfried crouched beside one of the wagons, picking up a folded paper marked with the academy’s seal.
"...It’s another objective."
He unfolded it and quickly read the contents aloud.
"A merchant caravan transporting supplies has reportedly been attacked while crossing Mount Serebryany. Locate all survivors, eliminate or drive away hostile monsters, administer emergency treatment to the injured, and safely escort every survivor to the designated checkpoint."
He lowered the paper.
"So that’s what this is."
Almost on cue, cries echoed from somewhere deeper within the forest.
——H-Help...!
——Someone... please...!
The voices sounded weak, frightened, and disturbingly convincing despite everyone knowing they had been created through magic.
"Elise, Lucie," Siegfried immediately said, "check the injured once we find them. Gilbert, Jerome, you’re with me. Clear anything hostile before it reaches the civilians."
He turned toward Ilya.
"Ilya, stay close to the survivors. If monsters break through our line while we’re occupied, you’re the last person between them and the civilians."
"...Understood."
Without wasting another second, the six split into formation and rushed toward the desperate cries echoing through the mountain forest.
The way Siegfried assessed the situation, assigned roles, and moved as if on instinct made Ilya feel as though he had already been through similar scenarios countless times.
Well, that wasn’t surprising at all. Unlike the rest of the first-years gathered for this examination, Siegfried was actually older than everyone else.
Having entered the academy later than most because of his royal obligations, he had a degree of maturity and composure that naturally set him apart whenever quick decisions had to be made.
"...Oh."
Whether it was organizing the team, assigning responsibilities, or keeping everyone calm under pressure, he handled each task with an ease that made it hard to believe this was only his first year at the academy.
"...Wrong way."
He casually pointed toward the opposite side of the forest.
"The voices are coming from over there."
"...."
"Your Highness."
"Yes?"
"You’ve been leading us in the exact opposite direction for the past two minutes."
"...Have I?"
Siegfried blinked once before looking around at the surrounding trees.
"...Ah. That would explain why the screams were getting quieter."
The entire group collectively turned around and began running in the opposite direction as Siegfried pretended he had never been leading in the first place.
Several minutes later, they finally arrived at the source of the commotion. The scene resembled the aftermath of a battlefield.
"There!"
Jerome pointed toward the edge of the clearing.
Roughly a dozen wolf-like magical beasts prowled around the stranded caravan, slowly closing in on the remaining survivors while several others had already begun circling behind them.
The creatures hadn’t noticed the students yet, their attention completely fixed upon the terrified civilians.
Siegfried immediately raised a hand.
"Don’t rush in."
The group stopped.
Comments