The Worst Magician
・・・
“……sch-sama……Asch-sama……Asch-sama!”
Mira shakes, and the sleepyhead Magician opens his eyes.
“What is it? Don’t you think that forcefully waking your master up, is an action that one might say would make you a failure of a butler?”
“I do not want to hear it from you, a failure of a teacher, though. Leaving that aside, Cis-sama seems like she is about to finish 100 rounds”
“Hou……that’s quick”
He mumbles and directs his eyes to her.
Cis was running relatively energetically, and consistently.
“Apparently, she has an interest in marathons”
The competent butler spells out the information regarding her.
“……how boring. Even though I wanted to see the expression of that adorable face twisting in agony”
At those words, Mira thought.
‘You perverted loli sadistic Magician’
In the middle of all that, Cis finished running 100 rounds and ran towards Asch.
“Haa……haa……Asch-sensei. Lily has already, passed 100 rounds. Are 100 rounds no good?”
“……for the first thing to come out of your mouth to be the concern for someone else. I worry for your future; whether one day, somebody crooked who takes advantage of that kindness will appear”
At the loli Magician who says and gently pats Cis’ head, Mira, she thought.
“The somebody crooked is, you”
“However, I cannot exempt her. There’s a deep meaning behind this lesson after all”
The Dark Magician laughed with a dauntless expression.
“……understood. Then, I will go and cheer Lily on for a bit”
Leaving those words behind, the marathon-loving beautiful young girl runs to her side.
“Good grief……she’s exhibited an unexpected talent”
He laughs gently while staring in Cis’ direction.
“However……the other students, their legs started stopping huh”
He takes a look around at Mira’s words, and the students’ speed had decreased drastically. Already, there are students who start walking, and even students who have stopped, unbothered by what people think. They’re left with 30 to 40 rounds. However, they can’t carry their legs forward no matter what.
“It’s time huh……”
Asch stands up and walks all the way to the courtyard where the students are running.
All the attention gathers at the Dark Magician who started moving for the first time.
“Do you want to be relieved?”
Asch opens his eyes widely and asks.
“……”
The students aren’t saying anything, but their expressions had already given their answer.
“Fufufu……that’s a nice expression(face). Bear this in mind. A ‘Devil’s temptation’ is, similar to the current situation. If you people were my enemy, after I weakened your stamina, weakened your mind, I’ll call out to you with kind words”
“……”
“It’s all over if you ended up giving in once. You’ll be shackled down to your very soul, and you probably can’t return to how your life originally was. A life where you continuously betray your best friend, your lover, even your family, forever, awaits. You don’t wish for such days, right? That’s why, you people are to train your heart. Alright?”
“……yes”
All of the students nodded greatly.
“Now then, today’s lesson is over. Everybody, start preparing to go back”
In that instant, cheers erupt from the students altogether.
“……did you nicely cover your back?”
Mira the butler points out indifferently. She was certain. That this ill-natured Magician, simply wanted to vent his anger for having been stood up on his date.
The evidence for that is 13 hours. Asch had made the students run the exact 13 hours that he arrived at the date’s location, gave up, and went back.
“I wonder what you’re talking about?”
The ill-natured Magician who makes a satisfied-looking smile and feigns ignorance.
“But……Asch-sama, she seems to still be running”
In front of where Mira pointed, there’s a single student running.
Lily＝Schwarz it is. The Dark Magician’s words didn’t enter the ears of the stubborn beautiful young girl, and she had continued running with undivided attention.
“Zee……zee……zee……zee……”
“……you people, it’s already over. Everybody besides Lily-kun go on back”
“Sensei!”
Cis protests with a pained expression.
“You too. This, is my order as a teacher. You don’t have to worry, I’m a teacher. I have the responsibility to watch over her until the end with my own two eyes”
Asch’s voice reverberates.
“……yes”
Cis reluctantly acknowledges and returns to the dormitory along with the other students as well. There were also students who had some hesitation in leaving because of the sight of Lily running, but there wasn’t anybody who stopped because of their exhaustion.
In the courtyard that no longer had anybody, the Dark Magician shows a twisted smile.
“Now then……both the people who are cheering you on, as well as the people who are running alongside you are no longer around, you know”
“Zee……zee……gohoo……gohoo……”
Perhaps Lily can’t hear, she ignores Asch’s words and continues running.
“……Mira, what are you trying to do?”
Asch, he restrains the butler who’s about to rush over to Lily.
“The cough just now……her lungs are likely done in from running too much. I am going to cast Healing Magic――”
“No need”
The Dark Magician’s cold words echo.
“However――”
“I won’t let her die……no, so what if she were to die. A fool who continues to be stubborn, going as far as to overstep one’s own limit, is probably what they call reaping what they sow. Isn’t that right, Lily＝Schwarz-kun”
“……gohoh……gohoh……zee……zee……”
Already, her steps are unstable, but she continues running nevertheless. She probably can’t hear Asch’s voice anymore. Those eyes of hers are wobbling, and it’s not even clear whether or not she’s conscious.
“……she sure is an idiot”
The Dark Magician mutters disgustedly.
“It is most likely because she does not want to lose to you of all people, is it not?”
Mira answers indifferently.
“……fuu, something so meaningless? What a horrible sore loser”
It’s probably not an opinion of just Asch, that she’s mistaken at what she’s being stubborn in.
“Perhaps, she simply hates you?”
“……well, let’s watch over it to the end, shall we. With that condition of hers, it’s impossible to finish running no matter what after all”
Ignoring her sarcasm, he directs his eyes to Lily. Last, 13 rounds. Already, she’s running while squeezing the pain in her lungs and dragging her feet.
・・・
Dosaa
10 rounds remaining. At last, Lily collapsed forward. Immediately, he rushes over to her side and crouches down.
“What’s wrong? There are still rounds remaining, you know? As I thought, are you also a student who’s all bark?”
Asch, mercilessly, showers Lily with a provocative tone.
“Zee……zee……gohoo……gohoh……hyuー……hyuー……”
At that moment, blood gushed out from Lily’s mouth, and her lungs started making strange sounds. One can tell from her pale white face and cyanotic expression. If she’s left as it is, even her life will be in danger.
“Haa……such stubbornness, it’s a first. Heal her”
“Is it alright to heal her?”
“……quickly do it”
When Asch mutters disgruntedly, she starts to use Healing Magic on her right away.
・・・
After 2 hours went by, Lily woke up.
“……this place is?”
She looked around the surroundings, and it was the school’s corridor.
“You finally……woke up huh”
When she turns to the voice, the back of the worst Magician is in front of her eyes. In the next instant, she realised that she was being piggybacked.
“……Asch-sense――”He, hey! Don’t move! You’re gonna fall”
He says and desperately tries to recover his unbalanced posture in a panic.
“I……that’s right, what about the 120 rounds!?”
“……it’s annoying, but you finished running without any problem”
“Eh……really?”
She has her memories up until around the 90th rounds, but she doesn’t quite remember the things after.
“Do you think I’ll lie for the sake of making you happy?”
Those words of Asch had significant persuasiveness.
“I see……hehe……I see……”
Happily, Lily, becomes bashful.
“However……there’s a spot that you are lacking. Just like the students who didn’t manage to finish running……why didn’t you retire?”
“……”
“Those who don’t know their own limit, every one of them dies early……『Salvator＝Dorsanico――”
Kapuu.
“Oucccccccccccccch! Hey……what……are you doing……”
Lily, who thrusts her teeth into Asch’s neck and crunches down with all her strength.
“Aa aet uu aa aet uu(I hate you I hate you)! Aa aet uu urr oostt(I hate you the most)!”
“Ouch ouch ouch ouchh! Ar, are you an animal or something! Le, let’s calm down……you’ll understand if we talk abo……ow ow ow oww! Le, let goo!”
That back and forth, went on for a bit.
・・・
12 o’clock midnight. At last, Asch and Mira returned to their own room.
“Fuu……today sure is exhausting because of that tomboy……ow ow oww”
While saying that, Asch holds onto the bitemark on his neck.
“Shall I treat it with my magic?”
“……no, it’s fine”
“……”
“……what? I may have been slightly injured by a woman, but I’m not that fragile that I’ll use Healing Magic for every single little thing. That’s all”
“I did not say anything though”
“……I’m, gonna sleep already. Today, I’m exhausted”
Asch who heads to his bedroom disgruntedly.
“True enough……piggybacking her for 10 rounds is exhausting huh”
“……not really”
The Dark Magician muttered awkwardly and shut his room’s door.
