Showdown
Three minutes after starting.
＜＜Display, The Existence Of Fire, To The Enemy＞＞ーーFlame Arrow(Fire・Emblem)
“U……uwaaaaaaaaaaaaah”
Through Krist’s magic, the magic wall the low-rank student put up was destroyed all too easily. When they crouch down and curl up into a ball, encircled by huge flames at the blink of an eye, a fist-sized beautiful young girl appears out of nowhere. She spits powdered snow from her mouth and erases that flame in an instant.
This miniature-sized beautiful young girl is, the Water Spirit Frau that Hazen＝Heim summoned.
Summoning Magic. The magic that summons an Angel・Demon・Spirit from another world, through forming an employer-employee contract. The contract differs depending on the respective ranks, but the difficulty of the contract detail increases the higher rank it is. Hazen alone, of course, can’t completely monitor this spacious plot of land. Over there, he released spirits of the respective elements into the various locations. Fire(Ifrit), Earth(Pygmy), Water(Frau), Wood(Sprite), Metal(Gallery). Spirits can be summoned relatively easier than Angels or Demons, but nevertheless, there’s only one monster on the entire continent who can summon five elements in one go, and furthermore has an enormous amount of magic power to spare, and it’s Hazen.
『Alright, you’re disqualifiedー』
The strongest Magician, announces through the mouth of the Water Spirit Frau. Based on his judgement, he’d concluded that there’s little danger for the incapable students. It’s easier to hold back the wider that gap is, and the boundary of『classmates』over there makes it unlikely for them to inflict severe injuries.
Ignoring the low-rank student hanging their head disappointedly, Krist harbours reverence towards Hazen. ‘As I thought, this individual is suitable to be my mentor’, he thought. Before long, Reader and Buzz of the same group run over to Krist. If there’s a difference in strength, the only irregular factor will be flanking. Leaving sentries is the best idea in these situations. Like this, the group of Krist and others are steadily hunting them down one by one.
An hour after starting.
The same goes for the average classmates as well. Leaving sentries in all four directions, cornering a single student with six people, and making them surrender. During the period they moved from the desert to the forest, they had already, made five students surrender, with the same method.
“If we keep this up, it’ll be a piece of cake” “Idiot! Don’t let your guard down. There are still Krist and the others as well” “Also Asch and Liana huh” “It doesn’t really matter even if we kill Asch though” “It sure is hard to attack Liana” “Well……it is what it is. Asch is totally fine though” “I mean, if it’s Asch” “That fellow is the worst after all” “His personality is just horrible after all. We’ve gotta give him a warning” “Won’t Krist just might as well render that fellow dead for us here”
As they were walking while talking bad about Asch in that manner as always, there was a rustle from the bushes. When the students turn around altogether, Jill is there making a terrified expression.
“Hii……”
“Jill, it’ll settle without you being taught a lesson if you surrender, you know”
A single student tries to get close while persuading her, but the studious beautiful young girl turns her back to them and dashes off with undivided attention.
“Chase her, don’t let her escape!” “What an idiot, it would’ve settled without you getting hurt if you would just be obedient” “Hey, who’s doing it?” “I’ll do it. I coincidentally learned a good magic” “It’s unfair to jump ahead. It’s gotta be rock-paper-scissors in these situations, right” “That’s right, that’s right, everybody feels the same about wanting to do it” “Tchー. I got it”
While having such an exchange, the average group runs and chases after Jill. They’d already, found pleasure in hunting the weak. In this place where attacks with magic are permitted, their urge of wanting to try using their power welled up as well.
However,
a magic circle suddenly expands from the ground, and the movements of them, who thought they cornered Jill, are stopped altogether.
“Wha-, what’s this!?” “Kuh……I can’t move at all” “Jill, is it your doing? You’re going to regret it if you don’t undo this, you know?” “That’s right, I’ll put it upfront; it will be awful if you turn us into enemies, you know” “Get out here! A trap is cowardly, you know!”
“Kukuku……”
While lending his ears to the barrage of insults, Asch made his entrance with an ill-natured smile.
“To think that you’d get caught this easily. As I thought, those who flock together are weak. My theory sure stands uncorrected”
“It-, it’s your doing huh”
One of the immobile students mutters.
“You are……the guy who spouted the word ‘cowardly‘ just now huh. I think you guys who bunch up and corner the weak are also quite something yourself though. Your name is……sorry, it’s too ordinary I don’t remember it”
“Wha-……even though we have been classmates for three months……it’s Barl!”
“Aah, Barl……hmーm, nothing’s coming up”
“Kuh……”
‘He’s ill-natured through and through, and he’s mean to no end’, is the students’ collective opinion. The ill-natured Magician, he walked around the vicinity in circles, and before long, he clapped his hands like he recalled something.
“Ah! I remembered. You’re, the Barl＝Letano-kun who placed thumbtacks in my shoes the other day”
“……uu”
“I see, now that I think about it, you guys’ names are also popping right out. The one who draws dirty graffiti on my table every week randomly, Fuller-kun. The one who often throws rubbish over at me from the seat behind, Wyrno-kun. The one who hides my stationaries whenever we have lessons in another classroom, Sewi-kun. Furthermore, the one who――”
Having their names called out one after another, their complexion turns pale. They’re in a state where they’re caught in the trap and can’t even move. Before their eyes, is the guy they’d bullied, over the years.
＜＜Oh Shadows, Block The Mouth, Of The Cowardly Fool＞＞ーーSilent Darkness(Od・Silence)
When Asch chants, their mouths are blocked altogether. If they express their will to『surrender』, there’s the possibility that Hazen will intervene. By sealing their movements and words, he eliminated the room for help to enter.
“With this……you guys can no longer even run away from me, whom you guys harrassed every, single, day. Now then, I have one question”
“””……”””
Naturally, nobody can answer. All of them are simply, making petrified expressions, and focusing on Asch’s every single move.
“What, it’s simple. Do you think, I can’t cast a magic that won’t let you die instantaneously?”
The Dark Magician, smiled, with a twisted expression.
