Two spots on the spectator side, and one inside the arena where the students had gathered. Both were far from Ehrenfest, but the sounds were so tremendous that I couldn't help but turn around. Where I looked, pillars of fire were rising.
"...Kyaahhhh!"
After a moment of silence, as screams erupted all around, my guard knights immediately raised their shields. "Gettiruto!" they shouted, forming a defensive formation to protect me, a layabout candidate. The surrounding students, as if snapping to attention, began raising shields to protect themselves, and the knight apprentices moved to shield the layabout candidate.
While protected behind the three guard knights' shields, I brought out
"Goddess of Wind who governs protection, Schutzaria! Twelve goddesses who serve at her side!"
A massive explosion nearby cut off my prayer, and despite having their shields up, several scholar apprentices and attendant apprentices who hadn't received Ehrenfest's combat training were sent flying as though blasted away.
"Look out!"
I looked up and instinctively reached out, but a sharp rebuke rang through the air.
"Don't move, Lady Rozemyn! You're the one in danger!"
Leonoire's stern voice snapped me to attention, and I pulled back my outstretched hand. At the same time, explosions erupted throughout the arena. But this time, no flames rose—just loud sounds reverberating everywhere. Even so, it was enough to rattle the students gathered in the arena, and the screaming and confusion only intensified.
"The top priority is Lady Rozemyn's safety. That's what Lord
Judit, too, had a stern expression as she scanned the surroundings and said that guard knights exist to protect the ruling family. Scholar apprentices and attendants can wait.
...Calm down. First, secure safety. Healing comes after.
Closing my eyes to avoid seeing the injured, I offered my prayer.
"Goddess of Wind who governs protection, Schutzaria! Twelve goddesses who serve at her side! Hear my prayer and grant me sacred power! Keep those with ill intent at bay! A wind shield, in my hands!"
With a sharp, crystalline sound, a yellow, translucent hemispherical shield materialized. It was large enough to encompass the area allotted to Ehrenfest, though a few students standing at the edges were not within its range.
"Will everyone from Ehrenfest fit inside? Prioritize the scholar apprentices and attendant apprentices who have no fighting ability. The first-years who can't yet raise their own shields should be the top priority."
At my words, an upper-year knight apprentice who wasn't one of my retainers stepped outside the shield and ushered first-year students inside in his place.
"Lady Rozemyn, this is...?"
"It's Schutzaria's shield. Like a slightly bigger Gettiruto."
"'Slightly' doesn't quite cover it, sister."
"Anyone with ill intent toward me cannot enter this shield, so it's safe. Also, for those who were injured earlier because Schutzaria's shield wasn't up in time—please come within reach of my hands. I'll provide healing."
"The injuries aren't that serious. Just light scrapes and bruises."
The injured said it would be a waste of magic power, but I shook my head.
"In situations like this, you never know when you'll need to act quickly. It's better to be in peak condition. The knight apprentices who participated in the Ditter—are you all in top shape? While you have the chance, use recovery potions to heal up. There's no telling what might happen next."
"If you insist, Lady Rozemyn."
I raised Schutzaria's shield, gave healing to the injured, and secured Ehrenfest's safety for the time being. Looking around from our secured position, I could see that the territories were divided between those thrown into chaos and those that had immediately assumed defensive positions.
"Uwaaaah! It's a magical beast!"
"Kill it!"
"You lot, you're in the way! Fall back!"
Amid the terrible chaos, voices screamed from every direction, and the knight apprentices around me once again assumed combat stances.
"What is that?! It's growing massive!"
"Why is a Tarnisbefallen here?!"
From the center of the commotion, something swelled to enormous size with a whooshing sound and revealed itself—it was the Tarnisbefallen we had defeated just the other day. The black, large dog-like magical beast had small, multicolored eyes rolling around restlessly on its forehead.
The arena, already in chaos from the explosions alone, became an uncontrollable panic when this unfamiliar magical beast that grew larger with each attack appeared.
"Do not attack! Fall back!"
A central knight shouted the order at the top of his lungs, but the students in complete panic didn't seem to hear. They screamed and flailed their weapons recklessly. And each time they did, the Tarnisbefallen grew larger.
"GRAAAAAAOOOOOH!"
The Tarnisbefallen roared. The central knight already held a black weapon. It seemed the knights were splitting into those protecting the royalty and those who would hunt the beast down with the black weapons, but the panicking knight attacking blindly were dragging everyone down.
"Lady Rozemyn, if you could give us the black weapons..."
The Ehrenfest knight apprentices who had once defeated a Tarnisbefallen all looked at me simultaneously.
"We are forbidden by the king from using the black weapons."
"But..."
The Tarnisbefallen opened its massive jaws and lunged to bite the students. A central knight's attack struck just in time, narrowly averting disaster, but it was clear someone would be a casualty before long.
Just after I involuntarily pulled out my staff, a small mountain of black appeared near the platform where the royalty were seated. The central knight order that had been subduing the Tarnisbefallen in the arena prioritized protecting the royalty over the immediate fight and immediately turned about.
"Lady Rozemyn, please grant us a blessing to defeat that Tarnisbefallen over there."
"You're going to abandon them?!"
I didn't want to abandon them. But knight apprentices who hadn't been taught in their training were, under normal circumstances, not supposed to use black weapons even within Ehrenfest—let alone at the
At that moment, a rough voice rang out.
"We shall assist the central knight order! Grant us permission to use the black weapons!"
It was in a different direction from where I had been looking. When I turned toward the voice, I could see Dunkelfelger knights lined up in their blue cloaks, with Aub Dunkelfelger at the very front. Each had their weapon at the ready, waiting for the command to deploy.
"Territories with black weapons are hereby granted permission to use them here! Take down the black magical beast!"
"As you command!"
With the king's permission, Dunkelfelger's blue cloaks descended upon the arena en masse.
I wondered whether it was appropriate for the Aub to lead the magical beast subjugation, whether it was right to leave the women and scholars unattended—doubts flickered through my mind. But looking more closely, Dunkelfelger's students had already all regrouped with their parents in the stands, and their knight apprentices were protecting everyone. The difference in training was stark.
Standing there with my mouth agape watching Dunkelfelger, the High Priest descended with
"I was worried you might give the apprentice knights the black weapons, so I came to check on the situation. What's happening here?"
The knight apprentices who had been clamoring for the black weapons all looked embarrassed.
"There were some with light scrapes and bruises, but I've healed them, so they're ready to move at any time. Shall we go up?"
"No, the situation up there isn't much better—Tarnisbefallen have appeared. Knights from territories that received permission are rushing to deal with them, so we'll wait here for now."
I felt relieved at the High Priest's words. Having reliable adults nearby made an enormous psychological difference.
"Dunkelfelger sure has a lot of knights."
"I hear they left only the bare minimum at their territory to watch the Ditter, and most of their knights came here to watch the Inter-Territory Tournament. I used to wonder just how obsessed they were with the Ditter, but I suppose it comes in handy in situations like these."
The High Priest said it was reassuring that in an emergency, a knight order with this level of discipline could freely move and assist. Ehrenfest barely had enough knights to protect the Aub's family, the students' parents, and the other relatives watching. They had almost no personnel to spare for magical beast subjugation.
"They're that strong, after all. If we leave it to Dunkelfelger, they'll subdue them in no time, right?"
The High Priest glared at the Tarnisbefallen that had appeared very near the royalty with a severe expression. Immediately after,
"Uncle, there's a Tarnisbefallen here too!"
"Fall back! Deploy your riding beasts!"
The High Priest and Eckhart immediately drew their weapons, moved to a spot with some space, and brought out their riding beasts.
"I'm going to chant the black spell, so cover your ears."
As the students covered their ears, the High Priest and Eckhart gripped their black weapons and headed off to subdue the nearby Tarnisbefallen.
"Everyone from Ehrenfest—do not leave Rozemyn's Schutzaria shield under any circumstances!"
The Tarnisbefallen the High Priest had gone to subdue was in a position that would most affect
It had become obvious to everyone that the beast grew larger with each attack it received, yet when one came close, people in a panic tried to attack anyway. The instant the High Priest raised his weapon to strike, the Tarnisbefallen grew larger.
"Lord
Eckhart's panicked voice rang out. The tips of the Tarnisbefallen's claws caught on the High Priest's cloak as it swelled with a whooshing sound. Unlike his usual blue cloak, the new cloak had no magical protection array, and he had said it felt unreliable. In an instant, all the blood drained from my face, and I stood with my mouth and eyes wide open, unable to make a sound.
"It's fine. We'll take it down in one strike, Eckhart. There doesn't seem to be room to hold back here."
As if my worry had been completely unnecessary, the High Priest immediately regained his footing and began ascending high on his riding beast while pouring magic power into his black weapon. Perhaps noticing the vast amount of the High Priest's magic power, the Tarnisbefallen warily tracked his movements with its many rolling eyes.
"
As he ascended on his riding beast, the High Priest ordered my father, who was protecting the Aub couple. My father, who was already dealing with a Tarnisbefallen above and already held a black weapon, immediately flew out on his riding beast.
It seemed they had already decided who would attack from where, for without any discussion, the three of them moved while pouring their full magic power into the black weapons.
"Everyone, brace yourselves! We're going to blow it away!"
The High Priest declared that rather than a coordinated knight order, with a large number of unpredictable students in the arena, speed was the most important factor, so they would take it down in one strike regardless of surrounding damage. I poured as much magic power as I could into Schutzaria's shield to withstand their combined might.
"Haahhhh!"
From three directions, massive amounts of magic power that gave no consideration to the surroundings slammed into the Tarnisbefallen. The beast left behind a magic stone and vanished without a trace, but all that impact was directed outward.
"Kyaaah!"
"Uwaaah!"
Schutzaria's shield crackled and trembled, but I desperately continued pouring in magic power and withstood the shock. However, the students around the Tarnisbefallen who only had personal shields couldn't endure it. Centered on Immerdink, many students were blown away.
It wasn't just the students who were affected. Dunkelfelger, who had been fighting Tarnisbefallen elsewhere while trying to minimize impact on the students, was also affected. I could see several knights who hadn't had time to brace themselves being blown away by the sudden shock.
"Who's the idiot causing such havoc with this many people around?!"
"That would be me."
The High Priest's cool voice answered Heisschrift's furious shout as he had been sent flying mid-swing.
"Idiot or not, it doesn't matter. Finish this quickly. Taking too long plays right into the enemy's hands."
As he spoke, the High Priest returned inside the shield. He dismissed his riding beast and walked straight toward me, and the students parted to make way.
"I was hit by the Tarnisbefallen. Rozemyn, heal me. Fruedreine first."
The High Priest abruptly turned his back to me. The new cloak was torn, and a dark red line ran across his back. Not just blood—something like black sludge, similar to what I'd seen at the gathering site, clung to the wound.
"How is that 'no problem'? It's nothing but problems!"
"Defeating that thing was the top priority. If you have time to complain, hurry up and heal."
I did as told, cleansing the wound with Fruedreine's healing, filling the wound that had been drained of magic power with magic, and sealing it with Rungrschmeel's healing.
In the meantime, the High Priest downed a recovery potion in one gulp. Eckhart did the same.
"Can you withdraw from the battle?"
"That depends on the situation above. The enemy was waiting for this opportunity—royalty gathered, students with low combat ability concentrated in the arena—and they caused chaos with explosions and released several Tarnisbefallen. I doubt they'll be satisfied with just that."
Rather than scattering and getting attacked, it would be safer to stay inside Schutzaria's shield and observe, the High Priest murmured.
"Is your magic power alright?"
"It's still fine."
Perhaps it was because the High Priest had sent students flying without hesitation, or perhaps Dunkelfelger, provoked by the High Priest, had decided to prioritize speed over minimizing collateral damage—but other territories had begun to show knights descending to protect their students.
"If the knights can move, then things up there must be somewhat under control."
The High Priest murmured as he watched riding beasts descend into the arena. I let out a sigh of relief—and then noticed a riding beast making strange movements as it tried to rescue my territory's students. Several riding beasts were charging toward the royalty.
"Lord Ferdinand, that riding beast..."
Before I could even finish my question, the High Priest had already assumed a defensive stance.
"False king who does not hold the
Riding beasts charging from various directions dropped Tarnisbefallen from the baskets tucked under their arms. They were nobles from the losing factions that had survived the purge during the political upheaval. Several central knights with black weapons cut them down, but this allowed those on riding beasts to draw closer to the king.
...Suicide bombers?!
People who didn't even consider their own lives, moving solely to attack their target, were closing in on the royalty. Standing before one such terrorist was
"Lady Eglantine!"
I instinctively tried to rush forward, but the High Priest immediately grabbed and held me back.
"Fool! Defense is already stretched thin, and you're the one holding the shield that protects Ehrenfest's people—don't you move!"
"But..."
"Leave it to the central knights. Protecting the royalty is their job. Your job is to be protected, and if you have the capacity, to protect Ehrenfest."
In my line of sight, the terrorist was cut down by the captain of the central knights and fell from the riding beast. The body grotesquely warped and swelled.
"Don't look. Charlotte too."
The instant my vision was filled by nothing but the High Priest's sleeve, a not-so-large explosion was heard. The retching sounds from those around me told me vaguely what had happened.
"Uncle..."
Charlotte, who had been shielded by the High Priest's other sleeve just like me, looked up at him uneasily.
"Rozemyn was mentally unstable even after
"...Yes."
While Charlotte and I hid behind the High Priest's sleeves, the sounds around us told of the changing situation in rapid succession. Dunkelfelger was subduing Tarnisbefallen one after another, and the central knight order had apparently managed to protect the royalty.
The terrorists, not terribly numerous, vanished as they unleashed their hatred—not only on the victorious royalty from the political upheaval, but on all the winning faction territories that were content to serve under the false king.
Once all the Tarnisbefallen were defeated and the terrorists were dealt with, the injured were carried away to their respective dormitories for treatment. A voice called for those remaining to hold the awards ceremony. They would not bow to the terrorists.
"Rozemyn, you should return to the dormitory with the injured."
"Huh?"
"You created Schutzaria's shield to protect the students and performed multiple healings. Your magic power is running low, so it's dangerous for you to remain here any longer. Further trouble might arise."
...I'm not running low, though?
Tilting my head in confusion, I nodded. The High Priest said he would return to the dormitory as well, since his current situation—a cloak without protection arrays and no magical tools—was too dangerous.
"Your attendant is with Richarde, so only Judit needs to return with us as a guard knight. Cornelius and Leonoire are supposed to be awarded—stay here."
"No, I also—"
"Cornelius, this will be your last awards ceremony. Show your parents a splendid sight. That's why
The High Priest's voice was unexpectedly gentle. Brother Cornelius couldn't quite argue, and he turned to Eckhart. Brother Eckhart smiled softly, as if to reassure him.
"Mother was looking forward to it very much. Seeing both Cornelius and Leonoire receive their awards together."
Brother Cornelius slumped with a resigned sigh. But when Brother Eckhart patted his shoulder and said, "I'll be the one protecting Lady Rozemyn along with Lord Ferdinand, so you don't need to worry," he gave a reluctant nod.
I, the top student once again, failed to attend the awards ceremony.
It was a suicide bombing by the losing side of the political upheaval.
Rozemyn, who stood out by using Schutzaria's shield, was forcibly ejected.
Next is the graduation ceremony.