“Thank you for the suggestion, but I’m quite satisfied with my current state.”

Nigel said as she peeled off Roneh’s fingers one by one that were persistently clinging to her.

“Well then, how about becoming a magic swordsman? With your magic power and athleticism, plus my excellent teaching, I have a feeling a hero who will dominate the century could be born.”

Roneh’s hand, not giving up, stubbornly clung to Nigel’s shoulder again like a leech.

“…I thought you said tactician before.”

Nigel said with a sigh.

“Oh, let’s add tactician too! How would subordinates listen to a tactician who can’t handle a sword? Ah, but with one blast of your magic, they’d probably listen anyway.”

Roneh grinned brightly.

“By the way, Professor. That’s not what’s important right now. Everyone here has participated in illegal magic exploitation.”

“You really resemble Cledian in this aspect. Is that why I like you? Don’t worry. The guards will arrive soon, they said.”

Roneh lifted her hand from Nigel’s shoulder and ruffled Nigel’s hair vigorously.

“Phew…”

Allen exhaled a sigh of relief and plopped down on the floor.

“The tension is finally gone. I guess I won’t be needing this anymore?”

Allen was about to put the dagger he was holding back into its sheath.

Thump.

Roneh grabbed the handle of Allen’s dagger and completely took it away from him.

“W-Why are you suddenly doing this, Professor Roneh…?”

Roneh silently picked up the dagger and swung her arm.

Whoosh.

The dagger that lightly flew through the air pierced through the shoulder of the operator’s wool jacket and stuck into the wall.

“W-Wow…!”

Even though they were in the same space, the dagger Roneh threw from quite a distance avoided the operator’s body and precisely pierced only his clothing.

‘No wonder she’s a professor at Sienna’

Nigel blinked her widened eyes.

“How about that, Nigel!”

At this moment, as Roneh’s lips twitched with clearly impure intentions, Nigel’s eyes lost interest again and became drier than a desert.

“…You’re amazing, but my thoughts haven’t changed.”

“Strange, when I show this to our department kids, they fall for it right away. It didn’t work this time either?”

Roneh clicked her tongue and approached the operator who was stuck to the wall by his clothes, unable to move.

Roneh stopped right in front of the operator’s face and bent her knees to sit at eye level with him.

“So. You’re the operator of this place?”

The eyes behind the black mask that met Roneh’s gaze curved into a smile.

“To smile even in this situation, you’re quite something. No wonder you became the operator.”

Roneh burst into loud laughter, “Haha,” but soon all traces of mirth disappeared from her face and she glared at the operator as if to kill him.

“Deceiving and manipulating powerless young children, plunging their families into suffering, threatening to silence my students… What’s so funny that you can laugh?”

Swoosh.

Roneh quickly drew her longsword and swung it.

The longsword sliced through the cloth tied around the operator’s mouth.

“Now, speak freely with your open mouth.”

The operator started to raise the corners of his mouth, and then…

“Kuk… Kukuk… Puhahahahaha!!”

He began to laugh out loud.

As if he had heard an incredibly funny story that he simply couldn’t hold back his laughter.

“Ughk… Khahahahaha!!”

He laughed to the point of shedding tears.

“Ha… What a coincidence… I seem to be meeting many important people today by the grace of Goddess Kirelia. It’s an honor to meet you, Sir Roneh, the Emperor’s Second Sword.”

As the operator lowered his head and then raised it to meet Roneh’s gaze, Roneh’s pupils shook, filled with rage.

‘This crazy bastard…’

The greeting of lowering one’s head and then raising it to meet eyes was court etiquette used when a lower-ranking official met a higher-ranking one.

In other words, it was intended to insult Roneh, who had been part of the Imperial Knights before becoming a professor at the Imperial Academy.

“Don’t casually use that title to insult me. It’s not a title to be used so lightly.”

Shing.

Roneh pointed her sword at the operator’s neck.

The silver blade exposed under the light boasted an elegant figure as it extended nobly.

“So this is the famous ‘Firma’. Bestowed directly by His Majesty the Emperor to commemorate Sir Roneh’s great achievements. Indeed, it’s even more elegant and majestic than the rumors say.”

“How dare you insult me and His Majesty while hiding your face behind that cheap mask.”

“Insult? I merely expressed how I couldn’t contain my regret as to why Sir Roneh stepped down from the glorious position of the Second Sword, adding just a few words.”

The operator kept grinning mischievously throughout his speech.

“Fine, I’ll reveal that precious face of yours.”

The tip of Firma pointed precisely between the operator’s eyes.

Whoosh.

Firma moved lightly like a tree branch in Roneh’s hand.

And without leaving a single scratch on the operator’s face, it created a long crack in the center of the black mask in one go.

Bright light leaked through the cracks in the mask, then it split into two pieces and fell to the floor, unable to resist gravity.

The moment the operator’s bare face was revealed…

Thud.

At the same time, the operator’s body lost consciousness and slumped down.

“…D-Did the operator just collapse?”

Allen said as he cautiously approached Roneh’s side.

“I clearly felt his presence just a moment ago, but now… I can’t feel it at all.”

Roneh said with a dejected face as she poked the operator. The operator moved lifelessly this way and that following Roneh’s hand movements.

“This is strange. Someone who was talking so much just a moment ago suddenly faints and collapses.”

Noah said, glaring at the operator.

The air grew heavy in this bizarre and anticlimactic situation.

The operator sat there powerlessly like a puppet that had lost control of its strings.

‘Wait… puppet?’

In that moment, Nigel blinked her eyes.

Step, step.

Nigel quickly approached the operator and picked up one of the two pieces of the broken mask.

Then she closed her eyes and focused on the flow of magic.

“…!”

Nigel’s eyes flew open.

Everyone held their breath, waiting for Nigel’s next words.

“…Magic. I just felt magic from the mask.”

“What? Is that true?”

Roneh strode over and examined the mask.

However, to Roneh who hadn’t activated her magic, it was just a black mask.

“Allen, you try sensing it too. You’re more sensitive to magic detection than I am.”

Nigel handed the remaining piece of the mask on the floor to Allen.

“Alright.”

Allen also closed his eyes tightly following Nigel’s words, then opened them again.

“…It’s true. I can feel magic, though it’s faint. Then… could this mask be related to why the operator suddenly lost consciousness?”

Allen observed the mask closely with a serious expression.

“…Huh? There’s a silver flower engraved on the back of the mask here.”

At Allen’s words, Nigel and Noah examined the mask piece in Allen’s hand.

“It’s true. There’s a small rose on the inside of the mask.”

“Not a common red, but if it’s a silver rose, it might be a symbol of something. We should remember this in detail.”

Just then, a scarred hand suddenly reached in and snatched the mask piece from Noah’s grasp.

“That’s enough, all of you. Students, don’t think about getting involved any further. The rest is for the adults to handle.”

“…”

“Now, now, don’t furrow your brows, everyone. You might lose your precious lives if you get too curious carelessly. Do you want to die before even graduating from the academy?”

Despite Roneh’s admonishment, the faces of Nigel, Allen, and Noah remained unrelaxed.

“My, my, like friends indeed, the three of you have exactly the same sulky expressions. More importantly, Nigel, what about your friend? How is their condition?”

At Roneh’s words, Nigel hesitated.

Even from a distance, she could recognize Andy at a glance.

Yet the reason she couldn’t go near Andy was…

Nigel lowered her head and repeatedly clenched and unclenched her fist.

“Nigel.”

Just then, Allen gently placed his hand on Nigel’s shoulder.

“If all these kids… collapsed due to lack of magic… maybe we can do something to help, even if just a little?”

At Allen’s gentle voice, Nigel raised her head.

“…You’re right, Allen. As expected, you’re braver than I am.”

“Hey! I’m your friend after all.”

Those words sounded as if Allen could be brave thanks to Nigel herself, warming Nigel’s heart.

“…Allen, you have Lepa at your villa, right?”

“Ugh…! When did you see that? Ah, alright! I’ll give it to you! I’ll give it, so use your magic without holding back! Just don’t destroy the walls!”

Allen laughed playfully.

“Shall we give it a try then?”

Nigel nodded and slowly approached to stand in front of Andy’s bed.

Andy.

Innocent Andy who got entangled in a terrible situation because of me.

Nigel finally faced Andy properly.

‘…Why was I so afraid of something this simple?’

Though pale and much thinner, Andy was still Andy.

The same talkative and affectionate Andy.

“Are you ready, Nigel?”

“…Ah. Professor Roneh.”

Nigel suddenly turned her head and looked for Roneh.

“…Huh? Why? Is there something you need help with?”

“No, I just wanted you to watch closely. Something the Swordsmanship Department could never do.”

Nigel said nonchalantly.

But one corner of her mouth, unable to contain her emotion, had unconsciously curled up slightly.