“I have a confession to make.”
“To be honest, [Illusion] does belong to mages.”
“Can a sparrow tear its legs trying to imitate a stork and become one? Can a pumpkin become a watermelon just by drawing stripes on it? Only the noble mages are meant to wield [Illusion], and as assassins, we’re merely making clumsy imitations.”
“You might wonder then, how Gray is rising in the ranks. Don’t worry. I understand everything. Why, even I, her professor, am surprised at my own student’s achievement. Dogs follow their masters, and cadets follow their professors. Doesn’t that mean there’s clearly a mage among Gray’s professors?”
“But something about cadets resembling their professors strikes me as a bit odd, doesn’t it? I mean, the senior professor once praised diaper pads, because their previous lab was so poor. If cadets resemble professors, that means the senior’s advisor must have also praised diaper pads, and that professor’s predecessor, too, praised diaper pads, having done research in such poor conditions that they were essentially studying in an outhouse. And now they’re receiving continent-wide recognition for it? Makes perfect sense that only mages, in their sublime nature, are the rightful users of [Illusion]...”
“Ah, just as I speak, Gray’s ranking has risen two more places. How about Parhan, who’s being taught by the great genius Professor Galois? Ah, how unfortunate—he couldn’t score big. The gap is closing by 1 point every 2 minutes. That means 30 points an hour. But it doesn’t matter, does it? After all, Gray must’ve learned Illusion from a magic professor. Since only mages can handle [Illusion] properly, then all the honor should go to the mage, right?”
“But even so, you must stay tense, Senior. One elixir for every 10 points—if the gap hits over 900 points, that’s 90 elixirs. And that’s the minimum. If we assume I’ll be taking 90 elixirs from your treasury, your vault’s going to be in shambles. But a bet is sacred, so what choice do we have? You’re not thinking of backing out now, are you? No? Of course not. I heard the Senior is the kind of man who doesn’t waver, no matter what crisis befalls him—even if rumors of plagiarism start haunting Hiaka like a ghost. A real man among men, they say. So you can’t take back the bet either. Which means, tragically, I’ll just have to ruin your vault and claim those 90 elixirs for myself... Senior? ...Senior?”
“Senior? Where are you going, Senior! Professor Galois! You’re a judge during the exam—where do you think you’re going!? Are you running away using 『Teleport』 while I’m still talking!?”
“...Raise your sword, O Giant Warrior... (muttering)...”
“Oh no!! My goodness, what is happening?! Are you alright, Senior?!”
“As expected of a Grandmaster-level mage. Even after that crash, he’s unharmed. Something must’ve interfered with the teleport. Don’t worry too much. Come back here. We still have 21 hours left before the exam ends...”
“HEY! Catch that fleeing old man! Kollider! Stop that damn old geezer running away!!”
That day, in the [Forest of Magic], the old man’s scream echoed across the trees.
⋮
───
Elize – 1,012 Gray – 992 Parhan – 754───
As night fell, most cadets had withdrawn, and the second day of the exam ended.
Only one day remained.
* * *
“Good work.”
“You’ve all done well.”
The professors and TAs exhaled deeply as they rotated shifts. As they did, they looked up at the “tree” the cadets were constructing.
At the edge of Sector 9, approximately 4,000 meters in the air, a tree was forming.
It was still obscured in white mist, so the whole of it wasn’t visible, but even so, it was massive—colossal beyond description.
A tree created by the combined effort of 1,200 cadets.
Was this what the mythical [World Tree] from ancient legends looked like? The one that, when it burned down, caused the Ice Age across the continent? With a tree that massive, one could begin to understand how that story made sense.
“That’s being constructed 7 kilometers away, right?”
“Roughly, yeah? Height is 4 kilometers. Distance is around 6, so yeah—about 7.2 km out.”
“Whoa... It feels unreal...”
The professors clicked their tongues in amazement.
“Who in the world is this ‘Kain’ senior professor...? How did he construct the foundation of such a ridiculously massive [Illusion]?”
“No idea. Not even most [Challengers] could pull that off.”
Professors who didn’t know who ‘Kain’ was could only marvel.
Professors who did know kept glancing at Dante.
Especially Galois, who still had dried blood in his ear.
‘Someone that young—just thirty years old—reached that level?’
This wasn’t just some final exam anymore.
That man, at just thirty, was presenting a new dimension to the [N O V E L I G H T] study of Illusion across the entire continent.
“May I speak with you a moment, Professor Dante?”
“Yes, Department Head.”
At that moment, Ezekiel, the head of the Department of Magic, called Dante aside. The two moved to a quiet spot.
“It’s going better than expected.”
“Has the royal family granted approval?”
“Not officially yet. But the proposal’s been forwarded to the Royal Supreme Council.”
Ezekiel had no intention of letting this revolutionary level of [Illusion] end as just an exam gimmick.
It was too phenomenal to waste on some school event.
He wanted to escalate it—to expand the playing field.
But to do that, the half-ruined academy didn’t have enough power. They needed royal support.
“Tomorrow is the council day. There are a few elder nobles who oppose it. I’ll have to persuade them myself.”
“...Understood. If the opportunity allows, please let me accompany you.”
“No. That’s not possible. ‘Kain’ must never appear in public.”
“Even if it’s the royal family?”
“I believe even the royal palace has Kreutz agents in it. Don’t worry too much. Leave royal matters to the royals.”
“I leave it in your hands.”
If Ezekiel managed to persuade the royal family tomorrow, then every illusionist in the kingdom would end up participating in Dante’s final exam.
‘It’ll be quite the spectacle...’
Having finished his thoughts, Ezekiel vanished with 『Teleport』.
And so, just as Dante turned to return to the professors’ dorms, a soft scent brushed past his nose.
Dante turned his steps instead toward the forest’s depths. A cabin he’d never seen before had appeared there.
He instinctively knew it was an invitation meant for him. And so he decided to accept it.
Upon opening the cabin door, he found himself staring at his own lab.
The entire thing was an [Illusion].
As he sat down in the chair, the door creaked open again. A cadet stepped in silently like a cat. Walking on her toes—clearly a habit—she met his gaze.
“...What brings you here.”
“......”
It was Gray Habanero.
The anxiety and nervousness that always filled her eyes were gone. Her expression was calm.
“......”
Then she moved, hopping onto the desk and walking across it until she sat down at the edge—very close to him.
A strange silence settled. At last, Gray let out a playful chuckle, showing her crooked canine tooth. But the corners of her eyes remained subdued.
“...Are you using my dagger well?”
She meant the “Dagger of Swiftness” that had been confiscated on her first day.
“I sold it.”
“It was expensive... Did you at least get a good price?”
“Who knows. What’s your business?”
“Oh, come on. Do I have to have a reason to call you? Maybe I just wanted to chat about life...”
I cut her off.
“Let’s save that for later. It’s not appropriate to meet cadets during the exam as an overseer.”
“Huh? Don’t be so stiff...”
“If you have nothing to say, I’ll be going.”
As I began to rise, Gray slid off the desk and sat on my lap.
That slight weight made me sit back down.
Her hand, grabbing the hem of my coat, was covered in tattoos.
“......”
Her playful expression had vanished entirely.
She parted her lips...
But no words came out.
And so, in the quiet tension that followed—
After several seconds passed—
A low, sunken voice finally came.
“...Wings.”
“Wings.”
When I asked again, she nodded.
“...That thing—I made it.”
A breath lowered.
Her gaze began to tremble.
“......”
I paused to think. What exactly she meant by that statement. I didn’t consult the 【Script】—I just followed the thought to its end. And then I replied.
“...Yeah.”
Slowly.
Those gray eyes narrowed.
“...Really?”
“Yeah.”
“...Right? It wasn’t the professor. It was me, Gray, who made it, right?”
“......”
“...Hm?”
“......”
“...Why? Why won’t you say it?”
To me, it meant nothing. But if it could bring peace to someone’s heart—even a little—then wasn’t that enough?
“You’re right. You did it.”
“......”
At that, Gray leaned in and buried her forehead in my chest.
The weight of her small head pressed lightly against me.
It was a position that could be easily misunderstood if anyone were to walk in, which made it awkward, but from that spot buried in my coat, a small nod and voice came.
“...Mm.”
In that short nasal hum, we both knew a few unspoken words had passed between us.
Immediately after, she sat back up and perched herself on the edge of the desk again.
“You asked me earlier if I had a reason, right? I do have something to say.”
“I’m listening.”
“The Habanero family—we’re a prestigious illusionist family.”
“I know.”
“Top three on the continent. Back in the day, the Empire and Kreutz both tried to recruit us with absurd amounts of money.”
“They did. I’m familiar with the history.”
“Yeah. But now, most of them are dead, and the techniques are mostly lost. So the family decided to pour everything they had into one remaining genius. Focus and specialization—that kind of thing.”
I already knew.
“...It must be an honor to teach someone like that, right?”
She eyed me carefully.
“Is that so?”
“Of course~ Probably the greatest cadet in your career, right? You can go around bragging, ‘I taught that kid,’ ‘We ate together, sparred together,’ all of it. It’s a privilege. Isn’t it?”
“......”
When I didn’t respond, Gray gave me another glance.
“...Do you get what I’m saying?”
“No idea.”
“You don’t? ...No, what I mean is, you should feel honored. Because teaching me? That’d make me the greatest student of your entire life.”
In other words, this was her roundabout way of asking me to teach her illusion.
I let the silence sit for a moment, then answered.
“If you want to learn from me, take first place and submit an application.”
Gray frowned.
“Ugh, I can take first place, obviously... But that’d only get me a single technique, right...?”
“Isn’t that enough?”
“It’s not enough. I don’t even need that. Ugh—what I mean is, don’t you want to teach me? Me, Gray?”
“No idea.”
“Why are you like this...? You know everything...”
“I don’t.”
A barrage of “I don’t knows.”
Gray bit her lip, overwhelmed.
“...Say it again. Carefully.”
“Say what?”
She pulled out a dagger and pointed it at my neck.
“Say it. Do you want to teach me, or not?”
I knew that it was an [Illusion].
Clink—!
I shattered it with a mere touch of my fingers using [Interference]. Gray flinched, her shoulders shrinking back.
“I don’t know.”
Her face twisted in frustration again.
“Oh come on—what is wrong with you? I just explained the glorious legacy of the Habanero family and told you I’m the genius who inherited it! And you still don’t know what I’m asking?”
“I don’t.”
“Why?! Why don’t you know—why...?? Are you an idiot? Have you gone stupid from studying illusion too much? Why can’t you understand?”
“I don’t.”
Her lips scrunched up in disbelief.
“...Fine then. I don’t know either. I don’t know!”
“......”
“I’m not the kind of person who clings and begs, okay? I’m not gonna learn from a professor who doesn’t even want to teach me. What the hell... there are tons of people out there who’d kill to have Gray like them, and you don’t even know how valuable I am—”
She started mumbling on and on.
Honestly, I was just messing with her because her reactions were amusing.
But I do need Gray for the 「Betting Table」.
So this joke had gone far enough.
“...It was a joke.”
“I got all hyped up for nothing and just ended up feeling like cra—...wait, what?”
Wide eyes turned toward me.
“...What did you say?”
“I said it was a joke. I want to be your instructor too.”
“......”
Her shoulders shrank again.
Then she slowly turned her head away.
“...Well, now I don’t want to.”
But that protruding canine tooth of hers peeked out.
Don’t want to, huh?
“Then I’ll withdraw.”
Her head snapped back.
“Eh? Why would you say that??”
“I was rejected. What else am I supposed to do?”
“...Saying I don’t want to doesn’t mean I’m rejecting you... I mean, you’re a man—don’t you have any persistence? Even if someone says no, you’re supposed to at least try once...”
“Why should I?”
“Professor!”
Gray scowled fiercely.
“You’ve never dated a woman, have you? You act all cool, but you’re probably a total virgin, a loser, a socially awkward dweeb who shakes just trying to talk to a girl—”
⋮
Anyway, through that strange push-and-pull...
We reached some kind of conclusion.
It was time to part.
“...I’ll come back with first place.”