In the vicinity of the Istor Academy of Magic, there is a research building that can only be used by students of the academy with good grades.
　The main purpose of the building was to give talented young mages the opportunity to study to a higher level, but now it has become a cave where factions are fighting each other.

　The St. Germain faction, which prioritizes research, continues to study without regard to the fact that there is one faction among them that is obsessed with radical ideas. This is the Weasler school.
　Originally a faction that aimed to research mage tactics and train young mages to defend the nation, they eventually transformed into a group of mage supremacists. The reason for this was the design of a magic circle for widespread annihilation magic excavated from the ruins of the old days, but in fact this magic circle was unfinished and abandoned.

　To begin with, there is a large gap in the width of the ruins of the old age.
　From the beginning of civilization, to the period of warfare when people fought for territory, to the period of prosperity when many people lived peacefully, to the dawn of civilization when it was about to be destroyed. This magic circle is from an early civilization, when magic technology was still in its infancy.
　At that time, magic was still based on the magic power of the individual, and not on the technology that was born during the period of warfare, which used the magic power of the natural world. Naturally, this magic circle was supposed to be operated by multiple mages pouring their magic power into it, but this widespread annihilation magic had a major flaw.

　Magic power has the property of transforming into multiple attributes, but it also has the property of being affected by the mind.
　If you want to use magic with multiple mages, you need to synchronize them at the mental level, and it was possible to activate it by exciting them in parallel, but in the first place, it is impossible for multiple mages to synchronize when there is a gap in the individual's mind.
　Each person's mind has its own unique waves, and it is impossible for them to unite. Unlike uniting our minds and forces, it would take more than one person to synchronize our minds. But there is no such thing.

　To put it bluntly, the mage's individuality was a stumbling block that prevented this magic circle from being activated.
　For this reason, the mainstream of widespread annihilation spells created during the war period were those that used natural magic, but the magic circle itself became so huge that it became like a turret fixed to each fort.
　In modern weaponry, they are more like short-range ballistic missiles.

　At the dawn of time, during the War of the Evil Gods, magic tools were created to construct magic circles, but their power was no match for the evil gods and they were defeated.
　After that, widespread annihilation magic disappeared from history without a trace before the massive destruction, leaving behind only incomplete relics whose traces were only rarely found in ruins. The Weaslers do not know that many of these relics are from early civilizations and have no historical value.
　Of course, the magic circle could be improved and activated to some extent, but it was not something that could be used in actual battle.
　How could they attack with just a glowing magic circle? But they do not doubt that this magic circle can be used. 　

　In short, they got carried away with an imperfect, useless toy and grew up.
　However, if there is only one person who has grown up, that is fine, but if there are more than one, trouble is sure to follow.
　It didn't take much time for them to turn into a group of ruffians.
　In the background, brainwashing magic has been playing a role, but recently its movements have been getting stranger.

"Screw you, Sumptroll!　You're just using them as disposable weapons. You're not thinking straight!
What's wrong with you?　Knights are just disposable troops, and so are those fools who drafted them!
What you're talking about is just a suicide mission!　What you're talking about is just a suicide mission! I don't know why you can't just use some wide area annihilation magic to add to your strategy!

　The factions talk about it behind their backs.
　This is a tactical discussion of strategic assumptions held by the Weasler faction.

"We agree with you!　"We agree with you! We agree with you!" Think about it, your strategic enemies are all convenient. How is that possible in real life?　Didn't you think of any other ambushes?　How can you be so sure that the enemy is incompetent?
Your tactics will only work against bandits!　A war between nations is not that simple!

　The people who had been brainwashed by the previous tactical debate were shaken by Zveit's complete rejection of opportunism and his painful remarks, and the serious mages began to review history from scratch.
　They reviewed their strategies from various perspectives and realized how ignorant and vague their tactics had been.
　As a result, the wavering of the brainwashing magic created a major rupture, and soon many people began to be freed from the brainwashing.
　Currently, this faction has split in half and is divided into two groups, the realists and the dreamers, who are engaged in a fierce debate.

　The former are those who, like Zveit, are focused on reality, and the latter are the Samutrolls.
　However, now that the brainwashing magic itself has already begun to be broken, the Sumptrolls are gradually losing their men.
　On the contrary, Zveit has risen to the position of a representative of realism, which is an abomination to Sumptrolls.

You should take into account the strength of your hypothetical enemy, since your forces are limited. Your tactical arguments are tantamount to those of an incompetent commander.
Who do you think I am, ......?
You're just a student at the academy!　Here, the authority of the aristocracy or the commonwealth is meaningless. In the first place, it is your family's idea to contribute only to the defense of the country with a realistic strategic plan!　And that bloodline would deny it to itself?
"Ugh. ......

　When the brainwashing magic was in effect, they were close to obedient, but once it was broken, the backlash was huge, and they turned on the Sumptrolls. 　
　To make matters worse, word of the Bremite's brainwashing spell has begun to spread.
　Mages have a relatively high ability to sense the flow of magic, and even now, someone is monitoring the Blemites' movements.
　In order to brainwash him again, he would have to interact with the mage with a small amount of magic, but in the situation where he is being monitored, even a small amount of magic is likely to be detected.
　This made it difficult for the Blemites to brainwash him again.

As long as you don't know if you can use wide area annihilation magic, it's pointless to incorporate that power into your strategy.
"Agreed!　I agree! This strategy is obviously pointless. It's not a strategy if it consumes power unnecessarily.
Agreed. Your assumption of the enemy's strength is too naive. You should take into account that they're human.
I agree. In the first place, how can a small army defeat 100,000 troops? That's crazy.
I agree. ...... will only be overrun by the fort. It is wise to retreat ......, annihilation is impossible.

　Once a distortion is created, the ripples begin to spread.
　Some of the Sumptrolls began to agree with him, and his plan was gradually collapsing and he was trapped in a corner.
　The foundation he had built was crumbling with a crash.

It's not worth discussing. Zveit is far superior to you in this regard.


"That was crazy. It's almost like they're planning to wipe us out.
"But it makes sense. The emphasis is on how to reduce friendly losses and stay alive given the hopelessness of the situation.
If we stay alive, we can make a comeback. It's also about rebuilding the country, so it's very realistic.
In comparison, ...... is too poorly written, Sumptroll.

　This is what you get for trying to enjoy your position.

　Currently, Zveit is not in this research building.
　I forbade him to come in and out to prevent him from saying unnecessary things, but as long as he is a student of the academy, he can talk to me in the dormitory.
　From there, Zveit and his tactical research team was born, and now they are being pursued.
　The ripples would continue to spread. 　

　Soon after, the tactical debate came to an end, but Sumptroll had to watch them go with a bitter heart.

"d*mn it!　That Zveit guy, he told me a bunch of nonsense!
He knows all about my magic. They've been watching me the whole time.
d*mn ......, but I can't touch him!　He's a duke. He's a duke. He knows I can't touch him, so he's going to pull this stunt on me.

　It's not fair.
　But the more self-centered and arrogant they are, the stronger this tendency is. And the more self-centered and arrogant they are, the more likely they are to forget the inconvenient things.
　They are the ones who got involved with Zveit first. They deserved what they got, but they were too stupid to realize it.

So what do we do now?　If we move, they'll think we're suspicious.
"There's an annual event coming up. We'll do it then.
Okay, ......, so we can just chalk it up to an accidental death.
Get a hold of him while you still can, because he's not safe on the loose.

　They decide to use the last resort.
　It's an unforgivable human act, but the greedy ones don't know that yet.

　In an empty room, they secretly proceeded with their schemes.


　　...


"Croisus, what about your field training?
I don't want to participate in it. ....... I don't want to participate in it. I want to continue my research, and it's a waste of time.

　Croisus replied in a heavy tone as he retreated to his study and consulted the ancient language dictionaries of each race.
　He is not very good at sports, and he is proud of the fact that this kind of research suits him.
　However, those who excelled in the academy were forced to participate, and he let out a sigh with a gloomy expression.
　The field training was an event that he did not appreciate.

You don't have to participate, but you're forced to. ......
"That's the problem. I'm sure you're not the only one.　It's absurd.
But you know what, Croisus? You need to work on your strength.　Your muscles are sore, aren't they?
I'll endure this for the sake of my research. Combat training is no joke. ...... What about Selina?
I'll pass!　It's a pain in the ass.

　It's not a joke.
　Those with a certain grade are free to participate, and Croisus is envious.
　He regretted that he should have adjusted his credits if this was the case.

I have to be there. I've been slacking off too much and my credits are in trouble.
"Makarov......, it's your own fault. It's because you're always playing.
I'm in Alchemy class, remember?
On the contrary, that's the only lecture you've taken. Mr. Makarov.
Leave me alone!

　Yirin said, and Makarov got angry.
　He's only taking one class, but he's actually one of the top students in his class.
　He's an excellent student, but he's not interested in other courses because he's looking for a job.
　Because of this, he was often under the care of Croisus the day before exams.

"Oh, these magic letters ...... look like the ancient language over here, don't they?
Can you tell me the language of the race?
"Elves. The letters mean ...... [wind], right?
There's another one here.　Convergence in Dwarvish.
I found it too. I found it too. It's in the Beastmen language. ...... [power]?



　The four of them split up the task of deciphering the magic words, looking for text that was close to the magic words and using it as a reference for deciphering.

"So it's a word, huh? Magical writing was the original form of the ancient language.
"Wait a minute, if that's the case, then what is the common sense of the magic formula that we learned?　Was it meaningless?
It may not be meaningless, but we were learning the wrong things.
So what are these incomprehensible letters?　I can't read this stuff.
"That must have been altered later. That's why the words are meaningless.

　Selina and Makarov, who were studying magic at the academy, were shocked.
　Although they were two of the top students in their class, it was as if everything they had worked so hard to learn had been declared meaningless.
　Makarov was not as shocked as Celia, but he was definitely surprised.

"Huh?　But, Croisus's siblings had deciphered it, hadn't they? Croisus didn't know?
I would have known if I had gone home for the summer vacation, but I missed that opportunity. It's a shame.
"So you're saying that they had a mage who taught them how to decipher magic formulas?　What mage?
That's right. If he's such a good mage, word must get around. ......
I've heard that he's a traveling mage.　I'm not sure what to make of it.

　Everyone was speechless.
　If this is true, it means that an unknown mage has wisdom about magic.
　If this became known to the world, the survival of the school itself would be in doubt.
　At any rate, if an unknown mage can decipher magic formulas, then everything taught at this academy will be inferior to that of an unknown mage, and the trust in the academy will fall to the bottom.
　I'm not saying that everything is wrong, but about 60% of what we teach will turn out to be meaningless.
　If that happens, not only the academy, but even the factions will be subject to criticism.

"Of course, my grandfather is a mage. I'm sure you've already got a way to decipher it, so it's a little late for that, don't you think?
The Solstaires, ......, are going to be a big faction.
From what I've heard, the funding sources for each faction are being shut down.
That's your father. Well, I think we'll be fine, don't you?　I think we'll be fine. Our main concern is magic research.
I'm sure you're not the only one.

　I'm not sure what to do.
　The Weaslerites have been acting like thugs in the streets, and the military police have even been called out.
　In addition, it seems that the group has begun to split internally, and at the center of it is Croisus' brother, Zveit.

I'm not sure what to make of this.　When the spell was broken, my brother began to harass me.
Hey, that's a crime!
Yes, it is!　As a rule, it is forbidden to use magic on others.
Mental magic leaves no evidence behind. But a strong emotional turmoil can break the effect, and you may be intentionally causing confusion.

　Mind-based magic is not permanent.
　It is very difficult to brainwash people for a long period of time, even if you can bring temporary confusion, because magic is affected by the mind.
　Because we have emotions, our magic tends to be erratic and disordered, which sometimes affects our magic.
　Violent emotions such as anger can temporarily increase the power of an attack, while depressed emotions can reduce the effectiveness of a spell. In addition, if you don't continue to cast spells regularly, your internal magic power will gradually cancel them.

　The ripples that spread because of Zveit alone eventually became a wave that unleashed the spirits of the spellbound, and the anger that had been brainwashed was being thoroughly directed at the master criminal.
　The trouble was that the main suspect was acting like a victim, which was annoying.
　This attitude angered the victims and escalated the situation to the point of internal division.
　No matter how hard the SumTrolls tried, they would not be able to stop this trend.

"But Samutrolls, right?　I've heard nothing but good things about them.
Yeah, I heard he's got ties to some underground organization.
I saw you having dinner with someone from there.　They said they had some kind of deal.
Let's hope it doesn't jump to us. What's stopping you from doing that?　This is also research, so please do it well.

　Prompted by Croisus, they continued to work on the deciphering again.

By the way, it's almost lunchtime, are we going to eat here?
"Is it that time already?　It's almost lunchtime. It's on us.
What?　I'm in dire straits this month. ......
I've got a lot of ...... stuff to buy, too. ......
That's your punishment for spreading weird rumors. You should be grateful that you weren't sued.

　Selina and Makarov decided to split the cost of lunch.
　It was the fault of the two who had spread the rumors about Croisus, and they deserved it.
　The two men who were the root of all evil were forced to continue buying lunch for Croisus and the others for a while.
　Talk was the source of disaster.

　The Saint-Germain school is always like this, continuing their research without regard to the situation around them.
　They don't care how noisy the people around them are, as long as their research is not interrupted.



　It may be the most peaceful faction in a way.


　　◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇


"Did you hear?　Did you hear that the Weaslers are starting to split up?
The Duke of Solstice's sergeant and the Marquis of Weasler's son are at odds with each other.
What?　Wasn't the Duke of Solistea's sergeant corrupt too?
Rumor has it that he's been casting brainwashing spells on the members of his faction.
Really?　That's a violation of the academy's regulations!

　The academy is both large and small, and rumors like this spread quickly.
　The weaker factions, especially the smaller ones, kept a close eye on the movements of the two major factions.

It was a conflict of opinion within the faction, right?
I heard that you started to reform after you were found to be cozying up to the underworld?
I heard that Samtrall's scumbag tried to force Master Zveit to have physical relations with him.
What?　I heard that Tsveit-sama was going to transform his faction into a physical faction, a gangly ...... Jyuri♡.

　I've heard that Zveit-sama is going to transform the faction into a physical faction. 　
　The reason why this happened is ......

"Hey, Dio, ...... did you even tell them about the brainwashing magic?　You don't have any proof of that, do you?
"No, ...... I was just going for it. When you were going to the bathroom, I couldn't help but ......
I don't care. What's the last rumor?　I don't think I've ever had a physical beauty problem!
Maybe they saw you practicing your sword every day.　Maybe they saw you practicing with your sword every day, even though it's early in the morning.
How can that be connected to a stiff body?　And there are even allegations of mooching!
The only Moho allegations are about Sam Trolls, so I think you're safe.　But ...... am I going to get caught up in it too?

　As for Dio, I'd rather not be perceived as having a weird relationship with my best friend.
　If Celestina hears about it, she will have no choice but to hang herself.
　It was the same for Zveit, who wanted the rumors to disappear as soon as possible.

But what about the field training?　Can you use a weapon?
I'm not much of a fighter. I'm not much of a fighter, but I don't want to die, so I participate in the training.
I've never seen you at ....... When do you go?
Three times a week, while you're in class. It's a good thing we have someone in our faction who can use a weapon.
It's good to have someone in my faction who can use a weapon.　There are things you can't learn from training.

　I remember the golem combat training.
　I remember the hellish days of fighting against golems that would endlessly regenerate until the nucleus was destroyed.
　However, thanks to this, I learned the [Swordsmanship] skill and the [Fighting] skill, and the process of learning to use them was fun.
　He was happy that he was steadily getting stronger, and he had a really good smile on his face when he felt the solid response he got when he swung his sword.

　By considering how to fight with magic, trying it out and finding out the problems, he is getting stronger and stronger. He also took the initiative to attend lectures on alchemy, medicine, and other subjects that he felt necessary.

What kind of training did Zveit receive?　You said you used golems, but don't you usually only use a few?
I'm a mage of varying abilities, and I've only wrestled with close to thirty golems at a time.
That's not normal, is it?　Who is this mage?
The less you know, the better.　If I had to describe my master, I'd say he's a monster. He's so skilled that he's no match for the instructor.
If he could do that, he'd be famous. Why isn't he on ......?
If he could do that, he would be famous. You can make a good amount of money selling demon materials, and if you're a mercenary, it won't be much of a problem. You're going to be fighting all over the country.

　Dio couldn't picture the mage who trained Zveit.
　He had heard nothing but unorthodox stories, and it would be correct to say that he did not believe them because they were so ridiculous.
　However, since she had turned Celestina, who could not use magic, into a gifted woman in just two months, I must say that her abilities were better than the instructors at the academy.

I'm not sure what to make of this.
"I guess so. Researchers can come up with ways to make money if they need to, no matter what the environment, and if it's mercenaries, there's plenty of good prey to deal with.
If you are a mercenary, there are plenty of good prey to deal with. But Zveit's master is too insane.
It's a self-indulgent hobby. It's a hobby for self-satisfaction, not for immature people like us.
I wouldn't want to meet that master, to be honest.
You're more likely to run into my grandfather first. ......
"・・・・・・・・・・・

　After that, they remained silent for a while and headed to the training grounds designated by the academy.


　There were about fifty members of the Weasler faction gathered at the training grounds.

"There you are. You're late, Zveit.
Sorry. It took me a while to find Dio, who was working out on his own.
Well, ......, why does Dio look like he's dying?
Don't listen to him. ...... He's just stepping on a tiger's tail and escaping reality. ......
I don't get it.

　Dio's fate was in the hands of one crazy old fool.

I'm not sure what you mean. ...... Let's get some close combat training in. Martial arts aren't popular at the academy, so your instructor Burban is very excited.
"It's been deserted until now. I guess he's just excited that you suddenly want to take his class.

　In the event that you have any questions concerning where and how to use the internet, you can call us at our own web site.
　His robe was almost ripped off by his muscles.
　He may look like a mage, but he has the air of a warrior who has fought on dangerous battlefields.

"Here we are!　In response to your high expectations, I'm going to give you a thorough grounding in the basics of combat!
Please. In a war of retreat, you have to protect yourself from enemy soldiers who are chasing you. If the enemy uses magic tools, it is possible to hide yourself, so you need to be prepared for a field battle just in case.
"Hmm!　Good, you noticed that. I'm glad you noticed. I'm glad you noticed that. Students nowadays think that they can just shoot magic from the rear, but the battlefield is not that easy.
　Depending on the situation, you may have to retreat, and sometimes you have to act as a guardian. If you get into close combat, a mage with little defense is in danger!　Therefore, close combat is necessary to protect yourself.

In order to reduce the damage to your allies, you may have to go to the front. You may have to move to the front to reduce friendly fire.
"That's true, but you're mages. You don't have to fight like knights. Don't forget that the support of your allies is important no matter what means you use.
「「「「 Hi! 」」」」
"Good answer. We'll train you thoroughly before the field course. Are you ready for this?
「「「「 Sir Yessir! 」」」」

　I don't know why I'm getting into this weird mood.
　I'm not sure what to make of it, but it's a good idea.

　And so began the combat training.
　It is said that on this day, in a part of Istor Academy of Magic, there was an unbearable cacophony of verbal abuse.

　The unethical cursing continued until two days before the field training began.
　Also, the screams of the students at the school: .......