After school on the same day that I explained to Elysia and the others about the bomb, I met up with the members of the hawk group for the first time in a long time and went to the physical race training ground.

"Oh, there you are, you slacker.

　My teammates who were competing in the physical race smirked at me.

I'm not slacking off, but ......

I know. You're training, right?　But you should come to practice sometime. The physical race is a relay race, so you'll have to work on your combinations a bit.

　I nodded my head in agreement with my teammate.
　After a quick stretching session, the physical race practice began.

　As I ran the course, I casually checked my surroundings for bombs.
　So far, I couldn't find any bombs anywhere. I had expected this to some extent. The physical race doesn't use magic tools, and the real course isn't here. There would be no place to plant a bomb.

Oh, ......, you're fast, dude.

　After practice, a teammate called out to me.

"Really?

I think you're the fastest guy on the team. Why don't you play anchor?

　As soon as he heard the suggestion, the hero student standing in the corner of his eye frowned.
　He must have been eavesdropping. A physical race is not a very visible event. It is understandable that the heroic students are burning with a sense of mission to at least become anchors.

...... No, I'm not going to anchor. I'm not that confident.

"I see. Well, I can't force you. But I've heard that the lion's team has a lot of fast guys, so don't let your guard down too much.

　I took my teammate's advice seriously.
　It would be a shame if I neglected the competition myself because I was distracted by playing games with the agents. Now that I've learned a new spell from Professor Sylphia, I feel the need to try it out. I might as well start practicing the physical race in earnest.

Mr. Toate.

　As I was taking a break after the practice, Mize called out to me from behind.
　Seeing the strange look on his face, I changed places.

Did you find it?

"Yes. There's a bomb in the sledgehammer's magic tool.

　Sledgehammer is a competition in which the team that deals the most damage within a time limit to a magic tool that quantifies damage wins. There are two types of magic tools used in this competition. There are two tools used in this competition: a magic tool that quantifies damage and a giant hammer that can be used freely.

Which of these tools had a bomb in it?

The damage multiplier.

Okay. ...... Well, it's not as if the hammer would actually be used, of course.

　There are now three types of competitions in which bombs have been planted: drive-racing, exodus, and sledgehammer. It seems that the Imperial agents are setting off bombs without regard for the consequences. They want to cause as much damage as possible to encourage the cancellation of the meeting.

Um, so, about the dismantling: ......

"There's no problem if we don't dismantle it now. If it fails, there will be damage.

Yes. However, I think that ...... can probably be dismantled in a short time using the Path of Wisdom.

　You're really talented.
　No wonder the Kingdom of Arcadia wants it.

You mean it can be dismantled right now?

Yes.

Okay. Let me check it out, just to be sure.

　The original plan was to focus on finding the bomb during the day and dismantle it at night. However, if we were to be on campus at night, there was a possibility that we would come into contact with the agents again. If he could dismantle it during the day, so much the better.

　Apparently, sledgehammer practice hadn't started yet. Before the practice starts, quickly move to the warehouse and find the magic tool with the bomb on it.

　The bomb was placed at the bottom of the spell gear. At a quick glance, you don't notice anything, but if you look closely, you can see that there is a slight rise. Taking into consideration the appearance at the competition, I peeled off the color sheet attached to the surface, and revealed the bomb planted inside.

"How did you find it?

"Mr. Toate told me where the bombs were most likely to be planted. Thanks to you, I was able to search efficiently.

　During the Great War, I was on the side of the bombers. I had been on the side of planting bombs during the war, and based on that experience, I had predicted the actions of the agents.

I'll start the dismantling now.

　Mize said, pointing both hands at the bomb.
　I felt a breeze blowing in my face. I saw a thin wave of magic emanating from Mize's palms.

Can you dismantle it by simply manipulating the magic from the outside?

Yes. It's a good idea to take a look at the website and see if you can find anything that might help you.

　I'm not sure what to make of this. We'll dismantle the bombs found by the Lion's group later.



I'm done.

"...... is awesome. Thank you.

I'm glad to hear you say that, ...... Twight.

　Mize says happily.

"You've got some nerve.

　I'm not sure if this is a good idea or not.
　I don't think the Mize of a while ago would have been so resolute in dismantling the bomb.

I didn't travel with Mr. Toate, you know.

　I remembered our harrowing escapade.
　It was a journey that I suffered a lot, but maybe I got something out of it.

I'm sure ...... you'll be fine, continuing to practice like this.

　Once out of the warehouse, Mize looks towards the ground and says, "If your goal is to stop the talks, then you should be able to do so.

If the goal is to prevent the meeting, detonating the bomb at this time will have little effect. If the goal is to prevent the meeting, detonating the bomb at this time will have little effect. We can simply change the venue now, and the date won't be postponed. In fact, it would be detrimental to the other side because it would tighten security on the day.

"I see. ...... You're right, I guess.

　Mize nodded with a serious expression.
　You'll be able to find a lot more information on the web.

I'm sorry to drag you into this, but you can relax a bit. It's not right that those of us who want to protect the festival can't honestly enjoy it.

...... That's true, too.

　I'm used to this kind of work, so I can easily change my mind, but I don't think Mize can do the same. I want to be careful not to put more pressure on the girls than necessary, since I've involved them in this.

Let's go back to practice. We'll resume looking for the bomb when we have some free time.

"Yes!

　With Mize's cheerful reply, I headed towards the ground.
　We were going to meet up with the members of the hawk group who were practicing, but ...... we could hear some commotion coming from the center of the field.

What's going on?

What's going on ......?

　Practice has been suspended, apparently. I headed towards the crowd, wondering what was going on.

　At the center of the crowd was a red-haired man named Baren.