But, Chancellor, we can do something about it.
It's already decided. It can't be changed now.


　At the door, Ars hesitated for a moment to enter because of the argument that sounded like an argument from inside.

　A knock announced a passing visit.
　But Ars didn't wait for an answer and opened the door. He should have already been scrubbed to the point where he didn't even feel the need to knock.
　As a result, he entered the room at the same time as the reply. And of course, the reply that would have been allowed was to wait for this time only.

　In accordance with general etiquette, in this case, this is the phase where Ars should refrain from doing so.
　That's why I couldn't enter without regretting the situation that jumped into view.

　I thought I was going to be made to wait inside at random, and that the presence of Ars would cut me off early, but the wholesaler wasn't going to let me do so wholesale.

　There were five people in the chancellor's office besides the chancellor, Sisti.
　The boys were across the long desk from the chancellor, relative to the chancellor. Naturally, the gaze directed at the ill-mannered Als was filled with frustration that broke the conversation.

　When I was about to rewind and close the door that I had opened as if it were a hassle--''

''You........what do you want with the Chancellor?''

　After a moment's pause, the man who was facing the chancellor among the five of them clearly put a look of contempt on his gaze.
　This man, who is only a mere student, has the audacity to question the Chancellor about his business.
　However, the chancellor does not blame him for that.

　You will find it troublesome and just say, "It's a private matter.
　The next person to open his mouth was the chancellor.

'Could you wait a moment, please?'

　And he firmly recommends the sofa. I'm telling you to get involved because you're the one who shouldn't.

　It's a very good idea to be able to have a good time with your friends.
　It's a very good idea to be able to have a good idea of what you're looking for. As expected, no one raised their voice, but they didn't seem to think that Loki, who was ranked second in the school, was with them.

　The tension in the air was broken up by the man leading the way, and the argument resumed.

　Of course, Ars and Loki were silent.
　The glancing gaze of the rest of the students who were waiting behind the man in the lead turned to Loki.

'Chancellor, I would like you to send us to reinforcements. I'm sure the chancellor is also concerned about the fact that we can get through the class without suffering any casualties.
As I've said before, we can't do that now.

　One of the four men who are standing back to cover you opens his mouth.

'Chancellor, this is nothing but the five of us. A number of voices have been raised within the second and third years. They say it's too much for a freshman who has just come in.
Any supervisor would have been fine with that.

　They may have a point in light of their comparative advantage.
　That is to say, they could do a better job if they act as a backup than if they were stuck with one group.
　But their argument is a proposal that undermines the significance of the extra-curricular activities.

'This is a decision,'

　It was impregnated with anger. It was only a stronger tone, but it was powerful enough to make these students flinch a step. They fell to the sword as if to say that they were tired of dealing with children.

　........but they still bite down without learning a lesson.
　His gaze turned to the two people sitting down on the sofa.

''Loki-san. You're a first-year student too, I'd like you to say a few words.

　I was surprised that they knew Loki, but that might be inevitable in this academy as the rankings were just the rankings.　
　The evidence of this was a polite way to speak to the first year students.

　The silver-haired girl next to her asks Ars with her eyes.
　She gave him a disgusted look, asking him to end it appropriately.

　Loki stands up with his eyes down.

'I understand. It's true that this might be too much for a first year. But I'm sure the chancellor has already taken care of this matter. Still, I understand your point, so please tell me your track record first.
What?

　It's an outlandish and sudden question, but it's a natural confirmation. You say you can do good work, so you can't persuade them without confirming the evidence.
　It's just a word to mollify.
　That's why Loki asked not for rankings (...) but for achievements (..). Of course, no matter what the track record is, it shouldn't be better than Loki's, and the results will be what you want them to be.

'No, we're all among the top of the school...'

　Loki interrupted midway through, as if he was dumbfounded. That was enough.
　It's no wonder they don't have a track record to begin with. Knowing that, he didn't need to hear the end of it.

''That's no way to talk about it. How can you assert that you can do good work without actual battle experience..........................You say a funny thing.
d*mn it...!

　They are taking up Ars's time just by trudging through things they can't justify. He did not choose to go around such a person.
　They were not supposed to be reflecting anything in Loki's eyes. But to the men, it must have seemed like a mockery.

'Please leave,'

　Even your eyes urge you to leave.

You'll regret it.

　The man turned to the chancellor again, but.

...

　The chancellor also motioned with his hand for them to leave.

'No matter what you guys say, it won't be overturned.

　With that, and a final hateful look on their faces, the men say, "Excuse me, sir," and leave.
　Ars doesn't miss the insane smile on his face as he closes the door.


'Huh~'

　This sigh is an overflow of the chancellor.
　The sight of him down at his desk, fully showing his exhaustion - some would say weakness.

　It wasn't the result Ars had intended, but it did result in him being escorted out of the room, so he put his hand on Loki's head and praised him for it.


'What about them?'
Second and third years.

　I don't want to hear that. I appeal to him with my gaze to hurry up.

I understand that you want to go around for reinforcements, but why?
Not a career?　Defeating a demon will raise your rankings by no small amount, so your rankings will be affected even if you're in military service.
Is that the way it works?

　It was difficult for Ars and Loki to understand.

'It's not like we have any reinforcements to hit the ground running, sir.
I don't know how they interpreted it, but they saw it differently.

　A troublesome thing passed through Ars's thoughts.

'All those students from earlier came from a house of their own.
I see.

　Common to what is called a noble, famous or old family.
　Rank.

　It may be that they are destined to show a ranking that is not shameful to the family name.
　At the same time, the irreverent manner in which he asked his business from above just now made sense.

　It's a good thing that you're not going to have to worry about the fact that you're not going to be able to get your hands on the same thing.
　In any case, it was too late now.

　It's a good thing that you've already passed the revised plan to the top, so even if you're not to blame for the degree of reassignment, you're not to blame. If something goes wrong, it will be treated as a disadvantageous material.
　In the first place, the idea of sending them to reinforce the team has already been discussed.
　Loki's burden is still practically unacceptable.
　Loki would have to allocate reinforcements to nearly eighty groups, taking into account the relationship of forces.

　It's much easier to adjust the number of reinforcements that will be sent to them.
　It's no use thinking about it, and Ars switched to the main issue.

''I'll start on it early tomorrow morning.
Yes, please.

　It would be preaching to the Buddha to point out that their numbers will be reduced by the end of the day.

　The demon's behavior is more active at night. The principle of their behavior is still unknown.
　However, when demons become nighttime, the demon's unique magic power wavelength changes remarkably.
　It is known that demons call out to demons, and it is said that if you find a demon, there are several times as many of them as there are demons because of this unique characteristic.

　It is at night that its effects are truly manifested.
　There is no increase in its ferocity. It's already more ferocious than ever.
　Instead, a large number of demons will come in, and they will come out of nowhere.

　The demons gather even with the blood of their own people. It is said that this is also caused by magic power, but it is not certain.
　That's why if Ars goes out to defeat the demons from the day before, the next morning the demons might be swarming.

''It's fine that the equipment will be brought in over there, right?
It's already in place. We just need to get it in in the morning.
I understand.

　The details have been checked, and finally--

'Where's my battle suit?'
Of course I have.

　It must have been placed at his feet. I put the case on the desk with a lot of momentum.
　It's so tightly packed that I wonder if it's not too tightly packed to hold clothes.

Doh!

　I flipped it open as if to tell him to open it.
　I unfasten the simple clasp and put my hand on it fearfully. You might be wondering if this chancellor is being set up for a surprise.
　In the end, though, it's an unfounded fear.

''..........''

　When he turned to look, Ars was troubled by the reaction.
　The moment he opened it, the impression he got was eerie. Since the one who asked for it was Ars himself, it would be unbecoming to complain, but at least a word would be allowed.

''It's in bad taste, isn't it?''
....!

　Loki's eyes lit up as he stood taller and peeked out from behind, in contrast to Ars, whose cheeks were twitching.

'I doubt it,'　

　Eh!　The chancellor must have really thought it was the best thing to do, as it was a surprise to him.
　Inside, a black cloth was laid out and a dull white mask rested eerily on top of it.
　He picked it up and briefly checked the strength of the mask as he knocked on it with a conk.
　It was not a magical material. The simple strength is guaranteed, as it is made of a material that is also used in protective shields and is also used in the military.

　A slapdash mask. You can't see any emotion there. It's not an emotionless expression like Loki's, but a hardened mold that seems to have chipped away at the concept of expression.
　There are holes in the eyes, nose, and mouth to the extent that they are not obstructed.

'Thank you,'

　Ars's request was a disguise to avoid being found out.
　In that sense, it was sufficiently accomplished, that was the thanks.

　He handed the mask to Loki and unfolded the cloth that would be placed under it.
　The construction was simple, a robe that reached below the knee.
　This is something that both Ars and Loki have used before, something issued by the military.
　Even so, there are few magicians who wear them. It's a top-notch product that is woven into reinforced materials with anti-magic fibers, but frankly speaking, it's hard to move.
　It's not a big deal if you have a certain amount of body movement, but it's something that ordinary wizards have a hard time with and avoid.

　That's why they are worn by either curious or skilled wizards.
　Both Arus and Loki were rather fond of wearing them.
　In Loki's case, though, it's because Ars was wearing it.

''We've finished checking for tomorrow, and we've received what we're going to receive, so we'll take our leave.
Yes, sir. I can't go tomorrow, but I'll look after you.

　The chancellor waved his hand in front of his face as if he wasn't worried about anything, and the chancellor's face was already clear as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders.
　It was all I could do to suppress the urge to check if Ars understood.

(It's impossible for me and Loki to do any damage at all.)

　That included giving the students experience.
　Ars really didn't want to be expected to do too much.


　♢ ♢ ♢


　When I returned to my room, not much time had passed. In fact, I was in the Chancellor's office for less than an hour.

　This time a few of the teachers had been assigned a role at headquarters for surveillance. Of course, the fact that Loki is the holder of the position has been announced to the teachers as well. That's why no one has any objection to it. Furthermore, the three digit ranking is also effective enough to keep the teachers silent.

　The teachers' main function was to monitor.
　Detecting outside of Loki's range of one kilometer. Since the military has temporarily granted us access to it, we can keep track of the resident detection magic from here as well.　

　This one is only an insurance policy, but mainly the resident detection magic is responsible for detecting high rates - just in case. Of course, we also have to wait for signal bullets with detection chips implanted in them to keep track of the students' movements.
　The detection of low-rate demons had to be ignored for reasons of configuration. The lack of improvement is also due to the fact that low-rate demons don't get close to the protective barrier that emanates from the Tower of Babel.


　That night, Ars and Loki went to bed early to prepare for tomorrow.
　They went to bed a little early.
　A peaceful life, no different from the usual.
　With their eyelids closed, they know that tomorrow's extracurricular activities are just another form of the same calmness. Apart from not being able to do research, the concerns would not be worth destroying the peace. From Ars's point of view, all the events that hindered him were just a little spice.
　No matter how much he might regret it later.


　Most students would have been so anxious that they would have refused to even sleep that night.
　That was no exception, even for the two of them who were assigned to a room that was large for a dormitory student.

　The silence in the room was not intended.

'We'll do our best tomorrow,'

　It didn't take Alice, who was listening on the bed, to know that it was a strength.

　Tesfia and Alice were exchanging fading looks on the two beds side by side.

'Tesfia too. You have to make sure you defeat them one by one. If there's more than one, we'll have to disperse and temporarily withdraw.
I know. You be careful, Alice.

　Even in the fading light, the two of them loosened their cheeks and smiled bitterly.
　Alice's concern was also because she was worried about the grouping of the Tesfia.

　Because they are divided by rankings, many members of Tesfia are lower in the same grade.
　The same could be said for Alice herself, but not as much as Tesfia. That's because the supervisor's senior students were four-digit wizards and there was no difference in ranking with Alice.
　Tesfia also had an equally ranked senior student attached to the supervisor, but this one didn't have a good reputation on campus either.
　Cubsol Dembel third year looked down on the underclassmen intimidatingly, as if he was proud of being an aristocrat.
　The fact that her ranking was slightly higher than Tesfia's made it hard for her to get her opinion across as well.

''As soon as you beat Alice too, you must leave the place.

　I include it as a review of the habit of attracting demons by blood.

'Yes.'

　He took the kindness in stride and opened his mouth, confident that Alice's concerns would be unfounded.

''Don't worry. If anything happens, Al said he'll be able to help you.
"....!　You don't need his help. You have to learn to pull through on your own.

　It was strong, but still, it wasn't the same voice sound that exuded anxiety as before.
　It was the usual light joke, but it didn't wipe out Alice's anxiety.　

''That's right. We've trained for this moment too, you know.''
It's a piece of cake.

　Even though she knew it was a joke, Alice let out a laugh.
　Tesfia broke a face as she was caught in the next one.

　There's no insult, I'm not going to get high because it's part of the class.
　It would be a lie to say that I have no fear. Still, the fact that they were trained by the strongest magician wrapped their minds in a veil and prevented them from encroaching from the fear of the unknown.