He placed his hand on his head once, probably to check again what he had done. He stared at Ars with a bright red face.

　It's a good idea to be able to have a good time with them.

''Hey, hey ... don't get carried away, right?
That's what you said.

　I'm going to be able to hold out the righteous argument and silence them.

　As expected, when the top three high-achieving students meet together, it's inevitable that students will gather out of nowhere. It's a good idea to be able to have a good time with them.
　It's a good idea to get away from this place first and foremost, Ars started to walk away.

　Of course, I had intended to leave them behind, but it's a tricky thing because they arrive without saying a word.

　As for Alice, she was hoping that her turn was not yet~, but that expectation never came to fruition.

　It was around the time she managed to leave the school building.

''When are you going home?''
Stop it. You're just going to make me leave.

　As Ars, he meant to say that, but if he revealed it, it would be another wrinkle.

'I don't mind when you do, but you should continue your training.
I know.

　Alice's words, which were meant to be a helper, would resolve Ars's question.

'I believe it was a week from tomorrow, right?
'Yeah. That's the plan but we'll see what happens...

　She looked in the direction of the day after tomorrow and vented, suggesting that her plans could be disrupted.

'Well, Fia's mother is very strict,'
Huh.

　As Tesfia spat out her melancholy, Ars thought again that he was a guy with a lot of ups and downs in his expression.

'Does Alice know about this?'
Yeah. I've visited you a few times.

　It must have reminded her of something, because Alice's face twitched.

'I'm sorry about that.'

　It was probably because the sudden apology was an apology to Tesfia.

'No, it was good for me, and it helped.

　Ars was taken for a ride without a care in the world, as if the meaningful words had invited him to do so.

'What happened?'

　Loki, who had been walking by Ars's side, eyes downcast and unaware, opened only one eye and waited for her to speak.

'I was supposed to go out to play, but Tesfia's mother shooed me away.

　The bitter smile was the best he could muster.
　It was a sloppy explanation that left out details, but Ars and Loki, who would have been listening in, immediately recognized it.

　It's not that they were offended or anything, but that they were both gifted with the professorship.

'That's a rugged mother,'

　It's not sarcasm, it's honest admiration.

'My mom was an advisor when she was on active duty. I hear she's still involved in it after she retired (...).

　Ars didn't miss a beat, that is, he was an ex-military man. For being a nobleman, he must have held a considerable position.

''Oh, so you're going to go home and get shagged, then.
Uh.....

　He made a face that was half happy and half anxious because of his good performance.
　This was probably because the word "shirking" triggered a reminder. Tesfia herself doesn't really mind being coached. It's not hard to do, as it has been a part of his daily routine since he was a child.

　It's a good enough compliment to get a good grade. The actual praise is unlikely, but it shouldn't be a terrible result that will make you angry... but when you return home, your magical skills are always tested. That's the only thing that makes me feel depressed.

(I'm sure they'll be pissed at me.)

　No matter how much he improved, he would never be able to convince his mother. Even when he mastered the 《Icicle Sword》, he was told that it was only natural to be able to do it.
　Tesfia gave up on the inevitable by letting out a second sigh.

''I have to pack for tomorrow today, so go ahead and start.

　With that, one of them runs off to the dormitory and takes off at a run.

''Yeah. I'll see you later.

　Alice waved at Tesfia, who was never nimble in her steps, and she looked somewhat envious.

Ars's muttering to herself, "Get ready ahead of time," ended up being a soliloquy.




　The time wasn't even noon yet, as the day ended with just picking up the transcripts.
　Naturally, having headed out empty-handed, Alice had come straight to the lab.

　The training would begin after Tesfia arrived, and Alice would be the specimen.
　Once she was dressed in a single thin piece of cloth for testing, she would be examined with the latest equipment provided by the military.

　When the last blood sample was taken, it happened.

'Well, wait...'

　He suddenly blocked her with his hand.
　I thought he was afraid of the needle, but Alice's expression had turned unusually blue.

'Are you okay?'
I'm sorry I'm just a little scared.

　It's not at that level. It's enough to make you feel like you're going to faint at any moment.

　However, Ars also can't proceed without a blood sample when conducting research.
　Normally it would be more reliable to collect the bone marrow, but it is not possible to do anything that large. Above all, modern magical research has developed equipment that can analyze information for which blood alone is sufficient. That's why blood is indispensable, though.


'Is it the pain?'
No.....

　Alice shakes her head and denies it.
　The needle causes fear. Or the fear is in the needle itself.

"What to do is to stop.

　Of course, if he doesn't want to, even Ars won't force him to do so.
　But--

No, no, no.

　Even so, he looks like he might faint.

'Loki, keep your hands over your eyes.
I understand.
Huh?
'It's better not to look. It's easier to have someone hold you down than to keep your eyes down yourself.

　Nevertheless, the magic power is flowing firmly from Loki's hands. It's just clothed in it. If you flow this to Alice, the different colored magic power will repel each other.
　However, if it's just a hand that's just covered, it's only somewhat warm.
　If you ask me if there is any meaning to it, there probably isn't much. At least it has no medical effect.

'--I'm done.
Eh!

　By the time Loki's hand hid Alice's eyes, the needle had already been stuck in them.

　And so by the time it was noon, they were waiting for analysis.

'In the meantime, we've got what we need, so the rest is up to us.

　They're at the table, and Loki is preparing lunch.
　Alice has also bought out, but she has her sit down to explain.

''This information is extracted from magic, but since this is just a series of symbols, rest assured that no personal information will be revealed from it.
Yes.

　This was explained so as not to cause any ethical problems for the research.

Those data will be kept in strict confidence, and we will only study those data that are useful for the target light system magic. The moment we see that the goal has been achieved, we will erase all data. If you want to quit, I promise to erase all data, including research data, on the spot.
..........

　Alice's mouth remains open and open to Ars, who explains in a torrential fashion.

'What's wrong?　If you're okay with that, sign this.
Okay, but that's quite an exaggeration.
What are you talking about, it's a natural duty.

　Alice smiled as if she was more impressed than relieved.

　Important surgeries and other operations in medicine have become highly certain due to the development of magic. Even so, without the patient's consent, their significance would be lost. It's a legal regulation that has become more developed as magical research has evolved over the years. The same can be said for research, as there are cases where research that requires subjects is illegal without their consent. There are severe penalties for leaking personal information.

　This is not for the sake of failure. It's a consent to do the research. Of course, you have a duty to report the entire research process to them.

　The extent to which they are faithfully followed varies from researcher to researcher, but the line against professional ethics must be drawn.
　As far as Ars is concerned, it could be said that it was thorough.



　Around the time lunch was brought in, Tesfia joined in and brazenly tucked into Loki's home-cooked meal, and then cut to the afternoon training.


'Have you finished your preparations for tomorrow?'
Yes, but I don't have much to take with me, do I?

　Training that continues daily. The two of them began to get the hang of the technique of stifling magic power, and they continued to dissipate their magic power. Even so, they are taking breaks in between to consume magic power.

　Naturally, Loki is training as well as the two of you. It's a very good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for, but it's not a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for, because it's a different kind of training than the other two.

　Normally, Loki works hard to take care of Ars, but this time, since research is only research, he can't let Loki see it easily.

　It's a good thing that you've got a good idea of what you're looking for.

Loki, take a break.

　When the time is right, Ars commands (...) so.
　It's because if you give him the room to choose, "Why don't you take a break?" here, he will definitely continue. As long as he can see the impatience in his own mind, it's not a meaningful training session.

Yes.

　With that, Ars turns the LCD screen back to the display and takes a break as well.
　He knows that Loki's break will be taken care of, like making tea.
　So he orders a cup of tea and exhales after carrying enough cups for a few people.
　Tesfia and Alice are relieved.
　Ars also thanks them and sips. Loki, who confirmed this, followed suit.

　Analysis data filled the screen as I checked out of the corner of my eye to see them reach the table apart.

　With a cup of tea in hand, he scrolled through the string of letters. Going back and forth.

(Probably due to the information built into my genes. (Is this why the light lineage is called congenital?)

　This is confirmation, as it has already been suggested by previous research that the genetic sequence is generated by the process of inheriting and mixing the parent's DNA.
　But there is no unity and it is not known how to trigger the light lineage.
　The lack of research on this subject makes it unreliable.

　The next step is to analyze the magic power from the blood. To begin with, magical power is generated by what is contained in the blood, which is called a magical sphere. It is the heart that supplies the magic ball, and the irony is that it is the same principle as the demon nucleus, which is called the heart of a demon. This is why magic is ridiculed by some as being evil.

(Shall we first find out the reason why Alice's magic power reacted in an unsystematic way?


　♢♢ ♢


　That night, midnight to be exact.
　They had already gone home, and Loki had trained and waited for me until I was halfway through the day, but I let him go to bed first around the time I started to get out of bed.

　A string of letters was shown on the screen, switching from one to the next.
　Ars, who was looking at the screen, kept moving his eyes only busily from side to side.

''----!

　Arus, who was taken aback by the unnaturalness of the situation, rather than a sentence of concern, tapped the virtual keyboard and rewound the screen that had passed.

(What's this....)

　All the information contained within the magic is symbolic. That's why I knew right away. A few filled out lines that couldn't be represented by blanks and symbols.

　Ars immediately searched for the cause of the problem.
　Internal information that called up and scanned Alice's physical information.
　I looked at those analysis values as well.

　It took me until the early hours of the morning just to do that, but I can say it was worth it.

'I see.'

　As a result, I found out what caused Alice's magic power to react to the unsystematic magical formula.
　The resolution of the question was supposed to be refreshing. However, the bitterness only piled up in Ars.

　The results of the analysis were speculation, but the strings spoke for themselves - they supported it.

(Depressing, I know.)

　The sleepiness left Ars's lone head and he gave up on sleeping today.
　Even though he knew it was not a good idea to pry, it was only the matters that needed to be checked that gave him a headache.

　It was not long after five o'clock when Loki woke up.

'Good morning,'
Good morning.

　I'm impressed that he's up so early.
　Loki rubs his eyes. With a scrutinized gaze I can't tell if it's from sleep.

'You're not sleeping?!
Yeah.

　I'm sure he sounded dumbfounded.

'No. You must go to bed at once. I'll take over for you today.
No, I don't think I'm gonna be able to sleep tonight.
...Okay. Then coffee would be nice.
Sorry.

　Ars stops once, too, and reaches the table, plucking at his brow. He has a slight headache, but it's probably trivial.

　The warm sunshine was peeking out of the window opened by Loki, as usual. A cool breeze brought a fresh, flowery scent, but it didn't make me feel great.