That's a lot to ask.

　I couldn't help but let go of the admiration. A large training ground greeted them in front of Ars and Loki's eyes.
　At a cursory glance, there are about thirty students working on the training.
　There are countless AWRs gathered from all over the country sitting at the entrance, and even equipment deployed by the military was placed there.
　Not only that, there was a section with obstacles, a section with an assumed waterfront, and a section shrouded in fog so thick that it obstructed the view, as if aware of the actual battle. It's clear from the fire that all of this is designed for real battles in the outside world.

''It's a scene that would never happen at the Second Academy of Magic. Even so, when it comes to investing in equipment to this extent,''

　The awkwardly deflating words behind Loki's overwhelming words.

'Hahaha, it was mostly a matter of funding for the training grounds, but it's true that the military mages have gone up a notch since last year because of that.
That's why you got a call before the tournament to tell Bellick you were ready this year. That's what's sparked the rivalry for the year.

　Jean avoided the pursuit with a naturally created smirk.
　Just a little puzzling, even if he wanted to show this spectacle, Loki noticed.

'But then again, aren't you in class now?
''Since we're here, I wanted to have the heretic from the Second Academy of Magic, who is also rumored to be in our house, unravel my hand.
Hey Jean....

　Jean returned Ars's cold eyes with an apologetic expression, and with a bewitching smile, Jean's eyes contained a strong longing in them.

'I don't expect to get a hang of this, but will you please ask me, Ars? I'd like to let that guy chase my back a bit more.'

　Ars knew what his hanging together was referring to. He had thanked Ars incessantly for the fact that Jean's men hadn't died during the past joint operations, and it was only because of Ars that he had been able to keep them from dying. Of course, Ars had no intention of doing so, and he did not intend to owe it to them.

　But that doesn't mean he doesn't owe me. I'm going to make a debt of it now.
　I had asked Jean about that in my communication to him when I visited Rusalka. I haven't received a colourful reply yet.
　Of course, I've also told him that his life depends on it.
　First of all, I confirmed the terms and conditions that were cited.

'What if I say I'll take it?'
Of course I was going to do it from the beginning.

　In other words, that's what he didn't answer it immediately for at this time.

'You'd make a great educator, Jean.
I don't know, it's just so frustrating that I can only do so much.

　Loki realizes anecdotally who Jean is referring to. It's the first time they've met again since the Seven Nations Friendly Magic Tournament.
　All the matches were interrupted and the students gathered in the training grounds rushed to line up with Jean.

'Long time no see, Jean-sama, and also Ars-sama and Loki-san.

　The first to perform a condescending bow was Filiric Argane, Jean's favorite disciple. He may have finished a light warm-up, but his exuberant body was heating up.
　His reddish hair, bounced at the tips of his hair, gave him a clean look. The thorn-covered gaze of before had completely died down.
　Following him, all the students bowed their heads towards Jean.

　If Ars's memory was correct, all the faces of the Seven Nations Friendly Magic Tournament were included. He had probably gathered them with that intention from the beginning.

　Ars lightly raised his arm against Phililic. He belatedly realized his intentions and looked at Jean once, then lowered his eyes and apologized.
　'It's not a good idea to dress up in this place, that's all I'm saying.

'I'm sorry to have you all gathered so suddenly. I've asked Chancellor Corsair to excuse your absence from the lecture, so feel free to brush up on your skills.

　At those strange words, one woman stepped forward with a raised hand on behalf of the students.

''Then I suppose it's not Master Jean's guidance?''
'You will. I'll be your guide today.

　The schoolgirl's hair, with its unusual jade-colored hair color, tickled her skin as it swung around her collarbone. From the front, she wore her momiage tufts of hair tied in two with a ribbon. The slit eyes would look disapproving no matter how he looked at them. Hence the impression of cleverness.
　The two short spears held in one hand have a red cord hanging from the base of the blade and the neck of the kera.

　You will find that you will be able to get a lot more than just a few minutes of your time.

''Kalia, this should be a good inspiration for you.

　Ars suddenly felt a sense of recognition (...) in the name Kalia. That name, those letters, remained in his memory. And it wasn't that difficult to recall. She had been the leader of the Rusalka in the Seven Nations Friendship Magic Tournament.
　She had won the third year division, although she hadn't been mentioned due to the fast-paced success of Ars and the other first years.

　The reason they hadn't put her on the checklist at the Second Magic Academy was because Kalia was a third year, and there were no third year students at the Second Magic Academy who could compete with her in a decent way.

''Lady Jean, I live an exciting life with my students on a daily basis. I never feel bored.
Yeah, I know. I'm sorry to say.

　Kalia states matter-of-factly, but the only people who don't notice her here are outsiders, Ars and Loki. The only person with the ability to compare to her is Philiric, and that's not always the case either.

　Kalia is not as emotionless as she appears to be. On the contrary, she was more sensitive on the inside than most people. Even more so, she was uncomfortable asking a lower-grade student to be her training partner.
　She was always wavering underneath her expressionless face, wondering what she should look like if she lost, and what she should teach everyone. She herself is aware of her petty pride. But when it comes to her peers, the skills she's built up so far feel hollow.
　The only thing holding her back is the 772nd position she's finally reached. In the end, it's not a matter of skill, because he has a teacher named Jean, who is out in the world.

　That's why when Kalia always asked Fillilic to be her opponent in a match, she always cut him off before the end. She knew it was like that of a coward, but she couldn't just throw it all away.
　But Kalia is aware of what kind of consequences that would have. It's not going to improve the rankings so much. No matter how many times you practice magic over and over again, no matter how much it's simulated, it's still no better than a real battle. Karia has lost 100 places in the rankings since Phililic entered the school.

　She was in great distress, unknown to others. However, the students who wanted to become mages were aware of it, albeit thinly. That she didn't have a partner she was always mentoring the younger students.

　Jean noticed this as well. In Jean's mind, she had no intention of taking an apprentice, and Philiric was only teaching her when she had time to spare. Jean sees it as a responsibility - it's his responsibility to guide him.

　If a single mage looks out for a particular person, he'll have a corner on them, and Kalia is from a prestigious family, for better or worse. There were other reasons why he couldn't guide her personally, but he only visited the academy a few times a year in the first place. Although he unraveled each time, Jean couldn't take away her distress.
　A magician like Jean, who was already recognized by those around him, couldn't really change her.

　That's why Jean wanted Ars to deal with Kalia along with Phililic.
　It would be a chance for something to change, he thought.


'I asked Ars to mentor you guys today because I'm here today... I know what you mean, but I think highly of him and...'

　Jean didn't change his face when he saw the expressions on the students' faces.
　For those who knew about Ars's ranking, this was the best luck, but for those who didn't know, even though Ars and his unknown abilities were unknown to them, it wasn't impressive in terms of his abandonment from the tournament.

　Kalia turned her sharp eyes to Ars, saying, "I don't mind, but as expected.......
　The point was that she didn't think the students who participated in the tournament would be able to inspire her. Kalia was a rival to Felinella Socarent, at least in terms of being on par with her.

　That's why she felt even more insulted.
　If it was Loki Rabehel, who was still next to her, I think, but she would still be pulling back due to the large age difference that was uncovered during the investigation.

　The best way to do this is to have a good idea of what to expect.

　It's a good thing that you're not going to have to worry about it.

It's okay. You won't be able to do anything with yourselves.
"...and so on!
'I understand. If it's what Master Jang ordered, we'll be happy to join you.

(That's not what I was instructed to do.)

　Jean scratched his cheeks and chuckled.


　Kalia found herself in an ever-increasing mood. There was only so far that Lusarka could see Jean Rumbles like this.
　It should have been an inwardly festive occasion, but it would mean that she had selfishly set faint expectations for his personal guidance. How selfish, Kalia reflected with a sense of self-importance.

　Nevertheless, she was suddenly a little concerned about the person called Ars, who would make a single mage say so much.
　So Kalia--.

''Jean-sama, of course you can do your best, right?
Of course.

　A big smile came back on her face, and Kalia nodded without saying anything else.

'Well, time's pressing, let's get on with the preparations, let's get all the compartments free... let's see, do you want to deal with each and every one of the Als?'

　Jean asked gruffly at a volume that everyone could hear. As if to provoke them.

'I told you that you're pushing yourself for time now. We're all fine.'
What!

　This voice came from Kalia. They all expressed the same astonishment, but they were off-topic at the sound of her voice, which would be difficult to hear from her normally. Rather than Ars's outrageous statement, they were more surprised by Kalia's voice.

'The stage will be as normal ......and keep the replacement level at maximum. Let me know when you're all ready.

　Maximizing the mental substitution of damage means a high level of danger. That's why the opponent you were underestimating quickly turned into a wary enemy.

'Yes, Ars, I think I said ours is state of the art equipment, but the maximum conversion rate here is a bit special. Well, think of it as twice the maximum conversion rate commonly used in the military.
I see. You're going to make me do that.
Just in case.

　In the Second Wizarding Academy, top level magic could not be converted at first. That's why I couldn't use it, and I couldn't put in comparable magic power, but here it seems to be easily converted to the highest level.
　But that's not necessarily a good thing. It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for.
　It's a good thing that you can't mitigate the impact, but if you can withstand a direct hit of magic, you can recover immediately.

'That's fine, but what about AWR?　I don't have it now.
Of course you don't have to worry. I've arranged for your luggage to arrive here.
..........

　Ars scrutinized silently. He didn't think he could get away with it now, but good handedness and privacy were two separate issues. It's a matter of privacy and being handy.

The best way to do this is to have a look at it," he said, "don't look at it that way, I've been treated with the utmost respect, and of course no one would be stupid enough to open it.

　Ars flushed Jean's drawn-out excuses with a sigh.
　In the meantime, each section of the training grounds was being stored in the walls. The training ground, which was lowered a few steps, turned into plain terrain with no obstacles.

　Unpacking the luggage that had already arrived, Ars took out a jet-black AWR from inside and put a belt around his waist.

　The students, who had been watching the scene from afar, revealed their displeasure at the language used against Jean, the pride of Lusarka's single wizard, but instantly cleared their throats.
　All of the students here possessed their own AWR, and none of them could take their gaze off the creepy AWR that Ars possessed. The AWR was not pulled out until the end of the tournament.

　Inside the double-deployed barrier are thirty students and Ars, with Jean and Loki on the outside.
　In contrast to the students who were ready for battle, Ars began to do some light preparatory exercises to untie his body.


'You're not going to join in?

　Jean asked the girl standing next to him without a care in the world. For his part, he didn't mind joining in at all. It's so much more than that that I thought he would join in.

'No, I'm dressed like this, so I'll excuse myself.

　Jean glanced sideways at the sound of the pale voice.
　Because he could guess what Loki was trying to say.

'I'm sorry...'
No, it's not Master Jean's fault.

　Jean couldn't laugh back well at the full-on fake smile. He felt inwardly that he had done something wrong.
　Loki's clothes are exactly the kind of pretty clothes you would wear on a date in the city. His neatly combed silver hair has a hair clip. A white graph-checked blouse, a short jacket with a brooch, short shorts and high heeled short boots. It was hard to run and get into Rusalka because she was dressed like this.

　Jean couldn't look directly at him. His expression quickly changed to a blank expression, which spurred him on and scared him.

　The awkward atmosphere of stagnation was lifted when everything was ready to go.
　Somehow, Jean understood the relationship between Ars and Loki, and he was now going to focus all his attention on getting the ball rolling.