Chapter 242 : The Trap Closes
Chapter 242: The Trap Closes
The day before the official match.
MacGrim stopped by the Upgraded Livestock Shed and sat across from the Manager.
"The house is pretty impressive... but is it comfortable living here?"
"Thanks to Young Master Villed, I've been living very comfortably."
"You're calling Senior 'Young Master' now, even when it's just the two of us?"
At MacGrim's teasing question, the Manager merely smiled silently.
"...Do you really like Senior that much?"
"Yes. While I'm at it, perhaps I should quit being Miss MacGrim's Manager and become Young Master's personal butler instead."
"Whaaat? Absolutely not! Where do you think you're going, leaving me all by myself!"
"I'm joking."
As the Manager laughed aloud, MacGrim puffed out her cheeks in a sulk.
"...I can tell."
During that time, the Manager had sparred with Villed and spoken with him many times.
Thanks to that, he had come to understand the man's true character to some extent.
Smiling, the Manager spoke.
"He wasn't the vicious man the rumors made him out to be."
"The rumors? Yeah, I've heard them so many times I'm sick of them."
The story that Villed had been the so-called devil of the Academy last year.
They said he'd caused countless incidents, enough to leave behind a mountain of witnesses and victims.
"Even if they're exaggerated a little, they aren't entirely false. Though it seems he's turned over a new leaf now."
Shrugging as if she wasn't particularly interested, MacGrim changed the subject.
"Whatever happened in the past, the real issue is tomorrow's training. I don't think Senior Villed is going to come out of it unscathed."
"You mean the Mock War?"
"Yeah. This time, all the first-years and the second-year Schulers are mixed together. Everyone's obsessed with earning points."
"That would be expected. But what does that have to do with Young Master Villed?"
"Of course it has something to do with him! From our perspective, we need prey that's easy to score points from."
MacGrim continued as though recalling something.
"I've been hearing people talk. Since Senior Villed looks like the weakest among the second-years, everyone agreed they'd focus on hunting him the moment the match starts."
The Manager let out an involuntary chuckle, as though he'd just heard an utterly ridiculous joke.
He lightly shook his head before speaking firmly.
"What a nonsensical story. Young Master belongs among the strong."
"...He's strong?"
MacGrim's eyes widened.
"But his public evaluation is rock bottom, and I heard his Magical Energy evaluation is low too. Is he really that strong?"
"Yes. I guarantee it."
MacGrim could tell instinctively.
The Manager wasn't simply being polite.
Nor was he so blinded by admiration that he'd spout nonsense.
He was speaking nothing but the truth.
Because...
Though he tried hard to hide it, MacGrim had long since realized that the Manager himself was an incredibly powerful person.
"Young Master is stronger than anyone else."
And that very Manager sincerely acknowledged Senior Villed.
...And now.
About twenty minutes after the Mock War had begun.
[We found Villed! I've marked the coordinates, so anyone who's chasing him, hurry over!]
Right then, Hesty and MacGrim received the same message, along with Villed's coordinates.
The freckled girl, Hesty, asked anxiously,
"It looks like Senior's already been found. What are you going to do, MacGrim...?"
In response, MacGrim calmly shook her head.
Even if they rushed straight to those coordinates now, hundreds of people would already be heading there.
There was no point.
"Hesty. Let's do what we can do. The thing only we can do."
"O-Okay!"
Hesty and MacGrim walked side by side through the forest.
Meanwhile, Philip and Elza also received the same news.
"Philip, are you going after Villed too?"
"Of course, Elza."
Philip tightened his shoelaces.
"If I make an impressive showing in this Mock Battle, I might receive an offer to become a Schuler."
His eyes seemed to burn with determination as he continued,
"If I become a Schuler, I'll receive intensive guidance under a professor. Naturally, that'll also open up opportunities to enter an upper department. And besides..."
"And besides?"
Since Elza had already become a Schuler candidate, Philip also had to become a Schuler.
He wanted to stand beside her as an equal.
He couldn't bring himself to voice those feelings aloud.
"...It's nothing. Anyway, let's hurry after Villed. If we hesitate, another classmate might beat us to him."
"..."
Elza quietly stared at Philip.
Ever since that day, Philip had changed.
He had chosen the 'Masked Senior' as his role model and found a clear goal.
But...
'...Philip. The senior you admire so much... is him.'
Elza knew.
The senior Philip admired more than anyone else was actually Villed.
She had secretly watched Villed's performance inside the dungeon.
His abilities were worthy of the title of Schuler...
No, they far exceeded it.
And on top of that...
'To think he was Professor Hilda's Schuler.'
Professor Hilda Annevrie had only recently joined the Academy as a Newly Appointed Professor, but her achievements and popularity had already soared through the roof.
If he was a Schuler personally favored by her, then he was undoubtedly an exceptionally promising talent.
Perhaps even the strength Elza had witnessed that day was merely the tip of the iceberg.
Philip's talent was certainly outstanding.
But he was still nowhere near capable of catching up to Villed.
Not even the other first-years, nor even Elza herself—a Schuler candidate—would dare compare themselves to him.
Rumors claiming he'd bought his Schuler position and his place in an upper department with bribes had already spread everywhere.
But Elza didn't believe a single word of them.
With the level of ability she'd witnessed herself, he could have claimed a Schuler position through his own skill alone.
'There's no way Villed himself doesn't know about these terrible rumors. So why doesn't he deny them?'
Because he'd remained silent, the false rumors had gradually become accepted as fact.
Elza could reveal Villed's true abilities herself.
But there was no reason to.
Besides, she still hadn't figured out why Villed deliberately hid his strength.
If she acted recklessly now, she might never learn the reason.
...In the first place, even if she did speak up, nobody would believe her.
They'd only call her a liar.
Who would believe that Villed—the scum everyone despised—was actually incredibly powerful?
"What are you going to do, Elza?"
"I..."
She was worried about Philip, who was charging ahead full of enthusiasm without knowing anything.
Perhaps she should follow him for now.
"I'll go after Villed too."
"I knew it! Let's hurry. Ah, then I guess we're rivals now!"
Philip clenched his fist, his fighting spirit blazing.
I'd been running for about ten minutes.
I glanced back.
A massive crowd charging after me while kicking up clouds of dust filled my vision.
"Stop right there, Senior Villed!"
"He seriously knows how to run! They said he couldn't even use magic properly, so why the hell is he so fast?!"
'...They're gathering at a frightening pace.'
I was desperately fleeing while keeping Shark's Darkness attached solely to my shoes.
A faint black aura shimmered beneath my feet, making each step feel lighter.
Just then, I sensed someone ahead.
"Got you...!"
Two students who had been lying in wait suddenly jumped out.
They had predicted my escape route and launched what they thought was a surprise attack.
Flames were already gathering at the tip of one student's wand.
"Oh dear."
I deliberately twisted my body and lowered my upper body as though my stamina had given out and my legs had buckled.
Baaang-!
Their fire spell sliced cleanly through empty air.
"Damn it! How does he dodge so well?"
"No, I think he just got lucky."
The two students hesitated in confusion after their ambush failed.
Pretending to struggle to regain my balance, I seized the opening and shot past them in an instant.
"Hey! Move! Stop blocking the way!"
"Damn it! We were trying to catch him too!"
The pursuing group and the ambushers became tangled together for a brief moment of chaos.
But I didn't have the luxury of stopping to watch.
While running, I pulled the map from inside my clothes.
Behind the large dot representing my position trailed countless smaller dots like an endless tail.
'This should be enough.'
Judging by the presences alone, around a hundred people had gathered.
Gathering this many people just to catch me was an obvious waste of manpower.
It seemed my title as the weakest second-year had become an exceptionally effective lure.
'But I can't keep running forever.'
Shark's ability was helping conserve my stamina to some extent, but I was nearing my limit.
If even more first-years gathered, it would interfere with my plan.
Now I needed a place to herd them all together.
A narrow passage would be perfect.
'Though I've already decided exactly where to go.'
Looking ahead, I spotted the huge opening beneath a low cliff.
'...The tunnel.'
There couldn't have been a more perfect location for carrying out my plan.
Without hesitation, I threw myself into the dark entrance.
The chase grew more intense with every passing moment.
Following the dusty forest path, the first-years charged forward like a pack of beasts that had found prey.
"I just got word from the people at the front! They said Villed can't even fight back and is doing nothing but running!"
As someone shouted excitedly, another student, panting heavily from the sprint, asked suspiciously,
"Could he be luring us into a trap on purpose?"
"A trap? Come on! The guy can't even use magic properly. What kind of trap could he possibly set?"
"Exactly. Once he runs out of stamina, it'll be over. He can run all he wants, but he's still just a flea."
Not a single person questioned the chase.
Then a triumphant shout thundered all the way from the front of the group.
"He went into the tunnel! He's got nowhere left to run! He's a rat trapped in a cage!"
Those words acted like a spark.
The students whose pace had begun to slow from exhaustion found blazing determination reigniting in their eyes.
"Everyone, push forward!"
Rumble—!
Over a hundred students rushed into the cave beneath the cliff, each trying to get there first.
At the very back of the crowd, Philip and Elza arrived at the entrance just as they were about to enter.
Cold sweat trickled down Elza's back.
...How was she supposed to explain this to Philip?
The acrid smell of burning that stung her nose.
The unpleasant static that made every hair on her body stand on end.
Philip didn't seem to notice any of it.
But Elza did.
They were the unmistakable signs that only she could sense...
The prelude to the manifestation of overwhelming Magical Energy that existed beyond all standards.
The moment she sensed it, Elza's eyes widened.
She hurriedly reached out and forcefully grabbed Philip by the collar just as he was about to enter the tunnel.
"Wait, Philip!"
"Huh? Ah!"
At that moment—
Boom—!
A deafening roar violently shook the earth.
And then...
"...The tunnel?"
Philip and Elza stared ahead in shock.
A curtain of dark violet Magical Energy suddenly surged upward, sealing the tunnel entrance that had been completely open only moments before.
The entrance had been completely blocked.
"It's... closed?"
No one could enter the tunnel anymore.
At the same time...
No one inside the tunnel could leave through the entrance either.
...Panic immediately erupted from within the tunnel.
"W-What?! Why is the entrance blocked?!"
"I can't see anything! Light it up!"
Whoosh—!
Flames bloomed in the air.
As bright light illuminated the tunnel, the students at the very front finally saw the figure waiting before them.
But it wasn't Villed, who should have been sitting on the ground, gasping for breath.
Instead...
A man sat comfortably on the floor with his chin resting on one hand, his legs casually crossed.
...Someone who absolutely shouldn't have been here.
Someone the first-years had never expected.
"So you've arrived, Points."
He was a huge man with bright red sea urchin-like hair and a ferocious expression.
"Gah?!"
"W-What the hell?! Who's that?!"
"...Sea urchin hair?"
"D-Don't tell me... Senior Kunking...?"
Their faces instantly turned deathly pale.
"S-Shouldn't we attack?"
"Are you insane?! That senior is ranked third among the second-years!"
"That's right! They say he's on the same level as Senior Kaylin and Senior Heidel!"
"We have to run!"
"We can't! The people behind us are blocking the way! Hurry and send a Magical Communication telling them to back off!"
"You little flies sure are noisy."
Still sitting cross-legged with his chin propped on one hand, Kunking lazily raised the other.
"So you've forgotten all your manners despite standing before a senior as lofty as the heavens, have you? Allow me to educate you personally."
Snap—!
"First... kneel."
The instant his fingers snapped—
Rumbleeeee—!
"Aaaaagh?!"
"W-What is this?!"
An overwhelming force of gravity crushed down upon everyone's upper bodies.
Every person present instantly lost all strength in their legs...
And collapsed to the ground.