Chapter 3: Chapter 3. The Road to the Academy (2)

The terrorist attack twenty years ago.

It had been the work of an anti-magic group called the Red Hammer.

They had long been hostile toward mages, and Ars Magna Academy was among their targets.

But attacking an academy full of powerful mages was practically suicide.

So they had targeted prospective students instead.

They had gone after the boat carrying them to the island.

Right. Back then, too… there was an explosion on the boat, just like now.

A series of blasts rocked the boat violently.

At the same time, I could feel it gradually slowing down.

The magical engine that powered it had stopped.

“Aaah!”

“Wh-what’s happening?!”

The passengers screamed in panic.

The crew seemed to be rushing about trying to assess the situation, but soon I heard sounds of scuffling from several directions.

“Everyone, quiet!”

At last, the people behind the attack appeared before the passengers.

They seemed to have boarded disguised as crew and passengers.

“We are the Red Wedge, an anti-magic organization carrying on the legacy of the Red Hammer! We have seized this boat!”

A fierce-looking man who appeared to be their leader stepped forward and raised his voice.

“Don’t even think about resisting! Try anything stupid…”

The moment he operated the device in his hand, a loud blast shook the boat.

“Aaagh!”

“Aaah!”

The man smiled in satisfaction as the passengers screamed and cowered.

“…and we’ll detonate the explosives planted aboard this boat, one by one, just like that. Keep quiet unless you want to be fish food!”

They were all wearing life jackets.

Even if the boat sank, they would be fine.

“Don’t cause a fuss! Stay quiet, and we won’t harm you!”

Despite those words, they were threatening people with daggers and other weapons.

Some were stained with blood, making it clear they had already attacked the crew.

“We intend to use you as hostages to negotiate with Ars Magna Academy! So don’t put up any pointless resistance. Stay quiet! Do you understand?!”

“Y-yes…!”

“W-we understand!”

Frightened replies came from all around.

Almost everyone here was a boy or girl on their way to take the academy’s entrance exam.

They all seemed terrified of the terrorists.

Well, this is a new experience.

I laid my book on my lap and sighed.

For this to happen on the very day I was going to take the entrance exam… I really had rotten luck.

“Talk about rotten luck.”

Just then,

I heard a voice in my ear.

“Stay just as you are. You don’t need to answer.”

It was an incredibly quiet voice.

Yet I could make out every word.

Shifting my eyes slightly toward the next seat, I saw Kane Trigger, who had been chattering away just moments ago, moving his lips with a grave expression.

“I’m speaking so only you can hear me. They can’t hear a thing.”

He had an interesting trick up his sleeve.

“Anyway, we’re in serious trouble.”

“…”

“Once these guys get what they want out of the academy, they’ll sink the boat. They have no reason to leave us alive.”

I had been thinking the same thing.

“We have to do something. Can you help me?”

“…”

What exactly did he expect me to do?

I gave him a look that said as much, and he answered immediately.

“Make a scene and draw their attention. Start yelling that your stomach hurts or something. I’ll leave the details to you.”

“…”

“Once you have their attention… I’ll see what I can do.”

Who exactly was this guy?

Everyone else was cowering in fear.

Oh, come to think of it…

He had said his name was Kane Trigger.

Could he be from that Trigger family?

If he’s a Trigger… he might be worth trusting.

The Trigger family was the continent’s most famous family of assassins.

They had produced exceptional mages specializing in assassination since ancient times, leaving a substantial mark on the history of magic’s development.

If this Kane Trigger was a member of that family, his confidence made sense.

He looks about my age, but he’ll have received specialized training since childhood. Even if these men are armed… he might be able to subdue them.

The problem was their numbers.

While Kane was knocking out the ones nearby, the others could take passengers hostage and threaten them.

It would be difficult for Kane alone.

“I’m not the only one.”

Kane spoke as though he had read my mind.

“See the girl with long hair up front? She’s waiting for an opening too.”

“…?”

I raised my head slightly. To my surprise, it was the girl who had spoken to me earlier.

Just as Kane had said, she was surveying her surroundings as though looking for an opportunity.

“I got a quick look at her when I walked past earlier. She’s trained in martial arts. I’d say she’s exceptionally skilled, too.”

“…”

I’d had no idea.

But if someone from the Trigger family said so, it must be true.

“When I move, she’s bound to move too. Then…”

We would have a chance to seize the detonator?

“So please. Draw their attention so we can make our move.”

“…”

I didn’t nod at Kane’s request.

Instead, I looked at him and moved my lips.

If he really was from the Trigger family, surely he had mastered something as simple as lip-reading.

Why are you asking me?

When I mouthed the question, he gave a small smile and answered.

“When the explosions went off, you had the calmest expression of anyone on this boat.”

“…”

“I thought I could trust you.”

His answer made me want to sigh.

Had he given any other reason, I would have refused to cooperate.

For instance, if he had said, “Kaisel Valencia stopped the last attack! You’re related to him, so I’m sure you can do it too!”… I would have shut my eyes immediately and never responded to another word he said.

But here he was, placing his trust in someone he had only just met and asking for help. I couldn’t betray that trust.

My luck really is rotten.

Grumbling inwardly, I reached up and gave Kane’s shoulder a tap.

A gesture meant to say, Leave it to me.

“…?”

The moment Kane looked at me,

I stood up.

“What do you want?!”

“I have a question.”

The terrorists glared at me as I suddenly rose from my seat.

“I understand that you advocate opposition to magic. It’s a subject I’m very interested in. May I ask you something?”

“…”

They exchanged glances.

Then the man who appeared to be their leader spoke.

“What do you want to know?”

“As I understand it, the ideological foundation of the anti-magic movement is egalitarianism. Is that correct?”

“Hmm. You’re well informed.”

The leader nodded at my words.

“Yes. We seek equality for all humanity.”

“The greater magic’s influence becomes, the more it favors an elite trained in its use, while ordinary people who cannot use magic will be stripped of all their rights… Is that your view?”

“Exactly. We’re working to prevent a handful of magical elites from seizing control of the world and ruling over humanity.”

Everyone looked bewildered as they watched me converse with the terrorist.

That included Kane beside me and the girl up ahead.

“It’s certainly true that the development of magic is giving rise to a new class system.”

“Yes, precisely.”

“In the past, bloodlines determined everyone’s place in society. These days, magical ability matters more. Some describe this as a shift toward meritocracy, but ultimately, a new social hierarchy is simply being built around magical ability. This will only become more pronounced over time.”

“You’re quite right. That’s why we must rid the world of magic.”

“So you’re acting in service of a noble ideal.”

“I’m glad you understand. Especially at such a young age.”

“I read a great deal. I’ve read the venerable Oleus’s writings as well.”

“You’ve read the venerable Oleus’s writings? Impressive.”

Oleus was the first leader of the Red Hammer and could be considered the founder of the anti-magic movement.

“There is one thing, though.”

“What is it?”

“If you hate magic so much…”

I deliberately tilted my head.

“Why on earth are you using it?”

At that moment,

their expressions froze.

“What… are you talking about?”

“That explosion just now. You used magic, didn’t you?”

“Don’t be ridiculous.”

The leader snorted.

“We used explosives, not magic. Surely you know what explosives are?”

“I do. But that explosion wasn’t caused by explosives.”

“Stop talking nonsense.”

“Since the attack twenty years ago, the academy has thoroughly inspected every boat traveling to and from the island. Planting explosives in advance would be next to impossible.”

“W-we brought the explosives aboard with us.”

“They were inspecting luggage very thoroughly when we boarded, though.”

“We hid them well! Stop trying to pick holes in everything!”

He shouted with a menacing look, but I paid him no mind.

“Just now, you pretended to operate the device in your hand, didn’t you?”

“What?”

“At that moment, a spell formula was definitely activated. You were pretending to operate the device while actually casting magic.”

“Wh-what kind of nonsense is that?!”

The leader’s face twisted.

“A spell formula was activated? How would you know?”

“I can tell.”

“How?!”

To be honest, I wasn’t quite sure myself.

I had never formally studied magic.

But there was no doubt he had used magic then.

Because…

“I felt something similar when my uncle used magic in front of me recently.”

“Your uncle?”

“Professor Kaisel Valencia.”

“…!”

A murmur swept through those around us.

The terrorists, too, flinched and stared at my face.

“You aren’t rejecting magic to defend equality for all humanity.”

“…!”

“You’re acting purely for political reasons. Or should I say your goal is to satisfy your own greed through political activity?”

Over the course of reading all sorts of books, I had reached a conclusion.

Today’s anti-magic groups had become thoroughly corrupt. They were nothing more than outlaws invoking opposition to magic for their own gain.

“I imagine you’re receiving financial support from forces hostile to Ars Magna Academy. Someone is backing this attack as well, aren’t they?”

“Urgh…”

They clamored for the abolition of magic while using it to commit acts of terrorism.

There was no reason to show any respect to such a hypocritical group.

“Am I wrong?”

“Hey! Shut that brat up!”

As the leader raised his voice, the terrorists scrambled to respond.

The men who had been holding the passengers in check began moving from their positions… leaving an opening.

“…!”

Kane sprang from the seat beside me like a bolt of lightning.

And he wasn’t the only one. The girl seated up ahead moved almost simultaneously.

“Huh?!”

The terrorists were thrown into confusion.

Slipping through their ranks, Kane and the girl rushed the mage acting as their leader.

“What are those brats—agh!”

One of the terrorists screamed and collapsed.

He had foolishly turned his back on me, so I had struck him across the back of the head with the copy of An Illustrated Guide to the Wildlife of the Southern Jungles I was still holding.

At seven hundred pages, the thick hardcover made a bludgeon with ample destructive power.

“What are you all doing?”

The terrorists flinched at the sight of the heavy wildlife guide, blood dripping from it.

Ignoring them, I looked around and spoke.

“Are you just going to sit there?”

The prospective students, who had been sitting frozen in fear, finally scrambled to their feet.

It was time to fight back.