Episode 19. Between Dusk and Night
Binaeril and Silvia stood at opposite ends of the tournament bracket.
Unfortunately, Binaeril's first opponent was one of the head disciples.
Was it Malek Boldwin? Something like that.
"So you're the transfer student everyone's been warned about? I heard the rumors about your skill. Good timing, then. If I defeat you, our professor might finally acknowledge me."
Binaeril subdued Malek before two exchanges had passed.
"Winner, Binaeril Dalhaim!"
Having advanced another step in his attainment, seniors and head disciples alike now looked laughable to Binaeril.
That Gaspelt Louis had been a head disciple, too. And Binaeril had a general idea of Gaspelt's capabilities.
Malek Boldwin had been on a similar level to Gaspelt.
No matter how outstanding his mana was, he was no Professor Freud, and even if he forced his way into close combat, he couldn't measure up to Dean Julio or Silvia.
Most of the duels were lackluster.
Rather, Binaeril had a hard time pretending to perform unnecessary incantations.
If he tossed out magic without the slightest sign of casting, the match would be stopped on the spot.
Binaeril advanced through the tournament with one victory after another.
And the same was true for Silvia.
The two of them met in the finals.
"Why are you angry at me?"
"I'm not angry."
"Then why are you acting so cold?"
Silvia let out a deep sigh.
She looked around the spectators, searching for someone.
In the crowd, Rike and Dean Julio could be seen.
When Rike made eye contact with Silvia, she smiled and waved.
"If I win, I'll answer you."
"If I win?"
"Yes. If you win."
Binaeril, too, spotted a figure on the platform above the arena.
Ryojeu Elfenbain, the Tower Master, was watching the match from behind a pink veil.
In any case, he had no intention of losing either.
"All right, fine. Be it old resentment or whatever else, let's settle it all here."
In the Dean's special lessons, Binaeril had never once beaten Silvia.
Of course, those had been stamina drills.
Between midday and the hour of sunset, the sun was pouring out ripe, lemon-hued light.
"Match, begin!"
The two began their incantations.
Silvia's first incantation was the same as always.
She did not pursue flashy magic.
Using her arms and legs, her agility and strength as her main weapons, she led the fight into close combat.
Allowing her to approach meant your chances of victory would plummet.
Binaeril was no exception to that.
But the difference between Binaeril and his previous opponents was
that Binaeril already possessed countless experiences of sparring with her.
"Clump of Blue Life."
Binaeril created water droplets as he widened the distance between them.
A low-tier spell with a short, simple incantation that could be cast even while moving without strain.
He would have liked to make rain soak the entire arena, but that was still beyond his ability.
Binaeril shot the created water droplets at Silvia.
They were nothing more than ordinary water droplets that posed no threat.
Silvia dodged Binaeril's clumsy attack and charged in.
"Clump of Blue Life, Clump of Blue Life."
Binaeril circled the arena widely, continuously casting the same spell and throwing it out wildly.
Silvia responded by dodging them or swatting them aside with her hands.
"Why do you keep running?"
Finally, unable to stand it, Silvia stopped in her tracks and called out.
"Am I crazy? Fight you head-on? I wouldn't survive even if I had two bodies."
"Where did the spirit you had during the demonic beast practical go?"
"Right now, you're scarier than any monster."
The arena floor was made of hard bedrock.
Thanks to Binaeril's magic, the surface had become a sea of water.
So far, it was going according to Binaeril's plan.
Binaeril executed the next phase of his plan.
He pressed both arms against the floor and chanted.
"May the chill spreading from my hands freeze all things."
An ice spell that froze whatever it touched.
The puddles scattered across the arena began to freeze with a crackling sound, starting from beneath Binaeril's feet.
He wasn't confident in close combat. He couldn't run forever. Silvia was clearly faster than he was.
Then weakening the opponent's mobility was the answer.
This was Binaeril's plan.
But Silvia wasn't flustered.
Keeping her distance, she watched the situation unfold with composure.
"I expected this much. But I can't just let you have your way."
Silvia chanted the spell she had prepared.
"By an even fiercer wind!"
As if grabbing someone by the collar, Silvia snatched at the empty air and pulled it toward herself.
Wind began to blow from behind Binaeril.
From a gentle breeze to a stiff wind. And gradually to a strong gale.
"Uwah!"
Binaeril struggled to keep his balance.
But it wasn't easy. The floor was slippery.
The arena floor he had frozen had instead turned into a disadvantageous environment.
Silvia stood perfectly still, focusing all her attention on pulling Binaeril in.
"Rise, wall of earth!"
Binaeril pulled up a pile of rocks to serve as a support and pressed his body against it.
He couldn't afford to be dragged along at Silvia's pace like this.
As Binaeril was racking his brain for a way out, a sudden thought occurred to him.
'Wait, isn't this an opportunity?'
Because of the wall Binaeril had erected, Silvia was nowhere in sight.
Moreover, the sound of the wind stirred by her magic made it impossible to hear anything.
If he couldn't hear anything, the same would be true not just for Binaeril, but for Silvia and the spectators as well.
Binaeril recalled the position where Silvia had been standing and estimated the distance. And he formed a plan.
With one hand, he conjured an ice spear shaped like a wide-bladed estoc.
"Binaeril! Come out already!"
Silvia's mana was gradually depleting.
Her forte wasn't this kind of long-range war of attrition to begin with.
The moment she was contemplating stopping her spell to approach,
Binaeril leaped up.
Binaeril smoothed down the stone wall he had been leaning against and coated it with ice as well.
Having minimized friction, he held the ice spear in his right hand, and with his left, he prepared to break Silvia's stance.
One, two, three. Now!
He leaped from the smooth floor and entrusted his body to the wind.
The stone wall he had created served as an excellent ramp, flinging Binaeril's body far into the air.
Seeing Binaeril soaring toward her, Silvia stopped her magic.
Binaeril was falling toward her in a parabolic arc.
"Tch."
Because of the backlighting from the sun behind Binaeril, she couldn't clearly see what was in his hands.
But he must have prepared something. Silvia infused mana into both arms.
The arena floor where Silvia stood was also covered in ice and slippery.
Without showing any sign, Binaeril slightly raised the floor where she stood, creating a very gentle slope.
"Ah!"
Silvia's stance crumbled.
As Binaeril glided straight down, he gripped the hilt of the estoc firmly with both arms.
Binaeril plunged it toward Silvia.
"Kyaa!"
"What!"
Commotion and screams erupted from the spectator seats.
To them, it must have looked as if the sharp spear had pierced straight through Silvia's throat.
But that wasn't the case.
Because Binaeril had forged the spearhead with a generous breadth, her head had slipped neatly between the two blades now lodged in the ground.
"The w-winner is Binaeril Dalhaim!"
The faculty member officiating the match confirmed both were safe and made the call.
"Woooah!"
The crowd cheered at the brilliant finishing move.
"Are you okay? Any injuries?"
Binaeril shattered the ice spear he had created and took the hand of Silvia, who had fallen askew.
Silvia's expression was complicated.
She seemed unable to believe her defeat, yet at the same time, she also seemed somewhat relieved.
Binaeril studied her expression and asked.
"...Are you still angry?"
She let out a deep sigh.
Then she took Binaeril's hand and got up.
"I told you, I'm not angry. Not at you, at least."
"Not at me?"
"I'm not angry because of you. I'm angry at myself."
"Why?"
"Because I'm so pathetic. I couldn't even protect our... no, Rike. I just receive help. I become a burden."
As the sun began to set, a cool wind blew from somewhere.
Binaeril couldn't understand Silvia's feelings.
"What do you mean you couldn't protect her? Thanks to you, Gaspelt didn't get hurt either, and in the first place, if you hadn't bought time, we wouldn't have even made it there."
Silvia dusted off her pants and looked at Binaeril.
"And is Rike someone who needs your protection? You said you're friends. Friends can help each other. What's so shameful about that?"
"You... you just don't know what kind of person Rike is."
Binaeril smiled faintly. He was choosing his words carefully so as not to hurt her feelings.
"It doesn't matter what kind of person Rike is. You said it yourself. That you're friends."
Her brown bangs fluttered in the gentle breeze.
Up close, Silvia's pupils looked like the colors of the setting sun seeping in, yet also like deep night.
In any case, they suited her well.
Sensing something off, Silvia asked again.
"Hey, what do you know..."
"Let's get up now. We have to greet the crowd."
The cheering was quite loud.
Silvia and Binaeril stood up and bowed toward the spectator seats.
Rike was holding her thumb up, and Dean Julio nodded with a pleased smile.
"Binaeril! Binaeril! Binaeril!"
Binaeril answered the cheers with exaggerated gestures.
It was the moment Elfenbain's perennial failing student was remembered in a new light by the people.
Binaeril guided the crowd's attention to Silvia, who was standing awkwardly, and the spectators gave a round of applause to the two who had shown such a splendid match.
"Waaaah!"
The tournament ended just like that.
It was a rather pleasant evening for Binaeril.
After the match, Binaeril was asked if he would participate in the selection for the Scala Exam.
"Of course."
There was no reason to delay. Binaeril himself was already keenly aware that he had surpassed the student level.
The same question was posed to Silvia, the runner-up.
After some thought, Silvia said she would answer later.
Unlike Binaeril, Silvia had not come here to become a mage.
Binaeril did not ask her the reason.
But he did think this:
Rike and Silvia, and even Dean Julio.
These three were the precious bonds Binaeril had formed at Elfenbain.
Thinking about leaving them behind first made his chest feel heavy.
-Geez, anyone listening would think I'd already passed.
"Be quiet."
Veritas, who had been quiet throughout the tournament, was picking a fight again.
On his way down from the arena, Binaeril's eyes had met those of one person.
Professor Freud.
With a stiff expression, he looked down at Binaeril from the high faculty seats.
Binaeril neither sneered nor smiled. He simply held eye contact with him for a brief two or three seconds.
In the end, Professor Freud was the first to avert his gaze.
"Student Binaeril Dalhaim, the Tower Master summons you."
The most important appointment still remained for Binaeril.
This had been the very purpose for which he participated in the tournament in the first place.
-Now, let's go meet the Tower Master.
Binaeril set off to meet the greatest mage of this era.