Chapter 9

"Miner"

After finishing the class at the training ground and returning to the school building, Emma and Hanna encountered Mina.

"Let's go to lunch..."

Seeing Franziska standing next to Mina, the two of them hurriedly showed respect.

"Mina's friend?"

"Yes... We made plans to have lunch together."

"May I join you?"

"Huh?"

"Ah, that..."

"You don't need to be so formal. I don't care about status."

Facing the two girls who tensed up in front of the noble lady, Franziska smiled and said this.

"Emma is earth, and Hanna is wind."

The four of them took their food and sat down at a table in the corner of the cafeteria.

"I'm fire, and Mina is water. We have all four elements."

Franziska exclaimed happily.

"We can go on a monster hunt with four girls."

"...Can we go on a monster hunt if we have all four elements?"

"Each element has a role besides attacking."

Franziska answered Hanna's question.

"Fire is the vanguard, earth is defense, wind is support, and water is recovery. The magic corps operates in groups of four elements. If everyone fulfills their roles and cooperates, we can fight even strong and numerous monsters."

"Miss Franziska knows a lot."

"I researched a lot because I wanted to join the magic corps."

"But we can't handle magic properly yet... We would just be a burden if we went with you."

"It's not like we're going right away, so it's fine. Besides,"

Franziska looked at Mina.

"Leave the attacks to Mina. She can handle intermediate monsters easily, right?"

"Th...that's not true..."

"The mock battle with the prince earlier was amazing. The teacher was taken aback by what you did."

"That was... because the prince provoked me..."

"Oh, it seemed like you provoked him first."

"...U... That wasn't provocation... It was more like a momentary lapse of judgment..."

Mina covered her face with her hand, remembering what had happened.

In the morning class, they suddenly had a one-on-one mock battle.

Even though they were freshmen, they were expected to be immediately useful, each already having a specialty in magic, and they fought one after another.

Franziska also used powerful fire magic to defeat a male student.

For some reason, Mina ended up fighting Alphonse last.

"Feel free to attack first, Mina. Don't hold back."

Mina knew about Alphonse's abilities from the novel.

Alphonse, who was already respected by the magic corps, certainly didn't need to be held back.

(The purpose of this class is to assess our current strength... I'll try attacking first.)

Mina created a water ball, as Professor Leibniz had wanted to see yesterday.

She was about to throw it at Alphonse when she suddenly remembered what the professor and the prince had said.

(Illusion... That's it.)

Mina's eyes glinted for a moment.

The water ball attacked Alphonse.

Alphonse raised his palm, and flames rose up.

The moment the flames were about to touch the water ball, it suddenly disappeared.

"What?"

A water ball suddenly appeared behind the startled Alphonse, expanded, and instantly engulfed him.

The inside of the water ball glowed red, and a large amount of water splashed out.

"———Impressive."

Alphonse, with wet hair, emerged and stared at Mina.

"What was that just now!"

"Illusion...?"

"Impossible."

As the students buzzed about the advanced magic of illusion, Professor Leibniz was stunned.

Mina's water ball was not an illusion but real.

However, Mina had cast an illusion on its surface.

Just before Alphonse's flames touched it, she instantly moved the water ball inside the illusion and used the moment when the illusion attacked Alphonse to hit him from behind with another water ball.

Combining a water ball, illusion, and instant movement into one attack required high skill and considerable training.

Furthermore, Mina had changed the power of the water ball mid-attack.

Using such advanced magic, which even experienced mages could use only with limitations, was unexpected from a newly enrolled, commoner girl.

(Who... is she really?)

Even if she had noble blood, that alone wouldn't make her capable of such magic.