The Greatest Magicmaster’s Retirement Plan: Volume 8, page 1
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Forty-Third Chapter
Awkward Good News
An announcement was made that stunned the militaries of all the nations, the shock spreading through them in ripples. It was a report on the elimination of a Devourer that appeared some dozens of kilometers out from Balmes’ border.
It was, of course, kept from the average citizens, being revealed only to the upper echelons of each nation’s military; but the details were surprising to say the least.
Just the name Devourer was enough to make people remember the horrible past. Not to mention that it had been designated as an SS-class Fiend. Because of that, there were some who doubted the truth of it. They would have to go back half a century just to find a comparable example.
In reality, despite being called the official report, the report had seen some alteration by Berwick, who’d had overall command of the operation. Details on Alus, and any mentions of his special ability, had been completely erased from the report. Aside from that, the credit wasn’t given to Alus alone but to him and Lettie and the squad under their command.
The incident was finally settled, and only a handful of people knew the truth. Fortunately, the incident was enough to get the top brass of the militaries to adopt a more serious attitude. The battle against the Fiends had been long, and lately the tables had begun to turn in their favor, which made for a lax atmosphere—but this brought them right back to reality.
No matter how competent they might be, familiarity with the Fiends could make a person complacent. The military wouldn’t get off their backside until a fatal mistake had been made. It wasn’t until a while after they stepped off the right path before they would turn around, having finally realized their mistake.
The bigger the organization was, the more its leaders neglected to confirm where they were going. And after experiencing the threat of extinction, they became arrogant in their belief that humanity could still make a comeback. But the state of affairs had improved somewhat for now.
The people of the world were still in a slumber. They had no way of knowing that the temporary peace they experienced now was all thanks to the efforts of a single boy with extraordinary powers.
***
The elimination of the Devourer Demi Azur had left Alus unconscious, but two days after he woke up, he and Loki returned to Alpha.
Upon his return, he was forced into helping to make a report of this unprecedented incident, which took another week. Not to mention that it took several weeks for Alus to fully recover and to treat Loki’s legs. So, by the time Alus and Loki returned to their everyday lives, it was already the middle of November.
It had been a while since he’d lived an ordinary life, and even he felt some joy upon his return to it. However, at the same time, he felt a strange unease now that he possessed an overwhelming abundance of mana.
“Welcome back. Finally, huh,” Tesfia said.
“It’s been a while, Loki dear,” Alice said.
It was early in the morning, and Alus and Loki had just come out of the research building when Tesfia and Alice called out to them. Both girls looked like they’d been waiting for this.
They hadn’t set up a meeting or told them anything ahead of time. Maybe they’d seen the light on inside. They had their student bags and AWRs with them as usual, as opposed to when they’d been at the Friendship Magical Tournament.
But there was nothing that could welcome Alus back to his regular routine more than this sight, as if the balance of his everyday life had returned to normal. Now, the fact that he’d come back finally sank in.
“We’re back. It’s been a while,” Loki returned the greeting, while Alus took a moment to process the strange sensation.
It didn’t feel like it had been a while to him. He felt uncomfortable with himself, though, for accepting this sight as ordinary. He looked forward to the time when his regular days as a student would feel natural again.
Leaving Alus’ feelings aside, Tesfia rushed up to him and peered at his face. “You’ve been away for a whole month now. Don’t you think you’re in danger of repeating a year?” She immediately hit a sore spot.
Alus decided not to ask how much they’d heard about the mission.
“It should be fine,” Loki said, listening in from Alus’ other side. “The principal should know the circumstances, so he should get a special exemption for the credits at least.” She didn’t seem worried in the slightest and had a happy expression on her face as she got closer to Alus.
“What, so it was all for nothing, then,” Alice told Tesfia, with an amused and mischievous look on her face.
Meanwhile, Tesfia put her finger in front of her lips as if to silence her. Perhaps she was a little embarrassed as well, since her cheeks were red.
“Did something happen?” Loki asked.
“Actually, after you were absent for a few days, Fia and I started to worry about you advancing to the next year. We wanted to do something about your attendance at least, so we cheated a little... It was the first time I did something bad,” Alice said in an inappropriately cheery voice.
“Oh.” Alus caught on to what she meant.
Attendance checks differed from class to class. And there were plenty of teachers who relied on the good old method of reading names from a register and listening for the response. Some requested reports be submitted, or that licenses be shown, but the method was ultimately left up to each teacher. So it wasn’t impossible to ask a friend to reply when one’s name was called.
The Institute was well aware that this could happen, but as the Second Magical Institute was so prestigious, they didn’t expect there to be any students who were that underhanded.
“I’m surprised such a proud noble would do such a thing,” Alus commented.
“But that’s all I could do! Normally, you’re out if you don’t have enough attendance, you know!” Her methods were clumsy, but considering her personality, no one would have expected such behavior from Tesfia.
“You’ve worked hard for Sir Alus’ sake.” Loki looked like she’d revised her opinion of them and decided to give them praise.
“I wouldn’t call it hard...” Tesfia said.
“And we got caught in the end, anyways,” Alice added with a sly smile.
“Hm, I figured as much. Even if you got someone to imitate me, the principal would be keeping tabs on me anyway. You’ll need to put a little more effort into it. Since you’re a noble, you could at least bribe the faculty.”
“—!! That’s not cheating, that’s straight-up illegal!”
“It’s a joke... well, you know... it seems like I made you worry.” Alus turned his eyes away from Tesfia, scratching his cheek. He’d said it almost reluctantly and hoped the words would be forgotten quickly.
But Tesfia’s expression melted into a smile. “That’s okay. I caused you a lot of trouble before the tournament and with my mother. I’d like to repay you in whatever way I can.”
Seeing her refreshing smile, Alus realized her problems had subsided for now. “I thank you for your underhanded work,” he retorted sarcastically, and Tesfia grimaced.
“I was a little worried when it took you two so long to return. But I’m glad we can go to class together again.” Alice sounded relieved.
Alus couldn’t help but feel a little guilty when it came to her, but military matters took priority. That was the unspoken promise he’d made to Berwick. “Well, there were some complicated things going on.”
“Hmm. I see...” Tesfia said with a frown, but the light in her eyes betrayed her curiosity.
“What, you’re not going to ask for once?”
“If I asked, would you answer?”
“Not a chance. It’s too much of a bother,” Alus replied dismissively.
Tesfia pouted for a moment, but soon gave him a mischievous smile as if she’d seen that reply coming all along. Alice wore a similar expression and also didn’t ask any further.
However, both understood that Alus’ retirement was only a partial one, due to Berwick’s orders. And they knew there was a lot of secrecy involved. Alus and Loki couldn’t say a lot publicly, which was why they didn’t even try to get any hints out of them, showing consideration towards Alus.
He noticed this as well, but didn’t touch further on it, changing the topic for now. “But that aside, you two haven’t been skipping out on training, have you?”
If they’d shown any alarming reactions, he might have had to appeal to the principal to get them a babysitter... but these two were no slackers. They both puffed out their chests in pride and answered at the same time.
“Not at all!” Tesfia cried.
“Of course not,” Alice said.
That said, if they had, all of their training so far would have been a waste. Someone with Alus’ overwhelming talent was one thing, but all these two had was more motivation than most. As he looked at their expressions, it seemed that wasn’t all.
“Hehe, there’s one more thing we have in store for you,” Tesfia said. “It’s going to knock your socks off!”
“Yeah!” Alice added enthusiastically.
At those meaningful words, Alus asked, “Don’t tell me you two cleared it?”
The training stick that repelled mana made of the outer shell of the Salqueroit was a very plain training method. But the essence of mana control wasn’t someth
But being able to completely clear it would mean they had talent that far exceeded that of a normal person.
“Ah... well... I wouldn’t go that far.” Alice picked up on Alus’ astonishment and smiled wryly.
“Can you not raise the bar any more, please? We’ve become able to enchant it for a lot longer now!” Tesfia said in triumph.
Hearing that, it was Alus’ turn to shrug after realizing he’d expected too much. No, it was probably still impressive in its own right. He hadn’t seen their results for himself yet. If Tesfia was to be believed, their growth was still exceptional.
“Well, you can show me after class.”
“Yeah, look forward to it! But don’t expect too much, okay?”
“Which is it?”
“Well, just have the right amount of expectations...”
“Fia, you’re being so roundabout. You just want to get Al’s praise, don’t you?”
“N-No!” Tesfia moved to block Alice’s mouth, her cheeks a little red.
“... I just hope my expectations will be betrayed in a good sense.”
The two sighed in response to Alus’ curt words.
Incidentally, the mention of seeking Alus’ praise had earned Tesfia and Alice a sharp glare from Loki, but fortunately nobody noticed.
Either way, they’d all safely returned to their calm, everyday lives. Though Alus wasn’t fully satisfied as they headed for the main building...
As the way to the main building passed by the girls’ dorm, he saw an overwhelming number of female students on the path. The boys’ dorm was in a completely different location, so the presence of some boys on the path could only be explained by the fact that they were in puberty.
Walking along the path, Alus and Loki put on puzzled expressions as they noticed the strange atmosphere. It wasn’t a big deal or anything, but because of their line of work, they were sensitive to changes in atmosphere.
Seeing good friends walking together was the same as usual. But what was different was the tone of their discussions, which sounded livelier than before. It seemed to be mostly gossiping, but today they all appeared to be talking about the same topic.
It was a mixture of emotions from expectation to envy, curiosity to doubt, but despite everything, it was clearly a topic all the female students were enjoying.
Amused by Alus’ and Loki’s reactions, Tesfia shrugged and smiled. “You’ll find out soon enough.”
“Right. It’s been all the talk these days,” Alice added, as she glanced at the female students out of the corner of her eye.
***
The strange atmosphere that Alus and Loki were sensing had even invaded the main building. An abnormal number of students were enthusiastically engaging in conversation. It was the same topic everywhere, with some even going from circle to circle to gather information.
In the classroom, it was the same. Alus didn’t even have to strain his ears to pick up what they were saying, and he furrowed his brows. He felt an inexplicable bad feeling, akin to a chill.
“... From what I heard from an upperclassman, there’s apparently no doubt about it.”
“So it’s been officially announced not just in Alpha, but in all seven nations?”
“No, only a handful of people in the military know about it. That upperclassman’s parents have a lot of connections in the military, so it should be reliable information. It’s been shared quite a bit among the second and third years.”
“So, what about the name? What’s his name?”
“That’s the part that’s wrapped in mystery!”
“Right... but still...”
“Yeah. I’m sure he’s just fantastic. He’s at the pinnacle of all Magicmasters, after all!”
“I wonder if we’ll ever get a chance to see him.”
“Keep talking! Supposedly, almost nobody’s ever seen him, even in the military. He’s achieved so much alongside Lady Lettie, and seeing as how there’s almost no information on him, it must be being kept secret for a different reason...”
As he looked at some of the male students gossiping, Alus felt a headache coming on.
The Devourer that had been eliminated had a threat level that was previously unheard of. While the details could be kept hidden, the event itself was impossible to conceal because it was a great feat that would go down in history. It may have taken place in the Outer World, but the scale was too large to hide.
Not to mention, rumors of the ranked No. 1 Magicmaster’s involvement were circulating as if it were accepted truth. Alpha had dispatched the elite squad under direct command of the Single Digit Magicmaster Lettie, and the other six nations had sent in their strongest forces as well. Trying to hide all of that was simply impossible.
As a result, the fact that Alpha’s two Singles had eliminated the threat leaked out, which gave way to all kinds of speculation. Of course, specific details had been squashed so as not to worry the general population.
Meanwhile, the female students were getting ahead of themselves with their wild delusions.
“There’s no doubt about it. It’s finally time for Alpha’s ranked No. 1 to make his debut in the world! I don’t know why the military is so secretive though...” one girl passionately exclaimed, as the others nodded their heads.
Alus’ achievements weren’t being covered up, but they hadn’t been officially announced either. The top brass wanted to keep the fact that Alpha’s ranked No. 1 was still just a boy quiet for the time being. In a few years, his age would better match his fame anyway.
This was the first time Alus and Loki heard what the students were talking about, but based on Tesfia’s and Alice’s expressions, it was indeed a daily occurrence. Thinking about these kinds of rumors being spread on a daily basis, Alus felt he did the right thing in not returning to the Institute for so long.
“As Balmes was in danger, he swept down to save them along with Lady Lettie and her elites... how dreamy. Also, this is just between us, but...” Suddenly, the female student leaned in closer to the circle of girls. She purposefully held her palm over her mouth to whisper secrets. But, perhaps due to her excitement, she wasn’t able to keep her voice as low as she’d intended, so it reached all the way to Alus. “The ranked No. 1 has already managed to reclaim the continents of Zentley and Covent.”
The next moment, disappointed voices rang out.
“I knew that ages ago. News needs to be fresh!”
“Everyone knows that already.”
The girl who was interrupted didn’t look upset. If anything, she smiled, as if to say she got them. She let out an exaggerated sigh, before checking her surroundings.
“... Do you have anything else?”
“I-If you do, please do share.”
The voices around her got excited again.
“Oh! I guess I have to... Actually, this is very recent information, and almost no one knows it... But it hasn’t been officially announced, so you have to keep it a secret.”
The female student’s act made the girls around her swallow in anticipation.
It was there that Alus lost interest, figuring it would only be baseless rumors, but still, he couldn’t keep the sound of it from reaching him at his desk. This was a standard lecture, so there were no assigned seats. As a result, Alus sat down by the window at the back, with Loki, Tesfia, and Alice taking seats on the same row. At some point, the four had begun acting together as if they were their own faction.
Alus realized he had some time left before first period, so he pulled some documents he’d brought with him out of his bag. Actually, this was pretty much the first time he’d brought his bag with him to class. Just as he stared at the first document and tried to shut out the outside world...
“That’s not all. He’s also been involved in solving all kinds of incidents within the nation, performing great deeds in places we can’t discuss!”
“That’s amazing... but don’t you think he’s achieving too much? I’m sure he gets a constant stream of requests from the military, but is he all right?”
Alus unconsciously nodded at those words. If that’s how they felt, he hoped they’d make a direct appeal to the Governor-General.
“That’s true. Just because he’s at the top of all Magicmasters, they can’t just run him ragged. Anyways, I’m sure any mission he gets involved in is resolved in the blink of an eye.”
