The decisive blow in a battle between mages can take countless forms.
However, in the duel between Ellie and Rachel, the method used was the most primitive— a clenched fist.
Ellie grabbed Rachel by the collar with one hand.
“Clench your teeth.”
With her other hand, she drove a fist into Rachel’s jaw.
Thud!!!
The sound of violence shattered the crisp autumn air.
“Guh…!”
The light faded from Rachel’s eyes.
But it didn’t end with just one punch.
“I told you to clench your teeth unless you want to bite your tongue.”
Ellie’s fist struck Rachel’s face again.
This time, her nose bone shattered, and bright red blood splattered.
Rachel couldn’t think straight.
‘Why…? What did I…? Why is this happening?’
She tried to control her mana and cast a spell, but her mind was too shaken.
‘Even if she could, would it matter? How had Ellie extinguished her flames earlier? How—’
Another blow slammed into Rachel’s body.
This time, it was her solar plexus.
“Hrk….”
For the first time in her life, Rachel experienced the sensation of air being knocked out of her lungs.
And just as she barely managed to catch her breath—
“H-Halt! I surrender!!”
There was no time to think.
If anything, it was her survival instinct choosing surrender to stay alive.
Immediately, the rain of blows ceased.
Ellie’s fist, which had been poised right in front of Rachel’s face, slowly withdrew, and the hand gripping her collar finally let go.
With a dull thud, Rachel collapsed onto the grass.
***
“As the overseer, I declare the winner of the duel— Ellie.”
At Teleman’s words, Ellie finally withdrew her gaze from Rachel, whom she had been staring at intently.
Then, she spoke softly.
「Heal, wound.」
However, the mana that enveloped her wasn’t for herself— it was for Rachel.
“…Huh?”
Rachel was even more bewildered than when she had first been struck.
‘Why…?’
‘Why are you… healing me? For what reason?’
Their eyes met.
“Ah….”
In Ellie’s dark eyes, Rachel saw pity.
And in the next moment— she felt an overwhelming, unprecedented surge of murderous intent.
***
“AAAAAAHHHHHH!!!”
It was a tangled, chaotic killing intent.
A desire and impulse entwined with countless emotions.
Inferiority, defeat, contempt, disgust, cognitive dissonance, anger, revulsion, self-hatred, envy, humiliation, the agony of her world shattering, sorrow, shame…
A storm of emotions twisted together in an incomprehensible mess, impossible for her or anyone else to untangle.
Perhaps, when human filth reaches a certain threshold, purity itself becomes unbearable.
One thing was clear— Rachel was in agony.
And to free herself from that agony, she had to kill Ellie.
This was no different from her earlier surrender— both were driven by pure survival instinct.
“Mahrr—”
But before she could complete her spell—
Teleman’s hand touched the back of Rachel’s head.
And he uttered a single word of magic.
“Trancher.”
In the common magical language, it meant sever.
“…Ah.”
Her brainstem, the part essential for survival, was severed.
Rachel was already dead before her body even hit the ground.
***
Screams erupted from the gathered students.
“KYAAA!”
“Ugh, ughh!”
Many of them had never seen a corpse before.
And none had ever expected someone to die in the middle of the academy courtyard.
“The duel is over. Everyone, leave.”
At Teleman’s command, most students fled the scene as if running for their lives.
But not everyone left.
Some lingered, unable to resist a morbid curiosity about the grotesque sight.
And one girl remained— waiting for Ellie.
Before speaking to Teleman, Ellie cast a spell to ensure that no one else could hear them.
“Professor Teleman.”
The victor’s gaze turned to the overseer.
“That was a bit excessive.”
“Ellie, it was not excessive in the slightest.”
He gestured toward Rachel’s corpse.
“She not only refused to accept defeat in an honorable duel but also attempted to kill you. The price of death is death. It was a fitting punishment.”
“I meant ‘excessive’ in two ways.”
“What do you mean?”
“Professor, you have the power to incapacitate someone of this level without killing them. Though, I feel like I’ve already heard your answer to that.”
“That is true, and it is a fact. What is the other reason?”
“The other reason.”
Teleman and Ellie locked eyes, each trying to read the other’s intentions and essence.
“I understand that you want to observe me, but if you’re going to be this blatant about it, you should know that I can observe you just as well.”
Those who seek to examine others must be cautious.
The other person is examining them in return.
“Haha.”
Teleman chuckled.
“Ellie, you are truly remarkable.”
“Professor Teleman.”
Ellie spoke slowly once more, her expression neutral as she looked straight into his eyes.
“I want to remain as your student. Nothing more, nothing less.”
“Do not worry, Ellie. I know how to maintain the appropriate distance between professor and student.”
“Good. I hope it stays that way, Professor. Then, I’ll take my leave.”
Leaving the aftermath to Teleman, Ellie finally walked away from the dueling grounds.
***
She approached Stella, who had been waiting all along.
“Sorry. Things took a different turn than I expected.”
“…Ellie.”
Stella always tried to be strong.
However, right now, her eyes were filled with tears as she blankly stared at her friend.
Ellie let out a bitter smile and opened her arms wide.
“Come here.”
Stella took one step, then another.
Then, suddenly, she leaped forward and threw herself into Ellie’s embrace, sobbing uncontrollably.
“Hic… Ellie… Huuuh… Ellie…!”
Ellie sighed at her friend’s reaction and let out another bitter smile.
“I was the one who fought, so why are you the one crying?”
“But… but still…”
Ellie exhaled lightly and patted Stella’s back.
“Hic… huff… huuuh…”
Even Stella herself didn’t know why she was crying.
Perhaps it was sympathy for someone strong.
Those at the peak are often pitied just as much as those at the bottom.
Or maybe she was shedding tears on behalf of Ellie, who showed no signs of being shaken after the battle.
Or it could simply be that the emotions Ellie had stirred within her manifested in the form of tears.
Ellie didn’t know, and neither did Stella.
But one thing was certain: the tears were for Ellie, and they were warm.
“…Sigh.”
So Ellie smiled gently and continued to pat her friend’s back.
Oddly enough, by comforting Stella, she felt as if she was the one being comforted.
It was a contradiction, but since Stella’s tears themselves were contradictory, it felt like everything had been turned upside down and set right again.
“Huuuh, hic, huuuh…”
For a long time, the two stood there in the courtyard, holding each other.
Neither knew who was crying for whom, nor who was comforting whom.
The season was growing colder, but the warmth of their embrace kept them from feeling the chill at all.
***
A few days after the chaos had settled following Rachel’s resignation and death, someone knocked on the academy director’s office door.
“Come in.”
“Yup! I’m here.”
Skaha recognized the voice immediately and continued looking over the paperwork without raising her head.
“Ellie? I take it your classes are over for the day.”
“Yep! Oh, and Director, I brought my friends with me today!”
“…Hm?”
When Skaha finally looked up, she saw four girls standing behind Ellie, each with hair of different colors—red, blue, green, and yellow.
“Pardon the intrusion.”
“Excuse us.”
“Greetings.”
“Wow, so this is the director’s office! Hello!”
Skaha was familiar with the four who always accompanied Ellie, but seeing them all together in front of her felt different.
‘How is it that only kids with such unique stories have gathered around Ellie?’
‘Was it a coincidence?’
‘No, it was fate.’
‘Most noble students enter the academy already having a few friends.’
‘Ellie, on the other hand, had gathered those who, for one reason or another, had not.’
‘And her roommate, Stella, was no exception.’
‘If they hadn’t gotten along, they would have remained mere dormmates instead of becoming friends.’
But still.
“…What brings you all here?”
‘What was the reason for bringing her friends along?’
Ellie, however, simply blinked in surprise and asked back.
“Huh? You told me last time to bring my friends next time, Director.”
Skaha did recall saying that.
But who actually followed through on such things—wait, of course, Ellie would.
“Hey, guys, did you know? If you sit here, refreshments appear automatically.”
“Not fully automatic, but semi-automatic? What does that even mean?”
“No idea. Director, what does that mean?”
“…It means refreshments don’t appear just because someone sits on the couch. Anyway, since you’re all here, make yourselves comfortable.”
Since things had already come to this, Skaha decided to take this opportunity to interact with the students.
“So, how are your studies? Any difficulties? Do you have any complaints about the academy, or anything you think could be improved?”
***
Twenty minutes later.
Melrit had just finished an urgent section of her thesis and came down from her study to join them, only to freeze in shock at the sight before her.
“…Ellie? What exactly are you doing right now?”