The mage corps is actually divided into factions.
The officers personally trained by Kise moved with me, so they were well aware of my achievements and practically brainwashed into liking me, just as Kise had intended.
But some others could not stand me.
“Hah. No matter how skilled you are in magic, it doesn’t change anything. Restoring Crad Castle? Don’t make me laugh. There’s no way Eldakrad’s grudge could be avenged so easily.”
“That’s right. That’s exactly right, Lady Ashtar. Just to be clear, we cannot accept this.”
Let me explain a bit.
The empire is vast, and its local nobility system is somewhat unique.
Even in the Ashtar territory, there is a school—not quite like Atlerina, but still an educational institution.
In fact, the Ashtar Mage Corps itself is practically a magic academy.
The elite among them are selected to form the Mage Corps unit.
Of course, unlike Atlerina, it is small in scale.
But since only a few are admitted, many of the local nobles’ children from around the Ashtar territory attend.
Among them, noblewomen with exceptional mana control make up the core of the Mage Corps.
The nobles residing in and around Ashtar have long known of Eldakrad’s reputation.
The tales of Eldakrad, along with various fairy tales, have spread throughout Ashtar, making him an idol—practically a prince on a white horse to the noblewomen.
And now, hearing that I was the one who avenged such a man, they felt resentment or even jealousy.
It’s not just that they don’t know my abilities—they probably feel more bitter about the situation itself.
Fortunately, they are at least more rational than the brainless nobles of Atlerina.
In fact, they seem to be on a higher level altogether.
Just looking at their training grounds made it clear.
These Mage Corps members were not here simply because they were nobles.
“You entered the Mage Corps because of your achievements, but that’s quite frustrating. No matter if you’re a noble lady, this is the Mage Corps.”
“That’s right. Here, even commoners are treated as equals. Yet you were given special treatment from the very beginning, and frankly, that’s infuriating.”
Those who had entered through sheer skill found me particularly unlikable.
Unlike in Atlerina, where they fawned over me, here they were a nuisance in a different way.
It couldn’t be helped.
Even Kise, while blindly worshipping me, had doubted my skills.
At least she had only seen Syria as a mere puppet master—that was fortunate.
If people had realized that I had brought a Tower mage with me and that the mage was a true powerhouse, the credit for my achievements would have been attributed to Syria instead.
Not entirely wrong, but few knew that Syria was the one who had smashed Berna’s head into the ground.
At least that fact hadn’t spread to the Mage Corps.
That was the only relief.
“Hoo. You’re not saying anything. So that means… you have no intention of leaving voluntarily, correct?”
“We already know Atlerina is rotten to the core. If you truly deserve to be acknowledged, then prove it to us, Lady Ashtar.”
Honestly, I could just say, ‘I don’t know anything’ and be done with it.
I could simply declare that I can always return to Atlerina.
‘But if I did that, what would make me any different from the other noble ladies?’
Besides, they had just insulted my pride as a mage right here in the Mage Corps.
That was something I absolutely could not tolerate.
“Fine. I’ll show you my skills.”
I spoke to the noblewomen with the poise and tone befitting a noble lady.
“Well, we are all from the Ashtar territory, after all. There’s no need for an all-out magic duel. Instead, why don’t we have an open competition where even commoners can participate and showcase their magic?”
“Yes! That sounds great.”
I wasn’t sure whether they were naïve or sharp, but one thing was certain—they were better than the Atlerina crowd.
And so, a magic contest was arranged.
Syria, of course, was watching from the sidelines.
“Wow. You can make magical teddy bears? My younger siblings would love those. They’re really pretty.”
“O-oh, uh, t-thank you.”
“I heard you’re planning to open a doll shop in the future. I’ll definitely visit and buy one. Are you a commoner?”
Syria had now been labeled a doll fanatic, dreaming of a teddy bear shop—thanks to someone spreading the rumor.
Kise must have some deep-seated resentment in her heart.
Anyway, with that, the magic contest began.
***
“Alright then, let’s begin.”
“I’ll give you the first move.”
The noblewomen, who mostly came from noble families, deferred the first turn to me.
In that case, I should return the favor.
I had an obligation to assess their skills.
“No, it would be better for you ladies to go first.”
“Hah. Confident, aren’t you? Don’t be too surprised later.”
“The lady might wet herself in fear.”
Giggles erupted among them.
Fine, laugh all you want.
Let’s see just how skilled you really are.
I needed to witness firsthand the level of the Ashtar Mage Corps.
“Fireball!”
Boom!
A noblewoman launched a fiery sphere at the wooden target.
In an instant, half of the wooden mannequin was blown away.
Unlike Kruas’s complex incantations, he kept it simple.
To be honest, Kruas’s magic had greater destructive power, but considering the speed of his single-handed casting, this method had better mobility.
“Enhanced Magic Bullet!”
Boom!
Another noblewoman fired an enhanced magic bullet.
A projectile made purely of mana, without elemental attributes, shot forward like a cannonball, shattering the wooden mannequin.
It wasn’t burning, but the result was the same—complete destruction.
She was beyond Kruas’s level.
And she had only enhanced a magic bullet, meaning her casting speed was even faster.
“Lightning Strike!”
Crackle!
The last noblewoman’s lightning spell struck the wooden target.
The mannequin shattered in an instant.
Definitely superior to Kruas.
In terms of casting speed, magic bullets were the fastest, followed by lightning, and then fireball.
If I compared destructive power, lightning was the strongest, then fireball, and finally magic bullets.
However, speed and attack style were different factors, so it was difficult to determine an absolute ranking.
Overall, their level was high.
Atlerina couldn’t even compare.
“That was impressive.”
“Fufufu. What do you think? Amazing, right? Can you even match that?”
“Understood. Then…”
If this were Atlerina, I would have taken it easy.
But this was Ashtar. Here, I had to demonstrate overwhelming power.
I needed to show them that I wasn’t simply relying on my noble status and title.
I had to give them something greater than anything they had seen in Atlerina—something that would make them follow me willingly, as nobles of Ashtar’s territories.
“Don’t just do the bare minimum and brush us off, saying, ‘This should be enough for you.'”
“If you lose, it would be best to admit it gracefully.”
“That’s right. There’s no shame in lacking skill.”
‘Oh, so that’s how you want to play it?’
You’re underestimating me far too much.
This, I cannot overlook.
It was inevitable that I would display overwhelming skill.
‘If that’s how it turned out, then so be it.’
“Then, allow me to show you my magic. -Void.”
Void magic is both void magic and spatial magic.
A massive void mass forms in midair.
A kind of catastrophe in itself—a magic that turns everything around it into void.
Kudududuk—
The small void floating in the air began to swallow everything around it.
“Everything into void.”
The shattered wooden training dummies were all sucked into the void.
Kwaaarurururuk—
That should be enough.
I stopped the void magic.
The black sphere floating in the air vanished, and all that remained was a clean ground where the wooden dummies had been completely obliterated.
“Well, it’s not an offensive spell, but I think that was more than enough of a demonstration.”
“What do you think?”
“Uh? Uh?”
“Now then, everyone? What do you think? I didn’t bother showing anything back in Atlerina since the level there was too low to even be worth it. But let me ask you, members of the Ashtar Mage Corps.”
The noble ladies blinked in surprise.
“Even if I was suddenly transferred here, with abilities like this, surely my presence wouldn’t disgrace the name of the Mage Corps, would it?”
“Yes. Yes, of course.”
One of them seemed to agree halfheartedly.
The real problem was the other two.
“Why is everyone except one person so unbothered by this?”
At first, I had expected some pushback.
Even if they weren’t like Atlerina, they were still nobles.
I figured they would have the typical arrogance of nobility.
“How exactly does that magic work?”
“Void magic? I’ve never heard of it. Can you teach us?”
“Huh?”
‘What’s with these reactions?’
“I heard that ancient magics disappeared long ago. Is void magic one of those?”
‘Void is, well…’ No, actually—
To be honest, this is really embarrassing.
I had somewhat anticipated this reaction, but I had fully intended to suppress them with sheer power.
Yet, the way they’re reacting now makes me feel ridiculous.
***
I was only able to escape from the Mage Corps members after barely managing to borrow the commander’s office from Kise.
“Sigh. Their reaction is so different from Atlerina.”
“Well, of course. Not only is this Ashtar territory, but more importantly, back in Atlerina, there was the whole Lily incident. On top of that, Olivia, you were also in the middle of being dumped by that idiot prince. You were in the worst possible situation as a noble lady.”
Syria spoke while absentmindedly fiddling with a stuffed bear.
“It’s a common sight in the kingdom. Nobles either align themselves with greater noble houses or suck up to them to survive.”
“Yeah.”
“But now that I think about it, this Mage Corps is a bit different. Even though they’re nobles, they evaluate purely based on magic. If this were another academy where nobles studied, everyone would be groveling at your feet by now, Olivia.”
I could definitely imagine that.
Syria really understands this side of things well.
Maybe that’s her noble blood at work.
“Mm… Even so, it’s still a bit strange.”
“Is this because of the ‘former’ Olivia? Are you having another identity crisis?”
“Yeah, kind of.”
“Whether I’m Olivia or Noah… It doesn’t change the fact that I, with my mixed soul, am the one experiencing the relationships the former Olivia should have had.”
“Olivia, your existence is something that neither magic nor science can fully explain. But what’s certain is that you are both Olivia and Noah. Honestly, feeling guilty about it is what’s really weird. What if, say, Lady Katarina was killed or hurt by someone?”
“That would definitely be unpleasant.”
“If someone killed Katarina, I’d make sure they died the same way. If she were injured, depending on the severity, I might just eliminate all traces of their existence entirely.”
“Either way, it doesn’t really matter to me.”
“What if Lord Rokton, the heir, collapsed?”
“I’d be worried.”
I might even get a little angry.
No, actually… quite a lot.
Thinking about it is making me feel really irritated.
Maybe that’s not quite right, after all.
“You’re not just grieving to strengthen your position in Ashtar, are you?”
“Oh… I see.”
Yeah. Maybe I should stop thinking about this.
Dwelling on it just makes me seem way too pathetic.
“Do I really have to explain this to you over and over again? You’re not senile!”
“Wow, that’s harsh!”
I can’t believe I’m being called senile at this age.
[The character on the far left, dressed in casual clothes, is Olivia, who refuses mint chocolate!]
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