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"Headmaster, you've worked hard."
I offered words of appreciation to the headmaster in his office.
The cover-up regarding Deniro and his group required the cooperation of local people like him.
They were officially being processed for expulsion, but in reality, it was a forced removal.
"Not at all, I’ve always been indebted to the son of the Balfonte family... Troublemakers never seem to disappear, no matter the era."
"Deniro and his group have been involved in threats and have driven many students to the brink, both mentally and physically, ruining several of them."
"Absolutely. Some say these are children with futures, but those people are not humans—they’re monsters. They don’t need a future."
"Then it’s only natural to eliminate such fiends."
The headmaster’s wrinkled face broke into a smile.
With his cooperation and a public announcement, the cover-up would be complete.
Some sharp individuals might catch on, but it didn’t matter.
Even if they noticed, there was nothing they could do. If they started poking around, they’d be saying goodbye to this world.
"If someone like Deniro were to grow up, even more people would suffer. If everyone could be straightened out through something as idealistic as education, we wouldn’t have such troubles."
"I completely understand the feeling that expulsion isn’t enough. You’ve had your share of hardships too."
"My, my, indeed... I’ve been exhausted from explaining everything to the involved parties since then..."
The headmaster was also acquainted with Leorg.
Moreover, the Balfonte family had provided substantial financial support to the academy, so he couldn’t afford to be uncooperative.
"By the way, has something else happened? You summoning me like this must mean there’s another issue, right?"
"Yes. Actually, the student council has become increasingly radical lately. Or rather, it’s more accurate to say it’s a specific group of students..."
"Lilysha?"
"Y-you knew?"
Recently, Lilisha had been using extreme methods to enforce discipline.
There had been a surge of injured students, and distrust toward the student council was growing.
Indeed,Lilysha might be a problem. But—
"The cause lies with you all as well."
"W-with us...?"
"Who gave the student council its authority? You decided that top academic performers were automatically qualified to lead, entrusting the maintenance of order to students still in the process of growing. And now that it’s backfiring, you come running to me. Doesn’t that seem odd?"
"You’re... absolutely right."
The headmaster hung his head as he sat on the sofa.
I had more to say, but there was no point in berating him further.
"I’ll take care of Lilysha."
"Y-you will? Thank you!"
"But no matter the outcome, don’t interfere."
"Yes, of course..."
He seemed uneasy, perhaps worried I might kill Lilisha.
After all, Lilysha was the heir to one of the two great noble families. Her graduation would bring prestige to the academy.
Not that I had any obligation to consider the academy’s reputation.
* * *
"L-Lilysha-sama... p-please have mercy..."
"Pathetic! Next!"
In the mansion’s training grounds, I was conducting mock battles with the mages and swordsmen I had summoned.
Since I didn’t live in the academy dormitories, I had the freedom to do this.
My childhood tutor could no longer defeat me, so I had gathered new opponents.
"Lilysha-sama! Prepare yourself!"@@novelbin@@
The next opponent was a veteran mercenary with sixteen years of experience.
Known as the "Sword General" on the battlefield, he could knock me out of the safety field in an instant if I let my guard down.
His swordsmanship was impressive, leaving me no opening to cast spells. But this wasn’t enough.
"Too slow!"
"He dodged it!?"
Someone like him wouldn’t waste time with attacks that could be dodged with mere magical enhancement.
And compared to Alphiss , this man’s skills were laughable.
His magical enhancement was spread too thin, wasting energy.
I bombarded him with fireballs from all directions, knocking him out.
By the end, my body was still burning with energy.
"Weak! Too weak! How did you even survive the battlefield!?"
"Y-young lady! That might be a bit harsh!"
"Old man, stay quiet!"
"But...!"
"Silence!"
I silenced the old man who had always looked after me since childhood.
This was non-negotiable.
He was worried, but my father seemed satisfied.
So this was fine.
What I was doing now was right for someone of the Persifam family.
Showing mercy to commoners would make me unfit to be the family head.
"...Next."
"But, Branmud-sama, the young lady has already fought everyone."
"What are you talking about, old man? There’s still more to figh."
"No, even with the safety field, the pain and mental fatigue remain. Pushing them further would be too much."
My father, Branmud, was a harsh man.
When he learned I had lost to ,Alphiss he slapped me repeatedly.
This was the way of a family head. Without this, we could never surpass the Balfonte family.
"Branmud-sama, we’ve reached our limit..."
As someone began to say this, my father exploded a fireball in his hand.
The small but dense explosion was deafening, and the mages and swordsmen turned pale.
"I didn’t hear that. Say it again."
The stronger ones understood the difference in power, and the first opponent I had fought stepped back into the field.
They should’ve done that from the start.
"Then... Ugh!"
"Enough with the pointless chating ."
I crushed that opponent completely.
The next one, and the one after that—I knocked them all out.
And then it was back to the first opponent.
"P-please, stop..."
Even as they staggered, I showed no mercy.
Eventually, my mana was nearing its limit.
I was out of breath, and continuing would risk mana depletion, which was dangerous.
But strangely, I felt like I could keep going.
My body was telling me to push further.
Was this the whisper of mana?
"Haah... haah... C-come on... finish it!"
As I poured out my last bit of mana to attack, I collapsed.
I couldn’t move anymore.
After fighting all day without eating, I had finally hit my limit.
"Young lady!"
"Wait, old man. Look."
"Y-young lady’s body..."
My body was unnaturally hot.
It felt like I had fallen into molten magma, consumed by flames.
Normally, I wouldn’t be able to move.
But I stood up.
My body radiating intense heat, I was certain I had achieved something.
"B-Branmud-sama, what is this...?"
"Hmph, finally reached it, huh? As expected of the Persifam family."
I was filled with an overwhelming sense of omnipotence.
I felt like I could defeat anyone now.
I even thought I might be the strongest in the world.
I can win. With this, I can even beat Alphis.
Even he hasn’t reached this level yet.
"Fufu... I see, I see. This is the pinnacle of a mage... the True Magic Enlightenment."
True Magic Enlightenment. The dream of every mage.
Only a handful in the world have reached this stage.
But I’ve done it. I’ve achieved it. I’ve mastered magic.
Alphiss , just you wait.
What do you think?
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