Chapter 15: Conspiracy

14 Years Old Arc: The No-Staff of Magic Academy

Conspiracy

It was a few days after the Bellandenburg Academy of Magic and the National Academy of Magic merged to form the Bellandenburg National Academy, and I was walking alone down a corridor bustling with students.

Max was with me just a moment ago, but now he was gone.

The student council secretary had come running up and taken Max away, saying, "There's an argument going on, please help mediate."

Thump, thump, thump, thump!

"Oppsie!"

"Whoa!"

Suddenly, I felt a rumbling sound in the corridor, and two shadows whizzed past me from behind.

My skirt was blown up high. My left animal ear and tail were also brushed against.

Two boys in dark green uniforms ran past me, their faces turned towards me as they passed by.

"You're wearing something cute! Show it to me again, beast girl!"

"It feels so nice to touch! Next time, please let me stroke it slowly!"

These were the two who had been staring at me with lewd eyes during class.

They quickly turned the corner of the hallway, escaping from my stunned view.

"..... It's light blue."

Someone muttered.

All the boys in the hallway were staring intently at my lower body.

AH! THIS IS THE WORST!

★

The morning's class was a joint practical training session with students from the former Bellandenburg Academy and the former National Academy.

The students from both Academies were clustered in different locations on the school grounds.

While we, clad in black robes and wielding magic staffs, they stood before us, equipped with prosthetic wings and fully armed with magic rifles and sabers.

Incidentally, I left my staff in my locker. Otherwise, Professor Weppelmann would forget that I can only use healing magic.

In the center of the school grounds stood a bundle of straw, about the height of a person.

"O jailer of the Abyss! Show the ultimate end of—"

"Loading inferno bullets! Aim! Fire!"

The magic bullet fired by a student from the National Academy, standing on the ground and aiming their gun, hit the bundle of straw, causing it to burst into flames and explode.

Our coordination wasn't working well.

The students from the National Academy were shooting their targets before the magic incantations were even finished.

"You guys! You've been deliberately messing up the timing this whole time! Why can't you get it right?!"

"Isn't it your fault for chanting so slowly?! You'll get shot before you can even cast your spells on the battlefield! Can't you shorten it more?!"

"Chanting is necessary for mental concentration! Are you mocking a thousand-year-old tradition of magic?!"

"You guys are so old-fashioned! And yet you have such a strong sense of entitlement, it's unbearable!"

"What?! You guys can't do anything without your prosthetic wings!"

"Try saying that after you've let go of your staffs!"

Professor Weppelmann was simply bewildered by the continuing argument between the Bellandenburg students and the National students.

From my perspective as someone on the Bellandenburg side, the students from the National Academy were acting flippantly during lectures and deliberately failing to achieve their objectives in practical lessons.

The relationship between the two sides was becoming increasingly hostile with each passing day.

Amidst all this, Al, wearing prosthetic wings characterized by bright red magic crystals, walked over to the Bellandenburg group where I was.

"Yo! Still as cute as ever. When's Celica's turn? Let's partner up if you'd like."

"Al, thanks for the invitation. But I can't use anything other than healing magic, so I always just observe during practical lessons."

"Wow, that's surprising. Since you're so good at healing magic, I thought you could use other magic as well."

"I wish that were true. Haha."

As Al and I were talking, the students from the National Academy started heckling us.

"Hey, hey, hey! Albert's trying to woo Celica-chan! Meeting his childhood friend has rekindled his love, huh?"

"Are you trying to steal a head start, Albert?!"

"Please share with us after you done with her. The usual stuff!"

"Shut up."

I glanced to the side and saw Max glaring at us, or rather, mainly at Al, with a narrowed gaze.

"...Next, Maximilian von Bernstein."

"Yes."

It was Max's turn next.

I interrupted Al, who was trying to continue the small talk, by putting my hands together in a "sorry" gesture, and watched Max, who was holding his magic staff. 

I'm Max's attendant, after all.

"O jailer of the Abyss! Show the ultimate end...."

Max was walking, chanting softly so the National students couldn't hear, as he moved to his designated position.

"Fire, Flame Bomb!"

"—Show me the end of your life!"

As the Flame Bomb hit the bundle of straw, Max's magic also activated. The bundle of straw burst into flames, reaching the height of the roof of the four-story school building.

What?! This is the first success in this lesson!

"That's an amazing result, Bernstein! To achieve such a difficult combination of magic and sorcery, you truly are a descendant of a hero!"

"Thank you for the praise, Professor Weppelmann."

Max thanked the professor and slowly returned to me without any sign of pride.

I rushed over to Max and took his hand that wasn't holding the staff.

Max never praises himself, so I have to praise him.

"That's unbelievable, Max! Nobody thought of chanting while walking! You're really smart, Max!"

"Stop it, Celica. But thanks for the compliment. I'm happy to hear it from you."

I held Max's hand for a while, but then I thought it was strange, so I let go.

Suddenly, I felt a gaze from behind and turned around.

Al was glaring at me with a face so menacing it was unbelievable compared to how he was four years ago.

Someone grabbed my arm.

It was Max.

Max pulled me closer, shielding me from Al and moving me behind him.

"Hey, Albert! How long are you going to keep talking to that beast girl? Come back already!"

"Yeah, I get it, Anton!"

Al went back to the group of National Academy students

'What on earth was that? Did I do something to upset Al?'

★

"Now, let's begin our general education lesson. Today's topic is the causes of the Mittelland Revolution. In order to alleviate the suffering of the people, who were exhausted by the reckless continuation of the war and the naval blockade imposed by the Yashima Empire Navy and the British United Kingdom Royal Navy, the Great Alba Empire Army and Navy were renamed the Wehrmacht..."

After a lunch break, the afternoon lectures began.

The students at the school were behaving poorly, just like in the first few days since the school merger, with some dozing off.

As I listened to the lecture, a question suddenly popped into my head, and I asked Max, who was sitting next to me.

"Hey, come to think of it, why did the Great War even happen in the first place?"

"Celica, you should remember at least that much. The emperor at the time was Walhelm III, but the Imperial Chancellor, Rudolf Hister, used the oppression of the Burvatzka people by the Kingdom of Solvia as a pretext..."

He suddenly averted his gaze from me.

.....

..... Hmm, I see.

I leaned closer to Max's ear and whispered.

"Max. I don't like it when other people look at my chest, but you can look at it as much as you want."

"!"

"I'm actually embarrassed, but I think it hurts more when you avert your gaze."

"Celica..."

Max and I stared at each other from very close range.

"THAT'S ENOUGH! YOU GUYS!"

I quickly straightened my back and corrected my posture, startled by the shout.

However, it seemed the voice wasn't accusing us.

"Ms. Hoyer didn't like it! Why aren't you taking class seriously!"

Ivo Gillesberger, a male student who was good friends with Max and seriously dedicated to magic.

Diana Hoyer, a girl from Student Council President Felzer's faction, was conspicuously leaning her back, trying to distance herself from the students of the National Academy.

It seemed that some students from the National Academy had been bothering Ms. Hoyer, and Gillesberger had tried to protect her.

"We were taking the class seriously. We were just trying to ask her about something we didn't understand."

"Don't lie! You were bothering Ms. Hoyer in the last class too! This is a place for studying, not for flirting with women! If you want to do that, go out into the city!"

"Oh, oh! How admirable! Then work hard on your studies and try not to hold us aerial mages back!"

"What?! When have we ever held you back?!"

"All the time! You can't fly, and you can't cast spells without chanting! And yet you're all talk! You're really impossible to deal with!"

"You bastard!"

Enraged, Gillesberger pushed the boy from the school by the shoulder.

From an outsider's perspective, it didn't seem like he pushed with much force.

However, the boy who was pushed fell backward and hit his head on a student desk behind him.

"Justus has fallen!"

"This is a violent incident involving a student from the Bellandenburg Academy!"

The boys from the National Academy shouted in unison as they carried the fallen Justus out of the classroom to the infirmary.

Gillesberger simply watched in stunned silence.

★

Immediately after classes ended, a school-wide assembly was held.

Once the students from both academies had lined up, Senior Gotengram ascended the stairs to the podium.

He stood before the microphone placed on the desk, and with a sorrowful expression, began to speak with a deep grief.

"Ladies and gentlemen, a very tragic incident occurred during this afternoon's classes. It was an incident of violence by Bellandenburg Academy student against a National Academy student. A student affiliated with Bernstein cowardly harmed a budding aerial mage who was defenseless after having his prosthetic wings removed."

"What?"

While it was true that Gillesberger had resorted to violence, the assembly had only emphasized one aspect, omitting elements such as the teaching school student's bad attitude, his defense of Ms. Hoyer, the abusive language used by the National Academy students, and the fact that it was merely a light tap on the shoulder.

"It was a trap."

Max, who was facing the podium, muttered.

So, all the bad behavior of the National students were all a setup for this?

"This is discrimination. It goes against the spirit of friendship and cooperation that I previously championed. It is truly regrettable that this violent incident occurred during the process of the two academies becoming one."

Senior Gotengram paused, covering his face with his hand and looking up at the sky with a sorrowful expression.

Every action seemed artificial once I knew the truth.

Senior Gotengram paused, and Chairman Felzer raised her hand and spoke.

"May I speak, Gotengram?"

"Yes, I grant you permission, Student Council President Felzer."

"Thank you for granting me permission. There are eyewitness accounts that the student alleged to be the perpetrator got into an argument while trying to help a student from Bellandenburg Academy who was persistently harassed by the National Students. What are your thoughts on this, Gotengram?"

"I have not confirmed any such facts. Furthermore, that eyewitness account is likely something said by people connected to Bernstein or President Felzer, and its credibility is questionable. Are you intending to side with the person who committed the violent act, President Felzer?"

"Ah! Understood. Thank you for your reply."

Senior Gotengram turned the tables and questioned President Felzer. There was no way to get through to him.

Senior Gotengram continued speaking.

"I take this incident, which occurred during the merger of the two academies, very seriously. Therefore, I demand that Mr. Gillesberger, who caused the incident, to voluntarily withdraw! I believe this is a necessary measure for reconciliation between the academies."

"Wait a moment! Senior Gotengram!"

Max, who was standing next to me, raised his hand and spoke.

"Isn't expulsion going too far just because of one incident of violence? Besides, Senior Gotengram is only one student. I believe demanding the expulsion of other students is exceeding the rights granted to them."

"That's right, we are students of the newly merged Magic Academy! On behalf of all students, I denounce the Student Council for trying to control the new school in the same way they controlled the old academy!"

Senior Gotengram raised his voice even higher.

"A new Academy needs a new Student Council! Therefore, for the sake of the fundamental rights of each and every student in this new Academy, including those from the former Bellandenburg Academy, I demand the resignation of the Student Council, which is currently under the unjust tyranny of Bernstein and Felzer! If that is not possible, then as a condition for resolving this situation, I demand that Mr. Gillesberger voluntarily withdraw from the school!"

""""WOHOOOOOO!"""""

The students of the National Academy erupted in cheers as if they had all planned it beforehand.

When I looked at Gillesberger, his body was trembling and his face was pale.

"Wait a minute! When did we ever impose tyranny?!"

Felzer's protest was drowned out by the loud voices of the aerial mages.

Gotengram raised one hand to silence the boys of the National Academy and continued his argument.

"However, if you do not agree with that, I will offer a new option. A duel. If I lose, I will withdraw my demands against the current Student Council and Mr. Gillesberger. However, if the Student Council loses, I demand that Student Council President, Ms Irene Felzer, resign to take responsibility and that Mr. Maximilian von Bernstein voluntarily withdraw from the school!"

Why does Max have to be pursued to this extent?!

"Understood! I, Maximilian von Bernstein! I accept your challenge!"

"...Understood! As Student Council President, I, too, will accept that challenge!"

However, if Max doesn't accept this challenge, he'll be abandoning his comrades despite being the leader of his faction.

Max never had a choice from the start.

Senior Gotengram was smirking with satisfaction on the stage.

TL Note:

Wehrmacht: The Wehrmacht was the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945, consist of Heer (Army), Luftwaffe (Air Force), and Kriegsmarine (Navy), and of course, the OKW (Oberkommando der Wehrmacht) led by Adolf Hitler himself.

Walhelm III: It refers to Wilhelm III or the full name Friedrich Wilhelm Victor August Ernst, the eldest son of Wilhelm II, the last emperor of German Empire. In reality, Wilhelm III never become an emperor since German Empire fall during World War I during his father's reign.

Rudolf Hister: I don't think I need to elaborate who this is supposed to be, right?

Burvatzka: ..... Hm, anyone know what this reference to?

Kingdom of Solvia: Uhhh, Slovakia?