Tilea's Worries

Anasie, a third-year student in the advanced section of the Magic Academy, let out an exasperated sigh.

“I warned her…”

The girl named Timu, who had recently transferred into the middle section, was a commoner with outstanding grades, leaving the teachers in awe. Coupled with her appearance, she had become a star among the middle section students.

Top grades, silver-haired beauty, unafraid of teachers and upperclassmen alike.

But still, just a commoner…

With all those factors combined, it was impossible for her not to attract attention. Upperclassmen in the advanced section had already started to move under the guise of “discipline,” which was more of a punishment. Normally, anyone who stands out too much gets cut down. However, Timu, using her combat skills to compensate for her lack of magical power as a commoner, had already turned the tables on several of her would-be enforcers.

And now, she had even drawn out the queen of the academy herself.

I don’t dislike her, though.

Timu, like Elizabeth, had the qualities of an empress. If she weren’t crushed, she might have become the next queen after Elizabeth graduated.

Anasie considered himself a natural-born retainer.

I’m not someone who stands above others. I’m more of an advisor who exerts my strength under an absolute monarch. And if I had to choose, I’d rather serve a woman than a man. I want to work under someone noble and beautiful, like a queen.

And the one he chose to serve was Elizabeth, the queen of the academy.

She was simply perfect. Not only was she brilliant, but her magical prowess was unparalleled. She excelled in exams, research, and every other field. While many praised the current student council president, Muvoderi, as a genius, Anasie considered him merely competent.

True genius described her.

She was said to be a once-in-a-century talent. It was no wonder she looked down on others; how could she see students with inferior lineage and talent as her equals? And naturally, students resented her for this.

She never forgave her enemies. She would torment them relentlessly, using any means necessary to break them. Some of her victims had suffered fates so cruel that Anasie preferred not to remember.

Eventually, there was no one left in the academy who dared to oppose her.

And then, out of nowhere, this girl appeared, defeating Enke’s group and knocking down noble children one after another. A mere commoner, showing contempt for the nobility.

After causing such a ruckus and not even bothering to acknowledge Elizabeth, it was as if she was begging for punishment.

Timu had become Elizabeth’s target and was now in the courtyard. As one of the queen’s direct subordinates, Anasie, along with Pein, Bonos, and Batto, were heading there with their respective followers to deal with Timu.

When they arrived, the silver-haired girl was arrogantly napping on the queen’s sofa. Timu had the audacity to sleep openly in the queen’s sanctuary.

Elizabeth glared at Timu.

A vein bulged on her forehead.

Timu hadn’t realized she was stepping on a tiger’s tail.

I guess I’ll have to smooth things over.

“Wake her up.”

He ordered one of the followers.

They needed to rouse her from the sofa before Elizabeth’s wrath could escalate.

“P-Please, don’t be too rough.”

One of the followers approached Timu, but a girl suddenly stepped forward, shielding her.

“Who are you?”

“I-I’m…”

The girl was terrified by Pein’s menacing words, barely able to respond.

A friend of Timu’s?

If so, then a commoner—no, wait, I recognize her face.

That’s right. She’s Vincent Mires. I saw her at a party once.

“You’re the daughter of the Vincent family, aren’t you? You should know better than to oppose us.”

“Anasie’s right. Does a fallen noble like the Vincent family think they can defy Lady Elizabeth?”

“N-No, I would never…”

“Out of the way!”

“Kyaa!”

Mires was shoved by Pein, hitting her head hard and passing out.

You brute! Pein’s too impulsive, but perhaps it was for the best. If she continued to defy the queen, she would be in real danger.

“Faaah, what a noisy bunch of insects.”

Timu nonchalantly rose from the sofa.

She didn’t seem to grasp the situation at all.

“Get off that sofa, now!”

“Hmph!? How dare you!”

“Gah!”

Pein tried to grab Timu, but she moved like a willow, twisting his wrist in a direction it was never meant to go.

Such skill… she’s already reached a masterful level.

“You dare defy a noble!?”

“Hmph, I can’t sleep with these annoying bugs buzzing around. Very well, I suppose some post-meal exercise wouldn’t hurt. Come at me.”

“Don’t get cocky!”

“Hmph!”

“Guh!”

Bonos, provoked by Timu, lunged at her. But in an instant, Timu flipped him, sending him crashing to the ground.

Bonos isn’t weak, but he’s no match for her.

Timu’s skill is on another level. When it comes to physical techniques, Timu is undoubtedly one of the top three in the academy.

“Is that the famous ancient martial art? It seems like something a magic-deprived commoner would come up with.”

“Who are you?”

“You don’t know me? The one who rules this academy! How pitiful… This is why commoners are hopeless.”

“So, you’re the queen I’ve heard about. Then the guardian of the capital must be nearby. Which one of you is it?”

“How dare you! You commoner, calling out Lord Baccio by name!”

Exactly.

Lord Baccio is the strongest guardian of the Arcdas Kingdom. He can’t always be here to protect Elizabeth; he’s busy with diplomatic matters in neighboring countries.

Does Timu intend to challenge even Lord Baccio?

She’s insane.

“Is Baccio not here?”

“Don’t get cocky… I’m not like the small fry you’ve beaten before.”

Timu’s casual dismissal of Lord Baccio must have enraged her.

Batto rolled up her sleeves and stepped forward.

“Hmph. You seem weak, but are you the guardian?”

“I’m Batto, niece of Baccio.”

“How boring. Bring out Baccio, now!”

“Hah! As if my aunt would waste her time on a little girl like you!”

Batto, being related to Lord Baccio, had considerable combat skills. It was said that Lord Baccio was training Batto to be her successor.

Batto was undoubtedly the strongest fighter in the academy when it came to martial arts.

Timu, if you think Batto is like the others, you’re in for a rude awakening.

Batto, clearly angered, charged at Timu like a raging bull.

It seems Batto is serious from the start.

“Take this! Mongolian Muscle Bomb!”

“That’s it?”

“What!? You stopped my ultimate move, the Mongolian Muscle Bomb!?”

“Now, take flight!”

“Gwaaaah!”

Timu, seemingly lying down, suddenly threw Batto into the air.

Was that a spinning throw?

Timu had lifted and tossed Batto over her head as if it were nothing.

To defeat Batto so effortlessly…

“Next.”

“D-Damn it. We’re not falling for that again.”

Having seen Batto, the best hand-to-hand combatant in the academy, defeated, the followers finally realized Timu’s true strength. They circled her, forming a perimeter.

They’re trying to seal off her ancient martial arts…

Yes, they’ll keep her at a distance. The rumors about Timu’s martial prowess have spread among the upperclassmen. She’s known for her incredible ancient martial arts skills. And now, after defeating Batto, everyone acknowledges she’s the best in the academy when it comes to hand-to-hand combat.

But if they think we haven’t prepared for this, they’re mistaken.

Physical techniques are the last resort for commoners with weak magic…

Once exposed, it’s over. All we need to do is attack from a distance with magic. For someone like Timu, who is weak in magic, that would be fatal.

“Your cockiness ends here.”

“Yeah, a barrage of magic blasts from all sides. The silver-haired girl is as good as dead.”

“Hmph…”

“What’s wrong? Scared? It’s too late to regret it. You dared to defy noble children one after another. Now, you’ll pay the price.”

“Yeah, you’ve trampled all over the pride of the nobility.”

“You even desecrated Lady Elizabeth’s sanctuary! Know your place, you—gah!”

What? Did she throw a stone?

One of the second-year followers was knocked out, nose bleeding.

Throwing techniques…

It sounds simple, but it’s not something just anyone can do.

To knock down a warrior, you need a certain level of strength and accuracy. And to defeat a student of the magic academy, it’s impossible without rigorous training.

This girl… how far does her combat skill extend?

“I’ve been holding back on using magic at the academy. I’m doing a restricted playthrough. But if insects like you insist on keeping your distance, I won’t hesitate to pelt you with these.”

Timu displayed a small stone.

“Y-You little…!”

This is bad. The second-year followers are losing it. They’re about to unleash full-powered magic blasts. While Timu needed to be taught a lesson, this is going too far.

“St-Stop—”

What!? She

’s dodging them. She’s dodging the magic blasts!

Timu moved like an acrobat, skillfully avoiding the oncoming magic blasts. She weaved through them effortlessly, dodging left and right, leaving the followers in disarray.

And whenever she found an opening, she’d throw a stone, taking them out one by one. Before I knew it, only Elizabeth and I were left standing.

“Useless. They’re like untrained monkeys, letting a little brat like her get cocky.”

Elizabeth was fuming, her eyebrows twitching.

This is a bad sign.

When she’s like this, Elizabeth wouldn’t hesitate to kill.

“Lady Elizabeth, even if she’s a commoner, this silver-haired girl has proven herself by defeating many noble children. She’s more than qualified to be one of your subordinates.”

“...Indeed. For a commoner, she’s moderately skilled. Perhaps she could serve as one of my tools.”

“Then…”

“But first, she must kneel at my feet. A commoner like her must pay for trespassing in my sanctuary—cough, cough, what is this!”

What has she done!?

Timu had thrown mud at Elizabeth.

The mud splattered all over Elizabeth’s face.

Elizabeth never forgives anyone who tarnishes her pride. Timu just lost her last chance to survive.

“I don’t have time to listen to your foolish prattle. Bring out this so-called guardian already. I’m more interested in testing my strength against this ‘strongest of primates’ than in dealing with the likes of you.”

“Don’t you dare mock meee!!”

Elizabeth roared as she unleashed a barrage of magic blasts.

Elizabeth’s ultra-fast magic blasts were on a different level of speed and power compared to the others.

But what!? She’s dodging those too!

Timu avoided Elizabeth’s magic blasts with ease. This isn’t just about physical skill; she must have predicted the spellcasting and reacted accordingly.

It seems I was mistaken.

Timu’s magic skills surpass even Elizabeth’s.

“Damn you!”

“Too slow. You take too long to cast. You’re not training enough.”

“Huff, huff, stop dodging. Let’s see you handle two at once!”

Elizabeth started firing magic blasts from both hands. But Timu continued to dodge with perfect precision. No matter how desperately Elizabeth attacked, Timu had her completely outmatched.

Elizabeth was now panting for breath.

I’ve never seen Elizabeth like this before. Always composed, she was now being toyed with by a younger girl. I didn’t want to see the queen, usually so composed, reduced to this.

…

……

………

“Huff, huff, huff… if I could just hit her… if I could just hit her…”

“You can try, but I’ve set myself a goal to avoid all of your insect-level magic blasts today. Even if one hits, it wouldn’t hurt at all. But I’m determined not to break my own rules.”

Timu spoke as if this were some sort of game, showing no fear of Elizabeth’s magic blasts.

And then…

“Here, a trip.”

“Kyah!”

Elizabeth tripped over Timu’s foot, falling to the ground.

“Y-You got my face dirty! I’m covered in mud!? Twice!? No one’s ever dirtied my face before!”

“A small fry like you belongs in the dirt. Now, where’s Baccio? I keep asking for him.”

“You’ll regret this. I’ll destroy you, your family, and everything you care about.”

“That’s the spirit. It wouldn’t be any fun otherwise.”

Timu said as she smeared more mud onto Elizabeth’s face.

“You filthy silver-haired brat! I’ll make sure you suffer, you and your entire family!”

This is bad.

Elizabeth’s power isn’t just in her combat abilities; her influence is unmatched. The usual composed tone was gone, replaced by a murderous glare.

In her current state, she would go to any lengths to crush Timu, without hesitation. She wouldn’t hesitate to use her family’s power.

“Apologize now. We know your sister runs a shop on West Street. Your sister could be in danger too.”

“Hm. I can’t cause trouble for my sister.”

“It’s too late for regrets!”

“No, you misunderstand. My sister would enjoy the hunt, but pests like you wouldn’t be much of a challenge. She’d only be disappointed.”

“You fool! Do you think you can mock the Elizabeth family—gyaaah!”

“Stop screaming. I just broke your finger. I didn’t like how you kept pointing at me.”

You broke it…

The finger that everyone feared, even the highest-ranking nobles wouldn’t dare look at… she broke it…

“How dare you! This isn’t a joke anymore. This will escalate into a full-blown war. With Lady Elizabeth’s power, the royal family, the Allied Nations, the Adventurers’ Guild, and every organization will be after you. She has the power to do that.”

“Is that so? This might finally get interesting.”

What!? She doesn’t care at all about Elizabeth’s power.

What… what is she…?

Ha, I can’t contain this excitement.

How do I describe this feeling?

“Ugh, breaking my finger… you monster…”

“What are you complaining about? Be grateful I didn’t cut it off. I’m getting soft in my old age.”

“Oww, I’ll kill you… I’ll kill you!”

“Remember that pain. Get serious. Bring me prey that my sister can at least enjoy hunting.”

Elizabeth clutched her broken finger, sobbing and screaming.

It’s almost childish.

The queen I had sworn loyalty to now looked like a helpless lamb.

Heh, it seems I’ve been following the wrong queen.

The silver-haired girl’s overwhelming presence captivated me.

Her charisma was beyond anything measurable by magical power alone.

…Magic and nobility no longer mattered to me.

I could see the wings of conquest on her back.

Ah, this is the true queen who will rule the world.

My head bowed instinctively.

Looking up, I saw the beautiful silver-haired girl looking down at Elizabeth.

For the first time, I knew I was gazing upon the real queen.