Master 40

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If there is someone who holds first place in the world, then inevitably, there must also be someone who is pushed to second place.  

“Adele, did you lose the top spot again?”  

“I… I’m sorry, Father.”  

A few days ago, in the office of Marquis Felgrave, Adele Felgrave knelt on the floor, facing her father, painfully aware of this truth since childhood.  

“B-But I really am trying. Y-Yesterday, I stayed up all night reading magic books and didn’t neglect my training…”  

“No, there’s no need to go that far.”  

Born as the second daughter, second in magical talent among the heirs, and always second in academic performance at the academy.  

“Adele, there’s no need to overexert yourself to catch up with your sister.”  

“You only need to do just that much.”  

Even in terms of love and recognition from her father, she was always second place.  

“…I see.”  

Though such circumstances could have driven her to neurosis, Adele merely nodded quietly to her father’s words.  

—Creak…  

However, from her bowed head, the sound of her teeth grinding escaped.  

‘If only I had the same magical tools Father provides, I could do even better…!’  

Even though she had grown accustomed to a life of second place, perhaps because of her innate nature, Adele’s desire for recognition had long since festered and twisted.  

Until now, she had hidden it as much as possible, fearing her father’s disfavor, but she was reaching her limit.  

“Hmm.”  

Watching her closely, Marquis Felgrave suddenly let out a faint smirk.  

“I hear that in the upcoming talent selection tournament, you were mentioned as the second candidate.”  

“…What?”  

“I have close ties with the academy officials. So, I also know well that there is only one open spot in the tournament.”  

He whispered a truth to Adele that she found utterly unbearable.  

“Ugh…”  

As expected, Adele’s body began to tremble as she bit her lip in silence.  

“…You want to participate in the talent selection tournament, don’t you?”  

For Adele, Marquis’s following proposal was something she simply could not refuse.  

“If you do me a favor, I will provide you with a magical tool to assist in your upcoming midterm exams.”  

“……!”  

“If you set a new record in that test, I will put in a good word for you with the academy officials.”  

It was the first time in her life that her father had ever offered to support her with magical tools.  

More than that, the father who had always told her to be content with second place was now demanding that she achieve first.  

“T-Thank you! Father! I’ll do my best!”  

“…Such a good child.”  

“But… what is it that you need me to do?”  

With tears of gratitude welling up, Adele lifted her head and asked.  

Marquis, quickly erasing his smirk, finally revealed his request.  

“Come to think of it, you’re of marriageable age now.”  

“…Pardon?”  

“It’s about time I started sending out wedding invitations.”  

Thus began the mass delivery of wedding invitations to Whitney.  

“If I ask the families indebted to me, it will help divert the attention of the noble ladies.”  

“…?”  

“Yes, this is an excellent opportunity… I can solidify my position within the Shadow Union.”  

As he murmured to himself, a sinister smile crept onto Marquis’s lips once more.  

Adele, simply tilting her head in confusion, clenched her fist and made a silent resolution.  

‘I don’t know what this is about, but this time, I will definitely succeed!’  

At that moment, Adele was filled with determination, thrilled by her father’s unprecedented attention and the thought that, for the first time in her life, she could achieve first place.  

Even when she later realized that his “favor” was, in truth, a humiliating tactic no different from seduction—a disgraceful role for a noble lady—her resolve remained firm.  

‘Father must have a plan, right…?’  

The day before the exam, Adele received a letter from her father informing her that Whitney would be acting as the invigilator for the midterm exam.  

(It was the first time her father had ever sent her a letter.)  

At that moment, Adele’s resolve became unshakable.  

—Rumble!  

Returning to the present.  

“Ugh…!”  

A headless knight struck the ground with his sword, sending a massive shockwave that tore through the vast corridor of the labyrinth and crashed directly toward Adele.  

“Urgh… ugh…”  

Sensing the impending attack, Adele hastily gathered her mana and deployed a barrier.  

However, the shockwave shattered the barrier and ripped through her body.  

“…Cough.”  

Falling to her knees, she tried to force strength into her legs and rise again.  

Yet, the internal injuries inflicted by the impact were too severe, and she collapsed, coughing up blood.  

‘Is this… the end for me…?’  

Covering her mouth to stifle another bout of blood, Adele quietly accepted her fate.  

‘At least… I bought time for the students to escape… Maybe I’ll be remembered as a hero…’  

With a faint smile, she closed her eyes, clinging to a small, long-held dream.  

—Are you really satisfied with that?  

“…!?”  

A soft, whispering voice suddenly reached her ears, making Adele’s eyes snap open in shock.  

—No matter how much you want to be special, dying won’t accomplish anything, will it?  

“W-Who…?”  

She muttered as she frantically looked around.  

But the only thing she saw was the headless knight, dragging its sword toward her.  

—I can give you power.  

The whisper continued, gentle yet insistent.  

—Then you can finally become the special person you’ve always longed to be…  

More precisely, the voice wasn’t just in her ears—it was in her head.  

But on the verge of losing consciousness, Adele couldn’t tell the difference.  

—If you want it, just nod quietly.  

Yet, despite her fading vision, the meaning of those words rang crystal clear.  

—I hope you don’t let this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity slip away.  

The voice, as soothing as the fatherly praise she had always craved, left Adele dazed.  

—Creeeak…  

The headless knight, now right in front of her, raised its arm, its blade poised to strike.  

‘To be… special…’  

Staring blankly at the looming figure, Adele nearly nodded without realizing it.  

“…Huh?”  

But suddenly, an odd sensation in her neck caught her attention.  

—Sizzle…  

The darkened pendant around her neck, now emitting an ominous black smoke, clung tightly to her skin and veins, staining them black.  

“N-No…!”  

An instinctive wave of revulsion overtook her, turning her face pale.  

Tears welled up in her eyes as she trembled, desperately trying to pry the necklace off with her shaking hands.  

“This… This isn’t the kind of special I wanted…!”  

However, having exhausted all her magic for tens of minutes while bombarding the headless knight with spells, she no longer had the strength to undo it.  

“P-Please help me. I-Is there anyone…?”  

Realizing this, she desperately used the last of her strength to crawl backward, away from the headless knight raising its sword before her, begging for help.  

“Anyone… please…!”  

But at that moment, the necklace coiled tightly around her neck, choking her, cutting off her plea mid-sentence.  

—There is no one who will save you.  

“Kh… keuh…”  

—Good girl. Now, nod your head.  

As she gasped for breath, her mind hazy, the voice echoed once more in her head—still gentle but now laced with a faint chuckle.  

—Creeeak…  

Meanwhile, the headless knight had already raised its sword high into the sky, ready to strike her down.  

“F-Father…”  

In the face of such relentless despair, Adele trembled uncontrollably, squeezing her eyes shut.  

“Please… give me strength…”  

Thinking of the father she had so devotedly followed, she whispered her final hope with all her heart.  

—Heh, what a pitiful child.  

At that moment, the voice echoed again, now unmistakably mocking.  

Adele’s eyes quickly dulled, the light in them fading.  

—Did you forget who gave you that necklace?  

Had she hesitated even a moment longer, she might have lost all hope and nodded her head.  

She didn’t even realize that the headless knight, sword raised high, showed no sign of striking her down.  

“Hmm, I may not be your father.”  

But fortunately for Adele, just before that moment, someone answered her prayer.  

“Still, I think I can save you.”  

“……!”  

“I’m quite the expert in these situations, after all.”  

Regaining consciousness at the sound of the gentle voice, Adele felt her body suddenly floating.  

Her eyes widened in shock as she looked upward.  

“My, you’re quite light, aren’t you?”  

“A….”  

“At your age, you should be eating properly. It’d be a relief if you’re not malnourished.”  

The one holding her in a princess carry was Whitney, who chuckled softly while making a lighthearted remark.  

“Then again, being too healthy, like a certain black-haired gorilla we both know, can be a problem too. Haha…”  

That mischievous smile, which had always stirred misunderstandings and trouble, now looked incredibly kind in Adele’s half-closed eyes.  

“In any case, you did well.”  

“……”

“Now, rest.”  

Even his usual tone—so easily misunderstood—sounded strangely comforting to her.  

“…Thank you.”  

Without realizing it, Adele buried her face in Whitney’s chest, whispering in a fading voice as she closed her eyes.  

“This debt… I will…”  

Though she lost consciousness before she could finish, a single tear rolling down her cheek silently conveyed what words could not.  

*****  

‘…I made it just in time, it seems.’  

After luring away the monsters that had relentlessly chased me, I rushed into the corridor, looking down at Adele, who was now unconscious in my arms, and let out a sigh of relief.  

—Crackle…  

Fortunately, I had activated my trump card—my sealing magic—just in case.  

It allowed me to stop that monstrous high-rank creature from striking Adele at the last possible moment.  

‘This… looks an awful lot like black magic corruption.’  

Most likely, it was the cause of the strange phenomenon occurring in the labyrinth.  

Even the necklace that had been glowing ominously black around Adele’s neck when I first arrived was a clear sign of it.  

‘This poor young lady won’t escape punishment for this.’  

While the monster was temporarily sealed by my white magic, I swiftly removed the enchanted necklace from Adele’s neck, tucking it into my coat with a grim smile.  

…Or perhaps, this could prove useful.  

Now that I thought about it, this artifact…  

Considering that Adele’s father—the Tower Master—had undoubtedly given it to her, it could be a deadly weapon against him.  

‘If I report this right away, they might try to cover it up. I should hold onto it for now.’  

I’d keep it safe, resisting its black magic, until I could discuss the best way to use it with Parsha.  

“Alright, time to put an end to this mess…”  

With my thoughts settled, I turned toward the magic circle, which had noticeably quieted under my sealing spell.  

“Urk.”  

But suddenly, I lost my balance, stumbling before barely steadying myself.  

“This is bad…”  

Even though Adele was light, maintaining my sealing magic while moving was draining a massive amount of my life force and white magic.  

“Ugh, hold on…”  

“Ugh… mmm…”  

I tried to lay Adele down gently on the floor, but whether it was because she was stronger than she looked or I was just weak, she refused to let go of me.  

“Haha…”  

In the end, I gave up trying to pry her off and stood there awkwardly, not knowing what to do.  

“Sir Whitney, I’ll assist you.”  

Just then, a composed voice called out from behind me.  

“Apologies for arriving late. Breaking through the magic circle took some time.”  

Turning around, I saw the female professor who had been overseeing the exam walking toward me with a serious expression.  

“I’ll take care of the magic circle. Please take Adele and leave this place.”  

“Oh, alright…”  

“That armor-type monster won’t move again for a while, so you needn’t worry about me.”  

Since maintaining my sealing magic was already pushing my limits, I immediately withdrew my energy, trusting her to handle the rest as I prepared to leave the labyrinth.  

—Human…! Release me…!  

“…What the?”  

Just as I was about to take a step, a tiny spider-like creature clung to my leg, peeking out from inside my coat and speaking to me.  

“This thing…”  

Though it was small, it was still much larger than a normal spider, making me instinctively grimace.  

Had it been hiding in my clothes all this time?  

—Let me go…!  

‘If I take this thing back to my office, Sasha will probably faint from shock.’  

Imagining my aide foaming at the mouth upon seeing the spider, I sighed and grabbed it between my fingers to pull it out.  

—That woman… she has a familiar aura…!  

Dangling from my hand, the creature suddenly flailed its legs and muttered something.  

“Hmm.”  

As a white mage sworn to protect justice and hunt down monsters, this was unacceptable.  

But…  

“Spider, what do you mean by that?”  

It seemed like I needed to hear this thing out.  

*****  

Meanwhile, at that moment, in the Academy Board’s reception room.  

“…What did you just say?”  

Meredia, who had been leisurely sipping tea, widened her eyes and questioned the sudden bad news.  

“An unknown incident has occurred during the Academy’s midterm exam, leaving students and the invigilator trapped inside.”  

“We’ve lost contact with them, but since the magic circle seems to be going berserk, there is a high probability of casualties…”  

As the report continued, Meredia’s expression darkened more and more.  

“Who is the invigilator inside?”  

Placing down her teacup, she asked with forced composure.  

“…It’s, um… Sir Whitney.”  

The servant hesitated before answering, averting his gaze.  

Meredia blinked in stunned silence, momentarily unable to process the words.  

Then, she calmly stood up and ordered.  

“Take me there. Immediately.”  

Following closely behind the servant, her steps were neither hurried nor slow.  

However…  

“…That idiot.”  

The words that slipped from her lips were faintly trembling.  

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