“Alright. Let’s go over the conditions. Contact is allowed. If you think it’s going to be a clean hit, switch to pulling back at the last moment. Even if you can’t switch in time, I’ll step in, so just keep in mind if something feels like it might be dangerous.”

“Basically, I can go all out, right?”

“Yeah—just to be clear, though, don’t go full release with your magic sigil. Even I can’t do anything if the training hall goes up in flames.”

Listening as Icca reassured Ziel that he wouldn’t do that, Klaha couldn’t help but feel a little concerned about something.

Icca seemed to notice and, with an “Ah,” nodded before rolling up his sleeve.

A strange pattern.

It was etched into both of his arms.

“Klaha-san, do you know about magic sigils?”

“Yes. At least, the basics.”

Searching her memory of adventure records and novels, Klaha answered.

She was fairly sure.

“They’re markings that indicate a person is inherently linked to a specific type of magic from birth… though I’m not sure if that’s the most precise definition.”

“That’s pretty much right. That specific magic tends to be strong, and the area where the sigil appears can become enhanced. There’s more to it, but that’s the gist. Oh, but of course—”

“It’s not all good, right?” Icca added.

Nodding in agreement, Klaha recalled what she knew.

“It makes learning other magic harder, and there’s a risk of magical outbursts… those kinds of struggles, right?”

“Exactly. As expected of Ziel-senpai’s disciple, you really know your stuff.”

“I haven’t actually taught her anything about that. That’s just Klaha being knowledgeable.”

At Ziel’s words, Icca blinked in momentary surprise before turning back to Klaha.

“Well, in my case, I’m past that stage already. Training here has helped me control my magic and inner energy, so I don’t have outbursts anymore. And honestly, you don’t really need other magic to get by these days. If anything, the only struggles I still have now are—”

With a flick, Icca tugged on the hair tied to his left side.

“I ended up becoming ambidextrous from all the experimenting, and now I mix up my left and right all the time. I mean, you can hold a rice bowl with either hand, right? Oh, and since my magic is lightning-based, I get zapped by static in winter.”

“Ah, now that you mention it, even when you guided me through the mansion…”

“Right! I’m not bad with directions or anything, but I always mix up left and right, so I tie my hair on the left as a marker. But—”

With a smirk, Icca laughed.

Then, with a smooth motion, he unsheathed the twin swords at his waist.

“Thanks to that, though, I’m the best dual-wielder among the current students.”

A faint crackle of electricity flickered along his arm.

Watching it, Klaha took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a moment.

Then, as if responding to it, she drew her sword.

“…Alright. Please, take care of me.”

“No need to take a stance if you don’t want to. We’ll start on my signal.”

Ziel pulled a coin from his pocket.

“I’ll toss this up, and when it hits the floor, that’s the signal. Got it?”

“Yes.”
“Got it.”

“Alright then—”

With that, he flicked the coin into the air.

One second.

Two seconds.

The sound of impact.

“Haah!”

“—!”

Icca moved first.

He ducked low, crossing his twin blades, moving with incredible speed.

Klaha adjusted into a lower stance in response. The right stance was the strongest armor—she knew that. Aiming her blade at Icca’s throat, she warned him that approaching carelessly would not be easy.

Then, maintaining that stance—

“Hah—!”

She thrust forward with both hands.

It should have been a solid move.

She adjusted her position slightly to the right to react to Icca’s charge, ensuring that even if he kept going, it wouldn’t be a direct clash. Instead, her sword would be the only thing reaching his throat.

Her thrust was precise, carrying enough weight behind it.

Klaha was just outside the reach of Icca’s right sword. That meant he could only block with his left sword.

Very simply put—

Blocking a two-handed attack with one hand was difficult.

Weapons were easier to control and more precise when held with both hands.

Klaha’s plan was not bad.

Her positioning, her choice of attack, and her execution.

For her current ability, everything was well thought out.

However—

“Yo—”

Her thrust connected with Icca’s left sword.

The moment she realized something was wrong, it was already too late.

With a small metallic sound, Klaha’s sword slid.

Icca’s blade subtly redirected it, shifting the force away.

He had completely read her movements. He deflected her attack with ease.

Her sword was slipping—so she pushed harder to force it through.

“Ah—”

That was the final mistake.

Icca used her strength against her.

His left sword hooked around her blade and twisted.

Her grip faltered.

Her sword was yanked.

Her wrist twisted beyond its limit.

Her fingers opened.

The hilt slipped free—

And her sword spun through the air.

Icca leveled his now-free right sword at Klaha’s torso.

“…Huh.”

He blinked in surprise.

And then—

“You’re… not that strong.”

“That’s enough.”

Ziel caught Klaha’s sword before it could hit the floor—scratches on the wooden boards would be a pain to fix.

He thought to himself—

The result was as expected.

Ziel didn’t think Klaha was weak. In fact, there were things about her he found admirable.

But he hadn’t believed she was strong enough to beat Icca.

Victory wasn’t impossible. No battle was guaranteed.

But by engaging head-on, she played into Icca’s strengths.

Still, Ziel didn’t think that was a bad thing.

“You’ve improved, Icca.”

“…Really?”

“Yeah. Compared to three years ago, it’s night and day.”

“Well, I guess that’s true…”

“And Klaha—”

He knew losing stung.

“Your approach and your strategy were good. So—”

Klaha had made a choice. That wasn’t a mistake.

He wanted to tell her—

They’d keep growing together.

“Let’s go over your style. What you have, what you lack—if we have time, we can start adjusting—”

But—

“—Klaha?”

She didn’t respond.

She wasn’t even looking at the sword he handed back.

“You okay?”

“Ah, y-yes! I’m totally fine!”

She quickly looked up, acting normal.

“I was just reflecting on the fight.”

Ziel hesitated.

Was she really just lost in thought?

Before he could ask—

The urgent tolling of a bell rang out.

It was sharp. Pressing.

Ziel and Klaha turned toward the sound.

Only Icca understood its meaning.

“—An evacuation alarm?”