Chapter 438 - Repaying Malice
The training ground spans roughly five hundred meters on each side.
Even without using a far-seeing magic item, a slight magical enhancement to vision makes it easy to see every detail of the watchtowers belonging to each faction.
If this weren’t an official academic competition, it would be perfectly normal to eavesdrop and uncover the enemy’s strategy. Conversely, one would have to consider ways to feed them false plans—failing to do so would mean defeat.
But of course, in a proper student competition like this, such underhanded tactics aren’t expected, and so far, there’s been no need for heightened vigilance. Still, if someone did resort to such methods, it would be interesting. I suspect some school would try it sooner or later—prompting possible rule revisions or additions.
Personally, I consider such tactics well within the scope of battle. But this is, after all, a legitimate club activity for students. We all understand that covert operations and extramural warfare aren’t where our focus should lie.
Besides, Saint Emeralda Girls’ Academy—already under scrutiny from the Federation—should avoid any actions that border on rule-breaking, or even those that merely feel inappropriate by common sense. The risk of disqualification is high, and they’d likely seize the opportunity without hesitation.
Given our current standing, it’s obvious we must proceed with caution. Fortunately, my club members—mostly daughters of the elite—grasp this point quickly enough.
After scanning the other schools’ positions, I shift my gaze to every corner of the training ground.
From ground level, this area appears cluttered with stone walls that obstruct sightlines. But they’re far from sufficient to fully conceal a Magic Doll’s movement.
Through the gaps in the walls, the dolls’ silhouettes are constantly visible. Once their direction becomes clear, their objective follows naturally.
“It’s a simple strategy… They’re just trying to surround us. After inviting three schools here, resorting to such a crude method immediately—don’t they feel even a shred of shame?”
Hermira’s sharp remark earned a comforting pat on the shoulder from Mildree.
“They’re not here for practice—they want to humiliate us! This is Glams Academy’s revenge, isn’t it? I wasn’t there, but I heard we really put them in their place.”
“They were the ones who acted provocatively first. Evilbanshee-sensei merely demonstrated an outstanding performance. To hold a grudge over that…”
“Hey, what are you doing? We don’t have time to complain.”
“President, shall we proceed as planned?”
Edith and Sigurdnaught cut in on the president and vice-president’s casual exchange.
At Saint Emeralda Girls’ Academy, the supreme commander is Club President Hermira, with Vice-President Mildree as her second-in-command. The unit is divided into three squads, each led by a squad captain who relays orders and executes tactics under Hermira and Mildree’s direction.
The curly-haired girl and the younger sister are both squad leaders, while the third is entrusted to Chelsea, a petite but capable girl. Though quiet by nature, Chelsea is a skilled member who’s been with the club since its inception.
The flagship machine—the one whose destruction ends the match—is piloted by President Hermira herself.
“For the opening match, let’s meet them head-on, without tricks. Just because they’ve surrounded us with three teams doesn’t mean they can win easily. We’ll make sure they learn that.”
“Then we go with the usual formation—the Fangyuan Array. Hermira, you stay in the center!”
This is a test of strength. Let’s see how long we can endure the encirclement. All the effort we’ve poured into training will now be put to the test.
Notably, the three opposing schools seem to have hidden their presumed flagship machines near their own watchtowers, avoiding movement entirely. They’re clearly prioritizing survival. Pathetic. Their magic control is sloppy, but they’re at least suppressing their magical signatures—something most students wouldn’t detect from a distance.
Yet this is a battle royale where a single winner must be decided. With that approach, they might as well be guaranteeing last place. They’re being remarkably blatant about it. Well, if it helps our training, I suppose the details don’t matter.
“We’re ready. Now it’s just a matter of morale.”
“I’ve got a little confidence in our defense, at least.”
The younger sister and the curly-haired girl grinned, fearless. They welcomed unfavorable odds—the harsher the situation, the better the practice.
In a circle near stone walls, the Magic Dolls stood firm, shields raised, locked in defensive formation.
Good. Even the beginners avoided wasting magic. Calm, focused, yet charged with determination.
For attackers, this narrow space makes it hard to leverage numerical advantage, and visibility from their watchtowers should be poor. Even with superior numbers, it’ll be difficult to overwhelm us.
Conversely, we’re close to our base, with clear visibility—making Magic Doll control significantly easier. That’s a clear advantage.
The three schools’ Magic Dolls, closing in from the east toward our watchtower, moved swiftly and in tight formation—unsurprising, given they’re operated by students from top-tier schools.
The farther they stray from their base watchtower, the harder their Magic Dolls become to see. That’s where true skill will show.
Of course, controlling visible units with adequate precision is basic. The real challenge lies in maneuvering the entire unit cohesively across this vast training ground.
Suddenly, something snagged on my magical perception net.
“…A bird?”
I noticed a presence flying above the training ground.
“No… a magic item.”
Flying magic items are rare. This one drifted slowly in wide circles, far above the watchtowers.
Competitors focus on their dolls and direct their magical senses toward the ground—no one normally watches the sky. Even if someone noticed, they’d probably assume it was just a bird.
I hope the judges noticed. But whether they’re deliberately ignoring it or truly unaware is unclear.
In any case, that’s almost certainly a surveillance magic item, designed to observe the battlefield from above. Through that bird-like device, someone could indirectly monitor ground activity. If linked to a far-seeing magic item, it would grant a massive advantage in controlling Magic Dolls.
In Magic Doll battles, each team is allowed only one magic item. I’d like to believe that bird is it—but this is clearly a high-performance device. And since I’ve never seen it before, it must be either very new or custom-made.
A magic item capable of aerial surveillance wasn’t something ordinary people could obtain until recently. This is clearly a result of relaxed magic item regulations.
Depending on flight duration and performance, if it has camera-like functions, it’s quite advanced—and the required magical energy would be substantial. Standard-grade magic stones listed in the rulebook couldn’t possibly power it.
Therefore, either a participating student is using it illegally, or someone outside the arena is operating it.
It’s hard to imagine a third party monitoring a simple club practice match with such a rare device. The most logical conclusion is that Glams Academy is using it improperly. If it were a third party, the execution would be even more amateurish—and in either case, this is clearly not professional work.
Normally, if someone wanted to spy on another person, magical visual observation would suffice. A flying magic item like this only draws attention—especially to someone like me. And if destroyed, it’s over. The device itself probably isn’t cheap, so the risk-reward ratio makes no sense.
All signs point to one conclusion: this isn’t for spying on individuals, but for gaining an advantage in the Magic Doll battle. The third-party theory is invalid.
Unsurprisingly, Hermira and the others haven’t noticed the bird-type magic item.
Now then… what should I do?
Shooting it down would be effortless. But leaving it be might be more entertaining.
Better yet—first, identify who’s using it. If it’s not a participating student, the operator is likely a non-competing student or an advisor. In that case, this qualifies as extramural interference.
In other words… they’re picking a fight.
And if that’s the case, I’ll gladly accept.
I’m especially good at extramural fights.
Fine. Let’s not pretend I didn’t see it.
“They’re advancing boldly from three sides. Engagement is imminent—sooner than expected.”
“Yes, their Magic Doll control is quite skilled. Perhaps I underestimated them slightly.”
“But what if this is their full strength?”
“…If this is truly their best, then in basic operation, we’re superior!”
Listening faintly to Hermira’s conversation, my awareness turned outward, beyond the training ground.
From the start, I’d spread my magical perception net across the entire designated match area, making this space secretly under my control. Within it, I could magically perceive everything—nothing suspicious had occurred.
So I extended my net beyond the boundary—and almost immediately, I caught a suspicious presence.
Alone, in what appeared to be a small rest building near the southern watchtower. From our eastern watchtower, trees blocked direct line of sight.
Magical perception alone couldn’t reveal exactly what the person was doing, but I could vaguely tell they were seated, operating some kind of magic item. Definitely not resting due to illness.
Hmm. Maybe I should pay a visit.
To avoid disturbing the members focused on the match, I quietly descended from the watchtower and walked normally toward the rest building.
Today, I’m dressed in “proper mode” to maintain a good public image. As a lecturer at Saint Emeralda Girls’ Academy, my posture must remain elegant.
The personnel from the four gathered schools—students not participating included—are almost entirely focused on the match.
Only distant observers, likely from the Berliza Intelligence Department, seem to notice my wandering. The others don’t.
I have nothing to feel guilty about—just taking a leisurely stroll. It doesn’t matter who sees me.
In fact… I want to be seen.
I want them to grow wary.
I want to mock them.
I want to pick a fight!
I had to suppress the rising tide of combat instinct with all my willpower—otherwise, I’d ruin everything.
Only by channeling that near-destructive impulse into an intense, highly controlled magical act within the palm of my hand did I manage to endure.
Sometimes, I just feel an overwhelming urge to go wild.
If I were in the den of evil, Exembra, I’d probably storm someplace and start smashing things.
While casually unleashing terrifying magic undetected, I maintained a poised, graceful walk.
But thanks to the scattered stone walls and sparse trees, I remained unnoticed—even without trying to hide. At this rate, I could approach within striking distance of the southern watchtower without being seen.
Putting aside my inner violent impulses, I obviously couldn’t let an advisor openly pick a fight. No need to reveal myself. This concealment is fortunate.
Moving along the shadows of stone walls, I reached a spot where I could visually confirm the rest building.
“That one doesn’t look like a student.”
The small, single-story structure was clearly a temporary rest area.
Through an open window, I saw a woman seated nearby, speaking into a communicator while operating a magic item.
I approached the window, suppressing my presence—her conversation became perfectly audible, even without supernatural hearing. Amateurs.
“Yes… yes… understood. That said, the magic consumption is intense. It’s manageable now, but I can’t keep this up for five more matches. Huh? The rotation speed is too fast? If I slow it down any further, it’ll crash!”
No doubt about it. She’s the one using the bird-type magic item.
She’s interfering from outside the arena. No matter how creatively you interpret the rules, this is undeniable cheating. But in a practice match, they could easily make excuses. Complaining would be pointless—and I have no intention to.
Besides, that level of support doesn’t pose a real threat to us, who crave a tough practice match. But it annoys me. So I want to interfere. It’s purely a matter of personal satisfaction.
Now then… how should I handle this?
Stealing or destroying the magic item would work. But if someone realizes they’ve been attacked, it’ll become a nuisance. Better to make it look like an accident. A quick, clean resolution.
I decided to use poison from near the window.
A colorless, odorless, mildly toxic mist seeped through the window into the room, weakening the woman’s body.
The expected effects: abdominal pain and nausea. It would last about half a day—nothing serious. She’d recover by nightfall, with or without medicine or healing magic.
After releasing a sufficient amount, I stepped back from the building and watched from just within visual range.
I resisted the urge to use the Magic Eye of Thorns. Even weakened, it’s too powerful. Poison is enough.
Soon, the effects took hold. The woman’s complexion worsened, and she retreated into the back room.
Unless she has exceptional willpower, she won’t be using magic or magic items for the rest of the day.
The illness I induced should have taken effect at just the right intensity—no mistakes in dosage.
And since she was mid-communication, her allies would know immediately that something’s wrong. If they send a replacement, they’ll suffer the same fate.
For now, I quickly left the area and casually returned to the eastern watchtower.
Looking up, the bird-type magic item was gone—likely crashed after losing control.
Hermira and the others, engrossed in the match, didn’t notice my brief absence of a dozen minutes or so.
And one more thing.
From this tall watchtower, the view stretches far into the distance. The multiple distant observers must think they’re monitoring me easily.
But that also means I can see them clearly.
Time to return the greeting—just this once.
And while I’m at it… I’ll take them out. Let them serve as an outlet for my lingering violent impulses.
If you’re going to watch, you should be prepared to be watched in return.
And don’t think you can sneak a peek and claim you meant no harm.
They’re probably just following orders from their country or organization. But the moment they secretly observe me, it’s the same as picking a fight.
I usually ignore such surveillance out of habit—but right now, it’s making me uncomfortable.
If you’re going to do it, at least do it without getting caught. That’s basic courtesy.
I know these watchers lack real skill. But sending such obvious amateurs is tantamount to underestimating me.
The moment their spying is exposed, I have every right to treat it as a challenge. I won’t let anyone complain.
So I’ll accept the fight.
To those sending me unpleasant stares, I’ll return the gaze.
With the Magic Eye of Thorns.
I removed my glasses and formed a circle with my left hand, pressing it against my left eye. This drastically narrowed my field of vision, minimizing the chance of affecting bystanders with the Magic Eye’s power.
First target. I suddenly turned my face toward him—he seemed slightly suspicious. The fool standing idly on a rooftop tensed up instantly.
You’ve completely underestimated me.
So you straightened up—what difference does that make?
What you should’ve done was retreat immediately. I gave you enough time, and you wasted it.
The Magic Eye is high-performance. Without tools, I can easily focus on distant targets.
Focusing my left eye, I used extreme magical control to pull out just a sliver of the sealed cursed magic power. The world shifted in an instant.
The world turned red, then twisted. Distant objects surged closer in perception, and within this alien vision, I locked onto my target. Merely meeting my gaze under these conditions was enough to transmit the curse.
One fool collapsed, his internal magic violently disrupted.
Pathetic. The curse’s backlash strikes me just as mercilessly as the target—that’s the price of using the Magic Eye of Thorns.
Yet I didn’t so much as flinch. Weakling. Never send me such an unpleasant stare again.
But now you’ve personally experienced a fraction of my power. At least you can give your employer a good report.
No need to thank me. Consider the surveillance fee waived.
“Treasure it.”
As I moved to the second, then third target, the more competent watchers—excluding the fools—seemed to sense the anomaly. I detected their attempts to hide or flee through shifts in magical energy.
I swiftly turned the remaining fools into the Magic Eye’s prey, then ended the game.
The joy of teaching those smug onlookers a lesson outweighed the stress of enduring the curse’s backlash. All things considered, I managed a bit of stress relief.
“…Haa. Now then.”
How is the Magic Doll battle going?
Looks like it’s still undecided.
This chapter turned into a minor extramural skirmish, but the next one—and the one after—will feature the students fighting with everything they’ve got.
Next: “The Battle of the Academy That Will One Day Be Called the Invincible Champion.”