“However, all of you can rest assured. Although I follow the philosophy of ‘Do whatever it takes to get what I want,’ I'd never take what's most important to someone.”
“Liar! Haven't you tried to grab our boyfriends with your dirty hands?”
Kirche turned her gaze slowly to the girls surrounding her.
“To you, It's really not the most important thing, is it.”
“What did you say?”
“If it was such an important thing, you wouldn't have formed a team to negotiate with me. You'd have taken my head off my shoulders a long time ago, or am I wrong?”
The jealous girls had nothing to say.
“...Er....”
“I don't want to die yet. Therefore, I won't take what's most precious from someone.”
The girls had been struck by Kirche's imposing manner and started to look at each other.
“If I plan on taking someone's most precious possession, I'll be ready to fight for it. My element is ‘Fire’. ‘Fire’ controls destruction and passion. I too, want a passionate affair that turns all life to ash and burns everything to the ground.”
Just like that, Kirche's lovers continued to increase, but she was unable to make a single friend. Tabitha, however, was not much better off.
Tabitha hardly spoke to anyone at all. Whether it was break time or lunchtime, starting class or ending, even in the dorms or social spaces. She said nothing to anyone. Silent, with a world-weary look on her face... only reading. No matter who tried to speak to her, Tabitha totally ignored them. Not just ignored, it was as though she was totally ignorant of their even existing.
Because of this, Tabitha turned into an object of ridicule. For some reason, she refused to give her last name, so the rumors were that she was a bastard.
The time when she really raised the ire of the entire class was during their first class.
Tabitha, who'd been taken as just a 'normal' bookworm, was found to be an adept “Wind” mage during the first “Wind” magic lesson.
Mr. Quito was in charge of “Wind” class. The first words out of his mouth were,
“This year's students are just too sorry.”
Displeasure was immediately written on the faces of the students, who'd gathered in the central courtyard.
“Looking at your school record, almost all of you are 'dot' mages, only a few are 'line'. Not even one is a 'triangle' mage. What's going on?”
Dot and triangle referred to the number of elements that could be stacked. 'Dot' meant one element, 'line' meant the mage could combine two. Even if it was the same element, as long as it could be stacked, a powerful spell could be created.
“I have absolutely no hopes for any of you, but this is my job, after all.”
After Mr. Quito finished speaking in a low voice, class started. “Wind”'s basic skill's are “Flight” and “levitation”.
However... Tabitha began to show her abilities at this point.
She was the first to soar far up quickly using the “Flight” spell. Even so, to try to avoid attention, she'd deliberately not used all her power. Mr. Quito was rather confused.
“For a 'dot' mage, that pretty good.”
Not knowing Tabitha's true ability, it was unavoidable that he'd say that.
For various reasons, the only person who knew Tabitha's real power was Principal Osman. Moreover, Mr. Quito hadn't looked at the exchange students' records.
“No matter what, all of you lost out to the youngest girl in class. Don't you feel ashamed?”
With Mr. Quito's words, the entire class started to get angry.
During the break after lunch, one of the boys asked Tabitha to spar with him.
Sparring like this was basically the same as dueling. Since it was sparring, there was no little danger of any loss of life, at least not in this time period. In times past, it was said that giving your opponent the coup de grace was the way of the noble, but this age of heroes had disappeared into history. The modern method was to use spells with low lethality, and once someone was injured, the bout would be decided. Although at times there were incidents were a finger was broken, it was far safer than placing one's life on the line. In most cases, stealing your opponent's wand was considered the most elegant way of winning.
The youth who had challenged Tabitha was named de Lorraine. Born into a family famous for “Wind” magic, he was one of their year's elite 'line' magicians.
He carried a grudge from having been beaten at “Flight” by some unknown like Tabitha. He liked to boast that there was no one who could compete with him in “Wind” magic, and wanted a chance to get back at Tabitha.
Walking towards Tabitha, reading in the central courtyard, he issued a declaration of war,
“Milady, I would like your instruction in ‘Wind’ magic.”
When Tabitha gave no reply, de Lorraine started to get angry.
“To continue reading while someone is challenging you, isn't this far too rude?”
Tabitha still did not reply. De Lorraine's words went by her ears unheard as though it were sound of the breeze.
“So, when it comes to sparring you don't have what it takes. That isn't hard to understand. After all, these contests put one's life on the line! Totally different from flying and jumping around a bit in class!”
Tabitha continued to flip through her book. De Lorraine's insulting words had no effect on the jade-eyed girl.
“Heh!”
De Lorraine snorted, and smirked.
“So. It seems that the rumors of you being a bastard are true. I fear you don't even know who your mother is. To feel envious of some low-born person like you would dishonor my family's reputation!”
As he gave these words and prepared to leave, Tabitha finally stood up. If Kirche were to see her now she would probably feel it. Within those emotionless jade eyes, an icy wind was howling.
“Have you finally gotten serious?”
Tabitha set her book down on the bench, and turning, walked towards an open area.
Tabitha and de Lorraine stood facing each other about ten meters apart.
“Although I don't want to give my name to a bastard like you, this is the common practice. I, Verrieres de Lorraine, shall be your opponent.”
Tabitha did not give her name.
“It's so pitiful to not have a name to give, even at a time like this! I shall not show mercy! En guarde!”
De Lorraine shouted, and began to chant, “Wind Break.” He planned to send Tabitha flying at once. Tabitha did not take a stance, and merely silently prepared to take the wind that seemed set to blow her away.
What was going on? She totally made no attempt to take an invocation stance. De Lorraine's “Wind Break” was a powerful spell, a spell to counter it would take some time to cast.
Was it because she had never sparred like this before, or had she been scared witless by de Lorraine's spell...
Whatever the reason, time was up.
Just as de Lorraine felt he had victory in his hand...
Tabitha raised her wand, and as though clearing spiderwebs from her path, waved it randomly. A single word was spoken, and just like that, Tabitha had control of all the air currents in the area.
This minute adjustment in air flow changed de Lorraine's spell's forward momentum, returning it to the caster.
De Lorraine was flung against the wall by his own wind. Giving him no time, Tabitha immediately began to cast again. Water vapour in the air froze to ice, turning into countless frozen arrows, which plunged towards de Lorraine.
“Ah!”
With a clear tinkling sound, the ice arrows pinned de Lorraine to the wall by his cloak and clothes. He was scared stiff by this power he had seen for the first time in his life. “Wind,” could it really be all that powerful? A giant ice arrow flew towards the pinned de Lorraine from the front.