The Deadly Sins Sorcerer of Magic Academy
Mahou Gakuen no Taizai Majutsushi
Arc 2 Martial Arts Festival
On The Roof of The Castle
"Everyone, I congratulate you on your participation in this Martial Arts Festival. I am the king of Zagar, Gilbert von Zagar. Now then, tonight… for all of us gathered here—"
The hall quieted, and atop a raised platform stood a single middle-aged man dressed in splendid robes, addressing the crowd.
Some time had passed since earlier. Having finished the minimum required greetings as a noble, Julis quietly listened from a corner of the venue, apart from Cecilia and the others.
(The king of Zagar, huh?)
The nation that summoned the Hero.
Summoning magic required an enormous amount of magical power and complex control—it was a spell that bridged the laws of this world and another.
To even attempt it, you needed dozens of elite court magicians, a massive magic circle, and tremendous energy. And even then, success wasn’t guaranteed. If it failed, the built-up magical energy would go wild and cause widespread destruction.
Because of this, even though many nations had long sought to eliminate the demon race, few dared to attempt it.
But Zagar succeeded. A miracle not seen in centuries. The moment they pulled it off, their magicians were recognized as elite, and they gained a mighty new force bathed in immense blessings.
At the top of such a nation stood this man. Seeing his commanding presence, Julis frowned.
(At best, greed. At worst, sloth――――I see, a great king who dared to lace deadly sins with courage… No doubt he’s quite proud of himself.)
Greed that desired strength. Sloth that gave up on becoming strong through one’s own efforts by instead summoning the strong.
Still, the rewards of success were great. Indeed, summoning the Hero must have drastically changed the environment surrounding Zagar.
"We are not enemies. However, when it comes to this Martial Arts Festival, that is not the case. We strive to surpass one another, assert ourselves, and serve our respective homelands――――"
Julis listened silently, not even sipping the wine in his glass.
♦♦♦
"…Well then, time to head back to Cecilia and Master."
Draining the wine, Julis placed the glass on the table and started walking back to where he had been.
The king's speech had ended, and the venue once again returned to being a place for mingling. Princess Emilia’s situation didn’t seem to have changed—she was still surrounded—but Julis had no intention of intervening.
A quick glance showed Emilia still smiling, as if to say she didn’t need rescuing.
She must have her own reasons for staying engaged in those conversations.
(Seriously, being royalty must be rough…)
Thinking that, Julis began crossing the venue.
At that moment, a group caught his eye――――
"It’s an honor to meet you, Hero-sama!"
"I-It’s a pleasure to meet you, Saintess-sama! I’m Rox, Earl of the Kingdom of Galad!"
Two students from another country. A rare black-haired young man, and a girl with bright, water-blue hair.
They were surrounded by a crowd of people.
"Haha..."
"Geez! I just want to go see my little sister!"
The boy offered a strained smile, clearly struggling with the attention. The girl, on the other hand, wasn’t even trying to hide her irritation.
Even so, the surrounding students didn’t seem to care, desperate to interact with the two.
Eventually, a vein visibly throbbed on the girl's forehead.
"You’re really... starting to get on my nerves..."
(Oof… yep, she’s mad alright.)
Julis, watching from the sidelines, put a hand to his chin as he observed the girl.
It seemed the boy understood the importance of patience and diplomacy, but the girl clearly didn’t share that sentiment.
The blue-haired girl reached toward the mace strapped to her back.
(Well, they kinda brought it on themselves...)
Julis could already guess what was about to happen.
The students around them had ignored the pair’s wishes and imposed their own selfishness. Whatever happened next was their fault. It had nothing to do with Julis.
However――――
"Can’t ignore it when I hear the word 'Saintess', you know――――Superbia."
With that muttered line, Julis instantly teleported the two—boy and girl—next to him.
"Kyaa!"
"Wha—!"
"Now, stay still, you two."
In an instant, Julis wrapped his arms around their waists.
And just like that, he teleported them out of the venue.
♦♦♦
"――――Alright, that should do it, don’t you think?"
Julis had taken the pair out to a balcony and immediately transported them up to the roof of the royal castle. He gently set them down and spoke.
"Ummm…?"
"Huh...? Why am I here?”
"Let’s just say the method’s a trade secret and leave it at that."
The two looked puzzled, but since they had been at that scene, Julis considered them his opponent―for now.
He had no intention of revealing his technique, the Superbia, to them.
“Anyway, if that was unnecessary meddling, sorry about that. I just thought this girl here was reaching her limit, so I stepped in.”
"…Michaela, you couldn’t hold back after all."
“Well, yeah! I just wanted to go and replenish my sweet lil-sis-ium, but they kept getting in the way~!”
The girl waved her arms up and down, trying to emphasize both her frustration and helplessness. The boy placed a hand on his forehead, clearly exasperated.
He seemed like he had his fair share of trouble, too.
“Ah, sorry about that… Honestly, I was kind of overwhelmed myself. Thank you.”
“Thanks from me too~! Now I can go see Cecilia-chan~!”
(Cecilia-chan… huh.)
Julis heard the name and let a faint smile rise to his lips.
"I’m Takaaki Ousaka. First-year at Zagar Royal Magic Academy, for what it’s worth.”
"Michaela Roswell~! Feel free to call me big-sis anytime~♪”
The two introduced themselves to Julis. Their names matched those of the Hero and the Saintess. Julis felt a flicker of surprise and delight, but didn’t show it outwardly as he responded.
"I'm Julis Anderberg. First-year at Lapis Lazuli Royal Magic Academy."
“Julis Anderberg… Wait, could you be the same Julis-kun who Cecilia-chan has been taking care of?”
“…I’m not sure what she’s told you, but yeah, I’m probably that Julis.”
Julis replied, and Michaela gave him a scrutinizing look—one that seemed to be judging or probing.
Was it because he’d called Cecilia without honorifics? Or had she heard something from Cecilia herself?
Then, suddenly, Michaela reached for the mace strapped to her back――――
“Ahaha! So Julis-kun, you’re strong… right?”
“Wait, Michaela!?”
Without warning, she swung the mace down on Julis with full force.
Despite the nighttime setting, the mace glowed white. Its head was adorned with a multitude of sharp spikes.
A direct hit from that thing would be catastrophic.
Michaela wore a delighted smile—one that had twisted into something bordering on madness. Takaaki looked on in horror.
But――――
“Come on now, is that the face befitting of a Saintess? Are all Saintesses besides Cecilia battle-crazed lunatics?”
The mace missed its target, slicing through the air with a hollow whoosh.
Certain she had landed a clean blow, Michaela’s eyes widened. Takaaki spun around instinctively.
"Now I can’t even ask you what kind of guys Cecilia likes. I was hoping one Saintess might know what another thinks…"
There stood Julis, hands in his pockets, looking down at them with mild disappointment.
He had been right in front of them just a second ago. In an instant—he was gone. Takaaki realized it must’ve been the same ability that brought them here.
"Oh, but I do know of it~! But that doesn’t mean I’m telling you for free~"
Lowering her mace, Michaela also looked up at Julis.
"So, what do I have to do to make you tell me? I’m kind of desperate to get on Cecilia’s good side here."
Who knows when—or where—Cecilia might fall for someone?
While Julis had been taking his time, working to earn the power and status to stand beside her, she could be swept away by someone else at any moment.
That’s why Julis had to know.
What kind of person Cecilia liked—so he could be that person. So she would wait for him. So that, under the banner of his Greed, he could claim her heart.
Of course, asking her directly would be the easiest… but Julis found that idea far too embarrassing.
In response, Michaela’s crazed smile grew even deeper.
"Let's see~ Yeah, I see~! Simple, if you beat me, I’ll tell you!”
Then Michaela dashed across the roof.
Mace in hand, she charged up toward Julis.
"…I’d rather not rough up a girl if I can help it――but if that’s the deal, I’ll take you down, battle-crazed lunatic."
Julis, driven by his Greed to learn about the one he loves—
—now faced the Saintess in their first encounter.
"…Good grief, I can't take this anymore."
Watching them both, Takaaki held his head in his hands――――but neither showed any signs of stopping.
Even though――――The Martial Arts Festival hadn’t started yet.
[To be Continued]
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