Ciel looked at the golden sword in my hand and asked,"This is an artifact I’ve never seen before. Is it some hidden trump card you were keeping in reserve?""That’s right, it’s a newly crafted Azoth Sword. Symbol of an alchemist."I smiled as I tilted the blade this way and that, letting it catch the light.Recognizing the sword’s value, Beatrice and a few others had a change in their eyes.Even among [Legendary] grade items, there are tiers depending on type, but still—this was a legendary-grade weapon. Their reaction was only natural.Ciel glared at me with calm eyes and said,"I suspected as much when I saw you had no intention of giving up."Thock—.She raised both fists in front of her chest and slid one foot back, taking her stance.Ciel fully settled into her posture and locked her gaze on me."From here on, I’ll face you in earnest."'……She wasn’t serious until now?'Looking down at the dueling ground floor smashed like it had been bombarded, I swallowed hard.Flash—.Before I could even finish the thought, Ciel charged again.I didn’t panic. I drove the Azoth Sword into the floor.Crackle—.With arcs of mana lightning rippling across the dueling ground, walls shot up in an instant, forming a hemispherical shell around me.Rumble—.Using [Transmutation], I transformed the tiles of the dueling ground into barriers that enclosed me.This didn’t just alter the shape of the material—it reinforced the structure with my mana, making it far more durable than the original.Even if you used sand to create a wall, that didn’t mean its durability was just “sand-level.”However—Boom—!With an eardrum-shattering roar, the transmuted barrier and the Aegis shield were crushed in a single blow."……!"Crack—.Ciel’s fist punched straight through the physical resistance of my suit and transmitted force directly into my body.Even as I was blown backward by the impact, I couldn’t help but feel astonished.'The power really is ridiculous.'Whoooom—.The mysterious, monstrous strength Ciel possessed—On top of that, a blazing blue mana now wrapped around her fists.One of the martial artist skills, mana shrouding the fist: Fist Aura.It fell short of Sword Aura when it came to cutting and slashing, but it was even more specialized for smashing and destroying.It suited Ciel perfectly.Flash—.After being knocked back, I pulled several steel ingots from my coat and scattered them across the floor, then used [Transmutation] again to form a new barrier around myself.Crackle—.When the Azoth Sword touched them, the steel ingots swelled massively and transformed into sharp points amidst blue lightning.Vrrrm—.Limited by their volume, they became thin, elongated cones, but the sharpness and hardness of steel transmuted with mana would be equal to, if not greater than, any shield or spear.Fwoosh—.Cone-shaped steel ingots arranged themselves around me, forming a phalanx-like ring."……!"Charging at me, Ciel stopped short as she suddenly found massive steel spears jutting up in front of her. She immediately gathered mana into her fists.Crashhh—.Then she advanced, punching apart the steel barrier I had transmuted.But I simply transmuted the broken steel and the dueling ground floor again, raising barrier after barrier.Rumble—.Watching the steel walls surge up over and over right in front of her, I grinned.'……It’s fine. I have plenty of mana.'Loen was a character with relatively low physical stats, but high mana and intelligence.On top of that, I was currently wearing [Milia’s Mana Gauntlet], which reduced mana consumption, and wielding the Azoth Sword, which lowered the mana cost of transmutation magic.Thanks to that, even though I kept using transmutation, the mana naturally regenerating in real time covered a good portion of the consumption.And even if my mana were to be drained completely, I could just use mana recovery stones to refill it—essentially infinite fuel.Rumble—."Kh."Ciel bit her lip and retreated a step as the sharp steel barriers continued to block her path.Spurt—.At the same time, I noticed thin cuts etched into her skin.She must have kept brushing against the sharp spears I had transmuted until her student ID barrier ran out.I’d gotten a rough idea when I broke the lab wall earlier, but seeing how just a few grazes had burned through her barrier and left actual wounds, it was clear the spears embedded in this barrier had an incredible attack power.Staring at the wound on Ciel’s arm, I thought,'If time just runs out like this, I win.'Since Ciel’s barrier was completely gone, I was under no pressure at all.As long as I didn’t get knocked out or forfeit before the 10-minute limit, victory would be mine.After catching her breath for a moment, Ciel dashed in once more, like a streak of light.Tap—.I couldn’t fully track her movements, but I kept transmuting steel spears around myself, stacking barriers in every direction.Like a hedgehog covered in razor-sharp spines.Rumble—.No matter how powerful a predator is, it can’t bring down a hedgehog without getting hurt.And if the spines kept regrowing every time you broke them, there’d be nothing more annoying.Slice—.As she advanced, smashing through the endless surge of steel spears, Ciel was caught off guard by an attack that shot out from the side."Kh!"Blood flew through the air as Ciel stumbled far back.Seeing the deep wound on her arm, I flinched a bit—but I didn’t dispel the magic.It wasn’t because I wanted to hurt her just to win this match.Keeping Ciel from getting hurt was more important than winning here.Even so, I didn’t withdraw the mana from the transmuted steel.In this battle, I wanted to see what Ciel’s true intentions were when she fought.'The emotions Ciel is showing right now aren’t simple competitiveness or desire for victory.'There was something about her that felt like she was hiding something important.I had the feeling that through this match, I might be able to get a glimpse of what Ciel thought about Loen.Understanding the will of Ciel, who served at Loen’s side at the closest distance, would greatly influence my actions going forward.Until I figured that out, I couldn’t call off the magic, even if Ciel was wounded.Ciel ripped her uniform to staunch the bleeding and charged at the barrier again.Tap—.Like an injured beast, she kept rushing at me without stopping.Thud—.Even when she was pierced through by the steel spikes I transmuted, she didn’t pull back.She didn’t even falter—she just clenched her teeth and hurled herself at me all the more desperately.Crash—.Fragments of shattered spears scattered through the air as her fists smashed them apart.In return, another spear that thrust out from the side gouged a wound into her leg."Kh…"Though she staggered from the pain, her eyes glinted more sharply as she charged in harder.Flash—.Watching her movements, I felt a feeling I couldn’t quite put into words.Something that couldn’t be dismissed as mere fighting spirit or will to win.This was just one Competition Battle match, yet Ciel refused to give up, even as she was reduced to a bloody mess.It made me think that maybe Ciel had some reason she simply had to win this match."Haa… haa…"The battle continued like that.At first, Ciel had relentlessly driven me into a corner, but once I started using the Azoth Sword, the situation had reversed.Her powerful punches could no longer reach me; only the wounds on her body continued to increase.Now that the massive difference in strength between us had been bridged in an instant and the situation overturned—It was the true power of a [Legendary] weapon and an [Alchemist] laid bare.Legendary-grade equipment was designed to break balance enough to close gaps in compatibility and level.On top of that, until now I had relied on various tricks to fight, but this time I was fighting by fully exercising my abilities as an alchemist—so the result was only natural.Whoooom—.Ciel’s footsteps, once so quick they were nearly invisible, had slowed dramatically, and even the force in her fists now seemed insufficient to break through the steel spears.Thump—.Her fist bounced off the steel spear.She stepped far back, cradling her bloodied hand."Huff, huff, huff…"Her body was in tatters as she struggled to breathe.Kneeling on the floor for a moment to catch her breath, Ciel forced her trembling legs to stand once more.I watched her with worried eyes."Are you all right?""……."She kept silent for a beat, then finally parted her dry lips and asked me carefully,"There is… one thing I wish to ask.""Ask whatever you like."The sound inside the dueling ground wouldn’t carry outside anyway.Wiping the blood from the corner of her mouth, Ciel cautiously asked me,"The shoes you were wearing at the tailor’s before—did you truly throw them away?""……."At her question, I recalled what had happened not long ago.***A few days earlier.Having received word from Altair, I visited the tailor shop again.He said he had a gift for me."Here, take this."When I arrived at the shop, he handed me a pair of shoes in a transparent glass case.They were the worn-out, shabby shoes I had previously asked him to throw away.The ones with the strangely high heels that were so uncomfortable.Looking at the glass case in my hand, I asked,"Didn’t I ask you to throw these away?"Now that I had new shoes made, there was no need to keep the old ones.At my question, Altair shrugged."At first, that was the plan. But when I examined them closely, I realized they were no ordinary item. It would’ve been a waste to simply throw them out. Before I took the liberty of repairing them, I thought I should get the owner’s permission.""No ordinary item…."I turned the glass case in my hands, examining the shoes inside.Aside from the high heels, I hadn’t thought there was anything particularly special about them.As I studied the shoes’ exterior and interior, I soon noticed something and let out a small exclamation."Ah."A scrap of cloth stitched into the lining.On it, along with someone’s signature, a small line of words had been embroidered.[As long as I am stronger, I will surely protect you at your side - Ciel Yurapia.]Staring at that line, I heard Altair say,"Yes, upon closer inspection, it seemed they were a gift from that girl who came with you. The material was also a magically treated leather that grows with its owner. Judging by the wear, I’d say you’ve been using them for five or six years. You truly didn’t know?""……."I had wondered why Loen, who used to burn through money like water, kept wearing such worn-out shoes—but so that’s what was behind it.I also remembered how poorly Ciel had reacted when I told him to throw the shoes away before.'Looks like I did something pretty terrible back there.'I’d told him to throw away the very gift she had given me, right in front of the one who’d given it.Hugging the glass case to my chest, I bowed to Altair."Thank you.""Think nothing of it, I only did what was right. The craftsmanship is excellent, although the heels being that high is a bit odd. Even so, they’re a fine pair. If you want, I can repair them.""……."Why would such a top-quality pair of shoes have only the heels set awkwardly high, like a defect?I thought it over carefully.'If you’ve worn them five or six years, you must’ve started in childhood.'At that age, girls tend to be a bit taller than boys. Maybe Loen had been shorter than Ciel.In that case, perhaps Ciel had gifted the shoes with slightly higher heels for that reason.With Loen’s foul personality, he might not have been able to stand being shorter than Ciel.In any case—Loen hadn’t been able to throw away Ciel’s heartfelt gift, so he’d kept wearing those shoes stubbornly even after they’d worn out.I didn’t know if my guess was exactly right, but regardless, one thing was certain: those shoes were a precious gift from Ciel.Once I finished thinking it through, I handed the shoes back to Altair."In that case, I’ll ask you to repair them."***Remembering what had happened a few days ago, I shook my head and answered,"No. I had Altair repair them completely. They’re resting safely in my lab.""…….""I… see. That’s a relief."Ciel slowly bowed her head, as if truly relieved. With that, she closed her eyes.And then she collapsed where she stood.I rushed over and caught her before she hit the floor.Vwooom—.As soon as Ciel lost consciousness, the barrier around °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° the dueling ground vanished.I quickly pulled out a top-grade healing potion from my pocket and gave it to her.Fwoom—.With a burst of green light, Ciel’s wounded skin began to heal.Before long, not a single scar remained.Her wounds were healed, but the blood she’d lost in battle would need to be replenished with rest.Once I finished first aid, I lifted my head and looked up at the dueling ground’s display board.The result of the match was proudly shown on the small board.[Loen Dvralis. Rank 100.]With this, I had officially made it into Union’s top 100.And I had learned something even more important.'So hopelessly honest, yet so dishonest.'I murmured quietly as I looked down at Ciel, unconscious in my arms.Recalling the words stitched into the lining of those shoes—"Whether you’re strong or weak doesn’t matter. You’re the best maid. You can always… stay by my side."

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