July 1st.With the end of June, the Competition Battle season also came to a close.My rank this season was 66th.You couldn’t exactly call it an extremely high rank, but compared to the days when I was playing around below 7,000th place, it was a massive leap forward.My hard work in training and honing my magic had paid off.I’d also had the heavenly luck of drawing a ‘Legendary’-grade weapon.With this, I had taken my first step toward maintaining my Student Council President position by keeping my Competition Battle average in the top 10.And on top of that—Drizzle—.Warm black tea filled my cup."Does it suit your taste?"Ciel, wearing her usual expressionless, or rather, slightly delicate smile, poured tea for me.Her attitude did seem a bit milder than before. You could call that a positive change as well.Staring at the teacup in front of me, I said to Ciel,"How would I know how it tastes? I haven’t even taken a sip yet.""Please drink it quickly. Before it cools.""……."I shrugged at the hot steam billowing from the tea.'If I drink that now, my tongue will get burned to a crisp.'Telling someone to hurry and drink tea that hot.Maybe I was mistaken about Ciel’s attitude getting milder.Anyway.I took my eyes off the cup for the moment and unfolded the newspaper to check the voting results.The result of the “student vote” splashed across the front page.Thankfully, it wasn’t a vote on Loen’s impeachment; it was to decide the location for this summer’s training camp.The result, of course, was exactly what I’d expected: Full Moon Island had been chosen, by an overwhelming margin.No surprise there—Full Moon Island’s appeal as a resort destination drew in a landslide of votes, while the remaining candidates weren’t all that attractive.I mean, who in their right mind would want to go to the western front, the Great Sea, or the Winter Castle for a summer camp?The only other places that managed to pick up any votes were the Capital and the Holy Kingdom.In any case, just as the other student council presidents and I had intended, Full Moon Island was confirmed as the summer training site.Union, as the host, would now be planning the camp based on that result.They’d probably prepare survival-oriented games similar to practical exams.I’d also heard some intel that they were negotiating with the Imperial Fleet, which patrolled around Full Moon Island, to coordinate for the students’ safety.Of course, even with that, who knew if they could fundamentally block demon attacks—but it was better than doing nothing.'The Director will handle it.'Taking my eyes off the summer camp piece, I looked through the other articles in the paper.News that Zimmer would be taking over the basic swordsmanship classes instead of Verdandi, Chloe’s mystery-serial-style articles, and other neatly organized Union-related information.Even the little “incident” where I blew through my lab wall and tore up the Union main building’s outer wall had been turned into an article.The recorded disaster in photo form.A big photo showing the Union main building’s exterior wrecked by a long steel cone was printed right there.For now, I’d used transmutation magic to more or less patch up the wall, but considering how often the lab wall got destroyed, I’d probably have to reinforce it properly at some point.As I scanned through the articles—[Loen Dvralis, did he turn his maid into a bloody mess?]"……."Among the pieces summarizing Union’s recent hot topics, one article caught my eye—the one claiming I’d turned Ciel into a blood-soaked mess in our Competition Battle to snatch victory.Well, it wasn’t exactly wrong, but… written like that, what did that make me?I frowned and snapped the paper shut.Flap—.Then I took out a small jewel box from inside my coat and handed it to Ciel."Here, take this, Ciel."Ciel asked with her usual blank expression,"What is this?""It’s a pill made from the leftover fragments of the Light Dragon’s heart after processing the portion for Zimmer. It’s excellent for nourishment and recovery."In the process of refining the Light Dragon’s heart fragments into pills, I’d skimmed some of the powder to make this medicine.I raised my alchemy level in the process and produced medicine for Ciel—two birds with one stone.Ciel said,"Come to think of it, this is why you asked about my constitution and origin attributes last time, isn’t it?""You could say that. I processed it with your constitution in mind, so you can take it without worry. Use it to recover the internal injuries you got from me last time."The evil employer Loen, who obsessed over victory so much he turned his maid into a bloody mess.At least he also had the generosity to provide her with a pill made from a dragon heart for her health.We could call it even with this."I’ll forgive what happened that day with this.""……."Ciel tucked the pill away but slowly shook her head."I refuse. The resentment from that day… I’ll never forget it for the rest of my life."***Zimmer’s office.I’d come to deliver the pills refined from the Light Dragon’s heart fragments and to speak with him separately."It’s been a while. Please, sit."Zimmer welcomed me and offered me a seat.After exchanging the usual formal greetings, I sipped my tea and asked,"How has Jeremy been moving lately?""Recently he’s been hanging around with those Noble Alliance bastards. But rather than scheming something, it looks more like he’s trying to fill the hole left by losing his trading company. He’s been running around quite earnestly.""Well, with the astronomical losses he must’ve taken, he has to make up for it somehow.""Kekeke, that’s exactly why the Jeremy faction is all stirred up. Once the flow of money stopped, complaints started pouring out about his leadership."Zimmer laughed in a way that didn’t quite match his usual image.I responded with a smile of my own."That’s good news for you and Prince Andrew.""Good and more than good. A faction that used to be rock-solid is now cracking."No matter how close Jeremy was to the throne as First Prince, the crown was never certain until succession was complete.It wasn’t the kind of seat you could occupy without issue just because you were born first.'……It’s not that he has power because he’s a royal heir. He’s a royal heir because he has power.'In other words, once power disappears, his claim to the throne becomes uncertain as well.The downfall of Jeremy’s trading company meant cracks in his once-solid power—that was a good start.The fundamental force that sustains power is “money.”"Ah, and Prince Andrew said he wanted to meet you at least once.""Oh? Sounds like you’ve spoken quite highly of me to His Highness.""I wrote that you’re at least not as strange as the rumors say. That you’re capable. That you’d make a good ally.""Good. I’ll have to pay him a visit someday when the opportunity arises."I nodded, then took out a wooden box from my coat. Pushing it toward Zimmer, I said,"Here is one dose of the pills refined from the Light Dragon’s heart fragments, as promised. Feel free to open it.""……."Zimmer picked up the box with trembling hands.A high-quality wooden case containing the pills.When he opened the lid, the unique rich, fragrant scent of the pills spread throughout the room.Zimmer waved a hand to waft the aroma toward his nose."Whoo…"Closing his eyes, he savored the scent.With a satisfied expression, he expressed his gratitude."You have my thanks. To think I could finally obtain what I’ve searched for over a decade.""There’s no need for thanks. I merely fulfilled my end of the contract."I gave him what he needed, and he worked for me.It wasn’t something to thank each other for—it was simply both sides fulfilling their obligations."Even so, you refined this yourself? You’re more skilled than you look. You have knowledge in pharmacology as well?""Alchemy is such a broad field that I only learned a little. I also had help from another friend.""Only ‘a little,’ he says. You’re too modest. Speaking of which, I hear your rank in the Competition Battles shot up as well? Somewhere in the 60s, was it?""Well, that much is only natural."I shrugged and answered like it was nothing.The students had certainly been suspicious of my rapid climb in rank—but that was all.Because the level of ability I’d shown in Competition Battles couldn’t be written off as pure luck or trickery.There was no such thing as a trick that could net you fifteen consecutive wins.Of course, some still refused to believe it.They muttered that I must have bribed my opponents or used some rule-breaking, bizarre artifact, but that wasn’t my concern.Those types wouldn’t believe me no matter what I said.Caring about them would just be a waste of time."And I also heard about how you mercilessly turned your maid into a bloody mess. It was even in the paper.""……."'It’s not like I wanted to fight that way.'Who would ever want to turn the maid who supports them with all her heart into a blood-soaked wreck?I’d simply prioritized understanding and resolving the disappointment and feelings Ciel had been carrying, over avoiding physical injuries.You could always heal the body cleanly, but the knots in someone’s heart weren’t so easily undone.Letting out a small sigh, I said,"It seems I’ve added another line to my list of sins.""Just one line? You’ve already joined hands with the underworld’s kingpin, blackmailed a Union professor into signing a contract, and manipulated stock prices to rake in several hundred billion."With Zimmer’s half-joking jab, I let out a small snort."……I’ll take that as a compliment about my competence."We continued discussing the basic swordsmanship lectures for a while, then shifted the topic to the summer camp."So, how are preparations for the summer training going?"The summer camp curriculum details were classified.Since it was one of the elements evaluated in our grades, the information was strictly kept from the students.But with Zimmer, who was receiving my funding, things were a bit different.He shared the information without much hesitation."Hmm, that’s actually what I wanted to talk about. I thought I’d give you a heads-up on a few things regarding the test you’ll be taking during the camp. Especially since this time we’ve borrowed a ‘floating ship’ from the Mire Magic Tower."***A few days later.Stella Harbor, near Union.There were more people gathered on the docks of Stella Harbor than usual.Tens of thousands of people, and the flags of each academy fluttering over the pier.They were all second-year Union students lining up for boarding on the floating ship."What a spectacle."Leaving the seething mass of students behind, I turned my gaze to the ship moored at the pier—or, more precisely, hovering in the air.A massive, pure white vessel boasting a size and sleek, streamlined shape beyond words.In addition to its serene and elegant presence, a deep blue jewel was set at the bow like an eye.The floating ship of the Magic Tower. Commonly called the “Sky Whale.”Even compared to modern ultra-large cruise ships, its size and presence were on an entirely different level.What’s more, spatial distortion magic had been cast on its interior, allowing it to hold far more people than its visible volume.It could easily accommodate the entire group of 30,000 second-year Union students with room to spare.This huge and beautiful floating ship wasn’t a product of modern magi-engineering, but a “Ark” from the Golden Age that had been unearthed.They’d managed to excavate it and put it to use, but most of its functions were beyond the capabilities of current civilization.So for now, it was best to think of it as nothing more or less than a “huge island that flies quickly through the sky.”Clicking my tongue, I stared up at the colossal floating ship casting its shadow over the docks."At this rate, we could just hold the summer camp inside the floating ship.""Indeed. I hear it’s equipped with all sorts of facilities, so it would be suitable as a resort as well.""A resort, huh."True, it apparently had a swimming pool, movie theater, shopping mall, and a ton of other amenities—perfect for a vacation setting.But it might not be ideal for the kind of exams Union had prepared, so it wasn’t quite fitting as the camp site itself.Bzzz—.Following the guidance beams shot down from the floating ship, the students rose lightly into the air one by one and were transported into the vessel.With my hands clasped behind my back, I watched from a distance.Chatting idly with Ciel as we waited, we soon realized that most of the students had already boarded.It was our turn now."Let’s get going too.""Yes."Blending in with the faculty group, Ciel and I stepped into the light pouring down from the floating ship and surrendered our bodies to it.Float—.As we gave ourselves over to the floating ship’s light, our bodies lifted on their own and started moving toward the vessel.

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