There are too many people above me (1)

Although it was called unique magic, in reality, it wasnt something that impressive. Any magician could create magic that didnt exist before. Creating magic that could only be activated by that magicians special way of using mana could only be imitated by those they personally taught. Thats what people call unique magic.

Thats right, its not just a big deal. It was a huge deal.

The Mage Duchesss magic was a very valuable one. There were people all over the continent willing to crawl to the Magic Tower if given the opportunity to learn it.

The Principal sitting next to me could control himself due to his age, but if he were younger, he wouldve immediately rushed toward Louise.

Hes going crazy.

The Principals reaction made it clear. The fact that Louise could use the continents strongest magicians unique magic was something not even the Principal knew. No one else besides Louise probably knew that. Well, no, Im sure the Mage Duchess knows it.

Im sure that it was her who taught Louise.

Imitating unique magic developed by others wasnt easy to do. If, by a rare chance, someone created a similar unique magic through a similar idea, the resulting spell would still be different based on their mana manipulation.

But what Louise used was definitely the Mage Duchesss magic. Ive seen that many times before. Not only that, but the Principal also thought that, so it was certain. That was the Mage Duchesss unique magic. I can swear it. If Im wrong, Ill resign from my job.

Do you have time?

Lets go right away. It seems like its going to be a lengthy discussion.

The Principal nodded. This was a matter that needed some discussion.

Before I turned to go with the Principal to his office, I made eye contact with Louise. She smiled broadly and waved, so I answered her with a smile. Congratulations on your win.

But it wouldve been great if youd won with another type of magic instead.

***

Only the Principal and I were sitting in his office. Even the Secretary left after serving us tea. The topic about the Duchess was not to be leaked, even the trivial details.

Its rather fortunate that the magic Louise used isnt widely known.

Thats a silver lining, I guess.

The Mage Duchess, thanks to her mind-blowing talent, had many unique magics. The one that Louise had used wasnt one of the most widely known ones. If it were one of the most famous ones, the duel arena wouldve been turned upside down.

Despite that, I let out a sigh of unease. Its fortunate in a way, but the situation itself was unfortunate. It turns out that Louise, whom I simply thought of as a harmless capybara, is somehow connected to the Duchess.

Im truly unlucky.

From my point of view, the Duchess was scarier than a powerless prince. All of the Dukes and Duchesses werent ordinary people in many ways.

We need to figure out Louises relationship with the Duchess.

Wouldnt it be better to confirm it with the party involved?

We were obviously talking about Louise. Neither of us had the courage to ask the Mage Duchess directly. We feared what might happen if we bothered her with something unnecessary.

I thought that the Mage Duchess didnt have any children nor disciples.

As we both remained silent, the Principal muttered that as if lamenting. The fact that there was a student related to the Duchess itself wasnt a problem. After all, the Iron-blooded Dukes beloved daughter, Marghetta, was currently studying at the Academy. The current Queen, the daughter of the Invincible Duke, was also an Academy student.

The problem was that we werent aware of this situation beforehand. If we knew since the beginning that Louise and the Mage Duchess were somehow related, we wouldnt be in such a shock. It was especially more so since the target was someone who had no connection to the Academy and was someone we hoped wouldnt have anything to do with it.

Thats how our meeting ended.

In the end, Ill have to ask her.

I was put in charge of asking Louise about her relationship with the Mage Duchess. I took the task so naturally that I only noticed it after walking out of the Principals office. Dealing with things as naturally as breathing. Is this what people call experience?

As I got closer to the club room, I could tell from the noisy sound that the members were already gathered. At least I wont have to go looking for Louise.

Ah, Advisor!

It was a bit disappointing that I was greeted by Rutis as I opened the door.

Yes, so everyones here.

We were planning to have a celebration party. We were thinking of going and looking for you since you werent here, but you came just in time!

I looked around the club room. The oven was already hard at work. To think that theyd make their own party food. They were strangely diligent when it came to weird things.

Good job, everyone. I didnt see the results of the theory exams, but the practical ones were great.

I gave them some compliments while sitting down. After all, it was true that theyd done a good job regarding the exams. The ones that had suffered were the two scapegoats and the unexpected third victim of the unique magic.

Haha, thank you. But Louise was even more impressive than us.

Thats right. She drove her opponent into a corner with magic we hadnt seen before.

As the topic of magic came out, Rutis picked the topic from Lather. Right, it should be the first time youve seen it. If it were famous enough for you to know, it would have been really troublesome.

She was amazing.

Because the topic of the conversation flowed into Louises magic, I could also ask naturally. I couldnt outright ask her, Whats your relationship with the Mage Duchess? but I could ask it in a roundabout way.

It isnt that Im very knowledgeable about magic, but that was an unusual magic. Im curious about where youve learned it.

I tested the waters first. Shed been hiding her unique magic, and that could be because she wanted to hide her connection to the Mage Duchess. However, today, shed revealed the secret shed been hiding. That could mean that it was something that she could disclose. Well, I would get to know the answer once I heard Louises answer.

I learned it from a wandering mage I met when I was young. She called herself a wanderer, and we happened to meet near my house.

Wanderer. It was a word the Mage Duchess often used when she wanted to abandon her duties and roam around. Ive heard that the magicians of the Magic Tower heard the word wanderer numerous times when they went looking for her traces.

She had blue hair, like Lather. Is everyone with blue hair good at magic?

Thats an interesting hypothesis.

Louise laughed, and Lather just seemed happy. However, I couldnt laugh.

The Mage Duchesss hair is white.

If shed appeared with blue hair instead of white, that meant that shed made contact with Louise while being disguised. Then, Louise might not know whod taught her the magic at all.

Damn it.

The quest I was stuck with had changed. Instead of asking Louise, I had to ask the Mage Duchess herself.

The fact that a student of the Mage Duchess was at the Academy was a headache, but it was a manageable incident. However, the fact that the Mage Duchess had raised a disciple while hiding her identity wasnt something that could be taken lightly.

The Mage Duchess had taught her strong magic in a place where other people werent aware of what was happening, so there was no guarantee that there wouldnt be more cases like this. That would also imply that there could be people with strong powers scattered all over the place, unknown to the Empire.

Do I really have to ask her about this?

My mind went blank in the face of such a dreadful situation. Being contacted by a Duke was already nerve-wracking, but now I had to reach out first. Not only that, but I had to say something like, Theres something fishy with you. Damn it, is this difficulty level insane?

Should I throw this to the Special Service Agency?

That thought seriously crossed my mind. But the more I thought about it, the more I thought that it was a good idea. After all, the Special Service Agency was responsible for issues related to special powers like magicians. Broadly speaking, this was something that fell under their jurisdiction.

Yes. I belong to the Ministry of Finance. As a Civil Servant, I should be faithful to my duties and not meddle in other peoples affairs. After all, theres a reason why experts like them exist.

The first communication with the Special Services Executive Manager went horribly wrong.

Did you finally lose your mind?

Its related to magicians, isnt it?

Thats not related to magicians; its about the Mage Duchess, so it should be categorized accordingly. Dont put it under a weird category and try to push it to others.

The Executive Manager, whod calmly received the communication, showed a fierce reaction as soon as he heard it was something related to the Mage Duchess. He was already really busy, so he probably didnt want to handle a bomb like the Duchess.

But what could I do? I also dont want to handle it. Do they think I have a lot of free time?

It isnt something that can be overlooked. Theres a chance that the disciples of the Mage Duchess are scattered all around the place.

I understand that its a serious matter, but why are you asking this to the Special Service Agency?

Dont you have any information?

Oof.

Seeing his reaction made me feel a bit embarrassed. Id already guessed that they probably didnt have any information. After all, the five Dukes were nobles, even among nobles. They were loyal henchmen and partners of the Emperor. Even the Special Service Agency struggled to gather information about them without the Emperors orders.

Still, I asked, hoping that the Emperor might have issued an order regarding this. However, it seemed like he hadnt.

After a few more disputes, the Special Service Agencys Executive Manager sighed and nodded.

I understand the Prosecutors Executive Manager. Youre already busy monitoring key figures, so the Mage Duchess getting involved is probably too much.

Thanks for understanding.

But the Special Service Agency isnt exactly free either. Prosecutors Executive Manager, Im sure you know that.

Of course.

Anyways, since Im the one whos in the capital, Ill try to find a way. I cant expect much from someone thats in the province.

Finally, the Special Service Agencys Executive Manager understood my desperate plea and accepted my proposal. I knew I could trust him, after all.

The next morning, as soon as I saw the message on my communication crystal, such trust was completely shattered.

[I tried my best, but I couldnt find anything. My apologies. Special Service Agencys Executive Manager ]

At first, I didnt understand what he meant, but I understood it after seeing the following message.

[Baby, contact me once you see this message.]

It was a brief message that didnt even reveal the sender. However, given the circumstances and the tone, it wasnt hard to guess the person behind it.

That bastard.

Didnt you say youd find a way?

Was the way that you were talking about involved connecting me directly with the Mage Duchess?