Chapter 26 - The Appointed Hour
Nia had suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of the villainous noble, Hollow von Heisenberg.
“...”
On the carriage ride back, she did not utter a single word, returning to the Ainsworth estate in utter dejection.
Dragging her battered body, she somehow made it to her own bed—and there, she let her emotions explode.
“Why... why did it have to be that detestable man...?”
The reason she lost to Hollow was simple and obvious—he was simply too strong.
Innate brute strength, overwhelming mana... he was the very image of one chosen by the gods.
Yet, for all his gifts, that man was lazy and arrogant.
Immediately after the match—
“As expected of Lord Hollow. Such a splendid display.”
“Hmph, of course.”
Hollow had a beautiful maid at his side and wore a vulgar, smug grin.
...!
Nia had never felt more humiliated.
She was fighting with everything she had, while Hollow spent his time idling and playing around—and yet the gap between them was this great.
It was a brutal reminder of how unfair the world could be.
Even after being cast down into the depths of despair—Nia did not give up.
If she broke here and now, what would happen to the children who were still having their mana drained from them?
While they were still fighting desperately, she could not choose the easy way out... she could not allow herself such selfish weakness.
I have to work harder... become stronger than Hollow... stronger than Zova...!
Nia le Ainsworth possessed a spirit both noble and pure.
Eight years later, she experienced a “fateful reunion” at Redrick Academy of Magic.
“...!”
When he walked into the classroom of the Special Advancement Class, it was not a mere figure of speech—her body truly froze. It felt as if her heart had been squeezed in a vise.
She had heard rumors.
That Hollow von Heisenberg had entered Redrick Academy of Magic as the top-ranking student.
The unnecessarily handsome face, those condescending crimson eyes, that faintly languid demeanor—he had not changed at all from eight years ago.
In an instant, unwelcome memories came flashing back—the blows, the kicks, the humiliation of that martial tournament.
...I-It’s fine. That’s all in the past. Now, I’m definitely stronger...!
She gave a small shake of her head, trying to banish the trauma.
And then—
“Allen Fortis, what is a white-coat like you doing in the Special Advancement Class?”
Driven by unease, fear, and irritation, she lashed out at Allen, a first-year student in the Preparatory Course.
Despite being a White Uniform, Allen had been placed in the Special Advancement Class as an exception, making him something of a minor celebrity among the students.
Nia’s purpose in enrolling at Redrick was to hone her skills in an elite environment and gain the power to defeat Zova.
Having an “outsider” like Allen among them was admittedly a bit irksome, but...
For her to pick a fight like this was far from her usual gentle self.
Perhaps she had simply been trying to make herself appear larger than she felt.
As she and Allen argued, Hollow stepped in between them.
To be honest—she was terrified.
The fear of Hollow was etched into her very being.
Still, she forced herself to stand tall, struggling to talk back.
And then—
“Hollow von Heisenberg, I challenge you to a Ranking Duel!”
To steel herself against her own cowardice, she issued the challenge in front of her classmates.
Now, there was no escape.
It’s fine. I can win...! Eight years since losing to him, I’ve worked tirelessly. I’ll never go through that humiliation again!
And then—she lost again.
Why... why...?
She had devoted herself humbly and steadily to defeat the lazy, arrogant Hollow.
And yet... the gap between them felt wider than ever.
Nia shut herself away in her room, collapsing onto her bed.
Then—loosening her white shirt, she placed her hand gently over her soft chest.
...It’s grown again...
She no longer had much time.
Through a secret investigation, she had discovered Zova’s target—the <Primordial Flame>.
It seemed that by fusing the <Primordial Flame> with the <Primordial Ice>, he sought to recreate the “strongest Unique Magic.”
Moreover, the fusion of these Factors required an enormous amount of mana. Under the guise of treatment, Zova was gathering gravely ill children to use them as “living mana batteries” for his plan.
Once Nia’s body was fully developed, the <Primordial Flame> would be ripped from her—and she would be killed.
After that, the children—no longer of any use—would likely be “disposed of” as a way to erase all evidence.
Of course, she intended to resist with everything she had when the time came...
But in her current state, weaker even than students her own age, she could hardly believe she stood a chance against the great archmage Zova le Ainsworth.
“...Someone... please help me...”
About a week later—
“Hollow von Heisenberg, I challenge you to a Ranking Duel.”
The much-talked-about Preparatory Course student, Allen Fortis, suddenly stepped forward to challenge Hollow.
A prep student against the First Rank...?
It was suicide.
If he was unlucky, he could even be killed.
Troubled by curiosity, Nia made her way to the underground training grounds and secretly observed their match.
As ever, Hollow was insufferably smug, announcing that he would win using only <Wall>.
Allen, on the other hand—
No way... he broke through Hollow’s <Wall>?!
With raw physical strength on full display, he shattered the same <Wall> that Nia herself had never been able to breach.
However... in the very end, Hollow proved he could surpass even that raw power.
...H-He’s awful...
Nia couldn’t help but feel sympathy for Allen.
Dangling victory just out of reach, deliberately leaving a faint glimmer of hope, only to snatch it away in the most cruel manner possible—that was Hollow’s way.
It was a method so vile, so befitting a corrupt noble, that it made her stomach turn.
And, as always, the fight ended in his overwhelming victory, like some grim foregone conclusion.
Even so... Nia sensed there was something that shines about that prep student named Allen.
If I fought him, maybe I’d find some kind of hint...
With that thought, she called Allen to the riverbank after school and challenged him to a pure duel.
The result—an agonizingly close defeat.
“Haa... I lost.”
“It was a really close match, though.”
When it was over, they praised each other’s efforts.
After a brief exchange of thoughts on the match, they shook hands and went their separate ways.
Before returning to the estate, Nia glanced toward the bridge spanning the riverbank.
...No one’s there... right...?
During her fight with Allen, she could have sworn she heard a strange groaning—“grrr... ooo...”—from up on the bridge. But... it was probably just her imagination.
Deciding as much, she finally headed home—
“...D-Dammit all...!”
Meanwhile, crouched in a corner of that very bridge, clutching his head on all fours, Hollow was in a rage at the “world’s corrective force.”
A few days later—
“Hey... what do you think I should do to get stronger?”
She brought the question to Allen.
“In that case, how about asking Hollow to train you?”
The answer was so far outside her expectations that it left her momentarily speechless.
“...What...?”
A thoroughly dazed voice slipped from her lips.
“Uh... did I say something weird?”
“Allen, stop and think for a second. Do you really believe that man—the walking embodiment of arrogance and laziness—would listen to a request from me? Knowing him, he’d just say something like, ‘Why should I waste my precious time on something so troublesome?’ and then mock me for even asking.”
“Ahaha... well, sure, Hollow can be a little sharp-tongued, but I think deep down he’s actually a really kind person. If you ask him seriously, I’m sure he wouldn’t just turn you away.”
“That’s impossible. You don’t know this, but eight years ago, during the martial tournament, Hollow humiliated me in front of everyone. That sadist doesn’t have a human heart. He’s... a devil wearing human skin.”
Nia gave a sharp snort at that—but Allen, firm in his own conviction, voiced his opinion clearly.
“I don’t really know much about what happened back then... but I still think the Hollow I know is a kind person. I heard that even at the entrance ceremony, he helped some of the prep students.”
“Hollow... helping someone...?”
Nia’s mind outright stalled.
‘Hollow’ and ‘helping someone’—two phrases so utterly opposed in meaning—had just been placed side-by-side in the same sentence, causing a massive logical error.
Allen went on, prefacing it with, “I wasn’t there myself, but...” and began recounting what he’d heard.
“I think it was right before the entrance ceremony? All the White Uniforms like me were getting picked on by a pair of Black Uniforms, and Hollow stepped in to help them.”
“...Y-You’re kidding...”
Nia could not hide her shock.
“It’s true. One of my friends happened to be there at the time. And get this—Hollow even said something like, ‘I’ll grant you a golden saying,’ and encouraged the downhearted preparatory students. See? He really is a kind person, right?”
“That Hollow... helped a prep student...”
It was a story she found hard to believe.
But Allen wasn’t the type to tell such a pointless lie.
Nia forced herself to think it through calmly.
...Come to think of it... he didn’t hit me.
The freshest memory she had was of their mock battle.
The vile noble, Hollow von Heisenberg, never forgave anyone who defied him.
He would beat them mercilessly, humiliate them, and mock them like a piece of filthy rag.
And yet... he didn’t do anything...
Even though she had launched an all-out assault on him, Hollow hadn’t retaliated at all.
He had simply warned her, “Don’t pry into my affairs.”
After that, there had been no harassment, no retaliation whatsoever.
It really is... strange.
The “Hollow of the past” she knew, and the “Hollow of the present” she met at Redrick, had a glaring disparity between them.
She had maybe a month left—if that.
It was hardly the time to be hesitating, but she had no other plan.
Reluctant as I am to admit it, Hollow is an ‘all-round genius.’ If I could get him to train me...
...She might actually be able to defeat the Great Elder Zova.
It’s a gamble... but it’s worth a try.
Without wasting a moment, Nia picked up a pen and slipped a letter onto Hollow’s desk.
That very afternoon, she summoned him to the chemistry prep room—setting aside shame and pride—and begged him with all her heart.
“Please, Hollow—train me in magic.”
For the first time in her life, she bowed her head to a boy her own age.
At first, he turned her down without a second thought.
But she clung on desperately, somehow dragging the matter into negotiations.
And yet... Hollow knew everything.
Not only her secrets, but the dark side of the Ainsworth family, and even the top-secret research on Magic Factor fusion.
Every bargaining chip she had painstakingly gathered turned out to be useless.
All she could do was cling to his mercy, begging with all her might.
“...If it’s something I can do, I’ll do anything. I’ll follow every word you say. So please... please train me in magic...”
Even she thought it was a poor tactic.
After all, no matter what she said, it was hardly going to move the heart of the devil—Hollow.
But then—a miracle happened.
“...Sigh... very well.”
That Hollow... had accepted her request.
“...Thank you... thank you so much!”
Training began immediately.
Hollow’s regimen was brutal—she lost consciousness more times in a single day than she could count.
And yet—
“A-Amazing...! This really is... my mana?!”
The results were overwhelming.
Simply by following his instructions, she could feel herself growing stronger by the day.
Reluctantly, I have to admit it—this guy’s incredible. He’s in a completely different league from other mages...
There was, however, one surprising thing.
He’s... surprisingly normal—in a good way.
Sure, his mouth was sharp, but he was far more human than she had imagined.
“What’s first period tomorrow again?”
“Magic Theory.”
If she asked a question, he would simply answer.
“Miss Fiona’s amazing, isn’t she? Beautiful, smart, and cool. I really admire her.”
“You... really need to work on your taste in people.”
Even when she made small talk, he responded normally.
That said—
“When you’re watching me train, you’re always using <Call>... Who are you connected to?”
“No prying.”
He was still secretive, unwilling to talk about himself.
But... I see now. Hollow’s human, just like me.
She had thought him a devil who thrived on others’ misfortune and despair.
But once she cast aside her preconceptions and stepped into his space, she found Hollow surprisingly approachable.
Day by day, the fear she once held toward him faded naturally.
By the time a week, then two, had passed, she found herself looking forward to their training sessions together.
“Ehehe... Well? Impressive mana, right?”
“Not bad, I guess.”
“Hehe, thanks.”
For Nia, who had always been alone, training alongside someone was deeply, deeply enjoyable.
But... happy times never lasted for long.
"Alright, done! Now my mana control is perfect! Heh... I can already picture the look on Hollow’s face—"
She was in her room training when knock knock knock—a sound echoed from the door.
"—Lady Nia, the master is calling for you. He asks that you come to the underground laboratory."
"...I see. Understood. I’ll be right there."
It was a summons from Zova.
Most likely, it was the regular weekly inspection—Zova’s test to see how well the <Primordial Flame> had settled into Nia’s body.
But even without such a test, she already knew.
Her body... had already been perfected.
Once today’s inspection revealed that fact, preparations for the grand ritual would begin immediately, and by tomorrow, the Factor Fusion would be carried out.
"...So that’s it. All the fun times... will end today."
The final battle with Zova would be tomorrow.
Tomorrow would be the culmination of my entire life—fifteen years of it. I will win. For the children’s sake, I must win. Even if it costs me my life... I will kill Great Elder Zova le Ainsworth.
With grim resolve burning in her heart, Nia made her way to Zova.
The appointed time... was already almost upon her.
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