R : "How...!? How did you beat me? I clearly raised my precedence level to a point where you shouldn't have been able to beat me! What did you do to raise your precedence level that fast?"
Rekter stared at Katachi in disbelief. He had clearly been trying his best to improve his precedence level. He had learnt two new terms, 解悟 and 解愁, which should have been enough in the event that Katachi tried to learn one to boost his Word of Power. So why didn't it work? Rekter's precedence level ought to have surpassed Katachi's by now, so why was the result the exact opposite?
K : "... If you would take off your shirt right now, mister Rekter, that would solve everything."
Take off his shirt, Katachi said.
But, why take off his shirt?
Rekter followed Katachi's instructions blindly and-
"Oh my god!"
"There's a word on his back!"
"That's the word on his chest from before!"
"He used magic on a teacher?!"
"Isn't that an automatic flag to expulsion?"
"He dared to used non-healing magic on a teacher!"
R : "Wha- What is the meaning of this?!"
Surely it should have been enough to learn 2 new terms to raise his precedence level! So why did it not work on Katachi? And why was there a word on his back?
Katachi wriggled his finger, and in an instant, the word on his back faded off.
Rekter turned back to normal.
R : "-!!! You... You conniving manwhore...!!! What did you do to me?!"
Katachi looked at Rekter in the eyes calmly.
K : "..."
R : "WHAT, DID YOU DO TO ME!?"
K : "... Set thought patterns - Gullible." (恒定! Constant status - Self!)
R : "-!!!"
It all became clear to Rekter only now.
Katachi had used his Word of Power to make Rekter think in a gullible fashion. By making Rekter a gullible and naive idiot, Katachi was able to limit Rekter's ability to raise his own knowledge on his Word of Power, and gain a huge lead in terms of their precedence levels. While Rekter had believed that Katachi would be a foolish child who thinks that raising his Word of Power by one would have been enough, Rekter had thought he outplayed the 'foolish' Katachi by raising his own with two terms.
Katachi had it all planned out - The trap was sprung without even giving Rekter a chance to react.
R : "When did you pull this off... !?"
K : "To be honest, I was skeptical when I tried the plan. I thought that my trick would never work."
Katachi used his right hand to feel the wooden dagger from the tournament on his chest, in the pretense that he's pressing his fingers against his chest in a bold declaration.
K : "Then, I noticed it - I have yet to see a single teacher at the public bathing space. That's when I realized that teachers most probably had their own bathrooms, because the Teacher's Bathing Space didn't exist on the academy's map. So I was betting on the fact that you would never be able to counter my trap, because there is no one around you when you bathe to check your back for you, and that your room would always be brightly lit so you won't be able to see it. It may be good luck on my part that you don't wear clothes in the dark, or you would have noticed it immediately."
R : (He figured out a trick like that from simple plain observation? Then it WAS a mistake on my part, after all! Have I become too accustomed to the luxury of this academy, that I can't even notice something glowing bright gold?!) "... You made me stupid and gullible...!!!"
R : (溶解! Dissolve object - Katachi!)
A 解 formed on Katachi's arm.
Normally, that would have been suicidal. Katachi's arm ought to have melted right off, but the golden 解 word faded off quickly instead.
K : "Frankly, part of my good luck may have been the Word of Power itself, for making you gullible and easily fooled to the point that you're not as perceptive anymore... Well, no matter what you do, it's useless now. Your words are no longer on par with mine."
Rekter clenched his fist, angry at the truth. He had been too late in stopping Katachi's trap. If only he had taken precautions against Katachi from the very beginning, before he even stepped into the classroom...
... But, it shouldn't matter. Katachi used non-healing magic on a teacher - He's going to get expelled, which means he would not be able to stay in the school any longer, since he is not a student anymore.
R : "... It's fine. I've caught you red-handed anyway. Kotsuba Katachi, for disobeying the rules of using non-healing magic on a teacher, you are thereby expelled under my authority as a teach-"
K : "I figured you would use something like that as a shield." (固定! Fixate position - Rekter!)
A golden 定 formed on Rekter's shirt, and he was frozen on that spot.
K : "... Bertund."
Be : "Yes, Mister Kotsuba?"
K : "I may be expelled now, but am I still the champion of the tournament?"
The students, catching on to what he's doing, began an uproar.
"No, Principal Bertund, you must not give him the champion's prize!"
"He's a cheater, he used a Word of Power!"
"You should give it to Zirco instead, he's the real magus here!"
"This scum doesn't deserve the school's sponsorship!"
Be : "Mister Kotsuba, you- Sorry, let me repeat myse- I am trying to say tha- Stop blocking my vision- Calm down, students. There are two flaws to your complaints."
It's surprisingly how Bertund kept that straight, smiling face while speaking to the tons of students. The smart students hung back, understanding Bertund's meaning, while the foolish ones simmered their rage to listen to Bertund, demanding an explanation.
Be : "First of all, the Words of Power are a form of magic - It's event magic. It may be strongly discouraged in the tournament because of its power and potential to harm its user, but it is magic and it is allowed, nonetheless. It is merely discouraged, not prohibited. None of you may say that he's cheating. Second point, did you not watch the finals? Mister Kotsuba didn't use his Word of Power at all for that match. It was purely a magus-on-magus competition, with Zirco using Aleksei's spell while Katachi used Urdythari's."
"How can you be so confident that he's not cheating?"
"Yeah, how do you know he's not using his Word of Power to imitate water magic?"
"How would you know? You barely do your job, Bertund!"
"You wouldn't be able to know, would you?"
"How would we know he's not cheating his water magic?"
Be : "It's because I- Hey, I DO do my job- Stop pushing and squeezing- You wouldn't want me t- Relax! Let me explain!"
It's still strange how Bertund maintained his cheeky, smiling face as the students retreated a little bit from the slime on his head snarling at them.
Be : "Do you all want to know how I know he didn't cheat during the finals? Simple - I personally taught Mister Kotsuba water magic. Myself."
Everyone was shocked at the answer. Is that a lie? Could it be true? Nobody in the school believed their ears, spare the ones who already know.
Ba : "Is... Is that true?"
*Cozy's Notes : Yes, this is Bael gasping.*
"You're lying-!"
"I've never seen you teach us before!"
"That can't be it-!"
Be : "Yes, I taught him those spells. What need has he to learn from me if he could simply blast his way through the tournament with his Word of Power?"
"But how would you explain Cillian's sword floating?"
"What about the time Chotil Nea pounced on him?"
"What about Deku being defeated?"
"How is he pardonable for the tournament up to the finals?"
"He didn't use water magic at all when he fought the other competitors!"
Be : "Yes, yes, he probably did use the Word of Power for the rest of the tournament. But still, it is a form of magic, and he still fought as a magus. It is his victory, even if you claim it is not."
"Why do you keep defending him?!"
"You should have just expelled him the moment he stepped in here!"
"This is so unfair!"
"I demand equal treatment!"
"Principal Bertund, you're a biased person!"
Be : "..."
Bertund waited patiently as the insults of the students were hurled towards him...
... And ignored.
Seeing Bertund close his eyes to wait for the commotion to die down, the students eventually gave up and stayed silent.
Be : "To be truthful, if I were to make a judgement myself, Katachi is currently, and has always been the most powerful in this entire school. Even if you do tell me to stop, or expel him, is there a use? Would I rather risk him going berserk, tearing the entire academy down just to accept him as a student here? Would I risk fighting a battle like that with him, knowing the outcome of the battle was already pre-determined with his Word of Power? No. I would not."
K : (... Way to make me look like a villain, Bertund.)
Be : "That would most probably be what most of you think I would think. But, should I think like that, as the principal of this school? Should I, as a head figure of the academy, and the direct descendant of Sage Raufid, do something like this out of fear? No! If I had been afraid of every single person out there, I would not be able to raise my head against such honor I've been bestowed upon. If I held fear towards strangers, I might as well not enroll any of you at all. If I had been such a coward, then I might as well go live as a simple, mundane farmer instead of being a sorceror. Would it be fair, if I didn't allow you into the academy, for no reason at all? Would you like that?"
Bertund now dominated the entire ambience - None of the students rebuked.
K : (... What a sudden change. It's as if he read my thoughts.)
Be : " I wouldn't like that. Thinking like that is not me. Rather, encouraging students to unlock their full potential, embodying the vision of the school, and assuring that every student gets a fair chance at magic - THAT is my role as a principal. And it doesn't matter if their magic is powerful, potent, or forbidden - My role is to simply offer you a chance at mastering the fundamentals of magic. If you can grasp that, then surely you can one day become as powerful as he is right now, and maybe even more!"
K : (... I somehow feel grateful for this speech, considering that it's actually aimed at me... Yeah, I think Bertund does have some mind-reading magic within himself or something. But, if that was true, why can't I feel it at all? My senses aren't distorted in any way...)
Be : "And so, I say - Mister Kotsuba is allowed to partake in this chance as much as you all do. He will be expelled and to never return in accordance to the rules of using non-healing magic on a teacher, but he shall be awarded with the 3 school-sponsored items, for his service in the tournament. And let this incident be a note for you all - Never, and I mean NEVER, underestimate your opponent."
It wasn't hard to take it seriously considering his still smiling face, since Bertund's voice and tone were solid and dense enough to puncture through their doubts.
K : (... Phew. That... That played out in my favor, I think.)
Be : "Mister Kotsuba."
K : "? Ahh, yes?"
Be : "As a congratulatory form of encouragement, for your outstanding performance, I hereby officially declare you the champion of our annual Sage Raufid Young Magus Tournament."
K : "..."
Katachi's face warped to one with a troubled look. Every student around him looked like snarling hunting hounds, ready to silently pounce upon and kill him.
Be : "You may request for 3 items or objects that the school is able to afford, and receive them free-of-charge. But, be warned - Should your request be invalid, that would be a chance wasted."
K : "It's fine. I know what I would want for a first item. I would like a really, really big, paper book full of blank pages."
The students were confused. Why would he want a blank paper book when he could have just used bamboo? And why so many pages? Is he going to be an author of a book on medicine, or is he going to record down history?
Be : "Understood. Shelly?"
The principal's wife, Shelly, walked towards Katachi, handing a really thick book with a leathery hard cover and a lot of paper bound together.
Be : "There you are. A thousand blank pages bound into a book."
K : (A- A thousand!? I... I didn't think I'd need a thousand... I thought 500 would have sufficed.) "Th-... Thank you."
Be : "What's next?"
K : (Right, there's that settled, so the next issue would be Mister Rekter.) "I would like permission, for my second item."
Be : "Permission to what, Mister Kotsuba?"
K : "Permission to take Mister Rekter's Word of Power for my own."
"What!?"
"Did he just say take his Word of Power?"
"As if having one wasn't enough, he wants two!?"
"Hah. As if that's possible! No person can possess two Words of Power at any one time!"
"What a greedy coxcomb!"
Be : "I don't think you would need the school's power nor authority to do that. You have wasted your second request, Mister Kotsuba."
The students laughed at him for being silly, but Katachi looked at Rekter, still frozen in that position.
K : "... Very well. I shall take that as a consent."
The laughter died as the students observed Katachi. He walked towards Rekter, with the book in his hand and his mind set on one thing only : 解.
Katachi hovered his hand over Rekter's, and silently chanted the new power learnt from Bertund.
K : (... 锁定! Lock within book - 解!)
The golden 解 formed inside the book's first page as Katachi opened to check if it worked.
This time, all the students who were jeering at his stupid request a moment ago turned pale white. None of them knew that it was possible for a single person to obtain more than one Word of Power. The foolish ones were frightened at how it was possible, while the smart ones were petrified at how fast it took for Katachi to become that much more powerful, now that he has a second Word of Power.
They finally understood the reason for the first item.
Every blank paper page could be considered a single object. In that case, every page could contain a Word of Power. Theoretically, Katachi could contain all the Words of Power in that one book, and not have to use something like pebbles instead. 292 pages would have been far lighter than 292 wooden tablets.
K : "... 290 more words to go... Bertund?"
Hearing that, the students lost all will to retaliate. 290 more words to go? From what just happened, this student, Katachi, was clearly going to collect that monstrous power repeatedly until he has all of them. Comparing it to their own magic, it was like looking at the beautiful fountain in the middle of town that none are allowed to drink from.
Be : "Yes, Mister Kotsuba?"
K : "For my third request... I would like a full and complete, basic traveler's kit."
Be : "A basic traveler's kit?"
It was settled - Katachi's destination wasn't the school. It was at a place so far away, far beyond the expectations of the students, that only his journey itself can tell where and when the destination will be. That's why he didn't mind being expelled - Rather, expulsion may have hastened his process of leaving the school.
K : "Yes! I need a basic kit that can help me hold this book and some clothes, a water bag and, and... and preferably a ground sheet, too. Probably with a side pouch for me to store some coin as well."
Be : "A full and complete one, inclusive of new clothes and a blanket?"
K : "Ah- Uhm... Yeah, that will suffice."
Be : "Very well. We shall get to that. All right, students, you don't have to stay here the whole day. Go and enjoy yourselves! Today's events have concluded - The lessons start tomorrow! Come on now! Let's go!"
*** ***
Bertund shooed the students away like crows, and the atrium was empty once again - With only two people within. Katachi, the hated, expelled student, and the still-immobile Mister Rekter.
K : (... I'm not sure if it actually managed to lock the Word of Power inside the book. I can probably use the Word of Power within the book, too... Uh, hopefully...)
Walking towards the guest room, Katachi tried to open the door, but it was locked.
K : (... This is a nice opportunity to try it out.)
Holding the thick, 1000-page book in his hands, Katachi focused on the door's lock.
K : (解锁! Unlock object - Door!)
A golden word was applied onto the door, and it clicked open miraculously.
K : (... Interesting. Does it stay unlocked when I remove it?)
Removing the Word of Power, the lock snapped shut once again, but this time the door was still ajar, so Katachi could see the locking mechanism as well as the guest room's interior.
The room was a lavishing beautiful mixture of beige and caramel brown, and within were a bed, three comfortable seats with cotton padding, a coffee table, and a small desk with a stool. The bed was made nicely with one of the highest-quality red velvet, and a faint tint of rosemary filled the room.
K : (... This room's almost a direct upgrade from my place...)
Katachi entered the room for three steps, and admired the interior of the guest room before getting back onto the Word of Power that worked on the lock.
K : (...Good, good. It's just like 定, then - Its effects are persistent only when the Word of Power is on the object.)
Katachi left the guest room, and thought of heading back to his own room. The magical hallway guided him on a familiar path, as Rekter was still left alone, in the atrium, frozen on that very spot.
Nobody tried to free him, because it was futile to begin with.
*** ***
The dormitory room's door was knocked on.
S : "Mister Kotsuba? Are you there?"
Katachi walked towards the door and opened it. Outside the room were Shelly and Bael, with a bag, some nice-looking clothes, a rope, a groundsheet, a blanket, and some other unexpected objects like a tablet with a Kaba rune and a rock with a Skiel rune on it, to list a few.
K : "Good... Good afternoon..."
Ba : "Katachi... You're going to leave?"
Katachi looked at the now-depressed Bael, patting her shoulder.
K : "... Yeah. I am."
Ba : "You're not even going to deny the fact that you're being expelled?"
K : "I'm fine with it. My goal isn't to graduate from this school to begin with - It was this-"
S : "I'm sure you two have a lot to say, but could you please take these into your room first, Mister Kotsuba? These are quite heavy, and the directional magic repels us from your room so take these fast and put them inside so you can sort them at your own leisure."
K : "Oh. Right. Sorry, Shelly."
Grabbing the mass of items, Katachi carried it all into his room in 3 trips.
K : "Thanks for your help, you two- Hey, why isn't Bertund the one bringing these to me?"
S : "Oh, Bertund? He's busy with seeing off Minister Lein. Leave him be, Mister Kotsuba - He did not come here not because he didn't want to. At least he's doing his job as he should."
K : "... I guess."
S : "Right then, I have my own things to do, you two have a nice chat. It would probably be your last, unless you leave with him, Bael."
Bael blushes and snapped back quickly, "Wha- What's that supposed to mean?!" before storming off in embarrassment.
S : "And Katachi, be sure to come to the principal office at 4pm sharp. You have about 3 hours - It should be enough to pack everything. I'll be off doing administrative work."
K : "Okay."
Katachi went back into his own room, and began packing his stuff.
*** ***
K : (Let's see... I really don't need these tiny runes in the pouch, do I? I'll keep the Urdythari pebble as a memento and a water source, and leave the rest, so there's room for the map. Then, there's also the clothes, which I shouldn't be so eager to wear immediately. They're light, traveler's clothes that fit my body well, but I'd like to wear them only when my original clothing is damaged, or when I outgrow my old clothes...)
K : (... There. It's all set.)
Carrying the large bag out of his room, Katachi walked towards the principal's office. The students whom he passed by glared at him with scornful eyes, but Katachi paid no heed to them.
In his mind, a memory of a man was refreshed.
That man was sentenced to be humiliated on the pillory. He had three young girls hugging his legs while he stood there, begging him to give up and return the burden of the sins to the girls. But he insisted on taking the sins and wrongdoings of the girls.
Katachi remembered that man.
He used to visit Mother Rin's church often, in silent prayer for his children and for mourning his wife. He was a silent, few-worded but passionate man, one whom Katachi had always looked up to as an idol.
K : (... I must strive to be like him.)
With that back on the pillory in his mind, Katachi ignored the stares and continued walking towards Bertund's office.
*** ***
*Cozy's Notes : Damn, I'm getting talkative. So, yeah! Last week's chapter ended with a pretty awkward climax, and the reason for that is explained in this week's chapter - Rekter was dumbed down by Katachi! Katachi is actually a great strategist! As if the foreshadowing of this wasn't clear enough in the previous chapters! Also, hurray! He finally got the 1000-paged blank book!*
*Cozy's Notes : So, next week is going to be when Katachi finally sets off from the school! Next week marks the end of the Academy story arc! Next week, is the new beginning of Katachi the traveler! And yes - Rekter is still fixated in position at the atrium! Will Katachi ever free him from his binds? Or will Rekter become a statue, a new ornament for the school? Find out, on next week's episode, of DragonBall Z- I mean, Words of Power Quest!*
*T.W.'s Notes : what the fuck, dragonball z of all things?*
*Cozy's Notes : Just kidding. But, next week heralds the new character briefly seen in chapter 13.5, Matalpalhallafaelladrapahamo Roberia. This girl's an important character in the story! Her actions as well as Katachi's will affect the plot of the story dramatically. Look forward to it!*
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