Chapter 65: Becoming the Weather Tomorrow

Leave a Comment / Level 999 / By IX

Obergeine, to confirm thats she didn’t mishear, asks in a serious tone, “What do you mean by fighting for Maron-sama?”

“Sorry, I can’t go into details. But I truly want to advance in this Starry blossom Festival for Maron-san’s sake,” I reply.

If things continue like this, Maron-san will be transferred to a special class under her mother’s orders. In order to change that future, we must win the Starry blossom Festival in this class. Though our motivations may differ slightly, our goal remains the same.

“That’s why I’m begging you. Please lend us your power for that purpose. It seems almost impossible for me to turn the tables on my own,” I plead.

“…!?”

In the end, I bow deeply to make my plea. Obergeine, taken aback, inhales sharply and steps back. Immediately, a wavering presence emanates from her, indicating her hesitation. She probably didn’t expect me to bow my head like this. As Asperge handles interfering magic spells by my side, she furrows her brow with concern, seemingly affected by Obergeine’s hesitation. Eventually, Obergeine looks at me with a determined expression.

“…Do you have any plan?” he asks.

“There is only one way to turn the tables. For that, I would like to ask both of you to ‘restrain’ the people from the other classes, rather than chasing after the Light Spirit Lumiere,” I explain.

“Restrain…?” she questions.

Why just restraining at this point? That doubt is conveyed solely through her gaze. In the Ghost Snatch competition, points cannot be gained without capturing the Light Spirit Lumiere. Even if we focus on restraining the people from other classes, there’s no way we can achieve a comeback.

Nevertheless, I persist in my earnest request. “I’m not asking you to restrain everyone. If you could just restrain the troublesome third-year students, I’ll manage the rest.”

“Do you mean to say that now, at this late stage, what would be the meaning of doing such a thing…?” Obergeine is perplexed, her gaze shifting.

However, as she watches the other participants around us one by one successfully capturing the Light Spirit Lumiere, Obergeine scratches her black hair and says to Asperge, “Asperge! Please take care of ‘that’!”

“…!?” Asperge turns towards me and hastily asks, “Magic doesn’t work on you anymore, right!?”

“Huh? Y-Yeah. I’m in a state where harmful magic is completely nullified…” I respond.

It seems that Obergeine has already heard about Aegis Fride’s effect of nullifying magic, as she confirms it once again. Obergeine then gives a meaningful look to Asperge. In response, Asperge nods and begins to chant a spell while extending her hand towards Obergeine.

“【Ear-Piercing Scream――Savior of the Board――Carve a Path of Hope】――【Equal Bestowal Egalite Amour】!”

In an instant, a green light surges through Obergeine’s body. This magic… “Hmm? It seems one of the first-year students has used an unusual magic. That would be… ‘Universalization Magic,’ right?”

Universalization Magic—【Equal Bestowal Egalite Amour】—can expand the range of effect for enchantment and healing magic. Normally, enchantment and healing magic can only be applied to one person at a time. However, when under the effect of this magic, their effects can be dispersed to the surrounding area.

Now, with Obergeine under the effect of 【Equal Bestowal Egalite Amour】, if I cast strengthening and healing magic on her, the effects will also be reflected on the people around her. That’s what it means. While it seems like a versatile magic with a lot of practicality, the consumption of magical power for 【Equal Bestowal Egalite Amour】 itself is quite intense, so very few people prefer to use it. In fact, I’ve heard that even an average magician cannot activate it.

Asperge, who handles it so calmly, seems to have a considerably larger amount of magical power than most people. But what exactly does she plan to do with Universalization Magic?

“【Mocking Victor――Chains of Curse――Inflict a Temporary Calamity on that Individual】――【Stumbling of the Successful Slip Chain】!”

Then, unbelievably, Obergeine infuses weakening magic into “her own body.”

In an instant, transparent chains wrap around Obergeine’s legs.

Simultaneously, as if mirrored, slow chains wrap around the legs of the surrounding students.

“Guah! My legs…!”

“Damn it! I’ve been affected too!”

“What?! She cast weakening magic on herself and universalized its effect! All the participants are suffering from the weakening magic!”

Normally, universalization magic is used to expand the beneficial effects of spells, but Obergeine, in an unexpected move, has universalized the weakening magic, causing the students around her to be weakened. In order to achieve that, she had to cast weakening magic on herself as well, so Obergeine is also affected by the slow effect, grimacing in response.

However, thanks to the effect of Aegis Friede, I nullified the effect of “Stumbling of the Successful Slip Chain.”

“I see,” I finally understand, albeit belatedly.

Universalizing weakening magic at the cost of sacrificing oneself.

But because I’m using nullification magic, I will be excluded from the effect.

Thanks to Obergeine and Asperge, this place has just become a stage where only I can move freely… a promised battleground.

“Is this enough for you? Sachi Marmulard!”

“Yeah, leave the rest to me…!”

Obergeine and Asperge, who stubbornly refused to cooperate, have finally let their guard down slightly and lent me their hands.

I can’t afford to miss this opportunity!

I move my lips carefully, ensuring there are no mistakes, and begin chanting.

“【Detestable Overcast Sky――Ruler of the Skies――Distort the Unhappy Sky】.”

Then, I raise my right hand high towards the ceiling of the training ground.

This is the one move left to us, the magic that will turn the tide…

“【Selfish Weather Selection Ciel】!”

In an instant, a wave of pale blue light spreads around me.

Perhaps due to witnessing an unfamiliar magic, Obergeine shrinks back slightly, appearing somewhat frightened. In this uncertain situation, she watches me with bated breath.

But…

“….Huh?”

After waiting for about five seconds, nothing in particular happens around me.

Only a silent stillness flows between Obergeine and me.

“What…? Huh…? N-Nothing has happened at all…!”

Obergeine is bewildered, a cold sweat forming on her forehead.

Then, her face pales, and in a panic, she quickly approaches me.

“C-Could it be, you failed with probability magic…!?”

At that moment…

“Hey!”

“The Light Spirits Lumiere are behaving strangely!”

The surrounding participants begin to notice the anomaly. Obergeine also realizes it belatedly and looks around in astonishment. The Light Spirits Lumiere floating in the venue appear visibly unsteady and unreliable. Their special abilities don’t work properly, and some of them even descend to the ground and fall asleep. As the majority of people in the venue wear puzzled expressions, a broadcast plays to answer their questions.

“Dear participants gathered in the training ground! We have an unexpected announcement! Astonishingly, outside the venue…”

The amplified announcement echoes through the training ground.

“Snow… has started to fall!!!”

“What!?”

“Huh! It’s true! It’s really snowing!”

“The commotion on the field is getting wild!”

Hearing the commotion, I secretly loosen up my cheeks. This is the true effect of the magic I used, “Selfish Weather Selection Ciel.” It is a magic that can randomly change the weather with a probability of one in a hundred thousand. Success or failure depends on luck, as well as the kind of weather it changes to. It’s a probability magic that seems quite useless in terms of practicality. However, with my luck value of 999…

I can manipulate the weather as I please, turning it into a “Weather Manipulation Magic.”

“Snow… I see, that’s why the Light Spirits Lumiere…”

It seems Obergeine has also realized my intention. While the Light Spirits Lumiere are akin to masses of light, they are still a type of magical beast. And one of the characteristics of the Light Spirits Lumiere as magical beasts is that their condition varies depending on the weather. Clear weather keeps them in good shape, while cloudy weather has no particular effect, and rainy weather puts them in a slump. And the weather they are least suited to is… “snow.”

With the change to unfavorable snowy weather, the Light Spirits Lumiere in the venue begin to weaken significantly. Weakening magic has no effect on Light Spirits Lumiere, which lack physical form. However, now even the black Light Spirits Lumiere can’t use their transparency ability due to the adverse effects, allowing me to capture them.

“The Light Spirits Lumiere are weakening! It’s a chance to catch them!”

“But my legs are too heavy to move!”

I had a hidden means to weaken the Light Spirits Lumiere. However, with this method, there is a risk of other class students taking points as well. That’s why I wanted Obergeine and Asperge to at least restrain the troublesome third-year students. But I never expected to create a situation where only I can move freely.

“Well then, shall we begin?”

I kick off the ground and transform into a gust of wind. Swiftly, I race through the weakened participants, touching one after another of the feeble Light Spirits Lumiere floating around.

Ten, fifteen, twenty, twenty-five, thirty…

The Light Spirits Lumiere that I touch transform into particles of light, leaving behind the traces of their movements.

“It’s an impressive advance! The first-year student who luckily escaped the weakening magic is monopolizing the weakened Light Spirits Lumiere one after another!”

After being excessively targeted by the third-year students, I now take the opportunity to claim a large number of Light Spirits Lumiere for myself as a form of payback. No one can obstruct me.

“Kuh… Damn it!”

In the end, when one of the third-year students reached out, a weakened black Light Spirits Lumiere was there, but I swiftly snatched it away from the side. And with that, the competition came to an end.

“The Ghost Snatch Spirit Capture competition has concluded!!! The first-year Class A has achieved a dramatic comeback victory! It is a miraculous and unexpected triumph where even the weather was on their side!”

As soon as the signal for the end sounded, the participants’ weakening effects were lifted, and each of them weakly placed their hands on the ground. Although they finally regained their freedom to move, they were frozen in shock due to the sudden reversal. The audience, too, couldn’t fully comprehend what had happened, and only scattered cheers and applause were heard.

Based on the words of the announcer, it seems that the sudden snowfall is considered an abnormal weather phenomenon. No one realizes it was my magic.

“Why… Why did we lose?”

“Seriously, what are the chances of snow falling at such a timing?”

“And why was that silver-haired girl the only one able to move?”

Well, we won, so it doesn’t matter. While the participants from the other classes express their frustration, Obergeine and Asperge come over to me. They seem surprised and start talking to me.

“The snow outside… Could it be… you?”

“Y-Yes, it was me, using probability magic casually.”

“…”

They open and close their mouths, perplexed. Well, it’s understandable since they’ve never heard of weather manipulation magic before.

“So, probability magic can do something like that?”

“But well, this is a magic where the success rate is one in a hundred thousand, so even if others use it, nothing would happen.”

I explain with a forced smile. It seems Obergeine doesn’t have a particularly positive impression of probability magic, so I’m worried about what she thinks. However, without mentioning it, she quietly mutters.

“I… I never thought I would be saved by you. Thank you.”

“I-It’s fine, really. I did it because I wanted to win too. And if it weren’t for your help, we wouldn’t have won, so thank you too.”

I didn’t expect to be shown gratitude, so I’m taken aback. Does this mean she acknowledges my abilities to some extent?

Then Obergeine, still seeming dissatisfied with the outcome of the competition, continues with a clouded expression.

“…I have realized through this experience that I am still an inexperienced person. It seems that becoming an equal to Maron-sama is a long way off. To have an equal conversation with her, I must strive harder from now on.”

“…”

As I observe Obergeine biting her lip in frustration, I decide to express what I have been thinking for a while.

“Hey, why don’t you just talk to her normally?”

“Huh…?”

“I mean, you don’t necessarily have to become as outstanding as Maron-san to have an equal conversation, right? Maron-san isn’t the kind of person who judges others based on their abilities, and she treats me equally because we’re classmates…”

“…”

Obergeine’s eyes widen, as if a revelation has struck her, and she remains dumbfounded. It seems the idea of simply talking to Maron-san never occurred to her.

“Admittedly, Maron-san is incredibly talented, so I understand why you’re afraid of establishing an equal relationship. But more than that, she is an extremely kind person, so I think you can quickly become equals… friends.”

“F… Friends?”

“Yeah, so why don’t you try talking to her normally as an experiment?”

When I propose this again, Obergeine is surprised and stunned. Asperge gently tugs at the hem of her clothes, seemingly agreeing with my suggestion and nodding to Obergeine.

Eventually, Obergeine snaps back to her senses and abruptly turns away.

“Don’t say things that make it sound like I understand them better than anyone else. Is that what you want to imply?”

“N-No, that wasn’t my intention…”

“………… Well, I’ll take your suggestion as a reference, at least.”

…Well, with that said, despite everything that happened, we managed to secure first place in the Ghost Snatch Spirit Capture competition and earn a significant number of points.

Later on, I use “Selfish Weather Selection Ciel” once again to restore the weather to clear skies. The changing weather causes some confusion in the academy, but the competition proceeds smoothly, and we manage to complete the second day.

At that point, Class 1-A was incredibly… in first place among the twenty-one classes.