Chapter 72: Cancellation

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After rendering my brother, Maiss, powerless,

He was restrained and taken to the disciplinary office.

With the troublemaker temporarily expelled from the venue, the audience felt a faint sense of relief.

However, the school remained in a state of chaos, and the surrounding atmosphere conveyed a sense of confusion.

In an effort to calm the audience, the teachers were desperately moving around, and I, too, was being questioned by my homeroom teacher, Mr. Lezan, about the battle with Maiss.

“I see, it was a mana surge. That explains how he was able to cast magic without incantations.”

As someone who actually fought against Maiss, I know the truth behind it all.

Revealing everything, Ms. Lezan scratched her purple hair and frowned.

“Many of the teachers, including myself, were unable to assist due to mana depletion. I’m truly sorry. That’s why I’m really grateful that you stopped him in our place.”

“W-Well, even though I say I stopped him, I did it in quite a forceful manner.”

Personally, I’m not completely satisfied with the outcome of this incident.

“Didn’t you use a spell called ‘Lullaby of Serene Slumber, Ulus Siesta’? It seems you stopped his rampage by ‘lulling his mana to sleep.’ Given the circumstances, I think it was an appropriate response.”

“I haven’t fully mastered that magic yet, so I don’t really know how deeply his mana fell asleep. It’s not like a poison or curse, so I can’t heal it with recovery magic… Maybe I’ve permanently disabled his ability to use magic.”

There’s a real possibility that I’ve completely extinguished his life as a magician.

Perhaps I should have found a different way to stop him.

As I’m filled with regret, a voice suddenly echoes in my mind.

“No, you did well, Sachi Malmuraad.”

“Headmaster…”

“If you hadn’t done that, we wouldn’t have been able to restrain him.”

It seems Ms. Lezan can also hear the voice of the headmaster, as she nods in agreement.

Comforted by their words, I finally find some small measure of satisfaction in my actions.

At the very least, I should be grateful that there were no casualties.

“I apologize for leaving everything to you. Since one individual went out of control, we needed to be vigilant for the possibility of other outbreaks elsewhere. I truly appreciate your efforts, Sachii Malmurad.”

“No, it was part of the agreement from the beginning. By the way, are there any other troublemakers?”

“So far, none.”

That’s a relief.

Since we don’t know the signs or conditions preceding the appearance of troublemakers, it’s an unpredictable situation of not knowing when, where, or who will go berserk.

For now, it’s reassuring that no further damage has occurred.

“However, we must remain cautious. Another troublemaker could appear at any moment. Moreover, due to the fact that we had a troublemaker and a victim among the students, it was decided after discussion to cancel this year’s Starry Blossom Festival.”

“What…?”

The words “Starry Blossom Festival, canceled” whirl around in my head.

The baton that we have all been passing together up until now feels like it has been abruptly knocked out of our hands.

Feeling down by myself, Ms. Lezan nods with a complex expression on her face.

“Well, I think it’s a reasonable decision. The appearance of troublemakers has been a concern for some time, and even the holding of the Starry Blossom Festival itself was in doubt.”

“I-Is that so?”

“Nevertheless, the headmaster, Ananas, made efforts and appealed to the government to allow the Starry Blossom Festival to take place, as we couldn’t deprive the students of their opportunity to shine.”

I had no idea.

Certainly, most of the students were filled with enthusiasm.

Not excluding myself and Mil, we were both quite excited about the Starry Blossom Festival, especially after what happened with Maron-san.

It seems the headmaster went to great lengths to ensure that the Starry Blossom Festival could still be held, so as not to waste the students’ enthusiasm.

“However, due to the unfortunate occurrence of a troublemaker as we feared, the cancellation became inevitable. I apologize to the students who were affected.”

Then, the headmaster continued with a more formal tone.

“That’s why I want to express my gratitude once again to Sachi Malmurad. Thank you for saving the students who were affected.”

“N-No, it was…”

Afterward…

The announcement of the cancellation of the Starry Blossom Festival spread throughout the school.

In response, complaints from the students began to surface… or so I thought. Surprisingly, it didn’t turn into such a situation.

Many of the students who witnessed the commotion firsthand at the sports ground seemed to consider the cancellation of the competitions to be reasonable.

Maiss Glacier’s rampage had evidently left a strong impact on the students.

However, naturally, there were also those who felt disappointed. Students who didn’t witness the incident and spectators who had come from afar expressed great regret.

In the same manner, the students of Class 1-A were plunged into double sorrow.

It was a bitter feeling of regret, as we had a chance to win, and the shock of our classmate, Maron-san, becoming a victim.

However, since no one could be blamed, there was nothing to channel our pent-up anger towards.

The circumstances behind my brother Maiss becoming a troublemaker had yet to be fully unraveled, so we couldn’t simply place blame on him.

In such a profoundly regretful manner, the curtains closed on the Starry Blossom Festival.

However…

My battle was far from over.