Ariel’s words lingered in my mind.
“Is it because he’s really a girl?”
My doubts grew as I wondered if that was the reason.
“Junior, you’re right. It’d have to be flames on the level of phoenix fire to do any real damage.”
“You’re absolutely right, Senior Nex.”
The sound of a man with violet hair speaking while crossing his arms snapped me out of my thoughts.
Seeing someone engulfed in flames was unnerving, after all.
‘This one’s a bit scary.’
Other forms of magic didn’t feel so real, but seeing someone endure flames like that was hard to watch.
I squeezed my eyes shut.
Since I wasn’t watching the match anyway, wearing my helmet would hide it.
How much time passed like that?
“Woooooaaaaahhh!!”
The sound of cheering erupted from beside me.
I opened my eyes.
[Student Mardol has activated Mirror Mirage! Glass statues mimicking the opponent’s actions are using their power against them!]
I turned my gaze toward the arena, and I was utterly speechless.
“Is that… the move I saw last time? Mardol…”
Hearing the puzzled words of the blond-haired warrior, I widened my eyes in shock.
Several Ariels, like sculptures carved from shining crystal, appeared on the battlefield.
‘He can do that..?’
The color was the same white as the Glass Knight, but the features like the twin tails and magician’s robes were identical to Ariel’s, as if she had been perfectly reflected in a mirror.
It wasn’t just his own image that he could copy. He could create copies of his opponent too.
My understanding of glass magic increased.
I should have realized it when she used it on me.
This confirmed it — the crown prince really was the main character.
Even Ariel, who had been the protagonist in the previous game, showed signs of panic. I watched her carefully, trying to think of ways to counter this technique.
The foundation of any game was to memorize the patterns.
In other words, gaining information was the key to seizing the upper hand in battle.
If you didn’t have that, you’d be at a massive disadvantage.
‘Can it only copy magic? No, according to Laplace, it looks like it can mimic other things too.’
This was one of the reasons I had kept my Heart Sword and Magnolia Swordsmanship hidden until now.
I furrowed my brow and focused on the movements so I wouldn’t miss a thing.
***
Inside Phine’s armor, the sound of repeated explosions echoed like firecrackers going off.
Under normal circumstances, it would have been a negligible attack.
“…”
“Mardol, that’s why you shouldn’t rely on that kind of armor! Let’s fight fair and square with pure skill!”
But this was a class exam.
If the time limit ran out, she would lose by default.
Ariel’s mana caused the explosions to grow stronger, making it hard for Phine to move freely.
“..You’re right.”
Phine lowered her head and gazed at the flames leaking from her own armor.
She had underestimated her opponent.
“..I acknowledge you, Ariel.”
“Huh? What’s with the sudden shift in attitude…?”
Phine lifted her head once more, her gaze locked on the red-haired elf.
Her golden wolf-like eyes glowed from within her helmet, burning with fierce determination.
“From here on, I’ll use my magic too.”
Phine placed her hand on her chest, conjuring a magic circle that linked to her armor.
A hiss of steam rose, like a fire extinguisher had been set off. The flames from Ariel’s fireworks spell were snuffed out instantly.
“I’ll give it my all, Ariel.”
“..Yeah, that’s right, Mardol. You’re a Magic Swordsman, after all!”
At that moment, just as Ariel prepared for her next attack, Phine stretched out her hand toward her.
「..Mirror Shield.」
A massive glass wall materialized between them, like a barrier. It was one of the techniques Phine had shown before.
“Doesn’t matter! I’ll just keep trying until it works!”
「Sparkler Flare!」
Aiming for Phine beyond the glass wall, Ariel chanted her spell.
Since the dense mana was already trapped inside Phine’s armor, it didn’t matter if the aim was off.
“..Huh?”
She expected the fireworks to ignite inside the armor again, just like before.
“Ah, I remember this…!”
“Yeah, Ariel. It’s that one.”
But her expectations were off the mark.
Two crystal replicas of Ariel emerged from the glass wall, absorbing the Sparkler Flare on behalf of Phine.
「Mirror Mirage.」
It was one of the reasons she had lasted longer than the Hero when fighting Magic Hat.
The ability to create doppelgangers of both herself and her opponent.
With it, she had parried the Demon Lord’s attacks and protected Ariel and Kainel.
“Mardol, this is basically cheating, isn’t it?”
“It’s not.”
Faced with this reversal of roles, Ariel let out a small laugh in disbelief.
It was like staring into a mirror that perfectly reflected her own actions.
“..I’ve been practicing this magic since I was a kid, Ariel.”
Even so, within her helmet, Phine’s expression remained one of discontent.
The pressure to become even stronger hadn’t disappeared.
After all, only by defeating Magic Hat could her mother return to normal.
“I just… wanted to become stronger.”
With that quiet statement from behind the glass wall, the two crystal Ariels mirrored the red-haired elf and cast Sparkler Flare right back at her.