Preparation (1)
…Thoughts kept spiraling without end.
Ariel. You always make my heart pound at the most unexpected places—and moments.
The day I first saw you, if no one had been around, I might have killed you.
That was how much I hated you. Because to Grace’s precarious fate, you were a poison.
“Completely wrong. Again!”
“Yes!”
Her sweat splashed before my eyes. Tears of effort shed through genuine physical labor.
I knew your effort, the one I could see, was a lie. But in this moment. Could I really dismiss the sight of you, sincerely immersed in something, as just a lie?
“……”
The emotions that had spread like ink in water suddenly cleared the moment I reached out to catch Ariel as she collapsed.
Ariel stood frozen.
Like a broken doll, looking up at me with eyes that pleaded to be wound up again, even her breathing had stopped.
…I must not be deceived.
Ariel was our enemy.
Someday, she would be a threat to Grace, the one to dye her fate in red.
Because of that, you and I could never be together.
“Ariel Lippenstein.”
“…Yes?”
“Stand up straight.”
“I’m sorry. Just for a moment…”
Ariel, now refocused, stepped away from me.
I turned my gaze away from her retreating back.
“Anything excessive becomes poison. That’s enough training for today. Don’t forget what you’ve learned.”
Fate was surely at work even now, moving to obstruct me.
Since the Horizon Pendant had not gone to you, a corresponding variable might occur.
No—one would definitely occur.
I reminded myself of that and left the training room.
***
After finishing the messages with Ellie, I waited at the station platform for the train.
“…Haa.”
…Hey.
Is this really the time to be hanging around with Ariel? Even if I had spent this time wandering around looking for a hidden piece to change Grace’s fate, it wouldn’t have been enough.
“…I know.”
And yet. The moment I saw Ariel up close today, I realized something.
That gaze she gave me.
That strangely familiar look in her eyes.
It resembled mine.
Like when I recalled Grace while showering and suddenly met my own reflection in the mirror.
I had those same eyes, too.
“Maybe I can change Ariel too…”
Just like Grace’s fate, perhaps Ariel’s could be changed as well… A relaxed, leisurely thought.
Let it go.
“…I chose the lady.”
Maybe I could afford to add Ellie. But more than that was too much for me. Because I was staking even my own fate to change the future…
“Enough.”
…Ariel definitely made me waver. But that was all.
[The train bound for Margate will be arriving shortly. Passengers, please…]
Let’s head to Acol for now.
Soon, my fate would reach the point of 「death」.
Even if it worsened, there would be no sudden heart attack or something equally implausible without plausibility. Still, to be ready for fate, to prepare for the upcoming threat—and to protect Grace—I needed to arm myself.
***
While studying theory in the library, Grace suddenly felt a sharp ache at the pit of her stomach.
She hadn’t felt this in a long time. No—so long that she thought she’d forgotten it.
“…Rohan.”
Grace looked out the window. Instead of the scenery, his face flickered in her vision.
‘…I wonder if he’s eaten dinner.’
Rohan had always been helping her and often missed meals.
While the other professors rested in the lounge, Rohan alone remained by her side, assisting with her research.
Whenever she asked if he was alright, Rohan always responded with a calm smile and said, “I was simply fulfilling my duties as an assistant professor.”
Thanks to his reliability, the anxiety Grace had felt before her appointment as professor had completely vanished.
‘If Rohan hadn’t been there…’
She knew she lacked talent as a teacher.
She still hadn’t forgotten the incident during her first lecture.
Even now, recalling the students’ gazes from that day sent shivers down her spine.
But now, she liked their eyes. When she looked into the sparkling eyes of children chasing their dreams, she couldn’t help but feel inspired to teach harder, to teach more.
It was all thanks to Rohan.
‘I’ll bring sandwiches tomorrow. I’m sure Rohan will be happy…’
Fwaaah.
The moment Grace thought of Rohan’s smile, her face flushed.
…Lately, she kept getting like this. Maybe she’d caught a fever due to the changing season.
Come to think of it, she’d recalled Lippenstein a few times today.
Ten times? No—five?
“……”
Twice.
Recalling Michael fewer than five times in a day was a shocking thing for Grace. Even when she trained for over 18 hours a day, she had never forgotten Michael. In contrast, the moments when she thought of Rohan kept increasing.
Feeling like she couldn’t go on like this, Grace left the library and entered her room.
Then she collapsed onto the bed.
Quietly, she hugged the pink rabbit plushie waiting for her beside the pillow.
“Pippi…”
For a Weapon Master to fall ill with a fever.
It must be some new kind of fever.
I’ll just sleep today and think about tomorrow.
“…Rohan.”
And yet, she couldn’t stop recalling his smile—the one that made her forget everything.
***
“Custom-made?”
“Yes. I’m willing to pay whatever it costs.”
A man with a freshly waxed bald head crossed his arms and looked down at me. His name was ‘Bald.’ And he was the master craftsman to whom I would commission my ‘equipment.’
I’d considered going to the Habledown Workshop, but their prices were far too high, and their popularity made it unlikely they could meet my deadline. More importantly, Bald’s skills were top-tier—good enough that even Michael acknowledged him.
That’s why I chose this place: ‘Acol Bikers.’
Yes, it’s that kind of biker.
A ‘bicycle’ biker.
You might be wondering what I’m doing at a bike shop when I said I’d get armed. But the equipment I need right now is exactly this.
To obtain the true ‘material’ that would become my sword—I needed a high-performance bike from this place.
‘Amuller World Championship.’
Sounds like a grand name, but Simply put, it’s an international bicycle tournament.
But it’s no ordinary bike race.
All competitors in this event use ‘Amuller Bikes’—bicycles born from the fusion of magical engineering.
The history of Amuller Bikes goes far back.
They were first developed over 230 years ago by a bike-obsessed man named ‘Iosif Amuller’—a racing-exclusive bicycle.
Top speed: 320 km/h.
0 to 100 km/h in just 3.1 seconds.
Hard to believe, but these are the specs—for a ‘bicycle.’
It even runs on pedals. Technically, it's like a real-world ‘electric bike.’
But the key is that all power output comes not from electricity—but from mana.
Bald tapped the workbench with his chin.
“Draw it out.”
I already had a rough design in mind.
All to defeat the ‘Protagonist Team’ in the tournament.
Screech— Swish.
I sketched it out, referencing nearby drafts. Bald, watching my drawing from the side, stroked his chin.
“Ooh…”
As expected of a master craftsman—he instantly recogni—
“You’re really bad at drawing, huh?”
……
“But I can get the general outline. Still, if you use these parts, the cost will be way too high. These frames are from the Ultimate Numbering series. Are you planning to make a bike version of Inferno or something?”
“I don’t mind.”
“Just the initial estimate would be at least ten million Rings… Are you really okay with that?”
The prize value alone would be worth several hundred million Rings.
An investment like this was already accounted for.
“Twenty or thirty million—doesn’t matter. Just build it as designed—or better, make it even more complete.”
“How long do you need it by?”
“A month—no, fifteen days.”
“…Fifteen days? Are you kidding me? There’s no way I can build this in⸺”
“Double the fee.”
“⸺I’ll build it beautifully and deliver it to your garage.”
As expected, money ruled all.
As Bald instantly transformed into a businessman, I added one more request.
“And it’s not in the design, but I’d like to add one more feature.”
“Yes, yes, just tell me!”
“I want to remove the mana regulator. Is that possible?”
“…Huh?”
More than the parts themselves, the most important thing in an Amuller Bike was the rider’s capability. The stronger the rider’s mana, the faster the bike.
High-quality parts helped balance the mana cost in endurance races.
When one rider goes 1 kilometer using 1 mana unit, and another goes 10 kilometers with the same—That's an undeniable advantage.
But of course, there were downsides. By artificially adjusting output, engine stability decreased.
And if the rider poured in too much mana, the bike could explode during a ride.
That’s why the safety mechanism—the mana regulator at the base of the engine—existed.
Michael was a mage. And a mage’s mana far exceeded that of a knight. Even with good equipment, I couldn’t match his mana control.
On top of that—‘Protagonist Buff.’
In the original story, Michael would soon win the championship.
To defeat him, I had to find a way to surpass this development.
“That’s not possible.”
Bald sighed deeply and hesitated.
“Someone could die from that. Even if it’s a small chance, that small chance could cost me my shop—or my life.”
At that, I pulled out my wallet and handed over my ID.
“I forgot to show this.”
“Why the ID all of a sudden…”
Upon seeing it, Bald’s hands trembled.
“S-Sword Master Rohan?!”
“Pardon the late introduction. Gamma of the Empire…”
At once, Bald placed his clenched fist over his heart and bowed.
“Don’t you recognize me?”
Huh?
“Bald, the maintenance officer of the 9th Legion! Don’t you remember? You and Commander Euclid saved me during the 2nd front engagement. Look, here!”
Bald excitedly rolled up his left pant leg to the knee. Revealed was a titanium alloy prosthetic.
“Acol’s so remote that I was out of touch with the news. I didn’t realize, and dared not recognize you.”
“…Please, don’t do this.”
I helped him up by the shoulder.
“The war is over. I’m just another citizen of the Empire like you. But to see someone I saved still alive…”
I trailed off on purpose. Then, as if overwhelmed by emotion, I looked up at the ceiling.
“…I’m glad to have done something meaningful.”
“…I’ll charge you only the cost of materials.”
…Okay.
“You said fifteen days? I’ll build it within ten.”
“That won’t do. Business and personal matters should be kept separate.”
Even at that, Bald shook his head.
“I can’t charge my benefactor. I’d make it for free, but I’m in a tight spot myself. I ask for your understanding.”
“No… sigh. I suppose I have no choice. I’ll be in your care.”
“I’m just glad I can finally repay my debt.”
Indeed, good deeds come back to you.
Rohan, you bastard. You really lived a decent life.
Just as I was about to pay, I remembered something and turned to Bald.
“By the way, I’ll need one more unit. With the regulator installed this time.”
Bald’s face turned pale.
Of course, if he sold them at cost, he’d go bankrupt. So we agreed I’d pay full price for both bikes, including production costs.