A terrorist attack from twenty years ago.
It was orchestrated by the anti-magic organization known as the Red Hammer.
They had long harboured hostility toward mages, and naturally, Ars Magna Academy was one of their primary targets.
However, launching a terrorist attack against an academy filled with powerful mages would be nothing short of suicidal.
That’s why they set their sights on the incoming students instead.
They targeted the ships carrying them to the island.
Right, back then… the explosion happened just like this.
A series of detonations shook the ship violently.
At the same time, I could feel the vessel gradually losing speed.
The magic engine that powered the ship had shut down.
“Kyah!”
“W-What’s going on?!”
Panic spread among the passengers as their terrified screams filled the air.
The crew scrambled to assess the situation, but soon, a series of dull thudding noises echoed around us.
“Everyone, stay quiet!”
And then, the culprits finally revealed themselves.
It seemed they had boarded the ship disguised as crew members and passengers.
“We are Red Wedge, the successors of the Red Hammer! This ship is now under our control!”
A burly man with a menacing face stepped forward, raising his voice.
“Don’t even think about resisting! If you act out of line—”
The moment he manipulated the device in his hand, another explosion erupted, shaking the entire ship.
“Ugh!”
“Eek!”
The passengers shrank back in fear, which seemed to please the man greatly.
“I’ll start detonating these explosives one by one. If you don’t want to end up as fish food, behave yourselves!”
Every one of them was already wearing a life jacket.
Even if the ship sank, they’d make it out alive.
“Stay quiet and don’t cause trouble! As long as you cooperate, we won’t harm you!”
Despite his words, they were all armed with daggers and other weapons, menacingly keeping the passengers in check.
Some of the blades were already stained with blood, a clear indication that they had taken out several crew members.
“Our goal is to use you as hostages to negotiate with Ars Magna Academy! So don’t bother resisting and stay put! Got it?!”
“Y-Yes…!”
“O-Okay!”
Frightened voices responded from all around.
Nearly everyone on board was a young candidate on their way to take the academy entrance exam.
It was no surprise that they were trembling in fear before a terrorist group.
What a mess.
I let out a deep sigh, resting my book on my lap.
Of all days, this had to happen when I was on my way to the entrance exam… My luck was the worst.
“Seriously, what terrible luck.”
At that moment—
A voice whispered in my ear.
“Stay still. You don’t need to respond.”
It was an incredibly quiet voice, yet I could hear it clearly.
Shifting my gaze slightly, I saw that Cain Trigger—who had been chatting my ear off just moments ago—was now sitting with a serious expression, his lips barely moving.
“I’m making sure only you can hear me. The bastards won’t pick up on it.”
An interesting skill.
“Anyway, this situation is bad.”
“……”
“These guys will sink the ship the moment they get what they want from the academy. There’s no reason for them to let us live.”
I had the same thought.
“We have to do something. Will you help me?”
“……”
What exactly did he want me to do?
As I looked at him questioningly, he quickly answered.
“Create a distraction. Pretend your stomach hurts and cause a commotion—whatever works. I’ll leave it up to you.”
“……”
“If you pull their attention away… I’ll take care of the rest.”
…Who the hell was this guy?
Everyone else was cowering in fear.
Wait, now that I think about it…
His name was Cain Trigger.
Could he be from that Trigger family?
If he really is from the Trigger family… then he might actually be capable.
The Trigger family was the continent’s most renowned assassination lineage.
For generations, they had produced expert assassin-mages, leaving a significant mark on the history of magic.
If Kane Trigger was truly from that family, it made sense that he was this confident.
He looks about my age, but he must have undergone rigorous training since childhood. Even if they’re armed… he might be able to take them down.
The real problem was the number of enemies.
Even if Cain managed to take out the ones closest to him, the others could use the passengers as hostages.
He couldn’t handle this alone.
“I’m not alone.”
As if reading my mind, Cain spoke again.
“See that girl with long hair at the front? She’s watching for an opportunity too.”
“……?”
Glancing up, I was surprised to see that it was the same girl who had spoken to me earlier.
Just as Cain had said, she was secretly observing the situation, waiting for a chance to act.
“I caught a glimpse of her earlier—she’s trained in martial arts. And she’s no amateur.”
“……”
I hadn’t noticed at all.
But if someone from the Trigger family said so, it must be true.
“The moment I make my move, she’ll definitely act too. And then—”
He must be planning to seize the detonator during the chaos.
“So, I need you to help us. Buy us an opening.”
“……”
After hearing Cain’s request, I didn’t nod.
Instead, I looked at him and moved my lips.
If he was really from the Trigger family, he must have mastered lip reading.
Why are you asking me for this?
As I silently mouthed the question, he responded with a faint smile.
“When the explosion happened, you were the only one who kept a calm expression on this ship.”
“…….”
“I figured I could trust you.”
It was an irritating answer.
If he had given a different reason, I would have refused to cooperate.
For example, if he had said, “Last time, Kaisel Valencia was the one who stopped the terror attack! Since you’re his relative, you can definitely do it too!”
If that had been the case, I would have immediately closed my eyes and never responded to another word he said.
But he was putting his trust in me, someone he had never met before, and I couldn’t betray that trust.
This is seriously unlucky.
Grumbling inwardly, I raised a hand and lightly tapped Cain’s shoulder.
A gesture that meant, I’ll take care of it.
“……?”
As Cain looked at me in confusion, I stood up from my seat.
“What the hell?”
“I have a question.”
The terrorists’ eyes narrowed as they saw me suddenly rise.
“I understand that you advocate for anti-magic ideology. I’m quite interested in the movement myself. May I ask a few questions?”
“…….”
They exchanged glances.
Then, the man who seemed to be their leader spoke.
“What do you want to know?”
“I’ve read that the ideological foundation of anti-magic beliefs is based on egalitarianism. Is that correct?” *Equality among all
“Hmph, you’re well-informed.”
The leader nodded at my words.
“Yes, we seek equality for humanity.”
“The stronger magic’s influence becomes, the more it benefits only those elites who master it, while ordinary people who can’t use magic are stripped of their rights… That’s what you believe, correct?”
“Precisely. We act to prevent a handful of magic elites from seizing control of the world and ruling over humanity.”
As I spoke with the terrorists, everyone around me wore dumbfounded expressions.
Cain, who was sitting next to me, and the girl across from me were no exception.
“It’s true that as magic advances, a new class hierarchy is emerging.”
“Mm, that’s right.”
“In the past, bloodlines determined social status. But now, magical ability is the key factor. Some argue that we’ve entered a meritocratic society, but in reality, it’s just a new caste system based on magical talent. This trend will only intensify over time.”
“Exactly. That’s why magic must be eradicated from this world.”
“You’re acting based on a noble ideology.”
“Thank you for understanding. You’re quite young, yet you seem well-versed in these matters.”
“I read a lot of books. I’ve even read Elder Olleus’s works.”
“You’ve read Elder Olleus’s writings? Impressive.”
Olleus was the first leader of Red Hammer and the founder of anti-magic ideology.
“But, there’s something I don’t understand.”
“What is it?”
“If you despise magic so much…”
I deliberately tilted my head, feigning curiosity.
“…why do you use magic yourselves?”
At that moment—
Their faces stiffened.
“What… are you saying?”
“The explosion just now—wasn’t it caused by magic?”
“You’re spouting nonsense.”
The leader scoffed.
“It was explosives, not magic. Surely, you know what explosives are?”
“I do. But the explosion just now wasn’t caused by explosives.”
“Don’t be ridiculous.”
“Ever since the terrorist attack twenty years ago, the academy has implemented rigorous inspections on all ships traveling to and from the island. Planting explosives in advance is nearly impossible.”
“We… we smuggled the explosives onto the ship.”
“They were thoroughly checking luggage before boarding.”
“We hid them well! Stop making absurd accusations!”
He shouted with a fierce expression, but I remained unfazed.
“Just before the explosion, you pretended to manipulate a device in your hand, didn’t you?”
“What?”
“In that moment, I clearly sensed a magical formula being activated. You were only pretending to operate a device while actually using magic.”
“T-That’s absurd!”
The leader’s face twisted.
“A magic formula? How could you possibly know that?”
“I can tell.”
“How?!”
To be honest, I wasn’t exactly sure myself.
I had never formally studied magic.
But I was certain that he had used magic just now.
Because…
“It felt similar to when my uncle used magic in front of me.”
“Your uncle?”
“Professor Kaisel Valencia.”
“……!”
A stir spread through the terrorists.
They flinched and turned to look at me.
“You’re not fighting to protect humanity’s equality by rejecting magic.”
“……!”
“You’re merely pursuing your own political agenda. No, rather than calling it politics, should I say you’re just using it as an excuse to satisfy your own greed?”
Through my extensive reading, I had already reached a conclusion.
Modern anti-magic groups had long since lost their original purpose. They were nothing more than criminals exploiting anti-magic sentiment for their own benefit.
“I’m sure you’re receiving financial support from factions that oppose Ars Magna Academy. There must be someone backing this attack as well.”
“Ugh….”
Preaching anti-magic while using magic to carry out terrorism.
There was no reason to respect such a hypocritical organization.
“Am I wrong?”
“Shut that bastard up!”
At the leader’s shout, the terrorists sprang into action.
The ones guarding the passengers moved, creating an opening in their formation—
“……!”
Cain moved like lightning.
Not only him—the girl in the front row sprang into motion at almost the same time.
“Huh?!”
The terrorists, caught off guard, hesitated.
Taking advantage of the chaos, Cain and the girl charged at the magic-wielding leader.
“What the—ugh!”
One terrorist let out a pained cry and collapsed.
He had foolishly turned his back on me, so I had slammed the Encyclopedia of Southern Jungle Creatures into the back of his head.
A seven-hundred-page hardcover book made for an excellent bludgeon.
“What the hell?!”
The terrorists stepped backed at the sight of blood dripping from the hefty tome.
Ignoring them, I scanned the room and spoke.
“Are you all just going to sit there?”
The terrified first-year students, who had been frozen in fear, belatedly scrambled to their feet.
It was time to fight back.
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