Chapter 20:
The door to the class opened quietly, yet his presence arrived before any sound did. The moment Moli stepped inside, heads lifted toward him instinctively, as though the room had been waiting for a point of gravity to settle around. His steps were neither fast nor slow, but measured—as if the ground itself were aware of his weight.
He paused for a moment, looked directly at Rin, then pulled a piece of Edam cheese from his pocket and tossed it to her with calculated ease. She caught it instinctively before it fell. He tilted his head in an authoritative, almost fatherly tone:
“Eat. I know your stomach has been empty for a while.”
She furrowed her brows with childish stubbornness and lifted her chin slightly.
“I’m not hungry…”
He cut her off as he moved forward and sat on the desk facing them, crossing one leg over the other as though settling into a seat that belonged solely to him.
“If you don’t eat, I’ll make sure to feed you myself.”
Ayumi hummed excitedly, unable to contain herself:
“I told you! He cares about her!”
Moli shot her a single glance. It was enough. She fell silent immediately, pouting with the same childish stubbornness, pretending indifference.
At last, Moli rose from the desk and walked a few slow steps before them, then spoke clearly:
“Every five years there is a competition for appointing sorcerers in the university, and it has already begun. However, since you are Team Katakai Clan, you are automatically qualified for the semifinals—like the rest of the Lullabies. That leaves one seat for the rest of the magical world to compete over, but…”
He pulled a piece of chalk from his pocket and turned to the board. In steady handwriting, he wrote a single word:
Gransiana.
Then he faced them again.
“This organization has controlled the vacant seat for five consecutive times now.”
He nodded, as though affirming an undeniable fact.
“So we will assume they will complete the golden square.”
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
His gaze drifted over them, reading their faces as though they were open reports, then he wrote beneath the name:
“Semifinal match: a one-on-one confrontation between two teams… each team consisting of five members.”
He paused briefly, then added in a practical tone:
“I’m explaining all this because I see two new members in this team.”
He looked at Rin, then at Ayumi.
“The draw was held this morning.”
The others exchanged startled looks, but Moli continued without giving them space to react:
“You will face the vacant seat… or simply, Team Gransiana.”
Souta let out a light, forced laugh.
“Sounds like the first match will be easy.”
Moli turned to him slowly and asked coolly,
“Have you ever participated in the sorcerers’ competition before?”
Souta shook his head no, visibly embarrassed.
Moli gave a faint side smile, closer to teasing than reassurance.
“They’ll drain the last drop of sweat from you.”
Sota swallowed.
Moli continued,
“They have five of the top ten wizards on the University ranking list. Don’t worry—the ranking depends on activity. The more you cooperate with the University in eliminating wandering spirits or hunting dogs, the more points you gain to raise your classification. The Three Lullabies do not favor placing their talents under the spotlight, so you rarely go on field operations.”
He suddenly turned toward Miho.
“Fourth wizard.”
Then pointed to Kenta.
“Ninth wizard.”
Then to Souta.
“Twenty-first.”
Then to Ayumi.
“Sixty-fifth.”
Ayumi muttered irritably, folding her arms.
“That’s me.”
Moli deliberately ignored mentioning Rin and continued:
“Their team’s ranking is better than yours. All of them are within the top ten wizards. Therefore, they will have the right to choose the location of the match.”
Rin lifted her head slightly.
“The location of the match?”
Moli replied,
“There is a sorcerer at the University who can transform any designated place into one of the demon-hunting ranges.”
She asked again,
“Is that his blood form?”
Moli nodded.
“Yes. And it is inherited strictly within the University’s halls.”
He then looked at them with a practical, almost casual expression, as if he did not sense the tension creeping into the room at all.
“But their choice of location means you will choose the opponent. They have five members who will select five different ranges. So we will analyze each range and the probabilities of their choices, then form a plan accordingly. Gransiana does not possess blood forms because their blood is ordinary. That makes them more broadly knowledgeable in magic than you. They can activate more spells and adapt more smoothly. As for you…”
He suddenly clenched his fist, the sound of his knuckles tightening clear in the silence.
“You will use brute force.”
Miho laughed suddenly with sharp sarcasm, as if recalling something bitter.
“And if we do? Brute force won’t help us against Masonry in the finals.”
Moli smiled slyly, as though she had stepped exactly where he intended.
“True. For the past four decades, the Masonic order has always been one side of the finals. And for the past three decades, they’ve won the University Cup, earning promotion to sorcerers as a group—while the rest of the teams rely on the individual efforts of their talents, selected based on their performance in the competition.”
He pulled a chair in front of them and sat down facing them directly. His voice lowered slightly, but it sharpened.
“Simply put… if you win, you will all become sorcerers. But if you lose—even in the finals—they will only acknowledge your best.”
He looked at Miho first.
“Miho… and perhaps Kenta as well.”
Then he added with a mischievous laugh, casting a brief glance at Rin:
“And Rin, of course!”
