On the blackboard of the main auditorium, Eldmed was drawing a convoluted magic circle.
âHey, Lay. How did your conversation with Headmaster Zamira go in the end?â Sasha murmured to Lay who was in the seat in front of her, looking sleepy.
âHe said they were making the right preparations to welcome the Hero Kanon.â (Lay)
âA warm welcome, I take it. Are they going to pick you up today?â (Sasha)
âThatâs what he said, at least.â (Lay)
Eldmed turned my way.
âThe dragonsâ power is exactly as you experienced it firsthand yesterday. As of now, you can all manage to escape them, but when it comes to defeating them, you all lack effective means of attack. You have neither the skill to aim at the weak spot on their neck, nor the magic to pierce their scales, which is especially the case for the Hero Academy students.â (Eldmed)
He finished drawing his magic circle and tapped the floor with his cane.
âIn that case, what should we do, Emilia-sensei?â (Eldmed)
ââŠUmâŠâ (Emilia)
That question came out of nowhere, leaving Emilia at a loss for words.
âWhat magic do heroes specialize in? What method did the heroes, who were inferior to us in strength and magic, use to fight against us demons?â (Eldmed)
ââŠ<Sanctuary Aske>⊠Ah, no, barrier magic, perhapsâŠ?â (Emilia)
âYes, yes, thatâs right! Barrier magic! And this spell formula here is for one of the humansâ anti-dragon solutions, and the one that the Hero and his companions used to slay dragons two thousand years ago: the <Dragon Binding Barrier De Jerias> spell.â (Eldmed)
The Hero Academy students were wondering why the Conflagration King, a demon, knew the formula for one of the Heroâs spells.
âKhahaha! Donât be so suspicious. The Demon King simply stole it with his Magic Eyes once.â Eldmed said offhandedly while turning to the students.
âNow, how about we start with a demonstration?â Eldmed)
He pointed at Lay with his cane.
âHero Kanon and Misa. Come to the podium.â (Eldmed)
Lay and Misa stood up and went up to the podium.
Eldmed drew a magic circle on the floor.
Then green flames erupted from it.
âThese green flames mimic the wavelength of a dragonâs magic power. They will serve to test the effectiveness of the <Dragon Binding Barrier De Jerias> spell. Simply put, the more effective the barrier is, the more they should weaken the flames.â (Eldmed)
Eldmed turned to Lay.
âWell then, you two may cast <Dragon Binding Barrier De Jerias>.â (Eldmed)
âU-Um⊠I think Lay-san can cast it by himselfâŠâ Misa said sheepishly while raising her hand.
Eldmed looked at her and cackled.
âJust like <Ablaze Light Mortar Sanctuary Teo Triath>, <Dragon Binding Barrier De Jerias> converts the magic power collected via <Sanctuary Aske> into a spell. It canât be used alone.â (Eldmed)
âO-Ohh, so thatâs the ideaâŠâ (Misa)
Lay smiled and reached out to Misa.
ââŠIt feels kind of embarrassing to use this magic in front of people like thisâŠâ (Misa)
Misa touched Layâs hand slightly.
Then, the light of the <Love Sanctuary Teo Aske> spell gathered around Layâs entire body.
The Hero Academy students began to kick a fuss.
âH-Hey! Is thatâŠ?!â (Hero student A)
âFor realâŠ?! Itâs the frickinâ <Love Sanctuary Teo Aske> spellâŠ! But thatâs the greater magic of legendsâŠ!â (Hero student B)
ââŠWell obviously he can use it. Heâs the genuine Hero, after allâŠâ (Hero student C)
âActually, does this mean that⊠those two are a thing?â (Hero student D)
âTo begin with, no matter how much magic power we possess, this isnât a spell weâd ever be able to castâŠâ (Hero student E)
âTch. Show-offsâŠâ (Hero student F)
This was one of the Heroâs trump cards that combined both of their love into one and converted it into an enormous amount of magic power.
But in front of <Love Sanctuary Teo Aske>, there was a kind of loneliness in them that was unlike usual.
âSuch a low amount of magic powerâŠâ Shin muttered softly.
âAnything wrong, Shin-sensei?â (Eldmed)
âNo, nothing at all.â (Shin)
Eldmed cackled at that.
âBarrier magic isnât really my forte, though.â Lay admitted while drawing a magic circle in front of him.
â<Dragon Binding Barrier De Jerias>.â (Lay)
A magic thread emerged and split into countless others, then surrounded the flames to bind them.
A screeching noise echoed as the flame was extinguished in the blink of an eye.
âKhahaha! As expected of the Hero Kanon. Itâs wonderful how you completely put out those flames. You truly are the man who faced the Demon King so many times and lived!â (Eldmed)
Suddenly, Lay pointed at the magic circle drawn on the blackboard.
âI guess itâs thanks to that. This formula is an improvement compared to what the humans used to use, and is much more magic-efficient.â (Lay)
âYes, thatâs right. As I recall, the original formula was said to be awfully inefficient. But since the Demon King improved it, itâs now easier to use and more powerful than the one humans used in the past. But this is nothing surprising. Itâs just what happens when you show Anos Voldigoad a spell.â (Eldmed)
Eldmed shouted praises to the Demon King.
âNow, as those of you with superior Magic Eyes may have noticed, the <Dragon Binding Barrier De Jerias> spell restrains dragons by means of sound. These magical threads cling to the dragonâs body, and the more violently the beast rampages, the louder the noise emitted by the spell, thus sealing off its magic power.â (Eldmed)
Eldmed turned to Emilia.
âDo you know what that means, Emilia?â (Eldmed)
ââŠWhen the dragon moves, the <Dragon Binding Barrier De Jerias> spell interferes with its magic power, and seals it with sound. Which is why the more powerful the dragon is, the stronger the barrier is. Is that right?â (Emilia)
âIndeed. Therefore, dragons of a certain size can be rendered nearly powerless as long as theyâre trapped in the barrier. However, it has its limitations. All the dragons we saw in the meadow yesterday were young. Even you guys can handle dragons of that level. However, older dragons canât be restrained perfectly, so be careful.â (Eldmed)
The Conflagration King pointed at the blackboard with his cane.
He drew a dragon with magic.
Unlike the ones from yesterday, this one had dark green scales and skin.
âAs you can see, the scales and skin of older dragons, also known as ancient dragons, turn a deep green color. They canât be restrained using <Dragon Binding Barrier De Jerias>. You have to risk your lives and behead it.â (Eldmed)