Shinji Matou at Your Service

"You mean Caules? He's indeed a good student—"

How could Waver not know the student Shinji was referring to? When he received the application from this student, he almost cried—finally, finally, another normal student.

Yes, it's Caules Forvedge. He is the same person as Caules Forvedge Yggdmillennia from a parallel world but from a different universe. In this world, Darnic never discovered the Holy Grail's existence and never founded the Yggdmillennia family, so the Forvedge family remains independent.

It's worth mentioning that Caules' sister, Fiore, is still alive, and she also suffers from paralysis of the lower limbs caused by a mutation in her magic circuits, rendering her unable to walk. However, this Fiore is more courageous. She decided to give up on her magic crest and chose not to be a magus.

When this decision was announced, the Forvedge family was thrown into chaos. Fiore was the most talented member of the family, and everyone had placed high hopes on her, believing she could save the declining family. No one expected her to give up so easily.

At that time, there were even extreme voices suggesting that Caules should be killed. Without Caules, Fiore would be the only heir, and if they didn't want the family lineage to end, she would have to inherit the magic crest.

However, Fiore's actions were even more decisive. She left everything behind and ran away from home. To this day, her whereabouts remain unknown, making Caules the sole heir by default.

The existence of magus families is all about passing on their lineage. Even if they are declining, they wouldn't dare risk losing that lineage entirely—what if Fiore still refuses to return after Caules is gone?

So, Caules inherited the magic crest, and the spot originally intended for his sister to study abroad went to him instead. Due to his lack of talent, he wasn't accepted into the Department of Spiritual Evocation, which he most wanted to join. He applied to the Modern Magecraft Department as a last resort and was accepted by Waver.

"—But unfortunately, he's not strong enough yet. Wouldn't it be too dangerous to take him along?"

Shinji responded to Waver's doubt with a light laugh instead of an answer. "Heh~ I thought you'd say you didn't want to use students. So, have you finally come around?"

"Is this the time to talk about that?"

Wave responded, annoyed.

"I'm not inflexible; I understand the need to adapt to the situation. So tell me, why do you recommend Caules?"

"Because he's like you."

Caules might not have the best aptitude, but he's smart, hardworking, and open to new ideas, even exploring technology—a rarity among magus, much like Waver himself.

Waver might have taught Caules the Baghdad Battery magecraft partly because of these similarities. Of course, there was also an element of revenge against Atrum, who had previously looked down on him—Waver had grown more cunning after spending so much time with Reines.

"Your primary goal on the Mystic Eye Collection Train is to retrieve the relic, not to start a fight. From that perspective, brains are more important than brawn. Caules is one of the few brainy types in your class. Moreover, the Forvedge family's evocation magecraft is well-suited for covert investigations, and the Baghdad Battery he recently learned compensates for his lack of combat strength. Besides, with the Forvedge family crest, there's no way his combat abilities are worse than yours."

"Uh… could you have phrased that a bit more gently?"

Waver's current mood could be summed up with a classic phrase: "Ouch, that hurt."

"Sorry, I'm just blunt like that," Shinji said with a shrug.

"Oh, and there's another reason for recommending Caules—he probably already knows about this."

"What? How is that possible?"

Waver's first reaction was disbelief.

"I've only told you and Gray about this. Reines probably figured it out, but she hasn't said anything. Did she leak it? No, you wouldn't be recommending him if she did. What's going on?"

"Here's a hint: who made the Baghdad Battery you gave him?"

"Flat..."

Waver instantly understood and ground his teeth in frustration.

Flat had turned infiltrating others' spells into a habit, constantly analyzing and hacking into them. Waver's office was a prime target. Anything sent to his office by Flat could be rigged with eavesdropping spells, including the Baghdad Battery Waver had given Caules.

These eavesdropping spells were linked to Waver's office, and as long as they were activated in the school building, anyone could listen in on conversations there. Though Waver quickly detected and defended against these intrusions, Flat would always improve his spells, and this battle of eavesdropping and counter-eavesdropping had been going on for years.

The spell embedded in the battery this time was Flat's latest version. After he finished it, the genius idiot went home, giving Waver a false sense of security, only for him to be caught off guard once more.

Caules was an incredibly diligent student. After receiving the Baghdad Battery, he treated it like a treasure and practiced with it constantly. When the battery was activated, the spell within it was triggered, and since Waver and Gray's conversation took place in the office, everything fell into place as if preordained.

"That eavesdropper! When he gets back, I'll make sure he pays!"

"Oh? And how do you plan to make him pay? By giving him more assignments?"

Shinji watched Waver with a smirk. Waver froze for a moment before looking embarrassed—it was another painful truth. Flat wasn't afraid of extra assignments; he could finish twenty times the workload if needed.

"How about leaving it to me? I could give him a few lessons in protective magecraft."

"Better not."

"I knew it. Half of those students' problems stem from your leniency. Keep that up, and someday... oh, never mind. You're the expert here; I'll leave it to you."

Everyone has their area of expertise, and it's unwise to speak out of turn about a field one isn't familiar with. After a brief complaint, Shinji decided not to push the issue.

"Back to the matter at hand. I'll handle the combat readiness. I have something that will be perfect for Caules, and you can give it to him. Even if Atrum himself shows up, he won't be able to outdo Caules in lightning magecraft."

"That powerful?"

"That powerful. And it's not just for Caules; I'll prepare gear for you and Gray as well. No matter who the enemy is, we'll make sure they regret it."

"In this area, you're the expert, so I'll trust you," Waver replied, echoing Shinji's words.

"Trust me, you'll get back what's rightfully yours. I guarantee it as Matou Shinji."

Shinji rarely made promises, but when he did, he always fulfilled them.