Debates [1]

Sighs and grumblings continued to pour out from the Black Magic Circle.

"Haaaaaah... I'm screwed, really."

"No, why on earth should I defend black magic...?"

"So! How is it different from defending a murderer?"

"Goodbye, my grades... Goodbye... You should be happy there."

The expressions of the cadets who were demoted to black magicians overnight were far from good.

At that time, someone stepped forward in front of the cadets with a strong and bright voice.

"Come on, come on, let's cheer up! The great educator Ansense said, 'The moment you give up, the game is over.' So it's not over until you give up. Right, everyone?"

It was Emma, the leader of the Silver Owl class. She too had been assigned to the Warlock faction for this debate.

"Listen up, everyone. First of all, this debate is one where the White Magic faction has an overwhelming advantage from the start. But what if we, the Black Magic faction, win the debate? What would happen then?"

One of the students answered cautiously, "Uh... Since the unfavorable group won, won't they get good scores?"

"That's it! Since there is a handicap, there will definitely be bonus points for the Black Magic faction. So let's all do our best until the end!"

Soon, a glimmer of hope began to appear on the cadets' faces, one by one.

But.

"… I will announce this in advance before the discussion. There will be no additional bonus points given to those on the black magic side."

That hope was shattered by a single word from the sans-culottes professor. He continued in a dry voice.

"I believe this debate is extremely fair. So, it never happens that one side gets a high base score. Everyone can stick to their own logic."

No matter how positive Emma was, she couldn't help but slump her shoulders this time.

Soon, the discussion began.

Each person was given one minute to speak. In an atmosphere where the winners and losers already seemed obvious, one of the students on the white magic side opened his mouth with high spirits.

"The divine power that forms the basis of white magic is good and right because it looks after the sick and the poor."

It was a childish remark, far from mature logic. The following remarks were not much different.

"On the other hand, black magic is bad. We learned in school that it's bad."

"I think the very name of black magic is ominous! Don't you think so?"

"Isn't hating and cursing someone the very basis of black magic?"

"That's right! Since it's a discipline that goes against reason, it's bound to be bad!"

As the repertoire of praise for the sacred law became obvious, the condemnation of the black magician continued. It was mostly childish criticism, but the Black Magic side was unable to provide any proper grounds for refuting it.

The black magic side began speaking.

"Black magic seems to have a long history anyway, so it might have some historical value as a relic..."

"They're almost extinct now, but there used to be a lot of people who fell for it... I can only guess there must have been a reason."

"Hmm... The fact that it can be of comfort to the ignorant and uneducated...?"

"No matter how villainous they may be, life is precious. So, warlocks are also lives, after all. They should be treated with respect..."

The logic of the black magic side's defense was equally weak and clumsy.

Emma, who had been listening to her group members' nonsensical presentations, ended up wiping her face. But even she didn't really have a clear logic.

'Defend the black magicians...? What kind of logic is that? Hmm... Since it's come to this, should we turn to pointing out the problems with white magic...?'

That might be a little easier. Rather than defending black magic, it was easier to point out the shortcomings of white magic, which she was well aware of. But there was no way the sans-culottes professor would give points for such an easy path.

The topic of discussion was 'Which one is right to learn?' Blaming the other side wouldn't establish the legitimacy of her own.

Finally, Emma opened her mouth cautiously, hinting at the warlock's perspective.

"Black magic is not simply about going against the law. It is about listening to the voices of those who have fallen behind in the world and have been eliminated from life. Understanding the anger and obsession of mortals who have been swept away by the logic of survival of the fittest and hearing their voices might give those who have converted to faith something to think about."

The sans-culottes professor's eyes lit up for a moment.

After Emma finished speaking, there was a brief silence from the opposing camp. But it was only for a moment. Soon, the smart students began to object.

"You say you understand the rage and obsession of the dead, but those emotions are mostly dark and sinister! What about the possibility of a sorcerer using them for their own evil purposes?"

"It also sounds like it could give the dead a chance to take revenge. Isn't that just another form of private sanction?"

"God judges the dead with coldness, regardless of their individual circumstances and thoughts! Such coldness is the essence of justice! It eliminates as much as possible the possibility of error due to emotional influences..."

Emma bit her lip in the face of the countless objections pouring in. It was even more embarrassing and frustrating because it was the first time in her life that she had been pushed by logic.

'This is unfair...'

She agreed with the saying that to win, you must know your enemy as well as yourself. But even so, this wasn't right.

How could a priest stand in the shoes of a warlock and defend black magic?

'Black magic is wrong, and white magic is right. Right and wrong can't be reversed, so how can there be a discussion? This topic was full of contradictions from the beginning!'

There were a thousand reasons why black magic was bad and white magic was good. But no matter how much she thought about it, the opposite just led to dark thoughts.

"…"

When Emma, the leader of the Black Magic faction, fell silent, the other cadets also went quiet.

Soon, tears began to form in Emma's eyes.

She thought her performance evaluation score had gone down the drain.

The shock of being completely defeated in an argument for the first time in her life.

Self-reproach toward herself for not being able to do anything in such an unreasonable situation.

Many thoughts and emotions swirled in her head.

Right then.

"… Wait a minute. You, over there."

The sans-culottes professor stretched out his finger.

It was in Emma's direction.

"What's with that rude attitude? Are you planning on participating in the discussion?"

Emma was embarrassed.

Even if she hadn't been able to develop proper logic, she had done better than the other students. So why was the professor singling her out?

"…!"

Finally, Emma figured it out. The professor's thick finger wasn't pointing at her.

His sharp gaze was directed at the cadet sitting behind her.

Someone no one had noticed until now.

[Zane Cromwell]

The male cadet wore a name tag that read 'Zane Cromwell' on his chest.