episode_0022

Of course, in the end, I couldn’t break through her protective magic at all. I’m not sure if it’s because the impact magic is weak or because her protective magic is strong, but maybe both factors overlap. As I let out a long breath, looking at Senior Erica, she was looking at me with her arms crossed.

“What do you think?”

“I think Senior is unbelievably strong.”

“Of course, 5th graders are strong. Most students quit the academy in the 3rd or 4th grade and become local wizards, go monster hunting, or become tutors for nobles. Surviving among them is quite a feat.”

“Do they determine grades through exams for the 5th grade?”

“No, it’s not like that. If you want to stay, you stay, if you don’t, you leave… Well, to be honest, it’s about reading between the lines. There are six 5th graders, but only Leona and I are left in the academy. The others are still here but only come to the academy when leadership is needed, except for Arkadin? But you probably haven’t seen him. Among the 5th graders, I’m as difficult to see as anyone.”

“How strong is that senior?”

“He’s probably the weakest among the 5th graders… Well, if he leaves the academy, he might at least reach the middle of a country’s magic knight order, right?”

“So, that means he’s aiming for that position?”

She didn’t respond, and I nodded. They’re all remarkable people. If 5th graders are at that level, how strong are the mages who make a name for themselves on the continent and the professors at the academy?

“The 5th graders I’ve seen often end up within the top ten when they participate in rune martial arts competitions. Of course, there are many hidden mages, so it’s hard to know the exact ranking. You also need good luck. State-affiliated mages can’t participate.”

“Are you participating in the martial arts competition this year?”

“If there’s someone I want to fight.”

I nodded quietly at her words, then sat down for a moment and opened my mouth to look at my senior.

“So do you know what my shortcomings are?”

“You know how to control, and it’s good to target the weaknesses of your opponent like me, but the most lacking thing is probably the amount of mana. No matter how good your intuition is, if your mana is lower than your opponent’s, it’s hard to counterattack.”

“…It’s the most difficult factor, the amount of mana is really a barrier of talent.”

“You can increase mana through training, but that’s a long way.”

Slowly, I nodded. Even if I meditated and ate food that increased mana, the difference in innate mana was not easily narrowed. A sigh escaped from my lips at the limit of the talent that naturally enveloped my body.

“But I’m curious about one thing, Astan, why do you want to become stronger?”

I was momentarily speechless at her words. Why I wanted to become stronger, did I have a reason? Asking myself the same question didn’t make sense to protect my family. They’re not my real family, they’re just the family of this body. Even though I might have felt like they were family due to the time spent together, they weren’t.

Of course, when I thought about it, thoughts about my original family didn’t come to mind. It felt like I was gradually being erased from my own head. My name, my appearance, even the contents of the novel I had read, all slowly fading memories. Why did I want to become stronger if those curiosities came out? Why did I ask her to teach me magic? Was it because it was cool? It wasn’t that.

There must have been some reason, but the answer didn’t come to mind.

“I don’t know. Why I want to become stronger.”

“It’s not bad to become strong, but if there’s a reason to become strong, the path won’t waver, so it’s not a bad thing to find that reason. Whether it’s reviving a family like someone, or becoming number one in Rune Combat, even if it’s a short-term reason, it’s okay. If people don’t have a purpose, they end up ruining things.”

“I’ll remember.”

“If there’s a reason you want to become stronger, I’d like to know then. Even if it’s something small, it’s okay.”

Saying that, Senior Erica clapped her hands and smiled at me.

“See you tomorrow, junior. I’ll teach you how to deal with a magician when the amount of mana differs.”

Nodding, Erica had already disappeared. Scratching my neck at the unfamiliar sight, I slowly got up from my seat and carefully pondered over what she said.

“A reason to become stronger…”

No matter how much I thought about it, the answer didn’t come to me.

Today’s classes at the academy were tough as usual. Strangely, when I demonstrated the method of handling natural mana with Sharen, the professor burst into laughter and praised us for coming up with such a foolish yet wonderful method, which left me with various thoughts, but surprisingly, I felt somewhat at ease due to the positive feedback.

In the subsequent general magic class, we learned detection magic, which didn’t seem like something I would use often. I wasn’t the type to lose things easily, so while there might be occasions to find people, using it on someone didn’t seem easy, indicating that some training might be necessary.

Even during lunchtime, several students approached me to request duels, so it wasn’t unusual to reject all the requests. I couldn’t tell if this situation would stop as time passed or if it would increase, but since displaying prowess was impossible, I just sighed, thinking that I had to live like this, and Sharen patted my shoulder, laughing heartily.

The day at the academy quickly passed. Before I knew it, evening had arrived, and as I passed through the familiar corridor after finishing dinner, heading towards the school gate for work, I witnessed something.

The voice in my ear was a familiar one. There weren’t many people at our school who had such a deep and powerful voice.

Leonor and a student were having a conversation. Although I wondered what the big student was like, I had nothing to say because I had already been in that situation, so I tried to pass by quietly. However, a loud voice reached my ears and prevented me from easily leaving the spot. She seemed to be saying something, but I couldn’t hear it clearly.

It was a woman’s voice that seemed like it would tear apart. Naturally, my gaze turned back in that direction at the angry voice. At first, I couldn’t tell who the person was because she was obscured by the corridor wall, but as I concentrated and looked again, I felt a memory that seemed familiar somewhere. It wasn’t from our class. Of course, I couldn’t know her name, but strangely… really strangely, I felt like she exuded an atmosphere similar to Leonor’s.

Curiosity naturally arose, and as I absentmindedly gazed in that direction and began to move slowly, I met eyes with Leonor. When my eyes met the peculiar brown irises staring at me, chills ran down my body. And under that gaze, I quickly turned my body and left the spot.

Who could the student be who was angry with Leonor? Could she be Leonor’s lover? With such thoughts, I turned my head and looked back. The conversation had not ended yet. Why are they fighting in a place like this?

Ignolia was not a place where it rained much. Therefore, there was a saying that rainy days were unlucky, and as a result, most of the shops closed early when it rained.

Due to the rain outside, Mrs. Toa told me to leave work early, and with her words that she would go first and the umbrella she handed me, I returned to the academy.

When I arrived at the school gate along the familiar main road, Erica was waiting for me in front of the gate, untouched by the raindrops.

“It’s a good night.”

“They say rainy days are unlucky.”

“That’s Ignolia’s story. Where I live, rainy days are said to be days when the world becomes clean.”

“That’s romantic.”

Erica senior chuckled at my words and flicked her finger. As she did, a small shield unfolded around me.

“It will last until you return to the dormitory, so leave the umbrella here.”

“I didn’t know protective magic like this was possible.”

“Protective magic weakly surrounds water droplets with cold, preventing them from touching you. If it were stronger, the raindrops would freeze upon contact.”

“Senior’s magic utilizes the surrounding nature.”

“The basis of all magic is utilizing nature; only creatures like dragons can overcome nature with their own mana.”

“Then, the magic you showed at the tavern also uses the surrounding nature?”

“Well… I’d rather not reveal that on a rainy day.”

With that, she gripped her wand in her right hand and uttered a word at the corner of her mouth.

“Open.”

At that moment, a large cold air burst out around her. The instantly expelled cold air had frozen the raindrops around her, and she spoke the word again at the corner of her mouth.

“Release.”

Then, the cold air gathered around her body again.

“My magic uses the surrounding water, freezing it to use as ice. The difference in mana I mentioned earlier is how to deal with a mage when the amount of mana differs.”

“…You can control that ice as well.”

“Do mages who use lightning magic control the lightning that falls from the sky?”

“I’ve thought about it. You usually gather cold air around your body and expand it to use magic without harming others. You set the center point to your heart so it doesn’t affect others.”

“Impressive.”

She smiled slyly, and as I looked at her, I slowly opened my mouth.

“Can I ask you one question?”

“If I know the answer.”

“Does Senior Leona have a lover?”

At my words, she seemed to wonder what she had just heard.

“A lover?”

“Today, I heard that someone was fighting in the hallway. Although the senior didn’t say anything… It wouldn’t make sense unless they were lovers to fight to that extent.”

As soon as I finished speaking, Erika burst into laughter. Despite the sound of rain, her laughter was so loud that I wondered if anyone nearby could hear it.

“Leonard has a lover…? Dating… Well, Leonard could have a girlfriend… It’s just unimaginable. If it’s him, he would say, ‘Love only hinders training.’”

“Then… who could it be?”

After my question, she seemed lost in thought for a moment and then shrugged as if she didn’t know.

“I know all of Leonard’s friends, but there’s no one who would fight with him to that extent. There are those who fight magically, but not verbally.”

Then, as if something had occurred to her, she spoke again.

“Oh, there’s one person.”

“Who?”

“Leonard’s younger sister just started school.”

“Oh, I see. She’s in first grade, right?”