episode_0016

I was taken aback by the sudden summons from the principal, but as I made my way to the principal’s office, I realized that there might be some suspicions.

Even though I entered the swordsmanship department after a single incident of sword fighting in the past, this time I enrolled in the magic department, so it seemed reasonable to assume that the summoning was related to that.

As I walked and pondered, I soon arrived at the principal’s office.

“I am Yucal, a new student, here for business at the principal’s office. May I come in?”

“Come in.”

Carefully opening the door and entering, what caught my eye was a woman sifting through piles of documents on the desk and stamping them.

She seemed familiar with such tasks, constantly examining documents and stamping them, but her youthful appearance made it seem like she was playing pretend.

Of course, she did not express such thoughts outwardly or even crack a faint smile.

She appeared so petite that one might call her a girl, but she was none other than Iris, the principal of the Ardent Academy who had shown an overwhelming performance at the auditorium earlier.

“We’ll be done soon, so please have a seat over there and wait.”

“Understood.”

Sitting on the sofa and waiting, I watched her scribbling something, stamping, and separating documents for quite some time.

After about ten minutes, she finally got up from her seat and sat on the private sofa opposite me.

Her beautiful green hair reminiscent of nature and the unsettling odd eye that seemed out of place.

Iris sat on the sofa and continued to watch me intently for a while.

Unlike her keen intuition in the auditorium, where she kept sending warnings, it was unclear what she was doing just by staring at me now, given her lack of interaction with players in the game and minimal revealed story and abilities.

“What is she trying to do by calling me here and making me wait…”

Feeling frustrated by her silence, I eventually spoke first.

“Do you have something to discuss with me?”

“I called you because I have something to discuss.”

“If it’s not too much trouble, may I ask what this is about-”

“Why did you enroll in the magic department?”

Interrupting me, she calmly asked.

“To put it bluntly, you lack talent in magic. Even if you study hard, you will graduate as an ordinary magician who can barely use magic.”

“Isn’t guiding students who lack talent the essence of the academy’s existence? If we follow your logic, those without talent won’t make it anyway, so there’s no point in trying.”

“That’s not what I’m saying. You probably already have an idea of what I’m going to say, right? Your talent in swordsmanship is at a level that only appears once in hundreds of years. It’s almost enough to reach the sky. The current Empire’s Best Sword? Compared to you, it’s just a mere bamboo sword.”

“…”

“You mentioned that guiding students who lack talent is important from a teacher’s perspective, but recognizing a student’s talent and helping them progress in the right direction is far more crucial than that.”

After taking a sip of tea from the table, she looked at me intensely and said, “So don’t just spout empty rhetoric. Give me a reason that convinces me. Why do you want to transfer to the magic department even after crossing swords with me? If you can’t persuade me, I will transfer you to the swordsmanship department immediately.”

I hadn’t expected her to oppose so strongly, so I was slightly taken aback.

Gathering my thoughts, I looked at her as calmly as possible and spoke.

“At that time… I thought choosing the Department of Magic was the most rational choice. There is nothing else.”

“But ‘at that time’ bothers me. So, if you had the chance to choose again now, it means choosing the Department of Magic wouldn’t be rational, right? It seems like you’ve already come up with the same answer as me.”

“I also thought my unique ability ‘Gyeomsung’ would be restored. This is unfair to me as well.”

However, even though my unique ability ‘Gyeomsung’ has been restored, I cannot enter the Department of Swordsmanship.

Since leaving the village and encountering Sinaia until enrolling, she has been constantly monitored, knowing that Claire and Helena Clark are involved with me.

Especially having spent more time with Claire intimately, she probably understands that I feel relatively comfortable around her.

As long as I am at the academy, some level of security is guaranteed, but it’s still minimal.

If she decides, it wouldn’t be difficult for her to bypass the academy’s security, even if it means changing subordinates and taking Claire away.

While in the Department of Magic, I must spend as much time as possible with her to block any potential risks.

Even if Sinaia comes, I might have information to negotiate with her if I’m with her.

“If you have nothing more to say, I understand that agreeing to transfer to the Department of Swordsmanship means agreeing to protect someone.”

“There are people I need to protect.”

“….”

“More precisely, there are people I need to protect. I don’t think the headmaster will understand… but I have resolved myself. I want everyone to survive and have a happy ending.”

I have witnessed my dear ones die or suffer more than 400 times, over 8,000 hours, and it’s unbearable anymore.

“I understand it myself. If I go to the Department of Swordsmanship now, I can use my talents as the headmaster said and achieve good results. However, I chose to enroll in the Department of Magic because I think there is a possibility that I may not be able to protect the person I need to protect. I don’t want to abandon anyone.”

Listening to my words silently, Iris sighed and spoke.

“I get it. You must have your reasons too. I’ll allow you to enroll in the Department of Magic as it is.”

“Thank you.”

“In return, I’ll make sure you can attend classes in the Department of Swordsmanship, so take one or two classes. This is the maximum concession I can make.”

“Understood.”

“And… no, forget it. Go out.”

Seemingly wanting to say something at the end, but then seeming annoyed, Iris waved her hand as if dismissing me, and I left the headmaster’s office.

Despite Iris’s strong opposition, participating in the Department of Swordsmanship’s classes will allow me to develop my abilities and build connections with colleagues on the front lines, so it’s a good thing after all.

Worried about Claire who might be waiting for me, I hurriedly ran towards her.

In this year’s entrance exam, rumors spread throughout the empire that a student without any magic power, wielding an old wooden sword, cut through the instructor’s greatsword and the protective barrier behind him with pure swordsmanship. And yet, he still intended to enter the Department of Magic using cross-registration.

Every year, rumors inflated about someone doing something extraordinary, only to turn out to be just noisy commotion upon verification, but not this year.

In the auditorium where the entrance ceremony was held, as students were being quieted down and observed slowly, one student caught the eye.

With calmly arranged black hair, a handsome face overall, reminiscent of a crow, but exuding tremendous potential.

Seeing the sword at his waist, he must be the protagonist of the rumor that overturned this year’s exam.

“Was his name Yukal?”

Calling him separately to the principal’s office and staring at him, I realized that the rumors had not captured even a quarter of this boy’s potential.

Talent enough to reach the sky someday. Watching over the academy, he was among the few gems, less than ten in number, that could be counted on one hand.

More concerning than such potential were the countless scars etched into his soul.

Too many scars to count.

There were no visible marks on his body, so it was likely an effect that developed over time.

“How many regressions have you repeated to…”

Although it seemed like a state that could collapse at any moment, he responded calmly.

“There are people I need to protect.”

Persisting with a single-minded determination to make everyone happy by traversing countless timelines.

The decision to enroll in the School of Magic with that talent may have been a solution found after trying various methods.

When he mentioned that it wouldn’t be safe without him being there at the academy, it might have been partly related to those outside rats who dared to monitor students at the Ardent Academy.

He refrained from discussing regression. If he had a point of contact with himself, he would have surely asked for help knowing he could recognize his regressions.

“We need to enhance the school’s security.”

Hoping he could spend his time comfortably within the academy, Iris turned back to her desk for paperwork.