Ch.2424. Short Winter Break (2)

# This is quite strange.

“I, I’m sorry. I won’t appear before you again!”

“I also… I also absolutely won’t harm you!”

“I’m not guilty of any… I mean, since this is our first meeting, I’ll just be on my way. Hey, you should apologize too!”

“Ugh… I… I’m sorry…”

Why are they acting like this today?

While I was contemplating something on the bulletin board, these four suddenly approached and started confessing their sins.

This seems even stranger than if the sun were to rise in the west.

“See? We all apologized properly… even bowing our heads…”

They don’t look like they’re in their right minds.

Did someone threaten them, saying I’d destroy their families for three generations if they didn’t kneel and apologize to me?

This sudden situation is so absurd that I can’t even properly raise my guard.

“Hey… Junon… say something! At this rate, we’ll…”

“You idiot!”

“…Just go away.”

They clearly seem nervous about something, but right now they’re just breaking my concentration.

“We really apologized, right? We apologized properly and you forgave us?”

“Will you leave already?”

“Y-Yes, we’re going!!”

The four of them scrambled to their feet and disappeared as quickly as possible.

It’s like I’m holding their lifelines or something.

“Excuse me.”

Occasionally, even when my attention is elsewhere, I find my sleeve gently held by someone.

“…What now?”

“I wanted to ask you something…”

Silvia has been quietly approaching me like this since after the end-of-term evaluations, holding onto my sleeve while stating her business.

Last time, was she asking how to do laundry? This time it seems to be about studying.

I’d like to help Silvia, but unfortunately, I have a scheduled appointment today.

“I’ll teach you next week. I can’t this week.”

“But it’s winter break…?”

I can guess what she means without her finishing. She’s asking what I could possibly have to do during winter break when most faculty and students have left.

“I have a meeting with a professor.”

“I see…”

“Anyway, I can’t this week, but I’ll teach you next week.”

“Okay… I understand.”

I don’t need to rest during winter break; rather, because it’s winter break, I need to move even more quickly.

After second year ends and third year begins, my workload will increase dramatically.

My magical power is supposedly a force that will someday disappear, but just once—there’s a situation coming where I’ll need to use it.

My steps led me to the faculty building.

‘Why am I so nervous?’

It’s not like I’m meeting someone for the first time, but I’m nervous because of who I’m meeting.

[Muniher Zelbarten Emerald]

His teaching methods are so rigorous and demanding that I have nothing but memories of hardship, making it difficult to open the door.

However, I needed clear guidance and advice more than intense training right now, so I had to knock.

It would be nice if someone like Renias always appeared to solve everything like at the victory banquet, but that’s not going to happen.

Being passive from the start would place too many constraints on my future actions.

“Second year, Class E, Junon.”

“Come in.”

“Excuse me.”

At this hour, I expected him to be serving as acting vice principal, but he’s essentially the vice principal in all but name.

He would normally be busy with student learning systems and policies, but I’m still a student.

Students have the right to request consultations with professors. I was going to take advantage of that to make my request to Professor Muniher.

“What brings you here?”

Upon entering, I found Professor Muniher apparently enjoying a rare moment of leisure with a cup of tea.

…Normally one shouldn’t disturb at times like this, but I have no choice.

“Since there are no lectures during the break, I’d like to seek guidance from a professor who’s still on campus.”

I needed to avoid situations like at the banquet hall where I couldn’t do anything and had to depend on others.

I should at least be able to save myself.

***

-Knock knock.

‘Again?’

Just when I was having a moment of leisure, someone else comes in.

The number of students visiting has increased recently.

Just yesterday, there was a second-year student facing expulsion, probably anticipating poor end-of-term evaluation results.

Consoling students and keeping them from giving up is a task I wouldn’t want to do even if I could return to my youth.

‘Probably another weak-willed one.’

Professor Muniher, physically and mentally tired from having his break interrupted, opened the door with a disinterested expression.

And immediately, that disinterested expression vanished.

“Second year, Class E, Junon. I’d like to request a consultation.”

He had thought it might be another student wanting to drop out for some trivial reason, but this seemed different.

‘Junon? The second-year student who received that impossible score?’

Professor Muniher recalled who this student was. Even if not, he had no reason to refuse.

“Come in and sit down.”

“Excuse me.”

Black eyes were rare even in his youth. And that black hair was not just rare—only one person had ever possessed it.

Looking at Junon’s black hair and black eyes, Professor Muniher couldn’t help but think of a friend who had passed away nearly 20 years ago.

However, his reputation for not speaking falsehoods held true. Suppressing his personal feelings and maintaining his composure, he quickly returned to the matter at hand.

“What brings you here?”

Now, what answer would he give?

Other students would typically express self-loathing, helplessness, or escapist statements as they sought to withdraw.

Would he prove to be the noteworthy talent from this term’s evaluations, an unprecedented genius at Hardia?

Or was his score truly just a fluke or stroke of luck?

With mild anticipation, he awaited Junon’s answer.

“Since there are no lectures during the break, I’d like to seek guidance from a professor who’s still on campus.”

The corners of Professor Muniher’s mouth turned slightly upward as he brought his teacup to his lips.

‘Indeed, my concerns were unfounded.’

During winter break, most students would be focusing on the next exam, the beginning-of-term evaluation.

But Junon didn’t seem concerned with mere grades.

He appeared to be planning for something bigger, drawing a larger picture.

This kind of student was truly a rare talent, distinct from the mediocre masses.

“I’ll instruct you personally. There aren’t many professors remaining on campus anyway.”

In reality, that wasn’t true. There were still quite a few professors staying on campus.

Nevertheless, Professor Muniher had his reasons for wanting to instruct Junon personally.

He wanted the opportunity to verify whether the performance in the end-of-term evaluation was genuine.

If it was true, then the number of professors qualified to teach Junon would be narrowed down to very few.

“I look forward to your guidance.”

Without a moment’s hesitation, he bowed his head and accepted the instruction.

Recalling his experience teaching students after a long while, Professor Muniher decided to nurture this potentially supernova-like star.

The two promptly left the office and headed for the training hall.

Professor Muniher skillfully activated the Talbert Arc, creating a desert field.

A sandy desert with almost no terrain features. It was clearly an invitation to come at him head-on.

“First, let’s check your skills. Use your full power.”

While this was technically a sparring match, Junon couldn’t possibly defeat Professor Muniher.

Nevertheless, the instruction to use full power meant he would be watching closely and thoroughly.

‘This is a good opportunity.’

Knowing that Professor Muniher was someone who could guide him on the path he should take, Junon approached the match with complete sincerity.

‘First, I need to close the distance.’

The only tools at his disposal were basic physical techniques based on his trained body and Anti-Cast, which causes mana panic in opponents at close range.

So Junon immediately charged straight at Professor Muniher, watching carefully for where his magic circles might appear.

However, Professor Muniher merely shifted his stance slightly to the side, showing no signs of using magic.

If that was the case, the answer was simple. His opponent was a middle-aged man in his forties, so Junon should be able to overpower him.

But contrary to Junon’s expectations, brute strength wasn’t the answer.

Tap-

“…!”

Professor Muniher lightly struck Junon’s wrist, diverting the path of his fist.

The boy’s punch, aimed at the abdomen, was precisely deflected to the side.

Junon struggled to maintain his balance by planting his foot on the ground after being thrown off.

In this brief moment, Professor Muniher thrust a small ball of magical power into Junon’s abdomen.

“Ugh…!”

“You defended in that instant? Impressive.”

If he hadn’t hastily created a magic shield over his stomach, he would have been clutching his belly in pain.

Professor Muniher immediately drew a magic circle and fired a lightning bolt.

Mages always prepare multiple casts; dodge one, and another follows.

Projectile spells came flying from the front and sides.

The sound of magic shields breaking and being scratched echoed throughout the field.

Between the spells, Professor Muniher’s hands, infused with magical power, penetrated through.

Junon, unfortunately, had to focus all his attention on defense. He couldn’t even land an effective hit, let alone touch his opponent.

While his unique magic was shield-like and nothing could touch him, it was Junon who ended up being forced to maintain distance.

“A shield made of magical power. Good bodily reactions, and a decent application of magic. Most would have collapsed by now.”

Meanwhile, Professor Muniher responded as if he had already analyzed Junon’s magic.

This put Junon in a difficult situation.

‘This is no joke.’

Most long-range mages gain an advantage by maintaining distance.

But even when Junon charged in with hands and feet, Professor Muniher minimized damage by using body techniques and magic without drawing magic circles, and gradually closed the distance for counterattacks.

He had expected it to be difficult, but not to this extent. He could have been rolling on the ground in an instant.

“Now, it’s your turn to defend. Don’t mind me, and counter-attack if you see an opening.”

After that, Professor Muniher began to press Junon.

He used everything from minor basic elemental spells to lower-attribute general spells, occasionally employing powerful attacks to force a chaotic battle.

And finally, an opportunity came for Junon.

“Hmm?”

Junon’s magical power, injected in the reverse direction to disrupt the flow, damaged Professor Muniher’s magic circle.

‘It went in perfectly.’

Soon, mana panic would cause Professor Muniher to experience dizziness and be unable to use magic.

For a moment, Junon thought he had won.

“Hmph. I see.”

A tone suggesting understanding.

Simultaneously, a chilling sensation began to creep up his spine.

‘Is there something I missed?’

The moment he realized he hadn’t achieved victory was when he saw Professor Muniher’s lips curling upward.

“Injecting magical power in the reverse direction into a magic circle to disrupt it—a good attempt.”

Professor Muniher had grabbed the wrist that was injecting reverse magical power.

Contrary to Junon’s expectation that dizziness would soon follow and magic would be sealed, Professor Muniher remained perfectly fine.

“Urgh?”

Professor Muniher’s magical power surged into the captured wrist.

The incoming magical power was suddenly cut off somewhere, and the world began to spin.

Even his internal balance began to collapse rapidly. From the moment his wrist was grabbed and something entered, he knew something had gone wrong.

“I… surrender…”

He quickly declared defeat. In this state, even moving was difficult, let alone continuing the match.

With one knee on the ground, Junon could only hold his forehead and wait for the dizziness to pass.

“An attack that would cause considerable trouble for someone not accustomed to magical circulation.”

Professor Muniher grabbed Junon’s wrist again and helped recirculate the mana that had disrupted his internal system.

“Overall, you did well. I’ll just point out a few incorrect responses. Are you still dizzy?”

“It’s subsiding. But what did you just do?”

“Hmm. Then some explanation is needed. Listen carefully.”

Anti-Cast was a technique that Professor Muniher himself would later devise to counter certain magical beasts.

It was discovered that it was also effective against people, which is why some students learned it.

Professor Muniher quickly understood the principle of this future tactic, and his teaching remained valid.

“More importantly, why do you rely on your physical body rather than magic? No, it almost seems like you’re avoiding it.”

He couldn’t say it was a power he would someday lose. So,

“How could I face magical beasts with a unique magic that can’t even attack? All my weapon proficiency levels are stuck at 0.1% and won’t increase.”

He made the excuse that with zero attack power, defense alone couldn’t handle magical beasts.

While it might be suitable for protecting his body, he didn’t want to depend on it. What would happen after he lost this power if he only researched it?

He would just be an ordinary person who knew a bit of shield techniques. That’s why he tried not to refine it further.

“So instead of refining your magic, you trained your body. I understand.”

Professor Muniher looked at his watch and said they should end for today.

He added that he had limited time for guidance due to exam preparations and had things to look into, so Junon should come back after the beginning-of-term evaluation.

“While it’s not good to rely too much on magic, you can depend on your unique magic to some extent. Unique magic is the power that a person can use most efficiently.”

“Thank you for your guidance.”

“You’ve worked hard too. Get some rest.”

The brief guidance session was over, and he had gained some useful advice, so it was a somewhat productive outcome.

‘Let’s not be too hasty.’

Yes, nothing bad has happened yet, so I should think positively.

Unnecessary anxiety won’t help matters.

With this mental self-control, Junon left the faculty building, Merack Hall.

And Professor Muniher, who had been watching his retreating figure until the end, muttered toward Junon.

“A tactic to neutralize magic circles. Ingenious. I’ll name it Anti-Cast.”

He was personally experiencing that Junon’s end-of-term evaluation score was definitely not miscalculated.

“It seems I’ve truly encountered a supernova.”

***

Yesterday, due to Senia’s schedule, they couldn’t have a long conversation.

So Michel visited Senia at the appointed time the next day and was able to gather information about Junon from her.

She mentioned that she had omitted information that was uncertain or subjective, but Michel expressed gratitude, saying this much information was sufficient.

However, as the explanations continued, she, like Renias, faced an uncomfortable truth.

-‘Junon’s unique magic is an opaque white veil suitable for close-range blocking displacement. Simply put, it has the same effect as a shield.’

-‘He first used it when he met a guy named Vesta who picked a fight with him. I couldn’t intervene at the time, so I called Professor Jake, but by then it had already manifested. Vesta was completely beaten up.’

The students of Classes D and E who were oppressed and discriminated against through magic.

Among them, Junon, who rarely showed indomitable will, resisted and refused to bow his head, had developed a unique magic that blocked magic.

He rapidly developed his unique magic to the point of manifestation to match the situation, but even this was denied.

For Michel, who had an upright character, this was not something she could overlook.

“Magic… is being used in such a way?”

Michel felt a fire ignited inside her chest and could hardly calm her anger.

The darkness of the academy that she encountered while trying to learn about Junon was causing her even greater fury.

And as if adding fuel to the fire, something nearby was further heating Michel up to her head.

—”You bastard, did I tell you to bring this?”

—”N-No…”

—”If you have eyes and hands, you should at least do your job properly, you bastard!”

Shortly after, there was a sound of someone being knocked down.

Based on Michel’s sensitive magical perception, it was clear that someone had been attacked with magic.

Oppression of a specific class carried out by deceiving the eyes of the ignorant.

Conflicts created by using this as a pretext to suppress and crush, and the reactive benefits produced as a result.

From the moment she directly witnessed this root of bullying, Michel had been gradually changing.

Once again, Michel’s rising anger created arrows to punish those who misused magic.

Click-clack-

Michel’s footsteps naturally led her to the scene, and immediately a blue flame arrow flew toward the perpetrator, enveloping his body.

Although she knew that reducing them one by one wouldn’t change anything—this was just the tip of the iceberg.

Knowing that this was all she could do despite her frustration, she turned away, trying to swallow her anger as much as possible.

Then someone appeared before Michel.

“Whew. Blue flames, that’s intense.”

“…Who are you?”

“Ah. I’m Goden. An exchange student from the Artena Empire.”

The man with a mountain-like build removed the playfulness from his tone when introducing himself and asked Michel in a serious manner.

“Don’t you want to stop such things from happening with your own hands?”

Michel responded with a sigh.

“If I could change it, I would have. The problem is that I can’t.”

“That’s too negative. How about considering the possibility of a solution?”

“What solution could there be? Even the Principality can’t do anything. Would everything change just because I change?”

“Well, that’s true.”

“…See? Even you think so.”

As Michel was about to brush past Goden’s shoulder, thinking his words were meaningless,

“Well, I think there is a possibility.”

“What do you mean?”

“People with the same thoughts gather, one becomes two, and eventually many come together and pass the end-of-term evaluation test without difficulty, right?”

Goden’s words sounded to Michel like a suggestion to gather people.

And as if that was the correct answer,

“I’m going to create a party to break down the paradoxical justice they’ve created.”

Goden began to open a path of possibility.

The starting point of the Tembris Party. Their formation was beginning with the recruitment of Michel Granodia.