Ch.9Chapter 9. Welcome (3)

When people hear “teleportation,” many think it’s simply moving between spaces.

That’s what I initially thought when I read about my ability.

A very convenient power that allows me to instantly move to spaces I remember.

At first, I used this ability just as described in my Status Window, simply moving between spaces. I only discovered teleportation’s true potential when I faced my first life-threatening situation in Arcaria.

In that moment when I thought I might actually die, I decided to try something.

*Swoosh-*

As I watched the fireball approaching me in slow motion, I slowly raised my hand.

Something fluttering protruded from the side of the fireball, but that didn’t make it fly any faster.

Wondering about that unnecessary and inefficient shape, I extended my palm toward the flame and opened the space I felt at my fingertips.

Open the space, let the flame pass through, then close the space again.

This sequence happened too quickly for the human eye to perceive.

Unless they were a seasoned expert, neither the blond-haired boy who recklessly threw fire at me nor the girl who suddenly appeared at the door would have any idea what just happened.

“W-what the!”

The blond-haired troublemaker, Cain, stammered in obvious confusion when his proudly summoned flame disappeared in the blink of an eye.

The fierce glare he had been giving me moments ago vanished as quickly as his flame.

“You can’t even control your own magic properly.”

“T-that’s impossible… S-stay back!”

*Grin-*

I deliberately moved slowly toward Cain as he waved his hands and backed away, telling me not to come closer.

If there hadn’t been an audience, I wouldn’t have bothered taking steps forward, but there was a spectator standing at the door, staring at me with a blank expression.

*Thud-*

“Urghh!”

I delivered a particularly weighted punch.

Cain’s body folded in half as he let out a groan that sounded painful just to hear, and all strength left his body as he went limp.

He wasn’t even hit in the head, yet he passed out from one punch to the stomach. Kids these days have no endurance.

“Hmm.”

*Thud- Flop-*

After tasting my solid punch, the unconscious Cain fell face-first onto the floor.

From the sound of his fall, it seemed like he hit his head pretty hard on the ground.

“Um, excuse me?”

“…Uh, me?”

“Yes, you. That was self-defense, right? You’re my witness?”

“Um…”

The purple hair swayed as she slowly nodded up and down.

Witness secured.

**

“Haaa.”

Amillion thought she’d been sighing too often lately, yet she couldn’t help but let out another sigh.

“I-it was self-defense. Cain Hover attacked Ryu first with fire magic in the training hall…”

“Hmm, yes, that’s correct.”

“But still, to do that to a student…!”

Amillion recalled the sight of Cain Hover lying in the infirmary.

Cain Hover, unconscious and face-down with foam at his mouth.

It was certainly not a sight one would expect to see from a noble family’s son.

Amillion had checked Cain’s condition in alarm and was relieved to find that he wasn’t seriously injured—just a wound from hitting his head on the floor when he fell.

Of course, the mere fact that a noble, especially from the Hover family, had been knocked unconscious by a commoner was an issue in itself.

And at the center of this unexpected commotion was the commoner Ryu, who had already given Amillion a headache during the entrance exam.

“Haha. I didn’t expect him to go down in one hit…”

“Be quiet.”

“Ah, yes.”

Amillion silenced Ryu’s attempt at an excuse and clutched her throbbing head.

After hearing the full story from other students, it was true that Cain Hover had provoked Ryu first, and as Cynthia said, Ryu had acted in self-defense.

The problem was that Ryu didn’t have a scratch on him, while Cain was unconscious with foam at his mouth.

If White Hover, the head of the Hover family, were to learn that his son had ended up like this on his first day…

‘Oh, seriously.’

Thankfully, the skilled priests at the infirmary had cleanly erased all traces of the injuries.

“Sigh. For now, please return to your classroom.”

“Ah, yes!”

“Yes, Professor.”

Amillion decided to send Ryu and Cynthia back while she thought things through.

Although Cain was the injured party, fundamentally speaking, Cain was the one who started the trouble, and there was nothing to hold Ryu accountable for.

*Clunk-*

“Phew.”

Amillion let out a small sigh as she heard the door close and checked Cain’s condition once more.

‘But still, to lose consciousness from just one hit…?’

While Cain Hover was a relatively physically weak mage, he was still a son of the “Flame Bird” Hover family.

Though they were a family of mages, they were known for never neglecting physical training, and Cain Hover had achieved an impressive fifth place in the entrance exam—he was a talented individual in his own right.

‘What exactly is that kid…?’

To knock out a Hover with a single punch… While Amillion had a headache over the trouble Ryu had caused, she also became more curious about him.

Beyond being a commoner who caused problems, seeing a talented student was always exciting.

**

“I heard you weren’t first.”

“…Yes. There was a knight more outstanding than me.”

“Not a mage, but a knight?”

“Yes. When I spoke with him, he didn’t give off the typical mage aura, and he himself said he only used physical techniques…”

*Bang-*

“You lost to a commoner, and you even had the nerve to have a conversation with him?”

“…”

Elaine couldn’t answer her eldest brother’s angry question as he slammed his fist on the desk.

Kassis Sinclair.

The firstborn of the Sinclair family, Elaine’s eldest brother, and the youngest current Academy professor.

True to the Sinclair name, Kassis had shown exceptional talent in swordsmanship since childhood and was called a genius, steadily building his career according to that reputation.

Not only did he enter and graduate from Crescen Academy at the top of his class, but immediately after graduation, he was dispatched to the Northern Magical Border where he served as a knight for five years.

The mere fact that a newly graduated noble from a prestigious family went to the notoriously dangerous Northern Border was newsworthy, but Kassis’s achievements didn’t stop there.

Returning with the nickname “Knight of Salvation,” Kassis was appointed as the youngest professor at Crescen Academy and was always mentioned whenever people discussed who the hot new powerhouse in Crescen was.

Of course, with the emergence of Elaine, the Sinclair family’s new genius, the sky-high expectations for Kassis naturally shifted toward Elaine.

“I thought you would obviously take first place.”

“…I’m sorry.”

“The evaluation of you as a once-in-a-generation genius seems hollow. And you lost first place to a commoner? And another knight at that?”

“…”

Elaine tried to understand Kassis’s anger and listened to his words as calmly as possible.

At first, Elaine had also been quite shocked by the fact that she wasn’t first and that the person who beat her was a commoner without a family name.

However, on the day of the entrance exam, after the Black Crows attack incident, Elaine changed her mind about Ryu.

Ryu’s actions and tone—light yet centered, humorous but not ridiculous—and his tremendous skill that firmly backed up that composure.

Ryu, who had suddenly appeared from midair and pinned down the Black Crows member who was about to attack Maria.

No matter how many times Elaine recalled that day, she couldn’t even begin to guess at what timing or from where Ryu had appeared.

“Sigh. Fine. You can go now.”

“…Yes.”

Elaine left Kassis Sinclair’s room with a bitter smile, as her brother didn’t even offer the common courtesy of welcoming her to the Academy, let alone praise.

She had expected that her brother wouldn’t say anything nice, but she hadn’t anticipated that he would actually get angry.

“Huff.”

Elaine exhaled calmly and headed back to her classroom.

It had taken longer than expected to find Kassis’s office, so Elaine walked quickly toward the freshman lecture building.

Although Kassis’s cold response was the opposite of what Elaine had hoped for, it wasn’t a big shock to her as she was used to such treatment.

The Sinclair family, one of the six great houses, was a knight family famous for being conservative. Since childhood, Elaine had always been required to speak formally and in a knightly manner not only to her brothers but also to her father.

The only time her father ever spoke warmly to Elaine was when she showed outstanding achievements.

Like when she memorized all of the Sinclair Swordsmanship Form 1 at age six, or when she defeated her second brother in a duel at age twelve.

The reason Elaine had devoted herself so intensely to swordsmanship in her childhood was to receive praise from her father and recognition from those around her.

‘Mr. Ryu…’

On her way back, Elaine naturally thought about Ryu, who had taken first place in the entrance exam ahead of her.

With his uncommon black hair and, perhaps because he was a commoner, a free-spirited manner in his speech and actions, along with the clear composure of a strong person.

If Elaine were to hypothetically duel with Ryu one-on-one, she had no idea how to approach fighting him.

It would be like dueling with her father.

*Slide-*

“Wow, I didn’t expect you to immediately say it was self-defense.”

“W-well, that’s what it was.”

“Come on. Blood is thicker than water, you know? It’s usually natural for nobles to side with other nobles.”

“But I can’t lie and hide what I saw.”

“You’re not denying the ‘blood is thicker than water’ part, huh?”

“No, that’s, I mean…”

As soon as Elaine opened the door, she couldn’t help but notice Ryu’s voice and the purple-haired girl sitting next to him, chatting together.

They were the only ones talking among those inside.

Elaine couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight of Ryu speaking his mind without paying any attention to his surroundings.

The complicated and bitter feelings she had after meeting Kassis somehow dissipated as soon as she saw Ryu joking around.

“Oh, Elaine. Where did you go? I almost died while you were gone.”

“H-huh! Elaine Sinclair…!”

“…What do you mean you almost died?”

Elaine suppressed the smile that was trying to form and naturally headed toward Ryu.

Thinking to herself that he had made a new friend in the meantime.