After the Awakening

“I’ll be going to the lab, everyone do your best.”

“Okay, got it!”

“We’ll see you at the usual time.”

“Alright.”

Yena left to assist with Director Serti Gottraf’s research. We changed into our combat uniforms as usual and set out for sparring.

‘Only three times left…’

Just before entering the sparring ground where Lina would be standing, Erika bit her lip while staring at her palm, which no longer had any soft parts left.

What’s the use of trying so hard that even her fingerprints are wearing off? In the end, it meant nothing unless she achieved victory.

The challenge against Lina ends in 4 weeks, including today.

No more chances will be given.

Even if we pass the qualification review, Yena said we won’t be able to visit the Sevirpol Institute again until at least the second year.

‘I have to live up to expectations.’

Erika recalled what Yena had surprisingly revealed this morning.

She had undergone additional awakening.

And from 7th grade to 6th grade, no less.

Originally, improving one’s mana grade becomes more difficult the lower it is. A low level means less potential.

Instructor Gartel had taught us that.

‘Additional awakening’ is the luck that comes to those who already have something. This was knowledge learned during the 《Theory of Magic》 curriculum.

‘But Yena… she did it.’

Erika gave a hollow laugh as she recalled Yena proudly revealing her achievement.

Yena had created a miracle under even worse conditions than herself.

She must have trained endlessly without despairing at her low 7th grade mana. It must have been the result of her determination to become a magic officer.

She must have been consistently devoted to training where no one could see.

And to think she never gave up on a burden like me until the end.

Erika admired Yena.

While I can barely take care of myself, Yena has consistently been a sparring partner since the beginning of the semester, volunteering as a stepping stone for growth, and even passing on unique knowledge like mana cultivation methods.

Creak─!

It was also Yena who first spoke to me when I was sitting alone in class unable to make friends, and who helped me when I couldn’t properly solve the assignment in the first class.

‘She also shared delicious food with me every day…’

It was all Yena Freud, my lovely best friend.

“Erika, are you ready?”

She was the one who saved me when I should have been disqualified long before taking the qualification exam, so I felt I could never repay her enough even if I tried for a lifetime.

‘I want to surprise Yena too.’

Haven’t I just been receiving help every day?

Now I wanted to repay Yena’s dedication. I wanted to produce the results she desired. I wanted to see her smile broadly with wide eyes when she came back from helping Director Serti.

‘I want to see Yena, who always has an indifferent expression, running towards me with open arms shouting ‘Erika, I was right to believe in you!’…’

Click!

“Yes, I’m ready.”

A heartbeat twice as strong as usual rose from my heart to the nape of my neck. As if adrenaline had been released, my head spun and my breathing became rough.

How should I put it?

My vision became clearer.

More precisely, all five senses became more sensitive.

My senses became so keen that I could hear the sound of soil falling from the cracks in the concrete, smell the acrid odor of magic bullets embedding and exploding here and there, and feel the roughness of my calloused skin.

It felt like I had entered a state of extreme excitement.

But strangely, my mind was unusually calm.

‘I don’t know why. But…’

I feel like I can beat Lina now.

Whoosh!

Erika’s deliberation didn’t last long.

She quickly moved her feet.

---

The bullet fired by Lina heads towards Erika.

Crash!

However, it didn’t travel far before being blocked by the massive ice barrier Erika had erected.

Bang, bang!

This time it was Erika’s counterattack. She probed between obstacles with quick movements, and upon finding a momentary gap, pulled the trigger.

While Lina imbued her bullets with holy power, Erika used ice magic. Not only did it cause frostbite just by grazing the body, but as soon as it hit the ground, dozens of ice spikes the size of a human arm shot out in all directions.

It resembled a shotgun.

Only it was a shotgun with dozens of times more power.

“Ugh, urgh!”

Lina couldn’t dodge all the spikes and allowed a wound on her calf. Erika’s attack tore through the combat uniform and grazed her skin.

You did it.

Erika.

“Haa, haa! It’s not over yet!”

I couldn’t take my eyes off Erika, who was now on par with Lina.

She was no longer the one who used to lose miserably due to sluggish legs and slow reaction times. She was exchanging bullets with movements comparable to Lina, who boasted the fastest speed among the candidates.

It’s a sign of additional awakening.

It’s clear.

Immediately after mana breaks through its existing barrier and rises one level, one can demonstrate prowess beyond their usual strength due to the effect of mana excess.

This is probably why Lina couldn’t gain the upper hand against Erika, who was several grades lower than her. She who always conducted sparring leisurely, winning without particularly breaking a sweat, was now struggling.

Clink!

“Urgh…”

Erika tries to restrict Lina’s movement by freezing her feet with ice magic. Lina hurriedly melted the ice with holy power and moved away.

Usually, Lina would be chasing Erika, but now the roles of cat and mouse had reversed.

“Wh-What on earth…!”

To drop bullets and fail to reload while frantically running backwards, this wasn’t the Lina I knew who always maintained composure in everything.

“Haha… I can’t believe I actually succeeded.”

Even I, who had been half-doubting Erika’s change, finally became convinced upon seeing Lina’s awkward movements.

She really had become 4th grade.

With three more training sessions left, no less!

I quickly went down to the sparring ground, not wanting to miss this match that was too good to watch from the spectator seats. I watched their fierce battle from the dusty ground.

About an hour had passed.

The conclusion should be coming soon.

It had been in full swing since I finished my work with Director Serti.

Thinking the match might end while I was briefly away, I had wiped off the monster blood stains plastered on my arms and legs and returned, but still, the outcome hadn’t been decided.

Well, I’m happy to have a spectacle to watch.

There was nothing more enjoyable to watch than a fierce melee battle. Especially as someone who liked fighting, particularly life-and-death battles with guns, I couldn’t help but watch.

Slurp!

“Cola is delicious in this world too.”

I savored the cool carbonation rising through the paper straw while watching those two clashing to determine the winner, as if watching a movie.

Crash!

“Ugh, urgh!”

Has it finally been decided?

As I was about to empty the plastic container filled with the drink, one girl failed to block the last of four bullets flying towards her, and it hit her shoulder squarely, finally making her lose balance and fall.

“Heck, heck! Are you going to surrender?”

The girl from the opposite side pointed her gun muzzle at the one sprawled out.

“…Yes, I surrender.”

Erika von Rosehild.

The underdog’s rebellion had succeeded.

“I, I did it…”

She raised her arms to the sky to savor her joy while simultaneously staggering.

Thud thud! Rustle─

I ran over in one step and embraced the falling Erika to support her.

“Are you okay?”

“Yena, I did it…”

If there was one drawback to mana excess, it was that it forcibly depleted one’s stamina.

Erika, as if proving this herself, fell into a deep sleep as soon as she was in my arms.

There are no wounds. Even if there were, most injuries would have been healed due to the effects of additional awakening. She’s just exhausted.

“Mmm, mmm.”

I carefully laid Erika, who was hugging my waist like a body pillow, on one side of the ground.

Although it looked quite strange with her eyelids closed and both hands folded on her chest, I didn’t have time to pay attention as I had to take care of Lina.

“Lina, how’s your shoulder?”

“It’s throbbing, but fortunately it doesn’t seem to be pierced.”

“And your calf?”

“It’s fine. This isn’t particularly, oof!”

As expected.

They fought so desperately, there’s no way she’s unharmed.

“Wait, I brought bandages.”

“I’m fine… eek!”

“You’re not fine.”

She tried to show her leg, claiming she was fine, but it was mere bravado. When I poured red medicine from the first aid kit, she immediately closed her lips.

It’s not torn.

Since the bullet had grazed her skin head-on, it could have been a wound requiring stitches, but fortunately it was just a severe abrasion, not serious enough to need surgery.

This was thanks to the combat uniform boasting strong protective power and the magic bullets designed to have reduced power.

“Wait a minute, your calf is like this but your shoulder is fine?”

“W-Wait a moment…!”

Swish!

I grabbed the collar of Lina’s combat uniform and pulled it down.

“You’re injured.”

A large bruise revealed itself on her fair collarbone. If you were hit directly by a shotgun while wearing a bulletproof vest, you’d probably get a bruise like this.

“D-Don’t touch it… ah!”

I could see Lina shuddering when I poked it with my finger.

“Why did you hide it?”

“Because I can heal it with holy power…”

“If you treat it early, it heals faster. Even with holy power, it takes 2 weeks to fully recover.”

“……”

Coincidentally, there seemed to be some ice left on the nearby concrete wall that Erika had been shooting at.

I put this in a leather pouch and placed it on Lina’s shoulder. While tying it with a string so it wouldn’t fall off, Lina broke her silence and spoke.

“Is Erika, okay?”

“Yes. She’s sleeping well, probably tired.”

“I see…”

It took a little time for her to bring up what she wanted to say.

“It’s additional awakening, right?”

“Yes. You knew well?”

“We learned about it in 《Theory of Magic》.”

Thud─

“Yena.”

“Yes.”

Lina grabbed my hand adjusting the string and met my gaze.

“Can I… grow too if I receive teachings from you?”

“Huh?”

What nonsense is this?

“Why suddenly?”

“It’s impossible to master additional awakening through ordinary educational methods. It’s a result that can only be achieved through persistent training supported by an innovative educational approach. And at the center of that is you, Yena Freud.”

“You’re already 2nd grade. Do you want to raise it even further from here?”

Lina shook her head.

“I’m not just talking about additional awakening. Like Erika, I thought if I stayed by your side, I might be able to grow in some way.”

“Growth?”

“I… have stopped developing.”

What she really wanted to talk about was consulting about her concerns. Literally, she wasn’t saying she wanted to take off with ‘additional awakening’ by receiving my teachings, but rather she was exploring me as an escape route from her stagnation.

“Both you and Erika have completely changed compared to the beginning of the semester. But I… I feel like I’m still the same as when I was taking care of Wolf.”

Even if she’s freed from the constraints of the imperial family, this only means she’s become a free person, not that she’s grown.

You and Erika are making students change their evaluations in some way, but she still feels like she hasn’t escaped from being the ‘imperial princess’.

“I’m not even sure if I’m training properly. Rather, compared to the beginning of the semester, I’ve fallen behind you and Erika in rankings, haven’t I? Haha.”

Lina spoke boldly on the surface.

Crumble!

However, as evident from her fist full of dirt clumps, Lina couldn’t escape from the sense of helplessness based on self-loathing.

Was experiencing defeat to Erika decisive?

For some, it might be a joyous moment confirming their awakening. But for Lina, it was an experience of realizing once again that she was falling behind.

In this light, Lina’s claim seemed to have some credibility.

“You’re already getting stronger.”

“…What?”

However, this was just a plausible misconception.

“Improving physical abilities isn’t the only meaning of development. Like you showed in the research project, maturing mentally and breaking down past concepts you were bound to is also a kind of growth.”

Lina is sufficiently walking the right path.

“Look at yourself, Lina. You’ve changed compared to before when you were serious about everything and never smiled. Becoming stronger isn’t the only form of progress.”

She just doesn’t have confidence in herself.

“You laugh at Erika’s jokes, you laugh while eating delicious meat. You’ve become able to laugh together while building pleasant, happy, and lively memories. You couldn’t have dreamed of this before.”

I retraced our memories one by one, from the day of the entrance ceremony.

Starting from the incident where she doubted me as someone involved in a huge conspiracy, to all the various events that occurred until Lina, who always had a stiff face, began to show expressions.

“…And you’ve also achieved the development of having a true friend by your side, different from Wolf, right?”

“Haha.”

Finally, the serious-looking Lina bloomed with a weak smile.

“…I can somewhat understand why Erika follows you.”

No one knows if Lina escaped from her sense of helplessness with this consolation. She might still collapse mentally, unable to escape from self-deprecation.

But I trusted Lina.

She’s got formidable mental strength.

She’ll overcome it.

The Lina I knew was more than capable of that.

Wasn’t Lina’s biggest driving force in achieving countless merits during the Great War her perseverance rivaling Erika’s, and her attitude of objectively introspecting and correcting herself? I had no doubt she would demonstrate her abilities this time too.

“Snore─!”

We simultaneously looked at Erika, who was having a loud dream.

When we looked at each other again.

We were both wearing small smiles.