episode_0015

It was a more exhausting day than I had thought. Whenever I closed my eyes, it felt like the evening’s battle would come to mind. It felt as if lightning might strike me at any moment, making my hands tremble. Lying on the bed, I couldn’t help but think that if I hadn’t been able to stop the image of lightning striking at that moment, or if Erica senpai had been late, what would have become of me. I carefully inhaled and exhaled, thinking that if the protective spell had been delayed, I would have at least lost consciousness or died from the initial magic, and the second spell wouldn’t have been able to be stopped by the protective spell.

If I had expanded the shield widely, the power could have decreased, but if I had done so, I would have died. If I had expanded the shield in the direction the attack was coming from, that would have been impossible too. That level of magic was still beyond my reach. Come to think of it, did senpai block the magic by expanding the shield?

But I didn’t get that feeling. It wasn’t neutralized as magic itself. I sighed softly, unable to understand the method used, and reviewed the battle.

If I had fled when attacked, if I had strengthened my body with mana instead of using the protective spell, if I had blocked it with ice, the more I reviewed, the more self-loathing I felt. Is being weak such a sad thing? Did I not feel this way when I lived in my hometown?

Slowly, sleep overcame me. In the midst of encroaching drowsiness, the dominating thought in my mind was who that man really was, why I knew about that situation, but no clear answer came to mind.

Waking up early in the morning was not difficult. I just had to ask the dorm fairies before going to bed, and they would secretly wake me up at the desired time. When I arrived at the place Erica senpai had told me about early in the morning, she was standing there with her staff.

“You’re here.”

“Because you told me to come.”

“Then what should I do? Teaching mana control can be done later, since you’ve already put mana in the glass bottle, right? So, it’s possible to control and move the amount of mana, as well as to stop it… It’s also possible to change attributes, but impossible to combine attributes… Well, there’s nothing specific I can teach you.”

As she spoke, she lightly pointed her staff at me and uttered a single word. In that moment, I extended my right hand towards the swiftly approaching magic and shouted a protective spell. The shield that unfolded in an instant collided with Erica’s senior’s magic and shattered, and she looked at me, speaking while holding her staff.

“Do you understand what magic that was just now?”

“I don’t know.”

“It’s one of the basic spells that first-year students will learn soon, Shock Magic. It’s simple to cast and easy to understand, so by the time you’re in your second year, most mages can perform it with just a word or even just a thought. Just like now.”

At that moment, another spell flew from her staff, and once again, I erected a shield. However, this time, her magic passed by my left side before my shield could fully form.

“I didn’t aim to hit you. Even with a light spell, a few of your bones would have easily broken if I had hit you.”

“It’s frightening.”

“So, you see, neutralizing attacks with a shield is a difficult task. Mages always keep their shields deployed. Try it once.”

In response to her words, I extended my right hand and said, “But I don’t know any spells.”

“Mana, crush the enemy before me. Once you get used to it, just saying ‘crush’ will be enough, right? I’m attacking because I want to make it easy to say. But that’s something you’ll understand properly and learn to simplify the spell later.”

I held the spell she taught me in my mouth. As a result, the magic that swiftly flew from my fingertips collided with her and caused a small explosion. However, before the smoke of the explosion had dissipated, I saw her standing unharmed.

“I will teach you practical skills, I don’t even know how to get good grades at the academy. That’s something Leona would be good at teaching… but she’s not that kind of person. So today, I’ll teach you how to use shock magic and protection magic.”

And then she took a step forward. As soon as she stepped forward, the sound of mana gathering filled the air, and several shock spells unfolded in an instant.

“So, endure it. You won’t die, and even if you accidentally get hit, your bones might break.”

I bit my lip and uttered the incantation.

“Mana, protect my body.”

“You’re late today.”

“I’ve been running late a lot these days.”

In response to my words, Sharen began eating her bread with graceful gestures, and I started eating the breakfast laid out by the fairies. Even in the quiet restaurant, there was a constant murmur, so it was definitely morning.

“Senior Erika isn’t here today.”

“Well, she’s not someone who eats breakfast regularly, she eats according to her mood.”

“Yeah, I guess that’s possible for a fifth-year. By the way, do you plan on getting the Astan wand?”

“I want to, but money is the issue. The price of the wand is not something I can afford just because I want to match it.”

“Hmm… What are you doing this holiday?”

“I’ll work at the tavern in the evening and practice magic in the morning.”

As she heard me, Sharen put down her bread and smiled.

“Wanna go to Ignolia with me? You probably don’t even know where the wand shop is, and even if you did, choosing a wand is a difficult task.”

“Sorry, I don’t have any money.”

“I’ll buy it for you.”

“I don’t like being in debt, so I’ll buy it when I have the money later.”

At my words, Sharen nodded.

“Think of it as an investment, an investment in someone who will become a great wizard in the future.”

“You never back down, do you?”

“That’s just not my personality.”

At that, laughter escaped from my lips. She was truly strange but a good person. That’s why she seemed like the protagonist, or maybe she was the protagonist.

A piece of the puzzle fell into place for something I had been thinking about. I remembered it was like that, a small sentence passing by in a novel.

That man from yesterday definitely killed someone. The victim was a student at the academy… What was his identity again? I couldn’t recall. I bit my lip as memories filled with tiny mists swirled around me.

“I heard a rumor that a criminal went wild at the bar yesterday.”

“Where on earth do you hear such rumors?”

Cerestia just stared ahead as I spoke. I turned to look ahead as well and continued.

“Do you know who the victim was?”

“I didn’t know that. The rumor said a senior from the academy appeared and subdued the criminal.”

“To stay in this place, one must know a lot. Well, according to the rumor, the senior who subdued him had breakfast with Astan. Can I ask if it’s true?”

“I have no intention of telling you.”

“I see.”

As she spoke, she glanced at me and pointed her finger at my face.

“Astan, lies are written all over your face.”

“Do you use manipulation too?”

“If you’re a royal, you should know how to do this and that.”

“Being royal sounds difficult.”

At that moment, we turned our heads back to the front at the professor’s voice. Alchemy class wasn’t our favorite. Measuring ingredients and combining them in order to create something didn’t bring any joy or excitement. But it wasn’t a subject we disliked so much, as it didn’t require talent like some other areas did.

“We’ll stop here for today.”

As soon as the professor finished, one by one, people started getting up and moving around. I also slowly got up from my seat.

“Astan.”

“Yes?”

“Aren’t you curious about how to put fire into a glass bottle?”

“I am curious, but I’ll have to decline in case you’re going to ask me for another favor.”

“That’s a shame. I was going to tell you.”

After bowing to her and greeting, I moved my feet from the classroom to the next one. As I walked slowly down the hallway, many students were moving around. Among them were seniors, and unfamiliar freshmen.

As I walked through the intersection, I felt gazes. Not just one sharp gaze, but multiple gazes. And cautious whispers reached my ears.

“That’s her.”

Hearing those voices, I couldn’t help but laugh at the thought that Sharon and Ceresia must feel this way every day. Being the center of attention is quite uncomfortable, so as I scratched my neck and tried to move slowly, a voice reached me.

“What are you doing?”

It was Sharon.

“Well, I was trying to understand how you’re feeling.”

In response to my words, Sharon glanced around and then grabbed my shoulder with a big smile.

“I’ll look forward to the day when you have a title, Astan.”

“When that happens, I’ll call it out along with you, the Manifestation of Light.”

“Please don’t call me that way. You don’t know how it feels.”

“Even if you get a title, don’t call me that way.”

As we talked, a small voice reached my ear.

“The Manifestation of Light and the Rebel, what an odd combination.”

Surely that’s not my title, please tell me it’s not.