episode_0125

Ann Ibalde.

She is one of the members of the 2nd party that Leon saves in the success story of the Incompetent Hero.

Originally, Leon parts ways with the four party members of his first party, Tirith, Marie, Noren, and Piria, and later gains four other party members.

One of them is Baekryun, the swordsman of Joe.

And one of the remaining three is Ann Ibalde.

Her nickname is Problem Child Ann Ibalde.

She is a magical engineer from the best magic school, Arlpia.

She is a genius of magical engineering who has made tremendous progress in the field of magical engineering by applying her excellent mechanical skills, inherited from the blood of the dwarves, to her lacking magical skills.

But…, should it be called an unavoidable disease of geniuses?

As her nickname is Problem Child, the magical engineering equipment she created contained many problems.

‘In the game, it has great power but uses all the magic power… or it restores health but unilaterally sucks the health of other parties… or it tries to attack the entire area, but the identification of friend or foe is not distinguished, so it attacks allies with a certain probability… It was hard.’

Anyway, I remember that it was quite difficult to use in the original game because it was implemented in that way.

However, even though the equipment she made was full of such playfulness, her skills themselves were so great that, according to the setting, there should be no wizard who could easily mess with her…

Such a girl is being bullied?

“Anyway, we will talk about it again on our side.”

“Then…. I understand for now. Then I’ll be on my way.”

Certainly, the time when she meets Leon from the original work is after graduating from school.

I don’t know the story of her school days.

Was she bullied during her school days?…

“Hmm…. She didn’t seem like that kind of personality…”

Anyway, it’s time for me to investigate as well.

I can’t just leave it to Baekryun, Seollin, and Baekho for the rest of my life.

“Then, the first place to go is… the Tower of Eternity, of course.”

* * *

Levia has been spending quite happy days recently.

It’s only a form of experiential enrollment in a magic school that I only dreamed of, but I can enroll and learn like this…

“I’m working hard to learn the basics of magic… Do I have more talent than I thought?”

Levia had never learned magic, let alone come into contact with it, but she was unexpectedly mastering the basics of magic quite skillfully.

“If I grow like this, maybe one day I can help the Hero!… ”

Of course, Levia will be leaving here in a few days…

But the basics I learned here will surely be useful somewhere.

‘Above all, the Hero seemed to want a wizard…’

If I become a wizard, wouldn’t the Hero be happy too?

Thinking that, Levia strode forward.

‘But after this, you said you’re going to the Holy Kingdom… and I’m a Saintess candidate…’

When you think of a Saintess, you generally think of a noble and beautiful image.

But compared to that image, Levia herself is just an ordinary village girl. There is a Hero who has told me several times that it is absolutely necessary for someone like me. In order to live up to the Hero’s expectations, I have to work hard on this and that.

“Um! When I get back to my accommodation, I’ll review it again!… Um?”

As she was thinking that and trying to return to her accommodation, she saw the girl who was being bullied last time.

She’s sitting alone in the corner of the school garden.

Unlike last time, she wasn’t surrounded by other students and being bullied.

Levia stared blankly, then approached the girl without realizing it.

“Uh, excuse me!… ”

“?!”

When Levia approached, the girl was startled and looked at Levia.

Did she think I was one of the students who were bullying her?

She was holding the book she was looking at tightly and looking up at me with an uneasy expression.

“Wh, who?…”

“Ah, hello! I’m Levia.”

“Le, Levia?…”

Hearing the name, she tilted her head, and then, as if she realized it, the girl slightly loosened her hand and said.

“Are you… the Hero’s party member who came yesterday?”

“Yes! That’s right!”

“Ah… Hello. I’m Ann Ibalde.”

Actually, I met her before when she was being bullied, but she didn’t seem to remember it. However, the story that there is a Hero party that experienced enrollment in Arlpia is so famous in the school that she seems to remember it that way.

Levia didn’t bother to mention it and turned her gaze to the book Ann was reading.

“Are you reading a book?”

“Ah… Yes, that’s right.”

“What kind of book is it?”

“It’s just a magical engineering book…”

Ann shyly held out the book.

As the girl said, the book seemed to be a treatise on the concept of magical engineering, but Levia’s level couldn’t understand what it meant. Anyway, I felt like it was a difficult book.

“I’m sorry, but… I saw you being bullied yesterday…”

“Yes?… Ah… So you were the one back then. Thank you for that.”

“Ah, it’s not true. I couldn’t do anything. But… why are they bullying you?”

At Levia’s question, Ann stared blankly at Levia.

Whether she was overwhelmed by Levia’s eyes, which were fixed on Ann with a serious expression with her mouth tightly shut, Ann slightly avoided her gaze and opened her mouth.

“I’m… a half.”

“A half?”

“Yes. My father is descended from the blood of dwarves…”

“Ah… so…”

Come to think of it, the students who were bullying her seemed to be talking about dwarves or something.

But the dwarves that Levia herself knows are short and bulky, regardless of gender…

Is it because she’s a half?

Thinking that, I listened to Ann’s story.

“I’ve been interested in magic since I was young, so I wanted to enter a magic school.”

However, her dwarf father didn’t like magic very much.

However, due to her desperate persuasion and request from herself and her mother, her father, who could not refuse his lovely daughter’s request, gave up his stubbornness and allowed her to attend magic school.

That’s how she was able to enter Arlpia, the best magic school, by chance.

So far so good…

The problem was after that.

“Did you know that dwarven blood repels magic?”

“Repels magic?”

“Yes. Um, it doesn’t actually have the effect of blocking magic. Usually, if you have the blood of a dwarf, you don’t have the talent for magic. So, among wizards, the blood of a dwarf repels magic, that’s how they express it.”

“I see… That’s amazing.”

Talent by race.

It was a case where it was directly revealed.

Beastmen who inherit the blood of the divine beast have good physical abilities.

Those who inherit the blood of elves have good empathy with spirits.

Those who inherit the blood of dwarves have good skills in crafting.

In the end…

Conversely, dwarven blood rejects magic.

“Arlpia has a tendency to value talent. It was okay for the first 1-2 years… But as soon as I found out that I had the blood of a dwarf… it was like this.”

“Th, that’s too much!… ”

“Ah, it’s okay! Actually… there’s a magic tower that was recently built, and they say they need my strength. After graduating from magic school, I’m going to go there right away.”

“Magic Tower!”

Levia also knows about magic towers.

A place where excellent wizards gather with a common goal to research magic and train disciples.

If magic school deals with introductory and basic courses related to magic, the magic tower is a place where you learn by defining more detailed branches of magic. Of course, there is no problem in working as a wizard even if you don’t come out of the magic tower, but whether you are from the magic tower or not. The treatment alone is quite different.

But as much as that, the magic tower is not a place where you can go unconditionally like a magic school just because you want to go.

“Y, you’ve already been invited to the magic tower! Congratulations!”

“Ah… I’m embarrassed… that’s what happened. Ah, it’s time…”

“?”

The girl jumped up.

Then, she packed her bags and said to Levia.

“I’m sorry, but I’ll be on my way now.”

“Are you going back to the dormitory?”

“No. I’m going to the magic tower.”

“To the magic tower?”

At this hour?

Wasn’t Ann clearly a student at the magic school?”

When Levia sent a questioning look, the girl smiled faintly and said.

“It varies from magic tower to magic tower… but they usually allow you to come to the magic tower in advance and work. Um… If I had to compare it, would it be similar to Levia’s experiential enrollment? It’s a kind of reserve.”

“Reserve…”

“Um. So, you can think of it as a period of time to check whether you can adapt to this magic tower in the future, and whether you are a valid talent that can help the magic tower.”

“Ah…”

Levia looked at Ann with sparkling eyes, feeling that Ann’s appearance, who was already working at the magic tower, was very impressive,

The girl, perhaps feeling burdened by the look, slightly avoided Levia’s gaze and said cautiously.

“Th… would you like to come to the magic tower?”

“C, can I?!”

“Um… I think it’ll be okay… Above all, Levia is the Hero’s party member. I think the magic tower will welcome you.”

“Th, then please!”

The only magic tower Levia has seen so far is the Lyuum magic tower.

I saw many amazing things there, but what would it be like to have a magic tower located in the capital of the magic kingdom, which can be said to be the headquarters of all magic? With that thought, Levia couldn’t control her pounding heart.

“Then, will you follow me?”

“Yes!”

I’ll be back a little late, but it’ll probably be okay.

Thinking that, Levia soon realized something and asked Ann.

“But what kind of magic tower is it?”

“Ah… It’s the Tower of Eternity.”