Turning Point

Thanks to Rosalyn, I laughed happily and headed to the training room in the academy basement.

For training related to the magic book of Patulga, I needed a training room where I could avoid the eyes of others, not an open space like a training ground.

Even among the combat department, there were quite a few people who used magic aiming to become magic swordsmen, but not basic magic, but ancient magic. If I were to use magic that had been lost, I wouldn’t be able to avoid suspicious glances.

In fact, Patulga’s magic was not completely lost. When I went to Moonlight Village, which was attacked by mutant orcs. The portal I used in the academy basement was part of space magic.

If the portal magic, which is strictly managed by the Imperial Family, is just a basic magic book and catches someone’s eye, I could be attacked by those who recognize the value of the magic book, so I had to grow while avoiding attention as much as possible.

Of course, all I could do with my lack of talent was basic magic, but….

[Basic Space Magic]

It was magic that created a portal large enough for an adult to enter within 50M. I spent a lot of time reading the formulas and detailed explanations written in the book, trying to understand the complex magic structure.

Since it creates magic in the space itself, creativity, understanding, and strict control of mana were required.

Based on my mana written in the status window, and with the help of the [Basic Magic Theory] book I had stored in my space warehouse, I calculated that the maximum time I could maintain [Basic Space Magic] right now was only 2 seconds.

Within 2 seconds, I had to recognize the coordinates of the entrance and exit within 50M, control my mana, and create a dimensional passage.

Even conceiving the passage itself held the secret of creating a passage using surfaces and lines in my mind’s eye (shim-sang).

“Haa….”

A sigh flowed out involuntarily.

This basic magic was the most important part of the big picture I had planned, so I couldn’t give up.

Then there was only one thing I had to do.

Believing in Ross’s high intelligence, I had to repeatedly imprint the magic on my brain. If I ‘understood’ the secret even once, I could completely make basic space magic my own.

***

I knew I had little mana, but after using basic space magic once, I felt mental fatigue that tormented my temples and a feeling of exhaustion as if my whole body was being crushed by something.

Before I could even be happy about using magic for the first time, the maximum time I could maintain it was only 2 seconds, as calculated.

Just creating the space entrance and designing the passage in my mind’s eye. 2 seconds had passed, and I couldn’t even complete the magic.

“Hoo…. How the hell do you use it?”

In the end, Gias had to play an important role in using space magic, but I didn’t know how to use the Ring of Covenant.

As I sighed and moved my tired steps towards the combat department dormitory on the hill. I turned my head without realizing it at the voice coming from afar.

Two people who deserved the words ‘handsome man and beautiful woman’. The sight of Ellie and Roel walking in step and talking reminded me of the nickname they were called together.

Roel-ly.

Like the nickname that grouped them together with the common ‘El’ in their names. The two looked like a well-matched couple.

Feeling a bitter feeling at the rising inferiority and Ellie’s happy appearance next to Roel, I tried not to run into them.

I don’t know if it was because of my tired steps or because I wanted to hinder them in one corner of my heart. In the end, I faced them.

“Ross!”

“I see you here.”

At Roel’s voice calling me, I acted shamelessly as if I didn’t expect to run into him.

“Did you enjoy the show?”

I wondered what Roel was talking about. I remembered my excuse and nodded.

“Yeah. Did you two have fun?”

“We ate chocolate and went to a cafe. It would have been nice if you were there too. I’ll definitely buy it for you next time. Ah, this is the chocolate I packed!”

I wondered what he was holding in his hand. It seemed like he had seriously taken the words I had jokingly said to pack it.

“Thank you.”

As I accepted the chocolate. Roel was about to open his mouth to explain about the place he went to with Ellie today. He scratched his cheek after seeing something.

“Well, I think I should go now.”

Feeling puzzled by the sudden strange reaction, I turned my body following Roel’s gaze. There were three women staring at Roel with their arms crossed.

Flavia with blonde hair, Illia with silver hair and red eyes. And one beauty with ash-colored hair that I saw for the first time.

The ash-colored hair and golden eyes immediately reminded me of one name.

The princess who will become the empress of the empire in the future. The top student of the 2nd year Department of Magic. Klein La Bella.

She was a heroine with a personal desire to make Roel, a shining talent, her own.

Looking at the cold gazes of those three. I felt fear even though I wasn’t the person involved.

“There are many people waiting for gifts. Sorry, I’ll go first. See you later.”

Roel approached the women with their arms crossed and said something, and the chilly atmosphere eased and laughter was heard.

I guess he’s Roel after all. I acknowledged it a little in my heart and turned my gaze to Ellie next to me.

Ellie, who seemed resentful of having Roel taken away, bit her lip and stared at the sight. As I scratched my head, Ellie held out the chocolate she was holding to me.

“Huh? Are you giving it to me?”

Did she buy a gift for me? I was a little happy and accepted the chocolate. Ellie fixed her gaze on Roel’s back as he headed to the dormitory with the women and said.

“You know I don’t like sweets. You eat it.”

It wasn’t a gift, it was leftover trash. Still, I didn’t feel bad that Ellie gave it to me.

“Thank you.”

“Yeah. Thank you for today too. Thanks to you, I was able to have a lot of conversations with Roel Oppa.”

I felt complicated at Ellie’s pretty smile. I don’t know if the feeling I’m feeling now is joy or jealousy.

“I should go back to the dormitory. See you next time~”

Looking at Ellie’s receding back, I regretted not talking to her a little more, so it seems that it’s more joy than jealousy.

***

I diligently listened to the boring classes so as not to be held back. Every day, I went to the training room and practiced basic space magic.

After much effort, I was finally able to create an exit within 2 seconds. There wasn’t enough time to transmit anything, but I felt a sense of accomplishment in creating the exit and leaned my back against the wall of the training room to rest.

While resting, I brought up the setting book and checked the events that would happen in the future. I wondered if I could find the village that the mutant orcs would attack next.

I quickly left the training room and moved to the library, which was so large that it had its own building. I looked for books related to maps and compared them with the setting book to find a village that met the conditions.

I was able to find the village that the next mutant orcs were expected to attack.

The village I stopped by before coming to the academy.

It was a village named Destin, which means destiny and fate.

After annihilating Destin Village, the mutant orcs are scheduled to annihilate four more villages and then be killed by Roel.

That was the original flow, and it was a predetermined fate. If I change this, the information I know will be messed up and it will be difficult to respond to variables.

As I thought about it and closed the book. As if waiting, the guilt started to bring up things about Destin Village in my head.

The innkeeper who smiled and gave me a bowl of potatoes, saying it was a service for the first customer when I was eating.

The children who looked at me with curiosity when I appeared in the village while playing, and the villagers with innocent impressions who were farming.

It might have been okay if I didn’t know. But the thought that Destin Village, where people’s affection was alive, would turn into a village full of corpses like Moonlight Village, made my head complicated.

I leaned back in my chair and sighed deeply, wondering if another nervous breakdown had been triggered by the familiar headache.

It felt like I was being forced to decide how to live in the future. Whether to stand by and watch people die according to fate. Or, to go against fate and save people….

After much deliberation, I had to get up from my seat without deciding anything.

*

Until the day before the orc attack, I couldn’t fall asleep for an average of less than 3 hours. I was deeply troubled.

I was afraid of the butterfly effect that would occur if I prevented the orc attack and saved the village. But the corpse of the mother and daughter I saw in Moonlight Village kept leaving my mind, a vicious cycle.

Ironically, I regretted it so much with guilt and self-loathing after seeing the corpses of the mother and daughter. But when I was given the opportunity to change the situation, I was hesitating so pathetically.

Suddenly, I remembered that day. The sincere advice that Lykan gave me when I woke up from fainting.

“It’s your decision whether you’ll sit down on what you saw today or take a step forward. Whatever you choose, it will be a big turning point for you.”

As he said, the choice now can be a big turning point.

No, it might have been a question thrown by the being who sent me here.

Biting my lip, after days of long deliberation, I was finally able to make one choice.

In the end, the choice I made after much deliberation was to save people first. If I left Destin Village as it was, I might not be able to withstand the guilt and nervous breakdown.

I’m already so nervous that I can’t sleep. If I knew that Destin Village was annihilated. I might get insomnia altogether.

I didn’t even think about stupidly telling someone about the mutant orcs or giving a warning.

If I said I knew about the future, they would think of it as related to prophecy and the church would definitely come to investigate. The church in this world was no different from fanatics. I had to avoid getting involved with the church as much as possible.

Even if I anonymously sent a letter to the Imperial Family or the church, they would suspect that I knew about the mutant orcs and the attack plan and track me down.

In the end, the only thing I could choose was to speed up the fight between the mutant orcs and Roel.

I approached Roel, who was having a meal with Flavia and Rosalyn.

“…So I decided to buy it.”

“Hyung-nim.”

As I interrupted Flavia’s words and spoke to Roel. Flavia’s face, which had been smiling happily, instantly hardened coldly.

“What is it, you trash?”

Ignoring Flavia’s sarcastic words, I greeted Rosalyn with a nod.

“Is it because you’re always ignored that you ignore others too~?”

“Say nice things.”

Roel stopped her, but Flavia was still annoyed that I had interrupted her. As I thought about whether there was a way to fix that bitch, I came up with a way that only I could do.

“If Hyung-nim marries Rosalyn-sunbae, I will sincerely bless you. But if you marry Flavia next to you, I will vehemently oppose it for Hyung-nim’s sake. It’s obvious what will happen if you start a family with a woman like that. Hyung-nim, you know that marriage is forbidden if your family opposes it, right?”

Marriage was one of the businesses run by the church, and marriage was impossible if you did not receive the blessing of your family due to problems with forced marriage and doctrine.

Of course, it is only a formality now, but if I make a fuss at the wedding and refuse Roel’s marriage, Flavia will not be able to hold her head up.

The expressions on the faces of the three people who heard my words were all different.

Rosalyn just blushed red with embarrassment at the thought that I would bless her if she married Roel.

Flavia, only then realizing that I was Roel’s younger brother, stared at me with a dumbfounded expression and her mouth open.

Roel was taken aback that I would say such a thing, but he looked at me with a slightly proud look that his younger brother had defeated Flavia with words.

I sometimes wonder. Why does Roel admire his younger brother, who is only one year younger than him? If there was a big age difference, I would understand because he raised me on his back, but it’s only a one-year difference….

“Anyway, Hyung-nim. Do you have time to talk for a moment?”

“Well, then! Of course. I’ll get up for a moment, eat first.”

“U-Ung! I will.”

Leaving behind Rosalyn, who was answering shyly, and Flavia, who was still making a dumbfounded expression, I temporarily left the restaurant.

Seeing Roel’s innocent appearance, making an expression that he was curious about what I was going to say, I felt guilty about deceiving Roel, but I struggled to open my mouth, comforting myself that it was to stop the mutant orcs.

“Can you help me…Hyung-nim?”

I had a hard time saying it because I thought I had to deceive Roel and take him to Destin Village. For some reason, Roel’s eyes, after hearing my words, changed so fiercely that I was afraid. I licked my parched lips with my tongue, feeling that he had noticed that I was trying to deceive him with the energy flowing from his eyes.

“Who is it. The guy who bullied you.”

Tududuk- Roel’s appearance of clenching his fist with a threatening bone sound made me rather embarrassed.

What are you talking about…?