Book 1 Chapter 14
Episode 13
Delighten provided students with magic training facilities in addition to educational facilities and dormitories.
This was because advanced magic engineering facilities were essential for proper magic training.
For example, how could one use their magic at maximum power without a magic tool containing [Impact Nullification Magic]?
Or, imagine there’s no magic tool to activate a [Magic Target]. How could one train to improve the precision of magic attacks?
“30 seconds left until the target.”
The name of that place was the Battle Dragon Arena.
To this attractive, cutting-edge facility, 2nd and 3rd-year students flocked competitively during peak hours after dinner.
Therefore, it was common for freshmen, who were still intimidated by their seniors, to avoid this place during peak hours, but there were always exceptions.
There were two first-year students who had confidently visited this place since the beginning of the semester, undeterred by the seniors' uncomfortable stares.
“25 seconds.”
The girl with the antique *daenggi-meori*, Gertrude Fenton.
That girl, staring at a stopwatch, reminded her of the time in 5-second increments.
To Christa Warden, who was sweating profusely in the magic power field.
Around her, five sand soldiers rose and fiercely stabbed moving combat targets with spears.
This was a magic power training as well as a training to control multiple summons simultaneously, honing the bloodline limit of the Warden family.
“20 seconds.”
Gertrude was the young lady of a vassal family under Christa. She had watched her grow up from a young age.
This genius, who harbored infinite academic fervor and endlessly strived. Everyone called her a genius, but… in Gertrude's eyes, Christa was merely a delicate swan.
To appear that way, she struggled to paddle her feet beneath the surface, several times more than others. Always repeating such painful training.
“15 seconds. Did something happen today?”
“What.”
“10 seconds. You seem more excited than usual, Young Lady.”
“What?”
“5 seconds. Is it because you met Young Master Rain? I wonder if something happened between you two.”
Contrary to Gertrude's expectations, Christa calmly annihilated all the targets during the last 5 seconds.
And as she turned her head, the sand soldiers, who had been spearing, pulled back their spears with precision.
“Something? What something?”
Gertrude mischievously covered her mouth with one hand and smiled annoyingly.
“Oh no. I saw you lingering around the gift corner in front of the convenience store earlier… why on earth were you doing that? The only male student you've been involved with today is Young Master Rain, so I thought something might have happened with him.”
“Oh, that?”
Christa, whose brain spun 500 times faster than usual for a moment, feigned composure and replied.
“It’s for you.”
“Young Lady…”
At that, tears of emotion welled up in Gertrude's eyes.
Christa grabbed Gertrude's head, which was about to rush into her arms, stopping her, then sighed.
“That’s enough, stop stalking me.”
“I can’t do that. I am your trusted subordinate, I must be with you always and everywhere.”
“Let's not talk about it.”
Although Christa's chilly reaction startled her, a deep question still lingered in her heart.
Indeed, if the Young Lady was giving cookies as a gift, it meant Rain Ludwig had given tremendous help in the magic exam, but could that really be possible?
Just like when they met at the family council in their younger days, Rain Ludwig was… huh?
'That's strange.'
In childhood, the atmosphere wasn't like this, was it?
* * *
The 4th floor of the Dormitory of Reason was the highest floor assigned to 1st-year students.
The two floors above it were used by 2nd-year students, and the very top floor (1st floor) was used by 3rd-year students.
“Oh, here comes the C-grade loser.”
Those sitting in the central lounge on the 4th floor, each in their own posture—some with magic books, some meditating with magic power—looked up.
“Don’t pick a fight, Logan. You might actually die.”
The male student who drew their attention was Huber, the center of today's gossip. A late-stage disciple of the Eight Great Schools, the Rohwynn School.
Logan, a muscular male student, audaciously sneered at such a late-stage disciple, chewing gum noisily and crossing his legs.
“Calm down, man. I almost peed my pants from fear just now. If someone hadn't only gotten a C today, I really would have peed myself.”
Logan spoke playfully, but his eyes were not smiling.
Short-haired Logan had toughly taken off his school uniform cloak, revealing his body, from which healthy vigor emanated from his tanned, firm muscles.
This vividly proved that he was a late-stage disciple of the Chyhak School, the home of Wing-type mages who strengthen their bodies for close-quarters combat.
“Even Christa, that bitch, got an S-grade even though she wore ankle weights.”
“Ankle weights?”
“They said she was paired with the genius Young Master. You know him, don't you? What's he like? Is he really incompetent? Pathetic? Still, not worse than you, right?”
“Are you asking for a fight right now?”
“If you want to.”
As the two people's magic power intertwined in the air, something like a heat haze shimmered in the atmosphere, and occasional sparks of lightning flew.
“Don't cause a disturbance in the dorm. Are you the only ones using the 4th floor?”
There was a voice that stopped their childish fight.
It was a beautiful woman with long red hair fiercely blazing like flames, and indifferent gray eyes like the ashes remaining after everything had been burned away.
“Ah, Lily, no. I wasn't trying to cause a disturbance. We were just fooling around.”
Feeling his heart throb slightly, Logan smiled lightly.
Although all three were late-stage disciples of the Eight Great Schools, Lillian was a being of a different caliber. Her sculpturally beautiful face was merely a secondary factor.
When he met her at academic conferences, she instantly drew the attention of many mages. Not with her appearance, but with her incredible skill.
“I was thinking of devising a strategy to take down Christa and that genius Young Master, Lily, do you want to join?”
“You're always playing such meaningless pranks, that's why your achievements never increase. I can understand Christa, but what do you gain from bullying a weakling?”
“This was just a prank too.”
Even though Lillian's words were insulting, Logan smiled brightly. Seeing that, Huber snorted.
“They're mine. If you dare lay a hand on them, I'll smash your face first, Logan.”
“Oh, really?”
Huber withdrew the threatening magic power he had been unleashing, clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction, and entered his room, slamming the door shut.
“Goddammit…”
And by punching the wall, he roughly calmed his agitated breathing.
'What did Rain Ludwig, that genius Young Master, do? No matter how great Christa is, there's no way she could have done that in two minutes…'
But it was so strange that he grabbed a student from the <Libarden> Magic Academy and asked. The student then recounted Rain Ludwig's unbelievable tales of valor.
- Young Master Rain taught classes better than most professors! So that everyone could understand easily! That's why he was incredibly popular!
- What?
- As proof, Principal Scargie just took him everywhere every day! He was an assistant for three years!
An assistant to the former Archmage for three years?
That wasn't a position you could just hand over to a relative to build their resume. You had to be able to explain various magic formulas to students.
It was a story hard to believe. After all, how incompetent must he be for the Eight Great Schools to call him the "Calamity" Young Master?
Meaning a disaster (災) sent by heaven (天) upon the Ludwig family…
But what were those eyes of his that I saw at the end? I don't want to admit it, but I instinctively felt something akin to fear…
'If what he said is true, what on earth is his identity? And why does he have no rankings at all?'
* * *
Rista Alter Schurpine.
Hero Rista.
Faequarier had existed in every era, but not all of them were recorded as heroes. Only two Faequarier, including Rista, were recorded as heroes.
'Hero, a hero indeed.'
Living as Rain, I had many opportunities to hear tales of Rista’s party’s exploits, but I deliberately closed my eyes and ears.
Because I knew all the stories?
That was part of it, but the biggest reason was sadness. Whenever I heard the names of my comrades, the grief etched into my soul overflowed.
'Yet the reason I'm reading this book now is one…'
It was the conjecture that the one who sent me this book might have left some hint here.
[Archmage Lynn was a child who, upon joining the party, showed no signs of sociability or flexibility.]
Oh, they know me really well?
[It is said that the only reason he could become a member of the Hero's party was his overwhelming skill.]
Ah, that's true too.
To confess with a guilty conscience, there's a bit of exaggeration. At that time, there were many mages besides me with a Glados (4-star) rank.
[Lynn, who grew up as an orphan, was not honest, always blunt, and complained about everything—a typical annoying brat.]
Who is the author of this?
No, I'm genuinely asking. I'm absolutely, definitely not going to go find them and beat them up or anything.
How do they know me so well?
[Such Lynn was said to only follow Rista well, perhaps feeling a mother's affection from her.]
?
[One day, Rista confessed that Lynn, whose mental age had regressed due to a black wizard's curse, said, 'Wah, I'm baby Lynn, give me milk!'. This could be said to be a moment where Lynn's true feelings emerged.]
“Ah, damn it.”
A curse slipped out spontaneously. It was the first time I had sworn since inhabiting Rain's body.
Are you kidding me, Rista?
I was never under a curse that regressed my mental age, and even if I had been, I would have bitten my tongue and died rather than say something like that.
[And to Fride, he supposedly said, 'Wah, big sis Fride, hug me tight!']
???
[To Kees, he supposedly said, 'Brother, my pee-hole feels weird…']
????????
For a moment, I doubted my eyes. I was so dumbfounded and flustered that I coughed uncontrollably as if choking.
“Did they all go crazy? They play pranks because I can't refute them while trapped in ice?”
I fumed like that, but soon I was absentmindedly turning the pages. My eyes quickly and thoroughly scanned the words written in the book.
'Of course, there were many parts with adaptations closer to fiction, but…'
Still, the overall context was similar.
The book contained the process of a child who didn't know the world or people, seeing the world and meeting people through Rista… gradually growing into an adult.
'When we entered the Black Forest, Kees almost died from eating poisonous mushrooms.'
'Fride also once ran off excitedly after discovering a treasure vault, only to fall into a wild boar trap…'
I realized we had traveled to so many places.
Even though it was a chaotic era, everything seemed dazzling and beautiful.
[Finally, when they encountered the central forces of the Black Church that had opened a dimensional gate, Lynn cast a defensive barrier to protect his comrades.]
The problem was that, though I don’t know who it was, the opposing dark sorcerer was superior to me. The barrier couldn't hold.
[Ultimately, Lynn switched the runes of the barrier from 'Lang (艆) of Strike Defense' to 'Ron (論) of Damage Absorption', concentrating all damage onto himself.]
“…”
[Lynn was thus instantly poisoned by a dark poison that leads to death, yet even in that situation, he did not withdraw the barrier he had cast to protect his comrades.]
Did I maintain the barrier?
I was so frantic that I don't remember.
[That incident was not simple self-sacrifice. It was proof that the boy who always only cared about himself had become an adult. Imperial Archer Kees confessed so.]
Kees did?
Who is selling this nonsense?
Kees was mute and illiterate, so there's no way he could have said something like that.
“Huh…?”
But as I turned the page, the evidence was attached. The moment I saw the collection of squiggly worms, my vision blurred.
[▲ A note left by Kees. He is said to have learned to read and write from Lynn.]
Kees, you idiot…
He used to wince and suffer every time I made him memorize a word or two, and now he can write such proper sentences.
- Kees, you can't speak and you can't write, what are you going to do? How did you become the Imperial Archer?
- …!
- You became one purely with skill? Don't puff out your chest like you're proud! Come here. I'll teach you letters. How easy is this?
- …?!
- You don't need it? Don't need it, my ass. You don't need it now because you're strong and healthy, but you'll suffer later when you're old and your mind is dull.
I seemed to hear Kees's groans as he diligently learned, frowning every time I taught him a word.
At that time, should I have properly said my goodbyes at that grave?
[In his final moments, Lynn attempted a reversal of death by casting the vision of a 5-star magic he had developed.]
“…”
[The name of that magic is *Juyeosogyeidaeban*, a near-divine ability combining the essence of imperial magic and republican sorcery. No modern mage has yet deciphered this magic.]
It wasn’t that I was great; it was only possible to complete it with the help of Fride, who was proficient in sorcery.
[The moment the magic was cast, Lynn promised his comrades. That he would surely return.]
Yes, I promised.
I promised Rista.
[And as everyone knows, Lynn has not returned to this day, 300 years later. Whether he chose not to return, or was unable to.
Hero, Rista.
Imperial Archer, Kees.
Priestess, Fride.
Archmage, Lynn.
In this era, where all his comrades have turned to dust and returned to the embrace of the gods, even if Lynn were to awaken, could he truly be said to have returned?]
I think so too.
This isn't returning…
At that moment, my heart throbbed so violently that my breath quickened, the last line of text came into view, and a lump in my throat stopped my breathing.
[So, Rista is said to have left a letter for Lynn. To give the returned Lynn a reason and guidance for life. Along with words apologizing for not being able to keep her promise.]