A friend.
It was an unfamiliar word to Lea Herwyn now.
When she was younger, there was someone she could call a friend. Just one person.
As a prodigy who was highly regarded, she had visited the Magic Tower since childhood and received teachings from several renowned mages.
Yuri. The girl was an apprentice mage she had met during that time.
Both of them, who were similar in age, quickly became close friends after their chance encounter.
At the age of 10, Yuri was Lea’s first real friend.
[There’s no one around me that I can talk to, and I don’t really have any friends.]
[That’s why meeting you was really lucky, Lea. You can understand me, right?]
Yuri was the disciple of a high-ranking mage in the Magic Tower and a promising talent.
Lea could fully empathize with Yuri’s words that she often blurted out.
They had different thoughts. They had different perspectives. It wasn’t easy to reach out to the other person without pretense, and the same applied to the other person.
Becoming close to someone whose family, background, talents, and innate differences were so great was a rare occurrence.
Yuri never treated Lea with difficulty. That’s why Lea liked Yuri more than anyone else.
She increased her frequency and time of visiting the Magic Tower, using studying as an excuse.
They shared trivial conversations, conducted magic experiments together, and accumulated enjoyable experiences while being together.
But at some point, Lea began to feel that Yuri was avoiding her little by little.
The other would say she had something urgent to do, or she wasn’t feeling well, or some other lame excuse. Lea couldn’t figure out why.
And then, that day happened.
Yuri brought up the idea of conducting a magic experiment after a long time. However, it would be just the two of them, without the other mages.
When conducting experiments, Yuri, the mentor, was always present as a supervisor.
Yuri, who was merely an apprentice mage, didn’t have the right to conduct experiments as they pleased. It was because it was dangerous.
Lea, being the conscientious person she was, thought Yuri was making a strange suggestion, but she accepted it anyway.
Yuri was the one who brought up the idea this time, and it seemed like it would be fun to secretly engage in activities without other mages knowing.
Lea was asked for a favor by Yuri. She was asked to go to the laboratory first and prepare the necessary equipment and materials.
As Lea excitedly prepared for the experiment, she stumbled upon something by chance.
Dangerous ingredients that should never be mixed were skillfully blended together inside a storage box.
If Lea had carelessly taken them out without thinking, the entire laboratory would likely have turned into a sea of flames.
After calming her frightened heart, Lea thought of one sinister scenario.
At first, she denied it, thinking it was unreasonable. However, the more she thought about it, the clearer the situation became.
Lea went to find Yuri, who didn’t show up at the laboratory even though the appointed time had long passed.
She thought it was probably a misunderstanding, but as soon as they faced each other, Lea could sense it from her expression.
[Why... would you do that?]
'Why did you try to kill me?'
Lea couldn’t bring herself to ask directly.
As Yuri tugged at her like she didn’t know what she was doing, Lea spoke word for word.
She went over the evidence, point by point, and said that she was going to tell the other’s Master everything that had happened, and only then did Yuri break down and cry, her face contorted in horror.
[Don’t you have any sense? This is why I didn’t want to hang out with you anymore...]
[It’s all because of you. Ever since you came to the Magic Tower, Master has always compared me to you. I’m his disciple, not you!]
Yuri was a talented mage. However, Lea was a genius beyond her.
It was only for such a reason.
'Lea, being friends with you is the worst kind of misfortune.'
As Yuri sat on the floor, screaming like a madman, Lea said nothing more.
After that, she didn’t visit the tower again.
After some time had passed, she only heard one piece of news: that Yuri had been punished for a magic crime.
Even the master of the Magic Tower came to her family to apologize in person.
Lea hadn’t told anyone what had happened, but somehow it had gotten out.
She suffered from a headache for a long time, a headache that felt like it would break her head open.
Suppressed by the curse-like words of her closest friend who had tried to kill her out of a mere inferiority complex.
The conclusion she finally reached was simple.
She didn’t need friends anymore. She didn’t need to stoop down to fit in with inferior people.
From that point on, her personality and way of thinking changed dramatically, and she continued to live in that manner.
And now, back to the present...
“Are you okay?”
Lea looked at the hand reaching out in front of her.
Rigon. From Calderic. A peer who gave her a proper defeat for the first time.
When she lost to him in a practice match, the emotion Lea felt wasn’t frustration or disappointment.
Upon reflection, it was a feeling closer to relief.
The relief of knowing that there was a genius as outstanding as herself, or even more so.
Naturally, curiosity arose. She wanted to strike up a conversation, but it wasn’t easy, given her personality and upbringing.
Unlike herself, Rigon was a person who knew how to socialize easily with friends around him.
Regret often followed after she let out harsh words out of jealousy.
The sense of an unseen battle and a mixture of various emotions created a peculiar feeling.
Lea almost unconsciously reached out her hand but snapped back to her senses.
“...I can stand up on my own.”
Lea tried to get up but her legs gave way, causing her to collapse to the ground.
It was a minor case of exhaustion. It was expected, since she had exerted her mana to its limit.
She let out a sigh, her expression showing frustration.
“Take the bracelet and go ahead. I can’t move right now.”
Now, if they just moved through the western corridor, the test would be over. There was no need for them to move together.
However, Rigon looked at Lea with a puzzled expression and plopped down beside her.
“Let’s go together once you recover.”
“...What?”
“What if another student comes and attacks you? You might win, but if you lose, you’ll get a failing grade.”
Lea was at a loss for words for a moment, unable to understand Rigon’s behavior.
“The test is based on relative evaluation. If my grades drop, it’s an advantage for you, isn’t it?”
“I don’t really care about grades.”
“...But you suggested cooperating with me because of grades in the first place.”
“What? No, I didn’t.”
“Why are you trying to play nice? There’s no reason to ask for cooperation from someone you don’t like unless it’s for a grade.”
Rigon’s expression turned slightly bewildered.
“I don’t like you? Why?”
“Because I insulted your friend...”
“Hey, that was a long time ago. Kaen doesn’t care, and I don’t really mind either.”
“...”
“I don’t think you’re a bad guy. You’ve helped me with my studies, and those words back then weren’t sincere, were they?”
Lea felt like she had become a fool for no reason with that response.
Honestly, she didn’t dislike Rigon. If anything, it was the opposite.
It’s just that her attitude, which had ingrained itself in her for years, wouldn’t change in an instant.
So, despite inwardly feeling relieved by Rigon’s words that he didn’t think badly of her, she responded curtly.
“What do you know? Don’t pretend to know about me.”
“Is that so? Were you really sincere? Anyway, nobles are all the same, with their damn sense of authority.”
Caught off guard by his sudden harsh remark, Lea stumbled over her words.
“What? I, I...”
But she realized belatedly, upon seeing Rigon’s laughter-mixed expression, that he had been teasing her.
Lea glared at him, her face turning red.
“Why are you like that? You told me not to pretend, but you’re upset when I actually say something.”
“...Say one more thing. I’ll cast a spell.”
“I won’t indulge you, haha. I understand, so now focus on your recovery.”
Lea turned her head abruptly, sitting in a dignified manner and closing her eyes.
Her body and mind were tired, and Rigon was annoying, but for some reason, she didn’t feel bad.
***
“Let’s see, four of you? I was expecting a swarm of people.”
A woman sitting alone in the center of a dimly lit common room.
It was the words that reached them as they arrived at the end of the southern passage, facing Professor Gaon.
“We already tried the swarm strategy with Professor Rokel, and it failed.”
Professor Gaon smiled with a twinkle in her eyes in response to Kaen’s retort.
“Yeah, well, I’m sure you did, but you still came to me, just the four of you?”
“Yes.”
“Why is that? Did I appear more approachable than Professor Rokel?”
“No, it’s because of the person here.”
Kaen pointed to the side where Vaion was standing.
Suddenly, Vaion drew his sword and aimed the blade at Professor Gaon with a more imposing demeanor.
“Even during the combat class, Professor Gaon never personally engaged with us.”
“Ah, is that so? Vaion, you always had an unruly disposition and an exceptional fighting spirit.”
The professor seemed to be pleased with Vaion’s attitude, smiled briefly, and then stood up.
“Determination is good. However, determination alone doesn’t guarantee good grades. Even if your bracelet breaks during the fight and you all end up failing, don’t blame me.”
Immediately, Professor Gaon drew a circle on the ground using mana. It had a radius of a few meters.
“The rules are simple. I won’t step a foot outside this area. Whether it’s a sword, hand, or foot, if you manage to touch or brush against me even slightly, I will surrender my bracelet.”
Although different from Professor Rokel, the rule sounded extremely straightforward.
“Of course, if you manage to drive me out of the area, it will be your victory. But that won’t happen.”
Having finished explaining, Professor Gaon crossed her arms and stood as if she was ready for the challenge.
“Vaion, do you have a strategy in mind? It won’t be as easy as it was with Professor Rokel.”
Kaen asked, and Vaion replied.
“Trickery won’t work against this opponent. I’ll confront her head-on with all my strength.”
“Well, there’s nowhere to hide around here. Is there no other way?”
Vaion charged at the professor first.
At the same time, Professor Gaon drew her sword, and a loud clang echoed as the two blades met.
I, Kaen, and Esca were naturally preparing support magic from the rear.
[Level 68]
Professor Gaon’s level was slightly higher than Professor Rokel’s.
Among the professors seen at the academy so far, she had one of the highest levels, so to speak.
How could a few people with an average level of 20 something, confront an opponent who was almost at level 70?
Naturally, there was no way. Even touching her clothes would be impossible under normal circumstances.
However, Professor Gaon, like Professor Rokel, could adjust her level, and the only way to defeat the professor was to find an opening and exploit it.
But as the battle progressed, the possibility seemed less likely.
It seemed like Vaion was somewhat advancing against Professor Gaon, but that was only on the surface.
Professor Gaon engaged Vaion within that narrow area, blocking and avoiding all magic. Very calmly.
Since we were the ones who would tire out first in a stamina battle, this approach was not the answer.
“Kaen, are you going to continue using only magic?”
I asked Kaen. Her specialty was martial arts rather than magic.
It would be much more plausible for her to directly engage with Vaion rather than support with magic.
“I’m in the Department of Magic! I have to rely on magic to win.”
“There were no such rules in the test. It shouldn’t matter much, right?”
“It’s not about the rules, it’s because I want to!”
Kaen was pouring out magic to the professor, drawing out her full power.
She seemed quite excited since she rarely had the opportunity to exert full power during classes.
Subjectively, a considerable amount of time had passed.
Both Vaion and Kaen were starting to pant and gasp for breath.
- Team 1, Mike Luber has been eliminated. Cease all actions and wait in place.
- Team 2, Hans Drake has been eliminated. Cease all actions and wait in place.
- Team 1, Rudy Wester has been eliminated...
During the fight, the names of the eliminated students continued to be announced through a sound amplification spell, just like an announcement broadcast.
More than that, how much time did we have left?
- There were 30 minutes remaining until the end of the exam.
Just in time, I heard the time remaining on the test.
'There’s not much time left in 30 minutes.'
If they continued to challenge the professor like this, they wouldn’t be able to avoid failing.
Of course, Kaen and Vaion were not concerned about the announcement; their focus was solely on the professor.
“There’s not much time left, and you’re still fooling around here? There aren’t many students left. If you continue like this, you’ll really fail. Or maybe fight among yourselves.”
At Professor Gaon’s words mixed with laughter, Kaen, who was catching her breath, asked.
“Why should we fight among ourselves when we’re on the same team?”
“There’s no rule saying you can’t snatch the wristband of a teammate from the same team, is there? If you want to take care of your grades, you should stab your comrades in the back.”
It was a sarcastic and cruel remark. Kaen retorted, as if taken aback.
“Even if you try to provoke us like that, we would never do such a thing.”
“Is that so? Such a firm friendship.”
“And it’s not over yet. We just need to defeat the professor within 30 minutes.”
“Huh, really? Do you still think it’s possible?”
“Of course. And even if we fail, it doesn’t matter much.”
Grades didn’t matter to Kaen in the first place; she just seemed to enjoy the situation.
Kaen approached Esca, who was sitting on the floor, and reached out his hand.
Esca, having lower mana compared to the others, inevitably grew tired the fastest.
“Are you okay, Esca? Are you tired?”
“...No, I’m fine.”
“Oh, and Ran! I have an idea. From now on, let’s--“
Crack!
A small sound of impact interrupted her words.
I, along with Vaion, who was preparing for battle again, looked at the two in surprise.
Even though I saw it with my own eyes, I couldn’t comprehend what had just happened.
Esca had unleashed a shockwave spell, aiming for Kaen’s outstretched hand, specifically her bracelet.
“Ah--“
Kaen, retracting her hand at the last moment, looked at Esca with an incredulous gaze.
“...What did you just do, Esca?”
