"You don't look well, Raiden."
We were at the training grounds near the main building of the Academy.
Ever since my encounter with Professor Lucas during the training for unique magic, 'Reflect,' I had been receiving daily instruction from him.
As we were taking a short break after an intense training session, Professor Lucas spoke to .
He was sitting next to , staring at intently.
"Is sothing bothering you?"
"Yes...?"
Feeling down because of the incident with Margaret, my face hardened at his question.
I forced a smile and asked,
"...Is it that obvious?"
"No? It's not particularly noticeable. You have your usual poker face on."
"Then how...?"
"Well, you could say it's experience?"
Lucas said playfully with a kind smile.
His bright energy seed to radiate outwards, making frown slightly.
"......"
"Well, it's nothing much... I just thought sothing might be bothering you since you weren't focusing well during training today."
"I apologize."
"I didn't an for you to apologize...? Now I sound like a grumpy old professor who scolds his student for spacing out!"
Lucas scratched his head, stopping from apologizing further.
He looked like he was at a loss for what to do with .
Putting down the crystal ball he was holding, he gently patted my shoulder.
"Raiden, you're... a bit too stiff."
"Are you saying my movents aren't fluid enough?"
"No, I'm talking about your usual deanor. You're too hard on yourself."
"You're telling ?"
I couldn't help but tilt my head in question at his words.
Hard on myself? ?
Lucas continued, studying my puzzled expression.
"You act like soone who's constantly being chased by sothing. You whip yourself rcilessly and treat yourself harshly."
"I don't quite understand..."
"How many days have you taken a break from training in the past month?"
"...None."
"And right after the banquet hall incident, you ca to train the very next day after you were discharged?"
"...Yes."
I closed my mouth, rendered speechless by his words.
Even I had to admit that going back to training the day after being discharged from the infirmary was a bit much.
Lucas observed for a mont before speaking again, a wry smile on his face.
"You tend to push yourself too hard, Raiden."
"......"
"It's admirable, but it also worries ... People who are used to pushing themselves often neglect their own well-being."
I'm guessing that's probably why you were feeling down today as well.
You were probably blaming yourself for so mistake, right?
I've seen kids like you before.
Trapped in their own disappointnt and compulsions, they easily hate themselves for the smallest of things.
To , you're no different... No, maybe even worse.
I don't know all the details of your situation, but I just wanted to tell you this.
"It's going to be okay. You're doing well enough."
The hand that had been patting my shoulder moved to my head.
His touch, gently stroking my hair, held a strangely nostalgic warmth.
The mory of my brother, Changho, flashed through my mind, and I froze, unable to react.
"I know you're working harder than anyone else, Raiden... Why else do you think I'm giving you one-on-one lessons like this?"
His tone was playful, but his words were sincere.
He told that he acknowledged my efforts.
That he recognized the days I had struggled in this world for the past three months.
And at the sa ti, he added that everything would be alright.
Professor Lucas didn't know my circumstances.
He didn't know about Raiden's hidden past, my reincarnation, or even my existence.
But even so.
His encouragent, telling that I was doing well enough, was enough to shake to my core.
Because since I had fallen into this world, he was the first person to acknowledge my efforts.
"...I'll keep that in mind."
I managed to stamr out a reply, my body still frozen.
I wanted to thank him, but the words felt awkward on my tongue, so I just mumbled sothing vague.
"Good to hear!"
Lucas chuckled and ruffled my hair.
Embarrassed, I subtly dodged his hand and changed the subject.
"By the way, what's with the crystal ball you've been holding this whole ti? It seems to be recording..."
"Ah, this?"
Lucas lifted the crystal ball at my question.
He seed to ponder for a mont on how to explain it before shrugging.
"It's, how should I put it... I was recording my will, so to speak."
"......Excuse ?"
His sudden, unexpected answer left dumbfounded.
My surprise almost showed on my face, but I quickly regained my composure at his next words.
"Haha! Of course, not the kind of will you're thinking of."
"Then...?"
"As you can see, this is a recording crystal ball. I record myself with it once a month."
"Is it a hobby?"
"Well... more like a habit I picked up from the battlefield."
"Ah... So that's why you called it a will."
I nodded in understanding.
The civil war that had thrown the Empire into chaos ten years ago, also known as the 'Lukria War of Conquest'.
Lucas had participated in that hell at the young age of fourteen.
It was a fierce war where death could co at any mont, so it made sense that he would record his will periodically.
And after the war ended, it must have beco a habit.
"Will... It's a strange way to put it now. Now that the era of peace has arrived."
"That's fortunate."
"Thanks to that, this habit has changed a lot too. These days, it's more like setting goals for the month ahead before it begins."
In other words, he was using it as a planner.
I looked at the crystal ball, which showed signs of age and fell into thought.
It looked fine now, but there must have been a ti when blood and tears fell on it.
Thrown into hell at an age when he should have been experiencing the sweetness of the world, how lonely and afraid he must have been.
Perhaps Lucas and I were a little alike.
In the sense that we learned coldness before warmth from others.
"......"
Lost in bitter thoughts, I remained silent.
As if reading my mind, Lucas smiled.
"You're right... That war was nothing short of hell. But it wasn't all bad."
"Yes...?"
"On the battlefield, overflowing with anger and sadness, I saw sothing."
Lucas's face was tinged with lancholy as he reminisced.
"Children... Innocent children who didn't lose their smiles even as they looked upon their burning hotowns."
"......"
"Seeing them gave hope. I felt like I could do anything to protect those bright smiles."
That's why I chose to beco an educator.
He said, a kind smile gracing his lips.
His bright green eyes, sparkling with hope, were fixed on .
"Hell is painful... but if you look closely, it might lead you to sothing precious."
So why don't you try looking too, Raiden?
"Look for what lies within your own hell."
His voice resonated clearly in my ears.
I could only stare blankly, replaying his words in my mind.
The self that had stopped moving, exhausted from misfortune and despair, felt like it was wriggling back to life.
His words weren't re consolation.
Lucas was encouraging .
He was telling that I could escape hell too, just like he did.
He was trying to give courage.
Is this what it ans to be an adult?
Of all the people I've t in my life, he was the one most deserving of the title 'adult'.
"...Thank you for your kind words."
I finally managed to stamr out a reply, my body still stiff.
"I only ever give good advice, don't I? You should always keep your ears peeled."
Lucas responded playfully to my blunt reply.
He stood up and said, shaking the crystal ball in his hand.
"Alright! Since you're here, Raiden... how about I make it my goal for this month to hear you call 'Master'?"
"Excuse ? What are you talking about all of a sudden...?"
"Don't you think it's about ti you started calling Master? You're the only student in the Academy who inherited my unique magic, so I'd say that makes us master and disciple, wouldn't you?"
"Since you're a professor and I'm a student, aren't we already in a teacher-student relationship...?"
"Then call Master from now on."
"I'll call you Professor."
"How can you be so cruel...!"
Lucas looked at with a betrayed expression.
I averted my gaze, sticking to my guns.
I barely managed to thank him, and now he wanted to call him 'Master'?
Please, let's stay within the realm of possibility.
"Just you wait...! I've set it as my goal for this month!"
Lucas declared with a stubborn glint in his eye.
I noticed this every ti I saw him, but this guy had a tendency to fixate on strange things.
As a result, I had to continue my training under Lucas's intense gaze.
.
.
.
And so, the lively days passed, and the dreaded day of the school trip finally arrived.
No matter how much I wished it wouldn't, ti was not sothing I could stop.
In the end, I had no choice but to grudgingly accept reality.
"Young Master, did you pack everything?"
As I stood there with my bag, lost in the despair of the natural order of things, Rachel erged from the kitchen, where she had been washing dishes, and asked.
I nodded and replied,
"I packed earlier."
"Then what's this?"
"Hmm?"
Rachel held sothing out in front of .
In her hand was a navy blue vest embroidered with the Reynolds Academy emblem.
Wait, wasn't that my uniform...?
"...I thought I packed it."
"Oh, Young Master... I knew it."
"Ha, haha... Thanks, Ray."
Rachel gave an exasperated look as she put the uniform in my bag.
She closed the bag and patted it.
"Honestly~ I'm worried about how you'll manage for five days without ~"
"......I know, right?"
Her playful words made my heart sink.
Five days without Rachel, without Ariel.
Five days in an unfamiliar place with people I didn't want to be around.
Could I really endure it?
"Young Master...?"
Sensing my unease, Rachel called out to , her voice laced with concern.
"Are you alright...?"
"......"
I stayed silent for a mont before speaking.
"Rachel."
"Yes, Young Master."
"...Do you think I can do this? Five days without you."
My voice trembled slightly as I asked.
Rachel looked at silently for a mont before answering with a bright smile.
"Of course, who do you think raised you?"
Her answer was as if I had asked sothing obvious.
Her clear eyes held my reflection, a gentle gaze fixed on .
For so reason, my face flushed at her soft gaze, and I averted my eyes.
"...What are you talking about? You're only a year older."
"Hehe... I practically raised you!"
"It wasn't that bad."
"Yes, it was~"
Talking with Rachel, even casually, eased my anxiety.
I took a deep breath and gripped the strap of my bag tightly.
"Well then... I'll be back."
"Yes, take care!"
With Rachel's cheerful farewell, I opened the front door and stepped outside.
The sky, overcast with scattered clouds, shone down on with the occasional ray of sunshine.
With mixed feelings, I stepped into the scene before .
The school trip had begun.
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