Lyra’s point of view:
I am Lyra, the second child of the Waterfall family, a branch family of the heroic Winterfell lineage. For generations, my family has served as assistants to the Winterfells, always relegated to the shadows, unacknowledged by the other noble families.
Since childhood, I’ve been relentlessly compared to the main family. In my own family, I have one older brother. But unlike , he lacks magical talent, so he’s set to inherit the traditional role of the Waterfalls: serving the Winterfells.
As for , I do possess magical ability—but instead of the water magic that my family excels in, my aptitude leans toward support magic. My father, a renowned water mage and cousin to the patriarch of the Winterfells, placed all his hopes on . He wanted to carry on the family’s water magic legacy.
He trained tirelessly, pushing to master water magic. But sowhere along the way, he gave up on . No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t control water-elent mana properly. I didn’t understand why. Support magic simply ca more naturally to .
In the end, I enrolled in Braveheart Knight Academy to understand and overco this limitation, hoping to finally make my father proud.
But now, more than two years have passed since I started at the academy, and I still haven’t mastered water magic. I can only use basic spells like [Water Ball], and even those lack the power to cause significant damage.
The professors examined and concluded there was nothing wrong with my mana flow. They suggested that the issue might lie in my mindset, that I lacked the ntal readiness for water magic.
As I approached the promotion exam to advance to my third year, the academy partnered with the knight guild for a special trial: students would undertake missions to hunt monsters.
For this mission, I was paired with Freya. We’d always been in the sa class and often worked as a team. She’s my best friend, perhaps because we share a similar fate—or maybe because hers is even harsher. We support each other like sisters from different bloodlines.
One day, we received a guild mission to hunt a mini-boss: a Big Wild Boar in the monster forest near the Blackmore family’s territory. It’s a Rank C target, commonly hunted by Rank C knights or magic knights like us. If we could take it down, we’d earn our promotion to the third year.
Freya and I headed to the guild, hoping to find a party willing to help us.
That’s when we t Rowan, Tristan, and Baldric, senior knights of Rank B. They often helped Freya and with guild quests.
Despite looking like grizzled old n, they were kind and supportive. They taught us the basics of monster hunting, survival in the forest, and more. Freya and I were deeply grateful to them.
When we told them about our mission to hunt the Big Wild Boar, they eagerly volunteered to help. They ntioned they’d hunted it many tis before, as its tusks could fetch a high price.
And so, we decided to set out the next afternoon.
The next day, the five of us ventured into the forest. Along the way, we encountered trolls and goblins. Rowan and the others displayed incredible skill, dispatching them with ease.
When we finally reached the mini-boss’s lair, we prepared for battle. Baldric lured the boar’s attention while Tristan, Rowan, and Freya launched attacks. I cast defensive buffs to protect them.
Baldric, ever confident, said my buffs weren’t necessary—he could handle the boar’s attacks.
But sothing was wrong.
The mini-boss began to change. Its body turned a deep red, and its eyes glowed with a nacing light. It was enraged. Its power surged to unimaginable levels.
Before we knew it, Baldric—our steadfast tank—was knocked down, his arm broken despite my protective spell. Chaos erupted. Tristan fell next, his arm and leg crushed by the boar’s devastating charge.
We were cornered. Only Freya, Rowan, and I remained able to fight.
I raised a protective barrier around us, desperate to shield everyone. But the barrier began to crack under the relentless onslaught. My strength was fading.
Is this the end? I thought. Am I going to die here?
And then—
Clang!
The sound of a sword eting the boar’s attack echoed through the air.
I opened my eyes in shock. Soone had stepped in to block the blow and protect us.
It was him.
For the first ti, I laid eyes on Naoki von Blackmore.
Naoki was a noble from the heroic Blackmore family. At the academy, he was infamous as a troublemaker—a flirt, a fighter, and a source of endless sha for his family.
Rumor had it he left the academy after failing to complete a quest assigned by his family, earning him the title of "Failed Hero."
But seeing him in person... he wasn’t at all like the rumors.
He fought with unmatched courage, risking his life to protect us.
Though we lost Rowan, Tristan, and Baldric that day, Naoki-sama saved Freya and .
He gave us hope when we had none. His bravery in battling not only the Big Wild Boar but also the unexpected Berserker Troll King left in awe. Freya was equally captivated.
From that mont, we resolved to follow Naoki-sama, no matter what. We owed him our lives.
Later, we escorted him—wounded and weary—back to the Blackmore estate. There, we learned more about him from the maids and his younger sister, Milly. He had lost his mory after a severe injury.
Even with no recollection of who he was, Naoki-sama still chose to save us.
I couldn’t help but feel sothing stir in my chest. A feeling beyond re admiration.
...
So ti passed, and Freya and I encountered Naoki-sama again in the royal capital. He introduced us to Edwin, a peculiar man known as the "Miracle Hand."
That day, as we shared a al together, Naoki-sama seed different. He was more expressive, more lively. He spoke to won with ease, embodying the very image of the rumored troublemaker from his past.
Not long after, Naoki-sama returned to his calm, composed self. I wondered if it was the effect of his amnesia. Even so, I respected him deeply.
But sowhere along the line, my feelings for him began to shift—from admiration to sothing much deeper. That’s right. I realized I had developed romantic feelings for him. Perhaps it started when he invited Freya and to join him in completing a quest for the Blackmore family, a step toward reclaiming his place as a hero-in-training.
During that mission, he showed a side of himself I hadn’t seen before: responsible, protective, and dedicated to his allies. It was then that I t Rosan, his personal maid—a support mage who, like , specialized in water magic.
Seeing her mastery over both support and water magic, I took it as a chance to learn from her. Under Rosan-sensei’s warm and motherly guidance, I trained in advanced support magic. I cherished every mont spent learning from her.
She also taught how to master water-elent magic. "The essence of controlling elental magic," she said, "is learning to control yourself. Magic reflects the personality of its wielder. For water magic, you must learn to accept yourself. Be like water—calm, adaptable, and accepting of the shape of your vessel."
Her words struck deeply. I realized that I had never truly accepted myself. All this ti, I had been so consud by the desire to et my father’s expectations that I’d ended up hating the person I had beco.
With Rosan-sensei’s advice and guidance, I finally managed to control water magic. I was overjoyed and grateful beyond words. I wanted to continue learning from her forever.
But fate had other plans.
Rosan-sensei fell in battle during our fight against Canis. Naoki-sama was devastated by her loss.
I tried desperately to save her with [High Heal], a spell she had taught . For a fleeting mont, she opened her eyes and spoke to .
"Lyra... I’m entrusting Naoki to you."
Those were her final words. She trusted to stay by Naoki-sama’s side. I accepted her wish, and in doing so, I realized sothing: I didn’t just want to protect him out of duty—I wanted to stay by his side.
Naoki-sama cared deeply for those close to him. His personal maids were like family to him.
At his induction ceremony, he spoke to , offering comfort while I was still mourning Rosan-sensei.
For the first ti, he reached out and held my hand. Even through my gloves, I could feel his warmth. It wasn’t just physical—it seeped into my heart.
I wanted to stay by his side. He was kind, caring, and full of warmth. Even with his occasional wild tendencies, he always treated with respect.
When Freya and I heard that Naoki-sama might return to the academy, we were overjoyed. The thought of being his classmates again made us ecstatic.
Once he rejoined the academy, we spent as much ti as possible together. Being near him made feel stronger, like I could achieve anything.
That belief was tested when I was suddenly trapped in a teleportation circle and abducted by the Shadows. Naoki-sama didn’t hesitate—he jumped in after , entering the circle despite the danger.
I was stunned. He risked everything for . Did he truly value that much? I still didn’t know the answer.
When we faced the Dark Knights of the Abyss, Naoki-sama ordered to stay back and protect the other students. But I couldn’t bear to leave him. I wanted to fight alongside him, to support him with my magic.
My patience snapped when he stubbornly insisted I retreat. I finally blurted out my frustration and scolded him.
He looked surprised—shocked, even—but in the end, he relented. He allowed to stay by his side, and together, we defeated the monster. Soon after, Alia and Freya arrived to rescue us.
I thought he might reprimand afterward, but instead, he smiled and thanked .
That smile... it threw my heart into chaos. How could he be so kind? How could I possibly hold back my feelings any longer?
And yet, I kept them buried.
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