“Ah… well, I guess doing it like that occasionally isn’t so bad.”
“Then, eliminate them all within five minutes,” Luce calmly instructed.
“Give it a try, White.”
“Yes!”
At Isaac’s instruction, White looked at the targets with determined eyes.
I have to do well.
She wanted to show her best to Isaac, who always helped and cared for her.
White once again deployed a wind magic circle and cast the three-star wind magic [Wind Sword].
With a swish, the pale green blade of wind sliced through the muscular Bello. Luce controlled her mana to make the water figure disappear after being struck by the [Wind Sword].
When the third water figure was eliminated.
Puuuuuu!
“Gasp!”
One of the muscular figures of Bello suddenly spat out a stream of water from its mouth.
A direct water attack across the air. Startled, White reflexively deployed the four-star wind magic [Wind Wall]. A strong whirlwind swirled in front of her, sweeping the stream of water away.
Her heart nearly sank. White let out a sigh of relief that made the air tremble.
“Oh, it fights back too.”
Isaac adjusted his glasses, impressed.
“W-what was that…?”
“Just smashing the targets is boring. I made them shoot water irregularly to keep you on your toes.”
“Y-you could have warned …”
White, trembling under Luce’s “why should I?” gaze, couldn’t say anything.
“You did well just now, White.”
“What?”
“The surprise attack was completely unexpected. Deploying [Wind Wall] right away shows you’ve grown a lot compared to before.”
Isaac smiled, recalling the ti when White had dueled with the Priestess i. White tended to beco more focused and have faster calculation speeds at crucial monts.
“You’re strong in real combat.”
“Senior Isaac…”
The high praise from her archwizard ntor made White feel like dancing with joy.
“Hehehe, thank you. Then, I’ll keep going!”
With a smile, White cast [Wind Sword] again.
And four minutes later.
White lay sprawled on the ground like a drowned rat. The muscular Bello figures still flaunted their muscles, but White had reached her limit.
“Senior Isaac.”
“Uh…”
“I’m just a livestock that consus food. A useless pest,” White murmured in a voice filled with self-loathing.
“Uhm, uh, cheer up… Thanks, Luce.”
As Isaac tried to console her, sweating nervously, Luce walked away without looking back.
The muscular water figure of Bello gradually vanished.
***It was a few days before the start of the new term. Most of the students had returned.
There were occasional reports of students deciding to take a leave of absence or withdraw from the academy due to the grim incidents that had occurred.
But these were far and few between. It wasn’t an easy decision to leave such a prestigious academy after having worked their butt off to get accepted.
Headmistress Elena inford that the faculty had faced a lot of complaints from parents. However, the complaints were fewer than expected. She thought it might be because people were wary of . I paid it no mind.
The sky was painted black as ink, sprinkled with starlight like salt. It was quiet and peaceful.
I was training my mana mastery with a magic tool in my right hand, running swiftly around the academy.
The tuition issue was easily resolved.
I properly paid for the second sester of my second year. I didn’t indulge in luxury and I earned a rit scholarship for excellent grades, so I had so leeway.
And…
The black magic tool in my hand was so challenging to use that it made frown. I had never encountered a magic tool that required such rigorous mana circulation.
– Choose among these. They’re all rare items that are hard to co by.
This magic tool was a reward given by Gerald for defeating the demons in the Astrea Duchy.
Among various gifts, I chose this high-grade magic tool without hesitation due to it being an item that wasn’t easily obtainable.
I got two of them, designed to be held in both hands, but I wasn’t skilled enough to use them simultaneously yet, so I was only using one.
As long as this magic tool didn’t break, I wouldn’t need to spend money searching for an even tougher one.
“…?”
While running through the Hydrangea Garden, I sensed a familiar mana. It was coming from the direction of the small lake where I usually conducted ntoring sessions.
Passing by the trees, I reached the corner of the Hydrangea Garden and saw a snow-white girl deploying a wind magic circle. It was Snow White.
She was panting, using the three-star wind magic [Wind Sword] towards a distant rock target.
Shwack!
Kwagak!
The wind blade missed the rock target several tis. However, White kept drawing out her mana, and eventually, the [Wind Sword] hit the rock target.
“Waah…! I-I hit it! I hit it!”
rlin, who was standing near the rock target, clapped and said, “Excellent work, Princess White.”
It was long past the ntoring session, but she was still training.
“Ehehe! Now, even long distances are no problem, rlin!”
“Well done. Next, you have to hit this.”
“He… he…”
There was still another rock target created by rlin. Although she focused on weapon skills as a knight, she could use basic elental magic.
The sense of achievent that had filled White’s face was replaced by a feeling of despair.
“By the way, what brings you here, Sir Isaac?”
“Huh? Senior Isaac?”
rlin noticed first. White jerked her head back to look at , startled.
I walked out from behind the tree.
“Why did you co back here…? What brings you here?”
“I just happened to be passing by while exercising.”
I stood next to White and examined the wind magic circle she had deployed. White stiffened as if embarrassed to show her magic circle.
Her lines are clean. It’s limited to [Wind Sword], but her mana is flowing steadily.
The [Wind Sword] she had been swinging earlier was fluid, and the calculation speed was faster than usual.
Most importantly.
Her stamina and mana have noticeably increased.
Seeing White drenched in sweat made smile subconsciously.
What an exemplary kid.
“Did I do sothing wrong…?”
White’s voice trembled, and I shook my head.
“It’s clean without any excess. It’s perfect.”
“Huh?”
“You’re doing well now, White.”
I smiled brightly.
“Ah…”
White stared at blankly. It seed that the mories of her tough training sessions flashed through her mind like a film.
Soon, tears welled up in White’s eyes.
“You’re showing real progress. You’re doing great, really.”
“Sniff, Senior Isaaac…”
What? Why is she crying?
Sensing sothing was wrong, rlin hurriedly ran over. But White, ignoring her, began to cry, wiping her tears with both hands.
“What’s wrong with you?”
“I never thought I’d hear such words… sniff, I always thought I was a hopeless pest… I thought that even though you said nice things, you were just being kind and actually pitied for , even if you thought I was worthless livestock… But I wanted to get stronger, so I kept trying, and hearing such words makes cry…!”
“What did you think of all this ti? That never crossed my mind.”
Isn’t she being too negative?
“You’re too self-deprecating. I ant every word. Now, stop crying.”
“Sniff, waaah…! Senior Isaaaac…!”
She cried even harder…
White had recognized her own lacking skills since coming to the academy and felt a deep sense of inadequacy during her duels with Priestess i.
White didn’t take pride in her status as a Princess or as the world’s most beautiful woman. The biggest reason was likely her profound realization that all people et the sa end in death.
As a result, even the factors that could boost her confidence had no effect. She had developed a tendency to look down on herself.
Moreover, she had been training hard in her own way. She must have had her own struggles.
Ah, this isn’t good.
I suddenly rembered how I had cried bitterly after passing my second exam. I felt an unintentional emotional connection.
Gosh, I’m about to cry too…
“Princess White…”
rlin smiled warmly. Recalling the difficult path she had walked while training, rlin was moved by White’s tears.
Exchanging a glance with rlin, I looked back at White and gave a light smile.
“Stop crying. Your face will get puffy for the start of the term tomorrow.”
“I’m sorry… sob.”
I patted White on the shoulder, and she gradually stopped crying, sniffing loudly.
“I feel great…!”
“What?”
White’s eyes suddenly sparkled.
“I feel like I can do anything right now!”
Her change in deanor was quick. Well, that was a good thing.
White extended her hand to .
“Senior Isaac, let’s do that training again.”
“Now?”
She was talking about the training to enhance mana mastery by mixing our mana together.
We had postponed this training before because White’s skills weren’t up to the minimum level required, even though we had initially agreed to do it as a way to repay a debt.
“...Are you sure you won’t regret it?”
“It’s fine, I’ve grown now!”
“Then don’t complain.”
“I won’t!”
The advantage of this training thod over a magic tool was that it could be adjusted to the partner’s level. By responding to each other’s mana circulation and mixing them, it allowed for a flexible approach.
The downside was that it had a lower upper limit. Once one gained so skill, training with a tough magic tool would be more effective.
For , the advantage was that I could directly channel White’s mana. This would speed up the ti needed to acquire a unique ability, which was my goal.
“Alright, let’s do it.”
Drrrrrr.
I used [Rock Generation] to create two simple stone chairs. White and I sat facing each other on the stone chairs.
We extended our arms toward each other, placing our palms together.
Gradually, we began to let our mana flow gently.
Ssssssss.
My pale blue mana and White’s pale green mana seeped out like smoke, slowly mixing together.
The air was calm. However, it wasn’t long before White’s expression contorted. She clenched her eyes shut and gritted her teeth, trying to endure the pain.
This exercise was similar to a full-body workout such as planking. White must have been feeling intense discomfort.
The principle was the sa as a magic tool. It was the constant pain I always felt.
In contrast, for , it felt like circulating mana with a low-level magic tool. It was so easy that it didn’t bother at all.
“You can endure it now.”
“Hehe… Yes, I can…!”
White responded confidently.
Five minutes later…
White’s face had gradually twisted in agony and she collapsed to the ground, foaming from the mouth.
“Ugh…”
“A-are you okay?”
“I-it hurts… It hurts, Senior Isaac…”
Tears welled up in White’s eyes.
You said you wouldn’t complain.
I adjusted my glasses and a smile spread across my face.
“Still, you endured well. Five minutes is an impressive achievent.”
I stood up and extended my hand to White. With her moist eyes, White looked at my face and my hand alternately.
Today, the ti needed to obtain the unique ability I wanted to use in the「Fairy Way」scenario was shortened.
Besides that, I was genuinely pleased with White’s growth.
“Princess White, your perseverance was admirable. It’s truly a remarkable achievent.”
rlin stood next to and extended her hand to White.
“Senior Isaac, rlin…”
Perhaps because the mood was heartwarming, White looked like she was moved to tears.
Smiling, White grabbed both mine and rlin’s hands.
“Thanks, you two… Aaack!”
Ah, I was careless.
Due to our mana being intertwined for a while, the residual mana in our bodies clashed, causing a reaction.
We should have avoided physical contact until the lingering mana completely dissipated.
“Ugh*…”*
“Ah… sorry.”
I sincerely apologized to White, who was in pain.
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