The next day, I was attending Eleonora's magic class.
There was nothing special about it except the part where she explained flawlessly everything that she needed to explain.
Her words were brief but consistent.
And maybe because of the huge amount of questions that she would ask throughout the class, the students seed to pay more attention to class.
Turning back to the board, Eleonora parted her lips:
"...Next is mana pathway stability. This requires you to understand the flow of mana within your body. If your pathways are obstructed or irregular, your incantations will reflect that. Does anyone know how to stabilize their mana pathways?"
A girl sitting near the middle hesitated before raising her hand. "Um… through consistent spellcasting and mana circulation exercises?"
"Correct," Elenora said.
"But there's more to it. Mana stabilization also involves understanding your limits. Overloading your pathways can cause long-term damage, so don't push yourself recklessly."
Her gaze flickered over the class, pausing briefly on
as if to emphasize her point.
Gosh...
I know my limits, woman.
I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.
"Finally, consistent practice," she continued.
"There's no shortcut to mastering incantation speed. The more you practice, the more natural it becos. It's like muscle mory for mages."
She paused, letting the information sink in before clapping her hands together.
"Now... how about w—!"
—RIIIINGGG!
My savior!
The bell finally rang, signaling the end of class.
It was lunchti now.
"Well... class dismissed," Elenora announced with a small sigh, her tone carrying a hint of reluctance.
She looked like she was genuinely enjoying teaching today.
I wasted no ti reaching for my books and other belongings, but before I could grab them, another hand moved faster.
"I'll do it, Master," Alaine said softly, as she quickly gathered my things.
In the blink of an eye, she tucked everything into her spatial ring.
Having servants in class wasn't unusual, but Alaine had little to do outside her role as my servant, so I brought her along.
"Ah, Alaine!" I rembered sothing as I adjusted my coat. "Isn't today your checkup with the Saintess?"
She paused, blinking as if caught off guard. "Yes, but it's not until 2 o'clock."
"You should go now," I told her casually.
"But, Master—"
"Just go," I cut her off, waving dismissively.
"Also," I added, handing her my credit card, "buy yourself so food or clothes. I don't mind. Just have fun, okay? You don't need to co back right away."
Her erald eyes flickered with hesitation, and she opened her mouth to say sothing, but I didn't give her the chance. Turning away, I started walking out of the classroom.
"Master..." Alaine called after
softly.
Yeah, ignoring her was the best way to get her to follow an order she didn't like.
I made my way toward the academy's cafeteria. But the mont I stepped inside, my eyes widened in disbelief.
It was surprisingly full.
"Damn it..." I muttered under my breath, scratching my head in frustration.
"Might as well get lunch outside."
There was no way I was going to wait in line for who knows how long just to grab a al. So, I turned back and headed for the exit.
But as I made my way out, I wasn't exactly paying attention to where I was going.
Thud...!
So, I bumped into soone.
"Could this day get any worse?"
I grumbled, glancing down at the person I'd accidentally bumped into.
"Fuck..." A voice from the ground hissed angrily.
I froze.
Of all people...
It had to be fucking him.
"Who the fuck bumped into ?" he spat coldly.
He pushed himself off the floor, his dark brown eyes narrowing into sharp slits filled with hatred as soon as he saw .
The mont his gaze t mine, I could almost feel the air around us heat up. His jaw clenched, his fists tightening at his sides as if he was holding himself back—barely.
It was Telmo, Ella's loyal little lapdog.
"...It's you..." he snarled.
"Fucking BASTARD!!"
Without warning, he spun around, aiming a surprise kick at my legs.
I barely had ti to react, leaping a few ters back to avoid the strike.
"The fuck is your problem?!" I shouted, glaring at him.
"You're the damned problem!" he growled, his voice cold as ice but carrying the heat of his rage.
And just like that, he charged at .
Fwoop!
His fist shot forward, aiming for my face.
I sidestepped, narrowly avoiding the blow, and countered with a quick jab toward his ribs.
He twisted his torso, deflecting my punch with his forearm, and swung a heavy right hook toward my jaw.
Thud!
I ducked under it, feeling the wind of his punch graze my hair. This guy packed a lot of pure strength, but his movents were too obvious, too straightforward.
"Are you this weak?" I taunted, stepping back to create so distance.
"I'll wipe that smug look off your face!" Telmo growled as his face turned red in anger.
He lunged at
again, this ti leading with a high kick aid at my shoulder.
I blocked it with my forearm, but the sheer force of it sent a dull ache through my arm.
Thump!
Using the montum, he followed up with a spinning backfist aid at my temple.
I ducked low, letting the attack whiff over my head, and quickly retaliated with a sweeping kick to his legs.
Whack!
It connected, and Telmo stumbled, but he didn't fall. Instead, he planted his foot firmly on the ground and countered with a powerful straight punch aid at my chest.
I twisted my body, letting the punch glance off my side, and used the opportunity to grab his wrist.
With a quick pull, I used his own montum to throw him off balance, sending him staggering forward.
"Bastard...!"
Telmo recovered quickly, as he rushed at
again, this ti faking a left punch before throwing a right uppercut aid at my stomach.
Bam!
I managed to block it with both arms, but the sheer force sent
sliding back a few feet. My arms tingled from the impact.
Then, he aid a heavy kick at my side.
Swoop!
I sidestepped and retaliated with a quick jab to his solar plexus.
Thud!
The hit connected, and Telmo grunted, doubling over slightly. I followed up with a spinning kick aid at his shoulder, sending him staggering back.
"Gah... your damned fucker!"
His eyes went mad in rage as a faint layer of mana enveloped his body.
Oh... he really wanted to get serious with .
I shook my right hand slightly, as I was enveloped with my silver-colored mana.
Then, we both threw a punch at each other...
But just before our fists could collide.
Bam!
A blur of motion appeared between us.
A delicate hand caught my fist effortlessly, while the other stopped Telmo's punch mid-swing.
It was our instructor, Zeva.
"That's enough," she said, her voice firm but not loud.
Her green eyes pierced through both of us, making it clear that she wasn't here to negotiate.
"Do you two have nothing better to do than fight like children?" she asked coldly, with a hint of disappointnt in her voice.
Telmo glared at her for a mont, his fiery rage flickering, but her gaze didn't waver. It was like staring into the eyes of a predator that had already decided you weren't worth the hunt.
"Tch," he muttered, yanking his hand away from her grip.
He mumbled sothing inaudible under his breath and turned to walk away, his shoulders stiff with unspent frustration.
I sighed, rubbing the hand she had just released, and scoffed.
"Who are you to lecture us about fighting like kids?" I said sharply. "When we first t, you literally attacked
like so madwoman and tried to force
int—"
"—MHMM!"
Before I could finish my words, her hand tapped my mouth, making
let out muffled noises.
"That.. kind of thing shouldn't be discussed in public," she leaned in closer, her breath brushing against my ear.
From a different angle, the position she was holding , could have been considered...
Ambiguous...
"Let go, you crazy bitch," I finally grumbled when I wriggled free of her grip.
Her erald-green eyes glinted, and a vein popped on her forehead.
Clearly, she didn't take the comnt lightly.
"You'll pay for that, Aestrea," she said, her voice chillingly cold.
Her gaze bore into mine like a predator toying with its prey.
"After today's classes, go to the training camp. I'll give you a special training."
Sothing about the way she said "special training" sent a faint chill down my spine.
"...Ah, hell n—"
"—If you do, I'll grant you a favor."
"Deal." I imdiately accepted.
A favor from Zeva, a s-rank awakened?
That was not sothing to pass up.
Her lips curved into a small, almost triumphant smile.
"Good. Have a nice al," she said, her voice returning to a more neutral tone, before walking away.
"Yeah, yeah..."
Taking a look around, I finally noticed that everyone's gaze was on . It seed that my little fight with Telmo had attracted quite the attention.
Or was it my interaction with instructor Zeva...?
Well, I didn't actually care.
So, I took the opportunity that everyone was distracted and talking to each other, to pass the crowd in the cafeteria.
I got a tray and put a lot of food to my liking there before lifting it and taking a look around, hoping to find an empty table.
But like I said before, it was pretty stacked, so I didn't exactly find one.
Then I spotted a hand waving at
from across the room.
It was Lucas, smiling faintly as he gestured for
to join his table.
Along with him, was his small party group.
Gosh.
I really don't want to sit with them.
But as I ignored it and took another look around...
I realized that I had no choice but to sit beside Lucas.
"Hah... You were injured just a day ago, and you're already causing trouble?" Lucas asked as soon as I sat down in the chair, putting my tray on the table.
"...I was the one causing trouble? Last ti I checked, I wasn't the one throwing punches first." I blinked innocently.
"Fair enough." Lucas chuckled softly.
"Well... it was satisfying enough to watch," Rose muttered softly, barely audible over the noise of the cafeteria.
I turned my gaze to her, arching an eyebrow. Her cheeks imdiately flushed, the red creeping up to her ears.
She seed to have rembered our little interaction in the dungeon.
"Also, Aestrea! How about joining us for the Snow Festival?" Lucas interrupted
just as I was about to tease Rose, his cheerful tone cutting through the mont.
"...Joining in what?" I asked, narrowing my eyes.
"Well, isn't it obvious? The activities!" Lucas replied, his grin as bright as ever.
His words imdiately brought the realization crashing down on . The Snow Festival activities—most of them—were team gas.
And knowing Lucas, he'd already decided that I was their missing piece.
I hesitated slightly.
"Don't worry! Everyone here doesn't mind having you on the team!"
"Of course not!" Maya chid in, puffing out her chest like a proud rooster as Iris nodded gently with a small smile.
Rose simply let out a low 'yes', and then there was Ella.
She just stared at .
Not for a mont, not for a few seconds, but for what felt like an eternity.
Her eyes bore into
as if she were trying to uncover so mystery.
Until she finally spoke:
"Sure."
Just at that mont, Lucas turned to .
"So, what do you think?" He asked eagerly.
"Isn't your team strong enough?" I raised an eyebrow.
"Not really," Lucas admitted, scratching the back of his head sheepishly. "The fifth-year students are participating too, and let's be honest, it's going to be tough beating them."
He leaned in slightly, his voice dropping just a bit.
"But with soone like you—strong, experienced—it's the perfect addition to our team!"
He looked at , awaiting my response
And of course, my reply was...
"No."
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