Chapter 306
Chapter 306
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 306
Chapter Title: Wrapping Up (4)
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Crack!
Just as Oliver tried to close in on Yareli again, a massive ice wall erupted from below, shooting up to block the space between him and Yareli.
And that was far from the end of it.
Crack!
Crack!
Crack!
Sharp yet heavy sounds echoed as ice walls surged up across the entire arena, filling every direction.
It was like a maze.
Oliver glanced sideways in search of Yareli, but as expected, she had already vanished.
She had turned the whole arena into her home turf.
Oliver released mana from his body to track her down, but the threads of mana extending outward were disrupted by the mana and chill radiating from the ice walls crammed everywhere, failing to relay proper information from the surroundings.
And that wasn't all.
His feet, shielded by mana, were gradually encroached upon by the ice on the floor, like clothes soaking in a drizzle. The ice inside the arena spewed pale chills, slowly turning the space into a freezer.
To make matters worse, the ice walls surrounding him on all sides reflected Yareli's image like mirrors, sowing visual confusion as well.
An optical illusion exploiting ice's reflective and translucent properties.
It was one of ice magic's traits, but this was the first time he'd seen it used in person.
It was a tricky technique to pull off.
Yet astonishingly, Yareli—a student who wasn't even a full-fledged mage yet—was executing it flawlessly.
They'd said she could become an official Magic Tower mage anytime she wanted, and it seemed that was no exaggeration.
What should I do... The ice on the floor kept trying to freeze his legs, the chill in the air constricted his body, and the ice walls distorted his vision.
Of course, it wasn't truly troublesome.
He could easily see through the ice magic's illusions with his eyes that pierced emotions.
But he wondered if it was worth the effort. It wasn't a fight he had to win at all costs, and pushing too hard might just breed misunderstandings.
As he pondered, the chill enveloped him more tightly, sapping his body heat, while the floor ice infiltrated his mana, locking his feet in place.
The reflections of Yareli in the ice walls moved in different directions, each biding its time for an opening.
In the end, Oliver made his decision.
"I surrender."
No actual sound came out, but the escalating tension and atmosphere shattered emptily in everyone's ears.
And that made sense, since the spectators had been watching with rapt attention.
It was proof of just how well Oliver had been holding his own against Yareli.
Yet in the midst of it all, he declared surrender with disarming ease.
The surrounding students watching were stunned, of course—and even Yareli, his opponent, hesitated in visible disappointment.
The only one not disappointed was Kevin.
He matter-of-factly called off the match, erected a mana barrier, and Oliver politely bowed to Yareli.
"That was truly impressive."
As he descended from the arena, Oliver felt the warm air envelop his entire body.
It was just the temperature difference, but aside from that, he felt pretty good.
"Ah, thank you."
One of the students cautiously handed him an outer coat.
She was one who'd trained basics with him, and though she looked a bit deflated, she was still admiring Oliver.
It might have been natural. He'd surrendered anticlimactically, but he'd put up a decent fight against Yareli, after all.
At the very least, compared to the previous matches, this one had felt like a real bout.
Oliver thanked her again, draped the coat over his shoulders, and returned to his original duties.
Kevin watched him silently for a moment before promptly calling the next examinee.
A short while later, the exam wrapped up.
Not all the students' tests were finished, but they were nearly done.
The remaining ones would probably conclude by the next session.
So Oliver got back to his own tasks.
"Thank you all for waiting."
Oliver addressed the group of students he'd asked to stick around.
They were all the ones who'd done basic training with him.
The hostility, discomfort, awkwardness, and rejection they'd shown at first were gone, replaced by a degree of familiarity and closeness.
It felt rewarding—like he'd achieved something worthwhile.
"The reason I asked you to wait is that I have an announcement."
"An announcement?"
"Yes... I'm sorry to say this, but most of you here won't get great grades in this [Basic Magical Combat] class."
It was a harsh thing to say while the exams weren't even fully over, but none of the students argued.
Unlike Felix, most hadn't made any standout progress; they'd mostly stayed in place.
And in the tests, most hadn't lasted beyond two or three matches before losing or collapsing.
So they all figured they wouldn't score well anyway.
"That's why the professor plans to offer a summer session during the break to help you catch up. If any of you want to improve your grades or skills, please sign up. No pressure, of course."
The sudden news left them all hesitating.
Oliver understood completely. The summer session hadn't been on the schedule originally.
The old man ordered it... Is it because of me?
Right before leaving Merlin's mansion after dinner and their talks, Oliver had brought up how he'd helped Felix and asked if he could do more of the same.
Merlin had abruptly assigned Kevin to handle the summer session and told Oliver to do as he pleased.
He felt a little bad for putting Kevin out.
One of the hesitating students raised a hand with a question.
"What will the classes be like?"
"I'm not entirely sure yet. But with fewer students expected, we'll be able to teach more effectively. Those who keep up diligently should see real improvements in skill and grades."
"Um... Will you be helping out too, Mr. Xenon?"
It was less a question about help and more one loaded with subtext. Oliver answered.
"Of course. I'll assist as much as I can for anyone who works hard."
Having heard Oliver's response, the students nodded hesitantly to themselves and dispersed.
Some were still wavering, others looked troubled, and a few burned with motivation.
A far cry from how things started.
After explaining how to register, Oliver tidied up the training room and stepped out to rejoin Kevin.
As he emerged, he spotted someone standing in the not-too-distant corridor ahead.
A familiar face. It was Yareli Iceeye.
Her silver curly long hair tied back, thick glasses on, she'd changed from training clothes into neat casual attire and stood there.
She looked like she was waiting for someone—probably Oliver.
"Hello, Mr. Xenon."
"Hello, Ms. Yareli... Are you waiting for someone?"
"Actually, I was waiting for you."
"Me?"
"Yes... I had some questions."
It was true. Yareli did have questions for Oliver.
Along with suspicions and a need for confirmation.
Oliver replied.
"I'll answer anything I can."
"Thank you... Why did you surrender at the end?"
An unexpected question. Oliver tilted his head.
"Pardon?"
"Why did you surrender at the end?"
"Well... It was obvious I'd lose?"
Oliver answered with some sincerity.
If he'd kept fighting, he might have found a way somehow—but that was just a what-if.
With limited mana and restricted to pure mana school spells, beating Yareli would have been tough.
Her mana quality and quantity surpassed most Magic Tower mages, and she had superior spellcasting and combat experience to boot.
Proof of that: the cold air, frozen floor, and multiple mana-infused ice walls layering pressure on him.
The chill and ice steadily sapped his physical abilities, while she hid behind mana-charged walls and disrupted him with ice magic's illusions.
One slip, and she'd have ramped up the pressure for a lethal strike in an instant.
Something told me I couldn't afford to get hit.
Oliver recalled the nagging unease he'd felt throughout the match. Yareli had been aiming for something specific.
Anyway, after Oliver explained his reasoning, Yareli voiced her doubt.
"That's strange. I thought you had the skill to overcome that much."
"I'm flattered, but I'm not quite there yet."
Oliver replied. Though Yareli didn't buy it. Her suspicion and conviction only sharpened. If only he knew what they were about.
"Even if not, I didn't expect you to give up so easily."
"Is that so?"
"Yes. I figured since you convinced Derek, you had more tenacity than him... Mind if I ask one more question?"
"Go ahead."
"How did you get hired by Professor Kevin?"
"Hired?"
"Yes. From what I know, he doesn't hire staff."
"So, what did you tell her?"
After reporting his conversation with Yareli to Kevin, the professor asked.
"I said it wasn't something I could answer on my own and dodged it."
"Good call. Better than fumbling a half-baked lie... What did Yareli say to that?"
"Nothing much. She said she understood and left... I don't know the details, but she seems to find me suspicious."
"Not surprising. You are suspicious."
"Pardon?"
"Hiring staff in the first place is odd, and you're plenty shady yourself. It's normal for her to think that."
Kevin wasn't wrong.
Casual use of vacation days like meals, combat prowess beyond expectations, surprising magical knowledge, suspicious exploits at Mountain Face, and more. Oliver looked dubious to anyone.
"The issue is the direction of that suspicion."
Even though it could spell big trouble for him, Kevin stayed calm.
He wasn't one to dwell on unchangeable worries.
Oliver ventured a question as he watched Kevin.
"Professor."
"Yeah?"
"Is there some history between you and Ms. Yareli?"
Kevin paused in his grade calculations. A sign it was a valid question.
He fell silent for a moment, weighing whether to answer.
He leaned toward not, then suddenly changed his mind.
"...I can tell you, but why do you want to know?"
"She's suspicious of me but keeps watching you too. From the first class signup until now, she's been observing you closely. At first, I thought it was just awkwardness like with the other students, but it doesn't seem that way... So I wondered if there's something between you two."
"Hm... Is the emotion Yareli holds when she looks at me a good one? Or a bad one?"
"Not exactly good. But not outright bad either. There's displeasure and doubt, but mixed in with acknowledgment and understanding."
"Impressive. Unlike my father."
"Your father?"
"Yeah. Yareli and I have no direct connection, but her father and I do."
"Ah... What kind?"
"Not much to it. I just beat him. Thoroughly, in front of the entire Magic Tower."