To the Academy (1)
"Y-you... what the hell are you...?"
The instant Baisha saw the swordsman die, he collapsed onto the floor on his backside.
Ellen walked toward him.
"You already know the answer to that, don't you? I was trying to pass through quietly. Why'd you have to mess with me?"
Thud!
Ellen drove his boot into Baisha's face.
"You little shit!"
Even on the brink of death, the man still clung to his pride.
"Still not getting the picture? Fine. Let me help you understand."
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Ellen seized Baisha by the scruff of the neck, hauled him upright, and began hammering his face.
"You bastard—do you know who I am, uwaaagh! You know who you're dealing with, kuhk!"
Watching Baisha keep running his mouth even while getting beaten, Ellen clicked his tongue.
"You're Baisha, the scummy loan shark. A dead man walking."
At the words "dead man," Baisha flinched.
But this punk kid was nothing. As long as the nobles behind him stepped in, he could crush the brat without breaking a sweat.
"Do you have any idea how many people I have behind me?! A piece of trash like you—I could have you taken care of this instant!"
Even with his face swollen and blood pouring from his nose, Baisha kept shouting. Ellen shook his head.
"So that's it. You're getting on my nerves, huh?"
Ellen fired a Magic Missile into one of Baisha's finger joints.
Crack!
"Aaaargh!"
"Shut up. This is only the beginning. Three joints per finger, so thirty times and we're done. Hang in there."
Crack!
"Please, spare me! I'll do whatever you say!"
Before the tenth joint, Baisha's attitude completely flipped.
"Changed your mind already? Too bad. Mine hasn't."
Crack!
"Aaaahhhh! Please! I'll do anything you tell me!"
"Look at that guy's face. You did that to him. I'm just trying to return the favor."
"I won't! I won't ever do it again! Just let me live!"
Baisha looked ready to burst into tears. It was impossible to reconcile this with the man from moments ago.
"Don't ever live like that again."
"Yes! Yes! I'll live a good life from now on!"
Right there on the spot, Baisha slammed his forehead into the floor over and over in a show of submission.
"Guess you misunderstood. I never said I was letting you live."
Thud.
And that head never rose again.
A spear of solid stone punched straight through his skull.
Ellen walked over to Jerry, who was covered in blood.
"Uuh... uhh..."
Jerry's body twitched, too paralyzed by fear to move properly.
Healing.
Whirrr.
The moment Ellen laid a hand on him, Jerry's wounds began to close.
"It's only a basic healing spell, so you won't be fully recovered. But you should be able to move fine. Head home quickly."
Jerry, who had been certain he was about to die, blinked at Ellen's actions.
"Th-thank you..."
"Don't mention it. Go on."
Jerry thanked him several more times before finally leaving Baisha's establishment.
Time to wrap this up.
Ellen searched every corner of the place, collecting Baisha's documents and cash.
Snap.
Whoosh.
Once outside, Ellen flicked his fingers. Two Fireballs engulfed the entire establishment in flames.
The reason for deliberately burning it down was simple.
No one yet knew Ellen could use magic.
When the investigators eventually arrived and saw the place wrecked by magic, not a single person would think of him.
Back home, Ellen went straight to his room and carefully read through Baisha's papers.
There are even more rotten nobles involved than I thought. No wonder Baisha could run a human-trafficking operation.
Ellen clicked his tongue and replayed the fight in his mind.
I still haven't trained enough.
His old habit of blaming everything on his own insufficient effort remained unchanged.
I need to ramp up the training intensity. And add hand-to-hand combat, too.
For the next week, Ellen devoted every waking hour to training.
Now that he had reached the 2nd Circle, he focused even more intently on gathering mana.
While 1st Circle magic consisted of everyday utility spells like Light and Clean, from the 2nd Circle onward one could wield elemental magic and support spells.
Fire- and lightning-type spells such as Fireball and Lightning possessed formidable lethal power and could be used offensively.
The earth-type spell Stone Edge was useful for defense or suppression.
The water-type Ice Fog was an extremely versatile tactical spell.
There were also support spells like Detect, Shield, and Healing that proved invaluable in combat.
Of course, simply reaching the 2nd Circle did not mean one could use every spell available at that level.
A circle was merely the minimum requirement. To cast a spell, one needed a precise understanding of its principles and the complex formulas involved.
The power of a spell varied dramatically depending on that depth of understanding.
Occasionally there were cases like Leonard, who could cast magic through sheer mana capacity and affinity even without grasping the principles or formulas—but that was the exception, not the rule for most mages.
In his previous life as a Magic Assistant, Ellen had thoroughly studied the theory for every spell up through the 3rd Circle without missing a single one.
He had also completely mastered the theory behind representative spells all the way up to the 7th Circle, even if not every single one.
Thanks to those grueling efforts, those memories now resided fully in his mind. As long as his circle rose, he could wield the corresponding magic at one hundred percent power.
Spurred by this latest battle, Ellen began training not only in magic but also in hand-to-hand combat.
This time he had survived thanks to past experience, but there was no telling what form future fights might take.
He needed to turn the knowledge in his head into instinct as quickly as possible.
I've made decent progress over the past week.
His physical strength still lagged, but his combat senses had recovered to about half of what they had been in the past.
I have to get as strong as possible before enrollment.
Five days before academy enrollment, Eugene arrived at Ellen's house with one of his disciples.
"Master, you've come."
Seeing Eugene's face still made Ellen's stomach turn, but if he was going to use the man, he had no choice.
In fact, this kind of thing was one of his specialties.
"Oh! Ellen, my boy. Have you been well? Everything ready for enrollment?"
Eugene was genuinely delighted to see him.
Now he could prove to the Magic Tower that this genius was his disciple.
"Yes. I can leave whenever you're ready."
"Good. Say goodbye to your parents and let's be off. Once we reach the capital, we'll need time to buy your academy supplies—there won't be much to spare."
"Ellen, be careful out there."
Maria held him tight as she spoke.
"Don't worry, Mom. I'll come back a real mage."
"Take care of yourself."
Sien embraced him as well.
"No need to fret, either of you. I'll look after him well."
Eugene was eager to hurry back to the Magic Tower.
"Thank you. Please take good care of our son."
"Of course. Now then—let's go."
Neigh!
At Eugene's command, the coachman cracked the reins and the horses surged forward.
The first gateway to becoming a mage begins now. This time will be different—I swear it. Leonard, you'll be there too, won't you?
Watching his parents grow smaller in the distance, Ellen steeled his resolve.