Chapter 36
Chapter 36
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 36
Chapter Title: Clubroom Complete
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◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ After four days of scrubbing and polishing, furniture and fixtures arrived courtesy of the Yusuf Merchant Guild's staff. Setting up all the necessary facilities took a full two weeks in total.
Philip gazed at the finished clubroom, a twinge of regret creeping in.
'Did I spend too much money?'
He'd installed everything that seemed remotely useful, no holds barred.
Originally built as a warehouse, the interior was spacious, and there was even an open lot outside that could be put to good use. If it had been a cramped room, he might have settled for the bare minimum, but the abundance of space tempted him to fill it with this and that.
Of course, since Lizriel was footing the entire bill, Philip could indulge in the guilt-free pleasure of it all.
He'd even added a lounge for resting, a changing room for swapping out of training clothes after swordsmanship lessons, and a conference room big enough for twenty people.
For his recently close-knit friends Janis, Stefan, and Cheryl, it was like having their own secret hangout for gossiping after class.
"Now that the clubroom is complete, we're going to kick off activities in earnest. True to the Travel Club's purpose, we'll focus on experiences you can't get around the academy—things from the wider world."
The students gathered in the conference room nodded along to Philip's explanation.
"Next weekend, we'll have the club's official first event, so make sure you're ready."
"An official activity, sir...?"
"It's the Travel Club, so it'll be a trip, of course. I'll pass the details to Cheryl, so look forward to it. And as I mentioned before, keep the Hall of Achievements under wraps for now."
The students agreed readily. Philip nodded, pleased.
Establishing the club without any major incidents was a solid achievement in itself. Any longer, and who knew what outlandish mishap might strike.
Philip led the students back down to the Hall of Achievements.
He wanted to give Stefan and Lua a shot at the trials too.
"I'd like to try the Trial of Knowledge, please."
Stefan, confident in his smarts, chose the fox's trial. Naturally, he barely solved one problem before slinking out in defeat.
His reward was a tiny scrap of cloth.
"...It's a lens cloth that cleans glasses perfectly. Here, Cheryl—it's yours."
"Ah, thank you... I mean, thanks, Stefan."
Cheryl caught Janis's sharp glance just as she was about to say "young master" and switched gears. Testing it on her glasses, she wiped them once—and nearly dropped them in shock as every scratch vanished like new.
"Who walks around memorizing the name of some autumn herb that only grows in the Rohna Mountains...?"
Stefan muttered dejectedly, just as the Door of Knowledge burst open. The fox came bounding out.
—Are you saying my question was weird? You're the ignorant one! The administrator over there got all five right!
The fox, visibly irritated, charged at Stefan and smacked his crown with a paw.
"Ow! Hold on!"
It didn't hurt much, but Stefan had no desire to get whacked in front of the girls.
Stefan hung his head, tail to cheek, looking utterly glum. Philip turned to Lua.
"What about you, Lua?"
"Me... over there!"
She pointed to the Door of Valor. Philip felt a flicker of unease but nodded.
'Janis passed out, but Lua will probably just end up in tears at worst.'
With Philip's permission, Lua flung open the Door of Valor.
Twenty minutes later, she emerged—dangling from the tiger's back, sobbing her eyes out.
The tiger, at a loss, craned its neck to lick her cheek.
"There, there, little one. It was all an illusion. Whatever you saw in the mirror... it won't happen to you."
Reading the tigress's pleading eyes, Philip hurried over, grabbed Lua by the side, and lifted her down.
"What did you see?"
Sniffling, Lua replied.
"Ruen... I saw Ruen, Instructor. He called me a bad girl. Said I didn't save him... that I'm not family anymore..."
"Mm..."
Philip let out a soft groan, pondering. The Trial of Valor seemed fundamentally flawed.
'I think I get the mechanism.'
Archmage Asla's idea of courage was confronting one's own weakness. With that brutal difficulty from stage one, it would take time for anyone to pass.
'Better keep it secret a while longer.'
Going public with the Hall could spell disaster. Youngsters always wanted to prove they were better than their peers.
"Hic... sniff..."
Philip pulled Lua close and stroked her back. He was the only one here who truly understood her pain.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Back at the villa, Philip immediately called Lua to the backyard.
Thankfully, she didn't seem too shaken. She knew full well it was just an illusion.
"You need to understand mana first and foremost. It'll be easier to grasp how it flows, what aura is, by feeling it yourself."
"...Yes, Instructor."
Her downcast expression tugged at Philip's heart.
His body was twenty-two, but his mind was mid-thirties.
If his first love had worked out a bit too well, he could have a daughter just a few years younger than Lua.
"Come here and give me your hand."
Lua extended her small hand. Philip took it and circulated his aura—the same way he'd taught Felicia and Diana the Rotating Sword technique.
"Close your eyes and sense what's happening in your body."
Untapped in mana, Lua had no aura of her own, so she absorbed Philip's without resistance.
This method of awakening mana was unheard of. Only Philip could pull it off right now, and Lua was the lucky beneficiary.
"Ah!"
Lua gasped at the strange new sensation.
Something warm and lively coursed through her—like feeling her own blood flow.
"Got it?"
With anyone else, he'd explain more, but he knew Lua's talent well enough to keep it simple.
"...Yes!"
All she needed was the spark.
A power she'd have awakened naturally mid-swing.
Lua felt her world flip in an instant. Whatever Philip had infused her with filled everything.
The grass in the yard, the vast sky, the cool breeze—all teeming with it.
"Is this mana?"
Philip shook his head.
"What you're sensing is raw mana, processed once into magical power. Refine that further, and you get aura."
Watching Lua's wide-eyed wonder, like a startled rabbit, Philip was reminded: she was this world's true protagonist.
It was absurd talent.
Sharper than Felicia, already adept with aura, in perception and mana affinity.
'Am I doing the right thing here?'
If she learned everything Philip knew, she'd surpass her original story self—no question.
Whether Philip could handle her in the distant future? Unknown.
All he could do was pray she grew up kind and just—and fortunately, he was in position to guide her.
"Now that you've sensed mana, it'll build up naturally in your body without effort. Once it's enough, we'll learn to wield it."
"Yes."
"Grab a wooden sword, then."
Lua fetched two from the rack. Philip took one.
"Same as always. Think you can get me today?"
During clubroom setup, they'd trained daily like this.
Philip stood stock-still; Lua attacked freely.
Playtime, really. Neither took it seriously. Philip just played along.
It was enough for Lua.
Two weeks without grazing his sleeve, her competitive fire ignited. She pouted.
"Today, I'm definitely getting you."
"Sure? Winner's prize still stands: one wish. Give it your all."
Philip's incentive lit her up.
Gripping her wooden sword two-handed, she crouched low. Philip matched, accounting for her smaller frame.
Her stamina outdid even his; her breaths came quick. A swordsman's boon.
But her blade never touched him.
Ten minutes of parries later, Lua puffed her cheeks, tasting defeat again.
'Still no feints crossing her mind.'
Philip was untouchable against her honest strikes. She'd never deceived or been deceived.
He'd wait for her to figure it out herself.
"Hah... hah..."
Philip chuckled at her sweat-soaked form, wiping her brow.
"Time to head in. Sun's setting."
"...Okay."
"You're improving every day—no need to feel down."
Cheering her up was easy. Off to the bath for her; snacks via maid for him.
To enjoy next weekend's trip, she'd need to train hard.
'No better spot for whipping the kids into shape.'
Philip planned a lake not far from the academy.
The infamous "Mirage Lake."