Chapter 156
Chapter 156
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 156
Chapter Title: A Peculiar Triangle
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***
A steady tread. The sharp click of heels…
Despite being in the same group, Luna and Jerad seemed to walk with a noticeable distance between them.
It was clear to anyone that Luna was the one keeping her distance from Jerad.
“I can’t believe those two ended up in the same group.”
As David, who had finished his evaluation early, commented, I found myself agreeing.
“Tell me about it. I’m not sure if they can even create any synergy.”
Even as I said it, I truly wondered.
Luna’s trait was one that made it incredibly difficult to synergize with others.
Strictly speaking, it was a combat-type trait, but it was a complex one that also included healing.
—Battle Cure.
In contrast, Jerad possessed an elemental trait, Blessing of the Wind.
No matter how I thought about it…
‘Can the two of them even have synergy?’
As I pondered this, my gaze naturally shifted to my side.
There, Millia was watching Luna with a nervous expression.
“Go, Luna!”
As the pair passed by, Millia clasped her hands to her chest and cheered with genuine sincerity, and a smile unknowingly escaped my lips.
‘It’s moments like this, her kindness in every little thing, that I love.’
The biggest reason I thought of Millia as my ideal type was probably her gentle nature. Just looking at her seemed to warm my own heart.
“…Yeah. I’ll do my best, Millia.”
As if drawing strength from Millia’s words, Luna smiled. I found myself hoping they would both do well in the midterm evaluation.
I didn’t really hold a grudge against Luna anymore, though I couldn’t say I saw Jerad in a good light.
‘Still, it’s best when things go well for everyone.’
Whether I liked it or not, I was the type to believe that others succeeding was, in the grand scheme of things, a gain for me as well.
After all, people can only be at ease when they feel at ease themselves. And when people are at ease, they tend to treat others better.
Soon, the two arrived before Kalli, who slowly began to speak.
“The time limit is a maximum of fifteen minutes, same as the previous evaluation. I will assess the power you manifest by combining your strengths. If your traits are difficult to synergize, that will be taken into consideration, so do not worry.”
“I understand, Instructor.”
“Understood.”
After their calm replies, Kalli nodded.
“We will begin the evaluation immediately.”
…As I watched Kalli, I felt a slight sense of unease.
‘She feels so much colder.’
Compared to when I took my test, Kalli felt incredibly cold.
I wondered if I was imagining it.
Luna slowly raised her hand.
I couldn't help but blink at the pure white staff in her hand.
‘Is she going to use magic?’
Just as I thought that, Jerad, standing about two steps away, raised both his hands.
The two exchanged a brief glance. A gust of wind conjured by Jerad swirled and rushed toward Luna. Her clothes billowed wildly, and even her distinctive pink hair began to float in the air.
Whoooosh!
Simultaneously, an intense blue light emanated from the pure white staff Luna held aloft.
“…What is this mana?”
“No way.”
Gasps of astonished admiration erupted from the surrounding cadets, making my own hands flinch.
‘That’s a truly ridiculous amount of mana…’
Even as I felt it, Luna was effortlessly manifesting an amount of mana that felt utterly absurd.
It seemed Jerad was indirectly infusing power into Luna with his trait, Blessing of the Wind. Having accepted it, Luna was concentrating an unbelievable amount of mana into her staff.
The sheer volume of mana was incomparable to anything manifested by the cadets who had been evaluated so far.
“Looking at Luna like this, isn't her trait a real shame? No matter how you look at it, that’s the talent of a mage…”
Even David voiced his impression with a surprised tone, and it was certainly easy to feel that way.
“You could see it that way.”
The mana I could feel radiating from Luna was truly immense, but David’s words were a little off the mark.
In the story, Luna was what you’d call a broken character, one who received the ‘author’s favoritism.’
As one of the main heroines, her sharp personality is later softened by Leonhardt, and she grows in many ways.
In the end, she develops into an overpowered character with talent in almost every field.
Even without the buffs from her trait, she was a ‘strong’ being, possessing talent in both close-quarters combat and magic.
The trait Battle Cure highlighted her presence with its healing properties, and while it certainly had a destructive power component, her greatest value lay in her ‘overwhelming talent’ that lacked nothing in any area.
“Actually… Luna is good at everything.”
The sound of Millia’s composed voice made me turn to look at her.
‘She looks quite calm.’
Millia’s expression suggested that this level of mana was nothing out of the ordinary, and I could understand why.
Millia would know Luna better than anyone.
Having spent so much time with her, she would know the extent of Luna’s talent. Perhaps that was why Millia’s disposition had a certain calmness that seemed to belie her age.
‘Though, that calmness is one of the things I like about Millia…’
As I inadvertently drifted into other thoughts, Luna, who was endlessly gathering mana, was now enveloped in light.
------------!!!
Her clothes fluttered more violently due to the massively gathered mana. The energy concentrated in the pure white staff she held aloft with both hands now contained an overwhelming amount of mana that I couldn’t even dream of imitating.
‘What kind of spell is she going to cast?’
I watched with anticipation.
Suddenly, Luna bit her lip, and I could see her eyes shaking violently.
As if something had gone wrong…
As the sight came into sharp focus, a scene from the original story flashed through my mind.
‘This is…’
When they were in grave danger in a dungeon, Millia had infused her mana into Luna. Using that mana, Luna prepared a powerful spell, but at the critical moment, she faltered.
…She would try to cast a spell far beyond her level and end up failing.
And now, seeing the clear signs of it, I tensed up without realizing it.
Whoooosh!!
Luna was pushing her mana beyond its limits.
As if the already overwhelming amount of mana wasn't enough… but I knew how this was going to end.
‘If this continues, Luna will definitely fail.’
In the original story, after Luna failed, Leonhardt would reason with her, encouraging her not to be hasty and giving her courage.
—Luna! Calm down! Settle your mind!
Leonhardt’s very words came to mind. After hearing them, Luna was able to try again and succeed with the spell.
But that was impossible in this midterm evaluation.
There was no way a less-developed Luna could attempt such a powerful spell again. And crucially, Leonhardt wasn’t here to support her.
As my thoughts raced, I found myself opening my mouth.
“Luna, calm down! Settle your mind!”
…I couldn’t just let Luna fail the evaluation.
Knowing she was headed for failure, I couldn’t just stand by and watch.
“...!”
Luna’s wildly shaking eyes instantly locked onto me, and I met her gaze with a determined look of my own.
“Don’t be hasty. Just show the best you can do within your limits. That’s enough. You don’t need to cast such a powerful spell.”
…As she seemed to focus on my words, I spoke as calmly as I could.
That was the best I could offer her right now.
Luna really didn’t need to push herself.
Even if she cast a spell with the mana currently gathered in her staff, it would still be a spell that far surpassed most others.
In my view, that was enough for now. This wasn't a life-or-death situation; it was just a ‘midterm evaluation.’
There was no need for Luna to overexert herself and show something beyond her limits.
Frowning, Luna chewed on her lip. Then, she began to slowly reduce the mana she had gathered.
Woong!
That change was a great relief to me.
“Han Cheon-seong! What the hell do you think you’re saying all of a sudden!”
I heard Jerad’s shocked shout, but my eyes remained fixed on Luna.
Her unique violet eyes met mine, and I held her gaze, conveying that this was the right path.
‘Just like this.’
This way, Luna wouldn’t fail.
As long as it was mana she could control, she could cast a spell with talent that was overwhelming compared to almost every other cadet.
“……”
“……”
As I continued to meet Luna’s gaze.
Flick.
The moment she suddenly looked away from me, a strange sense of relief washed over me.
Fwoooosh!
The vast blue mana gathered in the staff erupted as if blinking out of existence, then began to form a magic circle.
Swoooooosh—!!
Immediately after, not just Luna, but the entire training ground, even at a considerable distance from her, was swept up in a near gale.
Through my fluttering hair, I could see it clearly.
The magic Luna had cast was nothing short of a ‘storm.’
Ch-ch-ch-ch-chik!!
That storm shot toward Kalli in a tangible form, but even against Luna’s powerful magic, Kalli simply stood her ground.
Kalli's posture, standing firm against what was clearly overwhelming magic, was nothing short of marvelous.
Piiing—!!
A strange vacuum formed as the very air in front of Kalli rippled, and though a storm-like wind raged violently, not a bit of it reached her.
‘Still, it’s fine.’
In the first place, none of the cadets here could even touch Kalli.
The fact that Luna had cast a powerful wind spell based on the power Jerad had manifested was good enough for me.
The evaluation results would be perfectly fine. Thinking that, a smile crept onto my face.
Luna, who was originally supposed to fail the evaluation, didn't. For some reason, I was the one who felt relieved.
As Luna lowered her raised staff, her expression looked incredibly complex.
With a complicated look in her eyes, Luna suddenly let out a deep sigh.
“……Haa.”
Glancing over, Luna looked at me, and I met her gaze with a slight smile.
Luna must be feeling it now, too.
The fact that she had been about to overreach but had barely managed to control it.
…And that while this result might not have been the best she’d hoped for, it was far better than failing the midterm evaluation.
Thud. Thud!
Suddenly, Jerad rushed toward me, and my gaze naturally shifted to him.
“You bastard! Why did you interfere with Luna!?”
He reached out aggressively to grab my collar, but I lightly slapped his hand away.
Smack!
Perhaps because I hadn’t held back my strength.
“Ugh!”
Jerad momentarily staggered, but I remained unfazed.
“I wasn’t interfering.”
I was just stating a fact.
If Luna failed the evaluation, this guy would get a failing grade too. In a way, I had actually helped him.
They were supposed to be working together, yet he didn't even notice Luna was overexerting herself. He had no right to say anything to me.
“This bastard!”
Just as he righted himself and lunged at me.
“That’s enough, both of you. What do you think you’re doing in front of an instructor?”
…Kalli’s cold voice rang out, and Jerad, who was closing in on me, froze.
Watching him, I felt a strange mix of emotions.
It was true I had intended to help Luna, but I had somehow ended up helping this guy too.
“I was really helping Luna, so you should calm down.”
I said lightly, giving the guy who had gotten too close a gentle push.
Thud!
“Dammit…”
As he was pushed back helplessly under Kalli’s cold gaze, I remained perfectly calm.
From Jerad’s perspective, it might have looked like I was interfering with Luna, but there was not a hint of falsehood in my actions.
And then.
“…That’s right. Han Cheon-seong helped me.”
Luna’s voice, filled with a very peculiar emotion, echoed through the air.