Why Do You Need a Reason? # 1
Why is there something like this? Suddenly, when I’m sleeping soundly, the feeling turns icy cold.
Clearly today I had school or work or something I had to do, but my body feels so refreshed.
As if I had slept so deeply that every trace of fatigue had vanished!
“Wait a second.”
I kicked off the bed in a hurry and checked the clock.
8:40 AM. I was late, way too late.
While preparing to dash into the bathroom, I was about to unload a torrent of scolding at Professor Egmas for making students late…
“Ah.”
I suddenly remembered that Egmas had been dismissed from the academy.
Plus, a new magic professor had arrived, so I didn’t need to rush out early anymore.
I was about to run to the bathroom when I collapsed back onto the bed.
Even if I slept again, my mind was perfectly clear because my body had startled awake.
Even after kicking out Egmas, his presence lingered so strongly.
I should contact my acquaintance at the Magic Tower again and have them investigate thoroughly since it was going to be investigated anyway.
…Wait. Why was I closing my eyes?
I blinked a few times and checked the clock again.
Oh my god, the time that had been 8:40 a moment ago was now 9:20.
Thinking my mind was clear, I decided to wash up slowly and head out a bit early.
But I had only closed my eyes for a moment, and forty minutes had vanished in that time.
With this life lesson that waking up early changes nothing…
I quickly ran to the bathroom, finished getting ready, and left the room to attend the magic lecture.
It was said a new professor had come from the Magic Tower, but I had no idea who it was.
Still, I was certain it wasn’t someone like Egmas.
Who would recommend a magic professor after I had stabbed at the Magic Tower for sending one? Would they really send someone at that level?
“Lucian.”
“Did you sleep well, Raoul?”
“No. Not at all. I woke up at 8:30. Wow, I can’t even imagine how shocked I was. I thought I was late.”
“You too? I woke up at 40 minutes and was completely startled. Wow, we were seriously late today.”
In this part they were doing the same thing again. Friends really are amazing.
Lucian and Raoul chuckled as they walked toward the magic lecture hall.
But when I stepped inside, it seemed we weren’t the only ones affected.
“Haam.”
“Kuuu…”
Yawning and stretching everywhere, it was a complete mess.
Clearly the new professor had scheduled the lecture at 10 AM to allow some extra sleep, but everyone still hadn’t erased the traces of Egmas.
Finally, when the clock struck exactly 10:00, the lecture hall door opened and the first person to enter was someone new.
Wearing the academy professor uniform, it was obvious he was a professor, not a student.
His appearance looked no older than his thirties, so his peers showed a bit of surprise.
To become a magic professor, one had to have been a Magic Tower member for at least five years. If that was the case, this new professor had joined the Magic Tower when he was very young.
“Everyone! Nice to meet you. As you’ve probably seen the notice, due to ‘personal circumstances’ I’m Raven Startree, who has taken the place of Professor Egmas who resigned!”
Being young, he introduced himself without any weight or formality.
What to say… it felt like a neighborhood older brother who had just gotten a job and was standing in front of me?
More than that, Startree, Startree… it sounded familiar but not quite.
Most mages recognized for their skill at the Magic Tower knew their names, but I had never heard of Raven before.
If he was someone recognized at the Magic Tower to the point of being recommended for professor in his thirties, my acquaintance should have mentioned it at least once.
But no matter how I thought, I couldn’t recall such a person.
“Well, today is my first lecture in honor, so starting the lecture from the beginning would be a bit disappointing, wouldn’t it? So today I’ll briefly explain the direction of the upcoming lectures and take a few questions, then end the lecture!”
“Ooooh!!”
“Professor is the best!”
A day when the magic lecture ended early—that was something I could never have imagined when Egmas was still professor.
Raven professor, as if he knew, laughed heartily and casually shared his story.
“Everyone. What is magic? A divine language made of extremely complex and systematic formulas? The source of overwhelmingly powerful power? All correct, but for you sitting here it will be a bit distant. So I think this way. Magic is simply a wonderful tool that makes life elegant. And you are here to learn how to handle that tool as well as possible.”
Completely different from Egmas professor, who had praised magic too much.
Calling magic a tool without hesitation was quite shocking.
In the past the Magic Tower had been full of old farts, so criticizing magic even a little would make them swarm like mad dogs and bite you, but apparently that atmosphere had mostly disappeared.
After that, Raven professor showed how to make students interested in magic.
Or not to be scared or overthink by making it too difficult.
“Anyway, the magic lecture I’ll be taking will focus on taking the most important first step for you to become familiar with magic. Don’t get hung up on grades, don’t fear results. Just take the first step. Whether you fall or go forward, no one knows. Well, today’s lecture ends here. Ah, but just because it’s over early, don’t go play around—go to the library and read a book or something! End of lecture!”
Raven professor ended the lecture in just thirty minutes.
Of course the peers were excited and cheered as they rushed out of the lecture hall.
I was about to follow my friends when Raven professor’s voice caught me.
“Ah, there, student? Sorry, can you help me organize the textbooks?”
Textbooks, and there were many who hadn’t left the lecture hall yet.
But pointing at me specifically meant he had something to say to me.
After saying yes, I slowly organized Raven professor’s textbooks.
A short while later, almost all peers had left, and only then did Raven professor speak.
“So you’re the one? The person my senior mentioned. I’ve wanted to meet you once. It’s an honor.”
“I wonder what you said to make such remarks, Professor Raven.”
“Is there any more fitting descriptor? Genius, just that word is enough. Ah, of course my senior added ‘bad personality,’ but he said to keep it secret. I’m telling you specially, Lucian student.”
Oh ho, while I was away he badmouthed me too? Let’s see. I have to get revenge in the paper.
“Magic mage Egmas… now he’s not even a mage. Anyway, that man is probably eating thin soup in the investigation room while being questioned right now. Before coming here I heard he ate a lot, and it’s surprising he wasn’t caught. Amazing how he managed to hide his back.”
“Everyone hides some back. Egmas professor’s back was exactly up to there.”
“Lucian student, you’re nineteen, right?”
I nodded in agreement and Raven professor tilted his head.
His speaking tone and thoughts seemed to suggest he was older than nineteen.
It felt like he had lived more than me, which was strange.
Thinking that a mage had at least one good sense, I shrugged my shoulders.
“Anyway, please take care of me from now on, Lucian student. And occasionally give me some of those problems too.”
“Really?”
“It’s fun, right? Magic is also an academic discipline, and there’s no fun in solving problems. You can come find me and give them to me. I’ll be counting on you.”
“Well, there’s nothing I can’t do. Understood, Professor Raven.”
“Thank you. Then, Lucian student, you should go out soon. I see someone seems to be waiting.”
Who was waiting? Thinking it might be Raoul, I turned my head and saw the sparkling blonde hair beyond the lecture hall window. I let out a groan “Ugh”.
No, how did this woman know the lecture ended and came flying here?
Is she not attending the lecture? Why does she keep appearing as if she’s the same student?
“Perfect timing.”
“Eh?”
“Nineteen years old. Isn’t that the best age to date?”
“Hey, Professor Raven? This isn’t dating, it’s…”
“No need to be embarrassed. Rather, I’m envious of you? I was a student at the academy too, but I didn’t date because I was obsessed with magic studies. I didn’t know back then, but as I got older it hit me. I was single throughout my twenties. Haa… I feel like life is really pathetic.”
…No way, you’ve been single until now?
I felt like I was watching an intense tragedy and couldn’t deny it.
Receiving Raven professor’s encouragement to cheer up as “yes, yes” and parting words.
After hurriedly leaving the lecture hall, I saw Rie waiting as expected.
“It seems the new magic professor is this person. I’m glad he’s a good person.”
“Yeah, but didn’t you have a lecture? How did you know to come here?”
“I don’t have morning lectures usually. Instead, I do more training at that time.”
After saying that, Rie started looking at me with eyes asking what.
After blinking a few times, she bit her lip and quickly grabbed my hand saying “Come on, don’t just stand there!” and started heading somewhere.
Intending to show swordsmanship skills worthy of a rival…
Honestly, from my perspective, it was just imagining dying every day like this.
Being dragged by Rie, as I approached the magic lecture hall door, Raven professor poked his head out.
And silently moving his mouth as if saying something, confirming it was “Lucian student! Cheer up!” I had no choice but to sigh again.
“Where exactly are we going…”
“We’re here.”
The place we arrived with Rie was a suitable open field that I hadn’t seen before.
I knew the grounds of Minerva Academy were larger than those of some noble family estates.
So even professors didn’t know some secret spaces, and apparently there were a few.
Maybe this open field was exactly that kind of place.
“Catch.”
After barely catching the thrown wooden sword, without any warning she immediately rushed at me.
The momentum was so fierce that my pride and everything made me roll on the ground desperately.
Right after, looking at the wooden sword that sliced right where my head had been, if I had been hit my head wouldn’t have broken, and my spine went cold.
“Hey! Isn’t this too much?!”
“I thought about it carefully after returning to the room yesterday. What is lacking in you. You said you have no talent for swordsmanship, but your eyes and head are already showing reactions above average skill level. So what exactly is the problem? Thinking like that, I reached one hypothesis.”
Whoosh! Uwoong!!-
With one hand swinging the wooden sword, the sound of tearing the air.
This eerie moment, where else, Rie was seriously trying to kill me.
“The moment you recognize ‘crisis’ doesn’t come even once. So the body that got complacent in that safety has become stiff and hardened.”
“I don’t think that way?!”
“It’s a hypothesis. So I’m trying to figure it out.”
This crazy! Again, I hurriedly crouched and barely dodged the attack.
No time to swing the sword for defense, otherwise my head would definitely break first.
Rie was saying not to run anymore and to try defending now, but unfortunately my body still couldn’t follow that much.
“Push you to your limit. Don’t get complacent! Throw away that naive thought that this might not work!”
With that shout, the wooden sword in Rie’s hand flew again.
I was seriously trying, but not putting in full power.
Currently Rie was treating me at a level I could sufficiently block.
Then, let’s try, since I hadn’t pushed myself to the limit like she said, I had possibilities…
“Eh.”
Suddenly my body felt unsteady, and my posture collapsed.
Because too much strength was put in, the step twisted and I fell.
Thanks to that, not only defense but even evasion was impossible, and I confirmed the next scene unfolding in front of my eyes and head.
The image of being properly hit by Rie’s wooden sword.
Thwack!-