I Lifted a Lake and Earned Merit

After I got back from the lake, the first place I went wasn't the student council room or a professor's office.

It was the infirmary.

More precisely, Lydia had grabbed me and hauled me there.

"I'm really fine, I swear."

"You used a huge amount of power. Checking your condition comes first."

I wanted to argue, but I was still soaked through and the cold lingering in my body hadn't fully cleared. In the end I sat through a quick exam from the healer and was parked on a bed.

White curtains. The smell of medicine. My Yeouiju resting on the side table. And Lydia, settled in the chair, staring straight at me.

Her voice was soft. She was even smiling. And yet she was terrifying. More terrifying than when I'd lifted the lake itself. I yanked the blanket up to my nose.

"Are you really mad?"

"No."

That was a lie. Was a saint even allowed to lie?

"I just worry about the Cheongha who told me to trust her, then lifted an entire lake, floated it over her head, and even redirected it herself."

Hearing it listed out one by one, even I had to admit it sounded extreme.

"I'm sorry."

I apologized on the spot. In situations like this, a fast surrender was the best move. Lydia sighed and took my wrist. Warm golden mana slowly traced through my body.

"Your mana flow has stabilized quite a bit."

"So can I leave now?"

"No."

"That answer came way too fast."

"You need to rest here today. There's still a cold hanging on, and you suddenly used far too much power."

Lydia picked up a bowl from the table. Thin golden gruel filled it.

"You haven't eaten a thing since the practical started, have you?"

"I'm not really hungry."

Growl.

My stomach betrayed me on the spot. Lydia's smile softened a fraction.

"Eat slowly."

She scooped up some gruel and blew on it. Wait. Was she planning to feed me?

I scrambled upright.

"I'll eat it myself."

"It's fine if you stay lying down."

"My hands work perfectly."

"The healer told you to rest, too."

"Eating counts as resting."

I took the bowl and spoon. That had been close. If I started letting her feed me here, I really would turn into baby Cheongha. It already felt half too late, but I still had a scrap of pride left.

The gruel tasted better than expected—warm and smooth. I almost asked whether she'd made it herself, then held back. If I did, she'd probably keep bringing more.

After the meal and a dose of mana stabilizer, the infirmary door opened. The Mana Manipulation Professor and Selene walked in. As always, Selene had a notebook in her hand. I reflexively tugged the blanket a little higher.

"Why are you hiding?"

"Patients need rest."

"You only covered your mouth."

Selene's observation was dead-on. I lowered the blanket again. The professor ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠stopped beside the bed. He looked more tired than usual.

"How's the body?"

"I'm fine now."

"The healer's judgment was different."

Why did no one ever believe me? Considering my track record, I had nothing to say. The professor exhaled a short sigh and got to the point.

"The magic circle discovered at the lake is currently under joint investigation by the faculty and the student council."

Selene opened her notebook.

"Three confirmed functions: blocking rescue signals in the practical zone, seizing control of the demonic beasts, and guiding the beasts toward a specific area."

A specific area. The lake. The way the beasts had swarmed us the moment we arrived hadn't been coincidence either.

"Who made it?"

"We can't say for certain yet." The professor's expression grew heavy. "What is certain is that it is not a formula used by the academy. Similarities to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠demon-system formulas have also been found."

Demons. At that word, the air in the infirmary briefly sank. In the original story, demons had only shown up occasionally in early events. When I played, I'd treated them as throwaway combat fodder before the heroine scenes. Living through it, though, it was nothing like a minor event.

The Return Crystal had been blocked. The beasts had come in a pack. If Erika, Lydia, and I hadn't each done our parts, we might not even have reached the lake.

I clenched a fistful of blanket.

"Are the other students okay?"

"There are minor injuries, but everyone is safe."

That was a relief. The professor continued.

"Right after the magic circle was destroyed, the beasts that broke free of control scattered, and the rescue signals were restored. In effect, greater damage was prevented."

In effect. My ears locked onto that phrase with perfect accuracy. Selene's pen moved.

"Cheongha's merit will be submitted as a separate report."

"Merit?"

"Detection and destruction of the underwater magic circle. Release of demonic-beast control. Restoration of rescue signals."

Hearing it out loud made it sound enormous. Floating the entire lake hadn't been part of any plan, but redirecting the collapsing water onto the beasts had definitely been my doing. My conscience prickled.

"Um."

I opened my mouth carefully. The professor and Selene looked at me at the same time. Should I say it? That I hadn't actually sensed a thing. That claiming I'd felt a strange energy at the lake had been a lie so I wouldn't get scolded. If I came clean now, the merit report would probably get canceled. They might even bill me for wrecking the lake. I still didn't properly have money in this world.

"Student Cheongha?"

The professor pressed.

"No. It's nothing."

Conscience folded instantly in the face of material damages. The professor watched me a moment longer, then didn't press further.

"The practical evaluation has been ruled void. The Forest of Demonic Beasts will also remain closed until safety is confirmed."

I widened my eyes.

"Void?"

"Conditions did not allow a normal evaluation."

"We reached the second checkpoint, though."

"I'm aware."

"And we collected the markers."

"I'm aware of that as well."

"Then couldn't you give us at least a little credit?"

The professor pressed his temple.

"With a demon-system magic circle discovered, do scores really matter?"

"An accident is an accident, and a score is a score."

Selene's pen stopped.

"Obsession with evaluation scores."

"Don't write that down either."

In the end the professor promised to leave a note of separate merit on my evaluation form. It wasn't points, but it beat empty hands. I nodded in satisfaction.

After the professor and Selene left, the infirmary grew quiet again. Only the soft sounds of Lydia tidying medicine bowls remained. Or so I thought. A small voice drifted in from outside the door.

"Is she really in there?"

"The Azure Dragon who lifted the lake?"

"Shh. She'll hear."

"But isn't she smaller than you'd think?"

I heard every word. I pricked my ears under the blanket. Several shadows fell across the bottom of the door. Someone tried to peer through the gap and was promptly chased off by the healer.

"Patients are not a spectacle. Everyone leave."

Footsteps stamped away in a hurry.

Tap-tap.

This time the sound came from the window. I turned my head. A small black dragon familiar was stuck to the glass. Purple eyes met mine. Lydia opened the window and the familiar flew inside.

"Noel-senpai?"

"Yeah."

"Did you come to visit?"

No answer came right away. The familiar circled the bed once, checking my condition first.

"Data collection."

"Can't you at least say you came because you were a little worried?"

Another short silence.

"A little."

The familiar held out a folded paper with its front paw. Unfolded, it showed a blue magical girl raising a massive wave. Beside it, sparkling letters were written:

"I'm lying here exhausted and you're already using me as material?"

"It was impressive."

"That's a compliment, right?"

"Yeah."

The familiar's tail gave a small wag. Noel's version of a get-well visit was hard to read to the end.

Then the infirmary door opened again.

"Cheongha."

Erika walked in carrying a fruit basket.

"You okay?"

"They said my mana was just a little shaken. I'm fine now."

Erika set the basket on the table, then simply looked at me for a moment without speaking. Normally she would have started with a challenge to fight again, but today she was quiet.

"In the practical training, you were strong enough."

Erika spoke first.

"Why are you saying that all of a sudden?"

"Because it's true. In the forest you covered my back, and at the lake you wiped out the beasts."

The power that had lifted the entire lake was still a mystery. But changing the direction of the falling water had been my will, no question.

"So next time, fight beside me again." Erika crossed her arms. "But warn me first if a lake is about to float. Even I got startled."

It was the first time Erika had ever openly admitted to being surprised. Even so, I could tell it was her way of showing concern.

"Next time, please don't even think about floating a lake."

Lydia cut in. Erika looked away.

"But she pulled it off."

"A good result doesn't mean it wasn't dangerous."

"Cheongha said she could do it."

"You still should have stopped her."

Their voices rose a little. Noel's familiar had already fled to the windowsill. I looked at the table. The gruel bowl Lydia had brought. The fruit basket Erika had carried in. The bizarre special-move candidate Noel had drawn. The merit report Selene had just been writing.

At the lake I'd been too frantic to notice properly. Who had stood in ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠front while I used my power. Who had stayed by my side even after I'd burned through everything. Now I could see a little of it.

The Azure Dragon who lifted the lake. The way people called me seemed to have shifted a little from "problem child." Of course, they still added "small" at the end. I forced down the smile tugging at the corner of my mouth. Hearing that title made me sound incredibly strong. And the truth was, my power wasn't weak. I had blasted the beasts away, and in the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠forest I'd filled Erika's openings with mist and wind. The blue lightning had been pure accident—I still didn't know how I'd called it or where it would land. Lifting the whole lake hadn't been intentional either, but I'd caught the collapsing water and sent it back toward the beasts. Finding the magic circle had been pure luck. Even so, the three of us had held out until that luck became a result.

I was strong. The problem was that the power was still far bigger than my hands. Holding a disaster without a manual—that part hadn't changed.

And power wasn't the only thing I didn't understand. I still had no idea why I'd come to this world. One day I'd been trolling the dragon-obsessed yongbaki crowd in a gallery, and when I opened my eyes I was an Azure Dragon. No status window. No voice saying someone had summoned me, or telling me what I was supposed to do here. The original story had never contained an Azure Dragon or any Eastern elements at all. So there shouldn't have been a place for me to enter, or a role I was meant to fill.

Until now I'd been too busy surviving. I'd fretted over wrecked original routes and spent every day cleaning up the accidents that kept exploding. But this time I couldn't laugh it off. A demon magic circle I didn't even remember from the original. A power I myself didn't understand, erupting on its own in front of it. And the people who had stood by me, trusting that power.

If there truly was no reason I fell into this place—then what was I supposed to do from here?

I looked at the Yeouiju on the table. Its blue light simply rippled, quiet as always, and gave me no answer at all.

Why had I come here?

For the first time, I sincerely wanted to know the answer.