Can You Hear My Voice (2)
Raphael. Thank you. I have not forgotten and will always remember the grace with which you raised this weak person and encouraged me every time I felt myself breaking. I have become the battalion commander leading the frontlines of the demon world. The Raphael-style Swordsmanship I learned from you is incredibly effective against monsters and demonkin. Did you foresee even this, Raphael? Every morning, I offer prayers without fail to repay your grace. Please grant us the glory of victory in this war as well.
The academy was as noisy as ever today. The shouts of students training mingled with bursts of laughter. Yet one voice cut through the air that didn't belong here at all.
"Kick, look at that loser walking by~"
"Hey, I heard he can't even use mana? Something about training without it, apparently~"
"Tsk. That hybrid is the main reason the academy's going downhill... Why doesn't he just drop out already?"
"Come on, kids, let's not talk about that useless thing! We're nothing like that trash!"
Useless. Trash. Loser. All of it was aimed at Ian.
To keep his promise with the angel statue, Ian had trained without using mana from his very first day at the academy. As a result, even the professors and instructors had taken to calling him things like "the half-wit who can't use mana" and "the idiot who refuses to use mana."
Even today, beneath the blazing sun, Ian continued to attend the academy without faltering. Every time his classmates saw him, they had something to say.
"Hey, isn't he from the same rural backwater as you? You two close?"
"Ha... You wanna die? Why the hell would I be friends with that idiot?"
"Aw, I'm just kidding~ Wouldn't it hurt his feelings if he heard that?"
"What could he even do if he heard us? Snitch?"
"Pfft, that's hilarious. If he actually tattled, wouldn't that just prove he's a little kid? Hehehe."
Ian simply ignored the mocking words and kept training steadily at the academy grounds, as though he existed on a completely different level from them. The group that watched him with clear displeasure waited for his training to end.
From the bright glare of midday until the cool evening breeze swept in, Ian pushed through basic stamina drills and strength exercises. The pack that viewed him like an insect eventually grew tired of their own venom and left the training ground.
It had already been twenty-nine days since he began honoring his promise with the angel. In just one month, Ian's body had transformed. Muscles that hadn't existed before now stood out clearly, and his leg strength had grown remarkably powerful. His flexibility in particular had improved so much that he scored perfect marks on every flexibility test.
Finally, the thirtieth day arrived. Just like the first day, Ian ran to the plaza in the gentle evening breeze and spoke to the angel statue.
"Master. It's already been a full month since our promise."
The statue remained silent.
"Just as you instructed, I controlled my mana while going through the academy's training. It was truly difficult."
"There were times I wanted to give up. But I endured through sheer spite and willpower, watching my body change every single day."
"And just as you warned, Master, even the professors, instructors, and so-called friends criticized me... At first it hurt deeply, but now those wounds no longer affect me."
"I held on believing only in your words that you would make me strong. And today, I have completed the full month."
"What should I do now?"
"I felt helpless. The utter powerlessness of a human who can do nothing without mana..."
"And I sensed another kind of energy besides mana. At first it was unclear, but after living without mana for a full month, I became certain."
"That energy other than mana... Was this what you intended, Master?"
Laughter echoed from the statue. Ian stood quietly until it subsided.
"Chakra...?"
"Cut through... anything?"
With a heavy thud, Ian knelt before me.
"Master! Please teach me how to wield chakra!"
Ian had cast aside every last shred of pride, begging the statue with desperate sincerity. Anyone watching would have called him insane. The statue remained silent for a long moment before speaking again.
"...Yes!"
Tears began streaming down Ian's face. In the empty plaza, the sound of his sobs rang out.
"Hic... I will work hard...!"
The statue began teaching Ian in a deeply serious tone.
"Yes, Master!"
Ian adjusted his mana until his face turned bright red. Though he already possessed excellent mana control, handling the power after an entire month without it proved difficult. Bringing the wild mana under control and limiting it to exactly fifty percent of his capacity was an arduous trial. Ian tackled it silently, step by step, without complaint.
I simply watched him with quiet approval. When he finally managed to tune it close to fifty percent, I praised him.
"Huff... huff... It was nothing, Master!"
"...My body feels somehow different. It seems like I can sense mana more clearly..."
Ian stood there with his mouth agape, completely dazed. It seemed he couldn't quite grasp how strong he had become.
"I've become this strong... and I can still grow even more?"
"This... was only the first steps..."
Watching Ian stand there in a daze, I couldn't help but smile.
"Master... thank you."
Ian bowed deeply toward the statue before heading back to the dormitory. I found myself continuing to watch over him, pleased by his growth.
Now Ian won't get pushed around wherever he goes.
I can't wait to teach him Raphael-style Swordsmanship.
Meanwhile, the academy had fallen into complete chaos. Ian—the very same student they had written off as a half-wit, a retard, and trash—had taken first place in every single class. Shocked by the sudden change, the professors and instructors made him retake the tests, but Ian claimed first place once again.
Realizing he had truly transformed, the professors and instructors began treating him with favor. The academy was a place ruled entirely by grades; grades were everything. The students who disliked Ian's newfound success dragged him off to a secluded corner.
"Hey, loser! A loser should know his place. What's with the sudden defiance?"
"That's right, trash should stay trash! I don't like this new you!"
"Hmph, how dare such a vulgar, ignorant fool stand above me... I cannot accept this."
Ian listened to their words and let out a hollow laugh, utterly dumbfounded.
"Ha... Does it really bother you that much that I've changed?"
They were already pointing weapons at me while speaking. Did they truly intend to kill me? If they really planned to take my life, I had no intention of standing still either.
"How dare you point a sword at us?"
"Shut your mouth and get over here, you yandere bitch."
"What...? Yan... yandere...? How dare you!!!"
As expected, Master's words were never wrong. All yandere girls are nothing but crazed lunatics. Master's teaching that the only good yandere is a dead yandere had proven absolutely correct.