The Trick (2)
A sharp crack echoed through the air.
Black liquid immediately escaped the cup that had been holding it, spreading its wings toward the newly soaked cloth.
But before those black wings could even fully unfurl, it hadn’t even managed to leave the cup—the very home it had known.
A palm thick with hardened calluses had slammed down, sealing the cup shut and preventing even a single drop of coffee from spilling out.
Altro Rodriguez.
A knight-major student. A member of A-Class, he had stopped my actions and seized my arm, halting me in place.
“Enough already.”
His deep, booming voice washed over me like a low rumble.
“......”
“You’re way too worked up.”
As I slowly released the force gripping my coffee cup, he loosened his hold on my arm.
Instantly, two mage-major students who had been squeezing their eyes shut in fear stared at the scene with wide, terrified eyes.
“It’s not about forgiving your fellow students. You should really consider what kind of impact your actions will have on the knight-major and A-Class.”
“···Haa.”
Even though my insides were boiling, he was right.
I had gotten too heated. In the battlefield, where knights fought life or death together, reacting this way to something so trivial was foolish.
As I looked around, students who had been passing by earlier were now glancing over at the commotion with curious stares.
Anything more would only draw unnecessary attention. It could be risky if any other professors spotted me.
“To all of you mage-major students, if you’ve flinched, you’ve certainly realized that I made a slip of the tongue, haven’t you?”
“···Uh, y-yes.”
Even as fellow students, they sounded exactly like adults scolding children.
They bowed their heads in apology to Altro’s imposing figure, then turned and fled into the distance.
“I was the one who got worked up. Sorry.”
“Stabbing a knight’s pride right in the face is enough reason to be furious. Twice, no less.”
Before I could offer an apology, he slowly nodded with a smile on his face.
Thick facial features, the same rough voice, and an imposing build.
More than his outward appearance suggested, I had come to realize he was surprisingly thoughtful.
“But you’ll need to be more careful from now on. This is A-Class that everyone else is watching, after all. You should set a good example.”
“You’re right.”
I nodded in agreement.
Even though my real purpose had led me here to the academy, my status was still that of a student.
I couldn’t go around acting on impulse or letting my emotions run wild, not when I didn’t want to cause any unnecessary trouble.
I reminded myself of that truth.
“Well, I’m going to head out now! You’re Lir Austrin, right? I hope we can see each other again at the training grounds sometime.”
With those words, the thoughtful Altro walked away into the distance, his stride measured and steady.
Once he had vanished from my side, Serpin appeared beside me and spoke.
“I was surprised, Lir-nim. If you were about to spill coffee like that all of a sudden, what were you thinking?”
“Those guys insulted the knight-major first. They’re just going to die anyway.”
“Still···. Doesn’t that make it hard to react to every little thing?”
He was correct.
How many times had I heard those words in my life? Countless times on the battlefield.
···Even at Builant’s funeral.
The knights lack responsibility. That’s why they deserted and left the knight-commander position behind.
From that moment on, I became hypersensitive to such remarks. The one who pushed me to the limit and finally struck back had been Roengul.
Of course, I knew what those words meant to someone from the royal family, but these students here had no idea.
The knight-major and mage-major. Knights and mages.
With those two opposing forces still clashing, I’d probably hear such comments countless times.
I needed to endure it.
I swallowed it down.
Though it would be difficult, I resolved to try to let it slide as casually as I used to whenever possible.
Walking all the way to the building housing the lecture hall, I slowly calmed my mind, and then calmed it again.
I arrived at the lecture hall, set down my bag, and washed my hands in the restroom.
That was because the coffee I had been about to pour had leaked out slightly and soaked my hand.
Luckily, it was just room-temperature coffee, so it wasn’t hot.
Drip, drip.
As I shook the water from my hand onto the floor and hurried back into the lecture hall, I collided with someone and was knocked back a step.
“Ah, I’m sorry.”
When I looked up at the person I had bumped into—a taller one—I felt my eyes dart rapidly.
Black hair swept back, the most striking single eye hidden behind an eyepatch.
“Rogelos Clifoid.”
The man who had been my greatest nemesis and one of the most frequent rivals I had clashed with in the royal palace now stood before me.
For a split second, my expression almost twisted, but I barely managed to hold it together right before it broke.
I clenched my teeth tightly, hiding the pain behind a rigid face.
Looking at me with steady eyes, Rogelos slowly opened his mouth.
“Be more careful from now on.”
“......”
And then he turned on his heel and walked away somewhere.
He was the same as ever. His arrogance, his gaze, his tone—everything was unchanged.
I didn’t know why he had come to this academy, but I was certain it brought me no joy whatsoever.
It would be best if I stayed out of his sight as much as possible. I clenched my fists tightly, hoping to avoid any further encounters with him.
And I returned to the lecture hall.
Once seated at my place, I took out the textbook and prepared myself. Then I spoke to Serpin in a soft voice.
“Serpin, this subject is easy for you, right? After all, you’re the daughter of a Mage Tower guardian.”
“···Ahaha, it’s not that simple. I know the basics of magic, of course, but there are plenty of people who’ve mastered it after coming from all over.”
Right. Most students here were the children of noble families from various regions.
Usually, those who wanted to keep up with the academy came with some basic pre-study.
“Moreover, knights’ ‘Signs’ have quite a few differences from regular magic, don’t they?”
Exactly. Signs were spells that pursued a completely different direction from the ordinary magic used by mages.
Only knights and a very small number of mages studied Signs; most mages simply focused on magic itself.
“That’s why I don’t know much about Signs either.”
···Still, thanks to that, I would be able to handle today’s lesson more smoothly than the other students.
As for me, I had mastered everything by now... but Serpin would eventually have to rely on mana to use Signs as well.
While we were quietly discussing what to say next, the lecture hall door opened and Professor Remediela, with her red hair and pointed hat, entered.
She smiled brightly at the students who had turned their attention to her, waving a hand.
“Hello, everyone.”
She was one of the rare professors affiliated with the mage-major who moved between the knight-major and was also a mage herself.
Her subject was “Basic Magic and Signs.”
A gentle voice, a bright smile, and easy-to-understand explanations.
And with a youthful appearance that didn’t match her late thirties, she was popular with all the students.
Remediela stepped onto the stage and cleared her throat.
“So far, the lectures have been on theory, which has been pretty dull. Today we’re covering ‘Signs,’ so it won’t be boring.”
Then Remediela called roll one by one.
A few minutes later, after finishing attendance, she stood at the front of the lecture hall.
Over the past few days, the theory of mana and magic that everyone had read about in books had been laid out, making it rather dull.
Moreover, it felt more like a story for mages, which didn’t resonate with the knight-major students who aspired to be knights.
But Signs were different. Signs could be considered “simplified magic” that even knights with weaker mana could use.
“Mana Concretion.”
Remediela spread her hand, displaying the radiant mana within it to all the students.
It was nothing more than a simple mana sphere, but even that was difficult for most knights who couldn’t choose their mana.
“Mana Relocation.”
Soon, the pure mana sphere would be reconfigured through circuits carved with other mana.
The mana turned into a flaming sphere blazed in the air.
“Finally, Manifestation.”
As Remediela clenched her fist, the flames roared and vanished in an instant.
Normally it would have been launched into the sky, but that wasn’t possible inside the lecture hall.
“These are the three stages used by mages. But you don’t need to worry too much about Mana Relocation.”
Knights hadn’t been chosen for their mana.
Compared to mages who could shoot flames into the sky and change their forms with vast amounts of mana, the amount knights could use was pitifully small.
“Through countless histories, the circuits you can use have been refined and created.”
In other words, they had pulled out magic that only mages could normally use and made it possible for ordinary knights to wield it through their mana talent.
Simply put, they created magic with extremely simple and tiny circuits.
That was.
“Signs. Magic made for you.”
Among the swordsmen who had nothing left but flesh, the last dagger.
A means to confront the demons boasting immense mana and monsters possessing bodies stronger than knights’.
“Unlike soldiers, knights don’t use two-handed weapons much, either.”
She flicked one hand, manifesting short, concise magic with a simple gesture.
If they had to use a two-handed weapon, they could support it with their fingers and wield it with the remaining ones.
Remediela snapped her fingers toward the students who had focused all their attention on her.
Instantly, a bright light appeared, making the students squint.
“I adjusted the power, but the Glare that actual knights use is even more intense. What if you used this surprise attack in the middle of battle?”
The opponent who had been distracted by the sword would lose their vision and be neutralized right then and there.
The diversification of combat. Attacks from unexpected angles. That was the advantage Signs brought to knights.
The students instinctively felt how crucial this technique was.
They knew how big a merit it was to snatch an opportunity in battle.
“···No need to say it, right? But don’t focus only on Signs.”
After all, Signs were just an auxiliary tool for knights. In other words, a “dagger.”
The reason was extremely simple.
“Using Signs as someone who isn’t a mage requires a lot of concentration. Meaning, you can’t focus on the sword.”
Knights’ fights were always about weapons clashing in hand.
It started with swords, and it ended with swords.
In the battlefield where blood and flesh sprayed, the lack of concentration meant death.
That was why Signs were needed.
“At a decisive moment. When you could pierce the opponent’s gap and seize a perfect opportunity, you had to use Signs.”
Otherwise, you would ultimately lose because of the lack of concentration.
The students suddenly realized.
Just how massive a weapon they had been given right here and now.