The Method to Receive a Dropout Recommendation
That day felt different somehow.
With Professor Aria away, the research schedule had relaxed considerably, and even sitting through lectures felt genuinely enjoyable. It was that kind of day.
Being a commoner had invited constant harassment, turning most days into ordeals. Yet that particular day stood apart.
At least until the incident occurred.
I suppose I really was that naive.
A senior who had never been particularly close suddenly spoke to me. He apologized for the misunderstanding, admitting he had believed the wrong rumors all along.
At the time, I wondered if the bullying might finally end. If I might at last be acknowledged as a person. That was what I told myself.
I wanted recognition. I wanted to believe that even someone like me could contribute to something meaningful.
The senior asked if I would join him for tea.
Thrilled at the invitation, I nodded eagerly.
The meeting place was the laboratory—a space so familiar to me that I had spent countless hours there conducting research.
That was why.
That was probably why I never suspected a thing.
When I arrived, two more seniors were already waiting. I thought we were simply enjoying a pleasant conversation together.
“This is a new tea blend that just arrived. Care to try some?”
I nodded without the slightest hesitation.
I took a sip. Nothing seemed wrong. I kept drinking while eating the snacks they offered, emptying the cup.
And then—
After the final swallow, I coughed up blood.
I kept spitting it out, my body crumpling to the floor.
“Hahaha, wow, what an absolute fool. Why does the professor even keep someone like this around?”
What greeted me was ridicule.
“I don’t know if you’ll survive, but do try to hold on~”
Thud. Thud. They kicked me several times before leaving the laboratory.
“If the assistant hadn’t returned to the lab unexpectedly afterward, my condition would have been far worse.”
By the time he realized it, Yohan had already returned to the dormitory. He spoke the words aloud.
In the end, he had not died. It was later revealed that they had planned to kill him, yet Yohan’s unique condition had kept him alive.
“The Mana Void Syndrome proved useful at times.”
Yohan gave a small, dry laugh.
A condition in which the body could not retain mana properly—mana that leaked constantly like water from a broken jar, preventing proper use of magic. To him, it had always been a disease of pure despair.
But.
It was the very illness that had saved his life.
Yohan sat on the edge of the bed and continued.
“Without the Mana Void Syndrome, I likely would have died. Even though I was found relatively quickly, the damage to my throat was severe.”
The poison they had used targeted mana directly.
It was a toxin once employed to neutralize high-risk criminals, one that guaranteed death if a certain amount was ingested.
And they had forced him to consume far beyond a lethal dose.
“My low mana capacity had always been a hindrance at the academy, yet it saved me in the most unexpected way.”
Because the poison acted through mana, Yohan—who could not hold it inside his body—had survived.
From the academy’s standpoint and from his own, it was fortunate he had not died.
…Though whether it had truly been fortunate remained debatable.
“In the end my throat was ruined and I lost my voice, so I cannot say for certain if it was fortunate.”
Yohan, lost in thought for a moment, spoke again.
“In any case, that is what happened.”
That was what had happened.
Zeno’s voice was flat and devoid of emotion, yet Yohan could sense the faint astonishment woven through it.
“They probably never considered that far ahead. The fact that Professor Aria was the Magic Tower Master only became known much later.”
They must have assumed I was expendable—something to be discarded if broken, just as other professors might have viewed me.
A simple, foolish way of thinking.
“Something unusual did occur.”
They could have issued light sanctions on account of their noble status, yet the academy refused to treat the matter lightly.
Discrimination and harassment had existed before, but this was the first time anyone had directly attempted murder.
Even they seemed to recognize the need for action.
…Though only after the fact.
“The president personally intervened to investigate, and every participant was expelled.”
It was an unprecedented event.
The academy, which had long overlooked noble students abusing their power to torment commoners, had actually punished them.
The incident remained a frequent topic of discussion for a long time afterward.
Of course the nobles’ behavior did not change dramatically.
But at least.
They never bothered Yohan again.
“Being driven out of the academy is more than mere dishonor.”
On the surface it was a prestigious institution; to be expelled was tantamount to being branded irreverent and worse.
One could say they had been marked with a stigma.
Something that made it impossible to hold one’s head high in society.
“I do not know what became of them afterward, but their lives could not have been easy.”
Yohan gave a small chuckle.
Of course, the Giants’ invasion would have cut those lives short regardless.
…Tsk. Thinking about it again, that is rather disappointing.
“Yes. The president proposed it himself.”
He promised to handle all other procedures and told Yohan to decide before Professor Aria returned. He added that once she came back, the offer might cease to exist.
…In the end, Yohan had chosen to remain at the academy.
Perhaps he should not have.
“…She said nothing in particular.”
Yohan quietly searched his memories.
He had met the returned Professor Aria.
We did meet.
She had come to his infirmary room in person.
However.
They had not exchanged any meaningful words.
She simply handed him a single dagger as a gift and left.
With an utterly indifferent expression.
“After that I was removed from all research. My mana had begun to vanish around that time as well. I am not sure whether she realized my condition.”
From then on—except for the final moment—he had no further memories of doing anything with Professor Aria. No encounters. No conversations.
Only near the end, when the apocalypse loomed, had he received all the research materials before the battle against the Giants began.
“From that point I devoted myself entirely to research. It was the only thing I could do.”
Yohan spoke calmly.
His vision had gradually begun to fail. Because he had refrained from using mana for so long, the symptoms had been delayed considerably, yet in the end he had lost his sight while continuing his work.
Unable to see, he had retraced countless memories until he finally succeeded at the very last moment.
“Yes, it did.”
Yohan began sorting through the belongings in his dormitory room with meticulous care. He needed to decide which items he would take when he left this place.
“What is it?”
It was Zeno’s voice.
The subtle difference in tone made Yohan ask before he could stop himself.
“Yes, it does.”
Yohan tilted his head as though he saw no issue.
Aha.
So that was the problem.
…But was it really a problem?
“It does not seem like much of a problem to me.”
Yohan spoke as if the matter were trivial.
“I truly do not mind. After all, I do not need to speak aloud to converse with you, Sir Zeno.”
There was no need to use his voice.
Conversation was possible through thought alone.
However.
He had preferred speaking aloud simply because he disliked the sensation of having his thoughts read.
“From the moment I remain at the academy, we must converse through thought whenever we are outside the dormitory anyway. It makes no difference.”
Zeno offered no reply.
Yohan continued organizing his belongings in silence, waiting.
“Understood.”
.
“Yohan, the professor asked me to give this to you.”
Yohan accepted the box the senior had brought.
A box containing chocolate.
This moment had never existed before.
…Why has it changed?
Yohan’s expression hardened like stone.