Chapter 397
Chapter 397
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 397
Chapter Title: Rapidly Changing Situation (1)
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The medics' shouts were a tangled mess, but they didn't reach the students' ears. The gruesome sight of Eider on a stretcher said more than a hundred words ever could.
The fate of the first person to challenge Shirone was the epitome of misery. Fear had already begun to sprout in the hearts of the few students who had been weighing Shirone against Fermi.
Since Eider had left the front lines, the hill capture was a disqualification loss for Screamer's team, but Shirone's expression was grim.
No matter how sweet the efficiency of evil, humans have a heart that loves good and wants to do it.
He wanted to believe that.
But in the final moment, Eider had activated the AT Algorithm.
No lightning bolt had struck from the sky, nor had a giant hand descended to snatch him away.
Are humans truly infinitely free beings? Or is this, too, just a part of some grand system beyond our perception?
“Shirone's team wins. Twenty points acquired. This concludes the hill capture evaluation.”
Shirone walked over to his friends and placed a hand on the shoulder of Maya, who was still trembling with fear, and apologized.
“I’m sorry. You got dragged into this difficult fight because of us.”
“I’m fine. I’m more worried about you.”
Shirone was decisive and cold enough to completely remove Eider from the graduating class.
But that was merely the manifestation of an insight that took the shortest path to a goal, not a strength born from emotion.
‘This must be hard for you, Shirone…’
The truth was, he didn't want to fight anyone. All his anguish began there.
A choice that was exceedingly easy for some was the world's most complicated problem for Shirone.
Eider received emergency treatment outside the battle arena.
A medic confirmed his heart was beating and shouted, and a person next to him quickly ran off somewhere.
Having watched the scene unfold, Lycan of the Electric Monsters turned to Fermi and spoke.
“Eider succeeded. He really got under Shirone’s skin.”
Fermi shook his head.
If Shirone were someone who moved on emotion alone, toying with him would be child's play. Their dispositions were polar opposites, but Shirone was of a similar breed to himself.
“If anything, his emotions reinforced his composure. He calculated that if he didn't crush Eider, a second and third Eider would appear. It was better to nip it in the bud.”
“Either way, the strategy was a success. We saw all of Shirone’s techniques. From now on, we just need to collect magic that can beat him in terms of matchups and counterattack. Wasn’t that the plan from the start?”
“Of course, but…”
Fermi rested his chin on his hand, lost in thought.
In an evaluation worth twenty points, anyone would give their all. But it was only human nature to want to save something like the Laser Guidance Algorithm.
In that respect, Eider had perfectly fulfilled the terms of their deal. So what was the source of this dissonance nagging at his mind?
“I see.”
Lycan turned to look at Fermi again.
“Was he hiding it? No, that guy wasn't hiding anything from the start. Wings of Light, Shotgun Movement, Laser Guidance Algorithm. Even if it hadn't been Eider, he would've played those cards anytime if necessary. So why was I mistaken? It's because Shirone's growth rate is overwhelmingly faster than anyone else's.”
He had already acquired three new skills he couldn't use before entering the graduating class.
Even if they knew everything about Shirone now, it was impossible to predict how much he would have evolved by the graduation exam.
‘In just three months, he’s equipped himself with two intermediate and one advanced magic. In terms of speed, that’s almost on par with the military enhancement I achieve through my financial management.’
Without turning around, Fermi spoke to his companions.
“Special bargain sale.”
“Huh?”
“Tell all clients they get a twenty-percent discount. And from now on, we're only buying advanced magic. Buy up everything you can find before the graduation exam.”
Hersy of the Sonas approached with a grimace.
“But Fermi, if we do that, this year’s profits will…”
“What did I just say?”
Hersy’s face turned pale as Fermi’s gaze pierced through him. Fermi the perfect manager was just as terrifying as Fermi the rule-breaker.
“If you don't eliminate minor variables, they become unmanageable ones when they finally hit you.”
As Hersy spat out the words, Fermi turned away coldly.
“Do it.”
“Y-Yes, I will.”
Once Fermi left the arena, the remaining four exchanged glances before following him.
The area around the battle arena was still in an uproar. A few students were desperately trying to restrain Screamer.
They were the type who hated meddling in others' affairs, but if they left him alone, Eider might actually die.
“Let go! I’m gonna kill that bastard! I said, let go!”
“Screamer! Calm down! Eider’s seriously injured! If you hit him, he’ll really die!”
There wasn't much left to hit on a patient with fractures all over his body, but with Screamer's personality, one couldn't be sure.
“I’m hitting him to kill him! How dare that arrogant bastard ruin the board I set?”
He had gotten the team disqualified with an unapproved strategy. On top of that, he had colluded with Fermi. For Screamer, who was sensitive about back-alley loyalties, it was enough to make him see red.
“Aaargh! This is so frustrating!”
Screamer kicked the ground, showering Eider with dirt. A medic, who had seen enough, glared daggers at him and pointed a finger.
“You! Get at least ten meters away from the patient! Or I’ll report you to a teacher!”
“Argh! Dammit!”
Regaining his senses, Screamer shook off the students' hands and turned away. He couldn't do anything right now, but once he recovered from his injuries, Eider had better be prepared to be half-beaten to death.
Screamer walked to a water fountain, opened the lid of a water bottle, and chugged it down in one go. Then, as Shirone's group approached, he pointed with the hand holding the bottle and spoke.
“Don’t get cocky just because you won. If it wasn’t for Eider, the outcome would’ve been uncertain.”
Nade scoffed.
“You’ve got to be kidding me! We had that match in the bag anyway. And I believe you made a promise, didn’t you? To apologize to Maya.”
Screamer ground his teeth. He had given his word, so he had to apologize, but he couldn't bring himself to say it.
There was an element of injustice to it, too. How was he supposed to win a match with an unprecedented moron like Eider on his team?
“Tch! What apology? Here, drink some water.”
Screamer handed over the water bottle as if to end the matter. But the reaction he got was unexpected.
Still not over her trauma, Maya flinched and her shoulders trembled. A sigh escaped Screamer’s lips.
‘Jeez, she got hit a few times and now she’s terrified. How is someone like that supposed to become a mage…?’
Maya had no talent for magic. No, talent aside, her very way of thinking was unbefitting of a mage.
In the end, people’s personalities were all different, and what mattered in reality was who could push their way through.
Her face was swollen, her eyes were like a frightened rabbit's, and her posture, with her hands clasped like she was being punished—every single thing about her got on his nerves.
“Maya, you…”
Just quit being a mage.
Screamer swallowed the rest of his words. It was her life, and her choice to make.
Besides, when he looked at her not as a mage, she did look a little pitiful, like someone who had been bitten by a rabid dog and was still in shock.
“Fine, I’m sorry.”
Screamer scowled and pressed the water bottle into Maya’s hand.
“Sorry for saying you sounded like a dying pig. You’re a good singer, so keep at it. Don’t worry about Eider. The moment he gets back, I’ll send him right back to the infirmary.”
“Screamer…”
To Maya, Screamer was an intimidating person. Always angry, and unfortunately, often in the same group, making her heart pound just from making eye contact. Hearing an apology from such a person, all the sorrow she had held back came rushing forth, and tears streamed down her face.
“Ugh, seriously, I can’t stand this. Hey, I apologized, so we’re good, right? I’m leaving.”
Screamer shook his head, grabbed another water bottle, and left the training ground.
* * *
Two weeks after the hill capture evaluation, on a holiday.
Shirone, Nade, and Iruki headed to the advanced class building with flowers in hand. They had heard that Shina, who had received an award from the royal castle for her recent thesis, had been promoted to a certified Grade 5.
Among the magic academies under the Tormia Kingdom, none besides the Royal Magic Academy had a certified Grade 5 mage as a regular teacher. It was a joyous occasion for Alpheas Magic Academy.
“But is it okay for us to go? Graduating class students don't usually leave the steel gate. Something about making the juniors feel intimidated.”
“Still, we should congratulate her. She took good care of us, during the presentation and all.”
The moment they entered the advanced class building while chatting, the eyes of every student in the hallway widened.
Seniors from the graduating class, whose faces were rarely seen, had appeared. And three of them at that.
“Wow! It’s Senior Shirone!”
“Senior Iruki and Senior Nade are here too!”
Students poured out of every classroom, instantly blocking the hallway.
Seeing the sparkling eyes of his juniors, Shirone was reminded of his own past, when he had been awestruck by Sanuel’s demonstration of ultrasonic arts.
‘Right, I was like that too.’
It was unimaginable now, when he was sparring daily with masters of Sanuel’s caliber.
Perhaps for that reason, the juniors he had taken classes with just a few months ago seemed much younger than before.
“Greetings, seniors! My name is Oeruen, the top prospect of Class Four!”
A boy with a youthful face stepped out from the crowd and bowed deeply.
Shirone tilted his head, as he had never seen this face in the integrated classes until last year.
“Oeruen?”
“Yes. I enrolled this semester. You probably wouldn't know me, senior.”
“Ah, so you’re a transfer student.”
Oeruen smirked and shook his head.
“No. I also started magic late. It’s a similar case to yours, Senior Shirone.”
Only then did Shirone take a closer look at Oeruen. To be in Class Four right after entering the magic academy meant he must have achieved some impressive results on the entrance test.
‘Hm?’
Suddenly sensing a dangerous aura, Shirone entered his Spirit Zone out of trained instinct. Oeruen's Spirit Zone was piercing his chest like a sharp spear.
‘Hmm, so that’s how it is.’
A rising star in the advanced class would have undoubtedly heard the stories about Shirone.
Above all, his followers, Mark and Maria, were mainstays here.
The fact that Eider had dropped out of the graduating class would have had an impact as well. It would depend on the graduation schedule, but there was a possibility of one student from Class Four moving up, so it was only natural for him to be highly motivated.
‘How’s that? At this level, even you have to acknowledge me, right, senior?’
Oeruen knew how formidable the graduating class was. But he didn't think his own talent was inferior to that of Shirone, the most famous student in the academy right now.
Shirone had started from Class Seven despite enrolling at eighteen. He, on the other hand, was two years younger and a prodigy who had entered Class Four at once.
Shirone could only smile.
This was why graduating class students rarely left the steel gate. If they had to deal with every clueless junior, they would never get anything done.
‘He certainly has talent. But…’
Shirone’s eyes suddenly snapped open, glaring at Oeruen.
His Spirit Zone shifted to an offensive form, and nearly two hundred thorns shot toward Oeruen.
“Ugh!”
Startled, Oeruen collapsed on the spot. Propping himself up with his hands, he looked up at Shirone with a terrified expression.
He had thought he wouldn't be outmatched in the Spirit Zone, but that offensive form just now was on a completely different level.
‘No way. Mark definitely said he was a defensive type…’
Shirone crouched down to meet his eyes.
“You. You specialize in the offensive form, don't you?”
“Huh? Ah, yes.”
He had thought so. Based on the personality he had grasped from their brief encounter, this junior was brimming with energy, much like Amy.
“Just making your mind sharp isn't everything. For an offensive type, speed and agility are key. If you maintain the same mental state like that, your opponent will get used to it in no time.”
“I-I see.”
Oeruen stared blankly up at Shirone. The gap between them was far greater than he had vaguely imagined.
‘Is this the graduating class?’
When Shirone took a step, the students blocking the hallway parted to the left and right like a receding tide.
“What a bold kid. Reminds me of how Iruki used to be, doesn't he?”
At Nade’s words, Shirone recalled his first meeting with Iruki and grimaced as if it were a terrible memory.
“No, compared to Iruki, he's actually quite modest.”
“Confidence is proportional to skill. In that sense, it's only natural for that kid to be more modest than me.”
“Honestly, that bottomless confidence of yours…”
As they conversed, dozens of juniors watched the backs of the three seniors disappear down the end of the hall.