The Weight of Responsibility
Arina had always been the type of mage who learned better with her body than with her head. Even with that natural inclination, she had grown up in peaceful days where she rarely had to fight anyone, and so she inevitably became a mage weak to improvisation. It was impossible for her to construct a magic circle on the spot during battle. All she could do with her Fluid Magic Circles was pull out the ones she had stored in advance, like tissues from a box. For someone like her, the Mana Restriction Cuffs—with their unmatched durability—were an indispensable tool in combat.
"……."
Yet those very cuffs had broken. The core magic circle itself seemed damaged, and mana was leaking out even now. Had touching the source been too much after all? If her skill had been greater, they might not have shattered. Watching the price of her inadequate technique with her own eyes, Arina let out a deep sigh from the bottom of her heart.
Now what do I do?
Today's most important matches were all over, so they might be able to muddle through somehow, but tomorrow was the real problem. Without being able to draw stored magic circles from the cuffs, her strength had been cut by more than half. Ordinary magic alone could never reproduce the performance she had shown today. Marily patted Arina's shoulder reassuringly as she watched the gloomy expression settle over her face.
"It's fine. Don't worry."
Honestly, Marily was just as troubled. The maze escape match, the boat race—Arina had been the master key essential to victory in both. The same would hold true for the remaining events. She had planned to rely on Arina's power in every crucial match, but now that power was unavailable starting tomorrow.
This is the worst.
The victory plan that had barely carried them this far had been thrown into complete disarray. How on earth were they supposed to overcome this obstacle? It was a question even she had no answer for. Still, Marily maintained the poker face she had honed in noble society and spoke to reassure her friend.
"Trust me. I'll find a way somehow."
It was a baseless assurance—the kind the world called a lie or a scam. Marily knew that as well, but she willingly chose to become a swindler if it would ease her friend's guilt.
"……Yeah. Thanks."
Fortunately, her effort seemed to have worked. The shadow on Arina's face lightened a little. But as mentioned before, every phenomenon in this world came with the law of conservation. When something disappeared, something new had to take its place. Just as the shadow lifted from Arina's face, the weight of responsibility pressing on Marily's shoulders grew heavier.
Now what am I supposed to do?
She had made bold claims in front of her friend, but honestly, she saw no solution. Did a correct answer even exist for this problem?
Can we even win the championship?
Could Jeon and Togun alone hold off both Chris and Aaron? After today's boat race, their opponents had surely noticed their team's potential and would begin serious interference from now on. It felt hopeless. Like playing chess against an opponent who had promoted three pawns into queens. They had almost no chance of winning. Even so, Marily kept turning the problem over in her mind, searching for countermeasures.
The water's already been spilled.
Regret could come later. Right now, the only thing that mattered was looking ahead. How were they supposed to fill the gap Arina had left? Watching Marily grow increasingly silent and lost in thought, Arina turned her gaze back to the Mana Restriction Cuffs on her left wrist.
Because of me……
She had caused trouble for everyone. Arina, who hated being a burden more than anything, found the fact unbearable. Guilt and self-reproach mixed across her face. Just as tears began to well in her eyes, a faint vibration came from her pocket.
—The cuffs broke?
A message from her uncle. How had he known the Mana Restriction Cuffs were broken?
Did he check during the match?
Before Arina could even reply "Yes," another message arrived from Kain right after.
—Come to my place this evening.
A single, casually sent line with no explanation or basis, just like Marily's earlier bold promise. Yet for some reason, those words calmed Arina's heart far more than Marily's reassurance had. All her anxiety and worry vanished in an instant. What lay beneath that feeling was her absolute trust in her uncle. Whenever trouble had found her, Kain had always solved it in one stroke. To her, he was practically omnipotent. If it was him, he would surely find some way to fix her problem. She was certain of it.
"Thank you, Uncle."
As she sent her grateful reply, an unmistakable smile of relief appeared on her lips.
"……."
Marily, still struggling to maintain a calm facade for Arina's sake, and Arina, who had found comfort in her uncle's message. Watching the two of them, Jeon quietly ground his teeth. Then he slowly turned his back and walked quickly away. Togun, who had been staring at his retreating figure, carefully followed after him.
Even now, whenever he closed his eyes, that blinding light filled his vision. It wasn't that he couldn't have resisted. There simply hadn't been time to even consider resistance. At the time, he had been completely overwhelmed by his opponent and awed by his power.
"Damn it……!"
Jeon couldn't stand how frustrating that fact was. He had never felt this way before. Even when he met his idols from the Special Investigation Unit, Julia Evergreen and Agni Zbel, he had felt admiration but never been crushed. When he faced Man-ryang, the 7-star warrior who had displayed monstrous martial prowess in Vivaldi Territory, he had felt fear but never lost the will to fight.
"……."
Was this what people meant when they said you only see as much as you know? With Man-ryang, the opponent had been so overwhelmingly strong that Jeon hadn't been able to properly gauge that strength, like a puppy that doesn't know to fear a tiger. But this time, Chris's power had carved itself deep into his mind.
He could never win. That negative thought kept rising in his head. It was trauma, or perhaps a mental demon. As if trying to shake it off, Jeon reached for the sink. Splash! When he threw cold water on his face like he was washing it, his mind finally cleared. Water droplets fell from his soaked hair. A self-mocking smile tugged at Jeon's lips as he stared at his own reflection in the mirror—eyes dull and lifeless, like a defeated dog.
"Get a grip."
How pathetic. So what if he lost once?
"Everyone joined this tournament because of me."
Togun Masao, Marily Raymond, and Arina Grant. They had all entered the tournament for his sake. And they had moved with unmatched passion to secure the team's victory. They had performed beyond their own limits—perfectly. Unlike him, who wanted to tuck his tail and run just because the enemy was strong……!
"What the hell kind of pathetic sight is this from the guy who should be working the hardest?!"
Togun shouldn't have been the one complaining about physical exhaustion. Arina shouldn't have been blaming herself over a broken magic tool. Marily shouldn't have been the one agonizing over how to fix the situation. It was all his fault. He was the one who should be working himself to the bone. He was the one who should be apologizing to the person who had lost a precious magic tool by joining this tournament. He was the one who should be racking his brain for solutions. Everything they were shouldering now was his responsibility as the one who had gathered them for this tournament. So what was he doing? Instead of comforting his teammates, he had run off to hide in a bathroom like a coward?
He should have encouraged them. He should have given them hope that they could still win.
"Instead of standing around like an idiot doing nothing—!"
Jeon slammed his fist down hard on the sink. The strong vibration made the stream of water running beneath it sway. In the silence that followed, Jeon collapsed beneath the sink. Sometimes, an overly strong sense of responsibility became shackles that destroyed the person carrying it. The weight of responsibility he felt as the leader and the oldest member, combined with his awe toward Chris, gnawed endlessly at his heart.
"……."
Outside the bathroom, Togun had heard every bit of Jeon's anguish.
I just followed him because I was worried……
After the boat race ended, that bitter look in his eyes—had it been because of this? And that look had only deepened when he heard Arina's magic tool was broken. It must have been the weight of responsibility, knowing he now had to carry even more because Arina was out. That was probably why he had come straight to the bathroom instead of comforting her like Marily had. Right now, there was no room in his heart to worry about others. On top of that, Jeon's self-reproach also included the thought that he hadn't properly fulfilled his role. The past two days, including yesterday, had been more than enough time to realize just how difficult the path to victory in this tournament truly was. With so many situations piling up, Jeon's heart had become dangerously unstable, as if it could break at any moment.
So that's what he was carrying……
Everyone on the team knew how serious Jeon was about this tournament. But none of them had known he was carrying this kind of burden. Feeling a pang of sympathy, Togun gripped the hilt of the sword at his waist tightly.
"Hoo."
Leaning his back against the wall, he let out a deep breath. His chest felt tight. He wanted to chug down a glass of ice-cold water so badly that his throat ached. That tightness soon spread to his head, making it slightly harder to breathe.
What should I do?
He stood there for a moment, thinking carefully. Approaching Jeon now with empty words of comfort might only trample on his pride. For now, he should give him some time alone to collect himself. And think. Think of a way to share the burden weighing on his shoulders.
Well, there's only one way.
Prove it with skill. The reason Jeon was like this was because the negative thought that he couldn't beat Chris refused to leave his mind. While every other team member was working hard for victory, the very person who had gathered this team had started viewing that victory with doubt. Unable to accept that fact, he was suffering like this. So the solution was simple. All he had to do was defeat Chris—the strongest mage in this academy—with his own strength and shatter the trauma Jeon carried.
And the only one in this team who can do that is……
Only himself. Togun swept his bangs back and looked up at the ceiling, his eyes filled with an unreadable resolve.
"……."
After one last glance at Jeon, who was still swallowing his frustration alone inside the bathroom, Togun turned and slowly walked down the opposite hallway, putting distance between them. Day two of the Academy Tournament. Benedict Academy's B team had been relentlessly crushing one championship favorite after another, clinging stubbornly to the title. As if mocking their efforts, a different trial now stood before each of the four members. It was as if the difficult journey toward tournament victory was only just beginning.