Chapter 166
Chapter 166
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 166
Chapter Title: Autumn, New Semester (9)
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Rak was in an incredibly good mood right now.
Without even trying to hide the grin spilling across his face, he strolled through the academy grounds with buoyant steps, beaming from ear to ear. His gait was so light it almost looked like he was skipping.
"Rak, that was awesome!"
"If you have time later, train with me once..."
"Congrats, Rak!"
With every step he took, voices of classmates who recognized him rang in his ears. Rak responded to their murmurs with a booming voice.
"Yeah, sounds good!"
Victory was sweet.
And when it was a comeback win after nearly half a year of defeats, it was all the sweeter. Rak was utterly intoxicated by the taste of triumph.
'Knowing how to savor victory is a warrior's virtue.'
There was a caveat about not getting arrogant... but getting drunk on the joy of victory and craving it even more were also marks of a true warrior. Rak was faithfully living by the teachings he'd learned from warriors in his youth.
'Great weather! The breeze feels so refreshing!'
Rak kept walking, letting the cool early autumn wind wash over him. Along the way, whenever he ran into a teaching assistant or professor, he'd exchange light pleasantries before asking them one question.
His master.
The master who had led him to victory.
He asked after that master's whereabouts.
"Ah, if it's... then definitely."
Asking around eventually turned up someone who knew.
Rak thanked him and headed off in the direction he indicated.
Clack.
Walking down a corridor where a chill breeze swirled... he soon arrived at his destination. Rak reached out toward the door where his master awaited. He grabbed the handle and flung it open with gusto.
Scraaaape, clack!
A gust of wind rushed in as the door opened. It tousled his master's hair. Silken strands glimmered in the lazy sunlight. Those strands were white...
"Professor Lania!"
...or rather, ash-gray like white.
"Oh, Rak."
Lania, sitting alone in the infirmary, waved him over with a smile.
"Top of the Combat Magic Department. Congratulations."
"Thank you!"
Rak bowed deeply to his master in respect. A true warrior never forgets the one who taught him. Even amid his euphoria from victory, Rak hadn't forgotten that.
"It's all thanks to you, Professor Lania!"
"What did I do? You kept up so well."
They praised each other in turn.
Master and disciple acknowledged one another's efforts. It was a heartwarming sight... but Rak felt a faint sense of dissonance.
'Feels like I forgot something...?'
It was exactly like he'd overlooked something.
But upon second thought, it didn't seem like a big deal. Probably.
2.
"I should get going."
"...Pardon? Already?"
"White, we're Mage Tower Lords. Neither of us has that kind of leisure. I've got a bunch of appointments lined up after this."
"Still, at least see Rak's face..."
"Sigh..."
"Wh-what? Why the sigh?"
"White..."
Etwar pointed at the clock.
"An hour's already passed."
"An hour or so is..."
"If they haven't shown after an hour of waiting, they won't come after two hours or even a day. Wouldn't it be better if you went looking yourself instead of waiting? I'll be off now."
Screeech, thud.
With those final words, Black left the waiting room.
It was a lounge prepared for VIPs. Left alone in the overly spacious room, Celle glanced at the clock. Quite some time had passed.
Sniff.
Celle's eyes were starting to well up a little.
* * *
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ After Belnoa and Chloe left, a new guest arrived soon after. I shot a glance at the one now sitting across from me.
"Meeting that superhuman did help. My senses have sharpened for sure... I guess you could say I've realized how I need to move my body..."
She kept talking without pause.
Lots to say, apparently.
"Yeah, I see."
I nodded along appropriately as Rak rambled on. She seemed awfully proud of her duel victory... and considering her situation, it was understandable.
'Her first win in half a year.'
Numerous duels, numerous defeats.
One loss stokes the fire for victory, but when they pile up two, three times and keep coming, motivation inevitably crumbles.
'Of course, Rak's personality means she wouldn't give up...'
Still, her hunger for victory must have only grown. A win in that context? Of course she'd be thrilled. I listened to her excited chatter for a while before speaking up.
"By the way, Rak."
I had one burning question.
"What exactly did you learn from the White Mage Tower Lord?"
"Pardon?"
Rak blinked.
As if caught off guard by the question.
"Just something I've been curious about."
It was a doubt that had nagged at me while watching Rak over the past half year.
Rak was the White Mage Tower Lord's prized disciple. And as far as I remembered... the White Mage Tower specialized in elemental magic studies.
'The tower that trains wizards.'
But look at Rak.
The disciple of that tower's lord, the White Mage Tower Lord's heir, and she wasn't a wizard.
"You don't use elemental spells."
Not even close, from what I'd seen.
The Rak I knew centered on axe melee combat, supplemented by basic strike spells... and body enhancement spells.
Battle Mage class.
She belonged to the class I'd pioneered myself, but if anything, she felt more like a warrior. That's why I was puzzled. As I eyed her suspiciously, Rak slowly opened her mouth.
"I did learn elemental spells, but honestly, they didn't suit my aptitude. She said my mana wasn't suited for them... I think."
"Yeah, that tracks."
I nodded.
Rak's mana was rough. As a wizard-class myself, I could confidently say she had no talent for it. Classes exist for a reason.
'Wizards need mana that's fluid and supple.'
Rak's mana was wild.
If Chloe's mana—innately wizard-suited—was like water flowing smoothly through a well-maintained canal... Rak's was like frozen pipes in winter. Mana and channels indistinguishable, all locked solid.
Strengthening the body or mana channels.
In other words, optimized for enhancing what she already had. Not for 'borrowing' power from the stars like a wizard.
"So you didn't specialize in elemental spells?"
"No, I didn't."
"What was left after stripping out elemental spells from the White Mage Tower Lord's teachings...?"
Probably nothing.
As I seriously pondered the White Mage Tower Lord's usefulness, Rak spoke up.
"I mainly learned mana manipulation."
"Mana manipulation?"
"Yes, like how to infuse mana into spells, circuit basics... the fundamentals every mage needs."
Rak moved her fingers through the air, mimicking engraving a circuit. Up close, you could tell it was a ingrained habit.
'Not bad.'
I let out a short "Oh."
The bulk of what the White Mage Tower Lord had taught as "fundamentals" was stuff I'd personally smashed apart not long ago in the Northern Holy Site...
'She taught circuit theory well, at least.'
This one was useful.
Of course, it needed tweaking for real combat... but that was second-year curriculum. Later.
Hm. I nodded.
'No wonder her written exam scores were high.'
She lacked finesse, but purely in magical knowledge, Rak ranked in Aphria's top three fingers. The White Mage Tower Lord had clearly taught theory well.
"Sounds like a solid master."
"Yes, the White Mage Tower Lord is a good teacher..."
Rak trailed off, tilting her head.
She murmured "master" a few times, then her eyes went wide. She stared at me in shock.
"...What? What's wrong?"
"I forgot!"
Forgot?
I was about to ask what when—
"I forgot my master was even here...!"
"Oh..."
"I need to go see her right now!"
Rak shot up from her seat.
"Uh... Rak?"
"Yes?"
Shouldn't you forget something else?
I was about to chide her but held my tongue. I'd seen the White Mage Tower Lord's face at the coliseum, but even I had forgotten her existence until Rak mentioned it.
'Someone you can forget without any real consequences, I guess.'
I made a subtle face and shook my head.
"Nah, see you next time."
3.
Celle sipped her cold tea.
Glancing at the clock, two hours had passed. Had Rak forgotten about her? The thought crossed her mind, but she shook her head.
No way.
She wasn't the type to forget her master.
Something must have held her up.
'Maybe she collapsed from exhaustion after the duel! Or if not..."
That was her second hour of self-consolation.
Celle sighed and leaned her head back.
"I'm a Mage Tower Lord."
She murmured blankly.
"Lord of a colored tower. One of the top ten mages in the capital. I'm someone important."
It was true.
"Even the Ivory Tower acknowledges me as a mage."
One of the five mages picked by the Ivory Tower.
Only a select few earned those finicky scholars' approval. She recited her impressive accolades one by one, but her shoulders only slumped further. What good were they when her disciple had forgotten her?
"Sigh..."
Should she just leave?
Maybe go look for her herself?
After an eternity of agonizing, she finally stirred. Celle trudged weakly to the door and grasped the handle. She pulled it open slowly.
Scraaaape.
The incoming breeze was quite cold.
To Celle, it felt especially biting. Was this what they meant by "chills to the bone"? The moment she stepped into the corridor with a gloomy face—
"Oh, isn't that the White Mage Tower Lord?"
A voice called out.
Smooth, yet carrying a sturdy backbone. The kind often called a voice of authority. Celle turned toward it.
"It really is the White Mage Tower Lord."
The figure standing opposite in the corridor.
Platinum hair and golden eyes.
At those signature royal features, Celle immediately recognized her.
The Fourth Princess, Aila.
"An honor to meet you, Princess Aila."
Celle bowed properly. Even in Aphria, as an outsider, she needed to show such respect.
"I remember you came for the duel. Still in Aphria?"
"Well, I was waiting for my disciple to..."
Even as she spoke, Celle felt embarrassed.
Her cheeks flushed faintly. Aila gave a wry smile, as if grasping the situation.
"If it's young master Rak, she's probably in the infirmary. I saw her heading there just now."
"...Ah!"
Relief washed over Celle's face. She let out an involuntary sigh of relief and quickly covered her mouth. Of course Rak hadn't forgotten her.
'That makes sense!'
Injured in the duel, resting in the infirmary. That explained the two-hour wait perfectly. Celle's expression visibly brightened.
"...Ahaha."
Aila, knowing the truth, could only give an awkward chuckle. Covering her mouth, she continued.
"Shall we go together? I was heading to the infirmary anyway."
Celle blinked.
"Would that be... all right?"
"Of course. It's on the way. Shall we?"
Aila flashed a gentle smile.
Celle nodded eagerly, touched. She carefully followed behind the leading princess.
The Fourth Princess, Aila.
A rare noble even in Aphria.
Outside here, she'd need to enter the palace and navigate tedious protocols just for an audience.
'What a kind soul...!'
Such a figure recognizing her and offering to walk together moved Celle deeply. It felt like recompense for those two hours of waiting. She felt immense fondness for the Fourth Princess.
Glancing at Aila, Celle ventured,
"So, what brings you to the infirmary, Your Highness?"
"Someone I need to meet."
Aila smiled faintly.
She held a single letter in her hand. The seal on it caught Celle's eye.
'That.'
A crest used by only one in the royal family. Celle had never received one herself... but she'd heard of it from fellow Mage Tower Lords at small-to-medium towers near the front lines.
"You'd best be careful with those, White Mage Tower Lord. Letters with that crest will suck your tower's funds dry...!"
Infamous.
"Suddenly got deployment orders to the front lines out of nowhere. Sent a reply saying towers are research facilities, not for war, and got back a single line: 'Keep at it.' I nearly died of shock...!"
A crest shrouded in notoriety.
"Whose crest is it?"
"You'll know when you see it."
Red rose dusted with platinum gold powder.
"I shall exact fitting recompense for blood spilled."
Such a motto emblazoned on it.
'First Princess, Luriel.'
The crest symbolizing the princess called the Mad Dog.
Seeing the letter with that seal, Celle shuddered involuntarily. No doubt it was from the Mad Dog princess.