The Lightning Spear and a Promise of Strength
The creature was a monster — a being warped by corrupted mana. Stronger, faster, and far more vicious than its natural counterpart. What stood before them now was a colossal beast with a massive horn crowning its head. Its body resembled that of a wild boar, yet it was anything but ordinary. The thing was enormous, easily the size of two grown men, and a pair of wickedly protruding tusks were more than enough to freeze them in place. Red eyes glowing with feral rage, it snorted heavily through its snout. Blood seeped from numerous wounds across its body. Yet the monster simply stood there, staring at Elin and her younger siblings.
Was it recovering its strength? Had it climbed up here to escape the storm? Or had it been attacked by another monster? Monsters rarely entered their village. So why now? Why here?
Despair swallowed her whole. Her legs trembled violently. Her breathing grew ragged. No matter how injured it was, the giant beast could slaughter her and her siblings with terrifying ease. And on top of that, she was carrying an unconscious old man she didn’t even know on her back. The situation couldn’t possibly be worse.
I have to save Allen and Adele at least.
“Allen, listen carefully. When I count to three, you run with Adele. Understand?”
“...Then what about you, sis? You can’t run while carrying Grandpa! ...I’ll distract the monster instead!”
“Allen!”
Elin’s voice cracked with urgency. “You have to listen to me right now! The monster looks hurt, but it’s going to charge us any second.”
“While I draw its attention, you two run home. That’s the only way.”
Her little brother stared at her in disbelief. Couldn’t they just run together? Why was she saying something so horrible? Why?
Then he saw her legs.
Yes. Elin had pushed herself to the limit using nothing but sheer willpower to find them. Her legs were caked in dirt, her shoes torn to shreds and barely functional. Her slender calves were scraped raw by branches, bruised purple from rocks, and streaked with blood. Her feet — essentially bare after the desperate run — were lacerated and soaked in crimson. A deep gash ran across her calf. She had sprinted here without a single thought for her own body, all to find him and Adele.
Only now, when she could no longer hide it, did he finally see the truth.
“No… Sis, please… I’m begging you, let’s go together…”
“Sister… we’re sorry… we were wrong… let’s go home together…”
“It’s okay. Have you forgotten who I am? I’m the eldest daughter of the Clover family! So hurry up and go.”
“There’s no time! Go!”
Boars had poor eyesight, but this one had already locked onto them. It had only been staying still to recover from its wounds. Now that its body had healed, the monster began charging straight at them.
The ground shook violently, as if an earthquake had struck. The beast’s charge was devastating. In that split second, Elin squeezed her eyes shut, unable to watch what was about to happen.
I’m sorry, kids… And I’m so sorry, Mother, Father.
This is as far as I go. There were still so many things I wanted to do…
Then she felt movement from the old man on her back.
In the blink of an eye, the mysterious grandfather who had been riding on her back was now standing in front of her.
Grandpa…? When did he…?
“Heh heh… This old man ended up owing a debt to some children. In that case, allow me to show you something nice.”
He stretched a hand toward the monster. Something extraordinary began to happen. Even though Elin had only just awakened to mana, she could feel an overwhelming surge of power gathering in his palm — so vast it made her body tremble.
The old man, wearing a strange pointed hat, murmured softly.
"From the sky above, pierce the earth below."
⟨ Lightning Spear ⟩
The immense mana condensed into the shape of a small spear, then rapidly grew into a massive one. A gigantic lance crackling with electricity shot forward. Like a bolt of lightning falling from the heavens, the spear of pure power struck the monster with blinding speed and force. The beast’s body was charred pitch-black in an instant. It didn’t even have time to scream before it died on the spot.
His attack was nothing short of a natural disaster.
The completely incinerated monster crumbled into ash and melted into the wet ground.
“It’s been a while, so my control was a bit off. Heh heh.”
They stood there, completely stunned, unable to process what they had just witnessed. The first magic Elin had ever seen was nothing short of a miracle.
Finally regaining her senses, she asked the suspicious old man.
“Grandfather… who exactly are you?”
“Me? Oh, I’m just an ordinary old man who wanders the world.”
He introduced himself with a warm, kindly smile.
An ordinary old man? That’s ridiculous. There’s no way someone with that kind of power could be ordinary…
She thought about her own helplessness — how she couldn’t even protect her own family. If another monster like that appeared, could she protect them?
No. It’s impossible. I want to become stronger. I want the power to protect the people I care about.
She made a vow. She would grow strong so she would never lose again. So she could protect what mattered.
She ran after the departing old man.
“Grandfather! Grandfather! Please teach me that magic too! I want to become strong! I’m begging you!”
“...Hmm. This kind of power can become extremely dangerous if taught to just anyone. Child, why do you wish to become strong?”
“I want to protect them… I don’t want to lose to fear anymore! I need strong power to protect the people precious to me!”
“Heh heh… That’s a fine mindset. Very well. I also owe your siblings a debt, so I shall teach you my magic. However, I will only teach you the basics. You must discover the rest on your own.”
“Th-thank you! Kids, let’s go home now!”
“Yeah!”
And so, for the next several years, she studied magic under the nameless mage. After she had mastered all his basic spells, the wizard prepared a small gift for her. It was the worn staff he always carried and a letter of recommendation to the academy.
“Master, what is this?”
“Heh heh… What else? It’s so you can enroll in the academy.”
“The… academy? Our family isn’t exactly poor, but we don’t have enough money for me to attend the academy… And I’m not even sure I could get accepted…”
“Don’t worry about the money. I’ll take care of everything. You just need to go. And have some confidence, child.”
But she was afraid. If she failed to enter the academy, it would feel like all the years of effort she had poured in to gain the strength to protect her loved ones would be denied.
The mage gently stroked her head and spoke in a warm voice.
“You are a child with limitless potential. If you don’t believe in yourself, who else will? So have confidence.”
“Go to the academy and let your own flower bloom.”
The mage — no, her master — filled her with confidence.
“Now that I think about it, I still haven’t told you my name, Elin. My name is Orhen. Orhen Sigmund.”
Orhen… Sigmund… I feel like I’ve heard that name somewhere before…
“Off you go, Elin. The world is vast. You can go anywhere and become anything. Experience new things. This is the final lesson I give you.”
Thanks to her parents’ and master’s help, she was able to enroll in the academy. She had made some mistakes during the entrance exam due to nerves and ended up in Class D, but she didn’t mind. She had been excited about attending the academy with so many students her own age and making friends. But life at the academy, which she had fought so hard to enter, was not as smooth as she had hoped.
At first, things were fine. But as time passed, the atmosphere grew strange. Students who envied her skill that didn’t match Class D, her beautiful appearance, and her angelic personality began spreading strange rumors about her. They mocked her pink hair, insulted her parents, and so on. They tormented her subtly, cleverly, and persistently — in ways that others might or might not notice.
But she endured it. She wanted to repay her parents and master. If they found out she was being ostracized at the academy she had barely managed to enter, they would surely be heartbroken. So for an entire year, she kept it all bottled up inside.
Then one day, she met him.
It was after school, just like any other day. She was surrounded by several students in a back alley, forced to endure endless verbal abuse. That was when he appeared.
The scoundrel from a famous family. The academy’s problem child. Delinquent. The fiancé of Elisha Isis, the academy’s most popular girl. A man with many titles.
Vern Flame.
He was very tall, and his blunt expression made his already cold impression even icier. With black hair and obsidian-like eyes rarely seen in this land or at the academy, he was slowly walking toward her.
“What do you think you’re doing? I believe I told you not to touch the students.”
The students beside her flinched and trembled at the sight of him.
“W-well, this commoner bitch stole my wallet. We were just… teaching her a lesson.”
“Is that so.”
He turned to leave. It was only natural. Even the commoner students who had once been her friends had started ignoring her once they realized her tormentors were nobles. The academy claimed there was no distinction between commoners and nobles — that everyone was equal. But that was a lie. Once you graduated and returned to the mainland, everything went back to the way it was. It was only natural. She understood why her friends acted that way. They were commoners, and they weren’t going to live at the academy forever. Vern was probably the same. After all, as a noble, he needed to maintain good relationships with other nobles.
But this man was different.
The black-haired man turned back, grabbed the wrist of the boy who had been harassing her, and said,
“Habel, you’ve always said wallets are cumbersome and never carried one. Did you think I wouldn’t know?”