Chapter 140: Mentor Isaac (5)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 140: Mentor Isaac (5)
“L-Lady Miya!!”
In the end… today was no different.
The escort wizard from the Land of Fire Blossoms watched Priestess Miya transform into foxfire and vanish, her heart sinking into her stomach. A familiar sense of despair washed over her. Here we go again.
“Lady Miyaaaa!! Where are you going?!”
If anything were to happen to Miya, the wizard knew her life would be forfeit. Terrified and drenched in a cold sweat, she began a frantic, tireless search for the missing priestess.
Luce and I sat side by side on a small boulder I’d conjured using [Rock Generation].
The lunchbox Luce had brought was from a high-end restaurant, so the quality was guaranteed.
“Isaac, open your mouth. Now.”
“Don’t people usually say ‘say aah’ at times like these?”
She was smiling, but her choice of words made it sound more like a royal decree than a request. Regardless, when Luce offered a morsel of food on her fork, I didn't argue and took the bite.
She beamed, her cheeks flushing slightly with satisfaction. It seemed she’d recently read in a novel that feeding someone was the ultimate gesture of affection.
“Luce.”
“Yes?”
“How did you know I was here?”
“…”
Luce, who had been in the middle of stabbing a piece of chicken, suddenly froze. After a brief, awkward silence, her adorable lips parted.
“I happened to… ‘coincidentally’ see Isaac coming this way.”
Luce put a heavy emphasis on the word “coincidentally,” all while maintaining a gentle, innocent smile.
“Coincidentally?”
“Yes. You know I have excellent eyesight. I spotted you from afar.”
“…Is that so?”
Luce nodded vigorously—so fast she almost left an afterimage—her expression never wavering.
What a terrible liar… her clumsiness is almost endearing.
With [Psychological Insight], I could tell she’d been tailing me from a distance for days just because she wanted to see me. I rarely used [Clairvoyance] to monitor my surroundings because it was mentally taxing, and it seemed Luce had been hovering right in my blind spot.
“We haven’t been spending much time together lately. You have your mentoring duties, and you spend all your free time training until it’s time to sleep…”
“That’s true.”
So that’s why she’s been stalking me.
To be precise, she had come all this way simply because she wanted to be near me, mentoring session or not. To Luce, her status as a princess or any other responsibility was secondary to her whims.
“Even so, you skipped dinner? You know that upsets me, right?”
“I had a piece of bread… Hey, this is actually really good.”
“You were hungry after all. Here, let me feed you more. Open up.”
“Can’t you just say ‘aah’?”
I realized Luce wasn't going to leave until the food was gone, so I decided I’d just have to give White a thorough explanation whenever she finally showed up.
I must have been hungrier than I thought. The food Luce brought was delicious, especially the seasoned chicken. We spent the next while joking around and playfully feeding each other.
“You braided your hair today.”
“Does it suit me?”
“Of course. Can I… twist it with my finger? Just once?”
“Only if I can mess up Isaac’s hair too. Tousled hair is the best~.”
We giggled, playfully tugging and twisting each other's hair. Suddenly, a voice from a memory I couldn't quite shake surfaced in my mind.
—‘Aren’t you a little sad? You didn’t get to marry me.’
Indeed, Luce was unbearably adorable.
“Ehehe. It’s perfect, Merlin! This magic tool will surely make me stronger!”
Snow White let out a proud huff, her face glowing with hope. Merlin walked beside the princess through the Hydrangea Garden, watching the girl who had clearly been swindled by a merchant’s silver tongue.
After being overwhelmed and fainting from Luce Eltania’s immense mana, White had become obsessed with reaching that same level of power. In her enthusiasm, she had impulsively purchased an expensive magic tool.
—‘Merlin! This is a famous artifact known to revolutionize mana mastery! They say it significantly boosts your reserves! It cost two weeks’ worth of meal credits, but it’ll be worth it, right?’
White had declared she would become self-reliant at the academy and take full responsibility for her life. In this region, a unique currency called ‘gel’ was used for the local economy. The gel in White’s wallet was her only asset.
While she had received a substantial amount of gel as an admission reward, the problem was her grades. At Märchen Academy, the only ways to earn gel were through performance evaluations and exams. Since the semester was in full swing, there were no opportunities for manual labor. Her funds were finite.
Overspending was a fast track to ruin. Merlin worried whether the princess would be able to survive on whatever gel she had left.
“Senior Isaac will surely praise me for being so diligent, won’t he? Ehehe~.”
“Yes… I’m sure he will.”
Merlin didn't have the heart to crush that bright smile. Since the purchase was intended for self-improvement, Merlin simply nodded along. Eventually, they reached a secluded corner of the Hydrangea Garden.
“Ah, there’s Senior Isaac~! Who is he with… Freeze!”
White stopped dead in her tracks, throwing an arm out to block Merlin. Her expression was urgent. She grabbed Merlin and ducked behind a nearby tree, peering out cautiously.
“What are you doing, Princess Whi—?”
Merlin followed her gaze and her eyes widened in surprise. She saw a female student with rose-gold hair feeding Isaac.
“L-Luce Eltania…! It’s Senior Luce…!” White’s voice trembled.
Luce Eltania. The top-ranked second-year in the Magic Department. White had previously mentioned how much she admired Luce, so Merlin was confused as to why the princess sounded so terrified.
“Are you talking about the famous Ice Princess?”
“Yes, yess…!”
“But she’s personally feeding Sir Isaac. Looking at how happy they are, they must be in a relationship.”
“Is she… Senior Isaac’s girlfriend?”
Isaac was a commendable senior who was progressing at a rapid pace, but Luce Eltania was a being of an entirely different caliber. White recalled the suffocating aura Luce had radiated in class. Seeing her smiling so brightly at Isaac felt surreal.
Meanwhile, Merlin watched with a skeptical eye. Luce was a legendary figure, known for her powerful familiar and for single-handedly thwarting attacks from the Floating Island. Having received elite training at Märchen Academy, she was a master of mana manipulation. She was famous for her cold, untouchable demeanor.
Is her heart only soft for Isaac? Does Isaac possess some hidden quality? Merlin wondered.
“Senior Isaac… must be an incredibly capable man!” White whispered, her eyes filled with even more respect than before. “He truly is the perfect mentor…!”
Merlin let out a soft sigh. How can the Princess be so pure-hearted? she wondered.
Meanwhile…
What is this?
Miya, the priestess with pearl-black hair, was equally stunned by the scene. Suspecting she would be caught by Luce if she stayed with her escort, Miya had slipped away to follow her alone.
She had tracked them to this corner of the Hydrangea Garden, only to witness something impossible.
She’s… smiling?
Luce Eltania. The girl who was rumored to be a cold-blooded machine, someone Miya thought was a kindred spirit in her ruthlessness, was wearing a pure, joyful smile. And all because of one man.
That man…
Miya recognized him. He was the senior with silver-blue hair she’d encountered in the Butterfly Garden on the day of the entrance exam while she was searching for the Nameless Hero. She hadn't even bothered to learn his name. Why would she care about a man whose mana was so insignificant?
And yet, Luce Eltania was looking at him with such affection. Miya couldn't wrap her head around it. She frowned, a surge of irritation bubbling up inside her.
Soon, White and Merlin approached the pair. White tried to act natural, humming a tune and looking everywhere but at them. Isaac and Luce stood up as they arrived.
“I-I didn’t mean to interrupt, really…! I just came to train…!”
“…”
Luce fixed a cold, piercing glare on White. The princess began to sweat, tears welling in her eyes from the sheer pressure. She shot a pleading look at Merlin.
Merlin sighed and stepped forward. “Are you two, by any chance, an item?”
Luce shook her head, a faint blush creeping onto her face. “We’re… just friends,” she replied timidly.
Isaac gave a similar answer, offering an awkward smile.
I see… Merlin’s eyes sparkled. The stage right before they become a couple!
Merlin’s heart melted. To her, someone who still cherished the romantic ideals of a young girl, the relationship between Isaac and Luce was incredibly sweet.
“Merlin…?” White whispered, confused by the sudden twinkle in her knight’s eyes.
Isaac looked at White and gave a sheepish grin. “Sorry about that. I was waiting for you to arrive. I didn't mean to make things awkward.”
“No, no, no! Not at all!”
“Luce, the meal was great. Thank you. I’ll see you later.” Isaac smiled and gave Luce’s shoulder a reassuring pat.
“…Alright,” Luce replied, her voice tinged with reluctance.
She knew that if she tried to force herself into the mentoring session, it might push Isaac away. She had learned that lesson the hard way during last semester’s social gathering. Still, she had achieved her goal of feeding him, so she decided to be content with that.
“I’ll be going then. See you later, Isaac.”
“Take care.”
Luce gave him one last smile and gathered her things. As she turned to leave, she cast a brief, sharp glance at White.
“…!”
A shiver ran down White’s spine. Luce was definitely glaring at her. White realized immediately—Luce was jealous of the one-on-one time she was about to spend with Isaac. She wanted to tell the senior there was nothing to worry about, but the words wouldn't come.
Luce silently exited the garden. A brief, heavy silence followed.
“S-Se-Senior Isaac, s-shall we s-start the t-training…?!” White stammered like a broken record.
“Are you okay? You seem tense.”
“No, no… just a bit stiff! Let’s just get to work…!”
“Oh, I see you bought a magic tool. I actually have one of those too.”
“Ah… Eheheh! Exactly! I knew I made a good choice!”
As Isaac smiled and changed the subject, White’s mood instantly brightened. The two began chatting happily about the artifact.
*
“I saw everything.”
The path was lined with vibrant, blooming hydrangeas. As Luce walked away, a girl with pearl-black hair stepped out from the shadows. It was Priestess Miya.
Luce looked at her with total indifference before turning away and quickening her pace. She had zero interest in talking.
Miya called out to her retreating back. “I didn't know Senior Luce was capable of smiling like that.”
Luce ignored her.
“You’re truly beautiful when you smile, Senior. Enough to entrance even me, if only for a moment.”
Luce continued to walk.
“Why would someone like you waste a smile like that on such a mediocre man?”
Luce stopped in her tracks.
Realizing she’d struck a nerve, Miya smirked. “Is he your type? I suppose his face isn't bad. But the two of you… you aren't even on the same level.”
“…”
“I think you’re smiling at the wrong person. Why not smile for someone who is actually your peer? You are truly extraordinary, Senior Luce.”
Luce turned her head, her gaze locking onto Miya. Her eyes, deep and dark like the abyss, held no light. The cynical coldness in that look made Miya feel like she was standing on thin ice.
Yes, this is the real Luce Eltania. Miya welcomed the hostility.
“You want to be an exalted Tower Master, don't you? But you can't reach that height alone. Talent and money only go so far.”
“…”
Miya clasped her hands behind her back and approached Luce with a fox-like grin. “Let me reintroduce myself. I am Miya, the Priestess of the Land of Fire Blossoms. If you’re going to smile, it would be much more productive to smile at me instead of that insect—”
[Miya, run!!]
A voice screamed in Miya's head as blue and purple magic circles erupted around Luce in every direction.
Fzzzt—!
Whoosh—!
A torrent of high-pressure water, infused with the violet lightning of Thunderbird, tore toward Miya like a cannon blast. There was nowhere to hide.
Miya’s eyes widened as she instinctively channeled the summoning spell for the Nine-tailed Fox. The fox’s crimson mana enveloped her, forming nine fiery tails that wrapped around her in a dense protective shield.
However—
Bzzzt—!
Boom—!
“Gah!”
The purple lightning slammed into the flames, triggering a violent mana explosion. A massive wave of water followed, sweeping Miya off her feet.
Elemental advantage. A massive disparity in raw power.
In every possible metric, Luce Eltania utterly overwhelmed her.