Translator: RaidenTL

Chapter 141: Mentor Isaac (6)

Miya’s body slammed into a tree.

The water magic, which had surged with the violence of a tsunami, finally receded to the ground, and Miya’s body slumped down with it.

Miya coughed up water, her lungs burning. Her entire body stung, and her mouth tasted of copper and brine. Her limbs refused to obey her will.

The attack had been a perfect fusion of dense water and high-voltage lightning magic. Mana mastery of that caliber was truly the realm of genius.

Step. Step.

Luce walked closer.

Instinctive fear took hold. Miya peered up at her, drenched and shivering like a drowned rat.

Thud—.

“Guergh!”

Luce pinned Miya’s shoulder against the tree with her foot, looking down at her with an expression of utter apathy.

Luce’s face was cast in shadow by the canopy above; her deep, oceanic eyes glowed with a terrifying, murderous intent.

Lightning mana crackled around Luce like a flickering barrier. Behind her loomed the spectral figure of a black grouse, the bird of prey’s eyes flashing with lethal light.

It was the mana of the legendary magic beast, Thunderbird Galia.

Moreover, the synchronization between the familiar and Luce was at its absolute limit. Luce and the Thunderbird’s powers were one and the same.

Whether it was mana mastery, elemental destructive power, or her familiar, she was flawless in every way.

Gazing upon this awe-inspiring, beautiful woman of power, Miya felt a wave of pure disbelief.

“Senior Luce... but why...?”

She couldn't understand.

Miya—who possessed wealth, power, and fame—had offered to help Luce achieve her dreams. It should have been a rare, irresistible offer.

Even if it hadn't been, not a single person in this world would rashly attack Miya in this manner.

As the Priestess, she was practically the ruler of the eastern nation. What Luce had just done was no different from declaring war on an entire country.

Miya was utterly bewildered. This was outside the realm of possibility. Luce’s actions didn't just defy logic; they shattered the common sense Miya had lived by her entire life.

Then, Luce’s voice fell upon her, cold as ice.

“I know you were there, watching us.”

Luce’s eyesight was far beyond human limits. If she concentrated, she could identify a single ant from a vast distance.

She had known the entire time that White, Merlin, and Miya were watching her and Isaac.

White was fine; she had expected her to come.

But Miya was a different story.

“Who do you think you are...”

“Guahkk!”

Luce ground her foot harder into Miya’s shoulder. Miya cried out in agony.

“...To call Isaac an insect?”

What drove Luce now was a shard of regret embedded in her shattered heart.

Isaac was the person who had become precious to her after she had been abandoned by everyone else.

It brought back the agonizing memory of when she had lost the Candy House Witch.

Back then, in front of countless soldiers, tears had streamed down Luce’s face as she cradled the Candy House Witch in her arms. The helplessness and the suffocating pain of that loss had haunted her ever since.

To the Luce who had been lost in the darkness of her own heart, Isaac had appeared like a ray of light. He had become her most precious person.

To Luce, Isaac’s value was worth more than any fortune. If someone dared to insult him, a pure, white-hot flame of fury ignited within her.

Luce leaned down, staring into Miya’s eyes from inches away. Her braided rose-gold hair slid over her shoulder.

For a long moment, the two remained locked in a silent stare.

Overwhelmed by those frigid eyes that looked ready to kill her at any second, Miya forgot how to breathe.

“Don’t ever talk to me again.”

Luce whispered the warning in a low, dangerous voice.

Then, she withdrew her foot from Miya’s shoulder, turned around, and calmly walked away.

“...”

Miya clutched her bruised shoulder. It throbbed with pain. At the same time, the Nine-tailed Fox’s mana receded, and her flaming tails vanished.

She stared, dazed, at the back of the second-year top seat disappearing into the distance.

The rose-gold hair seemed to melt into the sunset on the horizon.

“...Tch.”

Miya clicked her tongue.

It was the first time ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠she had ever been beaten. Her entire body was trembling.

This... is humiliation.

It was an emotion she was experiencing for the very first time.

Soon, a small flame flickered on her index finger. Miya stared down at the spark.

[Miya, do not provoke that child.]

The Nine-tailed Fox’s voice rang in her mind.

[Even I cannot compete against the Thunderbird. Furthermore, the Thunderbird’s power has already fully integrated into that girl’s own strength. There is nothing I can do.]

“...”

Miya’s striking, crimson-laced eyes narrowed in irritation.

A sigh escaped her lips along with her voice.

“Bullshit.”

It was natural for her to claim whatever she wanted.

It was natural for her to stand at the top.

That was the only way of life Miya knew.

‘Isaac...’

The silver-blue-haired senior, Isaac. Was he truly so precious to Luce Eltania that he could cloud her rational judgment?

Miya chuckled and used the tree for support to stand up. She began walking in the opposite direction of Luce.

Though her legs were still shaky, she managed to move after casting a quick healing spell.

“I want her even more now...”

Humiliation and shame washed over Miya, making her feel small. She shivered from the cold.

But these new, bitter emotions had instead ignited an even fiercer fire within her.

Using the heat from her fire mana, Miya dried her clothes as she walked.

Luce Eltania. Isaac.

She repeated those two names over and over in her mind.

Eventually, Miya reunited with her escort wizard, who had been frantically searching for her.

The escort wizard trembled in fear when she saw Miya’s torn school uniform, but Miya brushed it off, telling her it was nothing.

She didn't want to cause a commotion over something this trivial.

...However, there had been a witness to the entire incident.

A female student who enjoyed evening walks had been passing through the Hydrangea Garden when she sensed a massive surge of mana and discovered Luce and Miya.

Her light pink hair was braided into loops on both sides. Unlike the other students, she wore a veil and a robe.

Her eyes were narrowed so thin they were almost invisible, giving the impression they were closed.

The only prominent expression on her face was a noble, intrigued smile.

“Sylon. Do you know who ‘Isaac’ is?”

The Saintess, Bianca Anturaze, asked her escort priest in an elegant tone.

*

After finishing my lesson with White, we parted ways at the entrance of the Hydrangea Garden.

On the path toward the dorms, a glowing ball of mana, looking much like a firefly, flew toward me and landed on my arm. It was the Frost Dragon Hilde.

[Master, I have returned.]

‘Hilde, tell me what you said before again.’

I had Frost Dragon Hilde constantly patrolling my surroundings. She acted as an extra surveillance device to supplement my [Clairvoyance].

Her role was to relay information directly to my head whenever something happened.

It was only natural for me to be extra cautious, considering Alice suspected me of being the Black Monster and the Paladins were already on the move.

Just a moment ago, Hilde had reported an incident.

I hadn't had a chance to respond then, so I took a moment now to sort through the events.

‘So the Priestess was spying on me, got into a fight with Luce... and the Saintess witnessed the whole thing?’

[Correct.]

I was the reason Luce and Miya fought. Miya had insulted me to provoke Luce, and that had triggered Luce’s protective streak.

It seemed Miya planned to keep quiet about the incident. She likely still wanted to make Luce hers, just as she had originally planned.

Even if I hadn't been the catalyst, conflict between those two was inevitable. Miya shouldn't be able to do anything rash now that she knew Luce was willing to use force.

Regardless, Miya had realized that I was Luce’s weakness.

And this fact had also been revealed to Saintess Bianca, who just happened to be passing by.

It was difficult to predict what variables would emerge from this. I expected Miya wouldn't do anything too reckless to me, knowing that harming me was essentially suicide if Luce found out, but...

Well, it was inevitable that I’d have to deal with Miya eventually. I’d just consider the schedule moved up a bit.

In fact, I might actually be safer now that Miya believed I was under Luce’s protection.

‘The real problem is the Saintess.’

Saintess Bianca Anturaze.

As expected of one of the three main characters of the Golden Generation, she was strikingly beautiful—a noble-looking girl with light pink hair. She had those "fox eyes," but she wasn't a hidden villain.

She was a major side character in ❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱.

I didn't particularly like her personality, so I hadn't planned on associating with her. But it looked like Bianca had firmly etched the name ‘Isaac’ into her mind.

I wasn't sure how to handle this, because her actions were even harder to predict than the Paladins'.

...Not that I had much of a choice. I needed to refine my plans even more systematically, keeping Bianca in mind.

I had to prepare for the upcoming scenario demons, like the Abyssal Sea Monster and the Necromancer King.

The first major threat of Semester 1, Year 2—the Abyssal Sea Monster—would be appearing soon. It was set to strike during the next joint practical evaluation.

I had a lot to think about.

I’ll sort my thoughts out before bed after I finish tonight’s training...

“...?”

As I was passing through a deserted path, I suddenly felt a surge of mana powerful enough to make the hair on my neck stand up.

Whooooosh—.

A soft, light-green wind wrapped around me.

When I snapped my head up in surprise, I found a girl’s face right in front of mine.

She was enveloped in the wind, her light-green twin tails and wizard’s cape fluttering wildly.

With a bright smile, she threw her arms around my shoulders and landed on the ground, essentially falling into my embrace.

She locked her arms ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠around me so I couldn't escape.

Chu.

She gave my cheek a cute little peck. The sensation left a lingering warmth behind.

With a flushed face and a lovely smile, she gazed at me from point-blank range.

“It’s been a while, Sir Isaac! Did you miss me?”

One of my favorite characters, Kaya Astrea.

Or Dark Kaya, to be exact.

“I know I missed you a lot~.”

“Kaya...?”

Kaya laughed innocently and rubbed her cheek against mine. With her soft cheek and chest pressed against me, I didn't know where to look or what to do.

I couldn't pull away because her arms were bolted around me, and her warm breath against my skin was driving me crazy. I had let my guard down because it had been so long since I’d seen her.

It looked like she had also made some changes for her second year, just as Luce had braided her hair.

The black hair tie she used to wear had been replaced with a red one that matched her eyes. It suited ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠her perfectly. Her hair also seemed a bit shorter than before.

“Yeah, it’s good to see you. Have you been well?”

“Yes, thanks to Sir Isaac. Sigh. You’ve become so manly now that you're a second year~.”

Still clinging to me, Kaya tilted her head from side to side, her voice dripping with affection.

I squinted slightly, adjusted my glasses, and gave her a mock glare.

“More importantly, haven't you been avoiding me lately?”

With a quiet, “Ahh...” Kaya sheepishly looked away.

I genuinely liked Kaya. I wanted to say hello and have the occasional chat, but she kept running away whenever she saw me.

Whenever I checked her with [Psychological Insight], it was clear she wanted to say something, but she was struggling with it.

I didn't think she needed to hide it, though.

“There was something I didn't want to talk about... I’m sorry.”

Kaya smiled awkwardly.

Her mother had caught onto her feelings for me.

Kaya had promised to bring the person she liked to the Astrea Manor, but she had been debating how to actually invite me.

It seemed today was the day she finally mustered the courage—even if she had to use the Dark Kaya persona to do it.

This was convenient. I had been planning to force a strategy meeting anyway so we could deal with the Abyssal Sea Monster more easily.

I’d already discussed it with Dorothy; it was about time I talked to Kaya as well.

“I had something to talk to you ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠about, too. I was going to find you soon.”

“Oh? What is it?”

“You first. Why were you avoiding me?”

“Ah...”

Kaya stared at me quietly.

Then, she burst into laughter as if she couldn't hold it in anymore and wrapped her arms around my waist, burying her face in my chest.

As she rubbed her face against me, her scent wafted up, tickling my nose.

“Can we stay like this just a little longer and talk later? I just can’t help liking Sir Isaac so much...”

...She’s way too cute.