Chapter 42: End-of-Semester Evaluation (6)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 42: End-of-Semester Evaluation (6)
To Luce Eltania, other people were like hedgehogs, their entire bodies bristling with sharp quills. If she ventured too close, those quills would inevitably prick and sting her.
The Candy House Witch was dead.
The woman who had taken Luce in—when she had been abandoned by her parents with nowhere else to go—was gone. The person who meant everything to Luce had died before her eyes in a senseless, futile tragedy.
Candy House Witch, you sacrificed your life for the people you wanted to protect, only to be recorded in history as the infamous Great Witch of Heaven’s Wrath—a name cursed by the masses to this very day.
History was not merely a relic of the past; it was a work of art molded by the hands of those living in the present.
The ending of that story was too grueling for Luce to endure, and a profound sense of distrust washed over her. A deep-seated disgust and hatred for humanity took root and began to sprout.
She was only ten years old when it happened.
Luce had suppressed the memories of what she saw that day, but she vividly recalled the pain of that time whenever someone tried to speak to her.
And so, she lived like a mute, avoiding others at all costs. Eventually, she developed a knack for burying unwanted memories deep within the recesses of her mind.
However, those painful memories lingered like a persistent echo. Any attempt by another person to approach her still felt like a needle piercing her heart.
And then, for the first time, she made a friend.
It was an anomaly for Luce, who usually felt nothing but revulsion when addressed.
They ate together, exchanged idle small talk and silly jokes, and even studied side-by-side. She taught him the subjects he struggled with, helped him train, encouraged him, and…
They hadn’t even been friends for a month, yet the time spent with him gave Luce a sense of fulfillment incomparable to anything she had ever experienced.
He was the only person she didn’t hate.
After witnessing the Candy House Witch’s death at ten, Luce had shuttered her heart. But to her, this friend felt like a precious existence—a sunrise illuminating the darkness of dawn. Unlike everyone else, he provoked neither disgust nor hatred.
“…”
Beneath a sky stained with the hues of sunset, Luce’s gaze fell upon Isaac. His school uniform was scorched, bearing the unmistakable traces of fire magic. He was covered in dust and grime, looking as though he had been dragged through the dirt.
Through the tears in his uniform, bloodstains were visible. She wondered who was responsible for those wounds.
His rolled-up sleeve revealed large, dark bruises on his forearm. She burned with curiosity as to who had beaten him so severely.
A single droplet on the surface of a calm lake creates ripples that spread outward; Isaac’s appearance, however, was like a boulder dropped into still waters. It triggered a turbulent storm within Luce’s heart.
“…Luce?”
It’s such a kind sound. That’s why it hurts so much when you call my name.
She knew this was an exam. It was only natural to get hurt in a mock battle. Luce understood that logically.
However, no matter how much she tried to rationalize it, seeing Isaac targeted by dozens of enemies—all of them trying to harm him—was more than she could stand.
Luce felt overwhelmed by a sense of helplessness as her anger soared to unbearable heights.
Puahhhhh───!!
In an instant, her mana condensed into the water element, casting a brilliant blue light that swirled above her like a celestial crown. The scale of the magic was grand enough to encompass the entire area.
Her mana control was so exquisite that not a single droplet of water splashed out of place. It meant she could weaponize even the smallest bead of moisture with lethal precision.
Simultaneously, five blue magic circles, each roughly two meters in diameter, materialized around her. Every single one was a 5-star spell or higher, primed and ready to be unleashed in a devastating volley.
The enemies who had been closing in on Isaac and Ciel swallowed hard, their movements grinding to a halt as they became wary of Luce.
They were in no position to act. Everyone present was within Luce’s range. She was the judge, jury, and executioner, capable of eliminating anyone at a moment's notice.
“R-run…! We can’t win against the top seat…!”
“If you run, I’ll kill you myself.”
Tristan hurriedly ordered his men to flee, but Lisetta’s murderous voice cut him off.
“I can’t stand cowards who try to bolt before the fight even starts. Shouldn’t you at least draw blood if you’ve bothered to draw your sword?”
Tristan and his men stared at Lisetta, their faces pale with terror.
“Besides, if I steal the Fell Cards, you’ll all be my enemies anyway! It’ll be way more fun for me if there are more of you to fight, right?!”
Something was wrong with Lisetta. At least, that’s what Tristan thought.
Lisetta glared at the top seat with a manic smirk. From the beginning, she had no intention of passing this test quietly. She was intoxicated by the prospect of how many enemies she could crush if she held the Fell Cards in such a chaotic situation.
For a battle-maniac like her, this was paradise.
Her entire body shuddered. The usually stoic top seat was enraged. The sheer pressure was making even Lisetta nervous—and she loved it.
Lisetta giggled, gripping her bat tightly with both hands. A light brown magic circle materialized in front of her.
“…”
Keridna Whiteclark, perched on a nearby roof, also had no intention of retreating. She was simply irritated by the top seat.
Ever since joining Class A, Keridna had been "kind" to her classmates. She recognized they were elite and intended to use them as social stepping stones to solidify her future.
However, Luce had never once acknowledged Keridna’s greetings.
Luce Eltania always looked at Keridna with a furrowed brow, as if she were staring at a pile of garbage. Luce never said a word; she only radiated silent, cold displeasure.
Keridna couldn't argue with the top seat's power, but now she had the chance to wipe that arrogant look off Luce's face.
Though momentarily shaken by Luce's sudden appearance, Keridna regained her composure. Breaking into a cold sweat and wearing a forced smile, she unleashed a light red magic circle.
“…Isaac.”
Luce turned her gaze toward Isaac. A gentle smile graced her lips—a soft expression that stood in jarring contrast to the eerie, swirling magic circles hovering above her.
“Go. Quickly.”
So that Isaac could pass the exam and remain safe…
…Luce was going to clear the path.
“Thank you, Luce.”
Assessing the situation, Isaac gave a sharp nod and began sprinting toward Lisetta’s position.
“That Grade E commoner!”
As Tristan shouted, a light green whirlwind tore toward Isaac.
The moment Luce moved to protect Isaac with a [Water Wall]—
「Firestorm (Fire Element, ★5)」 + 「Whirlwind (Wind Element, ★4)」
= 「Fire Dragon (Fire+Wind Element)」
Roarrrrrrrrrrrrrrr──────!
The raging whirlwind veered away from Isaac, soaring through the air like an oriental dragon wreathed in flames. Keridna’s [Firestorm] had merged with Tristan’s [Whirlwind], creating a powerful localized synergy.
It wasn't a pre-planned move, but Keridna had anticipated Tristan’s action and timed her fire magic to fuse with it. It was a feat of high-level magical calculation.
Keridna waved her wand like a conductor’s baton. The flaming whirlwind roamed the skies at her command, growing more magnificent by the second as it devoured her mana.
Then, Lisetta roared.
“Gahhhhhh!!!”
「Rock Avalanche (Rock Element, ★4)」
Ddddddddddddd───!!
Kuuuuuuuuuu───!!
Lisetta swung her bat through the magic circle, triggering the spell and launching boulders of topaz through the air with ferocious speed.
Her magical blunt weapon, the ‘Rock Bat,’ dramatically amplified the power of earth-based magic. While it made mana consumption more taxing, it was no obstacle for Lisetta, who had trained with the weapon for years.
The magical boulders, dense with rock mana, hurtled straight for Isaac.
Isaac gripped his dagger and the Sheath of Disaster with his index and middle fingers, interlocking his remaining fingers to condense ice mana. He was prepared to use the Sheath of Disaster to unleash two consecutive [Frost Explosions] to counter Lisetta’s assault.
Roarrrrrrrrrrrrrrr──────!
At that moment, Keridna swung her wand downward. The [Fire Dragon], now grown to an impossible size, plummeted toward Isaac, Luce, and Ciel. The spiraling torrent of flames threatened to engulf them all.
Tristan’s men and the other Class B elites launched their own counterattacks, filling the air with a barrage of elemental spells.
「Water Flow Barrier (Water Element, ★6)」
Suddenly, a brilliant blue shield of water formed around Isaac, clear as the summer sky. It was a specialized barrier that nullified Luce’s own water magic.
Simultaneously, a magnificent blue magic circle materialized on the ground.
From the center of the circle, a humpback whale breached into the air.
「Flying Whale (Water Element, ★6)」
Puuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu ──────!!!!!
Kuwa-aaaaaaaaaa ──────!!!
The giant whale devoured every incoming spell. More accurately, it was a terrifyingly fierce manifestation of condensed tidal currents taking the form of a leviathan. It surged forward with overwhelming, crushing force.
Anything swept into the whale’s wake would be pulverized by the intense water pressure and hurled through its body at breakneck speeds.
The [Flying Whale] was triggered directly beneath Isaac’s feet.
Thanks to the [Water Flow Barrier], he was shielded from the collateral damage of Luce’s attack—a clever use of magic that negated the caster’s own offensive properties for an ally.
The water-construct whale pulverized half of a nearby building upon contact. Debris was instantly swept away by the whale’s torrent.
The building Tristan and his men were using for cover collapsed. The whale swallowed them whole, their screams drowned out by the roar of the water.
Moments later, the [Flying Whale] and the [Fire Dragon] collided. The dragon was uselessly consumed by the whale’s mass, vanishing into a burst of harmless steam.
Lisetta’s [Rock Avalanche] was similarly swept up, the boulders swirling helplessly inside the whale’s body like pebbles in a storm.
Truly overwhelming. In the face of Luce’s power, the magic of the other first-year students was utterly meaningless.
“It’s scary, really…”
Isaac unleashed a [Frost Explosion] in sheer admiration and kept running.
As the [Flying Whale] dispersed into shimmering blue powder, Isaac spotted Lisetta deploying another magic circle aimed directly at his path.
“I won’t miss this time!!”
With her bat raised high, Lisetta smashed the magic circle.
「Rockfall (Rock Element, ★4)」
Isaac noticed a massive shadow looming over him. Looking up, he saw a gargantuan topaz-colored rock falling from the sky, summoned from a light brown magic circle etched into the clouds.
Ciel and Luce both moved to deploy a [Water Wall] to intercept it…
…When suddenly, an unexpected gale crashed into the [Rockfall].
「Whirlwind (Wind Element, ★4)」
A light green whirlwind of immense power—incomparable to Tristan’s amateurish magic—sliced through the air. It swallowed the falling boulder in an instant, the sheer mana density of the wind grinding the rock to dust.
「Wind Generation (Wind Element, ★1)」
An unnatural breeze began to swirl through the area. Within seconds, it gained momentum, ferociously ruffling the hair and uniforms of every student nearby.
Then, a girl descended from the sky, her light green pigtails fluttering in the gale.
Whoooooooooooo──
She landed lightly, the wind cushioning her feet.
Kaya Astrea stepped firmly between Isaac and Lisetta.
“Kaya…?”
[Kaya Astrea]
Lv: 96
Race: Human
Elements: Wind, Ice
Danger: X
Psychology: [Wants to help you.]
The moment I saw Kaya’s back, I couldn't help but stop. I could see her clutching her ribcage in pain.
“Hahahaha! Even the second seat is joining in? Who the hell is this extra that you bitches are making such a fuss over, huh?!”
Lisetta shouted excitedly, looking between the top, second, and third seats.
Her voice, however, didn't seem to reach Kaya.
“Go, Sir Isaac. I don’t know what you have planned this time, but… I will always be on your side. No matter what.”
Kaya’s low voice held a faint tremor, as if she had just been crying.
It bothered me, but I didn't have time to dwell on it. Time was running out. I thanked her and began sprinting toward the submission point once more.
And then.
“You…?”
“Luce Eltania!”
Kaya screamed at the top of her lungs. It was the rose-gold-haired top seat who reacted.
Kaya’s gaze snapped toward Luce. I caught a glimpse of her angry profile as I ran.
Luce maintained an apathetic expression. She seemed to have judged that since Kaya was protecting me, she wasn't an enemy worth attacking.
[Kaya Astrea]
Psychology: [Feels a strong inferiority complex toward Luce Eltania.]
If there was anyone who could drive Kaya to this state, it was Luce. Kaya appeared to have narrowly avoided elimination earlier, but her encounter with Luce had clearly triggered something deep inside her.
Lisetta and Keridna stood stunned; it was the first time they had ever seen the usually diligent and composed Kaya lose her temper.
“Kaya Astrea! My name is Kaya Astrea!! I’m the one who has been chasing your shadow until I’m breathless! I’ve always been right behind you!! But you…! You don’t even remember me…!”
Kaya’s voice cracked with raw, tearful sincerity.
“I hate you!”
The hand holding her wand began to shake.
The inferiority complex she had harbored toward the top seat had finally reached its breaking point. Kaya was visibly shaken by her struggle against Luce’s overwhelming talent.
That gap wouldn't close on its own. In the original story, the distance between Luce and Kaya only widened over time, leaving Kaya trapped in a cycle of self-doubt.
“I… I hate that I’m the only one who feels this way! It makes me feel pathetic…! That I’m… I’m so… weak in your eyes!”
「Ice Wall (Ice Element, ★4)」
I conjured a wall of ice around Kaya, shielding her from the prying eyes of the other students so they wouldn't see her cry.
By the time I realized what I was doing, my feet had already carried me back to her.
I pulled Kaya into a hug from behind. Reaching into the magic pouch at my waist, I pulled out a wand and softly pressed it into her hand. It was a wand crafted from ‘Armana,’ the 8-star colossal tree that guarded the Great Forest.
It was the only wand in existence that synergized perfectly with plant and wind mana—Kaya’s ultimate weapon that would eventually boost her abilities to legendary heights.
This is my gift to you.
“I believe I told you before.”
Kaya’s tremors ceased instantly, as if time itself had stopped.
Over the course of my countless playthroughs of ❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱, I had grown attached to these characters. Kaya Astrea, in particular, was one of the main heroines. Naturally, I felt a great deal of affection for her.
Perhaps that was why the sight of her tears made my chest tighten. I couldn't just leave her like this.
“Your true worth will be revealed in the future.”
“Sir… Isaac…?”
Kaya had previously mistaken me for a hidden powerhouse. She admired me. In reality, I was weak, but my current persona held immense influence over her.
I wanted to use that influence to offer her the best comfort I could. I wanted her to find strength in my words.
I leaned in and whispered into her ear.
“Don’t forget. You are someone I have acknowledged.”
With those words, I pulled away, deactivated the [Ice Wall], and began to run again.
The surrounding students looked back and forth between Kaya and me with bewildered expressions, dying to know what had been said behind that wall of ice.
Kaya was the most flustered of all. Her tears had dried, and her eyes were wide, fixed on the Armana Wand I had given her. Her face flushed a deep crimson, and I could almost see steam rising from her head.
…I had momentarily forgotten that Kaya was incredibly weak to men.
“Running away again, you coward!!”
Lisetta launched another boulder toward me.
「Wind Sword (Wind Element, ★3)」
Kaya’s wind, now empowered beyond anything she had previously achieved, shot out dozens of meters like a razor-sharp blade. It sliced through Lisetta’s boulder as if it were paper.
Lisetta’s pupils dilated in shock.
That boulder had been imbued with the power of the Rock Bat. Seeing it destroyed so effortlessly by a mid-tier wind spell shook her to her core.
“…?”
Kaya herself looked surprised. And she should be—simply holding the Wand of Armana had massively boosted her elemental resonance and combat power.
With this, my debt to you is settled, Kaya.
I turned my back on the battlefield, leaving behind the screams and the clashing of magic, and sprinted toward the submission point.
The time for the Thunderbird Subjugation was almost here.