Elcia (2)
When I pushed open the door, a refreshing mint scent pierced my nose sharply.
The spacious room was almost completely empty.
It seemed to suggest that the woman standing before me had lived solely devoted to swordsmanship.
The real issue was the overwhelming pressure radiating from Elcia.
It felt exactly like a test, as if her aura had been flaring wildly the moment I entered through the door.
Or perhaps she had simply been unsettled.
Either way.
'This much is fine.'
It didn't pose any threat to me at all.
In the last cycle, the beings I had truly faced were those on par with gods or even the gods themselves.
I steadied my mind and met the eyes of the woman in front of me.
Light green irises paired with hair the exact same shade, tied back in a ponytail.
She appeared far younger than one would expect for the Chief Professor of the Sword Department at the Empire's premier magic and swordsmanship academy—the single best place for the subject.
Even in this world where one could preserve one's peak appearance and body according to mana levels and realms, the woman's age seemed impossibly young.
Twenty-five.
Younger in looks than any of the students eligible to enter the academy.
Yet she possessed a talent far greater than theirs.
The unparalleled genius Elcia watched me with those light green eyes, as if observing a curious specimen.
Although the academy's new students this year were hailed as the golden generation, they were merely stars before Elcia's sun.
Simply put, when she unleashed her own talent to the fullest, no one else could shine beside her.
That was how overwhelmingly strong Elcia was.
At the same time, countless constraints weighed upon her.
For one, she belonged to no faction.
The fact that she was in her mid-twenties and already embedded in the academy was itself a political maneuver.
Because the moment she drew her sword in earnest, she could erase an entire nation on the map in the blink of an eye.
"...Is the observation complete?"
Have you finished your observation, Chief Professor?"
I answered her question with one of my own and quietly exhaled inside.
Watching her display a faint smile with my own eyes.
I have finished."
Then, may I ask why you summoned me?"
Though I had conducted a brief exploration, I had no reason whatsoever to harbor enmity toward Elcia.
It was merely an investigation to discern her intentions.
Even without this specific timing, summoning an academy student—anyone from the academy—to her office for a private conversation was unthinkable.
Given the sheer might Elcia possessed, every step she took drew the attention of powerful figures.
If things went wrong, simply holding a meeting with her could be misconstrued as her harboring some 'intention.'
For example....
She might be forming alliances with a certain noble house to bolster her political power.
In that sense, meeting Elcia in this manner was the worst possible scenario.
A student from a fallen noble house whose final surviving member had met Elcia, a woman whose overwhelming martial power made her a political threat to countless others.
Yet I maintained my composure.
After all, in my original plan, coming into contact with Elcia was inevitable.
And escaping the notice of those in power during the process was only natural.
'Even among the instructors, there are those with eyes on me.'
Eyes of those in power could be found everywhere across the academy.
Her own son. A spy. Or a professor with ties to them.
Even hiding something simple was not easily tolerated.
The Sword Department of the Academy consists of twenty students in Class A."
Elcia set aside her usual sharp demeanor and spoke in a gentle voice.
It was an utterly out-of-context remark, unrelated to my question.
Yet I listened closely. I had easily realized that her words connected to my inquiry.
But this semester will be different.
Twenty-one students will enter Class A."
"...One of them being me?"
Of the three hundred students who had originally passed the entrance exam, one had been canceled due to an unfortunate accident, leaving two hundred ninety-nine who would enter the academy.
Among them, counting from the top would take a lifetime, but counting from the bottom would fit in one hand.... two hundred eighty-ninth.
It might sound arrogant coming from me, but in this situation, it was saying that someone viewed my ascent to Class A as unreasonable.
Indeed. You will be transferred into Class A.
Only through my recommendation as Chief Professor and Class A instructor."
Should I be pleased?
According to my original plan, I had already entered Class A, so was this a good thing?
'...No, not at all.'
If my head wasn't completely cracked, I could easily see that this situation was not going to favor me.
Class A consisted of twenty members.
This simple formula had remained unbroken for the entire history of the academy.
Except for one occasion: when the greatest swordsman of the era—and later the youngest captain of the imperial knight order—transferred into the academy.
Unlike that individual, who had shone before entrance, I was among the weakest, ranked two hundred eighty-ninth in entrance results.
A student like me entering Class A solely on the recommendation of the chief professor—what looks would I receive? My head was already aching.
Originally.
In other words, in the game, Class A would have remained twenty.
The two hundredth entrant would have been displaced to make room for the playable character.
Shining at the entrance ceremony event was a far more important milestone than entrance rankings, which were 'merely' minor details.
But I had never shone in this cycle.
May I ask why I am being transferred to Class A?
My entrance ranking is clearly...."
Two hundred eighty-ninth."
I had to understand why Elcia had chosen to place me in Class A.
Even though I knew she had no ill intent toward me, I had no choice.
Only then could I determine the attitude I needed to adopt.
Upon my question, Elcia tapped the crystal ball on her desk with a finger.
It was probably an artifact of the video recording device.
The moment her hand touched it—and precisely when she infused it with mana—an image appeared on one wall of her office.
That must be.
Entrance Ceremony Video."
I see."
This was my first time actually viewing the video.
I had already known that the instructors observed us from hidden positions, and that the entire entrance ceremony was being recorded.
'So they had been observing us so comprehensively.'
Of course. To grasp the reactions of all students, they would have needed to check not only the platform but the overall scene.
Just before the small test during the entrance ceremony began—right when the mana began to erupt.
Elcia calmly continued as she replayed the video.
A familiar sight.
Just before the 'fake' occurred, I sensed something and rose to my feet.
Of course, I had known it was about to start and could react accordingly, but Elcia had no such knowledge.
Did you move? May I ask why?"
...Mana was detected. I thought something was about to happen."
Why?"
Elcia asked this, then looked at me with those light green eyes, having removed her gaze from the screen.
I could not reply 'I already knew' so I pulled out the pre-prepared answer.
Because there is no place where something unusual is impossible."
In the worst case, an ambush. In the best case, a test.
That was my answer, assuming every possibility.
Elcia nodded in satisfaction and replayed the video.
The reason I recommended you for Class A."
She enlarged the image on the crystal ball.
The figure of Allen—me—began to stand out clearly.
Even those called the golden generation."
How many of them reacted to the mana detection during the entrance ceremony event?"
At most, fifty out of three hundred would have.
That itself was impossible. Yet the golden generation made it possible.
Students possessing talent that automatically included exceptional mana sensing...
All of them were looking in one direction.
Yet even when they hadn't noticed even a light illusion, only you."
In the video, Allen—meaning me—had been looking in a different direction.
The video continued to play. Despite others looking elsewhere, I lowered my posture with absolute certainty that it was the right place.
Gripping the sword hilt tightly as if ready to draw it at any moment, I prepared to dash forward.
You were staring sharply at that spot and moving to respond."
...So."
So I recommended you for Class A.
Because your radiant talent was visible to the eye."
It made no sense.
Radiant talent?
I didn't possess anything like that. I had only known the future.
That was because I had played the game dozens—hundreds—of times.
I didn't have the radiant talent that the leading golden generation possessed.
But.
I had no intention of letting the opportunity slip away.
Of course.
'Whether this is an opportunity or a bomb, I need to watch it a little longer.'
And one more thing."
While nodding calmly and listening to Elcia's words, I erased my thoughts and looked at her.
Those light green eyes were staring at me intensely, as if piercing straight through.
Beautiful.
Staring blankly at the way the green eyes shone intensely, I unconsciously furrowed my brows at her next words.
You... would you like to be my disciple?"
What butterfly effect is this?
And what is this exactly?
Where and how...
Is it tangled?